The office of Asian Community Affairs, Anissa Moore, Nassau County Deputy County Executive Jennifer Desena, Supervisor Town of North Hempstead, Director of Asian American Affairs in Nassau County, Arooj Islam, along with Indian American Forum Founding Member Dr. Bobby K. Kalotee & Chairperson Indu Jaiswal, celebrated Diwali honoring distinguished Indian American community leaders.
Emceed by Flora Parekh, the event highlighted the accomplishments of several prominent Indian American community leaders like Gurumaa Jyotishanand Saraswati (Vedic Heritage of India), Jasbir (Jay) Singh (Board Member – Asian American Advisory Board of Nassau County), Meena Shah, (Vaishnav Mandir – VTNY), Dr. Bharathi Reddy (Internist), Madhu Pareek (Blue Host Hospitality), Hargovind Gupta (Vice President, IALI) and Dr. Neeru Bhambri (Member At-Large IALI).
Starting with the American and Indian National Anthems by Angel Shah, the event followed a traditional diya lighting ceremony. Beautifully choreographed Diwali dances and performances by young girls and ladies’ group were the highlight of the evening. The venue was traditionally decorated by Jyoti Gupta, Anju & Sanju Sharma and team. Mouthwatering dinner and prasad boxes were served.
Several Indian American Forum Board members and community leaders namely Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, Deepak Bansal, Mukesh Modi, Dr. Urmilesh Arya, Past Presidents of IALI, Vibhuti Jha, Anil Shah, Dr. Kunjbala Shah were in attendance. Indian American Forum has been instrumental in showcasing the Indian tradition in NY for several decades.
Dr.Nori with some of the honorees
