Browsing: Education

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen we were young, there was one lesson we learned early from our parents – a respect for knowledge. If we dropped a book by accident, we not only had to pick it up but touch it to our foreheads and our eyes in a mark of contrition.

All learning was sacred.

If you’re wondering what the Secret Garden is, and where it is,  it is Children’s Hope India’s annual gala and it was held on October 7 at Pier Sixty in Manhattan. The theme of this much anticipated fundraiser for the education of under-served children was based on the classic children’s novel ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett which shows how love and compassion can transform the lives of children.

Yes, it’s that time of the year again when you cast aside your coats, boots and winter blues and celebrate beautiful Spring with your friends at the event of the season –  The Children’s Hope Spring Luncheon!

He breaks into people’s homes. And if that’s not outrageous enough, he even opens their refrigerators and checks out the contents! He makes middle-aged Indian men remember their youth – and young Indian kids conquer the world.

So who is Rahul Walia and what does he really do?

A few years ago, at a party hosted by an Indian in the New York suburbs, I chatted with the wife of a senior executive of a major American financial services company who is an IIT graduate. Both husband and wife are from Haryana. I asked if they knew a consultant with a major firm, an IIM graduate who is also from Haryana. She said “We meet at such parties. But we do not socialize. He is a Jat while we are Kayasths.”

Our world is full of irrational, brutal acts and unbelievable consequences, and yet sometimes good can come out of evil. A flying bullet can end a life – or start a bloodless revolution that can change the world.

The film “He named me Malala” documents just such a real life story.

If you thought Miss America had to be blonde and blue eyed, you have to meet Nina Davuluri, the current Miss America. Not only did her dark almond shaped eyes and dusky complexion showcase her Indian roots but she also won big with her rousing Bollywood dance number from ‘Om Shanti Om.’Yes, Miss America is of Indian origin – and proud of it!
Indeed, this Miss America is the first with Indian roots and really shows what’s special about America: you can be of a different heritage, speak a different language, pray to a different god, yet you are American. A chat with Nina Davuluri to find out how’s she’s doing.