Editorial October Atlanta 2022

First, let me wish a Happy Diwali to all of our Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist readers and supporters. I would also like to wish all of our Gujarati readers a Happy Hindu New Year! May Lord Rama and Devi Laxmi ji bless you and your family with happiness and prosperity!

Just like all of you, we are so proud of our culture that we continue to share all of the important, exciting, eventful Indian news and articles each and every month. That’s why we are so thrilled to announce that we are expanding our reach even further. 

Some of you may know that we have been publishing Desh-Videsh magazine from our headquarters in Fort Lauderdale since 1993. We have also been distributing and mailing several thousand copies in Atlanta over the last 15+ years.

After receiving numerous requests from our loyal readers in Atlanta, it is our pleasure to announce the Desh-Videsh Atlanta edition.

Diwali is the most joyous festival for all of us and it is the best time to start a new venture invoking Devi Laxmi ji. This is our first issue! I hope we meet your expectations, and of course, we strive to continue improving as you give us your valuable feedback.

In this issue, we are covering various articles starting with “What Diwali Means to Me.” There are volumes upon volumes written about Diwali. Therefore, in this article, I am not writing anything new, but I am talking about a tradition which we have started to educate our children about — Diwali, our religion and heritage.

 About 10 years ago, Aruna and I started this tradition at Diwali time that we would do Diwali pooja at our home and invite parents with children, and the children will be the ones who will do pooja. This tradition has picked up steam. We started with four people and now there are over 50+ people enjoying this tradition. In this issue, under “What Diwali Means to Me,” we have included short articles written by children and adults. It is very satisfying that Indian children take a keen interest in our heritage and culture.

Speaking of our Hindu heritage and culture, Dhirubhai Shah has written an excellent article on the “Genesis of Hinduphobia.” At the time when so-called liberal academia experts and mid-stream media here in the US and worldwide, including India, are denying Hinduphobia, this article takes us step by step through its emergence, revealing how it started and where it is going. It’s high time that every Hindu knows about it and does what is needed. In everyday life, we see so many incidents that can be very easily identified as Hindu hate or Hindu discrimination, but there are many times it is hidden where you cannot see it unless your really look into it. Allow me to offer one small example. While writing an article on “What Diwali Means to Me,” I was conducting some research on the internet and did a Google search with the term “diwali message in hindu scripture.” And guess what all the results I got on the first page were directed to? — They pointed to Christian websites such as eplocalnews.org, stcuthberts.com, and catholicnewsagency.com with the article titled  “Diwali, Light and Christian Love” or “Vatican in Diwali message.” I know this is not the case of Hindu hate, but I am not sure what I would call it. One thing is for sure, there was no mention of Hindu scripture.

 It has always been our intention that in the Desh-Videsh print edition we cover articles which are for all ages and people with a variety of interests. 

In the inaugural issue of Desh-Videsh Atlanta edition, we have covered a variety of topics such as what inspired Gandhi ji, immigration, Indian cuisine, must read books, NRI news, successful Indian American women, and Caribbean medical schools. We have also expanded community news detailing exciting events that have taken place in the last month or so.

Speaking of exciting events, if your organization has just completed an event, we would love to see brief write-ups along with a few high-resolution pictures. Please send it to info@deshvidesh.com. Make sure you include your name and contact phone number in the email.

Until then be safe, Happy Diwali and Happy New Year!

Raj Shah

Managing Editor

Desh-Videsh Media Group