The 2nd Parade Council Meeting was held on Wednesday 8th May 2024 at the office premises of TV ASIA in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
The meeting started by observing a minute of silence in respect of the departed soul of Ms.Dipakbhai’s mother, Vimlaben Patel.
Present at the meeting were the TV Asia Chairman Dr. H.R. Shah, FIA Chairman Mr. Ankur Vaidya, FIA executive committee members – President Dr. Avinash Gupta, Vice President Ms. Smita Mik Patel, Secretary Ms. Priti Patel, Treasurer Ms. Sanjiv Singh, Jt Secretary Mr. Mahesh Dubal, along with other notable members of the Indian Diaspora.
The meeting was opened by Ms. Priti Patel, and the agenda was introduced to the audience.
Dr. Avinash Gupta thanked the members for the well-organized and well-attended Gujarat Maharashtra Day event held on 1st May 2024. He outlined the upcoming events, including the International Day of Yoga and the India Day Celebrations. He also accorded a warm welcome to the new volunteers joining FIA and appealed to them to extend their support for FIA. The importance of the organization in promoting Indian culture and heritage was emphasized to the new members, underlining the integral role the Parade Council plays in preserving and sharing the rich traditions of India within the local community.
Mr. Ankur Vaidya said the goal is to promote the community, and FIA takes more and more steps in that direction as each year passes by. "As our community is growing, so are the issues that it faces, and the influence on systems that are set in place in the USA is also diminishing. So, it is the need of the hour to shape FIA – a non-partisan, non-religious, non-political association to represent and address these multitude issues favorably for the community, which if taken up by other associations, may be construed or perceived to be seen as politically or religiously motivated," he further added.