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US senator to be honoured as Friend of India
Washington: A leading Indian community organisation will honour a US senator as a Friend of India with five outstanding achievers of the Indian American community at its annual awards banquet in Stamford Saturday.
The Connecticut chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) has selected senior Democratic senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, for the “Friend of India” award.
Blumenthal serves on several important Senate committees including armed services, commerce, judiciary, veterans’ affairs and science and transportation.
“With increasing US-India cooperation in Defence, Commerce and Science & Technology, Senator Blumenthal helps to improved bilateral relations between the two countries,” GOPIO said.
Five Indian Americans to be honoured for their achievements in profession and community service are: Prof. Akhil Reed Amar, Dr. Vinod Srihari, Nisha Arora, Dr. George Joseph and Moh Sharma.
Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, is being recognized for his achievement and contribution to Arts and Letters.
Author of several books, his work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society.
He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2008 received the DeVane Medal-Yale’s highest award for teaching excellence.
Srihari, Yale faculty member and Associate Director of Yale’s Psychiatry Residency Training Programme, is being recognized for his achievement and contribution in Medicine.
His clinical work and research has been focused on the care of individuals with schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses.
Since 2006 he has served as the founding director of an Early Intervention service for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders at the Connecticut Mental Health Centre in New Haven.
Arora, Co-founder of Indian Community Centre (ICC) of Greenwich will be honoured for Community Service and Promotion of Indian Arts and Culture.
ICC promotes Indian arts and culture in the Lower Fairfield and Westchester areas. Its programmes include visual and performing arts, culinary experiences and a speaker series highlighting Indian-American leaders.
Joseph, Deputy Director of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Centre for International and Area Studies at Yale University, is being honoured for his contribution to International Relations and Connecting India to the USA.
He also supports Yale’s engagement, strategy, and visibility in South Asia. Since 2007, Joseph has devoted significant time and energy to advancing the Yale India Initiative and the India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme that over seven editions engaged more than eighty Indian parliamentarians.
GOPIO-Connecticut President’s Young Achiever Award went to Moh Sharma who serves as a Policy Advisor for the House Democratic Caucus.
Earlier, Moh had worked for several government agencies and public institutions as well as served in several non-profit and advocacy groups.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.