By Preeyanka Shah
[Preeyanka Shah is a 2005 Westborough High School graduate and a 2009 Duke Universiy graduate.  She is currently on a Fellowship with Indicorps serving at Adharshila Learning Centre in a remote village in southwest MP in India. To read her previous article in this series - Wheats and Grains, click here].

On the third day of our orientation, two other fellows and I were wandering through old Ahmedabad, a labyrinth of teetering, centuries-old buildings and crooked, narrow streets overflowing with scooters, pedestrians and hawkers selling just about everything.
Part of our mission that day was to commit a random act of non-transactional kindness, a task that appeared simple enough at first glance.  We decided to look out for individuals that looked particularly destitute and pathetic, people clearly in need of a random act of kindness in our opinion.  Yet, this task proved to be the most challenging of the day.  In the end, we walked over to the Swaminarayan Temple, a landmark sure to attract plenty of elderly people, perfect recipients for our random act.

By Ernest Gulla

On Saturday, December 5th, about one hundred people from different Indian states gathered at Richer Elementary School in Marlboro to celebrate the fourth annual ISW christmas 2009. Ladies dressed in colorful Indian sarees & men in formal attire celebrated christmas in the Indian  way  with  Christmas carols, live music, dance and drama. The evening program started with a dance performance by Priya Magilicerla, followed by an inspirational Christmas Drama presented by Mrs. Orpha James & group. Mr. Suresh Gupta, Vice President ISW, welcomed the audience and brought a thought provoking message about the lessons we can learn from Grass hoppers & the power that lies behind joining hands to accomplish great things.

Hanishi Ali,  an attorney, at Mithras Law Group and a frequent contributor to ISW eSandesh newsletter,  has been appointed by Governor Deval L. Patrick to serve as a State Commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW).  

The mission of the Commission is to advance women toward full equality in all areas of life and to promote rights and opportunities for all women.  The Commission exists to provide a permanent, effective voice for women across Massachusetts.  The Commission stands for fundamental freedoms, basic human rights, and the full enjoyment of life for all women throughout their lives.

By Tushar Pande, Neena Mohanka

ISW had its first fun filled evening for young professionals in the form of Social Meet & Greet on 5th December. Although snow played its part but that did not stop the young and the young at heart crowd from having a great time. The cold evening was well greeted with the samosa, Chicken Tikka and Tea which later gave way to an enthusiastic karaoke competition from all the members.

Overall it was a terrific kick-off of first one of its kind events sponsored by ISW. There was ample appreciation for an aesthetically beautiful and pleasing appearance of the venue which was made possible by the hard work of Tushar and Priyanka .Neena took care of the food and snacks part of the evening while Puneet was in charge of the entertainment section. Rishi’s efforts as the DJ for the evening made the party jumping.
 
As always we look forward to receiving feedback so that we have an opportunity to better present such events in future.