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Friday, November 22, 2002 7-11pm |
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AASRA, the Asian American Support and Resource Agency, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and serve as a resource agency for women and families of the Asian American community in the New England area. One of their most recent events was at the opening of the new Bombay Cinema 2 by Aap Ka Manoranjan in Allston, MA held on the evening of Thursday, September 26, where the proprieters of the theater, Arsh and Anil Mehrotra, were kind enough to sponsor them. AASRA was represented at the event by President Kamal Misra as well as fellow board members Anu Bandopadhay, Radha Jalan, and Archana Singhal. They requested $2 donations per patron and gave out information about the organization. Aap Ka Manoranjan was also kind enough to donate part of the proceeds from their raffle, the winner of whom received a round trip ticket to either Bombay or Delhi, to AASRA. The film featured at this event was Dil Hai Tumhara, which starred Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chaudhary, Arjun Rampal, and Jimmy Shergill. The story deals with such issues as extra-marital affairs and stepchildren, the relationships between mother and daughter and sister to sister, making it an appropriate choice to feature AASRA, an organization that deals with such issues and many others that women face. The highlights of the movie were the lively performance Preity Zinta, who you cannot help but like whatever role she plays, and the incredible good looks of Arjun Rampal, male model turned actor. All in all, the event was a major success with both rooms housing the two screens that the theater features being completely full and AASRA raising a significant amount of money for a very worthy cause. Next on AASRA’s plate is an event that they are hosting featuring the sensational Nandita Das, known for her moving and electrifying performances in such movies as Bawandar and the element trilogy Earth, Fire, and Water. Given the wide range of the roles she has played, from a rape victim or closet lesbian, to an ayah among many other things, she is the perfect person to bring to speak on female empowerment, one of the core things that AASRA seeks to bring out. The event will be held on Friday, November 22 from 7 to 11pm at the Hotel Wyndham on Concord Road in Billerica.
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Following on their motto that “where women are, the better things are…implied, if not spoken”, AASRA, the Asian American Support and Resource agency epitomized it in the only way possible, at the Arpana festival at MIT Kresge on July 5th - by being there in full tour de force and making the inaugural event a grand celebration.
The evening seemed promising from the very beginning. The lobby of MIT Kresge wore a festive artistic look with eye catching display of art and friendly, lively and helpful AASRA members everywhere. As hosts for the opening day, AASRA showed its tremendous organizing capacity and enthusiastic support for the event. Most amazing was the rapport shared by all its members who contributed to its terrific success. Here were a group of women and men who seemed almost as family coming together to espouse a cause that they believed in strongly. Besides being a sponsor of many of Arpana’s activities, the most brilliant idea was the silent auction that was put out by them. A lovely display of fine jewelry, stunning colorful silk saris , elegant pieces of art and even a few artistic wall décor were the highlights of the auctioned items. An added touch of elegance were the dramatic addition of decorative art sculptures and brass pots that helped create an atmosphere of a strong cultural identity to the surroundings. Each silent auction had a description of the item attractively displayed for best view. It was a great start and there were bids on most items reinforcing, that the idea did appeal to many at the show. While photographers merrily clicked at the happy members of AASRA along with Jothi Raghavan and some of the dancers at the festival, Lokvani managed to get a few words out from some of its members. Anu Bandopadhayay, an active member was smiling and her enthusiasm was infectious “We are proud to present Kanya”, she gushed .“It was the right combination for both of us.” “As a support group we want to provide a connection for women here.” Kamal Mishra , in her introductions said “AASRA and Kanya are both building bridges in the community. Kanya is a tribute to all women strong and uncompromising in their values. Kanya speaks and dances and communicates in the strength of women in Draupadi, Sita and Shakti. Radha Jalan, also of AASRA admitted that AASRA and Kanya coming together was the most natural thing in the world. “Just as Kanya is trying to build bridges through art, AASRA is doing the same with support”. she explained. “ We want to bring in the awareness that AASRA is a support agency that you can depend on. There has been no membership drive yet. We have sponsored various events in the past and had a great response. AASRA develops solutions within a supportive framework that values the individual and the community”. Archana Singhal, another active member who had meticulously prepared the descriptions of the auction item and the display panel of AASRA said that most of the items for auction had been generously donated by individuals. There were plenty of interested people crowding the table where she had a display panel of AASRA information and brochures. The group also provided for 150 artist free meals, sales of ticket to the event, brochure advertisement and contributed to an article on Artists patent rights in the Arpana Brochure. AASRA actively participated in the ‘Invisible Thread’ cultural panel discussion and publicized and promoted the event. The food was sponsored by the well known Bombay Club along with AASRA. Nalini Goel of 'Nalini Creations' did the major part of the decorations. The members of AASRA are a committed, dedicated and dynamic group who organize seminars on health,nutrition,immigration and finance. It is a resource agency that provided family support and assistance. AASRA is a non-profit organization with tax exempt status under 501 (C) 3 code. Any amount of your donation to help AASRA to carry out its mission will be tax deductible. |
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AAP KA MANORANJAN New Home for Indian Movies at 214 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA Donations of $2 or more is requested from each patron to benefit AASRA (Asian American Support and Resource Agency) a NE non-profit organization for the enpowerment of women. GRAND OPENING RAFFLE Purchase $10 Ticket to win One free Roundtrip air ticket to India courtesy Mill Run Tours, 20 Park Plaza # 610, Boston, MA 02116.
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AASRA will also host the KANYA reception on Friday, July 5, prior to the gala ARPANA inauguration and Kanya performance.
Kanya is a multi-media dance production that speaks to the exploration of the concept of womanhood. As such it speaks well to AASRA's intrinsic message of women being the centrifugal drivers for the better places and experiences in life. AASRA delivers the resources and support to women of all ages, persuasion, professions,etc. to empower them to excel and be their very best- for themselves, their families and their community. In a performance of classical Indian and modern dance, music, poetry and projected images, artistic director, choreographer and master Bharatha Natyam dancer, Ms. Raghavan explores the idea of Woman in the famous Indian epics culminating in the appeal of the contemporary woman for equality. In Kanya, the female protagonist of the ancient Indian verses penned by the male poets, such as Ramayana (Valmiki), Mahabharatha (Vyasa) and Kama Sutra (Vatsyayana)," moves through the ages and meet us face- to- face on level ground," a much acclaimed production of The Academy of Indian Performing Arts. Arpana will become an yearly event to celebrate India's performing arts traditions. Arpana will be a festival where connoisseurs, world-class artists, and scholars get together with the art loving public to share knowledge, expertise, and their commonlove of India's beautiful performing arts. But more than just the performances, this festival is intended to provide a platform for sharing and discussing the varied issues that are common to an immigrant culture. Other featured productions of ARPANA include the world premier of Banyan Tree, a work by world-renowned choreographer Lakshmi Vishwanathan. Banyan Tree traces the history of dance in India to the present day, and an exclusive performance by the famed Dhananjayans of Kalakshetra. There will also be a panel discussion, entitled Invisible Thread: How Indian art forms have kept us connected to our culture and tradition. Please Visit the Arpana web site for more details on the festival. Click here for the Kanya Schedule of Events.
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Director: Krutin Patel, Screenplay: Krutin Patel and James McManus ABCD, directed by Krutin Patel is a complex, muti layered piece, there is more in this film than meets the eye. A tale told with humor and compassion it revolves around the lives of an immigrant woman Anju Mehta (Madhur Jaffery) and her two grown children, Raj (Faran Tahir), hardworking accountant, and Nina ( Sheetal Sheth), an ad executive. Steeped in tradition and old fashioned values, the mother rams 'culture' down the throats of her children. Nina and Raj, identities in crisis, come to terms with their conflict by the end of the film, a complex resolution that forces the viewers to read between the lines. The siblings, played with great aplomb by Sheth and Tahir are very alike despite their glaring diffrences. Sheetal Sheth plays Nina with considerable angst, using promiscuity as a weapon of rebellion and committment-phobia. She seems baffled and conflicted throughout the film.Raj on the other hand, suffers in silence, locked in a loveless relationship, it takes his mother's passing away to break free from the shackles of parental and social expectations and seek a new reality for himself. Aasra (Asian American Support and Resource Agency), is a group dedicated to its mission: to empower and enrich the lives of women. Founded in 2001, Aasra has struck a chord in the South Asian community in Greater Boston area. Aasra screened Krutin Patel's film 'ABCD' at the Burlington Public Library on the 13th of April. This was an open event, free to the public, with the screening followed by a discussion. Those present included Anu Bandhopadhya, Kamal Mishra, Geetha Ramamurthy, Shri, Archana Singhal, Vibha Goyal, Pritam Singh, Mausami Sengupta, Arsh Mehrothra, Anil Mehrothra, Rama Palriwala, Vibha Goyal, Neel Vora, Monika Garg, Taruna Garg, Moki Goyal and Pushpa Agarwal. Anu Bandopadhay at the outset of the afternoon's event introduced Aasra's agenda and its goals. The organization will provide opportunities for women to get together, share ideas and support those in need. Aaasra will work with the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence and Waltham's Support Committee Against Battered Women. Aiming to build a strong foundation of support and the infrastructure to assist women in need, Aasra intends to support its activities through membership drives, fundraising events, private grants and donations. Aasra also plans to provide information and advice on various issues such as health, nutrition, immigration and finance. Future plans include panel discussions, workshops and social events such as book readings. AASRA is an incorporated nonprofit organization, and has filed for tax-exempt status. Checking prejudice and pre-conceived notions in at the door, panelists and participants sat down to discuss and analyze the film 'ABCD'.
Anu Bandopadhay moderated the discussion with panelists: Arsh Mehrotra, (host of the popular TV show Aap ka Manoranjan) a parent, Neel Vora, a first generation Indian-American and Shipra Palriwala, a second generation Indian-American. The first question on the table is about the expectations Indian parents have of their offspring. Are these too high? Do they get in the way of greater communication and rapport between parents and children? Taruna Garg, a young lady from the audience, very articulately tried to put some of the issues in perspective. She implied that Indian parents have the notion that only certain careers are acceptable. Kids are forced to choose between a career in Medicine, Engineering or Law. Here, in this country one can choose any career and make a successful living, she said. Kids growing up here realize the hardships their parents faced back home in India with job insecurity and such, but they should understand that it is very different in this country. Archana Singhal noted that in India parents often made decisions on behalf of their children's education and career choices, but Indian parents here are learning to let the children decide for themselves. Vibha Goyal said that things are changing in India, as children now have more options to choose their career path. All agreed with Anil Mehrotra, from the audience, who opined that communication was paramount, parents and children had to establish a relationship of openness and trust. More provocative and engaging was the next issue put to the panelists and the audience. In the film ABCD, the immigrant mother mirroring a pattern of behavior common to most Indians, seeks happiness for her children, which translates to an arranged marriage with a suitable Indian boy for the daughter, and a promotion at work for her son. Noting this disparity in thinking Anu Bandhopadhya raised the question of why Indian parents everywhere tend to have such double standards when rearing their children. She asked the panelists and the audience to ponder the issue and discuss it keeping in mind personal experiences as parents and children. Arsh Mehrotra , at the offset admitted to no such partiality. "The rules in my house were the same for both my children, I worried more about my son than my daughter when it came to driving home at night," she said, with her husband, Anil, backing her up. Neel observed that he noticed this pattern among his American friends as well. Parents, he said, all over the world tend to be more protective of their daughters than their sons. Shipra, an only child of her parents, said that she was lucky in that aspect that her parents had raised her with the right priorities. Her mother, Rama Palriwala, jokingly, offered to leave the room when a member of the audience wondered if her presence had, in any way, prompted her daughters' response. Kamal Mishra admitted quite candidly that disparities did creep up when she was bringing her children up. She cited an example of her late night curfew set for them . Even though her son and daughter were expected to return home at the same hour, she would go to sleep only after her daughter had returned home. Her son getting home safe and sound was important to her, nonetheless, she worried more about the safety of her daughter. Many among the audience agreed with her, though the younger members vociferously argued the point that double standards were more significant and damaging when it came to social expectations. A particularly interesting remark was that Indian parents often cool and understanding at home, changed their attitude when in company of other Indians. Girls were urged to dress up and act more like 'girls'. Reluctantly but guiltily and with a measure of humor, parents admitted that it was true. Archana Singhal agreed that despite trying hard these issues did crop up, forcing her to examine her dealings with her children more closely. Shri Goyal remarked that parents want their offspring to learn from their own mistakes, they fail to realize that the lessons have to be learnt by the kids themselves. "Only if they stumble and fall, will they learn to walk" Archana Singhal added "With this movie, one thing I wanted to emphasize is that life for us here is very complicated and confusing since we are now exposed to and immersed in a culture so fundamentally different from our own. Solving problems on our own in the safety of our homes can be a painful and lonely experience. At AASRA we are not saying that we have the answers to all the problems and we are not here to be disrespectful to our culture and values. However, we want to be part of the solution. We will do this through organizing these kind of events and by offering networking resources." At the close of the discussion session Anu noted, correctly, that even though no definite resolution was reached, much was accomplished by having this forum to talk and communicate in a non-threatening atmosphere. She reiterated that Aasra would continue to provide a forum and platform for social discussions and debates. The event was attended/reviewed by Chitra Parayath of Lokvani. We would like to thank her personally for her enthusiasm and participation.
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Who is more confused?.... the immigrants parents...or next gen-children?
AASRA of New England
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This film, about cultural displacement examines the plight of people straddling two cultures and the great divide between Indian immigrant parents and their children brought up in this country. Asian American Support & Resource Agency - AASRA
P.O. Box 234, Bedford, MA 01730-02720
Email: aasra@aasranewengland.com
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