Lakshmi Iyer
India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: The Festival of Globe (FOG) Health Fair was held on Saturday, August 15th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the India Day Mela in Fremont.
The Health Fair is a longstanding tradition of the Festival of Globe (FOG) since its inception. Dr. Romesh Japra, the Founder of FOG, is a leading cardiologist who has been practicing in Fremont for several decades. Even before he launched the India Day Fair, he organized health camps where he volunteered his time towards community service, providing free checkups to the needy.
Many other doctors have been part of this initiative over the years, such as ophthalmologists, gastroenterologists, and dentists.
Dr. Bhupinder Bhandari, a well-known gastroenterologist who practiced in Fremont for decades, was the Chair of the Health Fair for many years. Unfortunately, he passed away early this year.
The mantle of the Chairmanship of the FOG Health Fair was passed on to Dr. Gautam Pareek, MD (Internal Medicine), and Dr. Monish Sodhi, MD (Family Medicine).
Naresh Sodhi was the Sponsorship Chair for the event. Sujata Shrivastava, Dr. Kavana Sanjay, and Lakshmi Iyer (this correspondent) were the coordinators along with Swati Bakshi.
A few years ago, practitioners of alternative medicine such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda joined mainstream doctors in providing free consultations to fair visitors.
Kaiser Permanente and Washington Hospital were the main sponsors for this year, just like last year.
Kaiser had a team of stroke specialist doctors and nurses to educate the public about stroke prevention, detection, and recovery. They also offered free blood pressure screenings, a vital component of stroke risk evaluation.
California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM) had practitioners offering brief consultations and services such as scalp massages.
Five Branches University had a three-person team offering TCM/Acupuncture consultations.
UCSF and the Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures jointly run an initiative called the CHAMPIONS Clinic. They had the largest group of booth volunteers at the Health Fair. Around twenty young medical students and some doctors from UCSF participated, providing free screenings such as: blood glucose (A1c), cholesterol (HDL/LDL), blood pressure, and PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease) tests. There was a long line of people waiting to get their vitals done.
Anita Srivastava, Founder of Happiness Factors, a Mental Wellness company, and Dr. Kapil Chopra, MD – Psychiatry, represented the field of mental health.
Yoga Bharati, an organization that offers clinically proven Yoga Therapy practices, provided a vital presence in the holistic, non-invasive wellness practice space.
Among this year’s new entrants were:
- Dr. Kam Pareek, Dentist
- Diabetes Wellness Care – an Acupuncture and Chiropractic clinic founded by Dr. Yaron Wu
- Dr. Sahid Nadeem (Homeopathic Care)
- Ayurvedic clinic Surrasa, headed by founder Usha Navagaparu
- Natural Traditions, a holistic wellness clinic, founded by Dr. Jaya Pancholy, and
- Art of Living – the famous meditation and holistic wellness organization founded by the internationally acclaimed spiritual guru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
- Bay Area Community Health (BACH) offered free blood pressure screenings and educational materials.
FOG Health Fair 2026 was a successful event that raised awareness about health challenges and provided vital screenings to the public along with opening up their horizons to new ways of caring for themselves and their loved ones.
It would not have been possible without the able leadership of Dr. Romesh Japra, MD – FOG Founder and Chairman, Rajesh Verma – FOG President, and the entire FOG Team.
The Health Fair had many volunteers, especially youngsters who brought fresh energy. Both the adults and children who lent their valuable time deserve special mention.
The coordinators and volunteers helped with everything, right from setting up tables and chairs to putting together snack plates and drinks for the practitioners. Some of the youth volunteers assisted with booth activities such as greeting visitors.
Additional Volunteer Team: Swati Bakshi, Sandeep Venkatesh, Arnav Yenni, Aryan Yenni, Anish Yenni, Arisha Mehta, Nidhi Prasad, Ranveer Maharaj, Nirvaan Maharaj, Ruchi Gupta, Gyanesh Gupta, Ahaan Gupta, Anish Jain, Anshitha C., Bhavya Vyas, Sapna Jain, Anju Aneja, Sharanya Yadav and Krithi
