Iftar Dinner with Houston Mayor & Independence Day Celebration with New Consul General of India in Houston

Over a thousand people gathered in their ethnic best at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Downtown Houston on Saturday August 11, 2012 to enjoy Iftar Dinner with City of Houston Mayor Annise Parker. The main organizations participating in hosting this grand affair were Abu Dhabi, Istambul and Karachi Sister City Associations, along with all other collaborating organizations.

The evening had a smooth start with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Ibrahim Tanis. Iftar is the meal eaten by practicing Muslims to break their daily fast once the sun has gone down in the month of Ramadan. Mayor Annise Parker was certainly the center of attention as visitors lined up for a picture with her. Mayor Parker was as usual very generous and was spotted smiling, mixing and mingling wishing all Houston Muslims a very Happy Ramadan. The evening concluded with the significance of Ramadan and Dua (prayer) followed by a scrumptious Pakistani dinner.

Amongst the many attendees spotted at the event were some prominent community leaders, Consul General of Pakistan in Houston, MJ Khan, Council member Larry Green of District K, Sam Merchant, Sunny Sharma, Mariam Issa, Munira Panjwani, and many others.

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Meanwhile patriotic Indian Americans beat the humidity and rising temperatures to celebrate India’s 66th Independence Day at the residence of the new Consul General of India in Houston Hon. Harish Parvathaneni. The early morning national anthem, tricolor Indian flag, and women in saris all took us on a nostalgic journey to India. The morning affair was very well attended by the diverse number of local communities in Houston.

Pandit Suman Ghosh mesmerized the audience with his performance along with other cultural performances by local young talent. Present commemorating the day – Ellen Goldberg, Shubra Ghosh, Ramesh Anand, Sam Merchant, Kalyani Giri, Durga Aggarwal, Swapan Dhairyawan, Jagdip Ahluwalia, Faiyaz Khan, Asha Reddi, and others.

Photos by Sandeep Khandelwal

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