HOUSTON: Rajkumar Sayal and Dr. S. G. Appan will receive the Lifetime Achievement Service Award presented by the Hindus of Greater Houston during the 25th annual communitywide Janmashtami celebration at George R. Brown Convention center in Houston on Saturday, Aug.23.
Three others, Radha Dixit, Rishi Bhutada and Rahul Pandit will receive the Akhil Chopra Memorial Award in recognition of their selfless service to the Hindu community.
A spectacular “rangoli with ice”, a 6-foot tall Lord Krishna with his cow and lotus flower in a very serene location, is bound to be the cynosure of all eyes at the Janmashtami festival. It may become an authentic picture spot as well.
Entrance to the event is free. The program will begin at 6 p.m. and end at midnight.
One of the most exciting attractions of the night will be the arrival of Saurabh Raj Jain, Lord Krishna from the recent TV serial Mahabharata, on a traditional life-sized chariot.
The Mayapuris have been specially preparing for this exciting event to entice the audience with their dynamic drums, dancing, and kirtan.
The youth will be entertained by an enthralling dandiya-raas with a special group flown in from India, Anita Pandit of X-Factor fame.
Everyone can look forward to an excellent Dashavatar costume contest with over 100 participants.
Along with these amazing attractions will be the award ceremony.
Rajkumar Syal, a pillar of the Houston Hindu community for over 50 years, will be bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Lifetime Achievement Service Award
Raj Kumar Syal has been in Houston since 1963. He conceived the idea of celebrating the Janmashtami festival in 1989 to celebrate Lord Krishna and foster unity and harmony among all. He is highly respected by community members and Hindus of Greater Houston periodically takes his advice and guidance for special events. Hindus of Greater Houston thanks him for his pioneering efforts and leadership during the 25th year of celebration. Along with being a pillar of the Houston Hindu community, he is also a joint founder of India Culture Center and Hindu Worship Society.
Dr.S.G.Appan settled in Houston in 1971. He is always ready to help and volunteer his services to everyone in the community for the last forty three years. His passion is to promote the growth of medicinal herbs and for a number of years he has distributed free Tulsi plants at the Grand Janmashtami festival in Houston. His beliefs are to value our Hindu religion and utilize it for the betterment of mankind.
Akhil Chopra Memorial Service Award
Hindus of Greater Houston appreciates their selfless service to the Hindu community.
Radha Dixit served as Secretary of Hindus of Greater Houston. She is a graduate from the University of Houston and grew up with strong Hindu beliefs. Her father Dr. Sen Pathak, husband Bijay Dixit and children Vidha and Armaan render their unstinted support in all she does to continue to promote Hindu values in the community. Her message is to “do all your worldly duties to the best of your ability” and that “service to mankind is service to God”.
Rishi Bhutada is one of the Board of Directors of the Hindu American Foundation and is the Houston chapter coordinator for HAF. He served in many positions at the Hindu Heritage Youth Camp in Houston and was the former south regional coordinator and Vice President of Public Relations and Outreach for Hindu Students Council. He believes that it is important to have an effective public voice through advocacy in public policy and his goal is to ensure school textbooks have an accurate depiction of Hinduism.
Rahul T. Pandit was born in Srinagar, Kashmir and grew up with a deep love for Hindu heritage. He was raised with firm roots on Sanathana Dharma. He completed undergraduate studies from Yale University and pursued Ophthalmology degree from University of Iowa. He has specialized in Corneal Diseases and Advanced Cataract and Refractive Surgery and presently works at Houston Methodist Hospital. He was a youth counselor at VHP camp in Chicago and actively participated in many Hindu organization activities. He and his wife, Lavanya raise their three children Suraj, Sanjna and Sanvi in Hindu tradition.