Atlanta, GA (March 2024): The Atlanta Chapter of Sewa International recently hosted its 17th annual Holi festival, the vibrant and colorful Hindu celebration of spring, love, and colors. The event, held at Cumming Fairgrounds on March 23, attracted an impressive turnout of nearly 18,000 people from the Atlanta Metropolitan Area and beyond, making it one of the largest Holi celebrations in the United States.

The Atlanta Holi celebration featured a variety of cultural performances, including traditional and Bollywood dances and live music. Attendees also enjoyed a wide array of traditional Indian vegetarian street food.

Congressman Dr. Rich McCormick, Consul General of India in Atlanta Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, Georgia State Representative Todd Jones, and Forsyth County Commissioner Alfred John graced the occasion with their presence. Sen. Jon Osoff sent specially recorded greetings for the event attendees. Atlanta’s own business leaders -- Subhash Patel of Natson Hotels Group and Samir Bhatia, CEO of Smartcare Urgent Care -- conveyed their Holi wishes to the community.

"We are thrilled to have hosted such a successful and joyous Holi celebration," said Dr. Madhav Durbha, President of Sewa International Atlanta. "Holi is a time for spreading happiness and building community spirit, and we are delighted to see so many people come together to celebrate this colorful festival with us."

The event drew the interest of various corporations. Employees of Starbucks were there to serve free coffee to Sewa volunteers early in the morning. Tesla Motors brought some of their cars to display and also to allow attendees to test drive.

Dignitaries with the Sewa Team members

Sewa Atlanta’s tradition of celebrating Holi started in 2006 in Alpharetta’s Wills Park. At the time there were other Holi celebrations around the city, but none in the proximity of Alpharetta which was starting to become the center of gravity for the Indian diaspora. Bringing the festival closer to where the people lived began to attract attention. Several volunteers who were at the 2006 event continue to serve as part of Sewa. Over the years Holi started attracting non-Indians as well turning it into a universal celebration regardless of race, religion, or ethnic backgrounds. Besides being a fun experience, a key motivation behind the event is to build awareness of the community impact activities Sewa is undertaking in Atlanta.

A core team of volunteers worked tirelessly for nearly three months leading to the event. About 250 volunteers were present at the event to tend to the needs of the attendees. The Holi celebration would not have been possible without the generous support of sponsors, volunteers, and attendees. The Cumming Police Department provided security and DJ Shaan rocked the campground with music to which the performers and attendees danced while showering each other in colors. The staff of Cumming Fairgrounds ensured that the event was effectively managed.

Tesla Motors joined the fun -- all colored up!

Natson Hotels Group and Paramount Software Solutions served as signature sponsors. Sanatan Mandir and Shakti Mandir sponsored the food for thousands of attendees. Amruth Ayurveda, AssureGuru, CGIngredients, Cherians, Chugh, E-Ring, Inc., Garuda Vega, Georgia Banking Company, Gupta Real Estate, Indiaco, PNC Bank, Premium Realty Group LLC, Pyramid Consulting, Royal Basmati Rice, Twinkle Pediatrics LLC were the additional sponsors.

In the true spirit of the Hindu adage that “the whole world is one family,” Sewa International Atlanta organizes various charitable initiatives, including food drives, primary education initiatives, and free healthcare clinics in collaboration with Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (GAPI) to support local communities in need.

Sewa International has also adapted several sustainability principles in minimizing waste associated with the event. Greencell Atlanta partnered with Sewa on this front. The City of Cumming provided recycling bags and containers.

Sharing some love and gratitude with our Police Officers

Starbucks staff greeted our volunteers with coffee early in the morning

About Sewa International
Sewa International is a Hindu faith-based, humanitarian, nonprofit service organization registered under Internal Revenue Code 501 (c) (3). Founded in 2003, Sewa International is part of a larger movement that started in India in 1989 and is active in twenty countries. Sewa serves humanity irrespective of race, color, religion, gender or nationality. Sewa specializes in disaster relief and rehabilitation. Our development programs focus on family services; child, tribal and refugee welfare; women empowerment; health; and education. For more information about Sewa International, please visit www.sewausa.org

Houston, TX (December 27, 2023): Prof. Ved Prakash Nanda, the founding member of Sewa International USA, a distinguished legal scholar and teacher, and a leading voice of the Hindu community in America, passed away after a brief illness on Monday, January 1, at a hospital in his hometown, Denver, CO.

Deeply loved by his students, friends, and thousands of volunteers from the organizations he was associated with, Dr. Nanda contributed richly to many fields. He taught International Law at the Strum School of Law, University of Denver, CO, until his last days.

He leaves behind his daughter, son-in-law, two grandchildren, and many friends.

Legacy of Scholarship

Prof. Nanda commanded great respect from a broad section of society globally. One of his students, Doug Scrivner, donated $1 million to the University of Denver to establish the Ved Nanda Center for International & Comparative Law, which was established in 2006. Dr. Nanda authored over 24 books, was a columnist for TheDenver Post, and contributed immensely to improving US-India relations. 

Dr. Nanda received the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards by the Government of India, in 2018. The American Bar Association International Law Section conferred on him the Louis B. Sohn Award, for “distinguished, longstanding contributions to the field of public international law.”

One of the early Indian emigres, Dr. Nanda arrived as a student of law and earned his LLM at Northwestern University in 1962. Born in 1934 in Gujranwala in the Punjab province of then undivided India he migrated to Jammu with his mother during India's partition, when he was 13 years old. Prof. Nanda studied economics and law at the University of Punjab and Delhi. After completing his LLM degree at Northwestern University in Chicago and a graduate fellowship at Yale Law School, Prof. Nanda joined the University of Denver.

Ved Nanda was immersed in the ideals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – creating disciplined and committed citizens to build a strong India. He was President of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) USA, Chairman of the Hindu University of America, and the past president of the World Jurist Association. Prof. Nanda held leadership positions in the American Society of International Law, the American Law Institute, and the American Bar Association's Human Rights Center. He also served as a US delegate to the World Federation of the United Nations Associations in Geneva and on the governing council of the United Nations Association of the United States.

Prof. Nanda receiving the Padma Bhushan from
India’s President Ramanatha Kovind in 2018

Karmayogi – Working Selflessly

Prof. Nanda in the backdrop of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains

Paying tribute to Prof. Ved Nanda, Sewa International's President Arun Kankani said, "Dr. Nanda inspired me personally and countless volunteers worldwide. I worked very closely with him for many years. His youthfulness, humor, work ethic, and gentle and caring nature guided me. His achievement in various fields seems impossible to accomplish for anyone in a single lifetime. We humbly bow to this giant of a personality and inspiring karmayogi of our times. Following his path of service is the true homage to such a man of wisdom, courage, and dedication".

About Sewa International
Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

Sewa International launched a fundraiser campaign in the US to help people affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Israel.

Houston, October 18, 2023 — Sewa International expresses deep concern for the people affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Israel. Our philosophy, grounded in the age-old Hindu traditions, promotes the well-being of all and the sanctity of life.

We stand in solidarity with the innocent victims of these attacks and offer our thoughts and prayers to grieving families. As a volunteer-led non-profit with experience serving in almost 40 disasters worldwide, Sewa understands the devastating impact of senseless attacks on societies and families. We urge all groups involved in this conflict to protect innocent lives and avoid further violence.

Sewa International has started a fundraising campaign to support the victims and their families affected by this tragic and heart-wrenching situation. We appeal to all Americans to generously donate to Sewa to help the relief efforts in Israel and be a part of the healing process: https://www.facebook.com/donate/173338982485592/ or https://sewausa.org/SupportIsraelWarReliefFundraiser. 

About Sewa International

Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c) (3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

    

Houston, (June 18, 2023): Sewa International's Houston team in association with Fort Bend Independent School District (ISD) organized a food donation drive on June 3rd at the Hodges Bend Middle School. The drive was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) grant awarded to Fort Bend County. Fort Bend ISD has about 80,000 students and about 51 percent of them are economically disadvantaged. Students &their families, benefiting from the food distribution, were contacted prior to the drive.

More than 50 volunteers, including Sewa summer interns, helped in packing 13,000 pounds of food items into 800 bags on the Memorial Day weekend at the Shri Krishna Vrundavana Temple, Houston. The food items included beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, and vegetables.

“I found a lot of joy in packaging the food. It was hard work the entire time, but we were able to pack 800 bags in about three hours. We did not know each other, but as we continued to work together, we all started to talk and laugh a little. I genuinely love packaging food as it brings me happiness,” said Saloni Singh, one of the Sewa summer Interns.

Four elementary school campuses were invited to participate on the day of the drive. Judge J. Christian Becerra of Texas 434th District Court and Lydia Chavez-Garcia, Director for Collaborative Communities, volunteered along with over 20 volunteers from Sewa International.

Food was also delivered to Shared Dreams on June 8, 2023, during the “Brighter Bites” distribution. About 480 students were assisted through this food distribution: 46 percent were African American, 37 percent Hispanic, 10 percent Caucasian, and 8 percent Asian. Besides this event, some 260 families were supported through a food donation to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Rosenberg, TX.

 

ATLANTA, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of people from all walks of life threw colors at each other, turning the entire fairgrounds into one massive kaleidoscope of colors in the town of Cumming, GA. The 16th annual Holi celebration, hosted by Sewa International, Atlanta Chapter, on Saturday, March 11, drew large crowds from Atlanta's suburbs, making it a unique and joyful celebration. Holi is a major Hindu festival of colors that marks the dawn of the Spring season. People from all ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds participated cheerfully in the Holi extravaganza.

Freshly prepared Indian snacks and spicy Indian street food, a mix of foot-tapping Bollywood music, eclectic performances by renowned Atlanta dance teams, and a warm sunny day created the perfect festive ambiance. Sewa made available lab-tested and safe color powders at the venue. Buoyed by the balmy weather, laughter, and clouds of color around them, people sprinkled colors on each other. Faces and bodies covered by different shades of pink, green, red, and orange, people danced and roamed the Cumming fairground mirroring their agile and boundless spirits.

Over two hundred Sewa Atlanta volunteers, including many high school students and senior citizens, meticulously planned and organized the event to ensure all participants enjoyed the festivities. The musical performances by the Gaudiya Vaishnava Association and DJ Shaan and his team added melody to the riot of colors. Masters of ceremony, Vidushi Gupta and Viswanath Koppaka, amused the audience with their humor. Many teenagers and their parents cooked and distributed food, directed traffic, and cleaned the venue after the event.

Referring to the success of the event, Srikanth Gundavarapu, President of the Sewa Atlanta chapter, said Sewa could deliver a memorable Holi event due to the support of all volunteers, sponsors, partner organizations, media partners, and the various divisions of the Forsyth County government and the City of Cumming and its police department. He said the event provided Sewa with an opportunity to raise awareness in the community about its focus on disaster recovery and rehabilitation, family services programs, and serving the local communities. The crowd at the event was a tremendous testimonial to people's trust in Sewa volunteers. It inspired Sewa to do more and make the world a better place for all to live, Gundavarapu said.

Sewa's partner organizations, Isha Foundation, Art of Living, Hindu American Political Action Committee (HAPAC), Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (GVA), The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Ponce de Leon, Forsyth County Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Atlanta, Uttar Pradesh North America Association (UPNAA), BrightRing Foundation, Chinmaya Mission Alpharetta, Ekal Atlanta, Vaasi Foundation USA, Siddheswari Seva Inc., and many more joined in the celebrations.

https://www.facebook.com/SewaAtlanta

About Sewa International
Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c) (3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

Contact
Vidyasagar Tontalapur – 1 - 720-526-9939
Viswanath Koppaka – 1- 404-304-0563
Email: 356591@email4pr.com
Web: http://www.sewausa.org

  
HOUSTON, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sewa International has raised $60,000 to help Turkey and Syria earthquake victims till now. Sewa has $45,000 through its website and $15,000 in its Facebook fundraising campaign. Volunteers from Sewa International's partner organization, Food For Life (FFL), have started relief work in the earthquake-hit areas, serving about 800-1200 meals daily in villages near Antakya, the capital of Hatay Province.

Also Published in 
https://www.news-journal.com/syria-turkey-earthquake-sewa-international-raises-60-000-partner-to-serve-meals-to-victims/article_0fd064e2-5bea-5bed-bee4-a29a710a61b6.html

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/syria-turkey-earthquake-sewa-international-135600853.html

FFL is an International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) initiative and the world's most extensive vegetarian food distribution program serving millions of meals daily, serving people in 65 countries.

In addition, Sewa Houston's AmeriCorps team organized a donation drive on February 18 and collected food, clothes, hygiene items, tents, hand warmers, shoes, and baby necessities. The team is working with the National Association of Christian Churches (NACC) to deliver more than 200 boxes containing these items to Turkey and Syria through a Turkish Airlines flight.

Meanwhile, FFL volunteers from Hungary and Turkey drove a giant truck filled with cooking equipment, rice, beans, fresh vegetables, 5,000 liters of water, and other essential supplies and arrived in Antakya on February 12. They worked with the local community to identify Harbiye and two other adjoining villages to start their relief work, according to Swadesh Katoch, Sewa International's Vice President for Disaster Relief.

According to Katoch, the Turkish Ministry of Interior's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidenty (AFAD) has requested FFL to serve in Hatay. Three FFL volunteers from Turkey and four Hungarian FFL cooks, including the FFL Director from Budapest, drove about 15 hours from Istanbul to Antakya.

"ISKCON Turkey Food for Life is incredibly grateful for the generous support of Sewa USA. Our partnership with Sewa is providing much needed relief to the people who have been left with nothing. Sewa USA was one of the very first organizations to get actively involved in offering funds to keep the wheels rolling," said Caitanya Chandra Das, coordinator of Turkey earthquake relief efforts from ISKCON's Food For Life.

"We are working with Sewa Canada, Sewa Europe, and ISKCON's FFL to assist the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. We endeavor to provide relief to people during disasters and work with them to help them rebuild their lives. With support from our donors, partners, and volunteers, Sewa can make a real impact, as it has done so in response to many other disasters worldwide," Arun Kankani, Sewa International's President said. He appealed for donations to help Turkish and Syrian communities in need.

https://www.sewausa.org/turkeysyriaearthquakeappeal

About Sewa International
Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

Contact
Vidyasagar Tontalapur – 1 - 720-526-9939
Viswanath Koppaka – 1- 404-304-0563
Email: 354235@email4pr.com
Web: http://www.sewausa.org

 

HOUSTON, Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sewa International has contributed $10,000 to Sewa Kenya towards drought relief efforts in Kenya. It has also started a social media campaign to raise $100,000 for food distribution.

Also Published in
https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/22/11/n29680060/sewa-international-usa-contributes-10-000-for-kenyas-drought-relief

In the first phase, Sewa will distribute food kits to 3,000 families. Volunteers from Sewa's partner organizations in the country have been distributing food kits to families hit hard by the drought in Kathiani and Kangundo areas in Machakos county. Soon, they will start providing food and other essential supplies in the Makindu area.

Sewa's partner organizations, Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh (BSS), Kenya, and the Hindu Council of Kenya (HCK), lead these relief efforts. They also provide clean water, medical care, and educational facilities in Kenya's remote villages. Volunteers from the Hindu Religious Service Center, Mombasa, Kenya, and Premchandbhai Foundation, Nairobi, are also helping in these relief efforts.

Kenya's National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) attributes drought to four successive failed rainy seasons. According to the agency, an estimated 4.35 million people suffer severe hunger and need humanitarian assistance. Between October 2021 and March 2022, over 1.5 million livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, died. The agency says that in 2022, the drought situation worsened in 20 of the 23 counties in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). The agency also said over 755,000 children under five and about 103,000 pregnant women are malnourished. By some estimates, nearly 1,500 people die of hunger each day in drought-hit East Africa.

"Each food kit Sewa distributes costs about $20 (2,000 Kenyan shilling). We are requesting people in the US to donate to help people in Kenya. Sewa needs additional funds to immunize pregnant women and children against diseases that spread during the famine," Sewa's Vice President for Disaster Relief, Swadesh Katoch, said.

"Sewa provides maize, beans, flour, freshwater, and cooking oil in each food kit. We also supply Unimex, a nutritious fortified food recommended by the World Food Program, to children in over 700 schools and health centers. We are also running capacity-building programs for low-income communities to help them become self-reliant," Vipul Shah, a volunteer from Sewa Kenya said.

About Sewa International
Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

Contact
Vidyasagar Tontalapur – 1 - 720-526-9939
Viswanath Koppaka – 1- 404-304-0563
Email: 348560@email4pr.com
Web: http://www.sewausa.org

     

Houston, TX (October 9, 2022): Sewa International has released $25,000 to help Hurricane Ian victims in Florida. Sewa volunteers have been distributing drinking water, food, and other essential supplies in Fort Myers Beach, Sarasota and other areas impacted by the hurricane. They are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to aid the affected people.

Sewa volunteers from Orlando and Tampa collected food, water, and other materials and delivered them to the FEMA help centers. They also supplied groceries to the Fort Myers Hindu Temple. Since the hurricane hit the area, the temple has been providing over 500 hot meals daily to physicians, nurses, and people in relief shelters. So far, the temple has served over 3,000 meals and has helped more than 400 families.

According to local officials, Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on September 28, has caused over 137 fatalities. Considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit Florida, Ian has caused an estimated $28-63 billion damage, primarily from flooding.

Sewa's Orlando team on Sunday prepared sandwiches for families affected by the hurricane and delivered non-perishable food items to a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) center in Clearwater, FL. They also and cleaned debris at Daytona Beach and supplied hundreds of pounds of food to Allen Chapel AME Church in town. To fund its Hurricane Ian relief and resettlement work, Sewa has started a Facebook fundraiser (https://tinyurl.com/53h744yp) with the goal of raising $100,000.

Sewa International help reached hurricane Ian victims in Fort Myers. Today, roads were opened and our team in Orlando drove relief material to Hindu Temple of Fort Myers. Tomorrow, our Tampa team will take help from Tampa.

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Sewa Women’s Championship 2022 - Cricket & Kho-Kho sporting events were held on Sept 18th at Fowler Park Cumming, GA

Let me start by saying what an eventful day! The day started early for the sewa volunteers, coordinating and setting up for this tournament. Dr. Syamala Erramilli along with her husband Bob Erramilli, Johns creek City Council member was the guests of Honor and was accompanied by Vikas Arora Sewa Leader. The event was inaugurated with the invocation to Lord Ganesha’s prayers and the traditional lighting of lamps. Dr. Syamala emphasized on how important it is for women to stay active and motivated so that they can be good role models for their children. She also talked about how staying active helps us with endorphins which in turn helps us stay at bay with depression. She appreciated Sewa for conducting such events, as otherwise people would be cooped up in their homes, binging web series or movies.

We had a wonderful response to our cricket championship ably conducted by match referee Vijay Vaghela, a total of 6 teams participated, ATL Strikers, Crickootam, Ferocious Feathers, Firebirds, Magic Makers, and Wildbrooke Warriors. There were some tough competitive and super over matches played by these amazing women with full sportswomen ship and enthusiasm. The Cricket Championship was won by the Firebirds team, in 2nd came Crickootam, 3rd ATL Strikers, and in 4th Wildbrooke Warriors.

Complimentary lunch and drinks were provided to many participants under the able guidance of Amaresh Parvathaneni and Murali Rajgopalan. Our sponsor was SlayRX, the sports drink maker www.slayrx.com , whose contributions would go towards the S.H.E program( https://she.sewausa.org , the objective of this program is to create livelihood for economically weaker and vulnerable women through market driven skill development training as well as personality development and mental awareness.)

This was followed by the afternoon session being graced by the presence of Mrs. Raj Razdan, who also highlighted the importance of women’s wellbeing and staying active. She emphasized that parents should empower young girls to make their own decisions and live their dreams from a young age so they can become strong and independent members of the society. She congratulated all the women who came forward and participated in the event and encouraged them to continue to do so.

In Kho-Kho, four teams Mountain Crest Challengers, Ferocious Feathers, Lakshmi Bai, and Wildbrooke Warriors participated ably conducted by match referee Vishal Shah. The kho-Kho championship was won by Mountain Crest Challengers, in 2nd came Ferocious Feathers, in 3rd Wildbrooke Warriors and 4th was Lakshmi Bai.

Overall, it was a successful event and the participants were happy and expressed interest in participating in such future sporting events. A total of over 200 volunteer hours have been spent for the event. Event organizing team led by Neetu Chauhan, Pallavi Panthri, Vani Gaddam, Usha Palagiri, Garima Saini put in their best effort and pulled off a successful event! Thanks to Vijai G, Sewa Sports coordinator for guiding the team, Chanchal for coordinating Teen volunteers, Prakash Srivastava for technical and marketing help. Shobit Panthari and Raghav Tavva for the amazing pictures and videos which capture the memories for a long time to come.

By Usha Palagiri
Sewa Sports Group
Sewa International - Atlanta Chapter

https://sewausa.org/resources/2022/Press_release/SWC_Press%20Release.pdf