New York, March 30 — The Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) marked Rajasthan Diwas and Holi Sneh Milan at the Indian Consulate in New York with cultural programs and a major philanthropic commitment: the Mehta Family Trust pledged more than $5 million to build an Indo‑US Friendship Centre in the city.
RANA President Prem Bhandari announced the donation from the Mehta Family Trust, founded by New York businessman K.K. Mehta and his wife Chandra Mehta. The proposed facility is planned to include a Rajasthan Bhawan, a Yoga and Ayurveda Centre, a Convention Centre and a Social Centre for seniors, designed to serve as a cultural and community hub for Indians in New York.
Bhandari said the goal is to make every visitor—whether they arrived decades ago or days ago—feel that Rajasthan and India remain with them. The project stemmed from an idea raised by Ambassador Binay K. Pradhan, India’s Consul General in New York, who discussed the concept with K.K. Mehta at a prior RANA gathering as a way to preserve and pass on Indian cultural heritage.
The Mehtas’ philanthropy has earlier surfaced during the COVID-19 crisis, when K.K. Mehta offered 100 rooms at his Times Square hotel to students in need and hosted the crew of the Vande Bharat Mission‑2 repatriation flight.
At the event, RANA presented its Rajasthan Ratna, the organization’s highest honor, to seven individuals for their philanthropic work in the United States and India. Recipients included Dr. Samin Sharma, Dr. Narinder Kukar, Dr. Raj Bansal (Florida), Ashok Sancheti and Jugal Kishore Ladda; these five were also named Patrons of RANA. Nand Todi was recognized for a recent $1 million gift toward a Philadelphia shelter; he is the founder of Bharatiya Mandir and a longtime supporter of the Jaipur Foot prosthetics programme and Apna Ghar Ashram. Ambassador Pradhan, the event’s chief guest, presented the awards.
Bhandari lauded Consul General Pradhan’s decision to keep the New York Consulate open 365 days a year to serve a constituency of more than two million Indians. He noted that following Pradhan’s address at a diaspora event in Boston attended by 66 organizations, Boston Consul General S. Raghuram adopted a similar policy, and urged other missions to consider the same approach.
Organizers 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 held under the guidance of former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. The celebration closed with flower Holi rituals, dance performances by RANA women and children, and a poetry recital.
(Report sourced from a syndicated ANI feed.)
