GOPIO BIENNIAL CONVENTION 2018 & PRAVASI SAMMELAN, BAHRAIN, JAN. 6
DAY 1
Saturday, January 6, 2018
9 am - 11 am GOPIO Executive Council Meeting
Chaired by President Niraj Baxi
11 am - 12 pm Reports from International Coordinators and GOPIO Council Chairs
12 pm - 1 pm GOPIO General Body Meeting (Open to Life Members and Chapter Delegates)
Chaired by Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham
President's Report - Mr. Niraj Baxi
Treasurer's Report - Mr. Kewal Kanda
1 pm to 2 pm Lunch
2 pm - 5 pm GOPIO General Body Meeting (Cont'd)
Chaired by Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham
GOPIO Bylaws Amendments
Presented by GOPIO Bylaws Committee
Harmohan Walia, Harbachan Singh and
Dr. Thomas Abraham
Presentation on GOPIO MemberNova
By Mr. Dinesh Mittal
Announcement of Election Results (2018-'19) & Endorsement/Election of GOPIO Chairman by Election Committee (Mr. Inder Singh, Mr. Dhiraj Solanki and Dr. Vinod Daniel)
6 pm Convention Inauguration
National Anthems
Prayer Song by Playback Singer Ms Parvati Menon
Welcome speech by GOPIO Incoming President and Convention Convener Mr. Sunny Kulathakal
Presidential Address by Mr. Niraj Baxi, President, GOPIO Intl.
Lighting the Lamp Ceremony
Chief Guest - H.E. Dr. Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Electricity & Water, Kingdom of Bahrain
Inaugural Address by Honorable Shri Alfons Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Culture, and Tourism, Government of India
Address by Mr. Raj K. Purohit, Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, Mumbai, India and GOPIO Advisor
Chairman's Address by GOPIO Founding President Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO International
Felicitation by: 1) Dr. B.R. Shetty, Chairman, NMC Healthcare
2) Lord Diljit Rana, Former President, GOPIO International
7.30 pm Indian Women Achiever's Samman
(Award Recognition Ceremony)
Opening Remarks by GOPIO's Global Ambassador and Convention Convener Mr. Sunny Kulathakal and Mr. Rajeev Gupta, Managing Editor, NRI Achievers
Felicitation by Ms Arathi Krishna, Deputy Chairman, NRI Forum, Karnataka Govt.
Vote of Thanks by Dr. George Cheriyan, President, GOPIO-Bahrain and
CEO, American Mission Hospital
8.15 pm Cultural Programme
9.15 pm Dinner
DAY 2
Sunday, January 7, 2018
9.00am Prayer Song
9.05am Session I - Conference Inaugural Session 'India 2030: An Economic Powerhouse'
Welcome - Mr. Sunny Kulathakal, GOPIO's Global Ambassador and Convention Convener
Introduction - Mr. Soman Baby, Chairman, Reception Committee
Chief Guest - H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Daij Al Khalifa, President. Court of H.R.H. The Crown Prince
Keynote Speakers: Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP, Former Minister of State for External Affairs
Dr. Sam Pitroda, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Telecommunication Pioneer and Former Advisor to Prime Ministers of India
Address by
1) H.E Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, Chief Executive, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority
2) Dr. Anwar M. Abdulrahman, Chairman, AL HILAL GROUP, Bahrain
3) Mr. Chandan Mitra, Chief Editor, The Pioneer & Former BJP MP
4) Mr. Sudhir Kumar Shetty, President, UAE Exchange and President, GOPIO Abu Dhabi Chapter
Moderated by Mr. Issac John Pattaniparambil, GOPIO Intl. Coordinator for The Middle East, Business Editor, Khaleej Times. Dubai, UAE
11.15 am Tea Break
11.30pm - 12.30 pm Session II - Opportunities for Business and Investment in India
Introductory Remarks Mr. Nitin Shah, Co-Chair,GOPIO Intl. Chamber of Commerce, and
Chairman, Embassy National Bank, Atlanta, USA
Speakers Mr. Raj K. Purohit, Cabinet Minister, Maharashtra and GOPIO Advisor
Mr. PC CyriacIAS, Former Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu
Mr. Kurien Abraham, Editor & Publisher of business magazine 'Dhanam'
Ms. Mini Guleria, President & CEO, Macroscope Market Resourcing, Los Angeles, USA
Moderator Mr Shaji Baby John, Chairman, Kings Group, Kochi
1.30 pm-2.30 pm Lunch
2.30 pm-5 pm Session III - Rehabilitation of Returning NRIs
Speakers Mr. Sunny Kulathakal, Global Ambassador, GOPIO Intl., Bahrain
Dr. Gan Bhukta, Professor, GITAM University, Vishakhapatnam and Director NATSAFT Corp., New Jersey, USA
Mr. P.V. Radhakrishna Pillai, President, Kerala Samajam, and Recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, Bahrain
Mr Issac John Pattaniparambil, GOPIO Intl. Coordinator, The Middle East, Business Editor, Khaleej Timesm Dubai abd Chairman World Malayalee Council
Mr Soman Baby, Recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, Bahrain
Moderator Mr. Jacob George, Former Correspondent, India Today Magazine
6.30pm Book Release, Businessperson of the Year Award Function & Public Meeting
Welcome Address by Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO
National Anthems of Both Countries
Address by Minister of Electricity & Water, Kingdom of Bahrain, His Excellency Dr Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza
Book release of 'Advancing the Role of Executive Management' authored by Dr. Shaikh Mohamed Al Khalifa. Book released by His Excellency Dr. Abdulhussein bin Ali Mirza
Felicitation by Mr. Niraj Baxi, President, GOPIO Intl., San Jose, CA, USA
Special Address by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP, India
Award Ceremony coordinated by Mr. Anurag Batra, Chief Editor, Business World, New Delhi, India
Address
1) Mr. Raj Purohit, Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, Mumbai, India
2) Mr. J. Alexander, IAS, Former Minister, Karnataka, India
Vote of Thanks by Mr. Noel Lal, Executive VP, GOPIO Intl.
8.00 pm Cultural Programme - Drama by Indian Women of Bahrain
9.00 pm Dinner
DAY 3
Monday, January 8
9.00 - 10.15 am Session IV - Political Involvement of Diaspora Indians
Speakers Ravindran Robin Nair, Officer of the Order of Fiji and Prof. Bimal Prasad, Leader, National Federation Party, Fiji
Mr. Viresh Sharma, Treasurer, GOPIO-CT and President, Laser Systems, Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Ms. Nikki Kapadia, Los Angeles, California, USA
Mr. Ishwar Ramlutchman, GOPIO Intl. Coordinator and Chairman and Managing Director, Vukani and Mazulu Services PTY., Durban, South Africa
Moderator TBD
9.00 - 10.15 am Session V - Powering Global Indian Enterprises
Speakers Mr. Jay Banerjei, President, GOPIO-Toronto,Canada
Dr. J. Rajmohan Pillai, Managing Director, The Beta Group, Kollam, Kerala, India
Mr. Noel Lal, Executive VP, GOPIO Intl. and Managing Director, South Pacific Engineering and ABLEC Electric, Sydney Aus.
Mr. James Mathew, Managing Director, Crowe Horwath, Dubai
Moderator Mr. Dinesh Mittal, CEO, Vested Business Solutions, North Brunswick, NJ, USA
10.15 am Tea Break
10.30 -11.30 am Session VI - India: The Healthcare Destination' - 'India Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industry Challenges & Opportunities
Speakers Dr. Muhammed Majeed, CEO, Sabinsa (USA) and Sami Labs (India)
Dr. Pramod Kamdar, Asteria Pharmaceuticals,San Diego, USA
Dr. M. Anirudhan, Essen Nutrition, Chicago, IL, USA
Dr. Sunny Kurien, Chairman, Dr. Sunny's Group, Sharjah
Moderator TBD
10.30 -11.30 am Session VII 'Seniors of Indian Origin - Evolving a Global Network, Issues and Prospects'
Speakers Sudha Acharya, Executive Director, South Asian Council for Social Services, New York, NY
Dr. J. Alexander, IAS, Former Minister, Karnataka, India
Navin Negchiani, General Manager, Mohammed Jalal Group, Bahrain
Moderator Dr. Sai Giridhar, CEO, Middle East Hospital, Bahrain
11.30 am Session VIII - India in Two Decades and Utilizing NRI/PIO Resources for India'
Keynote Speech by Mr. Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary, Community Party of India (Marxist)
Moderator by Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO International
1.00 pm Lunch
2.00 pm- 3.00 pm Session IX 'Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-Up India'
Speakers: Mr. Vinesh Mehta, President, Federation of Association of Maharashtra, Mumbai
Ms. Rajespree Naidoo, GOPIO-Durban, South Africa
Mr. Mehen Poinoosawmy, GOPIO-Paris, Paris, France
Mr. Santosh Varghese,CEO, Toshiba, Middle East & Africa, Dubai
Moderator Mr. Nitin Shah, Co-Chair, GOPIO Intl. Chamber of Commerce & Chairman, Embassy National Bank, Atlanta, USA
2.00 am - 3.00 pm Session XI - Health and Wellness Issues of Diaspora Indians
Speakers Dr. Asha Samant, Chair, GOPIO Health Council, NJ, USA
Dr. George Cherian President, GOPIO-Bahrain and
CEO, American Mission Hospital
Dr. Sapta Giri Varma Mudunuru, CEO, PINHANS (India) and District Medical Officer, Trinidad and Tobago
Moderator Prof. Rajeev Mehta, Rutgers RWJ Medical School, NJ, USA
3.00 pm - 4.00 pm Session X - Empowering Indian Women
Speakers Ms. Molly Banerjei, Producer, Chai with Molly, Toronto
Ms. Meera Devi, Editor, Salam Bahrain
Ms. Michelle Michael, Durban, South Africa
Ms. Shabnam Moudgil, Community Leader, Dallas, Texas
Ms. Rini Johar. President, GOPIO-Redwood, California, USA
Moderator Sudha Acharya, Executive Director, SACSS, New York, NY
4.00 pm - 4.30 pm Session X1 - Conclusions and Resolutions
Chair Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO Intl., Stamford, USA
Panelists Session Moderators
Resolutions Presenter - Prof. Rajeev Mehta, Rutgers RWJ Medical School, NJ, USA
5.00 pm-6.00 pm Valedictory Function & Presentation GOPIO Community Service Awards
Chief Guest: Dr Sam Pitroda, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Telecommunication Pioneer and Former Advisor to Prime Ministers of India
Welcome Sunny Kulathakal, Incoming President and Convention Convener
Remarks 1) Dr Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO Intl., Stamford, USA
3) Mr Niraj Baxi, President, GOPIO Intl, San Jose, CA, USA
4) Mr Noel Lal, Exec. VP, GOPIO Intl., Sydney, Australia
Special Address - Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP, Former Minister of State for External Affairs
6.30 pm to 8 p.m. Finale Session
Chief Guest: Shri Rahul Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress. New Delhi, India
8pm Cultural Program and Dinner
DAY 4
Tuesday, January 9
9am - 10.30 am GOPIO Executive Council Meeting
Chaired by President
11.00 am Manama Site seeing and Desert Trip (Optional, buy tickets separately)