STAMFORD, CT -
When GOPIO-Connecticut celebrates its second anniversary at the Italian Center
of Stamford, three Indian Americans and a Congressman will be honored by the
organization for their outstanding achievements and service to the community at
an Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 27th starting at 5 p.m. They are:
Dr. Nayan Chanda of Yale University for his accomplishments and contributions to
Arts and Letters, Dr. Prasad Srinivasan for his contribution to Medicine and
Community service and Mr. Sameer Ahuja for his outstanding accomplishment as "A
Young Person Of The Year" (co-founder of the Sports Museum of America). In
addition, Congressman Christopher Shays will be inducted by the organization as
"Friend of India", the highest honor the organization gives to an American.
GOPIO - Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin - is a worldwide organization dedicated
to community service and working with people locally to coordinate activities of
common interest nationally and on a global scale. GOPIO-CT was launched in 2006.
In two years,
GOIO-CT has become a very active and dynamic organization hosting interactive
sessions with many policy makers, youth mentoring and networking workshops,
grant parent's day and health awareness series," said Dr. Abraham, Chairman -
GOPIO International.
Sangeeta Ahuja who
has been reelected as the chapter's president said that to become a
distinguished organization involves a lot voluntary community service work from
its members.
"We will assess our
community's needs for the future, set right priorities and plan new activities
for our community. Whether it is investment opportunities in India, health care
in the US, promoting our culture, preserving our heritage or providing support
for our members - we will continue to develop collaborative relationships with
other organizations and navigate our way to the future," Ahuja
added.
The guest of honor
at the Awards Banquet is India's Deputy Consul General Ajai M. Gondane. The
program includes Indian classical dances Odissi by Anindita Nanda and a Bharat
Natyam dance by Natya Anubhava Academy directed by Dr. Nalini Rau and Bollywood
dances. An added attraction will be the ACapella performance by Yale
University's Proof of the Pudding Group who has just completed a tour of India
and has performed even some Bollywood songs.
GOPIO-CT
AWARDEES
2008
Dr. Nayan
Chanda - "ARTS AND LETTERS"
 Dr. Nayan Chanda is the director of
publications at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and the editor of
YaleGlobal Online. His widely
acclaimed book Bound Together: How Traders,
Preachers, Adventurers and Warriors Shaped Globalization has been
translated into Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and Italian. For 30 years
before joining Yale he was associated with the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review as its
reporter, diplomatic correspondent and editor. He is the author of Brother Enemy: The War After the War,
(1986) and co-author of over a dozen books on Asian politics, security and
foreign policy. He is a columnist for Business World magazine in
India.
Dr.
Prasad Srinivasan - "COMMUNITY SERVICE AND MEDICINE"
 Prasad Srinivasan M.D., a specialist
in Allergy and Immunology has been very involved in community service in various
capacities. He has been very active with Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society
and served on the board for several years and as its Chairman for two years. He
was instrumental in the youth temple activities and the Hindu Sunday School. He
has worked to build bridges between various religious groups and has been active
with the Connecticut Council for Inter Religious Understanding.
He is very active
with the Connecticut Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. He was the
President and currently is a member of the Board of Trustees. He is very active
with American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI). After
completing his term as a Regional Director, he currently is the Treasurer and in
June 2008 will be AAPI Secretary.
In 1999 he
established the Prasad Family Foundation to support educational activities for
graduate and undergraduate students, both in this country and abroad. He is
actively involved with the Malta House of Care which provides free health care
services to the indigent and under insured population in Hartford. He is working
to expand these services to other parts of the state. He lives in Hartford, CT
with his wife, Kala Prasad, who is a musician.
Mr. Sameer Ahuja -
"YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD"
GOPIO-CT President's
Special Recognition.
 Sameer
is the co-founder and developer of the Sports Museum of America (SmA), the
nation's first comprehensive interactive attraction celebrating all of sports,
opening to the public in May 2008 in Lower Manhattan. The 100,000 square foot
facility, which has received strong endorsements from numerous public officials,
is expected to become an integral part of the tourism landscape in New York City
and a major contributor to the revitalization of the World Trade Center area.
Sameer had directed all finance, business development, and real estate
activities, most notably, the structuring and execution of $100 million of NY
Liberty Bond and private equity financing to fund the construction and ramp-up
of the attraction. Prior to joining the Sports Museum of America, Sameer worked
in the investment banking and venture capital divisions of JPMorgan Chase &
Co. Prior to JPMorgan, he was with management consultants Capco, Inc. and A.T.
Kearney, Inc.
Sameer
is married to Sima S. Ahuja, who is an attorney with BNY Convergex LLC. He
received a B.A. in economics from Columbia University and an MBA from the
Harvard Business School.
This special
recognition award is sponsored by Sangeeta Ahuja in the memory of her father Mr.
Dharam Pal Kashyap, who instilled the values of personal growth and education in
younger people.
Congressman Christopher
Shays- "FRIEND OF INDIA"
 The only Republican Member of the House
of Representatives from New England, Christopher has spent three decades in
public service as a committed advocate for his constituents, rich or poor. He
has been on the front lines on the fight against Islamic terrorism, a budget
hawk, an activist for good government and equal rights, a respected voice on
urban issues, a dedicated supporter of animal protection, a staunch
environmentalist and a leader in the effort to develop a more sustainable
long-term energy policy.
A senior member of the
Homeland Security and the Oversight and Government Reform Committees and Ranking
Member of the Subcommittee on National Security and International Affairs,
Christopher also serves on the Financial Services Committee. These assignments,
coupled with his moderate, bipartisan approach, put him at the center of the
most critical issues facing our country today: confronting Islamist terrorism
and winning the war in Iraq, growing our economy and eliminating waste, abuse
and fraud in the government.
Elected to the House
Representatives in 1987, Congressman Shays has been a great friend of the Indian
American community. A member of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian
American community, he was one of the early supporters of the U.S.-India Nuclear
Energy Cooperation Act of 2006.
For more information
and tickets, contact: Paul Ahuja, (203) 329-9744,
E-mail:
sangeetaahuja@aol.com
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