eNews A monthly communiqué August 2019      No. 08

EDITOR'S NOTE The Executive Committee (EC) of IAGB had the busiest month of its year. On one hand the EC was all hands on deck in working towards the preparations for the annual gala India Day celebrations. This year again like every year we invite all of New England in commemorating India's Independence Day on Saturday, August 17th at Boston City Hall Plaza. We have lined up exciting live entertainment with a bouquet of cultural and traditional art forms that is bound to win your hearts. The plaza will feature many booths that will have interesting and alluring artifacts. It is always heartwarming to encourage local businesses and entrepreneurs and non profit organizations especially when there is a meeting of needs and minds. IAGB strongly encourages all patrons to peruse the vendors' booths. Last but not the least, this year again One World Cuisine will tempt your palates with a wide variety of cuisines. The EC was also busy at work with nomination process for the upcoming change of guard at IAGB for the term 2019-2021. The process as detailed in the by laws is being strictly adhered to and is underway. Looking forward to see you all on August 17th. Please do come and chat with any of the EC members and inquire how you can join the EC or contribute as a volunteer or just to say Hello. We would really love to meet you all and hear from you as to how IAGB can better serve the community. In this issue you will find: From the President's Desk - Aditi Taylor Art Work for eBrochure - Dr. Java Joshi IAGB Youth Excellence Award - Mandy Pant IAGB Hall of Fame Awards IAGB Executive Committee Elections for 2019-2021 Term IAGB 2019 Corporate Sponsors IAGB Upcoming Events IAGB Recent Events Community Calendar Our Sponsors Our Media Partners Like always, we invite you to submit guest columns on diverse topics for inclusion in the newsletter. Your feedback and suggestions and welcome!! Please contact via Email if you wish to make community event announcements through this newsletter. Please visit our Website to sign up for annual family/single or life membership of IAGB. Contact Us if you are interested to volunteer at our upcoming events. Time For Some Serious Action on Gun Control Yet again the nation collectively prayed for the innocent souls lost in the multiple mass shootings from CA to TX to OH. Status quo is not an option anymore. Repeal of Article 370 and Sec 35A IAGB sincerely hopes this new chapter in the Jammu, Kashmir, & Ladakh region of India brings long lasting peace and economic vitality. -- SANJAY KUDRIMOTI

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK My IAGB Swan Song... ADITI TAYLOR

Two years ago while taking on the reins of the oldest Indian American organization in the area, my shoulders felt a huge burden! With fire in my belly and the twinkle in the eye as I said back then, we had some lofty goals! I’d like to believe we achieved at least some of them and drove the change we wanted to see! In the last two years, IAGB has organized approximately fifteen events!! All the way from driving civic engagement conversations, to organizing food packs at the Food Bank to fun-filled Antakshari events to our signature republic and Independence Day celebrations. It’s been quite a ride! So what did I learn in these two years? I learnt the ‘why’ behind organizations like IAGB. I realized that our Indian-American community is ever growing, we need organizations like IAGB to keep us glued together. The needs of our Indian-American diaspora have changed so drastically in the last several decades that it’s time we think beyond mere preservation of culture. I also learnt that none of this is possible without solidarity. “There is no stability without solidarity”, said Jose Manuel Barroso. And that is so true for our community. For community organizations like IAGB to be sustainable, there needs to be a significant solidarity across the community, no matter what regional cultural backgrounds we come from or geographies we live in. Forging forward with one voice is the only way to create an avalanche of strength collectively as a community. I hope that the goal of unity and inclusion that the founders of IAGB started with and drove for the last 55+ years continues to forge forward stronger and more inclusive than ever before. As I get ready to pass the baton to the next Executive Committee, I hope the community continues to demonstrate the love and support they have in the past two years. As we stand at the brink of yet another big event, on behalf of IAGB, I invite all of you to come show our Indian pride, strength and solidarity to celebrate India’s Independence Day. The celebration will once again take place at the Boston City Hall Plaza on August 17, 2019. This sprawling open venue boasts easy access to transportation via commuter and subway as well as easy access to local Boston attractions. The event will kick off with a loud bang followed by a variety of cultural performances from various community groups. Intertwined with the performances will be a spread of fun, exciting and interactive games that all attendees can be a part of. Throughout the day, attendees will get to interact with local exhibitors and vendors from various corners of our community. And there will be sumptuous Indian food fare from One World Cuisine. I look forward to seeing you all there!  - Aditi Taylor

ART WORK FOR eBROCHURE

This year Dr. Java Joshi's art work was chosen as the cover for the eBrochure of India Day 2019. Born in India, at a young age Java earned several accolades in addition to earning Masters in Fine Arts and Ph.D. in Drawing & Painting from India. Early in her career (at age of 13), Java was influenced by Intuitive Abstract Expressionism. Been involved in both, painting and performing arts, a large portion of her work reflects relationship between art of painting and theatre, with paintings based on themes of plays/theatre from across the world. Her recent collection of paintings is based on Indian Folk Dances prior to which the collection was based on habitats and lifestyles of Indian villages. She has spent time in commercial arts (graphic and web design) as well as fine arts of drawing and painting. She has worked in advertising firms and now shares the passion of arts through teaching. Her style of using bright and vibrant colors allows her to express her imagination in a way that is refreshing & eye catching. She expresses herself in oil, acrylic, pencil and ink, sometimes combining non-traditional mediums. She says: “When observing my work, I would like you to feel energized and refreshed.”

YOUTH EXCELLENCE AWARDS IAGB was thrilled to receive large number nominations from our rising juniors and seniors from our community and each one was very deserving of Youth Excellence Award on their own merit. The IAGB team had a very difficult task of selecting just two out of the many. India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) is delighted to announce Richa Pillai and Hari Narayan as the 2019 IAGB Youth Excellence Award winners.

Richa Pillai is a rising senior at Groton School, MA. She is not only exceptional in her academics, but a great contributor to her school and her community. She earned a perfect score on her ACT, and won the Best Mathematics Scholar award in her school last year. She is an Admissions prefect, Communications prefect, Math club head, avid debater, and on the board of both Community Engagement and Diversity in her school. Following her passion for computer science, Richa has used Python to create and develop a chatbot on Slack, which enables basic conversation and provides information for students and teachers. Committed to helping others, Richa teaches underprivileged students STEM at an elementary school, and is in the midst of opening a library at a local temple. In addition, she works as a coding camp counselor, tutor, and marketing intern at a startup.

Hari Narayanan is a rising Senior at The Roxbury Latin School in Boston. Outstanding in academics, Hari will serve as editor-in-chief for their Tripod newspaper in 2019-20. He feels grateful to have been admitted to both the MIT-PRIMES program in 2018 and the Telluride Association Summer Program in 2019, the premier computer science research and humanities programs, respectively, for high schoolers in the country. He is a 4th generation Carnatic (classical South Indian) musician who has been learning and performing in India and the Greater Boston area for several years now. Hari won 18 gold, silver key, and honorable mention awards for writing in multiple genres in the prestigious Scholastic competition for students in 2018 and 2019, receiving the most individual awards in the state of Massachusetts. Hari is an active volunteer for Access Braille, an organization that strives to provide books and magazines to the visually impaired. He is the editor-in-chief of Wonders of Touch magazine produced for children who are visually disabled. Through his activities, be they in science, music, or writing, Hari endeavors to engage and give back to the community around him. IAGB congratulates the winners and will recognize Richa and Hari each with a plaque and a $200 cash award at the upcoming India Day Festival 2019 on August 17th Saturday, at the Boston City Hall Plaza.  -- MANDY PANT

HALL OF FAME AWARDS IAGB continues the tradition of recognizing community heroes from diverse fields and honor them by inducting them into the IAGB Hall of Fame. This year we are recognizing Latha Mangipudi in the Civic Engagement category and Mr. Sudhakar Rao and Mrs. Usha Rao for their selfless work in community service category.

Latha Mangipudi is currently serving her fourth term in New Hampshire House of Representatives. She represents Hillsborough 35 Nashua Ward 8. Latha has made her home in Nashua and lived there since 1989 with her husband and two children. Their children graduated from public schools in Nashua.  As a first generation immigrant, Latha came to this country with a degree and a desire to work. She arrived here with a Master’s in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and worked towards a PhD in Behavior Neuro-Sciences at Boston University. Her exposure to two very diverse systems and cultures has given her some insights that are unique. She has drawn on these experiences to be effective in her involvement in the community.

Sudhakar Rao and his wife Usha Rao have been living in Boston area since early 80s and have been very quietly and actively involved in Indian American community. Sudhakar is the founder of Kala Kalatarangini, an organization which supports and facilitates the cultivation of various Classical art forms from India among the younger generation growing up outside India with a mission of “passing on tradition”. He brings Indian artists and conducts concerts, workshops for younger generation in the Boston area free of cost. He is one of the founding members Tulu Koota in the New England region, under the auspices of which he has organized picnics, concerts and celebrations of festivals from the South Kanara regions, and he has also been a past President of Kannada Koota. Usha is currently serving on an all female board of the Kannada Koota. The couple volunteer relentlessly every week in many events that are being conducted through out the year in any part of Greater Boston Area. He is a permanent volunteer at Chinmaya mission and Raghavendra temples, helping with preparing food and feeding thousands of people every week. Both of the them work tirelessly at events, being the first to arrive and last to leave after cleanup. Usha, a silent but dedicated soldier, never seeks any recognition for the number of difficult food preparations she provides for all events be it a picnic or a cultural event.

IAGB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS FOR THE 2019-2021 TERM The current term of IAGB Executive Committee (EC) will end in September 2019 and elections will be held to elect an EC for 2019-2021. The election will comprise four officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and up to fifteen directors and will be held in September 2019. IAGB members and supporters may nominate individuals to serve in various positions on the EC 2019-2021. An Election Committee, comprising of senior IAGB members and ex-Presidents has been established to oversee the election process. Nominating Committee: Mr. Rajinikanth Malipat Ms. Rita Shah Dr. Anil Saigal    According to the current by-laws, following is the eligibility criteria to be considered for candidates to the EC: Candidates must be current, valid members of IAGB; Candidates for President and Vice President shall have served on the IAGB EC for at least one full term prior to being elected; Candidates for Secretary, Treasurer and Director shall have been Voting Members of the Association for at least one year as of 15th of June of the year of election (i.e., as of 15 June, 2019).   The nomination submission should include the following: Brief statement by the nominee candidate accepting the nomination and pledging to abide by the Bylaws of the Association Brief bio of the candidate, with particular emphasis on his/her contributions to IAGB in the past, his/her vision for IAGB, and how the candidate expects to realize that vision; Details of his/her membership (Life/Annual, primary member name, date) Package of SEVEN completed nomination forms (email nomination is acceptable also) from IAGB members nominating the individual for the selected position (Officer/Director)   Nominations submission should be submitted  no later than midnight of August 25, 2019  per the details provided below.   Nominations should be sent to: Sanjay Sahasrabudhe (IAGB Treasurer) Aditi Taylor (IAGB President)

IAGB INDIA DAY 2019 CORPORATE SPONSORS

India Day celebration has been made possible by support of number of great organizations and individuals every year. Corporate sponsors of India Day 2019 are Harvard Pilgrim and Healthcare, Newyork Life Insurance Company, One World Cuisine, BMW of Sudbury, Indian Circle for Caring, and Nexus Holidays. IAGB would like to extend a sincere thanks for their support and generosity.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care(HPHC) Headquartered in Wellesley, MA, Harvard Pilgrim and its family of companies provide health benefit plans, programs and services to more than 3 million customers in New England and beyond. A leading not-for-profit health services company, Harvard Pilgrim guides members – and the communities its serves – to better health.

Newyork Life Insurance Company At the heart of New York Life is a commitment to be there for the customers when they need -whether today or decades into the future. NY Life has delivered on that promise for nearly 175 years by investing wisely, growing a diversified mix of businesses, and remaining true to the mission as a mutual company, accountable only to their customers, not to outside investors. People come to work at New York Life to contribute to the financial goals of millions of families and businesses each day. NY Life has a diverse, nationwide workforce that allows them to support the communities where we work. New York Life has a dedicated South Asian Unit for the past 20 years.

One World Cuisine For over 30 years, One World Cuisine restaurants group has provided Boston with distinctive culinary excellence from the Indian subcontinent. Over the years, the family of restaurants has grown to include diverse culinary concepts ranging from casual takeout, to fine dining and nightlife, to gourmet Indian groceries. One World Cuisine is constantly expanding and pushing the envelope of Boston’s restaurant trade through innovative concepts, unsurpassed quality, and impeccable service.

At BMW of Sudbury, a Herb Chambers Company, we don't believe in providing the same old dealership experience, and we aren't interested in sticking to the status quo. We are committed to satisfying our customers' every automotive need, and we strive to create the kind of environment that they'll want to share with others. Come to this Massachusetts BMW dealer and you will find a wealth of chic and well-designed vehicles for your consideration. Browse our new 2018-2019 inventory and you'll find a large selection of  new BMW  models, including the ever-popular BMW X5 SAV®, BMW 3 Series sedan and BMW i8 coupe. We also have plenty of well-kept  used BMW  models for budget-conscious shoppers to browse, as well as trustworthy Certified Pre-Owned BMW vehicles.

Indian Circle for Caring USA Inc., (ICC) is a volunteer non-profit organization focused on providing urgent or emergency guidance and support for our fellow community members and their families as they may encounter unplanned and unexpected events such as serious sickness, hospitalization, accidents, family crisis, and death / bereavement of a loved one. Started in August 2007, ICC has been actively building awareness in the community by working with existing social, religious, professional, services, media and other organizations as well as participation at various events. ICC has over 5,500 members and has received support of over sixty (60) organizations. In order to provide needed support to its clients ICC has built a bank of over 250 volunteers and established strategic partnership with several organizations.

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in New York, Nexus Holidays is a global tour operator with 15 offices worldwide. Our speciality is in the designing, developing, worldwide marketing and selling of high quality tour programs exploring regions such as China, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and much more. By serving over 70,000 customers annually, we are known as one of the leading brands for Asia travel, as our tour programs are designed primarily for North American travelers valuing reliability and flexibility, with attractive prices. Nexus Holidays is also a fully integrated retail travel service provider offering services in air booking, hotel arrangement, cruise reservation and holiday travel. We have established a significant presence across the United States with five offices located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and New York. With our local knowledge and global expertise, we create value and deliver on promises to achieve the ultimate goal of offering you a seamless travel experience. Explore with Nexus Holidays now!

IAGB UPCOMING EVENTS

IAGB General Body Meeting Stay tuned for the announcement with regards to Nomination Committee, IAGB General Body Meeting and Election of new Executive Committee for 2019-2021. Please watch this space and facebook and website. We encourage you all to get involved and participate,

IAGB RECENT EVENTS

IAGB Civic Forum: May 18th, 2019 IAGB 5 K Walk / Run: May 11th, 2019 

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

OUR PARTNERS

OUR MEDIA PARTNERS

Editors: Sanjay Kudrimoti & Nagendra Rao IAGB Communications www.iagb.org

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