We are pleased to inform the first USA/Canada Oshwal Gathering was held in Rochester, NY from September 1-2, 2002. Nearly 100 adults and children traveled from as far away as Michigan, Montreal, and Massachusetts, and many families from Canada came to attend the event. This was a very memorable occasion in our USA Oshwals history.

We gathered at a beautiful Indian community center in Rochester. The first day, we played a series of games after lunch to help everyone get to know one another. We were then treated to some wonderful singing by Misty Arun Shah. We had a tasty dinner, which was then followed by garba/raas. The following day we gathered at a local park and had a relaxing morning hike and then a picnic lunch after which we sadly made our farewells.

It was nice to see our young people attend this function. Many friendships were begun and many others renewed, and we look forward to making this very successful first event the beginning of a tradition of regular gatherings into the future.

Please join us at our next North American Oshwals gathering, which will be next July 4th weekend, at the JAINA convention in Cincinnati, Ohio (see above)

I will be very grateful if everyone can attend our annual Thanksgiving gathering.

Jai Jinedra,

Manisha Shah, President of HVONA

Kind words from our Canadian Friends

Jai Jinendra! On behalf of Directors and Executives of Oshwals Canada, I would like to congratulate and thank you for hosting the first joint Canada-USA Oshwals gathering in Rochester on September 1-2, 2002.

To say the least, those of us who attended the event have nothing to say but a lot of praise for the effort that you and your dedicated team put in planning, organizing and executing this very successful endeavor. All of us experienced a lot of joy in meeting old and making new acquaintances and had a lot of fun and fellowship together. Most importantly, it was nice to see our young people attending this function in large numbers and striking friendships. It truly brought to light how much love and warmth we have for each other as Oshwals.

Where do we go from here? Let us try to make this a regular event. As discussed, we will try to get a good size delegation for the 2003 JAINA Convention in Cincinnati. Also, the Young JAINA of America�s 2004 Convention will be held in Toronto, Canada � an ideal time for us to get together once again. This is something we will discuss with our members shortly.

Let us maintain our strong bond, remain connected as a vibrant Oshwal community in North America and keep the Oshwal spirit alive.

Jai Oshwal!

Amritlal R. Shah, President Oshwals Canada