Pictures - Ann Arbor Summer Festival

Ann Arbor Summer Festival was recently held at Ann Arbor. Michigan's very own Anuja Rajendra of Bollyfit along with her group took part in the festivities on June 30th, 2009. Here are some pictures of Anuja and her group from the event.

(More pictures on Facebook)

Seminar for Young Married Couples in Ann Arbor, MI

I first heard of this event on Narendra Sheth's radio program. It is a 2 day seminar hosted by Chinmaya Mission, Ann Arbor on July 25-26, 2009. This is seminar exclusively for young married couples between the ages of 25-38 (either spouse). The seminar adresses the following topics:

• Vision of Life for Married Householders
• Joys and Challenges of Married Life
• Parenting
• Dealing with Emotions and Relations

The thing though is that this seminar is not free. It will cost you $200 and if you are not from the area then you will have to arrange for your own hotel accomodations. Check out Chinmaya Mission, Ann Arbor website for more details.

So my question is what about those couples who are struggling hard in this economy and might not be able to afford $200. So where do these couples go for help? Are there any local Indian Community organizations which offer similar services at no cost?

MI Indians - Vinay Gupta of Ann Arbor

Looking to start your business? You might want to take some pointers from Indian American Vinay Gupta (46) of Ann Arbor, MI. Katherine Yung of Detroit Free Press writes that Vinay Gupta

is one of Michigan's most successful serial entrepreneurs, but few people outside the venture capital community know of him because Michigan has traditionally embraced auto barons and car guys, Gupta represents a different kind of future.

In 2000, at the height of the Internet bubble, Gupta and his partner, Hal Davis, sold their Ann Arbor online bill payment software company, BlueGill Technologies, to CheckFree Holdings Corp. for $250 million.

Today, Gupta is hoping for another big hit with Janeeva, which makes software that helps Fortune 500 companies manage their outsourcing relationships. It's named after Geneva, the Swiss city famous for its neutrality, because the software acts like an independent third-party tool.

Gupta grew up in New Delhi, India, and first came to the United States in the 1980s to earn a business degree.

"I love the environment in Ann Arbor," he said. "The university adds so much value."

But he admits, "These days in Michigan, it's become harder finding money and customers. As an entrepreneur, you go where the money is."

Though Gupta is neither an engineer nor a software developer, he's fascinated by how technology can be used to solve business problems.

To dramatically increase venture capital investment in Michigan, Gupta says the state needs its own version of Google or Dell, a company so wildly successful that it becomes a household name.

"You need one big success," he said.

Gupta also believes Michigan can help foster a more entrepreneurial culture by providing incentives for large companies to buy products and services from local start-ups. Another idea: hold forums for start-up businesses to meet with potential customers.

So what does it take for a person to make it as an entrepreneur? "Persistence," Gupta says.

Mother's Day wait at Madras Masala, Ann Arbor

It was raining on Mother's Day but still that did not stop Indians from heading over to Indian Restaurants. We headed over to Madras Masala in Ann Arbor. Can you believe it we had to wait approx. 30 minutes to be seated (Or is this typical on a Mother's Day?). Yes there were a lot of Desis who wanted to eat out at Madras Masala in Ann Arbor.

Anyway it was worth the wait as the food was great and my wife and kids loved it.

Ann Arbor one of the smartest cities in United States

Right after ranking Detroit as the most "miserable city" in United States, Forbes has come out with its list of the Smartest Cities in United States. Ann Arbor which is just 40+ miles west of Detroit, has been ranked the 4th smartest city in United States. The cities ahead of Ann Arbor, MI are Boulder - CO, Bethesda - MD, Ithaca - NY.

Here's a look at all the smartest cities on Google Maps.

Indian Classical Music and Dance event at Ann Arbor, MI

Asha for Education (Ann Arbor Chapter) presents an evening of Indian Classical Music and Dance titled "Rhythms of Hope" on November 3rd, 2007 from 5.00-7.30 pm at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 North University, Ann Arbor MI, 48109 (directions).

The event will feature one hour of Odissi dance performed by Ms.Sreyashi Dey, followed by one hour of Hindustani music, featuring sitar performed by Dr. Rajan Sachadeva and tabla performed by Mr. Amol Khanapurkhar.

Cost: $12 Students, $25 & $35 General (All proceeds go towards education of underprivileged children in India.) For more info visit the event website.