Editorial November 2011

November 2011

Dear Readers,

On behalf of the entire Desh-Videsh team, I would like to wish everyone a Happy, and more importantly, a Healthy New Year.

Once again, we are very excited to present our Desh-Videsh winter wedding resource special edition, which discusses newlyweds and their weddings and excitement about a new beginning as a couple. Every month, several newlyweds submit their stories and picking the few stories that make it into the issue is becoming challenging. We try to provide readers with stories about weddings that are unique in some way, and this issue presents four such stories.

To plan a Hindu or Muslim wedding in the United States is not an easy task. Couples take care of many details after listening to input from a variety of sources. In this issue, we add our name to the list of sources. It is my pleasure to present three “How To” articles, namely How to Choose a Caterer, How to Choose a Wedding Planner, and How to Plan Your Honeymoon. I hope these articles will provide couples with guidance as you plan your weddings.

Another must-read interesting and informative article has been provided by a young attorney, Radhika Arora, who is based in Miami. In this article, she provides newly engaged and newly wed couples with advice about how to make legal plans for their growing families early on in their lives together.

Now let me digress a bit. A few days ago, Aruna and I had the opportunity to attend a dinner hosted by BAPS in Boynton Beach. At this dinner meeting, Shaileshbhai Patel presented the Mandir’s expansion plan. Among the several points made by Shaileshbhai, one in particular caught my attention. When discussing the community hall, he mentioned that people would be able to use the hall for weddings. In the way that I digress here, he also did the same thing by raising one important question for newlyweds. He acknowledged that while choosing a partner, you tend to look for as many good qualities as possible, but at the same time, you should also ask yourself whether you will be able to make your partner happy. He went on to explain that happiness is not only materialistic happiness, but happiness in all aspects of your life. I was totally impressed with his talk and how he was able to intertwine this important message in his presentation. I would like to ask young couples who are getting married, thinking of getting married, or looking for a partner to pay attention to this important piece of advice.

Let me close by discussing three major events occurring in Florida in November: India Festival – Tampa on November 12, AACSA convention on November 19 in Orlando, and Diwali – Festival Light Celebration by IRCC also on November 19 in Fort Lauderdale. Help show your support for each of these programs by attending in large numbers.

Raj Shah
Managing Editor
Desh-Videsh