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GOPIO NEWS
May 25, 2012
A Publication of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
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NOTE: GOPIO News is a
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GOPIO is a
community supported non-profit organization taking up issues of the Indian
Diaspora and attempting to unifying the community in its common causes. Support
GOPIO by becoming a Life Member or chapter member. Once can become Life Member
online by visiting
http://www.gopio.net/online_membership.html.
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GREAT EXPECTATION AT
THE ARRIVAL DAY CONFERENCE BY GOPIO IN ST. VINCENET
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This year, the commemoration of Indian Arrival Day (IAD) in St. Vincent will be
significantly different. There will be many activities leading to the 1st
June, the officially-recognized IAD. As in previous years, the St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Indian Heritage Foundation will be organisng a re-enactment of
the landing of Indians at Indian Bay, followed by a procession to Heritage
Square, where there will be a display of Indian cuisine, among other activities.
For the first time, there will be an International Indian Diaspora Conference
from 1st to 3rd June, 2012.
Since 1975, Indian Diaspora Conferences have been held mainly in Trinidad and
Tobago and other larger territories. However, a decision was taken to
organise one this year in St. Vincent to coincide with our IAD. It is being
organized by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chapter of the Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin International (GOPIO SVG) in
collaboration with the SVG Indian Heritage Foundation, with the support from the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
The
theme of the Indian Diaspora in Caribbean Regional to be held in St. Vincent on
the weekend of June 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2012 is"The Indian Diaspora in St.
Vincent and the wider Caribbean".The conference will coincide with the
Indian Arrival Day in St. Vincent on June 1st which has been formally recognized
by St Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament since 2007.
Participants will come from several countries such as India, Sri Lanka, UK, USA,
Canada and the Caribbean. Delegated include government ministers and
diplomats, as well as other high-level officials.TheConference is
jointly chaired by Dr Arnold Thomas, GOPIO International Coordinator for the
Caribbean and Dr Kumar Mahabir, Co-Chair of the GOPIO Academic Council and
Professor at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).
For the three-day period, the Conference will begin with the Opening Ceremony
at Peace Memorial Hall on Friday 1st June from 6:00 8:00 p.m. in the
presence of the Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves. Remarks will
also be made by the President of GOPIO International, Minister of Culture,
President of the SVG Indian Heritage Foundation and a Minister from Sri Lanka. A
cultural presentation is also included in the opening programme.
Photo
above from l. to r.: St. Vincent Prime Minister Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves, GOPIO
President Ashook Ramsaran, GOPIO Intl. coordinator for Caribbean Arnold Thomas
and and GOPIO Academic Council Co-Chiar Dr. Kumar Mahabir
The Conference Programme for Saturday 2nd June, 2012 is from 8:30
a.m. to1:00 p.m. at Murray Heights Hotel, McKie's Hill, Kingstown. There will be
several panels discussing various topics such as conditions under which Indians
came, cultural and religious adaptation, and integration and assimilation.
Following a lunch break, participants will move to Diamond to join a Seventh Day
Adventist Evangelistic Crusade, where there will be a special session dealing
with the rise of Adventism among Indians in SVG and Belize between 3.00 to
4.00 p.m. On conclusion of this session, participants will return to Murray
Heights for the concluding session from 5.00 to 8.00 p.m.
On Sunday 3rd June, 2012, between on 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., participants will
be taken on an island tour to places of interest climaxing inArgyle where SVG
Indian Heritage Foundation is having a Family Fun Day. There are also several
activities planned for the Argyle event.
There is no registration fee for the Conference, and the general public is
invited, especially students and teachers. Summary of the program schedule is as
follows:
Friday June 1 -
Ceremonial opening at 6.00 p.m. with a feature speech, concluding with a
cocktail reception
Saturday June 2-
All-day presentations from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., concluding with a cultural
show and/or film screening beginning at 8.00 p.m.
Sunday June 3-
All-day island guided tour that would include tangible, intangible and natural
heritage and historical sites such as monuments, museums, beaches, events,
ceremonies and activities
Updated information on accommodation for all guests staying in St. Vincent for
Conference
The
conference organisers will provide free shared-room accommodation,
most likely at http://s2.stvincentyp.com/St-Vincent/Murray-Heights-Hotel/profile
and breakfast and lunch, and ground transportation for two days/nights for foreign presenters, speakers and
entertainers only. Other participants would be provided with subsidised
services and facilities.
Other suitable accommodations are:
New
Haddon Hotel - Saint Vincent, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
http://www.wheretostay.com/New_Haddon_Hotel-stvincent-hotel-1051
Tropic Breeze Hotel
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147380-d156151-Reviews-Tropic_Breeze_Hotel-St_Vincent_St_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.html
All-day island guided tour - Sunday
June 3, 2012 - 10.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Include visits to tangible, intangible and natural heritage and historical sites
such as monuments, museums, beaches, events, ceremonies and activities
Contacts: Dr. Arnold Thomas in St. Vincent (GOPIO Regional Coordinator,
Caribbean) at 784-430-4186.arnoldthom@yahoo.co.uk, or Dr. Kumar Mahabir in Trinidad (Assoc. Prof.,
University of Trinidad & Tobago & Co-Chair, GOPIO Academic Council at 868-756-4961,
dmahabir@gmail.com.
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GOPIO
CULTURAL COUNCIL JOINS HANDS WITH IAAC FOR A SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE MOVIE
DELHI IN A DAY, SAT. MAY 26TH IN NEW YORK CITY
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GOPIO Cultural Council joins hands with Indian American Arts Council to invite
you to a special screening of the film
DELHI IN A DAY on Saturday, May 26th at 9 p.m. at the
Tribeca Cinemas in New York city. See more details below: Limited number of
tickets are available. Please contact GOPIO Cultural Council.
Contact: Dr. Najma Sultana,
Co-Chair, GOPIO Cultural Council,
najmany2@yahoo.com.
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GOPIO-CT HOSTS NETWORKING COCKTAIL RECEPTION AND MOVIE DIL CHAHTA HAI IN
STAMFORD, CT, MAY 30TH, 6.30 P.M.
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GOPIO-HEALTH DIABETES AWARENESS SEMINAR,
SUNDAY, JUNE 10TH, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
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GOPIO CENTRAL JERSEY CHAPTER - IMMIGRATION
SEMINAR ON JUNE 24TH |
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GOPIO
Central JerseyChapter
Presents
A
Seminar on US and Canadian Immigration
by
a Panel of Experts
Covering topics relating to the
changes in immigration laws and issuance of work, visitors and business visas
(H1/B1/B2) in India, United States of America & Canada and how it may affect you
and your business
Panelists
Michael Phulwani, Esq. is one of the Managing
Attorneys at Nachman Phulwani Zimovcak Law Group, P.C. and a U.S. Immigration
Attorney with over 40 years of immigration experience who has and continues to
serve the Indian Community Nationwide with regard to all its immigration law
needs. Mr. Phulwani has a TV Show on TV Asia and on ITV each week and
he continues to assist Bollywood Film Stars, their companies and their families
enter the U.S.
David, Nachman, Esq.is one of the Managing
Attorneys at Nachman Phulwani Zimovcak Law Group, P.C. and a U.S. Immigration
Attorney with over 23 years of Immigration and Nationality Law experience. Mr.
Nachman is an Adjunct Professor of Paralegal Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson
University and the Chair of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Immigration
Lawyers Association (AILA). Mr. Nachman concentrates his practice in the
business immigration law arena and he works closely with Indian Generic Pharma
companies to bring their staff to the U.S.
Madhavi Samudrala, Esq.is admitted as an
attorney in New York, U.S.A. as well as in India. She is a member of the New
York Bar Association and AILA and is also actively involved with the American
Immigration Lawyers for the Indian Sub-Continent (AILISC). Ms. Samudrala is a
native of India and has professional experience working in the area of U.S.
immigration law since 2001. Madhavi handles family-based immigration work and
has interacted extensively with U.S. Consulates and Embassies in India, Pakistan
and Bangladesh.
Veronique Malkais the
only immigration lawyer in the U.S.A. who dedicates her practice to Canadian
Immigration Law. She is a Canadian attorney from Ontario, Canada, with a license
as a Foreign Legal Consultant from the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Veronique is
a native of Montreal, Quebec. She obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) and
a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) at McGill University in 1993. She clerked at the
Quebec Court of Appeals. She also worked as law student in London, England. In
2005, Veronique moved to the U.S. and helped develop the Canadian Immigration
Division at NPZ Law Group.
SUNDAY JUNE 24, 2012 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Sharp) at
Edison
Hotel
3050
Woodbridge Avenue
Edison, NJ
08837
(GPS
Address 1173 King George Post Rd)
Tel: + 1
732 661 1000
ADMISSION INCLUDING LUNCH
$25.00 GOPIO
Members
- $30.00 Non-Members
Seating is limited, so please reserve your tickets early from a member listed
below
For more information please contact:
Dinesh Mittal - 732-666-5183
dinesh1018@gmail.com
Dr. Rajeev
Mehta - 732-986-2584
rajimehta@hotmail.com
Gagan Deep
- 732-762-5706
Gagan@ASLCMortgage.com
Suresh
Reddy - 732-259-9331
sureshr@attglobal.net
Sarika Sikand - 732 -266-4545
ssikand732@yahoo.com
Dr. Tushar Patel - 848-391-0499 -
tpatel434@yahoo.com
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GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION |
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GOPIO is a
non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization with chapters in several
countries, actively promoting the interests of people of Indian origin worldwide
by monitoring and addressing current critical issues of concern, and by
enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of Indians living in
various countries.
GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who
believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one- time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life
Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership
and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and
India.
GOPIO is looking forward to opening chapters in all
major cities of the world so as to network people of Indian origin all over the
world. If you do not have chapter in your city, please visit GOPIO website (www.gopio.net)
and get details of
chapter initiation (visit
http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). Process involves sending
a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For
more information, contact:
GOPIO
Chairman - Inder Singh, Tarzana, California, USA, Tel: +1-818-708-3885, E-mail:
gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net.
GOPIO
President - Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows, New York, USA, Tel: 718/939-8194,
E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com
GOPIO
Executive Vice President - Sunny Kulathakal, Bahrain, Tel: +973 39441956 or +91
9845756692, E-mail: Kulathakal@yahoo.com
GOPIO Senior Vice
President - Dr Piyush Agrawal, Weston, Florida, USA, Tel: +1-954-684-6494,
E-mail:sudhapca@aol.com
To become a Life member of GOPIO, one can sign up online at
http://gopio.net/online_membership.htm or
fill up the form and send it with a
check to: GOPIO International, PO Box 560117,
New York NY 11356, USA.
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EDITORIAL BOARD |
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Chief
Editor:
Dr. Thomas Abraham,
Founder President
and Chairman Emeritus of GOPIO Intl. and Executive Trustee, GOPIO Foundation
(Stamford, CT, USA)
Editor: Nami Kaur, Secretary, GOPIO International (New York,
USA)
Co-Editors:
Bina Mahabir,
Co-Chair GOPIO Media Council, GOPIO International (Guyana-New York, USA) and
Nilofar Pardawala (Portland, Oregon, USA)
Webmasters:
Prashant Gupta (Hyderabad, India)
and Abu Thomas (New Rochelle, NY, USA)
Contributors of this issue:
Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net.
GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a
volunteer correspondent or reporter.
Ashook Ramsaran (President, GOPIO Intl.), Shailesh Naik(President,
GOPIO-CT), Dr. Arnold Thomas
(GOPIO Intl Coordinator for Caribbean, St. Vincent), Dr, Najma Sultana
(Co-Chair, GOPIO Cultural Council), Sangeeta Ahuja (Chia, GOPIO Health Council),
Dinesh Mittal (GOPIO-Central Jersey) |
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