Jayanti Oza
CHICAGO: Over 300 members and guests attended the grand opening of Senior Citizen Parivar Center and Shivalaya in Elgin, a Chicago suburb, on December 7. Besides a record number of Parivar members, prominent business owners, donors and guests from the community, and Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain attended the event.
Dhirajbhai Suvagia, chairman of this seniors organization, welcomed all and gave a small briefing about the activities now undertaken and proposed to be undertaken by the group. He said that in less than five years of its existence, this organization could establish the Senior Citizen Parivar Center and Shivalaya on three acres of land.
The new facility has a stage with lighting arrangement. There is a plan to have a prayer room with idols of deities, a library room so that during the day time members can come to read books, play games and spend their time. Following this, ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by the Elgin Mayor along with Bharatbhai Suvagia, Ghanshyambhai Savani and others.
The lamp lighting ceremony was performed by Jayandra Desai, Dhiraj Suvagia, Kalubhai Suvgia, Dalshukh Vaghasiya, B.K. Vaghani, Ghanshyam Savani, Narsinh Patel (president of Indian Seniors of Chicago), Chhotalal Patel of Umiya Dham of Midwest, Bharat Suvagia, Jagdish Thakkar, Batuk Shukla, Bharti Shukla and Paulomi Desai.
Chairman Dhiraj Suvagia thanked all the invited guests and sponsors who helped support this senior organization. Mayor of St Charles Raymond P. Regina congratulated the seniors for buying the new home for their activities. Kishore Purohit helped in buying new building facility.
There was then the celebration of the 74th birthday of Dhiraj Suvagia.
This was followed by a two-hour program with Chicago’s popular Nartan Dance Academy director-choreographer and dancer Mrugksi Patel and her students performing Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi dances. The master of ceremony was Jayendra Deasi. Arun Thakkar and his team provided delicious food.
