1st - 3rd June 2002

Priyadarshni Academy's Chairman, Shri. Nanik Rupani, along with the Co-Chairman, Shri. Niranjan Hiranandani organised a 3 days sojourn at Leh, Ladakh, the Sindhu Darshan 2002.

The Participants who attended Sindhu Darshan 2002 were : Important dignitaries like Home Minister - L.K.Advani, Minister of Tourism -Shri. Jagmohan, Shri Farooque Abdullah, Mr. Kewal & Mrs. Sudesh Nohria, Mr. Kishore & Mrs. Maya Shahani, Mr. Ghanshyam & Mrs. Meena Shewakramani, Mr. Niranjan & Mrs. Kamal Hiranandani, Mr. Vashdev & Mrs. Roop Purswani-Thailand, Mr. Haru & Mrs. Renu Mahtani-Indonesia, Dr. Govind Ram & Dr. Mrs. Dolly Gurbaxani, Mr. Khushi & Mrs, Varsha Khatwani - Dubai, Mr. Mahesh Menda-Dubai, Mr. Ram Buxani-Dubai, Mr. Murli Odhrani-Dubai, Mr. Ashok Odhrani-Dubai, Mr. Paras Shahdadpuri - Dubai, Mr. Suresh Galani-Dubai, Mr. V.Galani-Dubai, Mr. Sunil Jamdar, Mr.Mahesh Thakkar, Mr. Arjun Bulchandani, Mr. Lalit Sangtani - Pune, Ms.

Priyadarshni Academy organised a Delegation from India and Overseas to the Sindhu Darshan 2002, at Leh, Ladakh. The members seated in a group with Mr. L. K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister, India.

Sushila Rupani-Hyderabad, Mr. Vasu B. Rupani-Japan, Mr. Kishan Jagwani, Mr. Ashok Hardasani & Ms. Manju Nichani.

Special cultural programmes by local artistes as well as those from outside entertained the delegates of the Priyadarshni Academy. The delegates were also felicitated by Shri. L. K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister, India.

The need of the hour as everybody concurred was to make all out efforts to attract more tourists to Leh which will help provide better facilities of living to the local populace. "Efforts must be made so that the visit to Leh leaves a lasting impression on the visitors", said Shri. Jagmohan.

Priyadarshni Academy promised an amount of Rs. 11,00,000/- towards the education of children and the general welfare of the people of Leh, Ladhak.

21st May 2002

Shri. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy, participated in the Save Ganga network launched by Osho World Foundation held at the Gandhi Sangrahalaya, New Delhi. Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, well-known scientist was the co-ordinator.

A comprehensive website and on-line services on Ganga and other rivers will provide connectivity, content, educational and tourist information through the on-line form to be launched soon.

3rd May 2002

Smt. Padma Tatapudy, Kuchipudi dance artiste, presented a Kuchipudi dance recital and ballet 'Krishan Parijatam' with artistes of the Kuchipudi Kala Kendra for the National Centre for the Performing Arts programme. The programme at its Godrej Dance Academy's auditorium was supported and co-sponsored by the Priyadarshni Academy and represented by Ms. Gwyneth Alphonso, Senior Executive Officer, Priyadarshni Academy.

Padma was one of the first artistes to be featured in the 'National Integration Programme through Dances and Music' series of the Priyadarshni Academy. She has presented many group performances through Devi Fine Arts Society of which she is Founder-Director.

5th March 2002

Priyadarshni Academy's National Integration through Dance & Music Programme. Dance recital by Ms. Aparna Gandhi at Jaihind College.

'The National Integration Programme through Dance and Music' which has become an on-going project of the Academy, featured young and up-coming artistes in classical dance this time. The programme created a platform that show-cased the abundant talent, of these budding artistes. Odissi dance was presented by Ms. Raminder Khurana and Ms. Aparna Mukherji in a duet performance which was unique as the latter was also the Shishya or student of the former. This was followed by the contrasting form of Kuchipudi dance by Ms. Sravanya Rao. Mr. V. Ranganathan, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra along with Mr. Pankaj Udhas, well-known singer, Ms. Poonam Dhillon, film personality, lit the ceremonial lamp to mark the traditional commencement. They were joined in by Mr. Nanik Shidasani, Principal - Jaihind College and Mr. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy.

The Consul General of U.S.A. Mr. David Good was presented an appreciation memento by Mr. Nanik Rupani and Ms. Poonam Dhillon for his notable work in enhancing Indo-U.S. bilateral relations.

The artistes also received appreciation mementoes at the hands of the honoured guests. The programme compered by actress and Kathak artiste-Ms. Prachee Shah, and Mr. Dinesh Parekh, President, Thane-Belapur Industries Association concluded with the vote of thanks by Ms. Madhavi Vora, Chairperson, National Integration through Dances and Music, Priyadarshni Academy.

15th February 2002

The Annual Fellowship night of The Indo American Chamber of Commerce was held in association with Priyadarshni Academy and was graced by the Consul General of U.S.A. - Mr. David and Mrs. IIa Good, President, Mr. John Battersby and Members of Indo American Chamber of Commerce, Members of the Consular Corps, Chambers of Commerce, International Associations and members of Fortune 500 companies.

After the welcome speech by Mr. Battersby, Priyadarshni Academy Chairman, Mr. Nanik Rupani addressed the gathering. He stated that the Academy was happy to be associated with the Indo American Chamber of Commerce in making the Annual Fellowship night a grand success and that it marked the beginning of a long relationship between the two Associations. The highlight was a fashion show by the well-known Ms. Nisha Sagar. A galaxy of stars and top models displayed her glamorous creations in a well-choreographed show compered by the lively Ruby Bhatia.

The Indo American Chamber of Commerce felicitated a galaxy of stars from different walks of life. They included Pankaj Udhas, Dino Morea, Talat Aziz, Aftab Shivdasani and Suneeta Rao. The crowd was agog with excitement and delight cheering all who received the memento of appreciation.

21st January 2002

Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani Yadgar Mandal organised a grand celebration in order to commemorate the 58th Martyrdom day of Amar Shaheed Hemu Kalani in a grand style. The event was organised on 21st January, 2002 at Hemu Kalani Memorial Building, Chembur.

The special dignitaries at the event were Chief Guest - Shri. Kirit Somaiya and Guests of Honour Shri. Nanik Rupani Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy, Shri. Jhamatmal Wadhwani, Chairman, Vivekanand Education Society and Shri. Pramod Shirvalkar (MLA) Chembur.

Mr. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy in his speech highlighted the great sacrifice by Hemu Kalani who became a martyr for his country at the young age of eighteen years. He said that it was the prerogative of every Indian, especially the Sindhi community, to contribute and co-operate towards building a monument in memory of the martyr, as a symbol of aspiration of the values he stood for. Priyadarshni Academy promised a financial assistance of Rs. 1 Lakh to the Women's welfare project of the Mandal, to be soon launched.

16th December 2001

Nupur Zankar Academy of Performing Arts presented 'Sanskriti Mahotsav', a programme of Kathak dance by well-known Kathak dancer-choreographer, Smt. Shila Mehta and her students, at the Iskcon Auditorium, Iskcon temple, Juhu beach. Katha is the art of story telling and Kathakaar the story-teller. 'Katha kahe so Kathak' goes the popular saying. The Kathakaar was an important feature of society in ancient times. The event was supported by Priyadarshni Academy in its endeavor to preserve the country's heritage through the promotion of Indian performing arts and artists.

6th December 2001

Shri. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy along with Shri. Arvind Jolly, President, Indian Merchants' Chamber organised a Talk by the esteemed and revered Dada P.Vaswani on the theme 'Change your Attitude : Change your Life'.

The talk held at the Walchand Hirachand Hall, Indian Merchants' Chamber, Churchgate, had the audience, totally absorbed and elevated by Dada's words of guidance and wisdom.

11th November 2001

Priyadarshni Academy's division - the Priyadarshni Laughter Club, celebrated its Eighth Anniversary on 11th November 2001. The event was well attended by over two hundred participants representing twenty-five clubs from all over Mumbai. The event had coverage by the press and electronic media. The programme included demonstrations of the various types of laughter as well as the relevant exercises usually done by the different clubs.

The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. K. C. Shrivastav, Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai. The Municipal Commissioner presented all the representatives of the various clubs with a book on laughter, the Priyadarshni Academy profile, a cap and a rose. The Laughter Club first established in 1993 has grown to about sixty laughter clubs in India, several in London and in U.S.A. too.

29th - 31st October 2001

Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Chairman, India International Multiversity's Vedic Research Centre envisioned and planned the inaugural function of the National Seminar on 'Human Mind and Machine' that was organised by the Centre for Advanced Studies in Sanskrit, University of Pune. It was held from October 29 to 31, 2001, at the Dnyaneshwar Sabhagraha University of Pune, in collaboration with the India International Multiversity's Vedic Research Centre, a joint project with Priyadarshni Academy. The programme was well attended by philosophers, scientists and scholars across India.

13th October 2001

The Priyadarshni Academy's Scholarship Function was also organised on the same day. Mr. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy announced prestigious scholarships of Rs. 10,000/- for higher studies to deserving students to enable them to continue to excel in their chosen fields. The Scholarships were presented, at the function of National Integration through Dance & Music to 15 deserving and financially needy students as a helping hand to those who have no means to support their academic pursuits.

Priyadarshni Academy held the programme of classical music under the project "National Integration through Dance and Music" which was launched to promote versatile talent in Indian Classical music and dance to enhance awareness and interest in our rich heritage. On 13th October, 2001, the programme at the Nehru Centre Auditorium commenced with innovatory renditions by the Bharatiya Sangeet Group under the baton of Smt. Shashikala Kaikini followed by a Hindustani vocal recital by Aditi Kaikini Upadhya accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar on the tabla. Later it was Kavita Das Rooj on the Mohan Veena and a jugalbandi performance by flautist Sunil Kant Gupta and Carnatic violinist Shri. K. Shivakumar accompanied by Shri. Vibhav Nageshkar and Shri. V. Shyam Sunder on the tabla and mridangam respectively. The performance were received with great appreciation by valued patrons, special invitees and connoisseurs of Indian classical music and dance.

Mr. Nanik Rupani thanked Shri. Ashok Chavan, Minister for Revenue and Protocol, the Chief Guest and Shri. Uday Kotak, Vice-Chairman, Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd., the Guest of Honour for their gracious presence. Mr. Rupani also expressed his gratitude to Shri. Niranjan Hiranandani for his support and sponsorship to make the Academy's promotion of young artistes possible. Ms. Poonam Dhillon associated with the Academy since its inception, lauded the project and said that it was artistes who truly contributed to National Integration.

The programme compered by Mr. Kishan Sharma ended with the vote of thanks proposed by Ms. Madhavi Vora, Chairperson, 'National Integration through Dance and Music', Priyadarshni Academy.

4th - 12th September 2001

As part of the initiative by Mr. Nanik Rupani, Chairman, Priyadarshni Academy to promote Vedic research and awareness, Mrs. Jaya Row, Chairperson of the Academy's Committee for 'Vedic Studies for Human Development', toured Bangkok and Hongkong from the 4th to 12th September to highlight the importance of Vedic Studies in today's context. Mr. Bob Harilela at Hongkong and Mr. Vashi Purswani at Bangkok graciously hosted Ms Row's trip.

Her discourses and lectures dwelled on these and similar topics: Beating the Stress Bug, Vedic Insights for the Internet Era, Achieving Leadership through Creative Thinking, Creative Management through Inspiration, Empowering oneself with Positive Thinking, Vedanta-Values for all times and its principles that can lead to excellence in the new millennium, Motivation and tension-free Art of Living through Ancient Philosophical Knowledge of India. The audience was spellbound by here virtuosity and greatly appreciated the lectures.

29th May 2001

The 17th year Literary Awards presentation was for the first time held as a separate function. Chief Guest, Shri. V. Ranganathan, Chief Secretary-Govt. of Maharashtra and Guest of Honour, Shri. Vijay Tendulkar, eminent writer and playwright presented the awards to the award winners at a glittering function held at the Indian Merchants Chamber.

Shri Suryabhanu Gupt received the "Kisharam Lekhraj Rupani Memorial Award" for Hindi Literature. Shri.T.V. Sirdeshmukh received the award for Marathi Literature for this book "Dangora, Eka Nagaricha' while The Prof. "Ram Panjwani Memorial Award" for Sindhi Literature was presented to Dr. Dayal 'Asha' who emphasised the spirit of giving, the Universal language of love. Shri. Sirdeshmukh remarked that the eight years it took him to write the book were made all the more worthwhile by the Priyardarshni award. Dr. Dayal 'Asha' pledge his cash award of Rs. 25,000/- to the earth quake victims of Gujarat.

17th Year Literary Awards Function at Indian Merchants' Chamber (L-R) Awards Winners - Dr. Dayal Asha for Sindhi, Mr. T. V. Sirdeshmukh for Marathi & Mr. Suryabhanu Gupta for Hindi Literary AwardsArtistes from Kalasadan performing the Ramayana ballet.

Each award winner received beautifully crafted trophies and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/-. Chairman, Shri. Nanik Rupani presented an Appreciation memento to Smt. Indira and Shri. Gian Gulabani for their exemplary and gracious support to the Academy from time to time.

22nd May 2001

A meeting was held at the office of Smt. Neela Satyanarayana - Principal Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies, at the Mantralaya, to discuss ways of providing nutrition (mid-day meal) to school children. The meeting discussed possible ways of involving Parent-teacher associations to better implement the scheme. Dr. Ratna Magotra, C.E.O. represented the Academy, the only voluntary organization to have been invited at the meeting.

18th May 2001

In continuing the project of Vedic Research, Mr. Nanik Rupani, Chairman of the Priyardarshni Academy called a meeting of the committee on 'VEDIC STUDIES FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT' at the Enkay Telecom office, Worli, Mumbai.

The committee discussed the upcoming tour to Bangkok and Hongkong by Smt. Jaya Row, well-known Vedanta scholar and Chairperson of the committee. Members - Ms. Maya Shahani, Shri. Vasant Saraf, Ms. Manju Malkani, Ms. Mala Aggarwal, Ms. Geeta Mirchandani and Ms. Advani were present to deliberate on the modalities of sponsorship and content of her talks.

Ms. Jaya Row stated that she would speak on The Techniques of Right Action, Happiness to Individuals, Harmony in Relationships and Society, and Pathway to Spiritual Realization, applicable to all in day to day life. Ms. Rupani informed that Mr. Bob Harilela at Hongkong and Mr. Vashi Purswani at Bangkok were hosting Ms. Row. Dr. Ratna Magotra, C.E.O. and Ms. Deepali Tikare, P.R.O., Priyadarshni Academy were also present.

5th May 2001

The Vedic Research Centre of India International Multiversity (IIMV) and Priyadarshni Academy along with Shri Ambika Yog Sanshodhan Pratishthan organised 'The Annual Convention of Yoga of Well-Being' at the Pune University Lawns.

The function was presided by Swami Swarupanand Saraswat. Gandhian, Padmabhushan Shri. Balasaheb Bharde, Shri. V. Ranganathan, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra and Dr. E.V. Chitnis, Chairman, Press Trust of India, were the Guests of Honour. The Vedic Research Centre was represented by Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar; IIMV, Guruvarya Kisan Maharaj Sakhare and Shri Vivek Sawant and Priyardarshni Academy by its Chairman, Shri. Nanik Rupani, Mrs. Geeta Rupani, Dr. Jaya Row, Mrs. Geeta Mirchandani, Ms. Deepa Jeswani and Dr. Ratna Magotra, CEO. In their address, to the large number of dignitaries engaged in a similar cause, Dr. Vijay Bhatkar and Shri Rangananthan lauded the initiative and efforts taken by Shri. Nanik Rupani, Chairman of Priyadarshni Academy in jointly starting the Vedic Research Centre at Pune, in association with the India International Multiversity.

23rd January 2001

Priyadarshni Academy's National Integration through Dance and Music Programme Mr. Raul D'souza performing Bharata Natyam Dance Recital at Jaihind College.