RANA

By now many of you may know that Mr. Giriraj D. Khatod has passed away. He was the center pillar of a large family and a very devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and dear friend to all. He was also a Founding Member of RANA. Giri Khatod and Pushpa Khatod as well as their children have been very active members of RANA from Day One.

He became sick last week and was rushed to emergency surgery. He eventually succumbed from a very aggressive infection. Mr. Giri Khatod breathed his last on Friday, March 9, 2007.

His family appreciates your prayers and thoughts during this time. The family will be holding daily prayers in the evening at their home on Monday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

10141 Lebanon Drive
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-9315

Services will be held on Tuesday, the 13th of March at 1PM at

Chapel of Chimes
32992 Mission Boulevard
Hayward CA
510-471-3363

Prayer and Bhajans at 6:30PM followed by dinner

Swaminarayan Temple
25 Corning Ave.
Milpitas, CA 95035
408-262-0707

More information and pictures can be found at:
the family’s Web site

We at RANA believe that Rajasthani culture actively fosters entrepreneurship. There are a number of Rajasthanis in the Bay area that have been successful in the venture world and have promoted countless others. At RANA, we want to highlight the belief systems — religious mores, cultural values, moral and ethical principles — that underlie the Rajasthani psyche and enable them to succeed in the venture world. Aspiring and already successful entrepreneurs would be served well to refresh their thinking about business and ethics in todays tumultuous times.

This month we are fortunate to host Prem Jain, a highly successful and influential entrepreneur of Silicon Valley. This event builds upon the inaugural event held in February that drew nearly two dozen attendees.

RANA is inviting aspiring entrepreneurs from the entire spectrum of society, Indian-Americans or otherwise, to its new monthly Entrepreneur Forum. RANA’s Entrepreneur Forum features successful RANA members who connect their roots to the success in their entrepreneurial ventures. Speakers engage in a two-way conversation with the audience in an informal setting. The forum meets every 4th Thursday of the month.

RSVP

Seating to this event will be limited, so be sure to RSVP to us in advance. RSVP is only by online registration on our Web site.

Come join us in rediscovering our culture from the eyes of successful entrepreneurs.

Speaker: Prem Jain (Nuova Systems)

Venue and time

Thursday March 22, 2007 at 7:00 pm

1313 N. Milpitas Blvd
Milpitas, CA 95035

Schedule

Networking: 7:00 to 7:20 pm
Talk: 7:20 to 8 pm

Entrepreneur profile

Prem Jain is Chief Development Officer at Nuova Systems, a subsidiary of Cisco Systems. He held many senior positions at Cisco Systems leading to his roles as Senior Vice President/General Manager, Cisco’s Routing Technology Group. His arrival at Cisco Systems was also a result of Cisco’s acquisition of Crescendo Communications. He also led Cisco’s new business ventures for a while. Within Silicon Valley, Prem is a highly watched entrepreneur with many of his staffers following him from one company to another.

Prior to joining Cisco, Mr. Jain was at Crescendo Communications as Vice President of Systems Architecture, and was responsible for the design and development of Crescendo’s FDDI products as well as the first LAN switch, now known at the Cisco Catalyst 1200. As Director of Engineering for David Systems, Mr. Jain architected and developed third-generation integrated Data and Voice PABX equipment.

Prem Jain is the recipient of two patents and is a member of the IEEE organization. He holds a B.E. degree with honors from BITS Pilani, India, and a Masters degree in EECS from U.C. Davis.

Mr. Jain is actively involved in volunteer work for non-profit organizations, fundraising for the homeless and helping San Francisco Bay Area schools. He is also a Board of Trustee for Young Jain of India and the Ahimsa Center at Cal Poly Pomona. He is also a charter member of TiE.

In a break from tradition, RANA is organizing an open Holi celebration at the Baylands Park. Baylands Park offers plenty of open space and a perfect place for hundreds of people to play Holi.

By popular demand, RANA will serve Rajasthani food free to all attendees. RANA Holi will be a true family event with plenty of interesting activities for everyone attending. RANA expects more than 600 attendees for this event and promises to make this a memorable event for Rajasthanis and all Holi-lovers.

Venue: Baylands Park, Sunnyvale

Registration

Register online for this event today!

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum has organized an exhibition of artworks from Mewar starting on February 2nd until April 29th. The first of its kind outside India, the exhibition has borrowed works about Mewar from all over the world. The exhibits range from the early sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. A panoply of events have been organized in conjunction with this exhibition to educate the museum patrons about Mewar art and culture including Bhopa, Pabuji Ki Paad, Holi, Kathak, lectures, and live demonstrations.

Read more about the events and the exhibition from Asian Art Museum’s Web site - http://www.asianart.org/mewar.htm. Stay tuned for more information about RANA’s events around this exhibition.

Educational events at the Asian Art Museum:

1. Storytelling - Bhopa, Bhopi, Pabuji Ki Phad
2. Kathak Dance Performance
3. Miniature Paintings
4. Rajasthani Architecture
5. Holi
6. KathaI
7. Lecture on artists
8. Lecture on Indian textiles