Apr 2023 – India Association of Greater Boston

April 2 2023

Upcoming IAGB Events

Web Admin Apr 2023

Community Service Days April 28h & April 29th

May is the month for IAGB Community Service and we have organized two Indian American Community service events. The effort goes to showcase our contribution to the greater community we live in and make new connections. There are two opportunities to participate in the IAGB’s community service events

Meal Prep for Sick Patients – April 28th, Food Heals, Jamaica Plains, MA
Sorting and organizing Donations – April 29th, The Wish Project, Lowell, MA

Feel free to signup using the QR code on the flyer or visit www.iagb.org

New England Seniors Expo May 7th

5K Run/Walk for Veternas May May 13th

India Day Celebration at Hatch Shell August 19th

April 2 2023

Community Conversations

Web Admin Apr 2023

April Fools Day falls on April 1st – I bet everyone knows this, the joy of shouting ‘April Fool Banaya’! Let’s hear from some of our fellow community members what they think about April Fools Day pranks or pranks in general .. Do they like it?

Bhagat Chetan (High schooler)

Personally I love pranks, pranks are an amazing part of comedy culture and really bring out the best reactions from people. As a prankster myself I have executed some really good pranks. One time I found a video on YouTube which when played makes the TV seem like it’s broken. I played the video to see how my Dad would react when I told I broke the TV, and let’s just say I hoped he never gets that mad when I’m really in trouble. Eventually I told him it was fake and we both had a good laugh and made a memory together! That’s why I love pranks, they really bring out the best in people when done right.

Jyoti Nagarkar (Primary Care Physician)

Does the mere thought of April Fool’s day bring a smile to my face? It does! Everyone can remember an instance when they pranked someone or were the innocent victims of a prank.

The origin of April Fools Day dates back to the 1500’s and there are many theories surrounding this. Regardless of this for all these years people have been having fun on this day playing pranks on others.

In this time and age when the internet is on everyone’s fingertips, one just needs to Google and find all the different pranks. The pranks are not as funny and they lose the surprise element, as everyone is aware of them. But as we see with every new innovation, we find creativity. People adapt and find novel ways to prank others.

I do think special days like this make us laugh, help us to take a step back from the monotony of everyday life. As they say, laughter is the best medicine, so everyone should strive to play at least one prank on someone on this day!

Chetan Chaudhary (Ex-Vice President, IANH)

The humor and effectiveness of April Fool’s Day pranks can vary depending on the person and the situation. You may have your own memory of a prank, and hopefully about a prank that went well. So, if you’re feeling up for it, go ahead and plan a prank or two. Just be sure to keep it harmless and respectful, and remember to reveal the joke before things get out of hand!

Are April Fool’s Day pranks still funny and effective? Well, it really depends on who you ask and how you go about it!. Some people enjoy playing and receiving pranks, while others do not appreciate them. Sharing a funny prank my wife Smita experienced – “One day a colleague of mine who was 9 months pregnant started screaming that her water broke. We all rushed to see what was happening and saw that water was coming down to her feet. Another colleague immediately started calling 911, thinking that she was going into labor. But then, to everyone’s surprise, the pregnant colleague revealed a water balloon that she had burst to give a realistic effect for her April Fools’ Day prank! We had all been fooled!! We couldn’t stop laughing about it for the rest of the day.”

Of course, the type of prank you choose and how well you pull it off can make a big difference in how funny and effective it is. Personally, I think a harmless and well-executed prank can be a great way to bring some laughter and joy to a situation. But if you go too far or do something mean-spirited or hurtful, it’s not gonna go over well.

Meenakshi Udhaykumar (Technology Professional)

I enjoyed pranks more when I was a kid. I still remember we used to have 3 days to leverage (April 1, 2 & 3) playing pranks at school. A good memory that I can recollect is ten years back when I was applying to universities for my postgraduate studies, on April first I got a call from a ‘coordinator from Boston university’ and the person told me that they have accepted me for their Master’s program with full scholarship. I was on cloud nine and screamed and jumped around like a kid. After a minute it struck me that ‘full scholarship’ sounded a little off. So I asked him whether he was sure that I got a full scholarship and then there was a giggle! It was my friend from India who pranked me. We had a big laugh and spoke for some time reminiscing our friendship. The funny thing is I did get accepted from Boston University a month later after that. It’s good to do pranks and enjoy them and take it as an opportunity to make some good moments.

Sonal Shah (IT Professional)

April Fool’s Day, while its definitive origin may still be a mystery, is celebrated across the globe on the same day and with the same objective – to pull a joke or a prank on someone. The pranks or jokes are played in many forms depending on the creativity of the prankster, to the gullibility of the person on whom it is being played, from as simple as switching sugar with salt to as wild as one in 1996 by Taco Bell announcing it is purchasing Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and renaming it ‘Taco Liberty Bell’. While planning it, the question is if the joke or prank will work and how far to go without causing any harm to the person on receiving end of the joke, hopefully. Creating a truly good prank can take ingenuity and planning as well as knowledge about the person it is being played on to ensure the prank’s suitability. If done tastefully, harmless pranks can bring some levity, joy and a few laughs for both parties, planner and the one it is planned on, and a nice way to welcome the spring equinox with joy after the cold winter gloom. April Fool’s day prank can be fun to bring family or friends together with the planning of the hoax, its execution and then reminiscing the sweet memory later over the years……so keep up with the sport and the ritual going every April 1st!

April 2 2023

IAGB Spotlight – LearnQuest Academy of Music

Web Admin Apr 2023

If spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings is poetry, then the structured articulation of such emotions using melody and rhythm is Indian classical music. One art form needs language, and the other is a language in itself that transcends all boundaries and flows like a river. Time tested and hence, never stale. Every good concert reinvigorates the performer as well as the listener and it also renews the art form itself.

Thanks to the humble efforts of Pradeep Shukla and his team, Bostonians have been renewing their bond with the rich tradition of Indian classical music through LearnQuest Music Conferences since 2006. Today it brings together a community of hundreds of fine artistes, aficionados, enthusiasts, students, organizers, and volunteers. This year’s conference is scheduled to take place from April 7th to April 9th. As always the event will feature eminent maestros and highly acclaimed Hindustani and Carnatic music artists. Please follow the link provided below to find more information about the conference.

IAGB Spotlight - LearnQuest Academy of Music

The unique characteristic of Indian classical music is that it offers freedom for the artiste’s imagination within and through the highly structured format. Since there are hundreds of such formats, or Raagas available to choose from, there is always a gripping sense of anticipation regarding any artists’ choice before a performance. Similar sense of anticipation exists with respect to a music festival like LQ Music Conference. And the organizers take painstaking efforts to offer the audience adequate contentment.

LearnQuest Academy of Music is the organizer for this conference. This renowned local non-profit organization has taken upon themselves a tri-fold responsibility: music instruction, presenting high quality musicianship to the New England community, and connecting audiences through collective experiences. Among the local organizations committed to preserving Indian classical music, LQ believes they have undertaken a comprehensive approach towards the goal. Their sense of stewardship is creditable.

Indian classical music is largely an oral tradition. It is also an improvised art. Therefore every practitioner can become an exponent of a well thought out approach towards the set structures and rules of this music. That way the tradition keeps on augmenting itself and evolving to adapt to contemporary times. LearnQuest is trying to build such a community and ecosystem of music lovers and practitioners through the music conference too.

We wish LearnQuest Academy of Music and their annual Music Conference all the best!

https://conference.learnquest.org/schedule/