The Indian Panorama celebrates the 18th Year of Publication with a renewed commitment to upholding the highest standards of journalism

T 1 lead pic- Ruchira honor — The Indian Panorama publisher and chief editor Prof. Indrajit S Saluja honoring the chief guest Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. From L to R: Ravi Batra, Ranju Batra, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Congressman-elect Tom Suozzi, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Sudhir Parikh, Dilip Chauhan (Photo : Mohammed Jaffer – SnapsIndia)

Thanks patrons for their support and loyalty
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj honors four eminent Indian Americans
Tom Suozzi, Congressman-elect, felicitates The Indian Panorama

Parveen Chopra
February 26, 2024
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): The Indian Panorama celebrated its 18th year of publication uniquely by hosting a grand Gratitude Gala on February 25 here.

For The Indian Panorama’s Founding Editor and Publisher Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, it was a double celebration as he also cut a cake for his 80th birthday.

In a busy program, India‘s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj presided and presented awards to four honorees. Congressman-elect Tom Suozzi dropped by to thank Prof Saluja and the Indian community for their support. The Indian Panorama also lent its platform to launch Blitz India’s US edition.

Attorney Ravi Batra introduced Ambassador Kamboj as a giant of a diplomat who has brought India much respect at the United Nations.

Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj in her address described the Indian diaspora as the best in the world, and praised Prof. Indrajit Saluja, publisher and chief editor of The Indian Panorama for maintaining the highest standards of journalism.

Congressman -elect Tom Suozzi spoke highly of the Indian Americans and characterized the US-India relations as strong and getting stronger.

Tom Suozzi was presented a replica of the Golden Temple, the Vatican of the Sikhs.
**L to R:** Ranju Batra, , Sunil Hali, Purnima Desai, , Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Tom Suozzi, FIA President Avinash Gupta, GOPIO President Lal Motwani, Prof. Saluja.

Even as Prof Saluja expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the guests present in the chandeliered ballroom of Pearl Banquet Hall, as well as his readers and the Indian community for their loyal support over 18 long years, he chose to honor four eminent Indian Americans at the event. All were honored with a citation scroll, a shawl, and a model of the Golden Temple.

Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj presented to Dr. V.K. Raju, President of the Eye Foundation of America, the lifetime Achievement Honor.
**L to R:** Dr. Leela Raju, Secretary of the Eye Foundation of America, Ambassador Kamboj, Dr. V.K. Raju, Prof. Saluja.

The four honorees are well-known in the community. Dr. V.K. Raju (Life Achievement Honor) is an eminent ophthalmologist who is on a mission to eliminate childhood blindness through his Eye Foundation of America.

Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj congratulating her friend Ranju Batra after honoring her with the Excellence in Promotion of Diplomacy Award.
**L to R:** Deepak Dwivedi, Ambassador Kamboj, Ranju Batra, Abha Bhatnagar, Prof. Saluja.

Ranju Batra (Excellence in Promotion of Diplomacy Award) honors diplomats at the Diwali Stamp – Power of One awards every year after she secured the Diwali Stamp from USPS.

Harry Singh Bolla (Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award) runs a billion-dollar chain of gas stations and has started a charity to support good causes here in New York and India. He could not be present in person to receive the award.

Ambassador Kamboj presented to Purnima Desai the Excellence in Culture Award.
**L to R:** Ms Desai, Ambassador Kamboj, Purnima Desai, Flora Parikh, Jag Kalra.

Purnima Desai (Excellence in Culture Award) is the founder of Shikshayatan Cultural Center and Sriniketan Foundation to encourage and support Indian music and arts through training and events.

They were also presented citations from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Introducing the Chief Guest, Ravi Batra said Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj joined her post when India was already a Member of the UN Security Council and she took it to a higher trajectory.

Ambassador Kamboj in her brief address commended The Indian Panorama for not only being a mirror of the vibrant roots of our culture but also showcasing the journey of the Indian diaspora. She also called the US diaspora the best in the world. She lauded the achievements of the Indian community in the US, describing their journey as nothing short of inspirational. She emphasized the diaspora’s significant role in fostering excellence and innovation globally. Ambassador Kamboj congratulated all the honorees, and in particular, Ranju Batra whom she has come to know well because of her work at the UN. She commended Ranju for creating goodwill and earning a name for her country of origin.

Own Murtajiz Naqvi, Executive Director, Nassau County Office of Asian American Affairs, on behalf of Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive, presents a Citation to Dr. VK Raju (All photos : Mohammed Jaffar-SnapsIndia)

Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) said he sees the US-India relationship as the most important in the next 50 years. “These two will define the long-term global world,” and whether it would abide by the “noble principles” outlined in the constitutions of both countries. While in the US Congress (he took the oath of office on February 28), Suozzi said he would do everything possible to represent the diverse Indian community in his district.

The new Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Binaya S. Pradhan could not make it because of a conflict in scheduling.

Blitz India Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Deepak Dwivedi and CEO Sandeepp Saxena flew in from New Delhi for the US launch of their news weekly, which is India’s first chronicler of development news. The duo was joined by Prof Saluja and other dignitaries and mediapersons to release printed copies of the paper.

Two more media events followed. Journalists Beyond Borders (JBB), a fraternity organization founded by Prof Saluja in 2022, was formally launched. Local publishers and editors joined in to reveal its logo. Through journalism, JBB aims to protect and promote human rights, human values and world peace. Prof Saluja used the occasion to felicitate his friend Parveen Chopra, Founder and Editor of ALotusInTheMud.com, on the first anniversary of his wellness and spirituality web magazine.

Copies of The Indian Panorama’s 18th year Gratitude Gala souvenir were distributed among the guests. All guests were also gifted a model of the Golden Temple, the Vatican of the Sikhs.

Video messages were screened from Padma Bhushan Sant Chatwal, India’s Ambassador to Guatemala Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, Emmy-nominated film director and actor Tirlok Malik, and Prabhjot Singh, a senior journalist from Chandigarh.

The standing-room only audience was hooked on to the show, beginning with the very first item when two lithe dancers from Battery Dance took to the floor. The last item was the adrenaline-pumping bhangra dance. In between, dancers trained by Shilpa Jhurani and Rimli Roy showed their classical moves. The artists were profusely applauded by the audience for their mesmerizing performances and thanked by Prof. Saluja.

The guests at the gala included Padma Shri Dr Sudhir Parikh, Chairman and CEO of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold, who congratulated Prof Saluja for his “great work in the media,” over the 18 years of The Indian Panorama. Dilip Chauhan from NYC Mayor’s office congratulated The Indian Panorama on behalf of Mayor Eric Adams. Zahid Syed, Director, Community Affairs with the Town of Hempstead and Rokeya Akhter, Community Coordinator with Queens District Attorney’s office also graced the occasion.
Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive sent his representative Own Murtajiz Naqvi, Executive Director, Nassau County Office of Asian American Affairs to present Citations to the Honorees- Dr. VK Raju, Ranju Batra, Harry Singh Bolla and Purnima Desai.

Prominent Community organizations were represented: Gobind Munjal and Dr Jagdish Gupta from AIA, Dr Avinash Gupta, Srujal Parikh, and Alok Kumar from FIA-Tristate, Thomas Abraham from GOPIO, Pradeep Tandon from IALI, and George Abraham from IOC-USA, Shiv Dass, President, Jackson Heights Indian Merchants’ Association, besides many others.

Veteran Sikh community leader Master Mohinder Singh, a former president of Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill, and a founder President of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Sikh Center was present with Gurmej Singh, a former president of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana, besides many others from the Sikh community.

The media fraternity stood in solidarity with Prof. Saluja: they included, besides Dr. Parikh, Sunil Hali (Promoter, Radio Zindagi, and Publisher, The Indian Eye), Sharanjit Singh Thind (Editor-Publisher, South Asian Insider), Varinder Bhalla (Publisher, Bollywood Insider).

The evening’s program was ably emceed by Piya Jyoti Kachroo, ITV anchor and producer.

The sumptuous dinner with a top-of-the-shelf bar was enjoyed by the guests. Prof. Saluja expressed his heartfelt thanks to Pearl CEO Gary Sikka and his staff for excellent food and hospitality.

Prominent guests included Arish Sahani, Sudhir Vaishnav, Gobind Bathija, Baldev Singh Grewal, Shiv Dass and Ashok Arora.

Guests came from various parts of the US and even India. They included Bidisha Roy, Assistant Editor of The Indian Panorama (TIP) from Tampa, Florida, Zia Khan, a celebrated photographer who looks after TIP’s Dallas edition, and Parminder Singh Aujla, TIP’s California representative, from Sacramento,

Politician Puneet Ahluwalia came from Virginia, social activist Murtaza from Pennsylvania. Harry Singh Panaser, Mrs. Manjit Kaur Panaser, Harvenderpal Singh, Seema Jagtiani, Nutan Dabholkar, Dave Makkar, Mrs. Rashmi Makkar, Prachi and Surya Makkar, Rimli Roy, Rupinder Singh, and many more from New Jersey.

From India came Arminder Arora and his wife Tript Arora, Sparsh and Bhola.

Those at the event from the electronic media included Pardeep Gill from Global Punjab, Munish Byala, and Gurinder Hothi. Photographers included Mohammed Jaffer, Vijay Shah and Kripa Prasad.

Prof Indrajit Saluja has become synonymous with his weekly newspaper, a labor of love. He is not only an eminent editor but also a well-respected community leader who has forged links across the ethnic, ideological, and political spectrum. His friends from all over the US and even India, supporters, and who’s who of the community wished him a long life on his 80th birthday.

For Prof Saluja, The Indian Panorama is an expression and extension of his love for India as well as a platform to project the rich South Asian culture and how our successful community has made a place in the melting pot of America. A trilingual, he has also helped start newspapers in Hindi and Punjabi.

Started 18 years ago in New York, The Indian Panorama has a Dallas edition.

Indefatigable Prof Saluja’s spirit and intensity of work belie his years. He came to the US over 20 years ago after having a long career as a Professor of English Literature at leading colleges in India. Alongside, he founded a prominent monthly magazine titled ‘Punjab Beat’.

Prof Saluja feels proud that throughout its eventful journey, the Indian Panorama has remained true to its motto, EVER TRUTHFUL”. “This commitment is not just a slogan but a guiding principle, a promise to our readers, and a testament to the collective effort that sustains the publication,” he insists.