First Gujarati Samaj Matrimonial Convention
Two hundred people participated in the first Hindu-Gujarati matrimonial convention organized by the Gujarati Samaj of Atlanta at the Sardar Patel Bhavan in Gwinnett county on Saturday, August 6th. The venue, which houses the Samaj, saw a steady flow of people as registration began early on Saturday.
After a breakfast session in the main hall, Dr. Dilip Patel presented a skit that touched upon problems that participants were likely to face at such conventions. He also lent some advice through this humorous skit. Dr. Mahesh Patel walked the participants and their parents through the mechanics of the event. While the "candidates" stayed on in the hall, their parents enjoyed other activities and entertainment. During the morning session the future brides and grooms filled out forms listing 10 individuals for one-on-one interviews, before heading for lunch.
The afternoon session was which continued until 6:30p.m. was a time for mingling and getting to know each other.
A dinner in the evening doubled up as a celebration of the silver jubilee of Atlanta's Gujarati Samaj. Dilip Patel set the tone for the evening session with some earthy humor. At the dinner were members of various organizations that have played an important role in the success of Gujarati Samaj. They include the Kadva Patidar Samaj of Georgia, Macon; Leuva Patidar Samaj of Georgia; Gujarati Society of Central Florida, Inc.; Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj (SPCS); BAPS, Atlanta; Gayatri Parivar Yug Nirman Atlanta; India American Cultural Association (IACA); and Vishwa Gujarati Samaj of USA.
Individual contributions to the Samaj were also highlighted, especially those of Krishnamurthy and Darshan Shah for their photography services; Kaushik Dave and Mrs. Gitaben Modi of K. B. Zaveree & Spices House; Yogesh and Kalpana Patel of Sterling D�cor; and Bhaskar Patel of Gulf State Laundry Machines.
Jaykumar Patel, the president of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj USA and former president of Gujarati Samaj of Atlanta, was the chief guest. He felt the Samaj had entered a second, but most important, phase of its existence." According to him, events such as the matrimonial convention were a natural response of the Samaj to the needs of the community.
Ramesh Pandya, a former member of the Samaj's board of governors, introduced the organization's president, Amit Shah, and lauded him for his contribution and hard work in setting up the matrimonial convention.
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