Himesh Reshammiya in Chicago on August 26th.

You have been waiting patiently for Himesh Reshammiya's Concert "Aap Ka Surror" here in Ann Arbor at Hill Auditorium on August 18th.

What if the tickets are sold out or you cannot make it due to some other reason. There's great News. Himesh Reshammiya will be just 4 hours (drive time) away from us here in Detroit, MI.

Himesh Reshammiya appears a week later on August 26th at University of Illinois, Chicago Pavilion (Harrison & Racine) in Chicago, IL. For more details contact Bhavesh Patel (773-465-3344) or visit http://www.bollywoodstarshow.com/

more later...

Indian Beauty Then and Now on Google Video

Here's Madhubala. This was then...



and here is Aishwarya Rai .....now

Incredible Indian Tabla Talent

Here's a 16 year old practicing Tabla. This is one of the featured videos on YouTube.

(Update: The owner for some reason removed the video from YouTube. Here's another from Google Video - This is Ustad Zakir Hussain's student Rohan Singh Bhogal performing in India at Harballabh Music Festival.)



more later....

Sign of the Times - "Nikah" without the Groom

Well not exactly!

Guests and relatives arrive at a wedding ceremony in Lucknow, India only to find that the Groom is missing. But to the immediate family members - "not to worry - everything is fine".

Guess where the Groom is? He is in Dubai sitting in front of his Laptop computer waiting for the rites to begin.

This quote from a cleric "Nikah rules have to be adapted to the changing time like everything else".

To read more on this story check out "Enter, double click and get married".

more later....

MIBAZAAR writing a book on Google Maps Mashups

MIBAZAAR is writing a book on Google Maps Mashups. So I am going to be extremely busy this summer and early fall. Lot of Caffeine, lot of late nights... but I view this as a tremendous opportunity.

It's out at Amazon. Now you know that my real name is Virender Ajmani.

This book will be part of a series of other mashup books as follows:

del.icio.us Mashups by Bret O'Connor
Amazon Mashups by Francis Shanahan
Flickr Mashups by David M. Wilkinson
Yahoo! Maps Mashups by Charles Freedman

You must be wondering, what is a mashup. Check out the mashup definition at wikipedia.

more later....

Punjabi Brides and Grooms from US,Canada,UK,India and Australia

Here's a listing of Punjabi Brides and Grooms from India, United States, Canada, Australia and United Kingdom on Google Maps. I am pulling in RSS Feeds from BharatMatrimony. Click on the country buttons to retrieve Bride/Groom data from that country. To begin with it defaults to India.



more later....

Incredible Shahrukh Khan - A Must See!!

Shahrukh Khan, what a performance he puts on!. This is a 10 minute performance he puts on at the Filmfare Awards night 2005 (recently uploaded to YouTube) with leading ladies of Bollywood from YesterYear to present day (Vyjayantimala to Preety Zinta).
Please..do not miss the segment on Bollywood Hindi song "Pardesia" from Mr. Natwarlal (around 4.15 into the video) and notice the camera focussing in on Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

Enjoy!

Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar comes to Michigan

Bollywood Hindi Movie Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar (I got married and now I am screwed!) starring Salman Khan and the Gorgeous Bollywood Babe Shilpa Shetty comes to SR Movies Novi Town Center, Novi on August 4th. For movie showtimes visit mimantra.com.

For Maps and Directions visit my Michigan India Community Page.

The movie name says it all. Here's what I think is happening. Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty fall in love and life is great. One of them must be insanely rich. Everything looks so heavenly and then one fine day they get married. Initial days of marriage are great and then diffrences start to emerge until they reach a boiling point. What happens next is predictable......

Enjoy this trailer from Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar


more later...

About MIBAZAAR

I just finished with my 100th post on Blogger. It's been exactly a year since I registered the domain - mibazaar.com, but the site became active sometime in October 2005.

How did MIBAZAAR start?

It all started with Hurricane Katrina. I had created a site weshallrise.org (no longer active) showing where businesses were opening up (on Google Maps) in the New Orleans Area after Hurricane Katrina had struck the Gulf Coast.

Mike Pegg of GoogleMapsMania made a mention at the time in this blog post. It recieved a fair amount of traffic at the time.

This is what motivated me to create a Google Maps powered Website for our Michigan Indian Community. So that's how MIBAZAAR started. I love Google Maps because I could express my thoughts/ideas using Google Maps better than I could do in text.

So how am I doing now. If you take a look at alexa.com, MIBAZAAR is doing pretty good.

Also should take this opportunity to thank Alok Manchanda of mimantra.com who was kind enough to share information related to latest Bollywood Movies coming to Michigan, otherwise it can be extremely difficult for a newbie to recieve any information related to community news/events.

What about me?

India Related Videos at MIBAZAAR

I have started a new blog titled India Related Videos.

I plan to list videos which I have come across on YouTube and Google Video

I have started off the list with Bollywood songs from YesterYear. But I do plan to add the following cateogories and more..

Indian Cricket Highlights
Wannabe Bollywood Stars
Indian Comics out there
Indian Idol Highlights

more later...

Big 3 Cricket Challenge Cup in Rochester Hills, Michigan

Get Ready for the Big 3 Cricket Challenge Cup at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, MI on July 30th from 4.00pm thru 8.00pm. Come and cheer your favorite teams (GM, Ford, Daimler Chrysler or Altair).

For more information visit the Michicgan Cricket Association website.
For maps and directions visit my Michigan India Community Page.

To get you in the Cricketing mood, here's a a video of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Enjoy!


more later...

Health Fair at Bharatiya Temple, Troy, Michigan

This is a great Service for our Community.

The 6th Annual Health Fair will be held at Bharatiya Temple, Troy, MI on Sunday August 6th, 2006 from 9.00AM - 12.00 noon.

They will be having Blood Screening, Bone Density Measurement There will also be information booths on Hormone Replacement Therapy, Breast Cancer, Mamogram, Prostate, Cataract, Nutrition, Exercise, life style Management. Cardiologists, Urologists, OB-GYN and other specialists will be available for guidance.

More information available at Bharatiya Temple website.

For maps and directions to this event visit my Michigan Indian Community page.

This event is being organized by Bharatiya Temple, Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Crittenton Hospital Medical Center.

more later....

Know your Indian Freedom Fighters

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Born: July 23, 1856 in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra).
- Considered a father of Hindu Nationalism
- His famous quote "Swaraj is my Birth Right and I shall have it" - Swaraj meaning "Self Rule"
Wiki: Bal Gangadhar Tilak


Chandrasekhar Azad (Born: July 23, 1906 in Udarka, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh).
- Considered one of the Greatest Indian Freedom Fighters
- Was a mentor of Bhagat Singh a famous Indian Martyr
Wiki: Chandrasekhar Azad

Blockbuster August 2006 for Michigan Indian Community

It's going to be a Blockbuster month of August for the Indian Community in Michigan.

Here's a summary of events (If you know of any other event do share it with the community by posting a comment here or send me a note at support[at]mibazaar[dot]com)

1. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna - Bollywood Hindi Movie Mega Starrer slated for August 11th release at SR Movies Novi Town Center.

2. Anthony Kaun Hai - Bollywood Hindi Movie at SR Movies Novi Town Center - August 4th.

3. Nitin Mukesh - Nitin Mukesh Live in Concert at "The Millenium" in Southfield, Michigan on August 6th.

4. Himesh Reshammiya - Himesh Reshammiya Live in Concert at "Hill Auditorium" in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 18th.

5. Michigan India Day 2006 - Come Celebrate India's Independence Day at the Rock Financials Showplace, Novi on August 20th.

6. Festival of India - Festival of India Event at Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan from August 25th thru August 27th.

7. Musical Ultimate - Musical Event hosted by The Legendary Host of Geetmala Radio Programme Narendra Sheth and FOMAPI at Northville High School, Northville, Michigan on August 26th.

more later...

Aishwarya Rai - India's Jewel in Top 99 Women List

+ Top 99 Women





Here's my Latest Google Maps Mashup of
Top 99 Women as voted by readers and staff of Askmen.com

Please check out YouTube video for Aishwarya Rai (click on marker 47).

I have also included Youtube videos for some of them like Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai, Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller, Natalie Portman, Lindsay Lohan, Shania Twain.

Enjoy!
(Update: Programmableweb.com has this mashup listed as Mashup of the Day for July 20th, 2006)

Cricket in Michigan

I typed in "Michigan Cricket" on Google and it returned back tons of listing. I did not realize that there is so much Cricket being played here in our state.

The first site I looked at was "Michigan Cricket Association". Take a look at it and you can see that there is quite a bit of participation. There are bunch of teams participating and each with interesting names like Troy Eagles, Troy Hawks, Motown CC, Detroit Whites.

This might pump you up and enroll in one of the cricket leagues here in Michigan. Here's Mahendra Dhoni tearing apart the opposing side's bowling.


Just got an idea. How about a inter state cricket tournament (cricket teams from the lower 48 states). Is there already one?

There's a Big 3 Cricket Challenge Tournament on July 30th, 2006. The participating teams are GM, Ford, Chrysler and Altair. Post a comment if you know of any other Cricket tournaments/events in our state.

For cricket grounds in Michigan click here.

more later...

Know your Bollywood Best Actors and Actresses

Not sure if you have seen the Google Maps Mashup I created of Bollywood Best Actors and Actresses at mibazaar.

I had created this quite some time back. This weekend I started embedding YouTube videos into the pop up window above the markers. I have ways to go before I embed YouTube videos for all the actors and actresses. Adding is not the difficult part, in fact it is way too easy, its going thru and finding which video to attach to a actor/actress which is time consuming.

If you come across a video on YouTube which would fit well with certain Actors and Actresses do let me know by posting a comment.

more later.....

Anthony Kaun Hai - Bollywood Hindi Film comes to Michigan

Anthony Kaun Hai comes to Michigan at SR Movies Novi Town Center, MI on August 4th. For Maps and Directions to SR Movies visit my Michigan India Community page and for showtimes in Michigan visit mimantra.

Starring in Anthony Kaun Hai are Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Minissha, Anousha Dandekar, Raghuveer Yadav, Gulshan Grover, Naina Dhaliwal, Ravi Baswani, Chetan Hansraj.

Music is composed by Himesh Reshammiya who is going to here in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 18th.

Does anyone know what this movie is about? Then please share it with the community by posting comments here.

Here's Himesh Reshammiya singing Ishq Kiya Kiya from Anthony Kaun Hai:

Bollywood Music Spoof - Hilarious!

Take a listen to Winston Spear [via] a stand up comedian from Toronto Canada, lip synching "Kehta Hai Pal Pal" from Bollywood Hindi Film - Major Saab.



Here's Ajay Devgan lip synching "Kehta Hai Pal Pal"




more later...

Bollywood Hindi Movie - "The Killer" at SR Movies

Bollywood Hindi Movie "The Killer" is being released at SR Movies, Novi, MI on July 21st. Starring in "The Killer" are Emraan Hashmi, Irfan Khan and Nisha Kothari.

For showtimes in Michigan check mimantra. For maps and directions to SR Movies check my Michigan India Community page.

The story can be explained using Math:
(A Stranger + A Taxi Driver + A Bar Girl) = A Night of Love and Death. Similar to what you might find in a certain Hollywood Movie Collateral

Here's a song from "The Killer"

Air Fares to India for our Community

Check Air Fares to India from Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto and host of other cities, with this nifty little tool from Yahoo.

Yahoo searches multiple airlines to get you the cheapest fares available. (Note: In the Search Results Window there is a progress bar. It's important that you let the progress bar complete to get all fares).

I have filled in the drop down boxes with pre selected cities. If you need to see more cities, please do post a comment and I will add more cities.



more later....

Google to the Rescue

Just when it seemed that there's no stopping the Brain Drain from Michigan, comes a great News for all of us in Michigan [via].

Google is going to be opening up headquarters for Google Adwords in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This hopefully will reverse the Brain Drain and boost the Michigan Economy, especially Ann Arbor and surrounding communities like Plymouth, Canton, Dearborn, Detroit and host of other cities.

Related: Google Recruiting Video (geared more towards women, an informative video for everyone).

7/11 Tragedy in Mumbai, India

By now most of us have seen the horrific images from Mumbai. I have put together a Google Maps Mashup of these locations: (Click on the Marker Labeled 1. When you close the pop up above the marker, the Google Maps will Center on to the next Mumbai Blast Location). (Update: Mike Pegg mentions this post in GoogleMapsMania)

According to the News Reports , Blasts occured at the following locations: (1)Khar (2)Mahim (3)Matunga (4)Jogeshwari (5)Borivili (6)Bhayandar (7)Khar-Santa Cruz Subway

Flickr: Mumbai Blasts
Wiki: Mumbai
Wiki: Mumbai's Suburban Railway System

I miss my INDIA

These youngsters left Andhra Pradesh, India for further studies at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL.

They arrive at Dekalb, IL and now they start missing India. So they say to themselves "who knows if there is a tomorrow or not, so make the most of what God has given".

Remind you of a hit Bollywood Hindi Song of not so long ago!

Take a listen to this video they put together. Good Job guys!



more later....

Movie Showtimes in US and Canada

Couple of weeks back I was watching Google's recruiting video on Google Video . Google has this thing where they let their employees work certain percentage of their work hours on any pet project they wish to. One of the employees in that video was asked about what she is working on.

She replied that she was working on a project where if you type in "Movies zip code" on Google Search, Google Search would return back the current movie/showtime listings for that zip code.

Her reply prompted me to come up with what you see on the right hand side of this page - Movie Showtimes for any US Zip Code (or City, State) and any Canadian Postal Code (or City, Province).

Give it a try and see if it works for you.

more later...

Omkara - Bollywood Hindi Movie coming to Michigan

Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara is a Bollywood Hindi Movie which is an interpretation of Shakespere classic Othello.

Starring in Omkara are Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Bipasha Basu, Naseeruddin Shah.

The worldwide release date for Omkara is set for July 28th, 2006. In Michigan Omkara will be screened at the 1st Indian owned Movie Theater - SR Movies Novi Town Center. For the release date in Michigan, keep checking back at mimantra.

For Maps and Directions to SR Movies, Novi, MI visit my Michigan India Community Page

Enjoy this Theatrical Trailer of Omkara



more later....

Nitin Mukesh - Live in Concert in Southfield, Michigan

I was looking around for latest Bollywood Songs at Globe Appliances, Garden City, MI, that is when I came across a flyer on Nitin Mukesh's upcoming show in Southfield, MI at the Millenium Center on August 6th, 2006.

Interesting way to find out about a Community Event.

The promo states that it will be a 3 1/2 hours of non stop entertainment with top musicians from Bollywood. For more info on ticket prices and contact information visit upcoming.org

For maps and directions visit my Michigan Indian Community page.

more later...

Karunya - Indian Idol Finalist coming to Michigan

Karunya the singing sensation from Hyderabad will be performing here in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 14. For maps and directions visit my Michigan Indian Community page.
For event information visit the Detroit Telugu Association website.

Don't miss this one. Wow! what a performance. Take a listen to this video:

Indian Singing Talent from Lansing, Michigan

I bumped into this video on Google Video. This is Gautam Dhar (from Lansing, Michigan) singing "Maine Poocha Chand Se". Take a listen to his voice. I enjoyed listening to it, hope you do too. Good Job Gautam!. Good Luck and Best Wishes to you.



more later....

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna coming to Michigan

Shahrukh Khan is married to Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee is married to Abhishek Bachchan. Obviously both are unhappy marriages. Then one fine day Shahrukh Khan meets Rani Mukherjee and guess what? there is "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" which then leads to "Bahut Kuch Hota Hai". (Translation: Extra Marital Affair.)

"Mohabbat Aur Maut dono bin bulaye mehman hai" (Falling in Love and Death are both uninvited guests) - One of the dialogs from this movie.

This is the plot of Karan Johar's mega starrer Bollywood Hindi Movie, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, "coming to a theater near you" in early August. The plot is based in New York where this movie was filmed in just over 90 days.

In Michigan Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna will be screened at the 1st Indian owned Movie Theater - SR Movies Novi Town Center, starting on August 11th. The Film also has the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. Other stars include Arjun Rampal, Kiron Kher and Saira Mohan a Canadian Model making her 1st Bollywood appearance. Check back on the showtimes at mimantra.

Update:
Rani Mukherjee looks stunning in the movie and that's the only good thing about KANK

Here's the movie trailer [via] . Click on the play button.

Jammu to Mumbai on Jet Airways, Indian Airlines

This is the second incident, I feel I must share with my fellow NRI's. Read about the first incident while visiting Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

Me and my family took a road trip from New Delhi to Yamunanagar to visit some relatives. From Yamunanagar we took a overnight train to Jammu and then on to Katra to fulfill my dream of visiting Vaishno Devi. After the darshan we are ready to head back to Mumbai.

We had tickets flying out of Jammu on Jet Airways to New Delhi and flying out on Indian Airlines from New Delhi to Mumbai. Big..Big..Big Mistake. Just stick to one airline.

Because of perennial fog problem in New Delhi, our Jet Airways flight from Jammu got delayed by couple of hours. When our delayed Jet Airways Flight lands in New Delhi, the Indian Airlines flight had already taken off for Mumbai.

I went up to the Indian Airlines counter thinking that they would put us on the next flight to Mumbai. That was wishful thinking. I was directed to the on duty Indian Airlines Manager. He would not help us. His reasoning was that I had discounted tickets and therefore he cannot do anything and that I need to buy new tickets. Its already around 10 pm and the last Indian Airlines flight to Mumbai was about to leave. My kids by this time are getting restless (especially my 6 year old daughter).

Next I approach Jet Airways. These guys were extremely polite and professional in their approach. They explained to me that they would be more than happy to put me on a flight to Mumbai, but Indian Airlines would have to endorse it. In fact a Jet Airways official accompanied me back to the same Indian Airline official I met earlier. It's not good...the Indian Airlines Official refused to endorse the ticket, insisting that we buy new tickets which was a full price tickets.

Now I am at Jet Airways mercy. I guess the way the system is set up the Jet Airways folks also could not help me. But what they did was put us up at Ashoka for the night which was a big help.

Next morning I had planned to catch a train to Mumbai. But one look at my Son and Daughter, I said to myself "Do I want to put my kids thru another 15-20 hours of travelling? - I will just buy another set of tickets and fly to Mumbai". Moreover on our trek down from Vaishno Devi to Katra, both me and my wife, our feet was covered with blisters. So next morning I contacted a travel agent at Ashoka who got hold of discounted tickets to Mumbai on Jet Airways. And we were off to Mumbai. Stayed in Mumbai for a week and then headed back to Detroit, MI.

I guess the moral of the story is don't be cheap, buy full fare tickets or stick to just one airline when travelling within India.

more later...

Indian Community Events in Michigan - July, 2006

The Following Indian Community Events have been planned for the Month of July:

1. Anand Bazaar - A Fun Filled Family Event in Troy, Michigan on July 9th.

2. Karunya - Singing Sensation from Hyderabad will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 14th.

3. GOLMAAL - Bollywood Hindi Movie being released at SR Movies Novi Town Center, July 14th.

4. Desi Rush - A Bhangra, Fusion, Raas Dance Competion for High School Students, July 14th.

5. Anup Jalota - A Fund raising event for building a Shirdi Sai Baba Temple for our Community in Michigan, July 16th.

6. The Killer - Bollywood Hindi Movie releasing on July 21st at SR Movies, Novi, MI.

7. Festival of Chariots - Organized by ISKON at Belle Isle, Detroit, MI, July 23rd.

8. OMKARA - Bollywood Hindi Movie releasing on July 28th at SR Movies, Novi, MI.

If you know of any other indian community events planned for the month of July, do share it with the community by posting a comment or send me an email at support[at]mibazaar[dot]com.


more later...

Indian Talent from Germany

Two Thumbs up for this German Engineer singing "Chaudvi Ka Chand". Pretty Impressive Performance. [via]



more later....

Festival of Chariots Rolls into Belle Isle, Detroit, MI

Festival of Chariots organized by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) - Detroit, rolls into Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan on July 23rd. For more details visit upcoming.org or visit my Michigan India Community page.

The organisers have planned a day full of activities which include - Free Vegetarian Feast, Music, Drama, Dance, Exhibits and Children's Activities.


Wiki: History of Festival of Chariots/Rath Yatra

more later....

GOLMAAL - Bollywood Hindi Movie coming to Michigan

Bollywood Hindi Movie - Golmaal starring Ajay Devgan, Tusshaar, Arshad Warsi, Rimi, Sharman Joshi and Paresh Rawal is being released in Michigan on July 14 at SR Movies Novi Town Center. For maps and directions to SR Movies, Novi, MI visit my Michigan Indian Community page. For movie Showtimes visit Alok Manchanda's site: mimantra

This from the Golmaal Movie website:
"When you have four good-for- nothing guys Gopal (Ajay Devgan), Madhav (Arshad Warsi), Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor) and Laxman (Sharman Joshi)…When you have gullible Dean (Manoj Joshi) throwing them out…When you have tough guy Vasooli (Mukesh Tiwari) chasing them…When you have an old, blind couple (Paresh Raval and Sushmita Mukherjee) dying to meet their grandson Samir again…When you have a 2-in 1 Samir – Laxman’s body, Gopal’s voice… When you have one pretty girl Nirali and four guys in love with her…When you have cook who is also a martial arts expert and a thief Pandu… When you have gangster Babli Bhai and Sattu Supari wanting to rob the blind couple’s house. When you have all this. What you get is GOLMAAL…Fun Unlimited.Welcome to a summer of their lives you will never forget."

Here are 2 videos from YouTube. The 1st one is a Golmaal Trailer and the next video is a hit song "Aane Wala Pal" from the original movie Golmaal.




more later....

NRI visiting India after 16 years

That NRI happens to be me. This last January I visited India after 16 years. My first stop was New Delhi where me and my family attended a wedding. From New Delhi we drove to Agra to visit Taj Mahal. What happened here should interest all my fellow NRI's.

The driver who drove us to Agra, instructed us not to utter a word when entering the Taj Mahal Complex. He went ahead and purchased the tickets. Now the fun starts because he purchased tickets valid for Indian Citizens (cost Rs250 each).The sign clearly states that NRI's have to pay Rs 750 for a entrance ticket. At the entrance gate we are about to enter the Taj Mahal Complex. The uniformed security person who was checking the tickets looked at us and then told our driver:
"Yeh yahan ke nahin hai" (These people (pointing to us) are not from here).
The driver countered - "nahi nahi yeh toh mumbai keh hain". At this point I started feeling very uncomfortable. You'll might be saying -good!! you deserve it for being cheap-.

The security guard warned the driver "Agar pakhre gaye toh Rs 5000 jurmana dena parega" (If you are caught then you have to pay Rs5000 fine per person). He then lets us in.

We just walked about 20 feet and a plain clothes security guy stops me. The first question he asks me "Aap kahan ke ho" (Where are you from). I answer "Hum Mumbai keh rahene wale hain" (I am from Mumbai).

He then asks "Mumbai meh kahan rahete ho" (Where do you live in Mumbai). I answer - Bandra.

His next question floored me. This is what he asks "Acha - toh Maharashtra kaa Chief Minister kaun Hai" (Who is the Chief Minister of Maharashtra). Now remember I am visiting India after 16 years. I remembered the name "Sharad Pawar".

Some one from way up above must have been watching me. I was extremely fortunate, the only thing that happened to me was that I was promptly sent outside to purchase the NRI ticket for Taj Mahal which was Rs 750/- a piece. I guess worst could have happened.

So my fellow NRI's don't try to camouflage with excessive Indian clothing. These guys are smart, they can figure out who is an NRI.

more later.... (next episode will be flying in India from Jammu to Mumbai via New Delhi on 2 different airlines)

Happy 4th of July

MIBAZAAR wishes everyone in Michigan and across United States a Happy 4th of July. I am writing this from Sandusky, Ohio (Kalahari Water Park). Everyone here is in a festive mood. My kids are having a great time and I am having a great time seeing them having a great time.

On this occasion take a look at my Google Maps Mashup of US Presidents - their birthplaces.

And in case you are interested the following presidents have a July birthday:

6th President - John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) born on July 11th, 1767 in Quincy, Massachusetts

30th President - Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) born on July 4th, 1872 in Plymouth Notch, Vermont

38th President - Gerald Rudolph Ford (1974-1977) born on July 14th, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska

43rd President - George Walker Bush (2001-2009) born on July 6th, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut

more later....

Miss Michigan India Beauty Pageant

Festival of India is looking for Indian women ages 17 or older to particpate in - Festival of India's "Miss Michigan India Beauty Pageant" to be held at Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan on August 25th. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in this event, then please do get in touch with folks at Festival of India at festivalofindiadetroit@yahoo.com

more later...