Every year, Indians for Collective Action, one of the oldest San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organizations focused on development and social entrepreneurship in India, has been honoring outstanding people who have been doing groundbreaking work to help the most under-served communities in India.
This year, ICA is celebrating its Annual Recognition Dinner honoring Padmashree and Magsaysay Award winners Dr. Prakash Amte and Dr. Mandakini Amte of LBP, Pune, India, and Padma Bhushan Dr. Thomas Kailath, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, Calif. (the Indian American educator is also the recipient of the 2014 Science & Technology Innovation Award from President Obama), on Oct. 11 at the India Community Center.
Since 1974, Dr. Prakash Amte (son of renowned humanitarian Baba Amte) and Prakash and Mandakini Amte, along with their organization Lok Biradari Prakalp, have spent 40 years bridging the gap between the two worlds — that of the beneficiaries of modern science and technology and of the Madia Gond tribals, who live on the fringes of society without such basic necessities as food, clothing and shelter.
The doctor couple helped them assert their rights and intervened to mediate disputes and get rid of abusive officials. Today, the Amtes’ tribal area hospital treats 40,000 patients a year free of charge. Also, the popular animal orphanage run by the Amtes at Hemalkasa, Maharashtra, promotes the survival of animals as a part of nature’s balance.
Thomas Kailath, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, has been widely acclaimed for his contributions to science and technology. His numerous recognitions include the IEEE Medal of Honor in 2007, a Padma Bhushan award in 2009 from the president of India, and election to the major science and engineering academies in the U.S., India, UK and Spain.
In 2014, President Barack Obama honored him with a U.S. National Medal of Science for “transformative contributions to the fields of information and system sciences, dedicated and sustained mentoring of young scholars, and for translation of scientific ideas into entrepreneurial ventures that have had a significant impact on industry.”
Kailath has been actively supporting numerous community and philanthropic initiatives in this country and in India, including ICA’s Sarah Kailath Women’s Leadership Program in India, since 2008. The cost of the event is $55 per person and $65/pp at the gate, which is partially tax deductible. You can register online for the event at: www.icaonline.org