NEW YORK (TIP): The Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) held its annual gala event in Long Island, where it honored community leaders from the Indian diaspora for their selfless service and contributions to society. The Indian diaspora in the US has risen to the occasion time and again, in the direst circumstances. Some of the community leaders have led by example by giving selflessly for the welfare of fellow diaspora and beyond in need. The Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA),one such organization that has been a reliable source of help, organized an annual gala in Long Island to honor the community members from the Indian diaspora for their service and contributions to society.

At the grand event, RANA also raised a generous $1.3 million from various community leaders in contribution to various charitable causes such as Jaipur Foot. Founder of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), which is the parent organization of Jaipur Foot USA, Padma Bhushan D.R. Mehta attended the event as the special guest alongside Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal, IFS, who was the chief guest, Deputy Consul General Varun Jeph as well as prominent members of the Indian-American community, particularly those hailing from Rajasthan. Dr. Samin Sharma, a noted interventional cardiologist at Mt Sinai, was the guest of honor at the event. At the event, D.R. Mehta spoke at length and gave a power point presentation about the charitable work of Jaipur Foot, which is a prosthetic limb provider to the differently-abled for free of cost. With BMVSS at the helm, Jaipur Foot camps have benefitted millions in India and abroad through various camps.

As a way to show their support and appreciation, many diaspora members made generous contributions to Jaipur Foot USA and other charitable purposes. K K Mehta and Chandra Mehta announced a contribution of $1 million from their family trust and $100,000 in scholarships. KK Mehta was also the first NRI to donate Rs 1 crore on the first day PM Narendra Modi announced the PM CARES Fund, which was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. RANA president and Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari, who is also the family trust advisory board chairman, said BMVSS chief patron D.R. Mehta will be advising the trust with respect to utilizing the contribution in the best way possible. Bhandari also praised KK Mehta and Chandra Mehta for offering the Times Square Hotel to Air India pilots and crew members during the second phase of the Vande Bharat mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He also hailed the generosity with which 100 rooms were given to distressed Indian students for free at the request of the Indian consulate in NY request during the peak of COVID. Demonstrating yet another peak of generosity, Dr. Raj Bansal pledged to sponsor one Jaipur Foot camp in the memory of his late father. Besides this, Dr. Shubha Jain, a noted philanthropist from California, announced a contribution of $100,000 to RANA for charity purposes, and Anil Jain and Jugal Kishore Ladda also announced contributions of $50,000 each for Jaipur Foot.

RANA posthumously honored Dharamchand Hirawat, and former RANA presidents Dr. Ajay Lodha and Rajiv Garg with the Lifetime Achievement Award “for their memorable contribution towards society.”

The association also felicitated prominent diaspora members Dr. Raj Bansal, Dr. Sadhna Joshi, Dr. Shubha Jain and Rakesh Goenka for their contribution to the community over the years, including during the pandemic.

Bhandari noted the importance of unity among various diaspora communities and organizations in the US. He pointed out that there are many state and community-specific organizations like RANA, Telugu Association of North America (TANA) and Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) GANA Gujrat Association of North America and diaspora organizations like FIA and Associations of Indians In America (AIA). But it is important that all are united in raising their voices against discrimination and hate crimes, he said highlighting the incident of vandalism of the Gandhi statue at the Hindu temple in Queens. “We are all Indians first,” Bhandari said, adding that he will continue efforts to bring together all Rajasthanis living in different parts of the world. On the sidelines of the gala event, Prem Bhandari praised International Business Times and said that “IBT is not like other international newspapers that are unable to digest India’s progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He condemned such international news outlets while criticizing their efforts to “spoil India’s image by the means of fake news.” The RANA gala turned out to be an engaging event, complete with cultural performances showcasing Rajasthan’s heritage as well as songs by prominent artists from India. A group of RANA members’ wives also performed Rajasthan’s traditional Ghoomar dance at the event, which enthralled the audience. Nidhi Ladha and Kripa Patel did Ganesh Vandana and performed the Mahishasura Mardini dance.

At the event, a Hindi newspaper and a TV channel were also awarded for their coverage of social concerns, COVID-19 updates, the Ukraine crisis, and issues related to immigrants. The entire event was hosted by the talented Prashantt Guptha, a Rajasthan-origin actor, producer and writer. He kept the proceedings of the event interesting, keeping the audience occupied in the most fun and entertaining way.

(Based on a press release by RANA)