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Tilak Rishi, born in India, has been working as a career corporate executive, after doing his MBA. Passionately pursuing his hobby for writing, he also remained a regular contributor to newspapers in India and the U.S. Many true happenings and characters he came across in life, including interaction with former president Bill Clinton, inspired Paradise Lost and Found, his first novel. A family saga, it starts from Kashmir, when this paradise on earth is lost for the tourists who thronged in thousands every year to enjoy its scenic splendor. Terrorists have turned it into one of the most dangerous places in the world. The family is not only a witness to the loss of this paradise, but also to another tragedy of much bigger magnitude. In the aftermath of the partition of India, along with millions uprooted from their homes in Pakistan, the family leaves behind all that it has in Lahore. Starting from a scratch on the difficult path to progress, it still has many joyful moments when along the way it makes a difference in many a life. The survival-to-success story climaxes in California where the family finds the paradise that was lost in Kashmir.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Indian Independence Day In SF Bay Area

Dear Amitji,

August 15 - Happy Independence Day!

Sir, Members of the San Francisco Bay Area's thriving Indo-American community didn't let the 8,000-mile distance from the motherland stop them this Saturday - Sunday from celebrating India's Independence Day. The San Francisco Festival of India & Parade is an annual celebration of Indian heritage and culture for the entire Bay Area featuring a variety of fun activities for revelers of all ages. Attendees  enjoyed an Indian cultural and musical extravaganza as well as a health fair, grand parade, a film festival, an arts & crafts bazaar, a bevy of yummy food options and much more. Fremont’s annual Festival of India showcases India’s rich culture and heritage with a wide variety of dance and food. Activities included a health fair on Saturday, a festival on both days, and a parade on Sunday. Over 5000 people participated in the parade and festival. The homespun parade capped off the 10-day Festival of India. It included a film festival, fashion show, dance competition and other events. The festival will continue next Saturday, August 20, in Cupertino city with Mile Sur Mera Tumhara Team.

Two decades ago, Indian-Americans started changing the story of Silicon Valley's Asian community. Now, they have rewritten it.
In the most striking example of the growth and growing diversity of the Bay Area's Asian-Americans, the spiking Indian-American population has fanned out from familiar beachheads to affluent towns offering excellent schools, from Cupertino in the heart of Silicon Valley to San Ramon in the East Bay.
The trend -- revealed this week in the latest snapshot from the 2010 census -- is surfacing in tabla drumming and Sanskrit classes offered out of living rooms, Indian markets and world-class cricket fields.
Every Asian group, from Indians to Vietnamese to Filipinos, saw their numbers grow markedly from 2000 to 2010. But among Asian groups, none grew more rapidly than Indian-Americans. Their numbers in Santa Clara County jumped from about 67,000 to nearly 118,000 in a mere decade. It's hard to imagine now, but there were only about 5,200 Indian-Americans in the county in 1981. In California, the number of Indian-Americans grew by 68 percent to 528,176 over the decade, and in the nine-county Bay Area the number grew by 53 percent to 244,493. Indian-American community, though so far away from their homeland, have their hearts in India, as was apparent from their energetic and enthusiastic participation in India’s Independence Day Parade and Festival this weekend.

Jai Hind!

With regards and best wishes

Tilak Rishi

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