On May 1, 2023, FIA, in association with the Consulate General of India in New York, celebrated Gujarat Maharashtra Day at the Consulate premises.
Present at the occasion were the Honorable Consul General of India, New York Randhir Jaiswal, Honorable DCG Dr. Varun Jeph, Grammy Award Winner Falu Shah, Naveen Mehta, Sudhir Parikh, Chairman of Parikh Media, H.R. Shah, Chairman of TV Asia, FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya, FIA President Kenny Desai, along with the FIA Executive Committee, volunteers, and other notable members of the community.
Event Chair Srujal Parikh opened the event by addressing the gathering and thanking the co-convenors for the event, Naveen Mehta and Dipak Shah. He also gave a vote of thanks to partner organizations Marathi Vishwa and Gujarati Association of North America.
In his speech, Hon. CG Randhir Jaiswal congratulated the community present on the day and appealed to the community to promote tourism to India, especially in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, where vast possibilities abound. He also mentioned that it has been an endeavor of the Indian government to connect with the diaspora of all the different states of India.
In their speeches, H.R. Shah and Sudhir Parikh spoke briefly about the history of the two states and brought attention to the contributions both states continue to make to the overall growth of India.
Kenny Desai reminded us that this day coincides with International Labor Day and said that it is the fruit of the labors of the FIA’s selfless volunteers that the organization continues to grow from strength to strength.
He also went on to introduce the Executive Committee of FIA, namely Executive Vice President Dr. Avinash Gupta, Vice President Saurin Parikh, Vice President Smita Miki Patel, General Secretary Nishi Dhami, Jt. Secretary Mahesh Dubal, Treasurer Priti Patel, and Jt. Treasurer Haresh Shah.
Ankur Vaidya thanked the Indian Consulate for their guidance and counseling, which go a long way in bridging the gap between the homeland and the motherland.
Renowned singer Himali Vyas rendered a beautiful folk song much to the delight of the audience, and the Shivay Dance Group of Rohan Virdi regaled them with a folk-dance performance of Lavni and Raas Garba.
The EMCEE for the event Gayatri Joshi facilitated the smooth movement of the event and kept the audience engrossed at all times.