Mr. Hussain Baqueri is the President of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation. He has been President of the organization since 2019. However, the once extremely active organization has had some internal dissensions preventing the Foundation from being active for a couple of years. To top it came the harrowing period of Covid during which all activity of almost all organizations had to take a back seat. The Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation is now back in action and are holding a gala and fundraiser on November 6 at Marriott in Uniondale, Long Island.
The Indian Panorama Editor Prof. Indrajit Saluja, on November 3, 2022, spoke with Mr. Baqueri about the future plans of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation . Here are excerpts from the interview.
TIP: You have been associated with the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation for a long time.?
A. For about 15 years.
TIP: What is your assessment of the organization?
A. I think the heart of all the board members is out there . They we are trying very hard to do something for cancer patients in India. We are at a point where we need toupdate our bylaws and get into more . We’ve been in existence for 40 years. Our bylaws are 40 years old. So, as time has changed, we need to update. We are in the process of doing that at this time.
TIP: This organization was founded by late Sunil Dutt after he lost his wife Nargis Dutt who was a casualty to cancer?
A. Yes. In 1981. It was founded by Sunil Dutt and a few other friends. The only one that we have still involved with our organization is Mr. Inder Bindra who is one of the founding members of the foundation. And he’s been the only one who has been with us for 40 years now.
TIP: And how about Priya Dutt, daughter of Sunil and Nargis? How much is she associated with your organization?
A. Well since Sunil Dutt passed away, Priya has taken over the mantle of the organization of the nonprofit foundation in India and outside and she’s been very kind and spends her time to come and attend our functions and anytime we have any need, she is there. For example, when we do a project, we are here and she’s there, she goes out and makes sure the project is getting done properly, and it’s being implemented the way it was supposed to be.
TIP: Could you kindly give our readers an idea of the amount of money that you have collected and invested for the welfare of the cancer patient and for fighting the disease during the last 40 years?
A. We have collected over $6 million. We have spent over $6 million for the last 40 years buying equipment, mainly equipment, like mammography machines and you know analyzers, radiation equipment, dialysis equipment.
TIP: That’s a great humanitarian service that you’re doing. And you must have some such projects in hand now. Of course, we know very well that for some reason the foundation was lying dormant for a few years.
A. You know, COVID made us dormant for a while but even during COVID time, we carried out our humanitarian work. We participated in getting masks out to people, oxygen concentrators here and in India. We would feed the police officers, the nurses and doctors and we were involved with doing those things for the last three years.
TIP: And all this was being done under your presidency?
A. Yes. Thank you. Well, I have been the president since 2019. And then earlier I was President from 2014 to 2017.
TIP: What are the projects that you have now in hand?
A. The immediate project that we’re working on is an ocular oncology project. This is a project we are doing in conjunction with Goutami Eye Clinic. They have started a separate unit for that and that’s what is our project. And this is in Rajahmundry, India, which is not a major metropolitan city, but it’s a small town. And I think that’s where we need more of help in India because major cities have very good hospitals, but the rural India is still missingthe health care that is needed.
TIP: What is the initial costof the project?
A. It is approximately $100,000
TIP: And how do you plan to raise that?
A. We are trying to raise the money at the fundraising event and then reaching out to our donors to tell them what the project is. And we are working with Dr. VK Raju from Morgantown, West Virginia, who heads the Goutami Eye Institute and he’s also helping us fund the project.
TIP: I understand, every year when you have the gala, you honor certain eminent persons. Are you honoringsome at this gala?
A. Yes, we are . We have six people we are honoring this time. We have. Dr. Raju, an ophthalmologist from West Virginia. We have Nilesh Mehta who is a gastroenterologist and a hematologist in Long Island, New York. And then we have Dr. Sadiq. He’s a dentist from New Jersey. We have a gentleman by the name Sonny Singh. He’s from Seattle. He is an entrepreneur and his company makes stuff for healthcare facilities. And then we have Andy Mansukhani, who is our Immediate Past President. We always honor our immediate past president for his services. So, we are honoring him this time. And Mr. Peter Bheddahwho has been with us for over 30 years. He is no longer with us. He passed away a couple of years ago. So, we are honoring him posthumously.
TIP: And how many people are you inviting to the gala?
A. We are expecting about 300 people to the gala. The only problem is this year we have a very big wedding in the local area. It’s a destination wedding. And a lot of our prospective guests are in Cancun instead of in Long Island. It’s Okay. Naturally they cannot afford to miss the wedding What do I do? I don’t have to stop that. Okay, I stopped anyway.
TIP: Okay. We get back to our job. So, what is the program by the way?
A. Since it’s a Sunday program, we’re going to start early at 5.30. 5.30 to 7 o’clock is a cocktail hour. Then 7.30 Everybody comes in. We have the national anthems of both America and India. And then I will give a State of the Foundation speech just to let them know what’s going on; what we have done since the last time. Thank people and then introduce Priya. She’s our guest of honor this time, and she will have the podium for a few minutes. After that, we’ll go right into honoring. We have this time , other than the six honorees that I spoke about, the kids who volunteered in a 5k run and a walk in September which we had organized in Eisenhower Park in conjunction with other people organizations. I’m just acknowledging the kids out there.
TIP: How many are there?
A. There were 10 kids. They all are teenagers and they did an amazing job. We had about 250 people who came . So, we’re just honoring those kids and they also volunteer in our function.
TIP: What else is there?
A. And thenwe go right into the presentation of the project with Dr. Raju. And in fact,Dr. Prem Goel, who’s our chairman of the Medical Review Board, will then introduce Dr. Raju and the project and Dr. Raju will come in and talk about his project and how it impacts the people and what it’s all about. After that, we are going to do a fundraising for a few minutes and then once the fundraising is over, we are going to head straight into the fashion show. That’s our entertainment program for the evening.
TIP: Could you tell us something briefly about the fashion show?
A. The Fashion Show is being organized by Panache Entertainment. The lady’s name is NishiBehl. We have more local models. The clothes are from designers from India and Pakistan. And also, we will have a trunk show afterward. If people would like to buy some stuff, they can. It will be available outside. And, after the fashion show, there would be a dinner and socializing.
TIP: You said there will be sale of the designer apparel. Would the Foundation get a share?
A. They give us a percentage of whatever they sell. So, this way that there is a donation tothe foundation.
TIP: What else would you like to tell our readers about your vision of the future of this great organization?
A. I think the future is great for this organization. The only issue now is we have gotten a lot of organizations like this popped up in last few years and you’re in the United States. So, there’s more competition for the donation money when we have to do our job , and as long as we have a good project and we can convey to people, I am sure we will be successful in getting the projects. In fact, right now, I live part time in Florida. I have my Indian friends in Florida. And they are sending me donations from there. So, I mean everybody has to do their part to make this thing a successful operation.
TIP: It must be really time consuming for you
A. It is. Especially with my job. You know I’m a pilot. So, I don’t work from here when I’m working away from New York. I’m all over the world. So, that is very challenging, but I have taken some time off so I can dedicate to this function and make sure it works properly.
TIP: At the cost of losing dollars?
A. Somebody has to. Somebody has to do it.You have to make some sacrifice sometimes for the good of the people , and I believe in destiny. God is great I will make up . I’m sure he will give me back what I’ve lost in some other ways. So, I’m positive.
TIP: There is always adequate compensation. And it will come your way ifyou believe in that. All the best, Mr. Baqueri in this great initiative of yours and we look forward to seeing you on the 6th.
A. Thank you very much.
TIP: Do you want to make an appeal to the public in general?
A. Iwould like people to come, as many people as possible. And also, we will make enough room for them. And also, please open your heart and make a donation. Please make checks payable to Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation. And the address is PO Box 7707. Hicksville, New York 11802.And this donation would be tax exempt. We are a 501 C 3 Foundation. And, just for your readers’ knowledge, every single penny that we get goes to a project, goes to a good cause. Any travel, any expenses for boarding, lodging , food, we all support that individually. No money is spent from the organization. Every single penny goes to a project.