Indian Americans honored by the Consulate to mark Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

New York: The Consulate General of India in New York recognized many prominent   members of the Indian community here on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9.

The live telecast of the PBD celebration in New Delhi was a highlight. Eight different locations including New York were connected live to New Delhi where S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, delivered the keynote address.

Among the 21 individuals recognized for their contributions in the fields of politics, social work and service to the community were:   Ohio State Representative Niraj Antani; attorney Sanjay Chaubey; Lal Motwani, past chairman of NFIA; Dr. Prasad Srinivasan, former Connecticut State Rep and gubernatorial candidate; Ankur Vaidya, member, FIA Board; Dr. Neeta Jain, Democratic district leader in New York’s 25th Assembly District; Jagdish Sewhani, president, American India Public Affairs Committee; Sushma Kotahwala, past president of AIA-NY, broadcast journalist Renee Mehrra; Mohan Nannapaneni, founder and volunteer, Team Aid Inc.; Jitendra Muchhal, Friends of MP – NY NJ; and Minesh Patel who raised over $1 million for victims of Pulwama attack through a Facebook fundraiser.

Since 2003, the Government of India has been celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Jan. 9 to recognize the contribution of the overseas Indian community toward the development of India as well as their contributions to their adopted country. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on Jan. 9, 2015.

Jaishankar began his address by remembering his predecessor, the late Sushma Swaraj, for whom PBD was a particularly special occasion. “I would like to begin by recognizing her unique contribution and tireless work for the Indian diaspora and those working and traveling abroad. We all miss her very much,” he said.

Lauding the 17.1 million strong Indian disapora for its success in science, creative arts, technology, medicine, enterprise, engineering or in spreading Indian values, traditions, habits and soft power, Jaishankar said the “members of the diaspora have achieved great success in different walks of life and by doing so, define both India’s capabilities and branding.” He said the Indians settled abroad, have, “each in their own way, like drops of water coming together, have created a vast reservoir of goodwill for India.”

Image courtesy of thesatimes |

Share this post