Editorial July 2021

Once again I am very excited to bring you another issue of Desh-Videsh. As you know, I get very excited when we feature successful fellow Indian Americans. And it becomes even more noteworthy if this fellow Indian American has achieved something extraordinary after severe obstacles. In this issue it is our pleasure to feature Dr. Kanwal Bawa: Single Mom, Cancer Survivor and Beauty Pageant Winner. Wow! What a journey.

Speaking of high achievers, let me talk about Indian American Students who topped in their schools and received a title of Valedictorian or Salutatorian. Once again it is very refreshing and encouraging to see so many Indian Americans in the list of Valedictorian/ Salutatorian. We are proud to feature these Indian American students who are making the entire Indian American community very proud. In this issue, we also have an article which talks about Indian Americans who have made their marks in a variety of fields.

As a managing editor of Desh-Videsh, I get several emails asking for tips or to feature articles on how to raise high achieving kids, what to do so that their kids marry another Indian, or how to make sure they stay vegetarian even when they go to college. These questions are very legitimate and valid questions. And it is very hard to answer these questions for me since I am not a trained psychologist, nor do I have any other kind of formal education or training. But let me take a shot at it. Some of you may agree or disagree. In either case, please send me an email if you have an answer or opinion on any of these questions.

In my opinion, for a parent, educating a child starts at a very early age. And it really starts with self-educating as a parent. You as a parent must decide what is going to be your priority in your life, and that will answer what kind of children you are going to raise. As I said before, I am not an expert in this field, so I constantly ask these questions to people I meet. Here I have made a short list of things for parents to do.

• Point out the relation between hard work and extraordinary results.
• Create a culture of striving and excellence.
• Encourage them to play to their strengths.
• Encourage self-confidence.
• Encourage them to ask questions and be patient with them.
• Encourage competition and teach them how to get back up after losing.
• Do not use Reward and Punishment techniques, instead teach them values.
• Get involve in their life and dedicate time whenever they need it.
• Don’t overuse control and stop being overprotective.
• Stop praising them for their God-given abilities; instead focus on their effort.

Well, let me stop here. We will talk more about this topic in the next issue of Desh-Videsh when we will cover the winner of the Spelling Bee competition. I am sure the winner is going to be Indian American, since 9 out of 11 finalists are Indian American.

Let me close my column by reminding all of you of our Myshadi Bridal expos in Orlando, Atlanta, and Fort Lauderdale on August 22, September 12, and September 19 respectively.

Until then, be safe and be healthy!

Raj Shah
Managing editor
Desh-Videsh Media Group