Liberty Fest Grows with More Vendors, Crowds, Fireworks
By Jawahar Malhotra
The crowds were already building up by the time the Liberty Fest was opening at 4pm on Sunday, June 28, despite it being a sweltering afternoon. By the time the Liberty Fest, a Signature event for the Southwest Management District, ended after fireworks about 9:30, the crowd had grown to several thousand.
They came for the early July 4th celebration that is held at the site of the PlazAmericas (formerly the Sharpstown Mall) on the Sunday before the actual holiday so as not to compete with the City of Houston’s celebration, this year marking the nation’s 250th Birthday.
This is the fifth year that the SWMD has held the family-oriented event which serves no alcohol. There were 122 booths – more than previous years - serving food, clothing and wares from different ethnicities as well as politicians and nonprofits promoting their causes.
There were a lot of activities for kids, like a train ride, putt-putt golf, bounce houses, rock climbing and this year even a Tesla Cybertruck which everyone had a chance to write on the side panels with washable color markers.
As in previous years, there was non-stop stage entertainment from Chinese Dragon dances, to Viet-
namese dances, Indian classical dances, country music, Tejano music, and Mariachi bands. Once again this year, the feature show was She Wolf, a high energy Shakira tribute band, and Paul Wall, a hugely popular local rap artist entertainer.
An estimated record 15,000 people of many ethnic backgrounds attended the event, which once again had no entrance fee and a small vendor fee, all thanks to the support of generous sponsors. Harris County Pct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones’ office offered a cooling off bus and Houston City Councilman Edward Pollard, whose District J includes the Sharpstown area, attended the event.
Southwest Management District Board Directors - Chair Kenneth Li, Peter Acquaro, Safety ViceChair; Raj Adnani, Blu Baillio and David Peters and others, as well as the staff and countless volunteers – were at the festival throughout the event, meeting and greeting people.
They plan for an even better event next year. Those interested in sponsoring next year’s event should contact the SWMD at https://www.Southwestdistrict. org.
Swami Mukundananda to Visit Houston: July 18th to July 29th, 2026
houston: Swami Mukundananda, a world-renowned teacher of Spirituality, Yoga & Meditation, will conduct two different programs in Houston from July 18th to July 29th. In the first weeklong Life Transformation program (LTP), Swamiji will delve into the topic of “Mindsets for Happiness and Fulfilment” at Sri Sharadamba Temple, from July 18th to 24th. In the second program, Swamiji diverges to a different topic namely “Inspiring Stories from The Saints” at India House from July 25th to July 29th. Swamiji will also have a meet and greet session each day from 6:45 pm to 7:15 pm followed by the lecture from 7:15 pm to 9 pm. Admission to program is Free. Dinner Prasad served after program.
Swami Mukundananda received his degrees in Engineering and Management from two world famous institutes in India- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM, Kolkata) respectively. However, the call of God was so strong that after a short while on a successful corporate executive career path, he renounced his professional career to take Sanyas at age 23. Swamiji is a senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj and the founder of JKYog - a non-profit organization dedicated to the spiritual, mental, and physical wellness of people worldwide. Swamiji divides his time between India and the USA.
During the first week-long Program from July 18 to July 24, Swamiji will be presenting a lec-
ture series on Mindsets for Happiness and Fulfilment.
According to Swami Mukundananda, true happiness is not something we acquire from the outside. Swami Mukundananda teaches that lasting happiness and fulfillment come from transforming the way we think rather than merely changing external circumstances.
In his teachings on “Mindsets for Happiness and Fulfillment,” he emphasizes several key attitudes and mindsets which lead to inner peace and lasting fulfillment.
During the second week of his program Swamiji will be lecturing on Inspiring Stories from the
Saints. This discourse series is a remarkable collection of true stories from the lives of great saints of India, who were pillars of devotion, wisdom, and selfless service. Each story is a captivating account of lessons in faith, humility, and perseverance. In this narrative Swamiji offers the audience practical guidance for leading a purposeful and spiritually enriched life.
Swami Mukundananda’s enlightening discourses clarify the deepest concepts of the Vedic scriptures with wit and perfect logic. For the last four decades he has been sharing his vast knowledge through his books and discourses.
His lectures on social media platforms are followed by millions.
Swamiji has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle, Yahoo, Amazon and for the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities like Princeton, Stanford, Kellogg, MIT, and Duke.
He has deeply affected the lives of millions of people who have been drawn by his profound integrity, charismatic personality, and his passion to serve.
Swami Mukundananda ji will be having program in Houston from July 18 through July 29, 2026, from 6:45pm to 9pm. The program details are below –
Sri Sharadamba Temple, 10315 Clodine Road, Richmond, TX on Saturday, July 18th, Monday, July 20th through Friday, July 24th
Vadtal Dham, 10825 Clodine Road, Richmond, TX on Sunday, July 19th
India House, 8888 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX from Saturday, July 25th through Wednesday,29th.
All Programs are free & dinner prasad is served daily.
For FREE Registration visit JKYog.org/Houston
For more details text or phone 281-630-5982 or 281780-4877.
Honoring Sushruta
EdinBurgh: On June 19, 2026, history came full circle at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, where a 90-kilogram bronze statue of Maharishi Sushruta was unveiled in the College’s historic Playfair Auditorium. Widely revered as the Father of Surgery, Sushruta now has a permanent presence within the world’s oldest surgical college— an institution founded in 1505 and today connected to more than 33,000 professionals across over 140 countries.
The ceremony brought together leaders from surgery, Ayurveda, academia, and diplomacy. Among those present were Siddharth Malik, Consul General of India in Edinburgh
The Cheruvu family also publicly thanked Dr. Halpern, Professor Zameer Pasha, Dr. Ashwin Sawant, and Professor Y.K.S. Viswanath for their participation in this landmark effort.
Ro Khanna-Aisha Farooqi: South Asians Connect
Indo American News
FoundEr: dr. K.l. sindwani
PuBlishEr: Jawahar Malhotra
Editor: PraMod KulKarni
CorrEsPondEnt: sanChali Basu
Congressman Ro Khanna with Democratic Party candidate Aisha Farooqi (center) with Farooqi supporters.
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Welcome to the Jungle’: A Chaotic Comedy
By ArchikA khurAnA
Story: A quirky group of misfits enters a dangerous jungle to make a quick-money film, but their chaotic mission takes a wild turn when they stumble into real danger. Amid criminals, confusion and hilarious mishaps, survival becomes their biggest challenge.
Review: Nadiadwala’s Welcome franchise and other movies have always thrived on absurdity, eccentric characters and chaotic humour. Welcome To The Jungle shifts away from the familiar urban setting of its predecessors and plunges into a chaotic jungle adventure.
Bigger in scale and louder in ambition, the film blends slapstick comedy, action and nostalgia into a madcap entertainer that works in parts, even if it occasionally loses itself in its own chaos.
Drawing from the familiar comic sensibilities of the Welcome universe, this instalment introduces a bizarre yet amusing premise. In the 80s and 90s, black money being funnelled into films was often whispered about in industry circles. The film uses that idea as the foundation of its story. A corrupt politician (Zakir Hussain) decides to produce a Rs. 2000-crore film purely to incur losses and save tax. For this absurd mission, he ropes in directors Dev (Rajpal Yadav) and Dass (Paresh Rawal), tasking them with making a guaranteed flop.
What begins as a ridiculous filmmaking experiment soon spirals into something far more chaotic. Dev and Dass assemble a motley crew of quirky non-actors, washed-up performers and inexperienced technicians, all driven by the promise of quick money. Their journey takes them to a jungle near Azaadganj village, where misunderstandings, criminal threats and bizarre situations transform a fake film shoot into a real survival challenge.
At the centre is Rajeev (Akshay Kumar), a struggling actor desperate for a comeback after a streak
of flops. His fortunes appear to change when he lands this unusual project. But things quickly go off track when the villagers mistake the film crew for actual soldiers and expect them to protect the village from a dangerous gang led by Jackie Shroff’s Zataara. This confusion becomes the film’s biggest source of comedy, with Rajeev repeatedly insisting that he is merely an actor, not a real-life hero.
The film heavily leans on nostalgia, and fans of the franchise will appreciate the callbacks. Suniel Shetty’s character is introduced as “Uday ka bhai” Anna, while Arshad Warsi enters as “Majnu ka bhai” Romeo. These references are clever crowd-pleasers that evoke fond memories of the earlier films.
Many laughs emerge organically from the absurdity of the situations and the characters’ interactions. At times, the characters’ self-awareness and their tendency to laugh at their own chaos make several moments even funnier.
The second half especially delivers stronger comic payoffs, with multiple sequences landing effectively. Director Ahmed Khan deserves credit for managing an ensemble this large without letting the film collapse entirely under its own weight.
The writing, shaped by the late Neeraj Vora’s trademark comic sensibilities, carries the familiar flavour of mismatched personalities and escalating chaos. Farhad Samji’s dialogues lean heavily into self-aware humour, often poking
fun at Bollywood’s own clichés Performance-wise, Akshay Kumar is the film’s beating heart. He brings energy, comic timing and his trademark action-star charisma to the role. The camaraderie between Akshay, Suniel Shetty and Arshad Warsi is among the film’s highlights, bringing back memories of classic Bollywood comedie Paresh Rawal once again proves why his comic timing remains unmatched. He delivers consistently entertaining moments and adds familiarity to the franchise’s madness. His banter with Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty especially evokes fond memories of the Hera Pheri era, adding a strong dose of nostalgia.
Johnny Lever is in top form and effortlessly steals scenes. Shreyas Talpade makes a pleasant impact, while Rajpal Yadav, Krushna Abhishek and Kiku Sharda contribute effectively to the comic madness. Jackie Shroff makes for a solid antagonist, bringing menace and screen presence as Zataara. Raveena Tandon impresses as Zoya, and her reunion with Akshay Kumar carries nostalgic weight. Farida Jalal adds warmth and charm in a surprisingly enjoyable performance.
Welcome To The Jungle is not a flawless comedy. This is the kind of film that asks you to leave logic behind and simply surrender to the madness. If you enjoy chaotic ensemble comedies packed with slapstick humour— this jungle ride offers enough fun to keep you engaged.-- ToI[p-
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Send us the correct answer before July 7, 2026. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.
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