An Electronic
Newsletter
by the Halari Visa Oshwals of America
by the Halari Visa Oshwals of America
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| www.oshwal-usa.org | Oshwal e-Report – May/June 2012 |
Thank You to everyone who could attend the Franklin Township Jain center of NJ on Sunday April 29, 2012. It was a great turn out and everyone took a lot of interest in it’s progress. Hope you enjoyed taking the tour as much as we did. Few things that we wanted to follow up after the tour.
Don’t miss this opportunity to attend this grand celebration in USA. This is once in lifetime event you can be a part of and be proud of. If you have any other questions or comments please feel free to write to us.
Currently we have $10446.10 as total balance, of which $8301.50 is marked for the boarding and $1485.50 is marked for Bangalore Mahajan Wadi. This leaves us with $659.10 after we have paid off both the projects. I have asked couple of more people to donate towards Bangalore and intend to make it Rs.100,000.00. We intend to close both of these chapters soon.
Medical Word Scramble – Answers for last month: Germ, Virus, Scrub, aches, clean, influenza, bacteria
Riddle: There was a silver car parked in front of a green house. The silver car had to pay a $500 fine. Why?
Joke:
Teacher: Now, Sam tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?
Sam: No Sir, I don’t have to my mom is a good cook.
by Seena beed
Moms are loving They care for us They drive us to school Or we take the bus They make us dinner Delicious food Sing us to bed And keep us in a happy moodPreface – by Bina Beed
As you know History is one of the most important parts of our present and for future generations, this article is an attempt to write the History of HVOA for our future generations of Mahajan community. This history is intended to be neither comprehensive nor official.
As time passes, each generation of Oshwals risks losing understanding of where the community has been; this appreciation is vital in keeping the community engaged and active as it navigates where it is to go. I asked the American Community’s earliest-immigrating members to write a brief history of the Community’s development in America. I hope it will give the younger members a better understanding of the why Halari Visa Oshwals of America came to be, and the challenges it overcame to do so. My sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed, and special thanks to Manek Dodhia, who completed the final write-up
THE NEED TO BE IN TOUCH TO NURTURE THE IDENTITY ROOTS
Halari Visa Oshwals is a very small community originally settled since last 560+ years in the Halar district around Jamnagar city in the western part of Gujarat, India. Prior to settlement in Halar, the community’s roots were in Rajasthan and Kutchh. In Halar, the community’s main source of livelihood was agriculture as the majority of the members were illiterate. From Halar the community families mass migrated mostly to Mumbai, East Africa and United Kingdom to earn livelihood and for advancement. Currently the total worldwide Halari Visa Oshwal Community population is around 80,000 in number.
The Halari Visa Oshwal migration to America, specifically United States and Canada, began in the mid 1960s. A group of Oshwals came here to further their education and professional careers. After their education, many oshwals entered the job market and found new opportunities attractive enough to settle in North America. This first group of Oshwals was made up mostly bachelors who returned to their home land (India and East Africa to find suitable mates to start families and establish roots in America. A small number married American Anglos. Halari Visa Oshwals in America have generally preserved their culture, tradition and religion here, holding various organized social and religious functions.
In the mid 1970s, another group of oshwal immigrants came here due to unsettled political situation in East Africa. The majority of these oshwals settled in Canada as well as in USA.
During the 1980s, the oshwals immigrating to America were mostly relatives of the first and second Groups.
These pioneers who settled mostly in North East USA were instrumental in formation of the Halari Visa Oshwal organization of America; there were a few common reasons that led to bring the community members closer via communications and frequent gatherings:
During 1990s and onwards a new group of oshwal immigrants mostly with advanced technical knowhow in computer and financial fields is steadily settling in America. Currently this group is sizable in number. They have advanced in their fields and careers much faster than the earlier groups of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, the children of the earlier groups are also entering in the job market with advanced degrees in education in multiple fields and they seem to be doing very well.
Nearly two generations- over 40 years have passed from that beginning of SINCERE HOPE. In our new and younger generations, the current trend for the interest in the community events participation interest dwindling and looks little bit less encouraging. There may be multiple reasons for this situation:
In closing………..
The history of the Oshwal settlement in America is almost 50 years old. We are in the third generation in America! The old generation is beginning to reach the retirement age. The new generation is in the driving seat. The new generation’s career fields, social contacts, interests, thinking, amenities, activities etc are much diversified leaving lesser time for community activities. Obviously the new generation, born and brought up in America has lesser degree of exposure and attachment to oshwal roots, history or the hardships that earlier generations went through. But now is the time that the new generation should take over the responsibilities for this organization to further cause, build the spirit that WE ARE A FAMILY
