eNews A monthly communiqué October 2019    No. 10

EDITOR'S NOTE The last hurrah for the outgoing 2017-2019 IAGB Executive Committee (EC) team was a better than expected success of India Day celebrations. The crowds, the programs, the vendors, the food, the weather, everything came together in a perfect symphony creating a festive atmosphere. There were many high energy performances including a flash mob dance on patriotic songs with participants ranging from ages 80 to young toddlers and open dance during the DJ hour at the conclusion of the event. Soon after the India Day celebrations the work towards constituting the new executive board for 2019-2021 started in earnest. A brief introduction of incoming EC is given below. Nearly half of the team from 2017-9019 have volunteered again to continue with their work from the previous term into the new term while the group is infused with new members and new energy that is very determined to take the organization forward by concentrating on a diversified portfolio of activities. The new president Sanjay Gowda has detailed his vision for the next two years in the President’s Corner Piece. Like always, we encourage our members and readers to get in touch with the team regarding their interests, concerns and ideas via email or in person at the various events hosted by IAGB.  In this issue you will find: From the President's Desk - Sanjay Gowda Introduction of Incoming IAGB EC - Ashok Shetty IAGB Annual General Body Meeting 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. IAGB congratulates Dr. Abhijit Banerjee Abhijit Banerjee along with Esther Duflo, both professors at M.I.T., and Michael Kremer a Professor at Harvard University, who have done experimental work toward alleviating poverty have been awarded the Nobel in economic sciences 2019. IAGB extends its warmest congratulations! -- SANJAY KUDRIMOTI

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK My Vision for the next two years.... SANJAY GOWDA

We have accomplished a lot in the last two years and kudos to the outgoing team, led by Aditi Taylor, for driving much needed positive change. As always in any organizations or professional environment, change is the only constant thing and as the new team takes charge, we will continue to adapt and drive further change and strengthen the initiatives. We have a great new team with diverse skill sets from all walks of life, working together with a common set of goals and vision. Our initiatives will be aligned with the multi-faceted needs of our ever-changing Indian American Community.  Community is a powerful word and it becomes even more powerful when it includes the whole community. Our Indian American community is as diverse as it gets, with diverse cultural backgrounds and geographies we emigrated from within India. Although our diversity helps to preserve and celebrate our diverse cultures, the community faces a unique set of challenges when it comes to solidarity and issues that matter to all of us, the Indian American Community. Our community is aging and will need to cater to the needs of our senior citizens, educating and bringing all the available resources together. We need to maintain a crisis and rapid response solution for emergency and community crises. The International Indian student community presence is quite large in the New England area and their needs are complex and different, and they have yet to connect well with the Indian community. Immigration issues continue to be complex. Economic success, professional achievements have led to a slow political awakening within in the Indian American community. We have the lowest voting rate among all the minority racial groups, and community as a whole yet to engage in civic activities. I n the next two or three decades, we will probably transform into a society without a majority racial group and we no longer want to be a mute minority group. We need to take our civic activities more seriously and involve ourselves very actively.  We need to forge unity among our diverse local regional organizations and come together as a unified voice. Only if we are together as a community, can we give beyond our individual means. The strength is in numbers. IAGB as one of the oldest and anchoring organizations, can serve to glue all of us together. The newly formed Civic Engagement, Community Service, Outreach and Crisis Response and other focused teams will address the gaps and needs identified and will work towards collaboration and encourage interaction, bringing all the diverse regional organizations together. IAGB is a non-political organization but our Civic Engagement will help to create awareness and educate at the grass root level and encourage everyone even more to understand and get involved in local governance. Also as a community, will build a higher level of engagement with local/state agencies in service of advancing our communities’ priorities. Our cultural celebrations, especially India Day Festival, continue to create socio-cultural awareness in the New England area. Moving to City Hall Plaza has been a great success. And the team is planning to bring creative programs and activities including Boston Parade, similar to other major cities in the US, for broader participation and awareness, not only within Indian Community, but also in mainstream America.  We count on your continued support - come and volunteer, and join the team. Unity is the strength. A slate of events are being planned so please visit www.iagb.org for updates. Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and I hope to see you all at the next event.  - Sanjay Gowda

Introduction of 2017 - 2019 IAGB Executive Committee

Sanjay Gowda - President Sanjay Gowda is a senior technology professional, currently working for Verizon. He lives in Littleton with his wife and two daughters. Sanjay has been actively involved in our community and held various roles at local organizations. He loves to read, cook, travel and volunteer.

Vaishali Gade - Vice President Vaishali Gade’s love to serve the community landed her in the role as Vice President at IAGB. She Joined IAGB team in 2017 and before that has been working at various New England nonprofit organizations serving Indian American community. Earlier she has served as Vice President of New England Marathi Mandal and was a Marathi language teacher for 12 plus years at Shishubharti. She also served as board member of 'Anubhuti' a school in Western Maharashtra serving underprivileged kids. Dancing is her passion and she has participated in many fundraising events to benefit area charitable organizations.  Her goal for this term is to be a 'Bridge Builder' identifying opportunities and experiences that will create strong and closely coordinated partnerships and collaborations among families, youth and community organizations.

Veeresh Angadi - Treasurer Veeresh Angadi has been living in New England area for over 20 years and currently lives in Nashua, NH, with his wife and two kids. He has worked in technology startups and large corporations for more than two decades and currently works at Berkshire Grey, Inc, Lexington, MA, developing cutting edge products in Robotics. Over the several years, Veeresh have been very active and volunteering in various organizations in the Indian American Community. He recently served as President of Veerashaiva Samaja of New England (VSNE), a local Chapter of VSNA (Veereshaiva Samaja of North America). Veeresh has been a member of New England Kannada Koota(NEKK) for over 20 years and served in NEKK Extended Committee and Seva Mandaara (NEKK Caritable wing). Veeresh was also part of Boston 2013 Kannada Conference (NAVIKA) Executive Committee and served in various roles such as Souvenir Fundraising Chair, Member of Marketing Committee and Fundraising Committee.

Lata Rao - Secretary Lata rao has been a fierce advocate against domestic violence and has actively worked as a volunteer with SAHELI. The current term is her fourth term on the IAGB Executive Team. While Lata lends her helping hand in every activity organized by IAGB, she takes lead on the two mega annual cultural events - the Republic Day and India Day celebrations. On the personal front she has been an entrepreneur for over 25 years.

Tanu Basu - Director Tanu Basu is a life-long enthusiast with a go-getter attitude. She has worn many hats – few to name would be that of a Corporate Recruiting Manager, an Educator, a Teacher Trainer, curriculum designer, a social worker, an orator, a dancer and a creative artist, by virtue of which, her ultimate forte’ has been ‘people skills’. Tanu holds degrees in English, Education and Dance. Integrity, sincerity, dynamism and passion for work are the ethical beliefs she takes pride in. She has a passion in serving within and beyond the community through cultural, civic duties and helping people in need. Her current community service ‘mantra’ is to reach out to the next generation through culture and entertainment, so they learn to embrace their Indian values and tradition, adorn them with virtues of diverse cultures and thus become responsible global citizens. Having started with IAGB in her late teens, she has served as an active Director in more than 4 IAGB Executive terms in the past, serving as a Cultural Director, Program Coordinator, EMCEE, to name a few.

Nagendra Rao Director Nagendra Rao enjoys volunteering and helping several community organizations by leveraging his business skills in sales and marketing in raising awareness, doing PR, raising funds and conducting events for them. He loves music and photography and lives in Millbury, Mass with his wife and two children.

Supriya Shekar - Director Supriya Shekar is the Founder of Plate Nextdoor, a platform that brings communities locally over global food experiences. Her company focuses on empowering women, immigrants and local talents with opportunities to share food and culture. Previously, she worked as a Molecular Biology Scientist for large corporations like Novartis and Qiagen.

Yogita Miharia - Director Yogita Miharia is a software engineer by profession and currently a Director at Oracle. She lives in Winchester with her husband, 2 teenage daughters and a dog. Yogita strongly believes in following one’s passion and hobbies. In her free time, she likes to act, travel, blog, volunteer and connect people in the community. She has been closely affiliated with the New England based theater group SETU, and has acted in many of their productions. She is a current board member of the Winchester High School PFA board. Yogita is passionate about connecting people and as a Director of IAGB would like to work on bringing people of Indian origin together, as one united entity.

Guruprasad Samaga - Director Guruprasad Samaga works in eCommerce and health services industry. Guru has always been an active member of local community and has held key positions in local community organizations. He is an avid reader and has acted in many theatrical performances. He would like to give back to the community and would like to make IAGB more relevant and attractive to next generation of Indian diaspora and drive our community members to participate actively in civic duties.

Harsha Sheshanna - Director Harsha Sheshanna is from Nashua, New Hampshire where he works as a product development manager. Harsha holds a graduate degree from UMass Lowell in Computer Science. He immigrated to the US to pursue higher education from the charming town Mysuru. Harsha’s life has enriched by being part of a culturally diverse community in the greater Boston area. Harsha imagines IAGB to play a crucial role in making a difference in the civic life of the community by developing a combination of awareness, value, and motivation. He believes IAGB is uniquely positioned to serve the cross-generational needs.

Sushil Motwani - Director Sushil Motwani, currently lives in Andover, MA, with his wife and two daughters. He was born and brought up in Bombay (Mumbai), India and completed in Engineering in Computer Science from Bombay University in 1993 and now works in the Technology industry, Sushil loves music, especially Bollywood music and presently he is a vocalist on live music band called “Leher Boston” which does a show once-a-year to benefit the blind in India. Sushil spends a good portion of each day practicing the philosophy of "Love All Serve All, Help Ever Hurt Never". He spends a better portion of his free time is serving the community and has been doing so for the last 25 years. With IAGB, Sushil has been involved in a few volunteer opportunities and has realized that his vision of Love All Serve All can be very well served in the IAGB community, and he would be able to expand his passion for service in ways that would not have been possible as a single individual. As a Director, he is now a part of a the IAGB Executive Committee and members and will create more avenues for serving the community.

Nooran Buxamusa - Director Noorain Buxamusa is an experienced Pragram Management Consultant working in the greater Boston area. She lives in Westford with her husband. Their two boys are out of the nest working/studying. Noorain has volunteered at many different organizations. More recently she has been an integral member of SETU a theater group where she has managed their costume department over multiple productions in addition to being stage manager and some acting roles too.

Prag Singh - Director Prag Singh is a Senior Business Leader in professional life, Prag comes from a family of deep political interests and roots. This background got him involved in public sphere at a very early life and he has since followed his love and passion for public service via different means and forums. Prag’s focus in IAGB is to get Indian community more integrated and aligned towards its civic responsibilities and make IAGB a platform for all such initiatives across new England.

Sanjay Kudrimoti - Director Sanjay Kudrimoti works as a Professor at Salem State University and also runs a professional photography gig. Sanjay has volunteered for many different nonprofit organizations over the years including Association for India’s Development (Portland, OR Chapter); Chinmaya Mission (Orlando); Lynnfield for Love and IAGB to name a few. More recently he has joined the Lynnfield Town Democratic Committee. Within IAGB Sanjay enjoys working as the Newsletter Editor and channeling his energies to strengthen Civic engagement by designing/implementing constructive activities/programs.

Ashok Shetty - Director Ashok Shetty is a software professional living in New England area for over 8 years. Ashok currently lives in Andover MA, with his wife and two kids. He has been actively involved with IAGB and NEKK, a kannanda language association for several years. He believes that IAGB has a great potential in reaching out to larger Indian-American community and becoming the largest Indian Association in Greater Boston area.

IAGB Annual General Body Meeting 2019 A General Body Meeting (GBM) of all current members was held on September 7,  2019 at the Chelmsford Public Library, Chelmsford, MA.     Update on the 2017-2019 term: Current President of IAGB, Aditi Taylor, provided an update from the term of last two years (2017-2019). She outlined that in the last two years the IAGB EC had consciously expanded the focus on the organization beyond cultural events that it was previously known for. IAGB established a five platform structure focusing on civic engagements, community service, senior interactions, youth engagement and culture. Across the five platforms, IAGB EC organized over 15 events in the last two years.  The 2017-2019 EC expresses its sincere gratitude to the community for the overwhelming support over the last two years.  Visa Camp - Nov 2017 Community service @ Cradles to Crayons - Dec. 2017 Republic Day Mela - Jan. 2018 Healthcare Proxy and Living Will Workshops - Apr. 2018 College Prep Workshops - May 2018 Walk for Hunger Drive - May 2018 India Day Festival - Aug. 2018 Chat with Indian Candidate Beej Das - Aug. 2018 ArmChair Travel to India - Education series - Nov. 2018 Community service @ Food Heals - Dec. 2018 Establishment of central line with Indian Consulate NY for crisis queries in New EnglandCommunity service @ Greater Food Bank - Dec. 2018 Antakshari and Republic Day Mela - Jan. 2019 Healthcare Proxy and Living Will Workshops - Feb. 2019 College Prep Workshops - Apr. 2019 Walk for funds for MA Coalition for Homelessness - May. 2019 Discussion Forum for Participating in Town Politics - May 2019 India Day Festival - Aug.2019 Amendments to the Constitution: Certain amendments to the Constitution previously communicated to the members were approved by a majority of the members present at the Annual Meeting (GBM). Amendments are reflected in the updated Constitution  attached to this email . A copy can also be found on the IAGB website. IAGB EC 2019-2021: The Election Committee had concluded its diligence process and recommended candidates for the position of Officers and Directors for the upcoming 2019-2021 term. The following individuals were elected by a majority vote of the members present.  Officers: Mr. Sanjay Gowda - President Ms. Vaishali Gade - Vice President Mr. Veereshappa Rudramuni - Treasurer In the absence of nominations, the post of the Secretary was left empty to be filled subsequently by the new EC.  Directors: Ms. Sutanuka Basu Mr. Sanjay Kudrimoti Mr. Sushil Motwani Ms. Lata Rao Mr. Nagendra Rao Mr. Harsha Sheshanna Mr. Ashok Shetty Mr. Prag Singh

PAST EVENTS INDIA DAY 2019 in Pictures

IAGB 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 REPUBLIC DAY 2020 GALA WILL BE ON JANUARY 25TH, 2020. MORE DETAILS REGARDING THIS EVENT WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

OUR PARTNERS

OUR MEDIA PARTNERS

Editors: Sanjay Kudrimoti & Yogita Miharia IAGB Communications www.iagb.org

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