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As FIA Celebrates Its 50Th Year, Chairman Ramesh Patel Goes Down Memory Lane Tracing the Organization’S Trajectory

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As FIA Celebrates Its 50Th Year, Chairman Ramesh Patel Goes Down Memory Lane Tracing the Organization’S Trajectory Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / February 23, 2020 Sunday / February 23, 2020 Issue: 03 As FIA celebrates its 50th year, Chairman Ramesh Patel goes down memory lane tracing the organization’s trajectory. FIA Chairman Ramesh Patel came to the U.S. doubt, it’s most prominent event of the year is nearly 53 years ago to study. It was 1967. Patel was the India Day Parade which is held around India’s enrolled at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Independence Day in New York City. This year, the Hoboken, New Jersey, to study polymer science and parade will be celebrating 40 years and will highlight chemical engineering. “That time we could count the progress of the Indian American community in students on our fingers,” Patel recalls. the tristate area. During his second year in school, he collected The India Day Parade starts from East 38th a group of Indian students and started showing Hindi Street and Madison Avenue as it heads toward 27th movies. That was the time he formed the Indian Street and ends with a shopping and food mela and Students’ Association (ISA). Reflecting on FIA’s 50 a cultural show. The parade usually features about years, Patel, who led the organization as president 45 floats, 20 marching groups and six professional 30 years ago, and was instrumental in forming the bands. The Empire State Building is also lit up in the group, recalls how he gradually got the Indians in the Indian tri-color to mark the occasion. U.S. together and built a community, which today is a Thousands of people line up on either sides of force to reckon with. the parade route, transforming Madison Avenue into After graduating from Stevens Institute of a sea of green, orange and white, as they wave the Technology, Patel started brining various Indian Indian tricolor, and shout slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki ethnic groups under one platform and formed the Jai,” “Vande Mataram” and Jai Hind,” as floats pass joint committee of Indian Associations. In a few years, the parade route. The highlight of the parade is the the committee was transformed into Federation of Bollywood celebrities that grace the parade as grand Indian Associations (FIA). marshals, chief guests and guests of honor. Today, the Federation of Indian Associations Patel recalls that it was in 1984 that a Bollywood (FIA) of the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey actor- Sunil Dutt- was invited for the first time as the and Connecticut is one of the largest umbrella grand marshal of the parade. From then on began a organizations in the Indian community. It represents tradition of inviting prominent members of the Hindi over 500,000 strong and vibrant Asian Indians who film industry. The first parade was graced by the provide significant grassroot support. For the past then FIA president Sureshwar Prasad Singh as grand 50 years, it has blossomed into a commendable marshal, while the second parade invited conductor organization that has become an effective Zubin Mehta. mouthpiece for the community. Another flagship event of the FIA is “Dance Pe Every year, FIA hosts a number of events Chance,” which marks India’s Republic Day. promoting the culture and heritage of India. Without But Patel notes that FIA is so much more than just its PAGE 1 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / February 23, 2020 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / February 23, 2020 immigration system besides enhancing existing Bhatia, who led FIA in 2017, brought his vision border security operations and providing legal status and expertise to the organization with several to undocumented children and youth now enrolled in educational and community activities and initiatives. educational institutions across the U.S. Bhatia, who was president of American Sales and Since its inception in 1970, the FIA, under the Marketing Partners LLC, has an extensive experience leadership of Patel, has been involved in helping Air in the airline/travel industry. He retired as Area Sales India, India’s national air career with removing the Manager for Air India in New York, where he worked stigma and misconstrued rumors about its service. for nearly 35 years, both in the field and at the North The airline carrier has been dealing with severe American Headquarters in various capacities. He criticism from passengers for the quality of the also served in the FIA in various capacities for several aircrafts, their service, both on air and off. years. “My passion of serving the community comes Patel notes that although FIA is not a political from my parents, who served a small town of Gujarat cultural programs. organization and doesn’t provide a platform for through Lions Club International,” he says. Patel says that since its inception, FIA has been political campaigning or canvassing, its objective a catalyst in influencing many significant decisions is political education, which is most-relevant of the State Department. FIA has participated in today. And FIA has achieved that not only with their FIA Leadership Attends protests against America’s anti-India stand, and community involvement, but also with getting the pressed the House and Senate to pass bills and younger generation involved in the running of the Reception Hosted for amendments concerning the welfare of the Indian organization. Patel says he is happy to have passed American community. “The FIA has played an active the baton to the younger members who are “doing a New Indian Envoy role in U.S politics,” Patel says, adding: “Why not, after fantastic job.” He expressed confidence in this year’s all we constitute about 2.5 million votes.” executive committee, led by Anil Bansal as well as Patel highlights a particular incident which he the members of the Board of Trustees, including two says was FIA’s “most-significant” contribution to U.S. new members inducted this year – past presidents politics. FIA, he said, was part of a protest against Srujal Parikh and Andy Bhatia. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s newly appointed envoy then President George Bush Senior’s decision to to the U.S., addresses the welcome reception. provide military package to Pakistan. The FIA was instrumental in pushing the Pressler Amendment through U.S. senators. The Pressler Amendment banned most economic and military assistance to Pakistan unless the president certified on an annual basis that Pakistan does not possess a nuclear explosive device and that the proposed United States From left, FIA President Anil Bansal, India’s assistance program will reduce significantly the risk Ambassador to U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu, FIA that Pakistan will possess a nuclear explosive device. chairman Ramesh Patel and FIA Trustee H.R. Shah “We took out a mass rally from New Jersey at a reception hosted in honor of Sandhu at the and marched to Washington, D.C.,” he recalls. “We Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6. protested and finally President Bush was not able to get the House vote in favor of the military package for Pakistan.” He, however, points out that there was no Srujal Parikh, Andy Bhatia Get animosity towards the Pakistani people. In the late 1980s, FIA played a major part in Inducted into FIA Board of Trustees passing a bill in the New Jersey Senate which laid Parikh, who led the FIA as president in 2018, down punitive action against those who attacked began with the organization as a volunteer and got Indians for racial reasons. “That was the time of the into the executive committee six years ago. During Dotbusters,” Patel says. The Dotbusters was a hate his presidency, Parikh, under the tagline “Vasudhaiva group in Jersey City, New Jersey, that attacked and Kutumbakam,” went all out to get the community threatened South Asians, particularly Indians in the together. That year’s India Day parade saw the fall of 1987. participation of members of the Sikh, Muslim, Nepali Similarly, after the September 11 attacks, the and Sri Lankan community. Other initiatives Parikh FIA hosted an all-religion meeting where Hindus, spearheaded includes a womens empowerment Community leaders at the Feb. 6 reception at Muslims, Sikhs and Christians came together or a conference at the Consulate General of India in New India House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 6. A number mass prayer to show solidarity and support. York, and Gujarat Day and Maharashtra Day at the From left, Consul General of India in New York, of senior administration officials, U.S. lawmakers In 2013, FIA urged the members of the U.S. House consulate as well as several community initiatives. Sandeep Chakravborty, 2nd from left, with FIA and Congressional staffers, Ambassadors leading of Representatives to pass the Immigration Bill S 744 As a trustee now, Parikh says he has a greater Trustee H.R. Shah, left, FIA Chairman Ramesh Patel, business leaders, and prominent members of the that would correct several flaws of the current legal responsibility of taking FIA “to the next level.” third from left, and FIA President Anil Bansal. Indian American community, attended the reception. PAGE 2 PAGE 3 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / February 23, 2020 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / February 23, 2020 Family Urges Indian Revised Guidelines on OCI Renewal Americans to Register As Stem Cell Donors A Connecticut-based Indian American family is looking for stem cell donors for Mahesh Pati, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer. Pati, a loving father and husband is known to be active in the community both as a teacher, and in his service work as the president of a local chapter of the Satya Registration as a stem cell donor is easy.
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