Oshwal-USA.org » Events

HVO Northeast Picnic – Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania – June 10

Bhavna K. Shah — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:34:45 +0000

Hello All,

After a relatively warm winter and a warm start to spring…we all need to refreshing change, isn’t it? It gives us immense pleasure in announcing this year’s HVO’s Northeast Spring Picnic to the Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania on the 10^th of June 2012, from 10-4p.m.

Known as the ‘Niagara of Pennsylvania’ Bushkill Falls is a series of eight waterfalls that cascade gracefully deep in the wooded splendor of the Pocono Mountains. This is one of Pennsylvania’s most famous scenic attractions and a favorite destination for hiking, fishing, and family fun.

Key Features:

Pennsylvania Wildlife Exhibit & Native American Exhibit, located at the entrance .
Children’s Playground
Test your putt-putt golfing skills at the Miniature Golf *
Take a fun – ride around the Twin Lakes in a paddle boat *
Mining for Gemstones – Be a gold-miner for a day! *
Gift and souvenir shops, Fudge Kitchen, Snack Bar, Ice Cream Parlour*
Located an easy drive from points in eastern Pennsylvania, the greater New York Metropolitan area, southern New York and all of New Jersey.

* Optional activities at an extra charge.

Hiking Trails:

Bushkill Falls provides families, friends, couples, and nature enthusiasts with an excellent opportunity to experience the splendor and beauty of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Bring some comfortable shoes for a walk over natural pathways. It’s only a short distance to view the Main Falls from the primary observation deck. Three additional hiking trails provide numerous viewing angles of all eight waterfalls. The trails are designed to appeal to varying ages and physical conditioning.

Green Trail – View the Main Falls from the green trail, which takes about 15 minutes to walk. No climbing is involved, however, there are steps.

Yellow Trail- View the Main Falls, as well as Lower Gorge Falls, Laurel Glen and Upper Canyon, which takes 45 minutes to walk.

Blue Trail – View Pennell Falls from the blue trail, which takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to walk.

Red Trail – View Bridal Veil Falls from the Red trail. This trail is for the avid hiker in that it spans almost 2 miles, includes all eight falls, and takes over 2 hours to hike. (It may take longer if you are a photographer and want to stop by to take some pictures)

Don’t Forget to Carry:

Comfortable hiking shoes
Camera to capture the beauty of the falls
Cap, Sun Glasses & Water Bottle
A light jacket
Personal Medications, if any

Charges:

For Adults: $ 20 per person (Includes park entry charges, morning brunch, Snack To-Go, afternoon meal & $1 towards donation to Give India Charity)
For Children: $ 12 per child (age 4 – 10) (Includes park entry charges, morning brunch, Snack To-Go, and afternoon meal)

RSVP:

Please RSVP before 20^th May 2012, using this link to an online RSVP form. Please respond on time to help with our planning. The online form will be closed on May 21, and there will be a late fee of $5 if you do not RSVP on time.

Please arrive on time to find parking closer to the park.

Bushkill Falls Address:

Bushkill Falls Rd, Rte 209, Bushkill, 18324
(570) 588-6682 / 888-287-4545

Driving Directions (click this link for map and directions):

From New York City and Northern New Jersey:

Interstate 80 to Exit 309, Rt. 209 north.
Turn left onto Bushkill Falls Road at the blinking light in Bushkill, PA.

From Central New Jersey:

Interstate 78 into Rt. 33 north.

North on Rt. 33 to Interstate 80.
East on I-80 to Exit 309. Rt. 209 north.
Turn left onto Bushkill Falls Road at the blinking light in Bushkill, PA.

About Give India Charity:

http://www.giveindia.org/t-small-gifts-big-smiles.aspx

Question? Suggestions? Want to Help? Contact Persons: Bina Beed and Bhavna Shah.

Texas Annual Summer Picnic – May 20, Plano, TX

guest — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:57:50 +0000

Please join us for our Annual picnic in Plano on May 20th.
For more information, please email oshwals_tx_ok@yahoo.com.

Northeast Oshwal Picnic – Save the date (6/10/12)

Ketan M. Dodhia — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:42:51 +0000

Hiking Trip to:

The Niagara of Pennsylvania

The Iguazu of Poconos!!!

Bushkill Falls

June 10, 2012

Look in your mailbox for an invitation with more details in a few weeks.

SAVE THE DATE!

HVO SPRING PICNIC IS HERE!!!

Question? Suggestions? Want to Help?

Contact Person: Beena Beed and Bhavna Shah

For more information on the location: www.visitbushkillfalls.com

Southern California Oshwal Gathering

Nina Shah — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:09:36 +0000

We had one of the nicest annual gatherings in Southern California in March. We were 30 in number. It was hosted by Venibhai and Debbie Sumaria at their beautiful home in Rancho Mirage.

We had lovely lunch followed by a slide presentation of Venibhai and Debbie’s visit to their hometown of Goinj.

Our guests of honor were Satishbhai and Suryaben (Seema Sujit Shah’s parents) visiting from Dallas. Satishbhai gave us (especailly to the kids) a small account of Oshwal origins. It was fun to watch kids look up their hometowns on the map. Hope to see everyone again next year and hope to see more members!

Below is our group photo wearing tshirts with logo ‘Halari Visa Oshwal’ . The T-shirts were gifts from Venibhai and Debbie. What a memorable day!

UPDATE – Franklin Township Jain Center Tour – April 29, 2012

Ketan M. Dodhia — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 04:05:22 +0000


Halari Visa Oshwals of America brings you A Tour to Jain Temple Organized by Champa Bid
Franklin Township Jain Center April 29, 2012 Time 10:30am-1:00pm
You have heard the term “Born-again Christian”. However have you heard the term “Born-again Jain”? Many of us try to fit in and just go with the flow, avoiding unpleasant experiences with loved ones and friends, and in the process explore different religious options. Why not explore our own birth religion, the oldest in the world, which has a rich history and heritage? We may have been to Siddhivinayak in Mumbai, St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Notre-Dame in Paris and Cathedrals in New York City to experience religious history, to see what it has to offer and why everyone goes there. Why not to explore our own dehrasar in Franklin Township, New Jersery, right here at home? Some of you already know of this grand project, and for some others it will be news that you can be proud of. HVOA wants to introduce you to this brand new facility and future Community Center, which may bring you one step closer to experiencing or entering a Spiritual Journey, despite our hectic urban lives. Below please find some of the highlights of the facility and the tour that we have organized. We encourage you to get involved and come and enjoy the Grand Event, full of Spiritual environment and colorful cultural programs.Hope to see you all at the new deharasar in Franklin Township, New Jersey.

The Jain Center of New Jersey’s new Dehrasar project in Franklin Township will be amongst the largest and most beautiful Jain Temple complexes in North America. The new dehrasar project, currently under construction, is located on a plot of 9.6 acres at 111 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 (map).The construction of our Dehrasar and the Franklin Township (FT) Sankul is moving at full speed. The Pratistha (opening of Dehrasar) date s set for July 7, 2012; and the preparation for the week long Grand Ceremony is coming together with tremendous excitement. The joyous feeling of Apurva Avsar (Great opportunity) coming to our door step and a sense of elation in our members are indescribable.
Tour Agenda: 10:30 – 11a.m. – Arrival 11:00 – 12:00p.m. – Guided Tour of the Facility 12:00 – 1p.m. — Lunch on location Objectives of the Tour : Inform all of the Oshwals of having such grand facility in our area Provide information on various ways to participate in upcoming Grand Pratistha (opening of the facility) Seize the opportunity to take laabh (benefit ) in Jain rituals if desired Most important of all, just to know that we have a Dehrasar for praying
The project is comprised of following major 2 buildings: Bhagwan Munisuvratswami Jinalay (Temple) - The first ever all-marble Jinalay in North America. The Jinalay is designed with the architectural designs from famous Jinalays in India. The Jinalay will be finished with Makarana marble stone carved in authentic Jain architecture style. Prayer Hall – With a total floor area of over 45,000 square feet, it stands two and half stories tall. It also includes: Digambar dehrasar Sthanakwasi Upashray Srimad Rajchandra Dhyaan Mandir Auditorium for major annual Jain events Library and Pathshala Classes Large Dining Facility Administrative offices
Lunch will be served at completion of the tour. We recommend car pooling since no more than 15 cars will be allowed.The tour has been scheduled for Sunday April 29. Please email president@oshwal-usa.org with any questions.

Oshwal Southern California Gathering

Nina A. Shah — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:12:58 +0000

Oshwals in Southern California got together on Dec 17th at Dosa Place in Orange County. It was small turn out mostly from folks who live in Orange County, but lots of fun!

Hope to get together again soon.

Annual Northeast Oshwal Gathering

Ketan M. Dodhia — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:30:50 +0000

The Northeast annual get together was held at Mysore Woodlands restaurant, in Parsippany, New Jersey on the 24th of November (Thanksgiving Day).

It was fun filled evening with excellent food. Several fund raising items were discussed, including the computer/higher education fund for Boarding and Kanya Chhatralaya in Jamnagar and Bangalore Mahajan wadi. Everyone agreed to close both of these items as we have fundraising for them going on for few years. There were additional fund raising items: Avash Yojana for needy Oshwals in Bhiwandee for Rs. 1000,000; and Oshwal College in Bhiwandee for Rs. 500,000. Both of these are takti program, and additional information can be obtained from the board.

We also had board election/selection. We had multiple nominations for several positions; however members chose for an alternate position or withdrew their name hence there was no need to hold an election. The new board from Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2013, will be as follow:
President: Bina Jayesh Beed, NJ.
Vice President: Smita Deepak Shah, IL.
Secretary: Mitesh Jayantilal Shah, NJ.
Joint Secretary: Alpa Kiran Shah, TX.
Treasurer: Jayantilal Zaverchand Galaiya, NJ

Halari Visa Oshwal Reunion at JAINA Convention

Satish P. Shah — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:49:28 +0000

JAINA 2011 Convention was held in Houston, Texas, during the Independence Day Holiday weekend.

On July 1st, there was a reunion planned for Oshwal Families. Satish and Surya Shah Plano, TX, Rajesh, Shilpa, Rakhi, Sona, and Roshan Shah of Plano, TX, Anuj, Nutan, Roshni and Ronak of Greer, South Carolina and Navinchand and Runka of Elizabethtown, Kentucky attended the reunion. Many other Oshwal families attended JAINA. These were Punita and Misty Shah of Binghampton, NY; Avnish, Sangeeta and Khiloni Shah of Grapevine, TX; Bharatidevi Shah of Plano, TX, Jayaben Shah of Plano, TX; Kiran, Alpa, Amy, Sonya Shah and Ankita Vora of Plano, TX; and Kantilal and Hemlata Vora of Mumbai, India.

Rakhi and Amy Shah also performed a beautiful dance on Navkar Mantra song. Misty Shah also sang melodious Jain stavans. All Oshwal members participated in spiritual and cultural programs with great enthusiasm.

The convention was a big success. We hope more Oshwal members reunite in next JAINA.

Northeast Picnic 2011

Chandu Shah — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:48:06 +0000

This year the Picnic in New York/New Jersey area was be held on Father’s day, Sunday June 19th, 2011, in Iselin at Merrill Park near Edison.

Meditation workshop/shibir – June 25 – Blairstown, NJ

Kumar Maldé — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 02:58:31 +0000

Do you wish to learn how to meditate?

If so, here is the invitation to attend a FREE workshop on Samarpan Meditation on

Date: Saturday, 25 June 2011

Location: Siddhachalam 65 Mud Pond Road, Blairstown, NJ 07825. (Telephone at Siddhachalam: 908-362-9793.)

Time: 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm

How to register:
By writing to samarpancanada@gmail.com or

By telephoning:
Jayanti Galaiya: 908 684 3443.
Champaben: 973 641 8702.
Chandu bhai: 973 376 2651.

Why meditate?

At Mental Level: Meditation leads to freedom from mental problems like stress, fears, worries, feelings of guilt and depression. You are free from thoughts of tragic incidents of the past and future worries. You can lead a happy and peaceful life by living in the present.
At Physical Level : As your level of meditation improves you are completely freed from diseases and the level of immunity increases in your healthy body.
At Social Level : You gain satisfaction, peace and joy in your life and can work in a fully balanced state and be successful. You enjoy stability and feel a sense of completeness within yourself.
At Spiritual Level : Through meditation you achieve a state of thoughtlessness, experience the vibrations of your soul and gradually start getting spiritual experiences leading to self-realization through the grace of the Divine.

100 Reasons to Meditate 2011-06-25

Bangalore Mahajanwadi’s Bhoomi Poojan (Purification of land), Khat Muhurt (Digging for foundation) and Silanyas (Laying the foundation stone) – May 29, 2011

Jayanti Z. Galaiya — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:15:06 +0000

Dear Oswals,

We take immense pleasure to invite you on the auspicious occassion of Shri Halari Visa Oswal Samaj- Bangalore, Mahajanwadi’s Bhoomi Poojan, Khaat Muhurat & Shilanyas on Sunday 29.05.2011 at 9.31a.m onwards. (Bangalore mahajan wadi -Bhoomi Poojan (Purification of land), Khat Muhurt (Digging for foundation) and Silanyas (Laying the foundation stone). The details of the programmes are below.

PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY. 29.05.2011

The Distinguished persons performing Bhoomi Poojan & Shilaniayas along
with other Guests of Honour will be taken in Grand Procession at 8.30
a.m. from Jain Temple to Mahajanwadi

Bhoomi Poojan. Khaat Muhurat & Shilanyas

Time : 09.31 a.m.
Place : Oswal Convention Centre
2nd Main Road, (Near Fire Station)
Rajajinagar Industrial Town,
Bangalore – 560 044

Lunch

Time : 12.00 noon
Place : Ambel Bhavan
Sri Vimalnath Jain Derasar,
# 8, 4th Main Road, W.O.C. Road,
Rajajinagar Industrial Town
Bangalore – 44. Ph. : 080-32918255

Amantran 29-5-2011, Bangalore

Northeast Thanksgiving Get-Together 2010

Jayanti Z. Galaiya — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:04:20 +0000

The 25th Halari Visa Oshwal gathering was held on November 27th, 2010.

The time flies. It has been twenty five years since we first met as HVO of America informally in Union, NJ. The tradition continued on the November 27th, 2010. The Oshwals from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut gathered at Caldwell College, it was fun filled evening with food, fun, games and great time.

The President Chandu Shah took time to thank everyone who came to the gathering and volunteers who helped to make this event a successful occasion.

He also made announcement for the upcoming programs, namely new directory publishing in early 2011, next northeast picnic on father’s day at our successful location in Iselin (near Edison Indian market), JAINA convention in Houston and possible belated silver jubilee celebration of HVO of America during the convention and next year’s annual get together possibly earlier than usual thanksgiving weekend, giving people a chance to participate as more and more families either are trying to escape harsh winter weather of north east or have other commitments to the extended family.

All future announcements will be e-mailed and posted on the web.

Father’s Day picnic at Merrill Park (NY Metro area)

Jayanti Z. Galaiya — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:18:06 +0000

We had a picnic on the Father’s Day as is almost a tradition for us now. We had a record 67 Oshwals attended the picnic. The previous attendance record was held at same location four years ago. The location is central to the metro NY area Oshwal community. It was an excellent day with fun filled activities.

Father’s Day Oshwal Gathering Dinner Chicago-Wisconsin

Smita Dipak Shah — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:40:54 +0000

This year, we planned a dinner event to celebrate Father’s Day on June 20th, 2010, at Taste of India Restaurant in Willowbrook, Illinois.

We had approximately 25 people attend the event. All the families had enjoyed a Indian dinner buffet, had excellent time catching up with each other and enjoyed the conversation. Everyone enjoyed the Father’s Day dinner because it was a very relaxing Sunday for all. In true celebration of Father’s day, many of the children treated their families to this special event.

Thank you for making this event successful and truly special.

Texas and Oklahoma Picnic

Alpa Shah — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:14:41 +0000

We had planned to meet at Russell Creek Park in Plano, TX on May 15th, for our annual picnic. However, the weather forecast was favoring a thunderstorm. But, most of our members showed up and fortunately the weather turned out to be perfect by 4pm. We had few appetizers and then ordered Pizza for all. Children and adults enjoyed dodge ball, charades and a walk in the park. We were happy that we could meet and have a wonderful time.

Annual Northeast Thanksgiving Get Together

Keshav Shah — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:11:31 +0000

Our 24th annual northeast area Thanksgiving Gathering was held on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at Ramada Inn, in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Despite bitter cold and windy weather, we had a good turnout of 70 plus people including children. The event was entirely sponsored by thirteen families. A wholehearted thought goes a long way.

The evening started with the delicious appetizers as people started arriving. Everyone enjoyed tasty appetizers – bhel, batata vada, papadi ganthia and desi chai, while catching up with friends and relatives. Children played several games afterward and prizes were given to everyone. They really enjoyed the games and they were happy to be here. Our sincere thanks to Bina Beed for planning and conducting games for children.

Prior to dinner, election was carried out / held for next two year term and executive committee was elected. Results will be posted on website in a separate report. Then, mouthwatering Gujarati and Punjabi style dinner was served. People sat and chat in groups while eating dinner. Paan flavored ice-cream and paan were served after the dinner. We would like to thank Jayanti and Vijya Galaiya, and Kanchan Shah for selecting and making arrangement for the delicious food. During dinner, Keshav Shah reminded everyone about our plan for publishing the updated Oshwal Directory in 2010.

It was a great get together and everyone enjoyed it. Our special thanks to the families who contributed to cover the cost of the event. The event was sponsored, however we collected nominal token for raising money for our association as we have a minimal balance. At the end we had surplus of $500 for our association. We also would like to thank committee members and area representatives for helping out.

See below for some pictures from the event.

Jain art exhibitions in New York museums

Satish P. Shah — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:52:32 +0000

Peaceful Conquerers: Jain Manuscript Paintings at Metropolitan Museum of Art from 10 Sept 2009 to 21 March 2010 www.metmuseum.org

Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection at Rubin Museum of Art from 18th September 2009 to 15 February 2010 www.rmanyc.org, (press release)

Annual Texas/Oklahoma Diwali Dinner 2009

Alpa Shah — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:40:53 +0000

We are delighted to share the details of our Texas/Oklahoma Diwali 2009 celebration. We met on Saturday, Oct 3rd, at Pasand Restaurant in Richardson, Texas. We had over 50 members at the party. We had a short get-together at the beginning followed by Arti, Mangal Devo and Navkar Mantra recital. Music and Artis were brought in by Shilpa Shah. Later, we had art activities for children and supplies were sponsored by Sandhya and Sangeeta Shah. We then enjoyed dinner followed by family quiz game. Special thanks to Reeta Shah for assisting in the party planning. A big “thank you” to all the members who have always been eager to help and support our community gatherings.

JAINA 2009 Convention report, from Gujarati Times

Keshav Shah — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:42:23 +0000

The JAINA 2009 Convention in Los Angeles received coverage in the Gujarat Times. Below is a copy of their convention report (in Gujarati).

JAINA 2009 Convention report from Gujarati Times (PDF)

Oshwal TX-OK annual Spring Picnic

Alpa Shah — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:23:20 +0000

Texas-Oklahoma Oshwal samaj organized a spring picnic on April 25th, 2009, at Russell Creek Park in Plano, Texas.

We had a good turn out of about 50 people. All families participated in the potluck for appetizers, pizzas and desserts. Jaybhai and Naynaben Shah of Sherman, Texas, were the sponsors for dinner which was very delicious: vegetable sandwiches and Kenyan style potates with kachri. Our new members, Bindesh and Minita Nagda, along with their family also joined us. They have recently moved from Kenya and were happy to meet all other families. The weather was beautiful and adults and kids were busy with volleyball, dodge ball, biking and walking. Being on a Saturday, it felt very relaxing.