New York [US], March 30 (ANI): The Rajasthan Association of North America on Sunday celebrated Rajasthan Diwas and Holi Sneh Milan at the Indian Consulate in New York with cultural festivities and a major philanthropic announcement: a pledge of over five million US dollars to establish an Indo-US Friendship Centre in the city.
The contribution, from the Mehta Family Trust founded by New York-based businessman KK Mehta and his wife Chandra Mehta, was announced by RANA President Prem Bhandari at the Consulate. The planned centre would include a Rajasthan Bhawan, a Yoga and Ayurveda Centre, a Convention Centre, and a Social Centre for seniors, intended as a cultural and community hub for the Indian diaspora in New York.
“We want every Indian who walks through those doors — whether they came here fifty years ago or fifty days ago– to feel that Rajasthan, and India, never left them,” Bhandari told ANI.
The project was initiated by Ambassador Binay K Pradhan, the Consul General of India in New York, who first raised the idea with KK Mehta at a previous RANA event as a way to preserve Indian culture and heritage for future generations. “I really feel that the Indian community from Rajasthan have been able to maintain the tradition, have upheld the tradition, passed it on to the next generation,” CG Pradhan said.
Mehta’s philanthropy dates to the Covid-19 pandemic, when he offered 100 rooms at his Times Square hotel to students in need and accommodated the entire crew of the Vande Bharat Mission-2 Air India repatriation flight.
At the event, seven individuals received the Rajasthan Ratna, RANA’s highest honour, recognising philanthropic contributions in the United States and India. Recipients included Dr Samin Sharma, Dr Narinder Kukar, Dr Raj Bansal of Florida, Ashok Sancheti, and Jugal Kishore Ladda; these five were also named Patrons of RANA. Nand Todi was recognised for his recent $1 million donation toward a shelter home for the homeless in Philadelphia; he is the founder of Bharatiya Mandir and a long-time supporter of the Jaipur Foot prosthetics programme and Apna Ghar Ashram. All honours were presented by Ambassador Pradhan as Chief Guest.
Bhandari praised Ambassador Pradhan’s decision to keep the New York Consulate open 365 days a year, serving a jurisdiction of more than two million Indians, and noted that following Pradhan’s address at a recent diaspora event in Boston attended by 66 organisations, Boston Consul General S. Raghuram announced his consulate would adopt the same policy. Bhandari urged other Indian consulates to follow New York’s example.
The gathering also announced a Jaipur Foot prosthetics camp in Gujarat, sponsored by BRUHUD NY Seniors under President Ajay Patel in memory of his late father Shashikant Bhai; last year’s camp was organised under the guidance of former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
The celebration concluded with flower Holi festivities, dance performances by RANA ladies and children, and a poetry recital. (ANI)
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