HINDU TEMPLE OF CENTRAL TEXAS
OMKARA MAHAGANAPATHY DEVASTHANAM
The GANESHA TEMPLE OF TEXAS
4309 Midway Drive,
Temple, TX 76502
www.hindutemple.org / 254 771 1270
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An afternoon of Hindi Bhajans, old film songs and Ghazals by
SRI SWADESH GROVER of Austin
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. on April 2, 2011
In conjunction with the
KUMBHABHISHEKAM ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS.
It will be followed by light refreshments and tea
followed by Samoohika Sathya Narayana Pooja
Please come and enjoy - have a nostalgic trip!
Swadesh Grover was born on May 2, 1940 in Maymyo, Burma. The family fled to India when the Japanese attacked Burma in 1941-42. His father, Kanhaya Lal Saquib, walked all the way to India; the rest of the family (Mom and three other siblings) took the last airplane to India. Parents sought refuge in their roots situated in North West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan). Kanhaya Lal Saquib was a professor and scholar in Urdu, Persian and Arabic and was considered a Muslim and therefore escaped the horrors of the Hindu-Muslim conflict during the partition of India in 1947.The family later settled in Dehra Dun. Swadeshji received all his education in Dehra Dun and the University of Roorkee Engineering College, now the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee U.P. He worked with various firms in India and migrated to the US in Jan.1980. He worked as a Mechanical and Civil engineer in Louisiana and relocated to Austin after Hurricane Katrina. He is now settled in Texas with wife, Manju, two sons (Vivek and Vikram), and a two year old granddaughter 'LILA'.
Swadeshji had an excellent debating career and won several trophies at the Irish Brothers’ run St Joseph’s Academy in Dehra Dun and at the University of Roorkee. He was also the lead vocal singer at the University’s Major functions. Needless to say, he has no stage fright.
Love of music. Vocal: Practiced on his own since the early years (7 year old) and got inspiration from mother and father. Instrumental (Keyboard): He became close friends with a singer in New Orleans who was a very intimate associate of the famous Punjabi singer Gurdas Mann in India. He sang light and Light Classical renditions in several public and private musical functions ('mehfils') in New Orleans as well as in Temples, Gurudwaras and Sindhi Prayer Groups. He has presented items at a few private and public functions in the Greater Austin area. He is very fond of Urdu poetry (Shayri) which probably is due to his late father's inspiration and songs from the old movie Baiju Bawara whose music was composed by the maestro Naushad Ali.
About his Program on 4/2/2011: Swadeshji will present 4 or 5 very popular Hindi Bhajans, followed by Live Ghazals (accompanied with electronic keyboard) and old Indian Movie songs sung with the help of Karaoke CDs. All these will be punctuated with Urdu Poetry which he will 'dilute' and explain in simple English to our esteemed audience.
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HTCT Board
Hindu Temple of Central Texas
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