INDIA

Annual Sports Day… November 21

The air was so thick with suspense as to the outcome of the first event. You know, the one between the President Nandu Dalvi and the President-elect Shobha Venkatraman! When it began, Nandu was in the lead, but closer to the finish line they were neck in neck. At the last instance, with a burst of extra energy, Shobha pressed forward and crossed the finish line to win. Atta girl, Shobha! Vidya could not believe her own eyes.

So when the Rassi-khech event came at the end of the day, revenge was in the blood. Nandu's team was evenly matched with Shobha's and for a while it looked like they were all frozen in place. This time Nandu's stalwarts mustered their breath and pulled in the opponents to win. And all the kids cheered!!

The weather was perfect and we had a fair turn- out at the annual Sports Day. About 85 persons were in attendance at Acushnet Park, half of them the youth. The various races, throws, and lemon spoon dash of the youth

were engaging. The results of the races are noted page 4. Men and women's basketball throw threw some surprises. Maria, who only has

a basketball hoop at home, no basketball at all, sunk a pretty good number of baskets! Narain gave Rajan a run for his money!! A comment was heard that it showed who was practicing the week before.

The day ended with people feasting on pizza, cookies, chips and soft drinks provided by generous sponsors. Thanks Rajan for a well-done Sports Day.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************Diwali Celebration… November 13

The wonderful cultural program was enjoyed by an audience of over 330 people. Some of the dances presented by the younger set were self-choreographed. Shows the level of skill and confidence the youth have attained over the years. Even the kids stayed well mannered and watched the program. Especially engaging for youth and adults alike was the yo-yo tricks performance by Linda Sengpiel. We thank the Director of the Asian Cultures Museum for arranging the yo-yo lady's

performance and for organizing the attendance by other Asians. Read more on Page 4.

The food committee went all out and served a fabulous dinner. Not a soul (or stomach!)

went unsatisfied or hungry. Thank you Cultural Committee and Food Committee for

a wonderful Diwali function. Refer to the list of volunteers on page 6.

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Appar, the great Tamil Nayanar saint, of cultivator background sings:Plough with the ploughshare of truth; plant the seed of the desire for knowledge; weed out untruth; irrigate the field with the water of patience; supervise your work by introspection; build the fence of the rules of Dharma. In the forge of continence, let patience be the goldsmith.

On the anvil of understanding, strike with the hammer of knowledge.

Fear of God be the bellows, austeritieds the fire.

Let love of God be the crucible, the nectar of life be melted in it.. …… Guru Nanak echoes similarly.

Musings…….. On the Bhakti Movement……. By Nandu Dalvi, President

[A confession. With science as first love, my own spiritual inclination was exclusively non-dualist (Advait Vedant). Until the poetic intensity of Meerabai's bhajans ensnared my heart, it was hard for me to appreciate the devotional path to God. The following is merely an attempt at a brief historical survey of a 1000 years of the fantastic outpouring of devotional poetry of the galaxy of saint-singers of India.] (Ref: 1 The Dance of Shiva, by Anand Coomaraswamy, renowned art historian, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 2 Hinduism, Its Historical Development, by Troy W. Organ, Prof of Phil, Ohio Univ. 3 The Great Integrators - Saint Singers of India, by Dr. V. Raghavan, Prof of Sanskrit, U. of Madras)

Meerabai was visiting the famous Krishna shrine in Dwarka and wished to pay respects to the learned goswami of the temple. The sage sent a message that he would not see a woman. Meera, in her characteristic humility, sent a reply through the messenger: "Before Lord Krishna, all are women. He is the only Man." The sage, humbled by the fine theology of Meera's, realized she was a true devotee of God and fell at her feet. For, it is the total surrendering love of Radha and the gopis (milk-maids) of Vrindavan for Krishna, that defines Lord Krishna as the Loving God. The individual soul's intense yearning for God is the pining of Radha for Krishna, as was Meera's.

Bhakti is the loving and passionate devotion to a personal deity 1. There is no assumption that the god that is right for one worshiper is necessarily right for another worshiper. Each person may select his own deity 2. In the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (~1000 - 700 BC), for the first time the rishi (sage) says that the condition for receiving the liberating knowledge is that one have the highest bhakti for God. Bhagvad Gita (extant ~500 - 300 BC) provided the classical basis for the devotional path to God.

Buddhism declined in India between 700 AD and its final destruction (Nalanda University of Bihar) came at the hands of the invading hordes from Afganistan and beyond (~1100 AD). During that period, the Bhakti movement resurged as a grass roots phenomenon from the hearts and lips of the remarkably creative saint-singers of all social classes and languages. Out of such geyser of love, the democratic doctrine consolidating all people without distinctions of caste or community grew a hold. On this anvil, the synthesis between Hinduism and Islam became a reality in the fabric of popular religious culture, in spite of their difficult relationship.

Drawing inspiration from the Puranas, during the Pallava dynasty (~ 642 AD) in the Tamil region, a remarkable group of 12 Vaishnav saints called "Alvars" (~700 - 900 AD) composed in Sanskrit and Tamil a great body of devotional poems. These were all set to ragas (verse forms), and later compiled by Nathmuni (~ 900 AD) from the Sanskrit tradition. During the same period, 63 Shaiva saints called "Nayanars" flourished. Their devotions were organized at the instance of King Rajaraja Chola I (~985

AD). These form the earliest body of south Indian music. Other groups forming the Siddha, Vira-Shaiva (12th century) and Haridasa traditions also rose and spread. Saints such as Tirumular and Nathmuni were from the north, Arunagirinath was a Bengali, Bhoga of Siddha sampraday

(tradition) was a Chinese settled at Kanchi of Tamil land. The greatest of the Haridasas was Purandardas (~ 1480 AD), who is revered as the founder of the modern Karnatak music. His music became inspiration to the Telugu Tyagraja, domiciled in Tanjore district of Tamil land, whose compositions express fervent devotion to God, moral teachings and philosophical insights 3.

The fervent of the Bhakti movement that swept over Maharashtra from 1200 AD produced over 50 saint-singers over a period of 500 years. In Shri Aurobindo's view, the Maratha poetry has a strong intellectual strain, many a poet being at once a devotee, a yogin, and a thinker. Dnyaneshwar, who wrote the first Gita in vernacular, Eknath, Namdev (~1269 AD), a tailor, Tukaram (~1608 AD), a shopkeeper, Ramdas (~1600 AD), the celebrated author of Dasbodh and Shivaji's guru, are some of the most famous names that live on the lips of people even today. They comprise of women, such as Muktabai, Janabai and Muslim saints like Shaikh Mohammad, whose followers pilgrimage to Hindu Pandharpur and Muslim Mecca, and observe Hindu Ekadashi and Muslim Ramzan. The saints' message is that true devotion to God alone matters and that caste, station, pomp and mere learning are of little moment. The Maharashtra devotional institutions of Sankirtan and the practice of bhajans or congregational singing of the Lord's Name had a far reaching effect during Maratha rule at Tanjore (17th - 18th

century). Many a devout teachers and gifted composers from Maharashtra and Andhra went there. This was the golden age of Karnatak music.

In Gujarath and Rajasthan, there were twin strains of Advait and Krishna-bhakti. Narsinh Mehta of Junagadh, who produced Gandhiji's favourite bhajan (see below) and Mirabai the Rajput princess, who worshipped Lord Krishna as her Lover are two of the most remembered. Dadu (~ 1544 AD), coming in the wake of Kabir, left a mark on the devotional sentiments of Rajasthan……(Continued on next page….)

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He is a true Vaishnav who feels the suffering of others as own. He serves others who are in misery, but is never proud of the good turn so done.

He bows to all and despises none, is always controlled in word, body and mind. ……. Narsinh Mehta. This bhajan was especially dear to Gandhiji's heart. In similar sentiments Guru Arjun continues:

…And hath compassion upon all living creatures.

He holdeth fast to Lord's Name and inspires others to meditate on It.

Nanak says, such a Vaishnav attains to the Supreme State.

On Bhakti Movement…. (Continued…..)

Kashmir was the home and meeting place of different systems of philosophy: Buddhism, Shaivism and Advait. Later it provided a confluence of traditional Hindu and Islamic thought. Lalladevi, the lady mystic of the 14 th

century produced a corpus of Vedantic and Bhakti poetry.

Punjab's outstanding contribution is Guru Nanak and the Sikh faith. As Arnold Toynbee says: "The Sikh religion might be described, not inaccurately, as a vision of this Hindu-Muslim common ground. To have discovered and embraced the deep harmony underlying the historic Hindu-Muslim discord has been a noble spiritual triumph." The Sikh scripture Granth Saheb is a storehouse of songs of the Sikh Gurus and of the saints of Maharashtra, Benaras, etc., all of them glorifying divinity in Impersonal Form.

The ultimate inspiration of all the saints of the Hindi-speaking north is Ramananda (~ 1400 AD), the great Brahmin philosopher and a Sanskrit scholar. He originally came from Ramanuja's Vaishnav sect of the south and took twelve disciples in Benaras 2. The greatest figures of this tradition were Kabir (~ 1440 AD), the Muslim weaver of Benaras and Tulsidas the abandoned child of a beggar Brahmin family, who wrote the Hindi Ramayan, the epitome of devotion to Lord Rama - the ideal son, brother, husband and king. The words of these two men of the past can be still heard in every village. Raidas, the cobbler, was another well-known disciple of Ramanand. Kabir's influence extended up to Punjab; his songs inspired many other panths (movements) such as Charandasis, Radhasvamis, etc. Haridas (~1464 AD), a contemporary of Chaitanya, was a Muslim Vaishnav saint. Rashkhan (17th century), Prince Dara Shikoh, Bulhe Shah (~1680 AD) are other poets of the Hindu-Muslim synthesis. Different from the schools of Rama-devotion, which had an Advaitic background and denounced excessive rituals, there were schools of Krishna-devotion of which Vallabhacharya was the inspiration. Surdas, the blind singer of Agra, was another great saint in the tradition of Krishna-devotion.

East is the land of Krishna and Shakti. Jayadeva's masterpiece of Sanskrit lyric, the Gitagovinda, of Radha-Krishna devotion, became the main inspiration of a flowering of musical dance-drama compositions all over the east, the Deccan and south India. Vidyapati of Mithila (14th century), a distinguished Sanskrit writer, wrote songs that were sung by Chaitanya and these formed the common heritage of Bihar and Bengal. He was followed by Shankaradeva (~ 1449 AD) of Assam. New pada style compositions on Kali and Krishna arose with Chandidas (14th century), who was a Shakta and then became a Vaishnava. His Chandi in Sanskrit was the ultimate source of inspiration for the Shakta lyrics of Bengal. A fresh upsurge of Krishna-bhakti in Bengal flowed from Chaitanya (~ 1486 AD), extending also to Orissa. Ramaprasad (~ 1718 AD), a worshipper of Devi, also wrote captivating poetry of Krishna and Shiva. Of the 150

authors of the devotional pada poetry of Bengal eleven were Muslims.

The identity of the saint-singers of the south, west, north and east cuts across all strata of Indian society:

brahmin, tailor, barber, potter, weaver, goldsmith, courtesan and repentant prostitute, out-caste, Hindu, Muslim, men, women and royalty to servant.

Bhagvat Purana, the fountainhead of the outpouring of Bhakti movement in the north, was a product of the momentous creative period in the south. The cycle of the popular movement sprang from the south, spread all over India and came full circle to reach south again through kirtans and bhajans of the Maratha saints and Jayadeva 3. In these devotionals was completed the round of Indian spiritual evolution from pure philosophy to pure mysticism, from knowledge to love 1.

In Shri Aurbindo's words, "…The songs of a Tukaram, a Ramparasad, a Kabir, the Sikh Gurus and chants of Tamil saints with their fervid devotion and profound spiritual thinking are a sign of a vivacious and supremely spiritual culture of India…It was always the inspired poetry of this type that was nearest to the heart and mind of the people….In abundance, in poetic excellence, in the union of spontaneous beauty of motive and lyrical skill this poetry has no parallel in its own field in any other literature (of the world)."

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Kabir reminds that the higher truth is within us, not in a far away pilgrimage:Where dost thou seek me, O slave! I am indeed near thee.I am not in the temple, nor in the mosque, neither in Kaaba nor Kailas. If you are a true seeker I shall meet thee in a moment's search.

Dadu admonishes the fanatics for their destruction of the holy places:

Shame the sword, put it far from thy thoughts.

All are made in the image of the Most High.

O Mullah, slay not the innocent.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************Orissa Cyclone Relief Fund

Mention must be made of the generosity of the donors who deposited money into the box set up for the Orissa Cyclone Relief Fund without any canvassing at the Diwali function. The collection of $ 424 plus $ 172 excess revenue from the CBIA sale of tickets to the Asian Cultures Museum will soon be sent to the fund. We urge all of you to continue doing what you can to alleviate the suffering of the affected people.

------------------------------- cut ---------------------------------- cut ----------------------------------- cut -----------------------------------S e e a l s o t h e R e p u b l I c D a y R S V P

YEAR 2000 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Raffles for Early Payment of Membership Dues

Please take advantage of an opportunity to win raffle prizes if you pay

Year 2000 Membership Fees byDecember 31, 1999.

The Details are as follows:Pay dues postmarked or paid in person by

Nov 13th (Diwali) receive 3 Raffle TicketsDec 11th receive 2 Raffle TicketsDec 31st receive 1 Raffle Ticket.

The Raffle Drawings will be during Republic Day Program January 29th

2000.The plan is to award 5 to 10 prizes of good

value based on sponsors’ support.I would like to request all members to

identify and encourage local Indians to become a member who have not yet done

so. Thank you.

Membership fee Schedule:

$1000 - Life member$25 - Family member per year$15 - Single member per year$5 - Student member per year

Religion

Religion is grandmotherAged, old,Frail figure, entangled hair;Tells stories, entertains;Also tells good from bad.People just hear;She continues to tell.Can the experience of one epochBe passed on the next?One does listenBut does not act.One sits at the shoreBut does not fill the pot;One does count the waves,But does not swim and cross the river;Does not fill the foundation of castles in air.Who is at fault? . . . History is silent.

When the gap is bridgedBetween precept and deed,Then nectar and poisonWill be differentiated.When religion goes to people’s heads,Steel is sharpened,Tongues grow cruel,Poisoned by black snakes of hatred,Red blood in the veinsTurns dark,Lips beautiful to kissFoam.

By: Amrita Pritam. Translated from Hindi journal Tirthankar… submitted by Ashok Jain

COASTAL BEND INDIA ASSOCIATIONMembership Fee – January 2000 through December 2000

I have enclosed ______$25 Family, or______$15 Individual, or______ $5 Student for fees.The names of the members covered by this fee and our mailing address is indicated below.

Names: Address:

Phone No: e-mail Address:Please mail/deliver application with a check (payable to CBIA) to: Trupti Nadkarni (ph: 994-7261)

5529 Fox Run Circle , Corpus Christi, TX 78413, or to CBIA POBox 271612, CC, TX 78413

May my passion burn as the flame of salvation,The flower of love become the ripe fruit of devotion. …… Ravindranath Tagore

!!! Aao Milengey Millenium !!! - CBIA New Year's Eve Fund Raiser Party

Date: What do you know - Friday Dec 31st Time: 9:30 pm - 1 amPlace: Shiva Bldg Hall, 4234 Weber Donation: $ 3/person

Please bring a snack dish w/serve spoon & soft drink bottle to share with friends. Let us boogie & have fun! Note: We are thankful to South Texas Psychiatric Associates (Drs. Maruvada, Rayasam, Mangipudi) for the Hall. We had been trying without luck to book a hall for quite some time. Inside the gates, there is a parking space for 60-70 cars, therefore, please car-pool with another family. Registration will be between 9:30 -10:30 pm, after which the gates to the property will be closed. You are requested to cooperate.

Volunteer Projects

"Feast of Sharing" (sponsored by HEB) on Friday, December 24th at the Bayfront Plaza This is our yearly project good for both the students and the adults alike for helping the really needy. 15 - 20 volunteers are needed to work at the annual HEB Christmas Lunch for the homeless and elderly. There is enough work even if you do not have a food server permit. Please sign up with Rita Kaluskar, 850-8441 or Satyajit Verma, 993-2857.

Asian Cultures Museum

The museum has become a resource of lessons in Asian Cultures for the area middle/elementary schools. They bring in students for 2 - 3 hours of interactive learning. The museum can use Indian volunteer help to teach them about Indian culture. All material is provided. Pledge once-a-month volunteer time to remove Americans' ignorance that we lament of Indian culture. Or you can help at the gift shop and receptionist desk. Please contact Satyajit Verma, 993-2857. Read on below.

Note: CBIA was honored to host the local Asian associations' members who attended our Diwali function. The ticket sale handled by the Museum raised funds for the Museum. This was proposed and managed by Satyajit Verma, who as you know, is on the board of directors for the Museum. Ananth Vekatraman prepared the special tickets. The Museum hopes to continue similar arrangement for Asian associations' major function, to pull the groups closer and raise funds. Please support the Museum.

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CBIA Sports Day Results

EVENT 1st Place, 2nd Place

4-6 yr olds: Anjali Ahuja, Neel Ahuja, Natasha Alexander, Vankshu Bhakta, Shree Deshpande, Anjali Krishnan, Devina Narang, Priya Ramachandran, Anu Sudhakaran

Tennis: A' division - Rajan Ahuja, B division - Madhup GuptaBasketball Throw:Men - Rajan Ahuja, Narain MangalaWomen - Maria Alexander, Preeti Kular

7-8 years100 yd race: Vinay Krishnan, Shreyas PeddigariLemon/spoon race: Saifel Islam, Shreyas PeddigariBall Hopping: Saifel Islam, Kumar Sudhakaran

11-12 yr girls 100 yd race - Sonya Mehta, Vaibhavi PatelBall Hopping - Vaibhavi Patel, Sonya MehtaBasketball - Sonya Mehta, Sonam Bhakta

9-10 years 100 yd race: Asish Shah, Alan AhujaBall Hopping: Neerav Mangipudi, Alan Ahuja Basketball - Vivek Venkatraman, Steve Phillip

13-15 yr boys 100 yd race - Prince Philip, Herman KularFootball Throw - Prince Philip, Rohit SinghBasketball - Ankit Shah, Herman Kular

11-12 yr boys 100 yd race - Anish Patel, Neeraj ManglaBall Hopping - Anish Patel, Neeraj ManglaBasketball - Neeraj Mangla, Anish Patel

13-15 yr girls 100 yd race - Sohini Patel, Shefali PatelSack Race - Shefali Patel, Sohini PatelBasketball - Sohini Patel, Neepa Bhakta

* I have always wanted to be procrastinator, but I never got around to it. *

REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATION

The Republic Day Celebration and our Annual General Body Meeting are planned for Saturday, January 29th, 2000. This is the 50 th anniversary of the Republic of India . Let us celebrate it with pride, for it

is the symbol of strength of Indian democracy enshrined in the Constitution adopted on January 15, 1950.

5:00-6:00 pm Social Hour6:00-7:50 Cultural Program & General Body Meeting

7:50-9:15 DinnerPlace: Carroll High School Cafeteria, 5301 Weber

To participate in the cultural show, contact by December 31 st Indu Mangla, 808-9191

Entrance Fee includes cost of dinner, stage program and hall$6 for Age 12 Yrs and Up & for American Guests Invitees of Members

$4 for Age 4 to 11 Yrs & for College Students from IndiaFree for 3 Yrs and under

Please Call by January 15 th & Prepay by January 18 th for an exact count for planning the dinner. Since many who called for Diwali did not show up, thus wasting food, we are requesting that money be

received by Jan 18th.

Tickets will not be sold at the door.

For tickets, please contact, Shobha Venkatraman, 992-6311, Bakula Dave, 854-8950, Shashi Sudhakaran, 992-0900, Urvashi Bhakta, 289-6402. Mail form below.

-------------------------------cut-----------------------------------cut------------------------------------cut------------------------------------REPUBLIC DAY PROGRAM RSVP FORM

Please arrange for us tickets for the Republic Day Program on Saturday, January 29th, 2000, as follows:

Adults (12 yrs+) & Amer. Invitees __________$6.00 each $_____________Children (4 yrs - 11 yrs) __________$4.00 each $_____________Children (3 yrs and under) No chargeNon-members __________$10.00 each $_____________

TOTAL _______________

My Name: My Phone Number:

A CHECK payable to CBIA must be received no later than January 18th at

Shobha Venkatraman OR Bakula Dave5418 Timbergate 4537 SneadCorpus Christi, TX 78413 Corpus Christi, TX 78413

*Also submit Membership Form

ExecutiveCommittee and Sub-Committee News

The Executive Committee held its 11th meeting December 5th. Planning for the Republic Day function Jan 29, 2000 has commenced.

* Kalpana Shah's Education Sub-committee is happy to inform that this year we have received applications for the Rajesh Bhakta Memorial Scholarship Award. * Early planning for the Independence Day Mela on August 14 is about to start.

The next EC meeting will be held Sunday, Jan 15th, 3 pm at Nandu Dalvi's residence.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WISHES YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS & A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Nomination and Election of New Executive Committee Members

Reminder: The election will be held in the Annual General Body Meeting during Republic Day Program January 29, 2000. The outgoing officers are Nandu Dalvi, Rakesh Patel, Lalitha Janaki, Abraham John. Eligibility: The nominations of current members must be received in writing by December 14, 1999, stating the names of the Nominee, Nominator and the Seconder, and signed by the latter two. It is the duty of the Nominator and the Seconder to confirm beforehand the willingness of

the Nominee to serve on the Executive Committee, if elected.

Please mail the nominations to Madan Singh, Chairperson Election Sub-Committee, 5726 Crestwood Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78415 in an envelop marked “Nomination CBIA”, or Election Sub-committee, Coastal Bend India Association, PO Box 271612, Corpus Christi,TX 78413.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Volunteers List

The EC along with the Sub-Committee Chairpersons Indu Mangla (Cultural) and Rajan Ahuja (Sports) would like to express their thanks to the respective volunteers whose hard work made the following recent programs. Please let us know if any one was inadvertently left out. Note: Tickets for the Indian college students was sponsored by Gopal and Lalitha Janaki. Their gesture is greatly appreciated.

Diwali Cultural Committeee Volunteerscommittee members: Preeti Kular, Shashi Singh, Bakula Dave, Maria Alexander, Padmaja Deshpande, and Urvashi Bhakta. Erin Kular and Nilika Shah for welcoming the attendees with pretty smiles. Anil Sreshtha for operating the curtain, and to all those who helped to keep the children and audience quiet, including: Surbhi Patel, Bhakti Nadkarni, Alka Ahuja, M.P. and Shashi Sudhakaran, Nandini Krishnan and Govind Nadkarni.

Diwali Food Committee Volunteers:Padmaja Deshpande, Bhakti Nadkarni, Shashi Sudhakaran, Mahalaxmi Ramachandran, Gayatri Reddy, Kalpana Shah, Purnima Verma, Bakula Dave, Vijayalaxmi, Rita Kaluskar, Parveen Ahuja, Nandita Bagchi, Yogini Shah, Margie Dalvi, Shashi Singh, Lata Patel, Uma Paruthi, Suzie Mehta, Priti Kular, Lata Rakhe, Jayashree Shah, Surbhi Patel, Vandana Patel, Indu Mangla, Jyotiben, Madhu Patel, Anita Patel, Urvashi Bhakta, Shyamali Shaw, Era Gupta, Ranjana Jain, Alka Ahuja, Shalini Narang, Rama Mangipudi, Rajalaxmi Rayasam, Syamala Maruvada, Maria Alexander, Saumya Verma, Pradip and Sonya Mehta

Diwali Hall/Audio Setup Volunteers:Yogesh and Anand Shah, Anand Watane & Tamu-CC students, Rajan Ahuja, Minal Patel (Hall decoration), and Ananth Vankatraman, who also prepared the beautiful Program Brochure in addition to handling the all-important audio system.

Sports Day Volunteers:Nandini Krishnan, Alka Ahuja and others at the site

* Losing faith in oneself means losing faith in God. …… Swami Vivekanand *

Executive Committee Sub-Committee Chairpersons

Legend: Liaison responsibility

Legend: Coordinator

Sub-Committee Chairpersons and CoordinatorsSupport/Courtesy: Bakula Dave 854-8950

…Host Family: Gopal Pathikonda 991-1912Hall: …Reservation: Harish Shah 991-4274

__ __

We thank you CBIA for Nine Years of:

A strong emphasis on excellence in education and working to better our schools Preserving an India connection for expatriates and US citizens of Indian descent Your continuing civic work within the society-at-large of the Coastal Bend and making a difference here Your success at representing Indian ideals as a united group, which benefits its host country while maintaining strong ties

to its heritage For sharing your cultural heritage and ideals with others in the Coastal Bend

We would like to say thank-you again in helping to underwrite the printing and mailing costs of this issue of SHABARI.

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Coastal Bend India AssociationP.O. Box 271612Corpus Christi, Texas 78413 8

Nandu Dalvi: President, Hall 643-5585 Cultural: Indu Mangla 808-9191Shobha Venkatraman: Pres-Elect, Food 992-6311 Volunteer: Satyajit Verma 993-2857John Abraham: Secretary, Spl Projects 993-8665 Sports: Rajan Ahuja 993-9007K. Venugopal: Treasurer, 985-6654 Newsltr Distr: Vandana Patel 850-9427Trupti Nadkarni: Membership, Sports 994-7261 Vanwas/Picnic: Bhaskar Patel 241-9158Lalitha Janaki: Civic Affairs, Cultural 937-7272 Education/Adopt-a-school: Kalpana ShahKuruvilla John: Volunteer, stage 994-1960 991-4274Rakesh Patel: Picnic, Education 949-1049Sunil Ahuja: Decoration, Support 850-8596