News India Times
April 8, 2016
20
Community
– that’s all you need to know
From Chicago Bureau
A
group of bi-partisan
Illinois State Legislators
and executive directors of
various Asian American com-
munity and social service
organizations participated in a
meeting between the Illinois
Legislative Asian American
Caucus and the Pan-AsianVoter
Empowerment Coalition March
22 at the Sikh Gurdwara in
Palatine, hosted by the Sikh
Religious Society of Palatine.
According to news reports,
the meeting was facilitated by
Asian Americans Advancing
Justice, Chicago and coordinat-
ed by, Rajinder Singh Mago,
public and media relations
coordinator for the Sikh
Religious Society.
The meeting aimed at
strengthening working relation-
ships with legislators, and to
make them aware of PAVE’s
commitment to civic engage-
ment, and to obtain their
assessment on what it will take
for the stalemated Illinois budg-
et to be passed.
“The Indo-American Center
has been devastated by the cuts
to the Immigrant Services Line
Item in the budget,” a Punjab
News Express report, quoted
Selma D’Souza, executive direc-
tor of IAC, a PAVE coalition
member organization, as saying.
“As a result of the elimination
of ISLI and the lack of a State
budget, the Indo-American
Center has scaled back interpre-
tation and translation services
that assist our most vulnerable
and limited English proficient
community members in access-
ing public benefits. We also can-
not offer the citizenship classes
that help our community mem-
bers become U.S. citizens and
participate in our democracy.
The lack of a budget is hurting
our community and we need a
budget solution now,” it said.
The legislators attending the
meeting included State Senator
Daniel Biss, State
Representatives Elaine Nekritz,
Thomas Morrison, Fred Crespo,
Michelle Mussman, and Carol
Sente.
Leaders from the South Asian
American Policy and Research
Institute, Association of Retired
Asians, Chinese, Korean,
Laotian, Cambodian, Indian-
American communities were
invited for the meeting.
The meeting was another
sign of the ongoing effort to
increase civic engagement and
political empowerment led by
Advancing Justice, Chicago and
SAAPRI. Over the past two
months, the organizations have
partnered with various South
Asian American institutions to
increase voter education and
election participation in the
suburban South Asian commu-
nity.
The community leaders tack-
led difficult topics, most notably
the current budget stalemate in
Springfield. Both Republicans
and Democrats dialogued about
the possibility of a compromise
between the two parties.
“Meetings like this caucus
meeting and advocacy opportu-
nities like Asian American
Action Day are important ways
that the South Asian community
can ensure that our voices are
heard and taken seriously,” said
Rajinder Singh Mago from the
Sikh Religious Society was quot-
ed as saying. “We hosted several
of these legislators after the Oak
Creek Sikh Temple shootings in
2012 when the Hate Crimes
Resolution (HR1193) passed
through the Illinois state legisla-
ture. We need to continue to be
engaged not only on election
day but year-round,” Mago
added.
Lawmakers Told About Disastrous Impact Of Budget Cuts On Immigrants
ByRachelV.Thomas
E
choing Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s call to
bridge the “digital divide”
in the country, a young Indian-
American student has begun on
her journey to empower rural
youth in learning computer pro-
gramming technology in a small
yet picturesque town in
Himachal Pradesh.
Through “Pi A La Code” – a
project that began in 2014 –
California-based Sonia Uppal is
helping young talented minds at
the Saraswati Niketan Senior
Secondary School in a village in
Kasauli learn computer pro-
gramming.
“The experience of using
immersive tools to build soft-
ware that people loved to learn
with always excited me and I
decided to take computer sci-
ence to the rural people in
India,” Uppal told IANS in a
telephonic interview from
California.
Born and raised in California,
she stumbled upon a $35 com-
puter developed by Raspberry Pi
-- the makers of tiny and afford-
able computers for kids at the
Bay Area Maker Faire -- an exhi-
bition showcasing invention,
creativity and resourcefulness in
the SiliconValley.
The mere sight of the cost-
efficient Pi computers bright-
ened up her mind and she ini-
tially thought of taking the Pi
device to India – to The
International School Bangalore
(TISB) in Bengaluru where she
was studying computer science
during the period when her
father was transferred to India.
She realised that students at
her school did not need this
basic computer device. But what
about students in rural India,
she thought, for whom this sim-
ple device can become a useful
learning tool? Thus, the “Pi A La
Code” idea took shape.
“I realised it would be much
useful if I take this Pi device to
schools in villages which will
have much more impact,” Sonia
told IANS.
In the meantime, she raised
money to buy 10 Raspberry Pi
teaching sets.
She first taught herself
Python – a widely used high-
level, dynamic computer pro-
gramming language while being
selected as a Stanford SHE++
fellow – a social enterprise that
empowers women to make their
mark in the technology industry.
– IANS
Indian-American Student Empowering Rural Youth As India Goes Digital
ByUrvashiVerma
he BAPS
Sriswaminarayan
Sanstha hosted its 10th
annual Women’s
Conference at Shri
Swaminarayan Mandir in
Bartlett, Illinois, March 12, four
days ahead of the International
Women’s Day.
Attracting more than 400 par-
ticipants, the conference
explored the theme, “Life in
Resonance” and discussed ideas
for approaching three major
aspects of one’s life: cultural
identity, work-life balance, and
emotional health.
The conference aimed at
highlighting issues relevant to
the 21st century women, who
have to balance work and family
commitments and fulfill their
various roles such as a mother,
daughter, sister, or a profession-
al. Keynote speaker, Hina Patel,
an attending physician at the
Advocate Sherman Hospital and
a trustee of Village of South
Barrington, delivered an insight-
ful message on finding harmony
within women’s various roles.
She encouraged women to
“build pride in their identity
through confidence in one’s
intrinsic beliefs and practice
and urged women to let go of
perfectionism but rather to
strive for excellence and create a
plan for success and emotional
happiness.”
Pharmacist Komal Patel, born
and raised in America, also
shared how a ‘dual cultural
identity’ was an asset rather
than a limitation in today’s
diverse, multicultural society.
“We often believe we have to
choose one identity over the
other, forgetting that we have
the opportunity to bring togeth-
er the best of both worlds,” she
said.
On maintaining a work-life
balance Purvi Parikh explored
practical methods and solu-
tions, including self-introspec-
tion, for seeking clarity and
focusing on purposeful priori-
ties in today’s chaotic lives. She
also emphasized the impor-
tance of maintaining a healthy
lifestyle by highlighting wellness
and meditation to “keep our-
selves centered as we juggle a
variety of commitments.”
Sushma Patel, a healthcare
professional reminded the
attendees of the immense
power of spirituality through the
connection between the mind
and the body. “Through spiritu-
ality, we develop resilience and
the knowledge. In the end we
leave everything behind in this
temporary world. This under-
standing allows us to remain
grounded and unperturbed
through the wavering highs and
lows in our life,” she said.
The conference, which has
been held in 12 cities, conduct-
ed panel discussions and Q and
A sessions which helped the
speakers to effectively commu-
nicate their experiences. The
attendees were reminded not
only of the necessity for main-
taining stability, but also of their
inherent strengths which allow
them to pursue their goals.
T
BAPS Conference Focuses On ‘Work Life Balance’ For Women
Speakers and volunteers at the BAPS Sriswaminarayan 10th International Women’s Conference
at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, Illinois, March 12.
Sonia Uppal teaching her students at Saraswati Niketan Senior
Secondary School in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
