Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 8 CITY VIEWS August 29, 2025 LiveOnNY Hosts Talk On ‘Understanding Hinduism’ L iveOnNY, formerly NewYork Organ Donor Network, a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the greater NewYork, recently hosted cultural competence training for its staff with a presentation on Understanding Hinduism, led by SUNY Downstate’s Oncologist Dr Vipul Patel. Patel is also the External Affairs Admin- istrator for BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Flushing, NY. The presentation followed by a question and answer session aimed to enhance understand- ing of the belief system of the South Asian community impacting their decisions on organ donation. The presentation was part of LiveO- nNY’s attempt at cultural sensitivity training in dealing with a difficult subject for the South Asian community without hurting the sensi- bilities of the family members. Attended by twenty five staff and executive members and CEO Leonard Achan, the pro- gram consisted of a power point presentation prepared by BAPS which described the beliefs of the ‘sanskaras’ of Hindu religion. It explained how Hinduism stresses ‘daan’ or giving plac- ing it high in virtues. This could be pointed out while dealing with Hindu families of donors, Patel said. He pointed out that ultimately, donating organs is an individual choice, dependent on personal beliefs. Patel was accompanied by Girish Chawda, a senior member of the Mandir, and Aryan Patel and Tirth Patel from the Mandir’s youth group who are considering tak- ing Biology in college. Answering questions, Patel explained that Hindus may have trouble accepting organ donation because of their belief in whole body cremation. Questions centered on how to open conversation and convince family members about organ donation while their loved one was in the hospital. Most of the questions, however, were focused on understanding Hindu beliefs. Arranged by Achan and Dunesh Kaur, Community and Public Affairs Liaison at LiveOnNY, the program was suc- cessful in increasing the emotional intelligence regarding organ donations in the community. Speaking to News India Times, Kaur spoke about the increasing health related issues in the South Asian community including heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, and more. Kaur said her endeavor is to match the need for transplants within the community with actual donations from the community. “Given these challenges, it is more important than ever to have open, proactive conversations about the impor- tance of organ donation. Increasing awareness can save lives—not just within our community but across all com- munities in need,” said Kaur.Kaur, who has a master’s degree in Public Health from Hofstra University, is mo- tivated to increase the community’s chances of survival through organ donations. Agreeing it is a difficult task, Kaur said, in her experi- ence, the idea of saving one or more lives is what helps families make the decision. However, trust in the person speaking to them plays a big role, she admitted. Raising awareness and encouraging informed discussions is the first step towards speaking to the families of donors, she said. Kaur informed that she has been liaising with many temples in the community, includ- ing the Radha Govind Temple on Hillside Avenue, the Gurudwara in Richmond Hill, the Shiv Shakti Temple in Glen Oaks to approach the South Asian community in a comfortable spiritual environment. As part of community outreach she has designed brochures contain- ing a Hindu Fact Sheet in Hindi and English, made presentations in Hindi and worked per- sonally with families. She said she appreciated the support from the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Flushing in spreading the life-saving message. “Their efforts in sharing organ donation information with the Mandir community have been invalu- able,” she said. Speaking to News India Times, President and CEO, Leonard Achan, also stressed the impor- tance of meeting the community, educating them and bringing awareness about the power of organ and tissue donation. “Collaborations with organizations like BAPS Mandir are so meaningful because they allow us to connect directly with the South Asian community, to listen, to educate, and to build trust,” Achan said. Speaking about LiveOnNY’s deep committed to invest- ing in South Asian communities, Achan said the organi- zation has been, for the past three years, raising aware- ness, dispelling myths, and empowering more families to have the option to have a legacy of donation. Patel told News India Times he found LiveOnNY’s staff dedicated to its mission. “I was impressed by the genu- ine desire of the staff members to learn and acquaint with Hindu traditions and culture. Their interest was evident in the number of questions they asked,” he said. Patel said he was encouraged to spread awareness about organs ‘daan’ and about Hinduism by the Swamis at the Flushing Mandir. They said it saves lives, Patel said. LiveOnNY facilitates organ donation and transplants in greater NewYork area. Working with local hospitals and transplant centers, the organization serves about 8,000 potential organ recipients in NewYork, caring for the emotional state of families of donors at the same time. By Archana Adalja PHOTO:LIVEONNY BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Flushing members at the presentation on Hinduism at LiveOnNY. From left, LiveOnNY Vice President of Strategic Financial Services Anthony Delli Carpini, Tirth Patel (second from left), Girish Chwda (third from left), LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan (fourth from left), Dr. Vipul Patel (third from right), Aryan Patel (second from right), LiveOnNY Community and Public Affairs Liaison Dunesh Kaur (right). Community Op-Ed: From the Mean Streets to Clean Streets: A Cleaner City for All New Yorkers August 25, 2025 H ow we deal with our garbage says a lot about who we are as a society. NewYork City must look as good as the people who live here. I have said it many times: We cannot allow our streets and sidewalks to be cluttered with unsightly black garbage bags which are a tripping hazard for pe- destrians and provide a constant all-you- can-eat buffet for rats. So, for the past four years, our administration has been sweep- ing in a new era of public cleanliness with our “Trash Revolution.” Not only have we shifted garbage set out times from 4 PM to 8 PM—which means that trash is on the street for less time and doesn’t interfere with pedes- trians during rush hours — but we have also required food-related businesses, as well as chain businesses of any type, to put their garbage into bins with tightly fitting lids. More than that: NewYorkers are composting roughly 5 million pounds of food and yard waste each week. That keeps these valuable organic materials out of landfills and diverts them to beneficial use — including as soil for gardens. NewYork City has more than 1,100 miles of highway, and for decades the responsibility of cleaning highway shoul- ders and medians was divided between different entities and wasn’t carried out regularly — that’s why we created the Department of Sanitation’s Highway Unit. Now, highway cleanliness is the sole responsibility of the Highway Unit. And since the unit’s formation in April 2023, it has removed more than 15 million tons of litter — everything from car bumpers to water bottles to fast food packaging and more. This effort has made our highways cleaner and safer. We have reached another milestone ahead of our June 2026 deadline for containerization for buildings with one to nine residential units (containerization means setting out garbage in closed bins, rather than black bags on the streets). We already had containerization rules in place for larger buildings, now smaller buildings have ordered more than 800,000 official NYC Bins online, plus another 80,000 fromThe Home Depot. This is a huge win for our city and for our efforts to keep our streets free of smelly trash bags. And when we look at all our efforts to- gether, new data shows our multi-faceted approach is working. Since residential containerization requirements took effect eight months ago, we have sent rats pack- ing. Rat sightings reported to 311 have dropped for eight consecutive months when compared to the same months last year, and rat sightings are down more than 16 percent year-to-date citywide. In a first for all of North America, we also piloted a new automated side-loading garbage truck and committed over $32 million in permanent funding for the Department of Sanitation in our “Best Budget Ever.” When I said four years ago that we were going to have cleaner streets and fewer vermin, the cynics rolled their eyes. They said, ‘NewYork City is too big, government moves too slow, and no one will ever, ever beat the rats.’ But we refused to take no for an answer. NewYork City, which used to be known as “mean streets,” will now be known as “clean streets.”We are the safest big city in America — and we are working towards becoming the cleanest, too. Our “Triple- Clean” accomplishments — cleaner highways, more containerization, and fewer rats — are proof that our approach is working. By NewYork City Mayor Eric Adams