The average federal tax refund so far this year is $3,120. So here are 10 tips to reduce your taxes and increase your refund. [more]

(This section is sponsored by New England Shirdi Sai Temple)

Purnanand Sarma is President & CEO of TARIS Biomedical, a leader in local sustained delivery of therapeutics to the genitourinary system. TARIS sold its lead program, LiRIS, to Allergan for $588M. Dr. Sarma talked to Lokvani about his career and entrepreneurship. [more]

(This section is sponsored by Stephen Campbell, Mortgage Master)

Anju Pathak's aim is to take the art of bridal beauty to the next level. A one-stop shop for complete bridal dressing, hair do and make-up, she is Professional, Perfectionist and Prepared! [more]

(This section is sponsored by Monique Kornfeld, Esq.)

Priyanka Chopra sent out a global message of bringing women empowerment through education at a world leaders’ conference held in Boston. [more]

(This section is sponsored by Masala Art)

Harvard Pilgrim introduces Visiting Family Health Care Coverage, a new program for international travelers, in partnership with International Medical Group (IMG). [more]

Rahul Rai is an award winning actor based in New York City. He grew up in Long Island, NY and attended Pace University, where he graduated in Economics with a minor in Acting. Rahul played the lead role in “When Harry Tries to Marry”. He talked to Lokvani about his unusual career path for a South Asian in US. [more]

Srivatsan Raghavan, Smitha Krishnan, Ullhas Rao, Neil and Maya Pandit, Rithika Saxena, Ishaan Sane and Pradeep Shukla present a mesmerizing evening of Carnatic and Hindustani music. [more]

LearnQuest Academly of Music, announces its 10th annual ten-day Music Conference culminating with a 3-day grand music festival on April 3-5 at Regis College in Weston, MA. The festival will feature Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Nishat Khan, and many other world-renowned artists. [more]

New England Shirdi Sai Temple run by NESSP, is a community of enthusiastic professionals, who show the same amount of professionalism and commitment towards spreading the will and love of Baba. All major festivals are celebrated with great pomp and splendor, and the Maha Sivaratri and Sai Nrityanjali was no exception to this. [more]

The HTNH has been celebrating the auspicious annual occasion of Maha Shivaratri in a grand manner every year since its inception. The main highlights of the program on Feb. 17th were a chatur-kala pooja that included Abhishekam of the sacred Shiva Linga, Bhajans in various languages in praise of Lord Shiva, and a mini-vocal music concert by students of Smt. Usha Dwarak. [more]

On Feb. 22nd, over 60 devotees from Greater Boston and Southern New Hampshire gathered at the Shivalaya Temple of Greater Boston to attend a one day Durga Saptashati Beej Mantra Sadhna shivir conducted by Pujya Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji. [more]

Shri Sai Chavadi temple celebrated Mahashivaratri on Tuesday Feb. 17th in Canton, MA with bhajans by Vineeta Prasad and Karuna Bhatia. [more]

With an aim to strengthen ties with the local Indian community in Massachusetts, Consul General of India, New York, along with a delegation of high-ranking diplomats, and officials from banking, tourism, and aviation sectors, will be hosting an Outreach Program and Consular Services Camp at the Radisson Hotel Chelmsford-Lowell, on March 14, 2015. [more]

If you like South Asian Dance and want to see some of the most competitive dance teams in North America, don't miss South Asian Showdown competition on Saturday, February 28th, 2015 at the John Hancock Hall in Boston! [more]

Interested in Hindi Literature? Do not miss this fabulous evening of poetry, music and drama on March 1, 2015. [more]

Deepti Navaratna demonstrates that crosscultural events highlight that “music builds bridges” by featuring Indian Classical music at the Annual Boston Jewish Music Festival. [more]

Now in its 12th avatar, India Conference at Harvard is one of the biggest India focused conference held in USA. This year’s impressive speaker lineup includes the likes of Kiran Bedi, Prithviraj Chavan, Rahul Bose, Sajjan Jindal, Sumant Sinha, Akhil Gupta, Dipali Goenka, and over 80 other dignitaries across the fields of politics, business, social and creative arts. [more]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York is displaying “Earring for a Deity Showing Vishnu Riding Garuda” (17th-19th century) in its “Sacred Traditions of the Himalayas” exhibition which will run till June 14. [more]

"The AIF Youth Ambassador program is a unique global program that inspires high-schoolers to learn about social issues in rural India, collaborate with their peers in Indian schools and create innovative solutions to issues faced by the most underprivileged in India. AYAP is already off to a great start and we hope to involve thousands of high-schoolers in the coming years, sparking in them a desire to give back to their local and global communities." - Diaz Nesamoney, AIF Board Member. [more]

Sleep. It is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Here are some reasons why insomnia happens and what can be done about it. [more]

In what is a big win for the Indian community, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that select H-4 visa holders will be eligible for employment authorization. [more]

Perkins may have been founded as a residential school, but it has always worked to serve people who will never attend school on their Watertown, MA campus. [more]

Congratulations to Richa Juvekar, who was the winner of the last set of puzzles. Here are two puzzles for one and all! [more]

Catch up, register and purchase tickets for the upcoming events and concerts including Hindi Manch Sahitya Sammelan, Sandhya Manoj and Aishwarya Balasubramaniam, UIA Lets's Play Holi, O.S. Tyagarajan, DAWAT 2015, Malladi Brothers, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Chhaya Geet, Ken Zukerman, IITSINE Gala Dinner, Raag Rang, Sadanam Balakrishnan & Troupe, and Once Upon a Time NOT in Bollywood. [more]

(This section is sponsored by Sounds Of India)

Here it is – the top ten countdown of the week! My favorite is the peppy, swing jazz number called “Calcutta Kiss” from Detective Byomkesh Bakshay – releasing April 3rd! [more]

English Vinglish - time to laugh! [more]

Free Snow All You Can Shovel! [more]

Spice - All things nice. [more]

In the streets of Mumbai. [more]

"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dreams. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream." - Lao Tzu. [more]