Recap: We all met at Polar Park on Friday evening, kids were excited.  ISW School sang the Indian National Anthem beautifully, and Dr Passey, Ushaji and Tanvi Gahlot were recognized for their volunteer work.  On arrival, we were greeted by DJ Raunak music at the Plaza, and delicious  desi food by Peppers, Northboro. Flag bearers Sharat & Shiamin, and  singers Diya, Carter & Ishan  all contributed to the festivites. Jagan shared info about ISW in a radio interview.  As part of  pregame performance, Ekta Dance Academy danced to fun bollywood beats. Woo Sox promoted the awesome work done by ISW on screen.  It was a proud moment for Indian Heritage night

For pictures,  do click here

For Details on ISW School National Anthem, click here and here  (ask for access

Pregame info:

ISW  will be recognized as Heart of Worcester  Woo Sox Recognizes a non-profit for their work in the community

Tickets at https://iswonline.org/event-5666636

Dr Passey  honored as Hometown Hero CFP Honors an individual for service to their town, city, community
Usha Verma  celebrated for Specialty Recognition Celebrates a special individual on the field
Tanvi Gahlot Ceremonial First Pitch
ISW School will sing National Anthem and High Five Tunnel
Ekta Dance Academy performs  field performance
Food by Peppers, Northboro
DJ Raunak  Desi music Polar Park DCU Plaza Performance/DJ

Hometown Hero CFP, Honors an individual for service to their town, city, community

Dr Sahdev Passey, MD, is a graduate of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, India. He arrived in the U.S. in 1973 and has spent his whole professional medical career in the Worcester. He has been in private practice of pediatrics in Worcester since 1978. Dr. Passey is, or has been, an active volunteer with numerous professional, Political and social organizations, including: Director of Free Health Stop in Shrewsbury, since 2005; President of the India Society of Worcester; President of the Indo- American Forum for Political Education; President of the Indian Medical Association of New England, President of the Worcester District Medical Society, He has also served as Trustee of Massachusetts Medical Society, he is a one of the founding Directors of the South-East Asian Coalition of Central Mass and a Community Trustee of the United Way of Central MA, He has received the Community Physician of the Year and Senior Physician Volunteer of the year Awards from the Mass Medical Society and the Worcester District Society, a key to the City of Worcester, a Governor's Citation for his Community Service in Massachusetts and a Life time Achievement Award for his volunteer services from President Biden (PVSA). He attributes his accomplishment to his wife Carolyn and their children (Michael, Katelyn and Sean) and grandchildren for their sacrifices, support and help.

Specialty Recognition: Celebrates a special individual on the field

Usha Verma, M.A., LSW, is a sitarist, volunteer and advocate for elders living in Auburn, Massachusetts. Usha graduated with distinction from Punjab University in Chandigarh, India with a Masters of Liberal Arts specializing in Music. In 1982, Usha immigrated to the United States and raised her family. She continued to give sitar performances at various venues in Massachusetts as well as other nearby states. Ms. Verma served as a teacher, teaching the language and devotional songs, lyrics and their meanings using Indian Semi-Classical Music at the India Society of Worcester Cultural School for students of all ages.

Ms Verma is a licensed social worker, working several years to serve the elders in the local community and assisting adults with special needs. She has been an active member of the India Society of Worcester where she has served as the Chairperson for the Crisis Center for more than 15 years. Usha maintained her spirit of helping others by supporting victims of domestic violence through Saheli, a Massachusetts based organization for South Asian women.

Usha currently is employed as an outreach coordinator, a social worker at Auburn Senior Center and has been a volunteer for Sewa International for the last 5 years. She credits her mother Shyam Kanta Sood and father Mohinder Nath Sood for instilling a passion in her for helping those in need of support

Ceremonial First Pitch

Tanvi Gahlot has graduated from Westboro High School She exemplifies qualities of a youngster who stands out amongst her peers, as a Student teacher, and President and Vice President of the Indian Youth Group at ISW

----submitted by Kirti Nagpal

We had a very relaxing yoga session on 5/25/24 under the guidance of one of the prominent Yoga instructors in our community Mrs. Alka Yadav Mehta.

We started the session with Anulom Vilom and Uijayi breathing exercises followed by gentle stretching exercises while seated on the chair .After that Alka ji guided us through a very innovative and creative way of practicing Surya Namaskar using chair as a support .Throughout the session the emphasis was on mindfulness and being present in the moment. The session ended with a guided meditation and body scan leaving us all very refreshed and rejuvenated. Alka ji also highlighted all the positive and long-term effects of daily yoga practice in controlling high blood pressure , diabetes and even chronic pain .Regular yoga can boost energy levels by improving circulation and stimulating the nervous system. It helps improve focus and enhance mental clarity.

After the calming and relaxing Yoga session we dived into Manoranjan- the Karaoke session for our emotional wellbeing. We all came together to sing and dance and enjoy music. The finale was a short group dance video we recorded on a very popular song from yester years!!

It was a very exciting and fun filled event on the whole.

submitted by Snehal Kadam

Pictures speak louder than words’ – here is a sneak peek to a beautiful evening celebrating Mother’s Day with ISW’s Women Empowering Women platform!!

Thank you to each and everyone of you who attended the event and made it a grand success! Your presence brought immense joy and warmth to the occasion, making it truly memorable!

A heartfelt appreciation to the entire WEW team for their tireless efforts in planning and executing an event of this scale!

Shrihan Nair 5th grade at Sherwood Middle school

I enjoyed my experience with 3D printing because it was a great opportunity to meet new friends, learn something new, and have fun! One of my favorite parts of the class was the ability to create anything, from a gift to a car. Some of the projects I made included an Enderman, a Birthday gift for my mom, a car, and a bolt. The people helping out were very kind and helpful. Dhruv and Rohan, wonderful student helpers from Saint John's High School, taught me what to do while the print was running and how to remove the print from the plate. Bala uncle was also very kind and answered all my questions, sharing tips and tricks about 3D printing. Ashish uncle taught me everything about 3D printing and introduced me to Tinkercad, where I could design my own prints, and Thingiverse, a website where you can find items made by others to print.

Tanvi Yarasani: , I heard about 3D printing before but never knew how they do it, it was a great experience learning, to do and get hands-on experience. I never knew how things are printed but learning how to create and print something was a great experience. I want to learn and looking forward for next year and to learn about laser cutting. I want to thank all the teachers who helped me to learn this. Tanvi Yarasani.

Aarna Chug, 6th grader from Sherwood Middle School, truly enjoyed 3D and Laser printing classes. This was the first experience for her and she is thrilled. It was amazing for her to draw art on the computer and in a few minutes, she could touch and feel the drawn object. This class has expanded her creativity and exposed her to the art of possibilities. Thank you.

We congratulate Pranav and are proud of this accomplishment. We hope that more youth are inspired to take an active interest in civic engagement !!

Pranav Cowlagi has been elected to become one of Shrewsbury's youngest town meeting members in the recently concluded town election. "My family, my school and volunteering with the India Society of Worcester (and IYG in particular) have always instilled the value of community service in me" says Pranav. " I am eager to get a closer understanding of the inner workings of our town government and advocate for issues that are important to me and my community."

A recent Indian Youth Group member, Pranav is  pursuing majors  in Environmental Science and Sustainable Business and Policy at UMass, Amherst. 

---submitted by Kelly Mittal

ISW PEN in collaboration with Asian Business Empowerment Council hosted an incredibly insightful session with representatives from MA Supplier Diversity Office & Small Business Administration (SBA) presenting on minority certification and federal contracting. It was a huge success and drew participants from as far as NH, Boston, and Lowell. Federal government spends about $700 billion with vendors and more than 23% of it is intended for small businesses and women/minority owned enterprises. The comprehensive discussions and networking opportunities provided attendees with the tools and knowledge to expand their business understanding and leverage benefits of diversity certifications for growth. 

ISW-Women Empowering Women – “Let’s Celebrate Her” May 10, 2024

Team: Snehalata Kadam, Neha Kaushal Mishra, Puja Harkut Rathi, Kajal Kaushik Dixit and Swara Gurav.

ISW- Women Empowering Women organized one of its flagships Mother’s Day celebratory events on May 10 th , 2024, at India Center. The event theme was to celebrate yourself royally with pearl elegance and lavender love. Over 150 ladies attended the event in vibrant lavender shades, dressed in confidence, The evening full of fun, laughter, and enjoyment!!! Every single attendee was involved in the team games with winning spirit. Many women came to the stage area to showcase their courage in impromptu dance moves. Some of them enjoyed Mother’s Day sale shopping for their near and dear ones. Some of them got involved in making reels with their friends. Most of the women were very much in the moment of taking solo pictures and group pictures to capture their memories to treasure for life. The three different categories of sponsors, one education, another fitness and the third financial literacy oriented one were a coessential part of the event. Special mention to the home décor, reuse beverage bottles and selfcare sponsors who made the winning even more attractive.

The event was a grand success with enormous amount of planning and hard work of six months by WEW team. The IYG volunteers Ayan Mishra, Prisha Rathi and Dhruv Jagan along with community volunteer Aadi Dixit were very helpful from registration to cleanup to photography. Special thank you to Sahith Madadi for capturing the memories for us through his photography, Ankush Rathi for his music management and Sharat Amin for traffic control support. 

submitted by Arathi Cowlagi

The ISW Symphony Art Festival was a one of a kind visual arts celebration for art enthusiasts of all ages put together by ISW Symphony team led by Sarita Deshpande & Neha Ujlayan.The event created a platform to bring together artists, artisans and art lovers from all across Massachusetts to showcase and appreciate the rich and varied art forms.

Some of the key features of the festival included:

- Art exhibitions - Featuring over 15+ talented local artists ranging from simple handmade bookmarks by a 84 year old to a 16 yr old modular origamist, attendees enjoyed a wide variety of art.

- Live demo, wheel throwing by Rachel Dubicki in partnership with the Worcester Center for Crafts

- Madhubani Art Workshop by well known local Madhubani artist, Sunanda Sahay 

- A collaborative community art project to celebrate Mother’s Day and Spring

- Kids Art Contest- 
Winners announced below-
Age group- 8-10 years 
Aarna shekhar - 1st prize (age 10)
Naavya Raghavendra- 2nd prize (age 9)
Divija- 3rd prize (age 8)
Age group- 5-7 years
Reya- 1st prize(age 7)
Nyra- 2nd prize ( age 5)
Mrig- 3rd prize (age 7)

- Food & Craft Stalls

-Gift baskets sponsored by Arathi Cowlagi(KW Realty) and Vandana Pitke(Om Homeopathy)
Winners below-
Mishta
Riana Sukhija
Piya B

This event had an overwhelming response from the community filling the need for a vibrant visual arts community event!

Promo video link - Promo1

                             Promo2

Pictures and Videos by Govind Dindore and Yatin Manjrekar  - Pictures 

Submitted by Kirti Nagpal

The Hasya Kavi Sammelan was a resounding success.
 It’s hard to describe in words how these talented poets were able to bring out such rib tickling humor with the play of words!!

 We had the honor of having accomplished poets like  Shambhu Shekhar ji , Arjun Gemini and Mumtaz Naseem grace our India center with their presence .
 We witnessed Brilliance at its best .
I can say with confidence that the audience were totally enthralled by their witty humor . We all were laughing our heads off the entire time except when Mumtaz Naseem very eloquently described the political instability and turmoil with our neighboring country. It touched every one’s soul and heart ,evident by the fact that she received  a standing ovation by the audience.Mumtaz Naseem is a poet whose words resonate with strength and resilience and beauty of human spirit.
 Shri Shambhu Shekhar our other renowned poet for the evening is a luminary in the world of verse . His phenomenal and compelling satire has captivated audience worldwide.He is able to weave words like an artist ,painting emotions and stories with the brush of language .Shambhu ji is indeed a master of his art.
Then we had Arun Gemini whose name is synonymous with humor at the highest level. His words have the power to stir emotions and ignite the imagination.His unique style and humor is unparalleled .We almost fell off our seats as we were laughing so hard .He is able to craft moments of joy from the absurdities of life .
As someone has quoted beautifully “Always find a reason to laugh, it may not add years to your life but will surely add life to your years"
In those 3 hours of this event at India  center we can all unanimously and undoubtedly agree that laughter reigned supreme. We got a good enough dose of laughter therapy 
In the end I would like to acknowledge all the hard work and efforts of our organizers and our volunteers  for bringing us such culturally rich and inspiring programs.

Poem recited by Nimish Kunte, ISW School  Hindi 4 student

Hello All,

My name is Jash Kotadiya and I am a BoyScout from Troop 114 who is working towards achieving the Eagle Scout rank by July. My Eagle project proposal has been approved and I plan to plant Arbor shrubs behind the kids play area at the ISW in Shrewsbury. In order to complete my project, I am raising funds for all of the required materials and supplies. The estimated cost of the project is about $1,800. I hope that I can count on your support to raise funds for my Eagle Project and any donation would be greatly appreciated.

Please support my Eagle project by:

Thank you for all your help and support.

ISW Advisors: Ashish Cowlagi, Suchitra Shinde, Ruchi Chauhan, Shiamin Melville