New York City – March 8th, the Federation of Indian Associations of NY NJ CT NE held its 5th annual International Women’s Day celebrations in association with the Consulate General of India NY at the India House, the Indian Consulate in New York City. On the eve of the occasion, as it has been a tradition, five Distinguished and iconic women were honored for their unique contributions in their respective fields.
The distinguished awardees for IWD2023 honoree are: Hon. Deputy Mayor of New York City Ms. Meera Joshi – An attorney by profession, Ms. Joshi has been in the present tenure since January 2022 and accomplished several significant achievements, including Transport Innovations, Equity Cabinet and played a key role in implementing New York City’s Vision Zero program — a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing traffic fatalities and injuries.
Ms. Radha Subramanyam – President, Chief Research & Analytics Officer – CBS- TV Net Corp – a well-known Media Executive and who has won numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to the media industry, including being recognized as one of the “100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry” by Automotive News.
Ms. Hina Patel PE PMP MBA – TEDx Speaker, Executive Leader leading a 200-employee engineering firm in three states. She has served a Fortune 500 Global Engineering Company for over two decades. An advocate of women’s rights in workplaces Ms. Patel has worked towards gender equity and she is among the 2% women in management role in her respective career field.
Dr. Padmini Murthy – Global Health Leader AMWA – A passionate advocate for women’s health and has worked tirelessly to improve access to healthcare services, particularly for underserved women. She has initiated several global health programs that focus on women’s health, such as the Women’s Eye Health Task Force and the Global Health Council’s Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Initiative. Also, recipient of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award. Ms. Falu Shah – Grammy Award Winner – renowned Indian-American singer and songwriter, who has accomplished several significant achievements in her music career.
Ms. Falu Shah was unable to attend the function as she was to perform in India at the inauguration of the 4th Cricket Test Match (between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad), which was attended by Indian PM Narendra Modi along with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
The program was formally opened by Dr. Abha Jaiswal. She addressed the importance of recognizing the position of women in society and customizing a place to suit the needs of our women of today who will in turn make a difference by effective contributions to society. Smita Miki Patel, FIA Vice President and the IWD Chair in her speech expressed her gratitude to the entire Consulate team for their continued support and partnership which has made the IWD program very prestigious and well received by the community. Consul General of India, Mr. Randhir Jaiswal mentioned that women in India are progressing and outpacing international comp sets. He was proud to share that 12.5% of the pilots in Indian aviation are women. This ratio is significantly lower and below 5% when considering other developed countries of the world. He congratulated the 2023 recipients and encouraged the community to engage in more meaningful and community-impacting events.
Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said that FIA has been the catalyst in raising the stature of Indian Americans across the region. She said that she is privileged and honored to be the first woman of Indian-American descent to be in charge of the New York City operations.
The FIA efforts led by Smita Miki Patel were complimented by an entire women FIA team which included Krina Parikh, Nishi Dhami, Priti Patel, Srishti Narula, Dhruti Shah, Anu Singh, Rohi Singh, Shalakha Savant, Sheela Dubal, Vaishali Parikh, Tina Vaidya, Nirha Pandya, and Sangita Patankar. Distinguished attendees included Karishma Vaidya and FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya, Drs Sudha and Sudhir Parikh (Chairman ParikhWorldwide Media), FIA first lady Trupti Desai and FIA President Kenny Desai, and the executive team consisting of Dr. Avinash Gupta, Saurin Parikh, Mahesh Dubal, Alok Kumar and Srujal Parikh along with Board members Kanubhai Chauhan and Dr. Parveen Pandhi. International Women’s Day, celebrated globally on March 8, is dedicated to the accomplishments and progress of women in all aspects of society and celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women who continue to impact our society. The day also serves as a call to action for the continued fight for gender equality. FIA remains dedicated to the cause of embracing gender equity.