Tag: FIA

FIA Joins Indian Consulate in New York Celebrating International Women’s Day

Staff ReporterCommunity, Women 0

The heavily attended event saw several accomplished women being honored. The Chairwoman of FIA IWD committee Smita Micky Patel addressed the gathering, thanking all those involved in making the event a success —  the Consulate and Consul General Binaya S. Pradhan, and Deputy CG Dr. Varun Jeph, leaders of FIA like Chairman Ankur Vaidya and President Dr. Avinash Gupta and the whole Women’s Empowerment Team.

The FIA President Dr. Avinash Gupta briefly addressed the gathering stressing values women bring to the family and society. he called the inspiration of the women as a “nutritional source” and called for standing together to build a society where every woman and girl gets the chance to achieve. He also thanked the women in FIA who :stand shoulder to shoulder” with the rest of FIA for every event. “Except, today, they did it all on their own,” Dr. Gupta said.  The sponsors of the event included Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media.

FIA Joins Indian Consulate in New York Celebrating International Women’s Day 2The celebration commenced with a welcoming Meet & Greet, followed by a digital showcase of the FIA’s history of furthering diversity and gender equality. Payal Shah, Co-chair of International Women’s Day, emceed the event.

The Consulate noted on X, formerly Twitter, that the occasion, “celebrated the achievements & indomitable spirit of women.”

Indian Consul General Binaya S. Pradhan presenting awards to women recipients at March 8, 2024, IWD celebrations hosted by FIA-NYNJCTNE. Clockwise, Megha Desai, Indu Lew, Neena Singh. PHOTO: X @IndiainNewYork.

The four women honored and recognized for their contributions included Radhikaraje Gaekwad, who was not present and had been presented the honor in her hometown in India; Mayor of Montgomery township Neena Singh, the first Indian American Sikh woman to win that position; Indu Lew, executive vice president and Chief of Staff of Robert Wood Johnson Barnabus Health; and Megha Desai, president of the Desai Foundation which has the goal of elevating health, livelihood and menstrual equity for women and children through community programs in rural India.

A portrait of awardee Radhikaraje Gaekwad broadcast on screen March 8, 2024, at the FIA event in the Indian Consulate. PHOTO: videograb Facebook @India in New YorkRadhikaraje Gaekwad was presented the honors from FIA in India. Seen with her are FIA representatives Ankur Vaidya,left and Srujal Parikh, right. PHOTO: FIA

India’s Consul General, Binaya Srikant Pradhan, in his speech, shared insights on the achievements of Indian woman and the government’s commitment to empowering them and India’s women-led development. He presented a sash with the honorees’ name, a trophy, as well as a bouquet to each woman, recognized.

The three awardees present in person, spoke to the audience about their ideas and vision, and all of them spoke about lifting the second generation of Indian American youth, and youth in India.

Mayor Singh, among other things, discussed one of the programs her administration is engaged in which encouragesFIA Joins Indian Consulate in New York Celebrating International Women’s Day 3 youth to be mentored in various departments in the Township “Representation matters,” Singh said, adding, “We are making a mark in this country.”

Indu Lew praised the other recipients of the FIA awards and thanked the organization for choosing her as one. In any industry, from entertainment to technology, she said, women bring a unique perspective, experience, and intelligence to bear on the issues. And in all cases, “Outcome far exceeds the expectation,” when a woman is leading. They are balancing so many balls, that even if by some chance, they drop one of them, it will be the one that bounces back, she said. Her motto “As we raise, we must rise,” emphasized that everyone has a responsibility to mentor and guide the next generation, and also their own colleagues. “I am proud to be an Indian American and to have this honor,” Lew said.

Megha Desai spelt out the goals of the Desai Foundation and its goal of achieving dignity for women. “What we mean by women’s empowerment is we shouldn’t have to be extraordinary in order to be empowered.” One can be ordinary and empowered, she emphasized, poor and empowered. She cited an example of a young woman who felt empowered in one of the Foundation’s projects. According to her, if the millions of women in India could be empowered, it would raise the GDP, improve healthcare, and other aspects of life.

Tri-state community bids farewell to Deputy Consul General of India in New York

Ajay GhoshCommunity 0

The Indian American community under the banner of the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut (FIA) bid farewell to Dr Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, Deputy Consul General of India in New York, who is returning to External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, at the Royal Albert’s Palace in Edison, New Jersey, March 21.

The auditorium was fully packed with people reflecting the tremendous popularity of an amiable and selfless civil servant, who was always willing to help anyone in need of consulate services. Speakers representing various organizations pointed out the many contributions of Dr Mohapatra, especially opening the consulate accessible to the public.

The audience greeted him with a standing ovation. The FIA presented a plaque recognizing his work and showing the gratitude of the community.

Andy Bhatia, president of FIA, welcomed the gathering and introduced Dr. Mohapatra.  Bhatia noted that Mohaptra interacted with the people as one of them instead of keeping aloof as a senior bureaucrat. He attended community functions and heard the problems of the people himself and often suggested solutions for them also.

FIA chair Ramesh Patel thanked Dr Mohapatra for his dedication in addressing the problems faced by the community as regards consular services among others. He said there were disagreements with him initially on several issues. But his humble approach and willingness to solve the issues were liked by all and it endeared him to all. He wished him success in the future assignments.

Srujal Parekh, executive vice president of the FIA noted that there will be a void in the community when Dr Mohaptra leaves. “We will miss you and your good works,” he said.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, who was one of the hosts of the event with Dr Kavita Gupta noted that Dr Mohaptra won the hearts of all those who interacted with him. Dr. Mohaptra is a physician who has excellent interpersonal skills including a very pleasant demeanor and problem solving attitude.
Padma Sri HR Shah, chairman of TV Asia wished Dr Mohaptra to return to the US as consul general or ambassador.

Padma Sri Dr Sudhir Parekh spoke about the open door policy of Dr Mohaptra which changed people’s attitude towards the consulate and its work.

Hirsh Vardhan Singh, who is running for Governor of New Jersey as a Republican, wished Mohaptra all success in future. He also spoke about the election saying that the community can influence the outcome if all those eligible went for voting.  He noted that only 9 percent of the qualified Indian Americans voted in the last election. It reflects poorly on our community. It is not important whether you are Republican or Democrat, but it is important to be active in public affairs. Albert Jasani and Shobana Patel of Royal Albert’s Palace and Dr Raj Bhayani, were among the co-hosts.

Dr. Mohapatra thanked the people for their enormous support for him in the last three years. He said he could achieve many things only because of the support of the people.

He cited the reception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Madison Square Garden as an example. It was a huge success because of the tremendous support of the community.

He said he has unforgettable memories of New York and he will be always part of the Indian community here. “Interaction with the community and its feed back are important for the smooth functioning of the consulate. I embraced every opportunity to interact with the community.”

He also thanked the media for changing the perception about the consulate. He noted the community outreach programs conducted in the ten states that fall under the jurisdiction of the consulate. He met eight governors of the states which helped to strengthen bilateral relationship with India and improving the relations with the community.

Mohapatra said in all probability he will be in Delhi for the next 2-3 years. “I will give you my personal email. If you email me with any questions, you will definitely get a response,” he promised.

He invited everybody to get in touch with him if they visit Delhi without any hesitation and he would love to connect. Mohapatra said he was greatly touched by the gesture of FIA and others organizing the event.

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