SILC 2009-10

SILC @ Dragon Festival (July 10, 2010)

2010-07-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Dear SILC:

Here are the YouTube links to the SILC performances at the Dragon Festival today.

Special thanks to Meera Viruru for being the MC for the Indian Section of the event. Meera you did a great job! Also thanks to Major Shiv Bhatia, for being the impromptu Stage Manager - it was great help.

SILC Tabla: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=qfCn-wznbpI

SILC Adults - Vallah Ray Nakooa: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=eQdIXTWiNsw

SILC Kids - Mera Laung Gawacha: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=PO28DypiiSk

SILC Teens - Aaja Nachle: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=qjOCIhUt_ n4

Happy Viewing!

Raj Menon

Vibha Kalakar 2010

2010-04-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Dear SILC students and parents:

Vibha has announced kalakaar 2010 results. You can see the results at http://wiki.vibha.org/Minnesota:Kalakaar_results_2010

Following SILC Students are recognized for their submissions at National and Minnesota levels in different categories.

National Winners:

Story Writing (9-14 yrs)
1st Place : Meera Malhotra Viruru (Minnesota)

Painting (3-8 yrs)
2nd Place : Shared by Aradhana Menon (Minnesota) and Trisha Rao (San Diego)

Minnesota Winners:
Story Writing (3-8 yrs)
2nd Place : Akshay Nambudiripad

Story Writing (9-14 yrs)
1st Place : Aadarsh Padiyath

Painting (9-14 yrs)
1st Place : Preeti Pidatala

Congratulations to the winners. And big thank you and congratulations to all the SILC students who participated in Vibha Kalkaar 2010. Just remember how you contribution is going to help...

A new book to write in, a new pair of slippers, a new little shirt for the New Year- these are some of the ways that your participation or your child's participation could make a difference, a small difference to someone on the other side of the globe.

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi
Principal

Global Hotdish Show at Minnesota History Center (3/27/2010)

2010-04-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Dear SILCers:

SILC left its mark at Global Hotdish Show at MNHS last saturday through its performances. Though I have missed seeing the performances in person, I have heard and have seen the photos / video of SILC performances. I can tell that SILCer had lot of fun.

[1] Here is a trailer MNHS has prepared for their promotion for the next year show and it reflects the summary of 2010 Global Hotdish show. Thanks to Wendy Freshman from MNHS for sharing this video.

[2] For the record, here is the recap of the dances performed by SILC

Food, dances and music play big part in many of the festivities and celebrations in India. This is reflected beautifully in it's folk dances and music. Graceful movements, lively music, toe-tapping rhythm and colorful costumes make the dances a joy to perform as well as watch.

To show-case the variety in the folk dances, School of India For Languages - known as SILC - performed three unique dances each hailing from a different state in India and each having a unique style, different costume and even different language.

The children's dance is from the state of Punjab. The dance is called Bhangra when boys perform and Gidha when girls perform it. This fast paced dance is set for an old folk song. This song is about a girl complaining about losing her shiny nose ring, the nose ring that enhanced her beauty so much, when she came to the park to meet her boy-friend.

The youth dance shows the folk dance style of the state of Rajasthan. Graceful movements and pirouettes are salient features of this dance. The song for this dance is called 'Aaja nach le', which means "come and dance". It is from a Bollywood movie by the same name. The song invites every-body to "Not take life too seriously, Leave all worries and celebrate and dance to the music"

Finally the adults are going to perform a folk dance, called 'Koli' from the coastal region of Maharashtra. The song is a popular old folk song which talks about the joys and perils of the fisher-man's life. The movements of the dance are graceful and fluid like the waves of the Ocean.

[3] "Mirchi Bajji" from SILC Cooking class is nominated as SILC's favourite hot dish. If you want to try it, here is the recipe http://silccooking.blogspot.com/2010/01/week-12-mirchi-bajji.html

[4] Here is a thank you note from Wendy Freshman, Program Director from MNHS.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An absolutely HUGE thank you to the astounding show on Saturday! Everyone’s participation created the most delicious hotdish that clearly left our audience members dancing out of 3M Auditorium. Your talent and energy was a sight to behold and what a great gift you gave us all.

Thanks for mixing it up and sharing what you do so well –it was a pleasure working with each and every one of you!

And here is just a sampling of the positive feedback from our surveys..

“This was so fun”

“I liked the respect for everyone”

“Great family entertainment”

“A very nice afternoon at the History Center”

“Fantastic idea for celebrating diversity”

“Laughter is the universal language”

Once again, many thanks for the wonderful day and I look forward to crossing paths with you again in the very near future!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to all the performers; and a big thank you to the teachers and parents for their support. Thanks to Baiju Sadanandan for sharing his picaso album. I took the liberty of posting some pictures here.

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi
Principal

Vibha Kalakaar - 2010

2010-03-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

Hello all

Remember that Vibha Kalakaar entries are due this week. SILC will be paying for the entry fee for all students. We want to collect them together and mail them all in as one group. If you send yours electronically on your own, that is up to you, but we would like to make one large donation to Vibha. For those of you who do not know what Vibha is, please see this link:

Vibha

For rules on the competition:

Vibha Kalakaar

Please note that if you use the rules from last year that is also OK:

Vibha Kalakaar 2009

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to get a lot of entries from SILC. (If you follow the 3rd link on this page, you might see a lot of familiar SILC names!)

Thank you,

Krishnan Nambudiripad

Social Studies and Literature Day - 13th February (Contd.)

2010-02-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

We had great day yesterday celebrating the learning experiences of our Social Studies and Literature Students. Congratulations to all the students and to the teachers who have spent lot of energy and showed their passion to learning and teaching - in producing a memorable show.

I also have another happy news to report on Haiti Earthquake Fund. We have collected $440 at the event and one of the parents have pledged $100. With that we have met our goal. SILC will be donating $540 collected from SILC students and parents PLUS another $500 matching grant - a total of $1040. I am very pleased with the way our SILC has chipped in to contribute to a good cause. If you are still planning to contribute, you can still do that - write a check to UNICEF and hand it over to me or Mangala next Saturday. We plan to send all the checks to UNICEF next Saturday Feb 20th

I just want to provide a quick recap of the day to all of you. I also have posted some pictures from the event for your viewing pleasure.

(a) Sonja : Social Studies 1 (Children)

Sonja's students made a poster outlining India's culture and events; They have talked through their poster.

(b) Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Each of Krishnan's students made a poster showcasing India's classical dances, national animal, classical music, national symbols. As you can see from the pictures posted, lot of effort has gone into making these posters.

(c) Shally Gupta: Social Studies 2
Shally's students performed or talked about India's famous persons - Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, etc. What a best way to learn about India's history and current events?

(d) Keshav and Maulika: Social Studies 3
Icing on the cake goes to keshav and Maulika's students. They have made a video of themselves acting out different historical characters - bringing out different contrasting perspectives of the events. The students not only have learnt a lot, but they sure had so much fun in learning. Kudos to Keshav and Maulika for their creativity in imparting social studies education. You can also find the video on youtube, or on silcsocialstudies3.blogspot.com

(e) Sarah, Sujata and Divya: Literature
Finally, literature students performed several skits from Akbar and Birbal stories. They also have made a beautiful poster as a background for performing the skits. I couldn't resist listing one of the shortest skits they performed

Akbar: Do you want 100 easy questions? or 1 tough question?
Birbal: 1 tough question
Akbar: Chicken or Egg? which came first?
Birbal: Chicken
Akbar: How did you figure it out?
Birbal: No second question please.

All the performances turned out very well and is a reflection of the dedication teachers and students have put together. Booking the Auditorium for this event also proved to be right decision. For next year, we will do better in coordinating the audio and visual systems.

After the performances, we have continued our celebrations in enjoying the food. Managla arranged for the snacks - and I heard from so many parents that - the samosas are very yummy and tasty and that their kids have taken many seconds several times (does that count as thirds? and fourths? :). We also celebrated the birthdays of all SILCers by cutting huge cakes. Raghu made some soothing tea. All in all, it is a festivity after proud performances of the students.

If any of you want to add anything to this note, please drop me a note or leave a comment at this blog.

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi, Principal

Sonja: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Krishnan: Social Studies 1

Shally: Social Studies 2

Keshav and Maulika: Social Studies 3

Sujata, Sarah, Diyva: Literature Class

Sujata, Sarah, Diyva: Literature Class: Background for the skits

All that we need is a reason to celebrate: Tea

All that we need is a reason to celebrate: Birthday cake

All that we need is a reason to celebrate: Enjoying the food

Kids hanging out after a great performance on stage

Haiti Earthquake Fundraising Jar: $540 + $500

Social Studies and Literature Day - 13th February

2010-02-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents, Children and Teachers

Some reminders and logistics about tomorrow.

[1] Tomorrow is Social Studies and Literature Day - where students will be presenting what they are learning through presentations.

[2] There are no language classes or elective classes tomorrow; However, all the students registered only for languges and elective classes are welcome to come; We are all expecting you to be there.

[3] We used to hold the social studies presentations in the cafetaria in earlier years. However, due to the size of SILC this year and so as to give emphasis to social studies and literature classes, we will be holding this event in the Auditorium tomorrow.

We will meet at 10 AM as usual; And after "vande maataram', we will all go to the Auditorium for our presentations to start.

[4] The presentations will be held in the following order.

[a] Sonja : SOcial Studies 1 (Children)
(b) Krishnan: Social Studies 1
(c) Shally Gupta: Social Studies 2
(d) Keshav: Social Studies 3
(e) Sarah and Sujata: Literature

[5] One of the parents asked me whether it is possible to show power point presentations; Yes. We are planning to provide a laptop computer and a projector for the students presentations;You can bring your presentations on USB drive.

[6] Also note that we will be collecting the donations for Haiti earthquake victims tomorrow per the information provided to you earlier.

As a non-profit organization run by volunteers, SILC lives by the above saying. SILC wants to help Haiti earthquake victims, in the capacity and means it can. Any contribution – be it a $1, or $2 or $5 – given by its students and parents will be matched by SILC to a maximum limit of $500. I am hoping that we can collectively donate over $1000 towards helping Haiti. Please hand over your donation to your teacher or Principal on February 13th (social studies day). Our plan is to donate this amount through UNICEF. For further details on UNICEF channel, please see http://www.unicefusa.org/news/releases/unicef-urgently-appeals-for.html

See you all tomorrow

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi, Principal

SILC Times - Second issue is out today

2010-02-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Dear SILCers:

Today's issue of SILC Times can be accessed here. Please get in touch with Erin, Assistant Principal if you need printed copy of this issue.

A big thanks to the contributors for their inputs to the new letter and to the editorial board for bringing out another excellent issue.

Also note that earlier issues of SILC times are archived here.

Your Sincerely
Siva Jasthi, Principal

Helping hands are holier than praying lips

2010-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Dear SILCers:

As a non-profit organization run by volunteers, SILC lives by the above saying. SILC wants to help Haiti earthquake victims, in the capacity and means it can. Any contribution – be it a $1, or $2 or $5 – given by its students and parents will be matched by SILC to a maximum limit of $500. I am hoping that we can collectively donate over $1000 towards helping Haiti. Please hand over your donation to your teacher or Principal on February 13th (social studies day). Our plan is to donate this amount through UNICEF. For further details on UNICEF channel, please see http://www.unicefusa.org/news/releases/unicef-urgently-appeals-for.html

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi, Principal

Vibha Kalakaar 2010: Unleash your Creativity. And HELP a Child in NEED.

2010-02-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

Dear SILCers:

Another exciting event is Vibha Kalakaar 2010. SILC participated in this event last year and we would like to continue this tradition.

SILC students can participate and enter in different categories - Painting, Short Story writing, Essay writing, Photo Contest and Essay Writing. SILC will be paying the registration fee for all SILC students who submit an entry. And students can participate in more than one category as well.

Please visit http://wiki.vibha.org/Minnesota:Kalakaar-10 for further details. The deadline to submit the entries to Vibha is March 6th. Please handover your submissions to Principal or your teacher on March 6th. And wear your thinking caps now and start working on your Vibha submissions.

Yours Sincerely
Siva Jasthi, Principal

Vibha KALAKAAR 2010

A platform to appreciate the ARTIST in You

SILC @ MN History Center (27th March 2010)

2010-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Bring the kids! It's A multi-cultural mash-up of music and dance.

"The variety of performances was excellent and the show was very family friendly. We would not hesitate to return."

~Linda K. (minnemom) of Travels with Children

Where can you see Mongolian foot jugglers, a national yo yo master, a Hmong comedian, Austrian alphorn players and wacky chickens? In a whimsical 90-minute, family-friendly variety show, of course!
The exciting three-part performance series returns for another captivating good time in 3M Auditorium with multi-cultural and multi-generational artists who are classic and quirky.
It’s a mash-up of music, song, games and dance representing Africa, France, India, Iran, Latin America, Northern Asia, the West Indies, and Minnesota nice thrown in for extra spice.
Come for the pre-show entertainment at 1:30 pm in the History Center rotunda. Be a part of the show as you clap, swing and dance along. Test your wits with the Geo Pop Quiz, and Great State Trivia TidBits, then join the sing-along finale! It’s all part of the Saturday matinee fun…..so let us entertain you!
For tickets call 651-259-3015 or purchase tickets on-line.

Time: 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Minnesota History Center
Tickets

MHS Members - $10
Non-MHS Members - $12
Children age 6 to 17 - $5

Online Special! Buy tickets to all 3 shows on the same order and receive $1 off Adult and Member Adult tickets!

January 23, 2010

Show Host: T. Mychael Rambo
The House Band: Tres Mundos
Featuring:

Yo yo tricks with Dazzling Dave
Persian song poems with Maryam Yusefzadeh and Tim O' Keefe
Appalachian flatfoot clogging with Bob Walser and family
Fur trade fashions and a capella harmony with The Sons of the Voyaguer
Pre-Teen vocal sensation Julius Andrews IV

February 27, 2010

Show Host: Pop Wagner
The House Band: Dan Newton and the Café Accordion Orchestra
Featuring:

Mongolian foot juggling with Chimgee Haltarhuu and Anwar Hassouni
Ojibwe flute music with Darren Moose
Faux French Cooking with Z Puppets Rosenschnoz
African American step dancing with DelaSouljah Steppers

March 27, 2010

Show Host: Tou Ger Xiong
The House Band: Cyril Paul and the Calypso Monarchs
Featuring:

Wacky Chickens with Lloyd Brandt and Rosie Cole
Exquisite choreography with the School of India for Languages and Culture
Austrian Alphorn music with Steve Ecklund, Vicki Wheeler and Becky Jyrkas
Hmong comedy with Tou Ger Xiong
Fast taps and high kicks with The Satin Dolls

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2009-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Dear SILCers:

One of the SILCers have forwarded me this video and I couldn't resist sharing with all of you. I felt I am off on a good holiday break.

By the way, childrens dance video and dance steps are now posted to http://silcdance.blogspot.com There is dance try outs at the end of January (for festival of nations) and actual performance at the end of March at Minnesota History Museum. The clock is ticking. Please visit and let your children practice the dance.

Happy holidays.

EVENT: Stories of Akbar and Birbal @ Dreamland Arts

2009-11-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Dear SILCers:

Some of you may be interested in this event.

Regards
Siva Jasthi
Principal

http://www.dreamlandarts.com/shows/detail.php?eventId=111

(for ages 5+)" align="left">

Sat, Nov 28 at 7:00 p.m.

Nine Jewels: Stories of Akbar and Birbal
(for ages 5+)

$7 ($5 for kids)
Purchase Online or call 651-645-5506
(no extra fees, no matter how you buy)

The humorous stories of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his favorite advisor Birbal are very popular in India, and are widely enjoyed by both children and adults. Zaraawar Mistry performs entertaining stories of wit and wisdom with Greg Herriges providing live musical accompaniment. Interwoven into the cultural aspects of the storytelling are a series of questions and clever riddles that encourage children to sharpen their wits. Ages 5+. 45 minutes.

Zaraawar and Greg have performed stories for audiences at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, St. Paul Public Library, Hosmer Library (Minneapolis), and for students from schools such as Richfield Elementary, Galtier Elementary (St. Paul) and Lake Country Montessori (Minneapolis).

DIRECTIONS TO DREAMLAND ARTS

MINDFUL PARKING: Dreamland Arts is in a residential neighborhood. Please respect the quiet and privacy of our neighbors. If you live close by, please consider walking. If you drive, park on Hamline Ave. There is free parking on both sides of the street right in front of the theater.

Hindi Kindergarten is starting next week

2009-11-07T12:48:00.001-08:00

Dear SILCers:

As you all are aware, Hindi Level 1 class now has both preschoolers and first graders.

We are happy to announce that a new section of Hindi class for Preschoolers and Kindergartners will be started from next week (11/14/2009)

Thanks to Pamela, Umesh and Shiv for working out the logistics; Shiv Bhatia has stepped up to volunteer to teach this class. The class will be held in the cafetaria.

Giving special attention to our little ones is an excellent idea and I see that 10 preschoolers have already signed up for this class. Please spread the word to the other parents about this new offering at SILC.

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi
Principal

EVENT: Indian Students Association

2009-11-03T18:11:00.001-08:00

Dear SILCers:

I would like to make use of this forum to let you know of any events related to Indian culture, arts - happening in Twin Cities.

Indian Students Association at University of Minnesota is having their cultural show on Friday, Nov 13th at at Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis MN.

To know more about the event, please visit http://www.tc.umn.edu/~indians

I understand some of Adult Hindi class students expressed interested in this event. If any of you have further questions on this event, please get in touch with Shikha Jain Goodwin (who is a doctoral student at UMN) at SILC on Saturday.

Yours Sincerely
Siva Jasthi
Principal

October 31st - Halloween and SILC Saturday - Exciting coincidence

2009-10-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dear SILCers:

Tomorrow is Halloween October 31st. And it is also our SILC Saturday.

This coincidence is sure exciting and I am sure all the kids (and some adults) will love wearing their costumes to SILC tomorrow.

In this spirit, all of you - Students, parents, board members, teachers, volunteers - are all encouraged to come in Halloween costumes to SILC tomorrow.

Usually, candy is not served as a snack at SILC; But tomorrow is an exception where we will give out candy in addition to snack.

See you all tomorrow in costumes.

Yours sincerely
Siva Jasthi
Principal

Diwali Celebrations and Picture Day : Thank you

2009-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dear SILCers:

Thank you all for making Diwali celebrations at SILC a success and fun event.

It is good to see you all today at SILC. You are all dressed for the diwali celebration and picture day. .

Thank you all for bringing a sweet or snack or dish to share. Many of you have spent lot of time, effort in preparing a variety of very yummy dishes. It is very satisfying to see all of you enjoying the food and festivities.

Some of you have shared how Diwali is celebrated in different parts of India. Thank you for sharing those experiences. One particular story Riya told on how Diwali is celebrated in her native Punjab stuck to me -- lighting the lamps and keeping the doors open during the night so that Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) will come inside the home. Is it possible to do keep the doors open during diwali while living in Minnesota - the ice box of America? I couldn't resist this thought and the chuckle.

SILC is growing. And it is growing big. I think this is the first time where getting all the SILCers into a group picture proved to be a challenge. But Ralph - our official photographer (I took the liberty to give him that title) managed to get the group picture. Thanks to Ralph for taking all the family pictures with the backdrop of arts class creations. We will share these pictures with all of you soon.

Decoration of diwali diyas is fun. I can see many kids and grownups - immersing themselves in that craft. It appeared to me that the tables got too crowded. Each experience at SILC teaches us something - so, it is going to 200 diyas spread across 4 different tables :) next year. Thanks to Neelam for arranging the diyas and Lisa for coordinating the decoration and to all the parents who helped in this activity.

It is all colorful joy all around.

The first issue of "The SILC Times" is released today. A big thanks to Erin - our Asst Principal and editor of the news letter, Lisa - our art teacher and the composer of the news letter and Anushka, Kavya, Mahima, Meera - our editorial team - for bringing out a beautiful and best issue out. Hope you all had a chance to read it. Please make sure that you do the quiz from the news letter - to know your teachers better.

There will be two more issues of the news letter (one on January 23rd and another April 24th). There will also be graudation year book at the end of the current academic year. Please start thinking about contributing to these these issues.

As outlined in the news letter, please make sure that you visit SILC Blogs to catch up with the news and announcement; and also to see the lesson plans/assignment your teachers are posting.

You can go to http://www.silcmn.com and click on "Classes" to visit different SILC Blogs. For the current academic year, the main blog is http://silc0910.blogspot.com (the one you are currently reading now). For each class, there is a separate blog (silckannada, silctamil, silcart, silcpreschool, etc. all followed by .blogspot.com).

Enjoy visiting these blogs and please feel free to leave a comment or feedback to the SILC blogs.

Sincerely yours
Siva Jasthi
Principal

Happy Diwali

2009-10-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dear SILC:

Happy Diwali.

Hope you are all getting ready for Diwali celebration at SILC on 10/24.

Note that we will just have language class on that day followed by celebrations. It is also picture day. We take pictures in the language class. These pictures will go into year end graduation book. Please make sure that you attend SILC on that day.

Also, please bring some snacks/sweets to share with others. Food is a big part of the festivities in any celebration.

Feel free to bring a friend or family to SILC on that day - if you want to show them what SILC is offering.

Finally, here is a message from president Obama wishing you all Happy Diwali.

SILC @ Sonu Nigam Concert

2009-10-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

SILC setup a booth at Sonu Nigam Concert today. Around 1500 folks might have come to the concert, primarily adults and parents, with a few kids here and there.

It is always heartening to see people stopping by at SILC booth and telling us that their kids went to SILC 20 years back or they have taught a language at SILC in the past or they have volunteered at SILC.

Being around the block for a long 30 years itself is a testimony to the role SILC plays in the community.

Several parents have expressed interest in SILC. And we can expect some more students at SILC. The strength of SILC is in its flexibility in accommodating the students irrespective of when they join SILC community. Let us continue to welcome new familiries!

October 2nd is Gandhi Jayanthi

2009-10-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides, and my windows to be closed. Instead, I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any”.

Mahatma Gandhi

Vande Maataram and Jana Gana Mana

2009-09-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

We start each SILC saturday with Vande Maataram and end with Jana Gana Mana. And some of SILC parents and students have asked for a CD of these anthems.

Distributing 125 CDs is not possible, but here is the next best thing. I have posted some references here for you. Enjoy!

Jana Gana Mana : Vocal (Audio)

You can download the National Anthem from here. This is official version from Government of India and runs for 52 seconds

Jana Gana Mana: Piano Music

If you are interested in playing Jana Gana Mana on piano, you can download the music here.

Jana Gana Mana : Vocal (Video)

Jana Gana Mana : If you are feeling shy to sing at SILC, you should watch this.

Kenya sings Indian National Anthem, ever imagined it?

Vande Maataram (Original)

Vande Maataram (Another version)

Meet your SILC Teachers and Board

2009-09-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

Anil Kumar – Tabla Teacher anil05@aol.com

Ashok Muralidharan: Board of Directors (Member)

Deepa Namboodiripad: Malayalam Teacher deepa_namboodiri@yahoo.com

Deepa was born in Kerala and brought up mostly in Delhi. She completed high school and college in India. She completed training in Secretarial Practice from YWCA. She worked in a private company for 5 years before getting married and moving to USA in 2006.

She is married to Krishnan Nambudiripad and has a son, Godhun (14 months). She enjoys cooking, dancing, singing among other things. She is currently a homemaker. She is considering taking up a course to better her job prospects.

She has been associated with SILC for almost 3 years now. She started attending SILC regularly from 2007 and volunteered to teach Hindi and now, Malayalam. She has been participating in the adult dances as well.

Divya Raman - Literature Teacher divyasr@gmail.com

Divya has a B.A. in English Literature and a J.D., and has had experience tutoring college-level students in English and working with elementary children on reading skills. A lawyer by profession, Divya has been a teacher at SILC since 2006. In the 2008-2009 school year, Divya developed a curriculum for an Indian Literature class, which was offered to students who had completed all levels of Social Studies. Divya will return to teaching Literature at SILC in January 2010.

This is Divya’s fourth year teaching at SILC.

Erin OberdorFer: Board of Directors (Assistant Principal) oberdorFer.erin@dorsey.com

Erin has MLS in Library Science from the University of Maryland College Park and MM in Music History and Criticism from Peabody Conservatory of Music. She currently works at Dorsey & Whitney, LLP (law firm) as a librarian in the Trial department. She has 3 daughters, the middle one whom is adopted from Hyderabad. She has been involved with SILC for about 5 years and helps out with the younger children's dance. She is serving her first official position this year as Assistant-Principal.

Keshav Kohli : Social Studies Level 3 Teacher keshavkohli@comcast.net

A senior at St. Paul Academy and an alumnus of SILC, Keshav has studied the subjects of world history and cultural studies through the completion of a rigorous high school curriculum. During his first year of instructing social studies, he developed SILC's first ever social sciences curriculum—an instructive text comprised of lectures, illustrations, and assignments which operate cohesively to examine both the pre and post colonial contexts of Indian history. In his free time, he tutors students in elementary and middle school in Mathematics and English through his own tutoring organization, Local Tutoring. He enjoys spending time with his family and playing keyboard, violin, and golf.

This is Keshav's second year teaching social studies at SILC.

Krishnan Nambudiripad: Board of Directors (President) and Social Studies Teacher knambudi@yahoo.com

Krishnan Nambudiripad has been involved with SILC as a student, teacher and board member for about 15 years. He grew up in Burnsville, MN and completed the Masters in Elementary Education program at the University of Minnesota. Currently he works as a mortgage consultant for Wells Fargo. As a student at SILC in the 80's he participated in dance, tabla, yoga, and language and social studies classes. Currently at SILC he enjoys playing Tabla and teaching social studies. At home he loves biking, playing guitar, and spending time with his family.

Lakshmi Buddhavarapu - Pre-school Teacher jaglak99@yahoo.com

Lakshmi Buddhavarapu is an Information Technology professional currently working for Medtronic. She has a Master’s in Biochemistry and Engineering, both from the University of Minnesota. This is her second year with SILC as a Preschool/Kindergarten teacher. She lives in Vadnais Heights with her husband Jagadish and their son Teja (6). She enjoys biking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Lisa Seltzer: Board of Directors (Secretary) and Arts Teacher kreativmom@gmail.com

Mrs. Seltzer studied Visual Arts in high school and college, receiving training in drawing, painting, sculpture,ceramics and many other mediums. Today as a homemaker and mom of 4, ages 12, 10, 7 and 2, she enjoys exploring creative expression with her kids through photography, blogging, cooking, sketching, cake decorating, and crafts like Mehendi, beading and home made greeting cards.

This is Lisa’s second year with SILC and first year teaching art at SILC. She also serves as the secretary on SILC Board.

Mangala Achar : Board of Directors (Treasurer) and Kannada Teacher A_mangala@yahoo.com

Mangala is from a small village, Kadatoka in North Kanara district in coastal Karnataka. She completed her Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Karntaka REC, Surathkal. She worked in Electrical industry for 3 years in India before coming to USA. In USA she worked in software field for 10+ years. At present she is a home maker with lot of volunteer activities.

She is married to Krishnananda Achar and has two sons, Manu(13 years) & Vishnu(9 years). She enjoys reading, cooking, beading, sewing, walking, biking & learning new things.

She has been involved with SILC from 2002 and has been teaching Kannada from 2004. She has also been principal and currently the treasurer at SILC. She is also an active Board member of IAM (Indian Association of Minnesota).

Neelam Malhotra : Board of Directors (Member) and Dance Teacher neelamm@comcast.net

After completing her M.Phil in Economics from Gokhle Institute in Pune, India, Neelam worked as a Lecturer of Economics in Pune (of-course that was in the ancient times). During her School and college years, she also pursued training in Bharatnatyum from age 11 to 24. Neelam is now a stay-at-home Mom and Home-maker (not that her home reflects that fact!). And in her free time (all of 2 minutes a day), she teaches Bharatnatyum. Neelam and her family, husband Raj, daughter Meera (11 years) and son Sesh (8Years), have been involved with SILC since 2001 and thoroughly enjoy it.

She currently teaches Dance classes at SILC and is also SILC Board member.

Padam Sharma, Ph.D - Nepali Teacher padamsharma@comcast.net

With B. Sc (Agric) from Udaipur University, and B.S., M.S., & Ph. D. from the University of Minnesota, Padam has about 25 years of experience in teaching, research and consulting services in the United States and Nepal. A long time resident of St. Paul, Padam is an active member of expatriate Nepali community in Minnesota. Padam is the founder President of Empower Nepal Foundation (ENF). Padam and his family currently own and operate Everest on Grand – the first Nepali restaurant in Minnesota.

This is Padam's first year teaching nepali at SILC

Pradip (Prad) Das : Hindi 1 Teacher prad006@yahoo.com

Prad Das born in Jamshedpur, India. He graduated from BIT Mesra, Ranchi in computer science. Currently lives in Blaine, MN with his family. He had Hindi as a 2^nd language till his high school. He is a current Blaine City Park Board commissioner. He plays soccer in his off time and also provides coaching for Blaine Soccer Club.

Punjabhai Patel: Yoga Teacher punjabhaibpatel@netzero.com

Punjabhai Patel is teaching Yoga at SILC for the past 25 years (since 1984-85 school year). He came to United States of America as an undergraduate student in 1965 and did his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. He is grandfather of four beautiful children and is enjoying his retirement.

Raj Menon : Board of Directors (Member) rklr_menon@yahoo.com

Raj is an Information Technology professional, currently working at Boston Scientific. He is a graduate of Delhi University. He lives in Burnsville with his wife Lata and two children Aishwarya and Aradhana. Raj loves to play Table Tennis, though he cannot find partners, when he finds the time!

His association with SILC spans over many years and he served SILC donning different roles as Principal, President, Social Studies teacher

Ramesh Babu T : Tamil Teacher ptrbabu@yahoo.com

Ramesh Babu T is born and brought up in South Tamilnadu, India in a small town called Sankarankovil. He graduated from PSG college of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and later MBA from the same college. He is currently working at Target Corporation as an IT Manager. He is married to Roopa and has two children – Neel (6) and Navya (4) attending SILC for the first time.

This is Ramesh's first year at SILC and first year teaching Tamil

Raja Gollamudi : Telugu Teacher rajreddy@yahoo.com

Raja Gollamudi is an Information Technology professional currently working at Certusoft. He has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He lives in Burnsville with his wife Suneetha and two children Neeraja (11) and Nikhitha (6). Raja taught Telugu at SILC during 2001-2003. Started co-teaching Telugu while his kids attend SILC this year. He has been a board member for TCQAA.org for past 10 years. He enjoys spending time with his kids, telugu music, movies and travel.

Ralph Davini: Board of Directors (Fund Raising) rjmpdavini@msn.com

Ralph Davini is serving his second year on the SILC Board of Directors with a concentration on Fundraising. With undergraduate (Aeronautical) and graduate (Electrical) Engineering degrees from the University of Minnesota, Ralph enjoyed an eclectic engineering career of 25 years, including wind tunnel, high temperaure and combustion facilities, and automated process control. This was followed during the past 15 years with a second career of operations management at the downtown Minneapolis district utility plant.

Ralph and his wife Mary Pat have had their daughter Mary Kate in SILC for eight years. As lifelong residents of Saint Paul, they enjoy walking all the streets they can find in town. As parents of eight other grown children, they are also now collecting grandchildren - four on hand and another one coming. Ralph also enjoys cooking the odd Italian dish, although he has recently discovered the wonders of Indian cuisine as well.

Reshmy Narayanan – Hindi Teacher - reshnarayan@yahoo.com

Reshmy Narayanan- Has post graduation and BEd in English. Had been working as an English teacher in India for 7-8yrs. Presently working in Boston Scientific. I have been involved with SILC for 3yrs.Teaching Hindi level- 2 last year & this year Hindi level- 3

Riya Arora : Hindi Level 2 Teacher riyainfort@yahoo.com

Riya moved to Canada from India in Sept 1995 where she worked as Quality controller. She worked in Canada Immigration Department for 3 years. She has done her masters degree and computer software associated degree from India and did study in Canada in Computers. She moved to USA in 2004 with her family. She is married to Sanjeev Arora who works as assistant professor at U of M, and has two daughters; Nitali & Dipali. Both of them are SILC students.

Sarah Hansen: Literature Teacher hanse230@umn.edu

Sarah is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Her studies focus on the educational experiences of first and second-generation immigrant students, families, and teachers. Her academic interests stem from her experiences as a teacher both locally and abroad. When she is not studying, Sarah enjoys strolling around the city lakes, taking photographs, and cooking vegetarian dishes.

This is Sarah's first year teaching literature at SILC.

Seema Nambudiripad: Hindi 1 Adults Teacher seema.nambudiripad@gmail.com

Seema Nambudiripad was born in Delhi and grew up there. Her parents are originally from Kerala but moved to northern India in the 60s. She has a BA and an MA in French from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Seema also studied Portuguese as an optional language along with French and was in Coimbra, Portugal, as a scholarship student for a year in 1995-96. She has been in the US since 1998 and lives with her husband and two sons in St Paul.

Shalley Gupta, Ph.D: Social Studies 2 Teacher skg626@yahoo.com

Shalley came from Chandigarh, India to the USA in March of 1983 as a student. Shalley has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo. He did 3 years of post-doctoral research at the Harvard Medical School, and since 1991 worked in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development at Eli Lilly, SmithKline Beecham and 3M Pharmaceuticals. At present, He is working as Medical Science Manager with Bristol Myers Squibb. He has authored more than 2 dozen articles in peer-reviewed journals and 5 issued patents, in addition to several filed patent applications.

He is married to Gita J Gupta and has 2 daughters: Mahima (11 y) and Malvika 6 (y). They moved to the twin cities in 2001 and live in Woodbury, MN.

Shiv Bhatia: Hindi Kindergarten Teacher: shivarsha@yahoo.com

A former military officer, Shiv served in the Indian Army for many years on a variety of assignments, most of them in counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism roles. After hanging his uniform, he has been learning the art of Corporate “Warfare”. Currently, he works for DST Systems, Inc, as Director of Operations and Client Services, in the healthcare vertical.

A die-hard outdoors person, he will do anything not to stay indoors. An avid griller who also enjoys cooking on the stove top, Shiv lives in Woodbury with his wife, Varsha and two lovely daughters, Suparna and Sahana.

2009 is the Bhatias' first year with SILC.

Siva Jasthi: Board of Directors (Principal), Telugu Teacher siva.jasthi@gmail.com

With Ph.D from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, Dr. Jasthi has about 15 years of experience in research, software development and teaching in India and United States. He has published around 4 papers in peer-reviewed journals, around 25 papers in conferences, contributed a chapter to a book – based on his research. He currently works at Siemens PLM Software as Development Manager. He also teaches at Information and Computer Sciences department, Metropolitan State University as community faculty. He volunteers for "Chetana Foundation" – a charity organization supporting an orphan school in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. He lives with his wife, Bhas and kids (Tapan – 13, Deepta – 7 who are SILC students), enjoys spending time with his family, blogging, teaching, telugu music, movies, travel, ethnic foods, and volunteering.

This is Jasthi's third year teaching Telugu at SILC.

Sofia Ali: Dance Teacher alicaccamo@comcast.net

Sofi was born in England and grew up in Canada. Her father is from Hyderabad and mother is from Rome, Italy. Sofi attended The American University in Washington, DC and then the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She completed a medical residency at St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center (now Regions Hospital) in St. Paul (where she met her husband, David Caccamo). Sofi works part time at Eagan Child and Family Care Clinic as a Family Physician. Sofi also has a Masters degree in Public Health and consults on a project regarding childhood asthma. She also volunteers at her children's school.

Sofi and David have three children, Adrian (8) , Juliet (6) and Subin (5). Subin lived in Kerala until he joined their family last year. This is the family's 3rd year in SILC. Sofi helps teach the youngest dancers the choreography that Neelam creates.

Sofi likes cooking, eating, walking, traveling, movies, music, theater, gardening (but not weeding!) and spending time with her family and friends.

Sonja Agarwal : Social Studies 1 Teacher sonjaar@hotmail.com

Sonja grew up in Northfield, MN. She attended Luther College in Decorah, IA and received a major in Social Work. Sonja worked at Microsoft for 3 years in Seattle. Sonja decided to be a stay at home mom after the birth of their first child.

This is Sonja's second year volunteering with the Social Studies class. She has 2 sons in the program: Rohan (4th grade) and Nikhil (2nd grade). Her husband is Mukesh Agarwal and they live in Lakeville.

Sujata Massey: Board of Directors (Member), Literature Teacher sujatamassey@mac.com

Sujata Massey is a board member of SILC overseeing volunteer participation, and has had children at SILC in the past. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and a former reporter at the Baltimore Evening Sun. Sujata is also the author of ten mystery novels about Japan, and is currently writing a historical novel set in India. She is co-teaching literature with Sarah Hansen until January, 2010. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, and the outdoors.

Sunita Mannamkunnath: Hindi Teacher sunkun1@yahoo.com

Sunita has been associated with SILC for many years and has been helping and participating in various SILC activities. Her daughters, 12 and 7 attend SILC regularly. With a full time job and family to keep her busy during the week, Saturdays are a day of volunteering to give back to the community. She enjoys gardening, reading, traveling.

This is Sunita's first year teaching Hindi.

Umesh Berry: Hindi 1 and Cricket Teacher mailto:umeshberry@hotmail.com

Umesh is an Information Technology professional currently working at Target. He has a Masters in Computer Science from Washington University, St. Louis. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Pam and two children Jason (8) and Katelyn (6). Umesh enjoys hanging out with family, playing tennis, traveling, biking, grilling, and cooking. Grilled jerk chicken and cheese omelettes are two of his specialties.

This is Umesh's second year with SILC and first year teaching.

Vishnu Namboodiripad – Malayalam 1 Teacher vishnunamboodiripad@gmail.com

Vishnu is 14 years youngest teacher at SILC. He is in 8^th grade. He knows how to speak Malayalam and was brought to SILC to learn how to read and write it. He is with SILC for 10 years, and started teaching 2 years ago as a Teachers Assistant for the previous Malayalam teacher. Starting 2008-09 year, he started teaching Malayalam on his own. He is also a Student at SILC. He is currently in Literature Class and in electives. His hobbies include video games (no wonder – kids connect with him), computer, reading, writing, tennis, and biking.

Jana Gana Mana at India Fest

2009-09-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

SILC students singing Jana Gana Mana at the end of IndiaFest.

India Fest - India in Minnesota

2009-09-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

The India Fest
India in Minnesota

by
Mahima K. Gupta (11 years)

It was September 13th, a hot and humid Sunday where many Indian families and American friends had gathered to perform and attend the “India Fest”. It seemed that the weather gods had “cooperated” to recreate the feel of heat and humid stickiness of an Indian summer day!! The fest was located at Phalen Park and near the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. The India Fest was a tradition formally called “Festival of India” which was usually indoors. The India Fest is organized by the “Indian Association of Minnesota” (I.A.M).

There were many booths and performances which kept everyone entertained. As I watched the dances, I noticed how different the dances were though they were all Indian dances. A couple of people also sang Hindi songs, and bhajans-also done very nicely. There was also a lot of FOOD! In the Shelter Area there were a ton of food stalls which offered snacks like samosa, tikki, hot chai, mango lassi and other snacks for a modest charge. There also were a few options for lunch like naan and different sabjis. I didn’t take all that stuff, but I did take a glass of mango shake which I chugged right down! My friends and I got up and decided to go look around the booths. They were from different companies and groups. I picked up all the samples they were offering like balloons, key chains, and stress balls.

Soon all youth dancers were called for the dance. Even before the dance, I was hot and sweaty and I did not know how I would feel after the dance. Soon we all formed a line waiting to dance. We were next in line to dance, and I was as hot as ever!! I wondered how hot my head would be……I gently put my two fingers on my head…..OUCH! My fingers felt as if they had touched on a hot and hairy pan. It was finally our turn to dance. Soon we were dancing to the beat and music of “mauja-hi-mauja”. In the humid heat my synthetic loongi (long skirt) was basically sticking to my thighs and I forgot that “mauja-hi-mauja”- literally meant “fun-and more fun“. When we were finished we all got off the stage. But now I could take off my loongi and wore my shorts. I was so happy! Then I noticed that it was time for the adult dance. All the colorful lehangas (long skirt) were spinning and blending together- it was like a spinning rainbow! My mom also danced in the group that did the Rajasthani dance celebrating the festival of Holi. Finally all the dancers got off the stage. Since the dance was done I decided to go get some mehandi (henna) done. So I went to my dad and begged for some money. My dad quickly gave me some money and I skipped to the Vibha Booth. I got in line and waited for my turn. “You want a magnet asked”, a young man working at the booth. I shook my head and told him I already had picked one up. Soon a couple of my other friends had come in line for mehandi too. After fifteen minutes of waiting it was finally my turn! So I dropped the money in the bucket and the lady started to put an elaborate design in the middle of my palm. Soon she was done! It was beautiful! I thanked her and went to my mom and dad. When I got to my parents they said it was time to go home. So I said bye to everyone and we all left. The India Fest was a good family event, and I hope it gets established as an annual event.

Registration Day (8/29/09)

2009-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

SILC Registration day for the academic year is: 29 August 2009, from 10 AM to noon at Como High School

Dragon Festival

2009-07-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.dragonfestival.org/

(To be done)

International Festival of Burnsville

2009-06-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Third annual International Festival of Burnsville (TO BE DONE)

SILC Dominated the festival; See the PHOTO Slide Show