The SABAsearch Blog staff is saddened to learn that Vinay Chakravarthy passed away on the morning of June 25th.  Vinay was diagnosed with Leukemia and was the spotlight of a nationwide promotion to get South Asians registered for the National Marrow Donor Program.  Vinay did receive a bone marrow donor and transplant, but unfortunately relapsed and passed away shortly after.   

Vinay’s fight brought inspiration to many South Asians, including our entire blog staff.  His positive attitude and striving personality could clearly be visualized through his blog posts on HelpVinay.org and his dedication to raise awareness for South Asian bone marrow registration was truly amazing.  Sameer Bhatia, who passed away from Leukemia in March 2008, also played a vital role in raising awareness for this cause and served as inspiration for Vinay and his family.

Although we cannot bring Vinay and Sameer back, there is still much that we can and should related to their cause.  There is a deep need for members of the South Asian community to register themselves in the Bone Marrow registry as there are not enough South Asian donors within the program.  Therefore, the program has offered South Asians FREE registration, and we’d be foolish (not to mention selfish) not to take advantage of this life saving opportunity.

Here is a video clip of Russell Peters urging South Asians to register in the National Marrow Donor Program on behalf of Vinay’s struggle:

So at this point, we are calling ALL South Asians to STEP UP to the plate and help save a life.  Here’s how:

The first step is to find out whether you are registered within the Bone Marrow Donor program.  To do so, please click here and fill out the status information form.   The registry will check their records and return a status memo to your email. 

If you are not yet registered for the marrow donor program, there are many ways you can do so.  If you live in Houston, there are many Bone Marrow Donor Drives throughout the year.  Click on the link below to find one near you:

Join the National Marrow Donor Program

You can also go directly to a Donor Center to register.  Please visit the Donor Center Locator Page on the National Marrow Donor Program website to find a donor center near you.

We hope that all of you will take the time to get this done.  

Our hearts go out to the families of Vinay and Sameer.  The impact that both of these men have had on our lives through their strength and smiles will never be forgotten.   

Over the past few years, SABAsearch.com has grown tremendously within the South Asian community and beyond.  Specifically, SABAsearch.com has become one of the leaders in providing South Asian content via the web for Houston and its surrounding areas.

This month, SABAsearch.com has reached new celebratory milestones.  Today, we officially passed over 1000 business listing accounts within the SABAsearch.com business listing directory, making us one of the most comprehensive South Asian business directory and portal for South Asian business information in Houston!  Earlier this month, we officially passed the 750,000 visitor count, which tell us that our visitors are coming from far and wide to visit our site to see what’s “in the works”.  The continued support from the local community members as well as the hard work of our entire teams have allowed us to become a leader within the South Asian online business community, and we are excited to keep growing and providing more exciting benefits!

What are SABAsearch business listings?
The business listings are offered as tools to our South Asian business owners (or anyone who wants to promote within a South Asian market) for promoting their business via our site and the web.  These listings are designed to help place each South Asian business on the online map.  Our Business Listings also assist business owners in their efforts to easily connect with consumers via the web.   SABAsearch.com has uniquely designed the listings so that each and every business listing is also scrolled by Google and Yahoo, allowing the information within them to appear on the forefront of the major search engines, thus attracting more potential customers.

These same business listings are what attracts most of the loyal SABAsearch.com visitors to the website.  Business listings offer visitors all of the information they need in making informed decisions about South Asian products and services in their area.  THOUSANDS of visitors come DAILY to SABAsearch.com to find their favorite Indian restaurant, desi attorney, or family doctor, etc..  The easy 3-step searching tool within our website allows for quick access to valuable South Asian business information.

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Our Mission
Our mutually beneficial online platform is here for one reason:  To help promote South Asian businesses and services via the web.  We want to promote all of the hard working South Asians who strive every day to become successful in their daily ventures by providing the online tools they need to compete and connect with the consumers that mean so much to them.  This new milestone only puts more flame under our fire, and inspires us to continue our mission to bring South Asian businesses and entrepreneurs to the forefront of the web.  We also aknowledge that this milestone could never be achieved without the continued support of the Houston South Asian community and beyond.  Together, we can continue to increase the awareness for this powerful online tool (both inside the South Asian community and outside), and expand the benefits of SABAsearch.com to South Asians and non-South Asians all over the country. 

The development of this website and online community has also produced a rich byproduct - a ripe platform for advertisers who are looking to connect with a highly valuable South Asian market.  If you are interested in promoting your product or service to our dense South Asian audience via our website, please feel free to contact us for more information.  We would be happy to provide you with additional information. 

We thank you all for your continued support, and we hope that you will join our mission by informing your family and friends about this South Asian community and business website.  We also want to hear how we can improve our site to reach new levels of success, so please feel free to email us at Support@SABAsearch.com with your feedback.

Regards,
The SABAsearch.com Team and the SABAsearch Blog Staff

Houston’s very own Sunil T has been the ONLY individual from North America selected to participate in Star One’s Great Indian Laughter Challenge.  Sunil T, Founder and Host of Music Masala Radio, is one of the 20 contestants chosen from applicants from all over the world.

Indoamerican News was the first to cover the story.  Here is an excerpt from the article posted online:

Sunil T will be adding an international dimension to the humor show dominated so far by the talent in the subcontinent. His selection was based on the comedy routines he submitted last month.

Sunil left Monday for Mumbai to take part in a 10-day camp and shootings scheduled to begin May 25. He is optimistic that he will do well.

“I was not trained in India, I was trained in Houston,” he said. “Everything I have learnt and have, I owe it to the city.”
Sunil said that he came to Houston to study engineering and make a living. It was in Houston that he took the mike for the first time. “My abilities in this field have kind of grown with the city. When I came to the city, I was quite new to all this.”

 

Read more

The SABAsearch Blog staff would like to congratulate Sunil T once again for his dedication to entertainment and comedy in the South Asian community.  Sunil T has built a true character for himself by hosting the Music Masala Radio show, producing the hit comedy Dude, Where’s the Party?, and hosting the famous party boats known as the Masala Cruises. 

Please join us in wishing Sunil T all the best for this upcoming competition! 

Rapper Kanye West is making his way down to the Lone Star State!  For those of you Indians and Desis who don’t know who Kanye West is, here is a little Kanye West 101, provided by Wikipedia.com:

Kanye Omari West (pronounced /ˈkɑnjɛj/) (born June 8, 1977)^[1] is an American rap artist and hip hop producer. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, and his third album Graduation in 2007. His first three albums have received numerous awards (including nine Grammys),^[2][3][4] critical acclaim,^[5] and commercial success. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music.^[6] West’s mascot and trademark is “Dropout Bear,” a teddy bear, which has appeared on the covers of his three albums as well as the singles cover for his songs “Stronger” and “Homecoming.”^[7]

West’s parents divorced when he was three years old, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. He enrolled at Chicago State University but later dropped out to continue pursuing his music career. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for musical artists including Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson. West’s style of production often utilizes pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. Some controversy has also surrounded West, such as an incident during a live telecast of a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief, when he deviated from the script and told the audience, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

Here is the schedule for Kanye’s ”Glow in the Dark Tour”April 30th - Austin - Frank Erwin Center

May 1st - Dallas - Superpages Center

May 2nd - Houston - Woodlands Pavilion

Check back next week for our review of the concert. 

Irfan from Seven Seas Promotion is bringing Udit and Aditya Narayan to Houston!  Here is a little bit more info on the event:

 Udit and Aditya Narayan Concert - Houston
Date:  May 2, 2008
Location:  Arena Theater (7322 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX  77074)
Time:  9:00pm  (Add 1 hour for Desi Standard Time )
Tickets: $15, $25, $35, $45 and VIP.

To view more information on the event, or to access the event website to purchase tickets, please view the Udit and Aditya Narayan Concert event listing on SABAsearch.com.

Want FREE Tickets?

If you are a typical desi, and want to go for FREE, you’re in luck!  SABAsearch.com will be giving away 2 FREE tickets to this concert to one of our lucky blog readers!  Please register yourself in the contest by visiting the 2 FREE Tickets - Udit and Narayan Concert Houston promotion page on SABAsearch.com.  The winner of this promotion will be announced next Wednesday, April 30th. 

SABAsearch.com has given away lots of prizes in the past - here are some of the past lucky winners.

Good luck!

***UPDATE***

WIN 2 FREE TICKETS TO THE UNFORGETTABLE TOUR AMITABH CONCERT IN HOUSTON !!!!

The SABAsearch Blog staff is excited to announce that we have posted the promotion to give away 2 FREE tickets to the Amitabh Bachchan Concert (Unforgettable Tour) on SABAsearch.com!  Registration is FREE, and one lucky winner will be awarded the tickets.  Register for the promotion by clicking the link below:

http://www.sabasearch.com/promDetail.asp?promid=45

Good LUCK and Enjoy the Concert!

Rumor on the street has it that Star Promotions is bringing Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwairya Rai to Houston!  Star Promotion’s Rajinder and Hum Tum City’s Rehan Siddiqui are cooperating to bring you the biggest desi concert EVER in Houston.

The concert is part of Amitabh’s final world tour event.  This will be Abishek’s first world tour concert, and he will be performing alongside his wife Ashwairya Rai.

The world tour is set to begin in July of this year, and will make it’s way down to Houston sometime late this summer.

As soon as we get more info, we will be sure to post the event information within the Houston Indian and Desi Events section on SABAsearch.com.

IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED! 

UNFORGETTABLE TOUR - AMITABH, ABHISHEK, ASHWAIRYA IN CONCERT!
AUGUST 2ND, 2008 @ 9:00PM
TOYOTA CENTER
TICKETS:  $65 AND UP
More Info:  Unforgettable Tour Information

Stay tuned into the SABAsearch Blog because we will be giving away 2 FREE Tickets to the concert!  Announcements to be made shortly. 

The famous UPS slogan is often used jokingly by the South Asian and desi community, but it ironically become more literal over the weekend.  UPS recognized store #1969, owned and operated by Parashar and Rashmi Patel, as the TOP rated UPS store in the Houston area in terms of Customer Service. 

Mr. and Mrs. Patel received this prestigious award at a UPS Gala over the weekend.  Their store was recognized for being the best rated UPS store in Houston in terms of friendliness, service, and reliability.

SABAsearch.com and the SABAsearch blog staff congratulate Parashar and Rashmi Patel on this great achievement.  Keep up the great work!

UPS Store #1969
1795 N Fry Rd.
Katy,TX 77449

Here are some other great awards recently received by top performing South Asian businesses in the Houston area:

- Emirates top Sales Award:  Horizon Travel
- Marvin Zindler Blue Ribbon Award:  India’s Restaurant Houston
- Best Wedding Videographer 2007 (theKnot.com):  A&A Video Productions

Has your business recently received an award?  Let us know and we’ll post it above with the other reward recipients!  Send us an email at Support@SABAsearch.com.

Bombay Brasserie recently opened its doors to a second location in the Galleria area.  Bombay Brasserie, a Houston favorite, has been serving authentic Indian cuisine to the Houston area for over 6 years and seems to be expanding their horizons with this brand new location.  

Here’s the info:

Bombay Brasserie Gourmet Cuisine (2nd Location - New!)
3005 West Loop South
Suite 110
Houston, TX  77027
Bombay Brasserie (Original Location)
2414 University Blvd # 210
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 355-2000

Congratulations to Bombay Brasserie on the grand opening of their new restaurant!  We’ll be sure to visit you soon. 

Check out this article from the Houston biz Journal, which informs us that Bombay Brasserie is looking to spread their excellent dining experience to the Woodlands and Clear Lake by 2010!

What are your plans for this Sunday?  Well, if you don’t have any, then make sure you get out to the biggest Holi event to rock the city.  Holi 2008:  Festival of Colors will be hosted on March 23rd, 2008 by the Music Masla crew, Gujrati Samaj of Houston, TARA Energy and many other indian and desi organizations from around the area.

Did you miss the Masala Mela on Hillcroft or the huge bash in Sugarland Town Square?  Well, this is your chance to jump back into the fun.  The events hosted by Music Masala are drawing huge turnouts and you don’t wanna miss out.  This event will have everything from food, entertainment, rickshaw rides and of course, more colored powder than you could ever imagine.

Don’t forget to wear white to this event.  And by the way, its FREE

Here is a little bit more information on the event from the event listing on SABAsearch.com.  Enjoy!

Where:
Oyster Creek Park,
4033 State Highway 6 South,
Sugar Land,
Texas,
77479

Date and Time:
Mar 23 2008 11:00AM to 4:00PM

Contact Details:
281-277-6874

Hosted By:
Masala Radio, Gujarati Samaj, ICC and Tara Energy
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If you are hosting an interesting event in and around Houston, and would like to share it with our blog readers, please email us at Support@SABAsearch.com. 

We have officially launched the SABAsearch.com blog!  We will be posting articles on anything and everything of interest to our community.  Our goal is to create an open forum for discussion to all.  Readers will be able to make comments and ask questions on all of our posts.  If you or someone you know wants to write an article or question to be posted, please feel free to contact us.  We are always looking for contributions from our readers!

We hope you enjoy this new feature of SABAsearch.com and contact us at support@sabasearch.com with your articles/questions.  Remember to check back regularly as articles will be posted several times a week.  Enjoy!

Regards,
The SABAsearch Team
SABAsearch.com - “Houston’s website for everything South Asian!”