ELMONT, NY (TIP): Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center, Inc. (The Kerala Center) celebrated its 33rd Annual Awards Dinner at the Center’s auditorium in Elmont, NY on Saturday, October 25, 2025. The Center honored seven individuals who made notable contributions in their professions and to society with their selfless dedication.
This year’s honorees and their categories of recognition were: Inspector Shibu Madhu – Govt. and Public Service; Diya Mathews – Legal Service; Priscilla Samuel – Nursing; Jayan Varghese – Pravasi Malayalam Literature; Koshy O. Thomas – Community Service; Nandini Menon – Education; and Joharath Kutty – Engineering. The keynote speaker was Dr. Suresh U. Kumar.
The program commenced with introductory remarks and welcoming of the MC, Daisy Stephen Pallipparambil, by G. Mathai, Trustee and Program Chairman. Following the remarks by the MC, American National anthem was sung by Bailey Stephen and Indian National Anthem by Amisha Jaimon. President Alex K. Esthappan welcomed everyone and provided a brief description of the activities and goals of the Kerala Center. New York Senator John Liu, Assemblymembers Michaelle Solages & Edward Braunstein, former Senator Kevin Thomas and Ragini Srivastava, North Hempstead Town Clerk were the dignitaries present to say felicitations and present awards.
After president’s welcome, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the Trustee Board and Award Committee member made his remarks and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Suresh Kumar. In his speech Dr. Kumar talked about the concept of Indian Civilizational Intelligence that has the potential to propel India to be a number one or two economy of the world.
The Board and Award Committee chairman Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran explained the process of selecting the awardees prior to the award presentation. In addition to the Kerala Center awards, Assembly members presented their own certificates and proclamations honoring the awardees.
The award for excellence in community service went to Koshy O. Thomas. He was introduced by Samuel Joseph, youth forum secretary of the Kerala Center, and Assemblyman Braunstein presented the award in the presence of Sen. John Liu and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages. Koshy currently serves as Special Assistant and Community Liaison to New York State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein and also serves as the Chairman of the India Day Parade Committee in Queens.
The award for excellence in Nursing leadership went to Priscilla Samuel. Priscilla was introduced by Baily Stephen, and Varkey Abraham presented the award in the presence of Assemblywoman Solages. Dr. Priscilla Samuel is a nationally recognized leader in advanced practice nursing, currently serving as Vice President of Advanced Practice Nursing at the Mount Sinai Health System. With a career spanning clinical practice, academic leadership, and health system innovation, Dr. Samuel remains committed to advancing the role of nurse practitioners and shaping the future of healthcare delivery.
The award for notable contribution to Pravasi Malayalam Literature went to Jayan Varghese. He was introduced by Raju Thomas, General Secretary of Kerala Center, and Ragini Srivastava, North Hempstead Town Clerk presented the award. Jayan is the author of ten books published in various genres of literature, like poetry and drama.
The award for excellence in legal service went to Diya Mathews. Diya was introduced by Dr. Anna George, and Attorney Appen Menon, Kerala Center Trustee, presented the award. Diya is a trailblazing attorney, business leader, and community advocate whose career bridges law, entrepreneurship, and service. As Partner in Charge of Chugh LLP’s New York and New Jersey offices, she leads a thriving practice focused on business immigration law and corporate compliance. She is widely recognized for her expertise in the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). As she is admitted to practice law in both New York and India, she brings a truly global perspective to her work. She is the incoming President of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) – New Jersey Chapter.
The award for excellence in engineering went to Joharath Kutty. She was introduced by Nazeem Beena, and former Sen. Kevin Thomas presented the award. Joharath is a Senior Director of System Engineering at New York Power Authority (NYPA) with over 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Her career spans Power Generation & High Voltage Transmission, Substation design, Grid Modernization, Power System Operation & Control, Transmission Operations Planning, and has been involved in every aspect of transmission expansion projects. In her current role, she provides overall leadership and technical direction as “Chief Engineer”, for the Long Island transmission expansion project (Propel NY Energy).
The award for excellence in education went to Dr. Nandini Ambat Menon. She was introduced by Jose Stephen, Kerala Center member and NYC school teacher, and Dilip Varghese, Kerala Center Founder Grand Patron, presented the award. Nandini is the Founder and Chief Education Officer of Cedar Hill Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey. She also contributes to the broader education and entrepreneurial community through her service on the Board of the NJ Academy of Sciences, the Indian American Women Entrepreneur Association, and as Co-Chair of TiE NJ Next Gen and a committee member of TiE Global Nxt Gen.
The awardee for excellence in Govt. and public service, Inspector Shibu Madhu, could not attend the ceremony due to family emergency.
The ceremony was attended by leaders of several community organizations including Pioneer Club, Sarga Vedi, INANY, GOPIO, FOMAA, and FOKANA. As part of the Award Ceremony, a souvenir was released by the souvenir committee that consisted of Jose Cheripuram, Jose Kadapuram and Dr. Teresa Antony, by giving a copy to Susamma Abraham, a Grand Patron of the Center.
The Kerala Center Executive and Board members Raju Thomas, Abraham Thomas, Mathew Vazhappally and John Paul coordinated the event. The MC of the program, Daisy Stephen Pallipparambil, impressed everybody with her outstanding performance. Indian classical dances performed by Chandrika Kurup’s Noopura School of Dance made the awards night a colorful one. Associate Secretary Mary Philip concluded the ceremony with a vote of thanks to honored guests, awardees, sponsors, photographers, audience and everyone worked so hard to make it a successful event. With dinner catered by Spice Gardens, the 2025 Award Night came to an end.
(Based on a press release issued by Dr. Thomas Abraham)
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