CHICAGO: Bharatnatyam Guru Ruth Parijata Varghese was recently awarded the Asian American Heritage Award at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago. Ruth along with other awardees was presented with a plaque for selfless service to community.
The annual award is given to people who serve the community. Hosted by Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown the event was conducted by Mistress of Ceremonies Ms. Pinal Patel, who is the Chairman of Asian American Employees Social Club and Assistant Chief Deputy of the County Division Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Varghese, the artistic director of Kalapadma Dance Academy in Chicago has given numerous performances in India and in the US. In 2008, the Indian community of Niles Township honored Varghese with the “Cultural Jewel Award.”
Ruth has been given the title “Singar-Mani,” and is the recipient of three gold medals. She holds a master’s degree in Fine Arts and Bharatnatyam classical dance and has successfully choreographed and staged two dance ballets “Krishna Leela” and “Ritu Sandesh”. She was trained at Kalakshetra in Chennai and is also proficient in Odissi dance that she learned under the great teacher Padmashree Kelucharanji Mahapatra of Cuttack. She often draws on her Odissi training in her choreographies.
The petite, graceful, and beautiful dancer has taught dance in Chicagoland for over 20 years. Her husband Santosh helped her dance school Kalapadma Dance Academy take its root and grow in the area. The main spirit behind the Kalapadma dance Academy is her father Natyacharya Shri Shankar Hombal. The school has a branch in Bhopal and Varanasi too.
Among other awardees were Ms. Lesley Riego De Dios Arca,
President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago, and a Senior Associate Attorney; Josina Wing Morita, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and the first Asian American elected to a countywide board in Cook County; Dr. Mohammad Arshad Mirza, a board certified ophthalmologist of Pakistani origin who has treated and cured eye diseases in thousands of patients.
Pakistani American Masoon N. Sahi of the city of Chicago’s Department of Consumer Services, who shared his skill and knowledge while working as an investigator and liaison with the Chicago community, also won the award. The department merged into what is now known as the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. He contributes his time to non-profit Mara Pakistan and the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Center.
Ansar Rizvi, Bureau Chief of Chicago and a well known host, anchor and freelance reporter for Safeer-e-Pakistan GEO TV also won the award.
HIMANI SANAGARAM
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