Anil Bansal, immediate past president of FIA and chairman of the Indian American Arts Council, has been bestowed the South Asian Times Person of the Year award, and to honor and felicitate him, a function was held at the Indian Consulate in New York on January 21, 2023.
Present at the occasion were the Consul General of India, Randhir Jaiswal, DCG Varun Jeph, FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya, Kamlesh Mehta of the South Asian Times, and other leading members of the Indian American Community.
CG Randhir Jaiswal said that it’s truly his delight that such an important member of the community has been honored. He further went on to state that he himself has witnessed the contributions made by Mr. Anil Bansal to the community. His efforts make the community and the country proud.
Anil Bansal said that he is truly honored to get the award, and it means a lot to him and his family. He fondly remembered the days when he started his journey from IIT Kharagpur. He said that one of the lessons, amongst others that he has learnt in life is to give back and his wife Kumud Bansal supports him wholeheartedly in his commitment to give back to the society at large. He thanked the organisations with which he has been associated over the years, mainly FIA, AICC, IACC, and the Wayne Rotary Club.
FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya in his speech thanked South Asian Times who have been doing a selfless and a commendable job in recognizing distinguished community leaders for their exceptional services to the community. He said that he has had the privilege to work closely with Mr. Anil Bansal who is a leader in the true sense and spearheaded FIA’s efforts as its President during the trying times of Covid lockdown.
Also present at the event were Chintu Patel of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Chairman of the Bihar Foundation Alok Kumar, FIA’s Exec. Vice President Dr. Avinash Gupta, Vice President Saurin Parikh, Jt. Vice President Smita Miki Patel, General Secretary Nishi Dhami, Past President Andy Bhatia, and other members of the diaspora.