Thank you for your warm welcome to our New NDP office and offering me the 'T O U R' of our great office.‏

Dear Ms. Lee Anne:

Good Morning. How are you.

Thank you for your warm welcome to our New NDP office and offering me the 'T O U R' of our great office.

I treasure my sweet memory, Lee Anne.

Sincerely,
Somayya Kasani

Congratulations for building the strong community and bringing the world together with 'Ankur Canada'.‏

Dear all, The great founder-members and the present executive of Ankur Canada -

Congratulations! on the happy occasion of its 2nd Anniversary.

I would like to convey my hearty Congratulations to all the founder-members of ' Ankur Canada' and the present executives - on the happy occasion of completing TWO Years of its great service in performing Arts.

Yes! Ankur brings the world together & Ankur builds the strong community. I attended all events, right from - Number One of ' Ankur Canada.' All are successful and unique in their own way.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Somayya Kasani

It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.

Courage is the mental and emotional preparedness and ability to deal with difficult, challenging, and sometimes seemingly impossible circumstances. It is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, intimidation and other threats. Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage. Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence. Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress. It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else. Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.

Thought For The Day

~Work is love made visible: Kahlil

~No legacy is so rich as honesty: Shakespeare.

~Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

~Only he who can see invisible can do the impossible.

~We all notice that we have an energy level that fluctuates up and down like a fountain, and we have a tension level that also fluctuates up and down. The word, "happy", describes how we feel when energy is greater than tension.

We can have lots of tension, but if energy is higher, we can handle it, and may even welcome stressors as challenges. We can have low energy, but if tension is lower, we can rest in a peaceful, quiet happiness. So the way to live happily is this: to think habitually of raising energy and lowering tension. There has always been a lot of advice about how to live and what to do, but really, we all do the best we can with the energy/tension state we have.

In a high-energy/low-tension state, we are naturally cheerful, optimistic, forgiving, patient, grateful, and compassionate; we think clearly, calmly, courageously, and creatively; work and relationships go well; and life seems very simple.

Let us make the world a better place! ( Lou Marinoff's 2003 book, The Big Questions)

What's on trial here today is political correctness. Now, political correctness is the idea that assumes that the worst thing we can do is offend somebody.

Well, a lot of people were offended when Galileo suggested that the earth was revolving around the sun.

A lot of people were offended by Picasso because in his portraits the eyes weren't where they were supposed to be.

A lot of people were offended by Rosa Parks when she wouldn't sit in the back of an Alabama bus just because of the color of her skin.

You see, everybody's offended by something.... Political correctness tries to protect us from ourselves, but what do we have to give up for it? We give up our sense of humor, our sense of romance, our sense of play.

We give up the courage to be different, to think different.

Youth is state of mind

Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

~ General Douglas MacArthur

Our Blog - Thanks For Your Suggestions/Comments

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Kasani:

Thanks for your excellent e-mail with the blog created by your daughter.

It represents an exposure of the mind & heart of your family members on different phases of their minds/ lives.

I enjoyed going through the contents and am really impressed by it. Hope you will continue in your venture that will give joy not only to you and your family but also to others, as the proverb goes: "Sorrow shared is sorrow halved; Joy shared is joy doubled!."

With best wishes to you and your family!

Urmila & Manas Das.

Hello Somayya:

Thank you for sharing your blog. I like the format, content and your family photos -- followed by some powerful quotes.

The only suggestion I could make is to include a specific topic and seek comments from your friends, and prepare brief articles (examples, Action, Boldness, Compassion, Courage, Encouragement, Hope, Kindness, Persistence, Service, Success, etc.).
Best wishes,

Chran
Dear uncle:
u just amaze me more more and more i must say that the blogging is another feather in your cap and inspiration for youngsters like us .

Thanks you for letting us learn us through your experience

With deep regards
Shri

Hello Mr Somayya Kasani,

Thank you for sending me the program for tomorrow evening's multicultural show; we are looking forward to it.

Thank you as well for the essay on affection, which is beautifully expressed. It serves as a reminder about how important the giving and receiving of affection is to everyone's personal and social existence, and gives one cause to stop and ponder how very much we often take it--or at least the availability of it--for granted. I hope a great many people will come across this piece of writing, one way or another, and I appreciate your having pointed it out to me. Will you perhaps put it on your blog? I hope so.

Your blog is an absolute treasury of wit and wisdom. I could never even imagine how it might be improved, and I have quite a good imagination; indeed I ought pay much less attention to it than I sometimes do. Besides, in my opinion anyway, blogs are something one can just make up as one goes along, not worrying about whether they meet any particular standards other than one's own. Yours is particularly diverse and community-minded, even though its main focus is family. Your family is very fortunate that one or more of its members is dedicating so much energy and good will to building up a blog.

I have not spent much time reading blogs of any sort, although there is one I'm following very closely right now about the new baby son of dear friends. Through the marvels of modern medical science and technology, it was known ahead of time that he would be born with quite a serious heart defect, so he would need three surgeries, the first one when he was only a few days old. His parents had the foresight to set up a blog with background information about it, including links for the seriously curious. Now, since the little fellow is born and has survived his first operation, the parents post updates about how he and they are doing. It gives them a chance to share their news and thoughts whenever they feel like doing so and/or have the chance, without having to repeat themselves over and over. Blogging is a wonderful development. In future years this young family can look through theirs and marvel at it, reflect on it, or whatever.

I must be off now to get some more homework done. See you tomorrow at the S. M. Library Theatre.

Elaine Kendal.


~Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
~For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it.
For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.

Affection is truly a central component of many social and personal relationships, from those that are casually close to those that are deeply intimate

We communicate affection to friends when they are feeling low, as a means of providing comfort and emotional support. We express affection to our children as a way of making them feel loved, cared for, and protected.

Few behavioural processes are more central to the development and maintenance of intimate relationships than the communication of affection. Indeed, affectionate expressions often initiate and accelerate relational development.. By contrast, their absence in established relationships frequently coincides with relational deterioration.

Social scientists have long considered affection to be among the most fundamental of human needs and with good reason. The expression of affection is one of the primary communicative behaviours contributing to the formation, maintenance and quality of human relationships.

It contributes to physical health, mental well-being, and academic performance and mitigates loneliness and depression.

Often, it is through one’s expression of affection for another that a relationship is formed or transformed.

Affection is truly a central component of many social and personal relationships, from those that are casually close to those that are deeply intimate.

Highly affectionate people tend to have better mental health and less stress. They also react to stress better.


It is a wonderful photo. It calls to my mind the security and love of family. The mother provides a safe haven for her children to grow and develop while giving them a view of the world outside.

~Lillian

Celebrating our third anniversary of being in Canada

Dear our Friends & Well-wishers:

Good Evening. How are you ?

Our landed paper tells us that we, my wife Vijayalakshmi and I immigrated to Canada on May 25, 2006. Today, we are celebrating our 3rd Anniversary of being in Canada. We are happy about it.

We enjoy the best of everything in this great country, Canada.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Somayya Kasani & Vijayalakshmi Kasani

Hello Somayya,

I am well as my family, too! How are you and your family?

Congratulations on your 3rd anniversary of being in Canada! I do love Canada and have been extremely fortunate to have spent my life here.

Everyone at the College is well. We will be having another class start on June 15 so we will be having 3 classes again.

Take care,
Have a marvelous Monday!
Alice

Congratulations Somayya

Enjoy. Celebrate. All the best in the future for your family.

Ciao, Jerry, from Ottawa

Thank you Somaiah, for sharing.
Glad that you have come to Canada to share your wisdom and pleasant personality with all of us.
Regards
Cynthia
Hello Somayya:

I am delighted in celebrating your third anniversary to Canada. May both of you enjoy the best of every thing in this great country. We all value your friendship and wisdom.

Wishing you the best, always.
Charan
Congratulations! Canada is a wonderful and peaceful country. Good to be immigrant of Canada.

Dr.Maiti
Hello Somayya!

Congratulations - I'm sure I am one of many New Democrats who are very happy to have you with us here in Canada!

Warmest regards,
Jeff Sloychuk
Dear Somayya,

Canada is very fortunate to have you and your family here!

How are your doing? Are you back from holidays yet? If so, call me and we can get together.

I haven’t forgotten about that reference letter and will get it done before we meet.

Best Wishes,
Sharon
Somayya,

Thank you for your email. I hope you are successful in receiving additional volunteer work at the Centre which will enhance your skills to find future employment.

I hope you find some suitable volunteer work at EMCN.

Helen Congratulations Mr. Kasani.
Very glad to hear that.
Best regards, Divakar

Many congratulations on this happy occasion which many other new immigrants find full of frustrations.
May joy fill your years to come in Canada.
Ajmer

Lullabies

All through the night

Brahms Lullaby

Hush Little Baby

Bedtime Baby -Toddler Lullaby

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Little People

Parents hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever...

Greetings From Lillian

Congratulations Somayya.

This is wonderful news and you will be excellent in the Multicultural group. It is something we need so much more of here in the states.. For such a melting pot of cultures they rarely mix and make an effort to understand each other which is what is necessary for the world to be at peace.

My entire life has been spent seeking out and learning about the various cultures in the world. Some welcome me and others do not. I find it very sad sometimes.

So! What is happening with me?
After spending last summer in New Mexico at St John's College in total utter bliss I came home longing for more education and more learning. Having been interested in librarianship I decided to go after it so I would never have to regret having tried.

I spent three months studying for the Graduate Record Exam (a useless exam that reveals nothing about one's knowledge) and then three months preparing the application form. It was an arduous process. April first I was notified I was accepted into the MLIS program (Masters in Librarianship and Information Science) and will begin school in September.

I am both nervous and excited. Information technology is frightening to me and yet I am aware of what a huge role it plays in today's society.

In July I go to Toronto for a week long discussion of Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. I am very much looking forward to both the discussion and visiting Toronto. It is a lovely city. I will chat more next email.

Part of the reason I have been delinquent is because I still have 'dial-up' and my home PC is extraordinarily slow. You cannot imagine! I am currently emailing you from the library and the speed is bliss.

With loving thoughts,

Lillian

A nice song by an young girl

The “Gene Revolution” and the Socio-Ecological Sustainability of Agriculture: Ashok Kumbamu's PhD Work

Hometown: Azmapur, Andhra Pradesh, India
University: University of Alberta
Award: IDRC Doctoral Research Award
PhD thesis topic: The “Gene Revolution” and the Socio-Ecological Sustainability of Agriculture: A Comparative Study of the Adoption of Genetically Modified Crops
Research location: Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh, India, and Alberta, Canada

Kumbamu hopes his research will benefit the entire intellectual community, farmers’ organizations, and policymakers as they debate technological interventions and their new roles in agriculture. He plans to extend his studies to environmental issues and the organic movement.

Kumbamu, who comes from a family of rice farmers in Azmapur, Andhra Pradesh, was interested in the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to change crops. Those factors, he discovered, include social relationships based on class and caste, and that the decision to switch can affect relationships between women and men.

After graduating with a BA from Nizam College, Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, Kumbamu took a MA in development studies at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, followed by some PhD course work at the National University of Singapore. He came to the University of Alberta to complete his doctorate in 2004.

Kumbamu designed and administered surveys and conducted interviews and focus groups with more than 100 farmers. He also documented in-depth life histories from 12 farmers spanning different generations. To complete his research, he plans to compare these experiences to those of Alberta farmers using GM crops

For Ashok Kumbamu, the highlight of the research was listening to the farmers speak of their lives and experiences, and letting them know that the same global processes are affecting others around the world.

Congratulations Somaiah & Vijayalakshmi garu, on your 41st Wedding Anniversary.

We wish you both a long, healthy and happy life ahead.

Your quotation " Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day" by Gene Perret is a wonderful way of expressing the mutual love you both share. Once again, we wish this journey of love continues for many many more years to come.
One other quotation I like, which I share with my children on their wedding anniversarys is

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person" by Mignon McLaughlin.

Regards & best wishes...to you all and love to your daugthers, son, sons-in-law, Vikram, Vinod, Pragathi and the latest member in your family, Prabhat Kiran. Though we are thousands of miles away, we join you all in the celebration.

Have a wonderful day.
Prakashrao & Varalakshmi

Write down your goals!

If you don’t write your goal down on paper,
Beware, it may try to be an escaper.

But when you do write your goal in your journal,
What you have done is planted a kernel.

And everyone, who knows anything knows,
That what a man reaps is what a man sows!

So write down your hopes and journal your goals
And press on through the highs and the lows.

Through the thick and through the thin,
If you never, never quit – eventually you win.

In every failure is a seed of success,
So keep trying, keep trying –
And you’ll be the best.

Write down your goals
And surprise the rest.

Multicultural and New Canadians‏

Dear Somayya Kasani,

I am writing to tell you about a new initiative of Alberta NDP. We are forming a Multicultural Working Group and we would be honoured if you would agree to join the team and assist us with this program.

The Multicultural Working Group will play a key role as an advisory team to the party leadership and our legislative caucus in the development of issues and party policy. This group will play a liaison role with regard to issues and events in your community and you will assist in building our party within your community.

The responsibilities of this group are to meet on a monthly basis to explore methods by which you can achieve these goals. In addition we would ask you to meet initially with our legislative caucus to explore opportunities for cooperation. At that time Brian Mason invites you to be his guest at the legislature and he will arrange for tour of the building and seats in the gallery and he will introduce you to the assembly.

Finally, we invite you and a guest to attend our party convention this fall. We will provide you with two free observer passes that you may offer to members of your community.

Please consider our invitation and let us know if you are willing to serve by calling Brian Stokes or sending him an email to him. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for consideration.

Sincerely,

Sandra Houston

Provincial Secretary

---

Dear Sandra:

Thank you for your letter of April 22, 2009 inviting me to serve on the Multicultural Working Group.

I am very pleased to accept your invitation. I hope this commitment will be genuinely supported in action with proper outreach and funding strategies.

Sincerely,
Somayya Kasani

Some people want it to happen, Some wish it would happen... Others make it happen...

~All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

~No matter how old I am, I can always learn more, and I do so with confidence.

~In the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took.

~Life is a succession of moments and to live each, is to succeed.

~If someone does not smile at you, be generous and offer your own.

~True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.

~We learn something every day, and lots of times it's that what we learned the day before was wrong.

~Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

~Courage means to keep working a relationship, to continue seeking solutions to difficult problems, and to stay focused during stressful periods.

~Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

~All who go through difficult situations will learn the art of finding solutions.

~Success is just not making money, a good name and fame, but also standing firm after failure with more energy, spirit, enthusiasm & courage to face what's next.

Ankur - Multicultural Dance & Music Performance

Saturday: May 30, 2009 at 7: 30 pm
Stanley Milner Theatre Hall ( 7, Sir Winston Churchill Square )

The upcoming dazzling multicultural show is presented by “Ankur Multicultural Association for Performing Arts”. Ankur is a non-profit registered association and its primary objective is to bring all the cultures together under one umbrella through performing arts. Come forward and be a part of it.