Selvi – “I am so thankful to Duggu and KMG for the reason that the movie and his character shed light on some of the challenges that special need kids and their parents face. It may not have gone into depths on challenges of a special need child and their parents, but it definitely brought awareness about another world of kids who everybody forgets until they come face to face with someone affected by it.”For Disabled Indian American Kids, Jeena Fills a Void
India-West Staff Reporter MILPITAS, Calif.
Selvi Pragasam recalls the anguish she felt when her nine-year-old son, Aidan, once threw a screaming fit during a party.
"People were looking at him; they were looking at me, saying, 'why is a nine-year-old boy yelling and throwing himself on the floor?' To them, it didn't look right," Pragasam told India-West last week.
What most of the other people at the party didn't know was that Aidan suffers from an extremely rare metabolic disorder which prevents his body from processing protein; as a result, his mental and emotional development are delayed.
"He's a wonderful kid, but he is a challenge," said Pragasam, a Web developer who lives in San Jose with Aidan and her husband, Ravi.
"After a while, my husband and I became very lonely, and Aidan didn't have any friends."
They do now. The Pragasam family is one of nearly 100 similar Indian American families who make up Jeena, the first nonprofit set up especially for Indian American children with developmental and physical disabilities.
Do check out Jeena (the organization’s) website, http://www.jeena.org/. It is designed and maintained by Selvi (dufan Kuttibu). The full article is at the Jeena site.
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Miss India USA Pageant, in its 22nd year, selected the winner on August 24 at a glitzy gala at the Ramada Plaza and Conference Center in Edison. N.J. Twenty-four contestants vied for the title before an audience of nearly 500.
Meghna Nagarajan from Georgia was crowned Miss India USA 2003, Rekha Mudaraj from Arizona was the first runner up and Sabrina Dhammi from New York the second runner-up.
Miss India USA Pageant started in 1982, and is produced by Indian Festival Committee. The other two of the five finalists were Anjali Bhardwaj of New York and Sheena Patel of Massachussetts. Niteen Group of Hotels was the exclusive presenter of the pageant in cooperation with Air-India, Maaza, and ITV, a press release said.
Nagajaran, 19, is in her second year at Georgia Tech and her hobbies include singing, dancing, and reading. She plans to pursue a career in electrical engineering and also wants to do MBA.
Nagajaran also won the best talent concert where she sang the famous song "Choli Ke Peeche" in two different voices of Alka Yagnik and iLa Arun. As Miss India USA Nagajaran is to represent U.S.A in the upcoming Miss India World-wide to be held on Sept. 27 in San Fransisco, Calif. She will compete with 30 other contestants from across the world for the title of Miss India Worldwide.
At the show, Dhamangi Bhatia did the tabulation. Kalanji Satrangi, Arya Dance Academy, Teena Sukharam group and Saurabh Jain presented entertainment for the evening.
Other contestants and winners:
MISS SUPERMODEL IN STYLE - Rekha Muddaraj, Arizona
MISS PHOTOGENIC - Rohini Jain, Georgia
MISS BEAUTIFUL HAIR – Palvi Waghela, Texas
MISS BEAUTIFUL SMILE – Rekha Muddaraj
MISS CONGENIALITY - Kashish Chopra, Massachussetts.