NEW YORK CITY (TIP):  At a reception in his honor here, Ram Nath Kovind, the 14th President of India, praised the diaspora in the US, encouraging them to keep nurturing their roots and heritage.  The former President was speaking at a community reception on September 28 at The Pierre, a Taj hotel, organized by the Indian Consulate of New York and hosted by Maneesh Media.

Kovind also released a coffee table book titled ‘Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai’ (Modi Makes it Possible) published by Maneesh Media, timed to belatedly celebrate  Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 73rd birthday which fell on September 17. The book chronicles Modi’s foreign travels over the years.

The former President said during his travels to foreign countries as President, he never felt satisfied unless he interacted with the Indian diaspora, “There is no substitute for the feeling you get on meeting your own”. He said the success of Indians settled abroad, particularly in the US, is a matter of pride. “In their success, Indian values and the Indian family system have stood them in good stead,” he added. Kovind exhorted the Indian diaspora to not only keep nurturing their roots and heritage but also pass on that legacy to the next generation.

It is heartening to note, he said, that it is not just Diwali, but all Indian festivals from Ganesh Chaturthi to Jains’ Paryushan are now celebrated in America.

He lauded the leaps of progress India has made under PM Modi, singling out the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. He added that the consensus on various issues developed by the host India at the recent G20 conference was remarkable and yet another indicator that the country has emerged as a ‘Force for Global Good’ and PM Modi is a Global Statesman.

Kovind said many smaller countries he traveled to post-Covid expressed to him their extreme gratitude for India for saving their countries by supplying vaccines.

Doing a riff on the refrain ‘Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai’ and perhaps alluding to the 2024 general election, Kovind said next year the sequel will have to be titled, ‘Modi Hai to Pakka Hai’ (Modi Makes it a Certainty).

Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, who had served in  President Kovind’s Secretariat before getting posted to New York, also spoke.

TV Asia Chairman H.R. Shah, philanthropist Kiran Patel, who came down from Tampa, Florida, and Maneesh Media Chairman Chandmal Kumawat felicitated Kovind, praising him for rising from humble roots to become the President of India, and for his genial nature. In attendance at the chandeliered ballroom of the hotel adjacent to Central Park were many prominent members of the Indian community and media. Maneesh Media, based in Jaipur with a presence in  New York and Canada, specializes in publishing coffee table books, mainly profiling diaspora personalities with the motto of ‘Connecting Beyond Boundaries’.