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Women Achievers Shine at BAPS – Festival of Inspirations
As a journalist dedicated to covering the Indian Diaspora and documenting the struggles and successes of our community for several decades, I was content to keep writing in anonymity, with people only knowing me by my faceless byline. Now in this age of social media things have changed. So I now step out to be recognized with other women achievers, for my writing in Lassi with Lavina and several international publications over the years and for being one of the co-founders behind Children’s Hope India, a non-profit dedicated to the education of vulnerable children in India. So that evening I, the writer, became part of the story…
The honor came from BAPS which is a major well-respected institution not only in India but in the far flung Indian Diaspora, a guiding light for Hindus everywhere. It is a big believer in the contributions of women nourishing their families and communities through values, culture – and always, service or seva. This was the theme behind “Celebrating Women’s Contributions: Sanskars, Seva and Sanskruti” at BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey on October 3, 2023. A vast audience of largely women gathered in the auditorium to celebrate the achievements of women, both from the east and the west.
The power of music and dance was highlighted by a rich segment of classical music and traditional dance which is regarded as a form of devotion or bhakti in Hinduism. Indeed there were over 200 musicians and over 400 dancers. It was remarkable that these children and young girls – so far from India – were adept at this, almost as if they had been born with ghungroos tied to their ankles.
Particularly delightful was a robust dance in traditional costumes where the girls ran out exuberantly, carrying pink hard-hats – for as young volunteers, they not only practice their careers, are true to their culture but also do seva or service. Many of them have temporarily forsaken their jobs to go out of their comfort zone to don hard hats and dedicate themselves to the building of the Mahamandir.
It all goes back to the Swaminarayan teachings of community and service above self, and giving back to the larger world through faith, unity and compassion. Young women told of how they had done this as volunteers and the tales of these first-generation Americans were of balancing their multiple lives with skill.
This celebration of women’s contributions was attended by many including women who serve the community through government or medicine or a variety of different fields. These included Denise Keyser, partner at Ballard Spahr and Practice Leader for firm’s Labor and Employment Group; Komal Dangi, Founder and CEO of Synkriom Inc., and creator of VeriKlick; Carol Lucky, CEO of North Texas Behavioral Health Authority; SSGT Elizabth Rabjohn, Senior Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force; Dr. Sejal Hathi, NJ Deputy Health Commissioner; Dr. Purvi Parikh, Allergist and Immunologist at NYU School of Medicine and several other achievers.
Amongst the younger generation there were achievers who were bringing their culture to different and diverse professions: Gayatri Patel Bahl, Actor, Indian classical dancer, and tech entrepreneur; Pooja Jhunjhunwala, Content creator for The Global Vegetarian blog; Manisha Sethi Varma, Founder and CEO of WhoozCooking; and Megha Rao, Founder and fashion designer for holiChic by Megha.
Fashion designer Megha Rao
Each of them, in their own way, was working in the mainstream culture to stay true to their own values and bring their art, culture and devotion to service to the larger world.
Throughout the nine-day inaugural ceremonies, Akshardham Mahotsav will celebrate the significant aspects of the mahamandir and the universal values upon which it was constructed.
The Festival of Inspirations was a good place to celebrate women’s strengths and the power they have to make a difference in the world.
