LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP):It was a great gathering. Nearly 500 people from all walks of life gathered at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck to recognize 45 men from Nassau and Suffolk Counties for their exemplary work in business and the community. Ashley Edwards, who was crowned Miss Long Island 2017, was also in attendance at the event. Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos was in attendance that evening, offering his congratulations to all of the honorees.
“I would like to congratulate you for your accomplishments,” said Comptroller Maragos. “Each one of you is an incredibly accomplished, and I know you have a lot more to give.”
Dilip Chauhan was recognized as one of the most prominent and dedicated advocate for the South Asian- American community. Dilip has touched the lives of so many people through his unwavering support for those in his community. Through his “Gateway to South Asian American Community Presentation” Dilip has connected countless corporate, nonprofit, academic, faith-based, and government leaders to the South Asian-American community. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos. In his previous role as the Director of Southeast Asian Affairs for the Nassau County Comptroller’s office, he educated small business owners about govt. business opportunity available for MWBE.Dilip currently sits on the Boards of Service Now for Adult Persons (SNAP) and South Asian American Voice. In recognition of his accomplishments in his community, Congresswoman Grace Meng designated November 12th, 2016 as “Dilip Chauhan Day” within the 6th Congressional District.
More ever, Dilip’s stellar service recently earned him New York State and City Hall’s Political Rising Star “40 under 40” award among other prestigious honors.
Dilip Chauhan humbly accepted and dedicated his Award to the fast Growing South Asian American community.Said Mahatma Gandhi once said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. It is the best advice that I have received, and the best advice that I can give to anyone. Try it! We are Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Bangladeshi Americans, Sri Lankans, Nepalese and other South Asian Americans. Just to give you an idea of our impact: Indian American Physicians in United States are 120,000,18,000 Physicians in United States are of Pakistani Origin,90,000 Convenience Store Own and Operated by Indian American, and 22,000 Hotel/Motel Own by Indian Americans.”, Dilip said.
This event was sponsored by Flushing Bank,Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, Investors Bank, D & F Development, New York Community Bank, Contour Mortgage, AgeWell New York, Forest Hills Financial Group, Stew Leonard’s, Zwanger Pesiri Radiology, Marketing Works, Broadway Stages, EIHAB Human Services, Bethpage Best of Long Island, Georgi Vodka, Neiman Marcus and Godiva.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Ms. Yawson announced, May 24, her candidacy for Nassau County Comptroller, a remarkably accomplished woman with extraordinary credentials not seen in Nassau County Government. Ms. Yawson is a graduate of Harvard University, Cum Laude, and holds a Juris Doctor and a Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Pennsylvania Law School and the prestigious Wharton School, respectively. Ms. Yawson has held positions as senior counsel and as a financial analyst at leading financial institutions such as Citibank and Bank of America. She will join with County Executive Candidate George Maragos for the Democratic Party nomination to restore trust in government and end corruption. Ms. Yawson is committed to ensure that every taxpayer dollar is well spent in order to make Nassau County a better and more affordable place to live and raise a family.
“As a mother of two young boys and a small business owner, I am very aware of how difficult it is for young families to make ends meet in Nassau County. The excessively high property taxes stemming from the pervasive corruption and patronage in government are unbearable for so many families,” said Ms. Yawson. It is time that people such as myself, not beholden to anyone, step forward to reform government, ensure transparency, end patronage to politically connected special interests, and reduce the tax burden on our working families, seniors and veterans. It is time that young people such as myself, with fresh perspectives, step forward to ensure that Nassau County is a place of opportunity for all its residents. I am honored to have been asked by County Executive Candidate George Maragos to run as an Independent Democrat for County Comptroller.”
“Ms. Yawson is a remarkable individual with outstanding credentials not seen in other government officials,” said County Executive candidate George Maragos. No other candidates measure up to her qualifications to be Comptroller. I am honored to have Ms. Yawson running with me on our Independent Democratic Ticket to clean up politics in Nassau County, end corruption, lower property taxes and ensure equal pay for all women and provide for maternity leave.”
About Ama Yawson, JD, MBA
Ms. Yawson is married with two young boys and lives with her husband in Freeport. She is currently the small business owner of Milestales. Milestales is a boutique publishing house and education consulting practice that provides student assemblies and adult training programs on issues of leadership, bullying prevention, diversity, body autonomy, and other topics. Ms. Yawson, is also the author of a bestselling bullying prevention book entitled Sunne’s Gift. She performs Sunne’s Gift and other stories during her life-changing programs at schools, universities, corporations, and organizations all over the country.
Ms. Yawson, previously worked at Citigroup Inc. and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, as Senior Counsel specializing in documentation for; financial transactions and disclosure, capital markets transactions relating to shelf offerings of debt securities, and initial public offerings of equity securities including prospectuses, pricing supplements, term sheets, underwriting agreements, terms agreements, legal opinions, 10b (5) letters, and various certificates. She researched issues and provided legal analyses on various topics including corporate governance and broker dealer regulation. Notable projects included Allison Transmissions $690M IPO, Citigroup’s 1-10 reverse stock split, the remarketing of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s $7.5B investment in Citigroup’s Upper DECS Equity Units, and TPG’s $525M purchase of Primedia.
As a mother of young children, Ms. Yawson is a champion of working families. She is also an advocate for entrepreneurs and small business owners through her weekly radio program “How to Make it in the City” which airs on WBAI 99.5FM Pacifica Radio in New York City.
BALDWIN, NY (TIP): Mr. George Siberon, announced his candidacy for the Nassau County Legislature – District 5, offering his extensive knowledge and experience, in working with minorities, the disadvantaged and those neglected by government. George is running as an Independent Democrat for the Democratic Party nomination.
“I am running for Nassau County Legislator because I want to bring integrity to the Nassau County Legislature, said George Siberon. I am tired of hearing of our elected officials being indicted, and our communities losing faith and trust in government. I am tired of the “pay to play” politics. I am running because we have a very serious drug epidemic that is not adequately being addressed with over 575 Long Islanders having died of opiate overdoses. As a legislator, I would coordinate an educational campaign to parents on early detection and treatment of drug use. I would also advocate for community based organizations to receive funding to assist persons with drug issues, and I will travel to Albany with educational advocates for an equitable share of state funding for our schools.”
“I am honored to support Mr. George Siberon for Legislator in the 5th District, said George Maragos. Mr. Siberon, is a genuine person who understands the many issues facing our less privileged residents in Freeport, Baldwin and South Hempstead, He has always been a strong activist for social justice, affordable housing, public education and a fully funded public bus transportation system. Mr. Siberon is a person of unquestionable integrity, and independence whose only interest is to honorably serve the community,”
About GEORGE SIBERON, M.P.A.,M.S.W.
George Siberon is the Executive Director of the Hempstead Civic Association, a not for profit, community based organization that has been providing services to the residents of Hempstead and surrounding communities for over 30 years. Mr. Siberon is responsible for ensuring that services provided by the HHCA (English as a second language, after school tutoring, summer camp, affordable housing and tenant advocacy) are provided in a professional, culturally sensitive manner. George has over 40 years of administrative experience as Executive Director of the Nassau County Youth Board, District Manager for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Deputy Acting Executive Director of ASPIRA of New York, and Psychiatric Social Workers of Puerto Rican Family Institute.
George has a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Queens College, a Master of Social Work Degree, Fordham University and a Master of Public Administration Degree, Baruch College, where he graduated with honors. George is a graduate of the prestigious National Urban Fellows’ Program and is a member of Phi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for public affairs and administration. George has received numerous honors; top advocate for Latino empowerment, community service award, NAACP-Freeport/Roosevelt branch, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre and from the Circulo De La Hispanidad George lives in Baldwin, New York with his wife, Dr. Margarita Lopez-Siberon and their daughter Tanya.
George Maragos, Democrat for County Executive Announces Plan to Root out Corruption with Contract, Term Limit and Election Reforms
Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos has announced ambitious plans to root out corruption with contract, term limit and election reforms.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): George Maragos, Democratic candidate for County Executive at a press conference in front of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building, presented an unambiguous and comprehensive plan to end the corruption at all levels of government in Nassau County. The plan simply takes the money out of politics, provides for independent contract procurement and performance oversight, ends career politicians and wrests power away from the Party Bosses who hand pick candidates and gives the power back to the people.
George Maragos highlighted, “The root causes of corruption are always money, career politicians and the almost absolute control of the elections process by the Party Bosses through the Board of Elections. The band aids proposed by hand-picked candidates to the insidious problem of corruption are a diversion to appease voters and will never end the pay-to-play corruption culture. It is time to root out the corruption in Nassau County with a strong comprehensive plan.”
In order to put a permanent end to corruption, and restore trust in Government, George listed a far reaching six-point plan:
Contractually Ban ALL Vendor Political Contributions (Including from Officers,family members and Related LLCs)
Nominate Independent Procurement Director as per Zarb Recommendation (Consolidate Procurement Compliance and Purchasing Director Positions)
Nominate Independent Inspector General as per Zarb Recommendation (Replaces Commissioner of Investigations)
Nominate Independent Board of Elections Commissioners (Eliminate Redundant BOE Political Patronage Positions, Saving the County Over $7 Million Annually)
Enact Public Election Financing (Similar to New York City, to be Funded with the Savings from Board of Elections Reforms)George continued, “Banning ALL vendor campaign contributions of any amount to elected officials and political parties, through contractual terms, will instantly stop the payto- play culture which has been the root of corruption in Nassau County. Strong enforcement through an independent Procurement Director and an independent Inspector General will ensure objective contracting and guarantee the elimination of patronage waste. Any political contributions by County Vendors, their LLCs and family members will be a breach of contract. It’s obvious, simple and constitutional!”Furthermore, George emphasized that, “to truly reform politics in Nassau County and have a government of the people, we must enact term limits to put an end to career politicians, provide for public campaign finance to encourage more citizen participation and convert the Board of Elections (BOE) to civil service with independently appointed commissioners in order to guarantee impartial elections and eliminate the patronage.”The BOE is currently controlled by the Republican and Democratic Party Chairmen. All employees are patronage, handpicked by the Party Bosses and serve at their pleasure. There are two people for every position, one Republican and one Democrat. The BOE annual budget is approximately $20 million of which about $15 million are salaries. Converting the BOE to an independent civil service department will eliminate duplicate positions and immediately save over $7 million annually which could be used for public campaign financing.
The Indo American Press Club (IAPC) held the inauguration of its new Executive Committee on March 4 here in the presence of community leaders and officials. Mr H.R. Shah, Chairman and CEO of TV Asia who was conferred with Padma Shri this year, was warmly felicitated at the gala event at Antun’s by Minar.
Professor Indrajit S Saluja, editor-publisher of The Indian Panorama, was sworn in as the new President, taking over from Parveen Chopra, Managing Editor of The South Asian Times and The Asian Era. Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos administered the oath of office to the new IAPC office-bearers including George Eapen (General Secretary) and Biju Chacko (Treasurer).
HR Shah is felicitated on conferment on him of Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards of India. Seen in the picture are IAPC officials, community leaders and County officials. Photo/ nayaface.com
Prof Saluja, in his acceptance speech, talked about the power of the media which can make a President, as well as bring down a presidency. Referring to the cover headline of the souvenir distributed on the occasion, he said he believes that “The bedrock of democracy is journalism. And the bedrock of journalism is facts. And facts alone.”
Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos administers oath of office to new Board of Directors led by Chairman Babu and Executive committee members, led by President Prof. Indrajit s Saluja Photo/Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Ginsmon Zacharia, founder Chairman of IPAC who has interests in print and TV, stepped down after shepherding the organization for three years. The new Chairman Dr. Babu Stephen publishes two community newspapers from the Washington DC area: Express India and India This Week, and is the CEO of DC Healthcare Inc, and president of SM Reality LLC.
Deputy Consul General Mr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra honors Ms Vandana Sharma with a plaque
George Maragos honors Mr. Mohapatra with a citation from Nassau County
George Maragos honors Jehangir Khattak with a citation from Nassau County
Joining in IAPC honoring Mr HR Shah for his Padma Shri were Deputy Consul General of India Manoj Mohapatra, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and many community leaders. Dr Dattatreyudu Nori introduced Mr Shah, his longtime friend.
Mr Shah, in his speech, dwelt on his initial struggles in media but said he did not give up. Under him, TV Asia is today the largest TV network for the Indian community in America. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government for conferring on him one of the highest civilian awards of India. He lauded Prof. Saluja for felicitating him because it was media people honoring a mediaman. He also announced that TV Asia will be launching in India soon.
Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media, while felicitating Mr. Shah, praised him as a man of vision and action who made it to the top with grit and determination.
Both Dr Parikh and Dr Nori are previous recipients of Padma Shri.
Comptroller Maragos underscored the role of media in a democracy and lauded Indian American media for doing a great job to promote interests of the community and serving the great American nation in the best fashion. He also revealed his intention to run for the office of Nassau County Executive.
The New IAPC leadership with George Maragos
In his keynote address, Jehangir Khattak, Co-Director, Center for Community and Ethnic Media, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, spoke about how he has been fighting for more government dollars for the ethnic media, including desi media.
Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, Deputy Consul General, New York, rushed from an engagement in Boston to preside over the event.
Deputy Consul General of India Manoj Kumar Mohapatra launches the book “Medicine, Myth, and History-India’s Legacy” authored by Dr. VK Raju and Dr. Leela Raju
A book, ‘Musings on Medicine, Myth, and History – India’s Legacy’, by Dr. VK Raju and his daughter, Dr. Leela Raju was launched on the occasion. Through his Eye Foundation of America, Dr Raju is dedicated to eradicating childhood blindness in India and elsewhere.
Kalpita Chakote presents a captivating dance performance
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included Vandana Sharma, Air India’s Regional Manager (Americas), Dr Ajay Lodha, AAPI National President, Dr. V. Chakote, AAPI President, Gobind Munjal, new President of AIA-NY chapter, Indu Jaiswal, Chairperson IAF, Bina Sabapathy, President, IALI, Arish Sahani, President, Intellectuals Forum, HAB Bank’s Sr. Vice President Rizwan Qureshi, Srujal Parikh Executive Vice President of FIA, Dr Bhupi Patel, Dilip Chauhan, Advisor to Comptroller Maragos, Rajiv Bhambri, CEO of India Abroad, Karan Beri, CEO of Opinio Media, TJ Anand, President of Lions Club, Mohinder Taneja, a former Director with Nassau County, Jay Jasbir Singh, publisher of Hum Hindustani, Shomik Chaudhary, a former COO with News India Group, were among the gathering. Many media fraternity which included representatives from TV Asia, Jus Punjabi, PTC TV, Desi Talk, News India, India Abroad, Hum Hindustani, The South Asian Times, The Indian Panorama, and Malyalam media were present.
The scintillating Bhangra
The roaster of entertainment included a skit by New Jersey street theater group, Prayas. Kalpita Chakote presented a classical dance, and Bhangra group Soormay, of St. John’s College students, gave an electrifying bhangra performance.
IAPC, with six active chapters in the US and Canada, has organized three successful annual international media conferences in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut over the past three years. A highlight of the conference last year was a presidential debate with representatives from Democratic and Republican sides.
Ms Sangeet Sharma was the charming master of ceremonies.
Mr. Mohapatra honors Antun’s Neetoo, and a social activist Anu Jain
Nassau County Comptroller recommends an outside independent review of overtime assignment practices.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): The Police Department’s overtime for 2016 is projected to exceed $69.9 million, by approximately $13 million, or about 23%more than budgeted. By 2016 year-end, over 30 police members are expected to earn more than $100,000 in overtime, and one police officer has already received almost $180,000 as of November 30, 2016, and may exceed $200,000 by year-end. It has been revealed in a press statement from the Comptroller’s office.
The overtime earnings also appear to be heavily skewed towards a relatively small number of police force members who tend to be the highest paid, with 90%also eligible for retirement. For example, 375 out of about 2300 active police force members (excluding cadets), or 16% of the members, earned approximately 41%of all overtime as of November 30, 2016, For the first time in 2016, Nassau County will have a number of police members who will earn more than $300,000 in total earnings. It is important to note that most police members, almost 84%, earned less than $50,000 in overtime pay, and as of November 30, the median overtime earned by all active police members was $22,300.
“Police overtime has been a recurring budget,” said Comptroller George Maragos. “While most officers appear to have reasonable overtime, greater oversight and better management of overtime would seem appropriate for those earning significantly above the median. An outside independent review of overtime assignment practices is strongly recommended.”
With one month remaining in the year, 281 police force members have already earned a combined salary including overtime, holiday pay, longevity pay, shift differential and other pay of more than $200,000. As of November 30, 2016, two officers have already earned more than $300,000 in total compensation, and by year-end, an additional six (6) police force members will likely exceed $300,000 in total compensation. Table 1 below shows the total compensation for the 25 top overtime 25 earners. .
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): George Maragos, Comptroller of Nassau County said, November 17 that Health insurance rates paid by Nassau County for its employees and retirees enrolled in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) will increase by a weighted average of 7.3% in 2017.
The average increase of 7.3% is mainly due to increases in the individual rate of 11.2% and family rate of 12.2% for active employees, offset by a reduction in rates for retired employees enrolled in Medicare.
These rates exceed the 10-year average rate increases of 5.3% and 6.0% for individual and family coverage respectively.
In total, the County budgeted $283 million in 2016 for employee and retiree Health Insurance coverage. In 2017, the Comptroller’s Office projects that under the proposed rate increases, the Health Insurance spending will increase to about $303 million.
“Health Care for Nassau County employees and retirees represents approximately 16.3% of the total 2016 budgeted salaries and wages for all active employees,” said Maragos.
“The rate increases continue to outpace inflation and wage increases. Alternatives should be considered in controlling this expense without compromising the quality of care.”
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos advised the Administration and the Legislature, October 28, to cut 3.8%or $82.6 million from the proposed $3 billion 2017 budget to avoid raising fees. This can be achieved by ordering ALL County departments, Agencies and Elected Offices to revert to their 2016 adopted budgets and further cut them by about 2.5%. Alternatively, a 5% reduction combined with the latest proposed Administrative Technical and Legislative Amendments would negate the need to raise or impose the proposed fees, plus meet the NIFA mandate of less than a $60 million deficit on a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) basis. Cutting programs or services must be avoided.
“The proposed 2017 County budget needs to realign priorities and challenge every department to economize, rather than ask residents to pay more,” said Comptroller George Maragos. “All departments and Elected Offices should be tasked to reduce their budgets without reducing programs or services.”
The Comptroller’s Office has revised its 2017 budget analysis to incorporate the latest Technical and Legislative proposed amendments. As a result, the revised NIFA deficit is now at $145.6 million. Enacting the proposed 3.8% departmental budgetary cuts would save $82.6 million and would eliminate the need for new fees. Alternatively, a 5%cut would eliminate the need for new fees and further reduce the NIFA deficit closer to the NIFA goal.
Connect with Nassau County Comptroller Maragos Online:http://www.nassaucountyny. gov/agencies/Comptroller/index.ht ml
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY (TIP): The 13-count indictment charges Mangano, the highest ranking elected official in Nassau County, with selling out his position to a wealthy businessman in exchange for free vacations, meals and other gifts. The businessman also allegedly paid Linda Mangano more than $450,000 for doing little or no work at one of his restaurants.
The businessman is not named in the indictment, but sources say the bribes were paid by restaurant owner Harendra Singh, who is now cooperating with the feds against Mangano and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, 67, who was also indicted. Mangano and Venditto are both Republicans. All three were released on $500,000 bail and are due back in court on Dec. 7.
The Manganos, both 54, are also charged with obstructing justice by repeatedly meeting with Singh to come up with bogus stories to explain the gifts and no-show job. Robert Capers, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Mangano and Venditto “undermined the very system of laws they promised to uphold by furthering their personal interests rather than the best interests of their constituents.
“Sadly, Mangano enlisted the assistance of his wife in an attempt to shield his wrongdoing from public scrutiny,” Capers added. Mangano and Venditto face up to 20 years in prison if they are convicted of honest services wire fraud, Mangano faces 20 years for extortion and the three each face up to 20 years for obstruction of justice.
Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif dismissed the criticism and noted that Democrats have also drawn recent legal scrutiny, referring to the probe of Mayor de Blasio’s 2014 fundraising efforts on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates. “Senator (Jack) Martins, Senator (Kemp) Hannon and Senator (Carl) Marcellino and the Republican candidates who are running there have already called on the County Executive and Town Supervisor to resign,” Reif said. “We have absolutely no tolerance for corruption of any kind, regardless of whether it is committed by a Democrat or Republican.”
Singh’s dealing with City Hall is the subject of a separate federal investigation by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney. Singh raised$21,425 for Mayor de Blasio’s 2013 campaign from friends and family. In June 2014, Singh was appointed to the Mayor’s Fund – a nonprofit that raises private money for city causes – and the Democratic National Committee.
Singh’s restaurant Water’s Edge, located on city-owned land in Queens, owes the city $1.2 million in back rent and late fees. On Thursday morning, a Long Island good government group called on Mangano and Venditto to resign.
“Given the fiscal mess that Nassau County and Oyster Bay find themselves in, County Executive Edward Mangano and Town Supervisor John Venditto should resign immediately,” Dean Hart, the head of Long Island Citizens for Good Government, said in a statement. “Nassau County and Oyster Bay need undivided attention and complete focus to address this very grave fiscal crisis, not politicians trying to cling to power.” Nassau Comptroller George Maragos, who recently changed parties from Republican to Democrat to run for county executive in 2017, called the allegations “a betrayal of the public trust and further shake our trust in government. Given the nature of the charges, it would be in the best interest of the county if both would resign in order to allow the people’s work to be conducted with unquestionable integrity.”
Oyster Bay spokeswoman Marta Kane said Venditto “is still the town supervisor,” but that Leonard Genova, who serves as both town attorney and deputy supervisor, would step in for Venditto’s absence if necessary. The announcement by Nassau Republicans comes only 19 days before Election Day. Martins is facing a tough battle with former Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi in the vacant 3rd Congressional District.
Marcellino (R-Syosset) will take on Suffolk Water Commissioner James Gaughran while Hannon (R-Garden City) faces attorney Ryan Cronin. McGrath, a Hewlett attorney, faces Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) in a rematch of their April special election and Phillips, the mayor of the Village of Flower Hill, takes on Democratic businessman Adam Haber for the 7th Senate seat being vacated by Martins.
State Sen. Michael Venditto (R-Oyster Bay), the son of the Oyster Bay supervisor, did not attend the news conference but Martins said he agreed that the two should resign.
A Senate spokesman said Michael Venditto was expected to release a statement on Thursday.
Marcellino called it a “sad day” for Nassau but that “the people come first. People before politics. The government must go on.”
McGrath said replacing Mangano and Venditto “would restore public trust so that the children and our families know that we are have zero tolerance for corruption.”
Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy said Republican lawmakers “spent years empowering Ed Mangano and John Venditto and protecting them as they abused their offices to line their pockets … These corruption enablers standing up now is not only laughable but offensive. It’s is easy to feign outrage after the fact but let’s be clear they are part of this Nassau Republican criminal enterprise. “
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos announced Thursday, September 29 that he has submitted “this morning to the Nassau County Board of Elections, an application to change my party registration to Democrat”.
In a statement to the media, Maragos said, “I have been at odds with the Republican Committee over issues of fiscal responsibility, borrowing, waste, and trust in government. I have been at odds over raising the minimum wage, and increased opportunities for Women, Minorities and Veterans. Over time, I found that my values have become more aligned with the Democratic Party.Consequently, this morning, I have submitted, to the Nassau County Board of Elections, an application to change my party registration to Democrat”.
Recalling his association with the Republican Party and the Republican Chairman Mondello, Maragos said, “I want to express my gratitude for the great opportunity he gave me to be of public service. I also, would like to thank my many Republican friends for their friendship. I hope that our friendship will continue and transcend party ideology”.
Setting at rest any impact of his decision on his position as Comptroller, Maragos categorically stated: “My party change will have NO impact on my responsibilities as Comptroller. I will continue to run the office in an independent and bipartisan manner, as I have done in the past six years”.
Commenting on the functioning of Nassau County, he said, “We are all aware that Nassau County faces significant financial challenges, multiple corruption allegations, weak economic growth, and a costly and unfair tax assessment system, We CANNOT continue to borrow in order to pay the bills, defer paying bills, or hit our residents with BIG fees.
“Nassau County can do better! We need to restore trust in government, strengthen public health and safety, eliminate waste, balance the budget without borrowing, and finally fix the broken tax assessment system which is costing tax payers nearly$100M/ per year resulting in higher taxes for many.
“In order to address these pressing issues, today, I am announcing that I will be seeking the Democratic Party nomination for Nassau County Executive.
“As a two term Comptroller, I have intimate knowledge of the challenges facing our government, 35 years of proven senior management experience, and the integrity to deal with the issues facing Nassau County.
“Together, we can make Nassau County a better place to stay, live, find good paying jobs, raise a family, and retire in our homes! I look forward to work closely with Chairman Jay Jacobs and all elected officials to make Nassau County more affordable, vibrant and with a Government we can be proud of.”
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The 70th Independence Day of India was celebrated with great enthusiasm with parades, flag hoisting and music concerts at a number of places all over the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It became almost difficult to keep the count of celebrations. For journalists, it has been a hectic period, running from one event to the other. For publications the task became more daunting as they had to make a mention of as many of these celebrations as possible in the limited pages available with them. However, we will try to recognize as many as we can in this edition.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs of, Mr. M.J. Akbar hoisted the Indian National Flag at the Indian Consulate on August 15th in the presence of the Consulate staff and members of the community. Also present were a few elected representatives from New York City Council and Assemblymen from New Jersey.
It was the first time that the Consulate held the Independence Day celebration out in the street in the open.
Consul General Riva Ganguly Das read out the President of India’s address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day. The President in his speech appreciated the spirit of cooperation and understanding among all political parties in passing the GST Bill in the Parliament. However, he expressed his concern at the growing intolerance in the nation.
Minister M. J. Akbar who was on his first visit to New York after assuming charge as Minister of State for External Affairs unfurled the Indian National Flag. He greeted Indian Americans on this auspicious and historic occasion. He congratulated the large Indian community gathered at the Consulate for their many achievements and thanked them for their support in strengthening India-US relations and partnering with India as “we march ahead to growth and prosperity for all”.
Reports of Flag hoisting have come from various places in the Tri-States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano extends greetings on India’s Independence Day
In Nassau County which is house to a large number of Indian Americans, the national flag was unfurled in the County Executive building. The County Executive Edward P. Mangano unfurled the national flag of India -the Tricolor- on August 15, in the presence of a large number of the Indian American community, elected officials and politicians.
The County Executive honored some community members on the occasion. The honorees included Dr Dattatreryudu Nori, an internationally renowned Oncologist,Dr Vijay Shah, Vice Chairman of Friends for Good Health, Penny K Sandhu, Founder of Jus Punjabi TV channel, Dr Manjul Bhargava, the Brandon Fradd Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University, Dr Dipali Pandya, Pediatrician, Mrs. Bina Sabapathy, a popular community activist, and Vimal Goyal, Treasurer of India Association of Long Island, well known business man, known for his community services and philanthropy.
Honorees with County Executive Edward P Mangano and community leaders
Indian American Merchants” Association of Jackson Heights celebrated India’s Independence with flag hoisting on August 15, 2016. It was the first time that the association organized a flag hoisting ceremony on India’s Independence Day. The veteran Merchants Leader Shiv Dass who is President of the association and Mohinder Verma, General Secretary told The Indian Panorama that they had decided a little late in the day to organize the flag hoisting event and did not have enough time to send out the information but would be organizing the event on amuch larger scale next year.
Indian American Merchants Association President Shiv Dass addresses the gathering on the occasion of the flag hoisting ceremony to mark India’s 70th Independence Day. From L to R: Unidentified lady, Assemblyman Jose Peralta, Council Member Daniel Dromm, President Shiv Dass, General Secretary Mohinder Verma, Unidentified ladies
Assemblyman Jose Peralta, Council Member Daniel Dromm and H.S. Toor, representing Assemblyman David Weprin were among the guests who spoke on the occasion. They greeted Indian Americans on the 70th Independence Day of India and spoke highly of the community’s contribution to America.
The gathering was treated to a lunch.
The Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut has the distinction of a number of parades on the occasion at which Indian Americans and their friends turn up in thousands.
Town Clerk of Town of Hempstead, Nasrin Ahmed addresses the gathering at the starring point of the parade. Seen, among others are County Executive Ed Mangano (right of Nasrin) and President Beena Kothari (right of Mangano).
The IDP USA parade in Hicksville, Long Island celebrated the Independence Day with a parade followed by a variety entertainment program for the fifth year in a row on August 15. Bollywood actor Bobby Deol was the Grand Marshall.
For whatever reason, the starting point as also the route of the parade were changed this year. The parade, with much fewer number of participants started from Apna Bazar where the County Executive Ed Mangano, Comptroller George Maragos and a number of other elected officials, judges included and politicians joined the parade. Some addressed the gathering. The IDP USA parade President Beena Kothari and the founder of Parade Bobby Kalotee, Secretary Flora Parikh, Media Secretary Ajay Batra and other officials of parade were also present.
Indubitably, a leaner parade passed through the inner roads to the destination opposite Asa Mai Hindu Temple where the variety entertainment program was organized. As usual, there was an air of a fair with a number of eating stalls and other booths selling different kind of wares.
One got reminded of a famous quote:”sound and fury, signifying nothing”. So it was with the parade this year. So much effort and so little output. One of the officials of the parade, on condition of anonymity, confidedthat the expenses were much in excess of revenue generated.
Among the saving graces of the parade was participation by young kids.I was very pleased to see the zeal of small girl scouts who were a part of the parade.
Girl scouts at the India Day Parade in Hicksville
2016 witnessed emergence of a new India Day parade. Indian American residents on the border of Long Island and Queens along Hillside Avenue and Union Turnpike have been thinking for some time to organize India day parade. They felt the City where the FIA organizes a parade too far off. Also, Hicksville seemed to be far. This year some enthusiastic residents of Floral Park and Bellerose neighborhoods got together and decided to organize a parade. Cooperation came from all quarters, according to principal organizers, Kirpal Singh who is chairman, Subhash Kapadia who is President, V.M. Chackoo who is Board of Director and Hemant Shah who is Secretary and Program manager.
Their untiring efforts bore tangible fruit when on August 13, they were rewarded with the enthusiastic presence of hundreds who marched in the parade in 105 degree temperature a stretch of a mile from 268thStreet to 235th Street along Hillside Avenue. According to the parade organizers, there were anywhere between 1500 to 1700 people belonging to 30 organizations who marched. In the parade. There were 4 decorated floats.
President Subhash Kapadia(center), Bollywood actor Manish Paul (left) and Bollywood actor Madalsa Sharma (right) at the First Floral Park-Bellerose India Merchants’ Association India Day Parade, August 13.
The Parade was led by NYPD band followed by NYPD personnel. Marching band included Tappan zee Bridge Band, Jai Bharat Dhol Tasha Pathak, Punjabi Dhol, Gujarati Dhol, Chenda and band of dancers from Kerala. Parade was attended by Bollywood celebrities Manish Paul and Madalsa Sharma. Political dignitaries included Congresswoman Grace Meng, State Senators Jack Martins and Leroy Comri, Comptroller George Maragos of Nassau County and Councilman Barry Grodenchik..
Post termination, all assembled in Padavan-Preller field No. 1 for cultural program. The Cultural Mela commenced with US and India’s National Anthems followed by very colorful and traditional performances by children of all ages.
It included songs presentation in various Indian Languages. Song ” God Bless America ” by 2 singers drew special attention from the attendees.
On the sidelines there were 20 booths for vendors. Free food and water was distributed by Neelkanth Dham Temple.
Another New York parade is scheduled to be taken out on August 21 in Manhattan. Controlled by a handful people from one community and one State of India, living in close proximity in New Jersey, the organizers, over the years, have successful pushed out many to secure a stranglehold control over the management of the parade. This newspaper has been advising them to democratize and make its working and financial management transparent but in view of the Indian American community’s indifference to the goings and a mysteriously studied silence, the coterie has assumed a despotic attitude. With most of the funds coming from government of India outlets it is expected of government of India that it would exercise influence over donor agencies and advise them not to sponsor until democratization of FIA is carried out. One expects from the US administration that its departments would insist on strict compliance of rules governing a not-for-profit corporation.
Let us have a look at New Jersey.
Indian Business Association India Day Parade in Edison, August 14.- Ready to start with Grand Marshall, guests and organizers.
On Sunday, Aug. 14 thousands of people flooded the streets of Edison, New Jersey to celebrate Indian Business Association’s 12th annual India Day Parade. The parade, which began on Oak Tree Road in the township and concluded in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, took off under hot weather, with American and Indian music, traditional dances, and cries of “Jai Hind!”
More than 100 New Jersey-based community, professional, business and religious organizations participated and supported the parade. According to a statement from the Indian Business Association (IBA), this year’s parade was the largest in the history of the event.
Air India participated in a big way at the parade. At the Air India float were the Air India Regional Manager Vandana Sharma and other Air India officials and flight crew. It was a special occasion for Air India, as it was launching the next day, August 15, the Dreamliner flight from Newark to Ahmedabad.
The event drew 24 floats from various organizations including BCB Community Bank float, the Investor’s Bank float, Accurate Diagnostics float, and Air India float, which was occupied by an entire flight crew with pilots in uniform waving to the crowd.
Air India staff was present in strength at the paradeA glimpse of India Day parade at Jersey City Photos/ Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Variety of state and local elected officials from across the state, attended the event including U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th District, and state Sen. Sam Thompson, R-12th District, as well as New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Democrat gubernatorial candidate and former ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fullop and former New Jersey Bernie Sanders Chairman Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-19th District.
Guest of Honor at IBA India Day Parade Aarti Chhabria takes a salute at the parade
A cultural program followed the parade with Bollywood celebrities Harshika Poonacha, Aarti Chhabria and Varenyam Pandya.
On the same day, Indo American Senior Citizens Association of Hudson County hosted another parade in Jersey City that started at Newark Avenue and concluded at Leonard Gordon Park on Kennedy Boulevard.
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): New York Indian American community had reason to feel proud when a New Yorker Dr. Ajay Lodha took over as the national President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), an organization which leads the largest ethnic medical society in the United States, representing the interests of over 100,000 Indian American physicians. And what he said in his inaugural address at the AAPI convention, after taking over on July 3, made the entire medical fraternity associated with AAPI to celebrate. He said he wants AAPI to be “more vibrant, united, transparent, politically engaged, ensuring active participation of young physicians, increasing membership, enabling that AAPI’s voice is heard in the corridors of power, and thus taking AAPI to new heights.” Surely, for AAPI members, here was a man with a vision and his words indicated a certain determination and resolve.
Dr. Lodha, who was administered the oath of office as the President of AAPI during the 34th annual convention in New York on July 3rd, 2016 vowed to take the more than three decades old organization to the new heights and “bring all the AAPI Chapters, Regions, Members of the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees to work cohesively and unitedly for the success of AAPI and the realization of its noble mission.”
Acknowledging that leading AAPI is a daunting challenge, Dr. Lodha said, “I’m very honored, privileged and consider myself fortunate to announce that I have an excellent group of dedicated, hardworking, and loyal officers and executive committee members who are with me to take AAPI to new heights.”
Dr. Lodha received the gavel from Dr. Seema Jain, the out-going president of AAPI as the more than 2,000 delegates cheered loudly, greeting the new President of AAPI. Along with him, Dr. Gautam Samadder as President-Elect, Dr. Naresh Parikh as Vice President, Dr. Suresh Reddy as Secretary, and Dr. Manju Sachdev as the Treasurer of AAPI, assumed charge in the presence of leading luminaries from across the nation. Dr. Madhu Agarwal assumed charge as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, AAPI from the out-going chairman, Dr. Aravind Pillai. He stressed the importance of having YPS president Aditya Desai and MSRF President Atul Nakshi along with a diversified group of regional directors. “Their leadership will help us move forward with our current and future initiatives.”
An Internist by profession, Dr. Lodha has had experiences in leading almost all areas of Medicine. He owns two Nursing Homes on Long Island, New York and has been credited to be the founder of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and the Independent Physicians Association (IPA).
A graduate of RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, Dr. Lodha completed his Residency at the Flushing Hospital, NY. He is the founder and president of Queens Medical Services, a primary care practice with two locations serving Queens, NY since 1995 and is a partner in Hillaire and Nesconset Nursing homes. Dr. Ajay Lodha was appointed a member of the Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos’s MWBE Advisory Council last year.
The New York-based physician and leader, who was honored with the prestigious Ellis Island Medals of Honor on May 7th, this year, rose through the ranks of AAPI and has been elected the President of AAPI. He is a recipient of Lawrence J. Scherr Award of Excellence for being an Outstanding Physi-cian. He has also been honored for Out-standing Contributions to Research & Hypertension Department at the Flushing Hospital, NY. In 2008, he was bestowed with the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation Physician of the Year Award.
Ajay Lodha hides a power house of entrepreneurial skills. Dr. Lodha has extensive background of overseeing quality assurance and quality improvement. He is a past president of RANA and RAJMAAI (Rajasthan Medical Alumni Associ-ation Inc.),
A past President of AAPI-QLI, Dr. Lodha was a former Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Caritas Health Care System representing St. John’s Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital in New York.
Dr. Lodha was appreciative of increased involvement of women within AAPI. “We have a woman as the chair of the Board of Trustees, a woman treasurer, and 33% of this year’s regional directors are women. Women face the added challenge of maintaining the household in addition to their medical careers and their role in AAPI. I am looking forward to a great women’s forum from our women leaders and chair not only in USA but also in India. I salute all the women leaders,” he said.
Soon after assuming office as the President of AAPI, Dr. Lodha declared that he will make every possible effort to restore AAPI’s image and enhance cohesiveness among different Chapters and Regions of AAPI. “When our founders first conceived of AAPI, they could not have imagined how well it would grow and develop. Let us not forget the achievements of those who have come before me. Their hard work and dedication serves as both an inspiration and a challenge to me,” he stated with gratitude and appreciation for the founders of this noble organization.
According to him, “The growing clout of the physicians of Indian origin in the United States is seen everywhere as several physicians of Indian origin hold critical positions in the healthcare, academic, research and administration across the nation.” Dr. Lodha’s vision for AAPI is to increase the awareness of APPI globally and help its voice heard in the corridors of power. “I would like to see us lobby Congress for an increase in the number of available Residency Positions so as to help alleviate the shortage of Doctors.”
AAPI has been able to serve as a platform in helping young physicians coming from India to seek residencies and help them in settlement and get jobs. Knowing that AAPI’s growth lies with the younger generation, Dr. Lodha has made it his priority to support and promote YPS and MSRF, the future of AAPI. “We need to host more educational and social activities to get young physicians more involved, and be able to stay connected with AAPI. That younger physicians and MSRF members feel fully integrated into AAPI and take more active roles. They should feel that they are benefitting by joining AAPI, which is, an extended family and they can turn to when in need of support and guidance,” he says. He wants to increase AAPI membership by offering more benefits and opportunities for mem-bers.
The new executive committee members: Dr. Ajay Lodha, President, Dr. Gautam Samadder President-Elect, Dr. Naresh Parikh, Vice President, Dr. Suresh Reddy, Secretary, and Dr. Manju Sachdev, Treasurer of AAPI
Dr. Lodha, with the active support from the General Body, wants to “re-activate AAPI – HEALTH- PAC, commonly known as HEALTH- POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, which will help raise funds amongst its members to advocate its Health Care issues to give a higher profile.” He urged all interested members to support and join the H-PAC by making a contribution, which will handle the HPAC matters and comply with the reporting requirements. Dr. Lodha wants to offer honorary memberships to past US Presidents, Senators and Congressmen, which will “bring us higher level of recognition and profile in the USA.
“In my role as the President of AAPI in the coming year, I will continue to dedicate my services for the growth of AAPI. I am sure AAPI will grow multiple folds under the current team and will put all my efforts to make sure all the programs supersede from the past.”
One of the major objectives of founding AAPI was to offer a platform and opportunities for members to give back to their mother land and the adopted nation. Realizing this, the new President believes that AAPI members will be provided with opportunities to support charitable activities in India and in the United States and increase donations to AAPI Charitable Foundation.
Endowed with the desire to give back to his motherland and lead AAPI to identify and invest in the delivery of cost effective, efficient and advanced medical care in India, Dr. Lodha says, “AAPI does a lot of work in India. The Global Healthcare Summit 2016, planned to be held in Udaipur, Rajasthan, from December 28-30th this year, will be a great way of achieving our objectives for mother India.”
In 2008, Dr. Lodha was part of a coalition that built a state-of-the-art 11 bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit for Government Hospital located in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India – free care is given to all the patients. Dr. Lodha in his commitment to the health of the community has organized numerous Health Fairs, Blood Pressure Screenings, and Medical Awareness programs as well as the delivery of educational materials at churches, temples and senior centers.
Financial stability is an important area, where Dr. Lodha wants to focus on as President, and promises “to make sincere efforts in making AAPI financially stronger by increasing fund raising activities.”
His leadership and commitment were much appreciated during the nine city Shreya Ghoshal Fund Raising tour by AAPI. Under the stewardship of Past President Dr. Narendra Kumar, the pioneering event generated a record $1.25 million and transformed AAPI’s financial strength as he took over as a Treasurer in early 2012. He was responsible for bringing complete transparency in accounting and keeping the books up to date.
Dr. Lodha is committed to upholding and further augment the ideals for which AAPI stands. “I am confident that my experience, work ethic and firsthand experience in organizing Conventions and fundraisers are best suited to carry on the responsibilities and lead this noble organization to new heights.” In all of his efforts, Dr. Lodha wants to work with his executive committee and all branches of AAPI membership in a congenial and non-competitive manner, focusing on the noble mission of this prestigious organization. His experiences in organizing conferences and meetings which help to bring members together and attract new members is vital to the success of the organization.
The growing influence of doctors of Indian heritage is evident, as increasingly physicians of Indian origin hold critical positions in the healthcare, academic, research and administrative positions across the nation. With their hard work, dedication, compassion, and skills, they have thus carved an enviable niche in the American medical community. AAPI’s role has come to be recognized as vital among members and among lawmakers. AAPI is also transitioning into a multiyear thinking and behavior by maintaining core continuity.
Dr. Lodha expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to the media, for their continued support. ” As it is said by Mark Twain: “There are only two forces that can carry light to all corners of the globe -the sun in the heaven and the media down here.”
Dr. Seema Jain, outgoing President passes over the gavel to Dr. Ajay Lodha
Dr. Lodha calls upon AAPI members to join in this historic journey: “AAPI’s mission is clear, our programs will continue to strive and our impact is infectious on benefiting society. Today I ask you to set aside your differences, and join me in this noble journey to make our mission possible.’
Dr. Lodha lives on Long Island, New York with his wife Dr. Smita and their two children Amit and Shweta. AAPI will continue to be an active player in crafting the delivery of healthcare in the most efficient manner in the United States. “We will strive for equality in healthcare delivery globally.” Dr. Lodha is confident that with the blessings of elders, and the strong support from the total membership of AAPI and his family, he will be able to take AAPI to stability, growth and greater achievements. “A new era has begun. AAPI will continue to discover her own potential to be an active and vital player in shaping the landscape of national healthcare delivery system with a focus on health maintenance than disease intervention,” Dr. Lodha said.
AAPI executive committee along with Regional leaders of AAPI
It was a sea of humanity at Gurdwara Glen Cove annual Vaisakhi Mela on Sunday, June 26. As before, the organizers ensured adequate entertainment for all age groups. There were stores which sold clothing and jewelry. These stores attracted a large number of women. Then there were eateries and free langar which served the best and a variety of eatables. On top of it, there was the entertainment segment. A lot of Bhangra, dances and singing formed part of entertainment.
Mr. Jagjit Singh Bedi, a man with tremendous energy, and Sardarni Manmeet Kaur, the suave lady formed a great team, as usual, to conduct the stage with aplomb. From time to time members of the community and officials were brought to the stage to be recognized.
Mr. George Maragos, Nassau County Comptroller visited the Mela and presented a Nassau County citation to the organizers.
NEW YORK (TIP): Over five hundred followers of Shiv Yog gathered at the “Yes We Can Community Center” Westbury Long Island on June 18 to participate in a five-day intense spiritual discourse by Acharya Ishan Shivanand, younger son and disciple of Avdhoot Baba Shivanand on the occasion of Baba Sivananda Day in North Hempstead.
Acharya Ishan Shivanand Ji demonstrated with clarity transition from humor to profound philosophical expressions and the opening session indicated a promising spiritual and joyful ride of five days for participants in this intense prati prasav,
Baba Shivanand revolutionized healing and presented the science of healing to the world combining modern medicine and ancient Vedic wisdom demonstrating that cure is possible.
Anna Kaplan, Council woman from North Hempstead presented the proclamation to Acharya Ishanji with the declaration of ’18th June’ 2016 in the name of ‘Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji’. She said Baba Shivananda is known to have revolutionized the healing process by combining modern medicine with ancient wisdom.
In his brief remarks after presenting a proclamation from Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos appreciated the contribution of Acharya Ishan Shivanand in empowering youth with leadership qualities. Deputy Comptroller James Garner conveyed his appreciation for the positive teaching of Shiv Yog.
Dilip Chauhan, Prominent South Asian Community Leader/ Director of Southeast/ Asian Affairs, who addressed the gathering in Hindi said the uplifting presence of Acharya Ishan Ji which could draw over 500 people in New York for such an intense spiritual five-day event is commendable.
He said he was elated as an Indian American and lover of Indian culture for the official recognition extended to Baba Shivanand. Shiv Yog Foundation has undertaken many projects to serve the humanity such as feeding the hungry, helping farmers, providing education for the poor, distributing free school uniforms, serving the disowned animals and providing free ration to the needy villagers, Chauhan added.
In his remarks, Acharya Ishan Ji expressed his happiness and praised the Shiv Yogis for their hard work in making the event a grand success. Declaration of 18th June as Avdhoot Shivanand Day in North Hempstead Town of New York demonstrated not just the guru but disciples who disseminate wisdom, goodwill and cosmic power to the universe he said
GARDEN CITY, NY (TIP): -On Sunday, June 12th, 2016, the Nartan Rang Dance Academy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan presented its annual dance showcase, Nritya Ranjani (now in its 15th year) at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center on Long Island. In attendance were Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, accompanied by County Director of Southeast Asian Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, who both generously presented the school with a County Citation.
Choreographed by Swati Vaishnav & Siddhi Vaishnav, Nritya Ranjani 2016: Nritya Shailee showcased the various styles & genres of dance through both traditional folk, semi-classical, Bollywood, & even popular Top 40 songs.
The school, which works under the umbrella of renowned non-profit organization Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, had over 75 students in its 2015-2016 year ranging in ages from 4 to 60!
Opening the show was a prayer dance to Gajanana from the film Bajirao Mastani in the Bharatnatyam for m, followed by a catchy swing/jazz number to the Bollywood song Girls Like To Swing. The show catered to all tastes with its inclusive perfor mances in styles such as kathak, fusion, hip-hop, garba, raas, Rajasthani folk, Latin fusion, contemporary folk, Punjabi giddha, & many more. Said artistic director Swati Vaishnav, “We wanted to have a little bit of something for everyone this year & we wanted to make sure our students lear n various forms of dance, while still being enriched by the traditional styles from our South Asian heritage & culture.”
Information about classes for the 2016-2017 year can be found at www.nartanrang.com or by E-Mailing vaishnavswati7@gmail.com.
LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): Harry Chapin lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park witnessed yet another colorful evening on June 13 when Indian American Night, an annual feature, was celebrated with enthusiasm. Presented by Indian American Forum, the program included Yoga, Health Fair organized by Dr Rakesh Dua and members of AAPIQLI and, of course, delightful dance and music performances.
Yoga and meditation were led by Ranju Narang and Perry Walia with several members joining them.
Jaya Bahadkar Cultural chairperson presented beautiful cultural program reflecting dances from different parts of India. Students from local dance schools participated. Aarti Datta, Jyotika Patel, Satya Pradeep, Archana Dave, Sangeeta Pandit and Monica Bajwa presented attractive performances. Vocal performances were organized by Nilima Madan of Vedic Heritage. Jyoti Gupta, Amita Karwal and T S Taluja from Tri state area entertained the audience with their memorable songs.
This program is part of 2016 summer concert series sponsored by Nassau county Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums. Indian American Night is a showcase of Classical Indian music and folk dances from all regions of India. Nassau county Executive Edward P Mangano, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Nassau County Parks Commissioner Brian Nugent, Legislature Kevin Abrahms, Town of Hempstead, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby andseveral other elected officials and community leaders were present
On Behalf of Nassau County Executive Edward P Mangano, Legislator Rose Marie Walker welcomed everyone and commended the Indian American Community for their outstanding achievements. On the occasion, those presented with Nassau County Awardsincluded Harry Singh, President Bolla Oil Corp; Kusum Gupta, Trustee Vedic Heritage in Hempstead; Anurabh Talwar MD, Endocrinologist North Well Health Medical group; Neelam Modi, Cultural Chairperson IALI; Sangeeta Bahl, President Rotary Sunrise Jericho; Nishi Bahl, President Panache Entertainment, and Beena Kothari, President IALI.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Mrs. Ragini Srivastava was appointed a member of the Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos’s MWBE Advisory Council recently.
The appointment of Mrs. Srivastava is yet another way of the county recognizing the Indian Americans, who are known to be highly successful, and are known for their achievements in education, high per capita income and business.
The mission of the Council is to assist the county in doubling the participation of the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises in the contracting process. The advisory council assists the comptroller’s office in monitoring the county’s compliance with MWBE goals and encourage MWBE firms to participate in county contract opportunities.
Ragini said that by her services she would like to help small businesses explore economic potential and create economic security for other residents of the county. “Being in committee my goal is to motivate and encourage minority women to utilize business benefits through big government incentives. I believe the goals outlined are well matched to my abilities and by different educational workshops and seminars I can assist them in aligning strategic planning in tactical reality”.
More often than not Mr. Maragos has been caught in controversies, much because of the nature of his job. Recently, he was embroiled in a running argument with Nassau County Police Chief over his audit report which took the Police department to task for having exceeded the budgetary provisions. Well, that’s the job of the Comptroller, as he said in the interview he gave to The Indian Panorama on May 3, to ensure tax payer’s money is spent wisely.
Here is the concluding part of the interview.
TIP: Are you planning to be the next County Executive?
M: I have no plans right now. You know I think it’s too early.
TIP: When do you think would be the right time for you to decide?
M: September /October. If I want to run again. What I want to run for. My term is up at the end of 2017.
TIP: And if you decide to run, would it be for the county executive or for some other position?
M: I haven’t decided. I don’t know what the climate is going to be like the political climate I don’t know what my attitude is going to be may be have Iwould have had enough of government go back into the private sector of our maybe do some nonprofit work out. I don’t know. Depends.
TIP: Anyway I mean that was good to hear about your vision and I am happy to note that you really. I will go through this in detail and if I have a question I will just send it later on to you.
M: Of course.
TIP: But you were a very successful businessman. And what made you to come to the politics?What was it?
M: Well I was asked to run. I think because of my success I was always a private, a very private person. Very introverted. Minded my own business. You know so it was kind of a shock. That when I was asked if I would consider running. And initially my reaction was, given my background, I said if I decide to run in politics mu goal would be to run for state controller, forexample. But then the party convention says well why don’t you try first at the local level. See what happens and see if you like it and then you know if you’re successful and then we’ll see what the future holds. And so I said. That’s fine I’ll give it a shot.
TIP: I have to just ask you what are your views on what are you planning to do for equal opportunities to all and at the same time special opportunities for minorities? I am not saying women, minorities.
M: Ok. We highlighted in that demographic study. The county’s populationhas grown to over thirty-five percent minority. The South Asian community we noted in the last twelve years grew from one percent of the population to about eight percent of the population- phenomenal growth. We looked at the historic performance. And the county was spending only about seven to eight percent towards minorities. Even though we had this aspirational goal. And we said we have to do better. We have to as a minimum meet our aspirational goal of sixteen percent. And attempt to do even better. So now it seems that the whole community and the political system is very serious behind promoting Minority and women in businesses.
TIP: So it is not on the basis of ethnicity only, it is on the basis of gender also.
M: That’s correct. You know the county’s demographic have changed. The demographics of the police department do not reflect the community. You know they have about eight percent of minorities and women in the police department versus thirty-five percent minorities in our community. And they need to make a much stronger and concerted effort. You know to increase that number. To better reflect the community.
TIP: So do you think there are enough facilities, welfare measures for seniors given the number of so many people above the age of fifty-five and sixty here?
M: We go around and I don’t hear very many complaints.I know the county has a very strong outreach program for veterans and seniors and so do the towns. We have. You know a commissioner for veteran’s affairs. We fund a number of non-profits that provide quite a few services to seniors and veterans.
TIP: You have already spoken about the minorities and that takes care of multi-racial issues also. You have received quite a few honors for your work. What is the honor that you most prize or what is the kind of recognition that you most prize? I know you have received so many recognitions over the years but what is the best you think?
M: You know. Obviously I have received excellence in financial reporting every year. But I think the most important you know to me is when I go out and meet people. You know. And you know they’re satisfied with the work that we do.
More often than not Mr. Maragos has been caught in controversies, much because of the nature of his job. Recently, he was embroiled in a running argument with Nassau County Police Chief over his audit report which took the Police department to task for having exceeded the budgetary provisions. Well, that’s the job of the Comptroller, as he said candidly in the exclusive interview he gave to The Indian Panorama on May 3, to ensure tax payer’s money is spent wisely.
Again, the Comptroller expressed grave concern on flight of large businesses from the County. He was emphatic that in order for Nassau County to grow it is important that there are powerful economic engines. And he detailed how it can be achieved.
TIP: How do you look at the mess? If you have fewer people in the police department they will always be outstretched and stressed. They will not be able to reach out fast enough at the crime scene because you don’t have people and still you are paying them over time. Where is the justification? You are giving deficient services and paying officers.
M: Yes.
TIP: And you know it, I believe.
M: Yes.
TIP: Can’t you do something about it as Comptroller?
A: I think, we did when we issued the report. We issued the report, we questioned the management and we called it systemic, management failures. Because he (police commissioner) wasn’t just managing the overtime. If we consolidate the police precincts. From eight down to four. the county would save eight million dollars.
TIP: What is it?
M: Twenty million. That’s what the police commissioner said. And that’s what the county executive said would be the benefit without affecting public safety. So when we went in to say well ok you’ve made these promises to the legislature, to the public, can we see the analysis? What assumptions have you made? And the analysis that showed, given the work rules the unions and the staffing etc., that showed that you would save twenty million dollars. And they couldn’t provide it. Ok. So that is some management failure. Making promises, without basis. That’s an issue.
TIP: And there are so many issues like these and you keep creating your enemies unnecessarily. Your police commissioner is mad.
M: Absolutely. TIP: If you don’t do it, who is going to do it?
M: Exactly and the same thing happened when the wage freeze was lifted. And there was a new collective bargaining agreement entered into. Again it was represented that the county would be saving about five hundred million dollars over twenty years. Ok. Now we’ve extended it from ten-year analysis to twenty-year analysis to make the numbers big.
TIP: It feels very good as a resident of Nassau county if we have a watchdog comptroller who is doing his job well. Many cases of corruption could be nipped in the bud. Corruption may not take place at all. Depending upon you and depending upon the kind of district attorney we have.
M: You know we do our best but you know sometimes things slip through the cracks. But let me also add though that in all the audits that we do and in the press releases that we put out it’s never done to with malice. To harm anybody. You know we never point fingers. We never make it personal. It’s never a personal attack. It’s always; this is the data; this is how the system is working.
TIP: You’re only a correctional institution.
M: That’s right. Let’s make it better.
TIP: The only thing is you don’t put them in jail. I would like to know you might be having a vision how we can make this county a real paradise kind of a place for everybody. If you could give me you know in nutshell what, if at all you have that kind of a vision. You might have also thought how you can do it. If you could let me have that for the benefit of our readers, I would be very happy.
M: I’d be happy to. I think we released a study two years ago, now a demographic study. And an economic vision for the county and we drew the parallel. That in the 60’s and 70’s Nassau county had two very powerful economic engines. One, it was the aerospace center of the nation. We were the defense arm of the nation. Right here with Grumman in Bethpage, and all of the support industries. We’ve lost that. When we look at 99.99 percent of our companies now in Nassau county are small companies, with less than five hundred employees. So we don’t have powerful economic engine, like the financial industry in the City, like the pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey, like the IT industry in Silicon Valley. We don’t have those. And that’s what you need in a global economy, to be competitive, to be prosperous, to create those high paying jobs. And our vision is, we’ve articulated, that we should draw on our natural strengths, natural resources which right now are our healthcare industry. We have some of the big hospitals; we have some great universities; some world class research facilities. Let’s make them better. Let’s become the healthcare center. This is where people should want to come. We have a lot of Indian and South Asian physicians here. This is where we want people to come to get the best treatments. This is where we should be discovering the next miracle drugs. I think we have the knowhow and the skill. But we have to become even better than what we are. Let’s invest in research and development; let’s encourage our universities and hospitals to become even better to attract some of the best- best professors, best doctors, best research people. And let’s interconnect all those together, having an infrastructure transportation system into the city and inter county, with connections to Macarthur airport, with connections to JFK. And let’s invest in them to improve their capabilities. Have them compete with one another but also cooperate with one another and that is the vision that we have articulated that we should start investing in it.
TIP: You said, there was a time a couple of years ago you had heavy industries kind of thing, big industries here. They moved out. Why did they move out?
M: Well they moved out because of various reasons. Obviously, they went to down south to less expensive areas. We’ve had outsourcing of jobs and manufacturing. Not only it went south but they went overseas as well. But you know we’re not going to compete by being low cost. We need to compete by being innovative. By developing new skill sets that require high skill sets that are high paying. And I think thatthose are the industries that we should be fostering and developing. Those should be the future of our county.
TIP: Don’t you think there is a contradiction? You have not been able to hold back the industry because they found better opportunities elsewhere, lowcost, as you said. That means you are high cost here. So if they moved out, how do you expect others to come to this place where the costs are high because everybody is looking at profits?
M: I’m a businessman. I believe that if you bring for example, some Nobel scientists here. Plan it to be the basis for the next generation of research facilities. Those people through their work will attract other people-very brilliant, very intelligent people to come. And those people are going to be well paid but it’s not the money that motivates them. It’s the result that they work for. And that’s what we need to attract here. You know and if we built that nucleus then innovations and the results of innovation will attract more very intelligent people. And you’re going to see thriving industries, around those research universities and hospital systems.
TIP: It’s a wonderful vision. Now the question, is how do you think that kind of a nucleus can be created?
M: Well, it takes leadership. It takes vision. Leadership and vision. As a county, I think we can become more efficient as a government. I think we can afford to probably invest ten billion dollars. It’ll cost us about two hundred million dollars a year. In a three billion dollars budget I think we can find that money through efficiencies, through our police department being a little more efficient. So that would send a strong signal that we have a vision we are focused on. You know we’re going to bring some of the best minds here. We’re going to support our universities and hospitals to become even better than they are. And we’re going to build the infrastructures; to allow them to collaborate and compete. And also to connect ourselves much better with the city and the financial industry. You know the l.IRR has not been improved in over fifty / sixty years.
TIP: So you presented it your vision before the legislature?
M: Yes. And there were public hearings on it and it was very positive. But there isn’t that driving force, that leadership.
TIP: You mean it is lacking?
M: Is lacking. The commitment, the leadership. And bringing the resources.
TIP: Did the legislature approve of this vision?
M: Well you know they had public hearings on it. And that’s part of it. Doesn’t have to be this vision. And it could be modified. But let’s as a community have a dialogue. We put a vision on the table. Let’s have a dialogue. Involve in it and agree as a community that this is where we want to be in twenty years, in thirty years. And start investing in building it and achieving that.
TIP: I think you know in order to see to that a part of this vision if not the entire vision, a part of this vision needs to be discussed by the community and the legislature should be told to take note of it.
M: Yes, but it takes leadership.
TIP: Come up with possible policies.
M: But only the county executive can do that. He can say look here’s our vision.
TIP: Did you discuss it with the county executive?M: Yes.
TIP: And what was his answer? What was his reaction?
M: Disappointedly no reaction.
TIP: And what do you think made him brush it aside or put it under the carpet?
M: I don’t know. And I don’t ask those questions.
More often than not Mr. Maragos has been caught in controversies, much because of the nature of his job. Recently, he was embroiled in a running argument with Nassau County Police Chief over his audit report which took the Police department to task for having exceeded the budgetary provisions. Well, that’s the job of the Comptroller, as he said in the interview he gave to The Indian Panorama on May 3, to ensure tax payer’s money is spent wisely.
Here are excerpts from the interview
TIP: You took over in 2010?
M. That’s right
TIP: And you are the 13th comptroller of Nassau County?
M: I don’t know if 13 is considered a lucky number or not. But it is number 13.
TIP: So, you have a wonderful background of Finance; you come from that background?
M: Yes
TIP: And this particular position requires to be dealing with Finance only?
M: No it’s a multi-discipline position like any other senior position in government or in Private Industry. It requires a wide range of skills and talent. This is the Comptroller’s office. There is a large administrative responsibility to manage the office. There’s a lot of accounting and package management that goes with it Finance is very important to control the expenditures to ensure that the county has cash flow, works wisely and cost-effectively but also delivers for the community; make sure that the government and all these agencies are running efficiently; money is spent wisely and they deliver services.
TIP: Somehow or the other, it’s a very huge responsibility. Nassau County I believe is one of the biggest counties?
M: Yes. It’s one of the biggest counties but if we were a state we would be about the 33rd biggest We were ranked 33 of all the states. We are bigger than Rhode Island; we are bigger than the state of Delaware, some examples
TIP: That’s interesting.
M: you can go down the line; and our budget is more than 3 billion dollars.
TIP: Sorry for interrupting you. But in terms of budget, do you think you’re bigger than any other state?
M: Yes. That’s how we measure. In terms of budget and population, as I said we were ranked 33. So we would be bigger than about 17 other states.
TIP: that gives you a much bigger stature than the comptroller of a state?
M: Absolutely. We don’t compete with California, Texas or Florida though.
TIP: One of the greatest responsibilities that probably you shoulder, and you were mentioning so many things. But you said money is to be spent wisely. What do you mean by that?
M: Well to have the maximum benefit to our residents, in terms of Public Safety services that we provide; maintaining our roads; our infrastructure; makingsure street lights work; we have a fair business environment; provide incentives to business to stay here’ to relocate here. Those are big responsibilities that require significant expenditures of our funds. To provide clean water, some of the basic security, clean water sewage-that we all take for granted. Those are very costly services.
TIP: If I’m not mistaken, and please correct me if I’m, you don’t have any legislative powers as comptroller?
M: That’s correct
TIP: And it is the policies framed by the legislature that you implement?
M: That’s correct
TIP: So how do you say that it is the job of the Comptroller to ensure that water is properly given, proper taxes are there? What do you mean by that?
M: Well the comptroller’s office does not make policies. We don’t say how to spend the money; what are the public priorities. That is up to the county executive and the legislature. But once they decide that they are going to spend (we have 300 billion dollars in expenditure) and they say that we’re going to spend hundred billion dollars on police services, then it’s my responsibility to manage the budget to ensure that the police department stays within its budget and they do a relatively good job in terms of keeping the crime low. That is our responsibility to manage and report. We don’t manage the police department but we have the authority and responsibility to oversee how they spend the money; how they spend it as intended by the legislature and that they operate efficiently and we have low crime. If we are not meeting those objectives, it is our responsibility to go in an audit, find out why and report back to the legislature and the county executive.
TIP: Do you think you can describe yourself a man with a whip?
M: Yes; sometimes a whip and a whip stick.
TIP: That’s where audit comes
M: That’s where audit comes.
TIP: I think that is one of the primary jobs of the Comptroller?
M: It is one of the primary jobs, yes. But the comptroller’s office has functions beyond. Besides audit function we have, as part of our audit function, subpoena power similar to the District Attorney’s. We have an accounting department to monitor and manage the budget for all departments. Then we pay all the bills. All the claims that come through this office will be audited and approved and paid by the Comptroller’s office. We approve the contracts. So, although the County Executive Office submits the contract, the legislature votes on approving those contracts, we are part of the approval process as well. And in some cases even if the county executive estimated the contract, the legislature has approved it we can reject it because we find it’s not good value for the payment and the milestones and performance requirements are clearly defined.
TIP: But that objection can be overruled by the legislature?
M: No. They cannot. Actually we have a situation now where we are saying that you want to spend 1.5 million to buy a little app. We think that you can have that app developed in-house or have an outside software firm develop it for 25000 dollars or something like that. So we are refusing that purchase order. We are separate, like almost a third branch of the government.
TIP: You have that kind of Independence?
M: Yes. That’s why I am elected. The Comptroller is independently elected from the county executive and the legislature.
TIP: But you’re answerable to the legislature?
M: No. I’m not. I’m answerable to the public, to you, the voters. That is a huge difference.
TIP: Are you not bound by what the legislature decides to do with the spending?
M: you know I am bound to execute what they vote in terms of approving funding for me. The Comptroller’s office cannot spend money without the legislative approval. But once they decide they want to spend a billion dollars on public safety I need to accept that and make sure that that money is well-spent in terms of contracts that are issued in terms of police overtime. That all the factors that go into maintaining Public Safety, the systems are in place. We manage the payroll; we manage personal benefits. That’s all done in the Comptroller’s office.
TIP: So what I understand is that you oversee that the funds are ethically used
M: Yes, and we get value.
TIP: And that is why sometimes there are issues, like in your latest audit report on the police you took objection to so much money being spent on overtime and you said that there was some kind of a mismanagement kind of thing?
M: Yes. We pointed that out that they have been consistently, year after year, been exceeding the budget for overtime. And furthermore, we found that there were no processes in place for the management to be aware that a precinct was, let’ssay, using excessive overtime and there was no feedback mechanism for the management to know. And furthermore there were no clear directives as to how overtime should be managed at the precinct level resulting in year over year of overspending on overtime.
TIP: Well, Mr. Maragos, it’s a question I’m addressing to you to know. Overtime came to be paid because there were not enough hands to perform the duties. So, do you think, as a comptroller, it is better to give employment to more people to avoid overtime which means more than the normal hourly wages. I believe when it is overtime, one gets paid more than the normal hourly wage.
M: Yes.
TIP: At the same time, why is it necessary to give them overtime, because probably there are not enough hands?
M: You see, that is the responsibility of the commissioner. To manage the police force.
TIP: You find him deficient?
M: Right so it’s up to him to say look I anticipate I have fifteen hundred officers. Ok, maybe that’s too few or too many. Ok. But that’s what I’m going to have. During this year I’m going to need X dollars in salaries. And I’m going to need Ydollars in overtime. It’s his decision. He is the manager. But once he decides that this is the people that I’m going to have and this is the amount I’m going to spend on over time we expect him to live within the budget. We’re not going to tell him how many officers he should have. He needs to tell the legislature. That he needs X number of officers. To maintain a certain level of public safety and maintain crime law. That’s his job. But once he makes those statements, as a manager he signs up to them. And we expect them, as a comptroller, as an oversight, as a watchdog to live within the commitments that he makes. That’s true in any business, and even the most basic of management responsibilities. To manage within certain guidelines and achieve those results with those guidelines. And normally in business you know that you normally do. Budget conservatively. Promise conservatively. Make conservative goals and try to exceed them. So we want them to do better. But as a minimum, we expect him to do what he promised to do. In terms of managing the budget, interms of the number of resources and stuff that he’s going to need to achieve a certain level of public safety.
ELLIS ISLAND, NY (TIP): Dr. Ajay Lodha of New York joined the ranks of the elite few, May 7, 2016 when he was awarded the prestigious [inlinetweet prefix=”Dr. Ajay Lodha awarded ” tweeter=”” suffix=””]Ellis Island Medal of Honor[/inlinetweet] at a glittering ceremony.
Founded in 1986, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations awards Ellis Island medals to Americans who “embody the spirit of America in their celebration of patriotism, tolerance, brotherhood and diversity.” NECO recognizes “individuals who have made it their mission to share with those less fortunate their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity; all while maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America.” To date, nearly 2,000 U.S. citizens have received the medal.
Ninety distinguished individuals were bestowed with the honor this year, among them five of Indian origin. Padma Lakshmi, an author, actress, model, television host and executive producer, and Dr. Rekha Bhandari, an internist in Brooklyn, New York were among other Indian Americans who received the award last week.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]Dr. Ajay Lodha is President-Elect of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)[/inlinetweet], the largest ethnic medical society, representing the interest of over 100,000 Indian American physicians. He is a past president of Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA), Rajasthan Medical Alumni Association (RAJMAAI) and AAPIQLI.
“I am humbled for being chosen to receive this prestigious award,” Dr. Lodha said soon after receiving the award. “I feel there are a lot more Indians here in the United States, who are doing outstanding job and make us feel very proud. This award is for all of them.”
Dr. Lodha, a former Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Caritas Health Care System representing St. John’s Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital, is an Internist by profession. A graduate of RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan, Dr. Lodha completed his residency at Flushing Hospital, New York, a primary care practice with two locations serving Queens, New York since 1995 and is a partner in Hillaire and Nesconset Nursing homes and is a partner of ACO.
In 2008, Dr. Lodha was part of a coalition that built a state-of-the-art 11 bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit for Government Hospital located in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India – free care is given to all the patients. Dr. Lodha in his commitment to the health of the community has organized numerous Health Fairs, Blood Pressure Screenings, and Medical Awareness programs as well as the delivery of educational materials at churches, temples and senior centers. Dr. Ajay Lodha was appointed a member of the Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos’s MWBE Advisory Council last year.
Dr. Ajay Lodha with his wife, Dr. Smita and their two children Amit and Shweta
Dr. Lodha will assume office as the President of AAPI during the AAPI Convention on July 3rd, 2016. His vision for AAPI ‘is to increase the global awareness of APPI. “I would like to see us lobby Congress for an increase in the number of available Residency Positions so as to help alleviate the shortage of Doctors. That younger physicians and MSRF members feel fully integrated into AAPI and take a more active role.” His experiences in organizing conferences and meetings which help to bring members together and attract new members which is vital to the success of the organization. Dr. Lodha lives on Long Island, New York with his wife Dr. Smita and their two children Amit and Shweta.
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): Hum Hindustani took the initiative to gather the community and business leaders on Easter Evening to welcome the new Consul General of India, Mrs. Riva Ganguly Das to Long Island in New York.
Ambassador Das spoke about the services being provided at the Consulate and assured the community that the Consulate was committed to not only providing “efficient and clean services” but she would ensure the Consulate served as a bridge between Indian and Indian American businesses. She said she believed in open door policy and would welcome everyone to the Consulate and any suggestion from the community.
George Maragos, Nassau County Comptroller who was Guest of Honor, presented a citation to Ambassador Das. Zahid Syed, Chairman, Human Rights Commission represented the County Executive Edward Mangano andpresented Nassau County Proclamation to the Ambassador.
Earlier, Ambassador Das was warmly welcomed by Hum Hindustani publisher Jay Jasbir Singh.
A number of dance performances presented by various age groups added color and charm to the evening which folded up with a dinner.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): As part of the National Women’s Heritage Month celebrations, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos presented a Fine Art and Photography Exhibition on 2nd March at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive Legislative Building in Mineola, New York. The exhibition’s title “Truth & Beauty” was inspired, probably, by the famous English poet John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn’ wherein the poet says: ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty, —that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
Anu Jain poses with her award in front of her entries in the exhibition
The success of the exhibition can be judged from the number of artists participating in the two main categories-Art and Photo. Fifty-five distinguished female artists and photographers participated. The paintings at the Exhibition were done in both water color and oil and included portraits and landscape.
Anu Jain is flanked by Nassau County Chief Deputy Comptroller James Garner (right) and Dilip Chauhan, Director, South East and Asian Affairs in the office of Nassau County Comptroller
Anu Jain, the only Indian American artist showcased two of her paintings -” Freedom-the Beauty of Life” in oil on canvas and the other,” Jesus”. She made the community proud with her work and got accolades and recognition from not only fellow artists and organizers but from a large number of guests from Indian-American community which included community leaders, prominent businessmen and leading media personalities.
Anu Jain, as other artists, took in a stride the challenge of entering the world of art in a large format that expressed the feminine spirit- a moment in the life of a woman- Past, Present and Future – with one dominant figure as the main focus.
A group of participants in the Women’s History Month Art and Photography Exhibition- “Truth & Beauty”.
Many of the pieces of artwork presented depicted a global outlook on women’s issues and concern in a realistic style while others were Semi-abstract and symbolic, inviting the viewers to add their own interpretation.
The esteemed panel of judges was asked to score based on each participant’s excellence in the chosen art medium, expression of the theme and total presentation. The panel of judges included professors of art from finest local universities as well as renowned award winning artists and photographers. The invited judges included Robert Carter, Notable Artist; Emi Gomez, LIU Post Department of Art Professor; Kellyann Monaghan, Adelphi Professor; Gabriel Marques, Notable Artist; Catherine White, Renown Artist; and Xio Xiomaro, Notable International Photographer.
The curators included Carla Hall D’Ambra and Minna Dun.
The event was attended by over 200 guests. The host, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos was conspicuous by his absence. His Deputy Chief James Garner filled the bill. Also present was Dilip Chauhan, Director, South East and Asian Affairs in the office of Nassau County Comptroller.
Jostyn Hernandez, Director of Communications, Nassau County Comptroller’s Office was kind enough to provide a list of winners just in time to include in the report.
Anu’s journey started many years ago with some odd strokes, but very soon she found herself glided into the world of colors. Today, she has set up her studio in her house where she spends hours practicing art. Each canvas is approached with a feeling of excitement, wonder, and a sense of adventure.
Here is what Anu says about herself and her love of art. “I feel the divine presence in nature, people and birds. I relate to places where I have lived and I try to bring out the essence of that place through my creations. Each painting to me is a record of an extraordinary moment of existence, a confirmation in the reality of the journey of the spirit.
“I yield to a greater force. I find I am able to connect on a level that I cannot verbalize. I believe that through the language of art and the engagement of color I am able to communicate at the highest vibrational level. Colors to me are like a time line and portrait of the inner self which I attempt to interrelate vigorously, creating a symphonic vibration with a freedom that cannot be taught and I hope to convey a message of peace to all through my paintings.”
Born in Dhar, the picturesque district of Madhya Pradesh, India, Anu’s interest in art started in her teenyears. After moving to Mumbai, she pursued her career as an artist by working with a renowned artist and gained practical knowledge of art in different mediums.
Dynamism. Water and acrylic color
Anu related her initial forays in to the world of art and the journey beyond. She said, “Despite my education in finance, I love doing oil paintings. After my graduation in finance I came to Mumbai, where I, professionally got into the creative work of art and crafts. In addition to my expressions in oil and water color paintings, I have done creative work in Fabric painting, Stained glass work, Pottery work Ceramics Commercial work, etc.During this period, I developed a better understanding of art. As a free-lancer, I have painted a series of paintings, some of which are titled Beauty and the Peacock, Hindu God Lord Ganesha, Rajasthan’s Palaces, Dancing Horses, Water Falls, The Child, and many more titles”.
She has had had several exhibitions of her paintings in Kolkata, Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore.
She is all set to exhibit herwork in upcoming group show named “Truth & Beauty” on the occasion of Woman History Month on 2nd March, 2016 which is presented by Nassau County Comptroller Mr. George Maragos at Theodore Roosevelt & Legislative Building, 1550 Franklin Ave., Mineola, NY 11501
In this show, one of her paintings named “Freedom – The Beauty of Life” is being showcased. In this painting, two white doves which are symbolic of peace are being freedby the lady, which is giving message of freedom from within her soul and showing inner beauty. Through the painting, says Anu, “I have tried to convey my message of peace and freedom”.
→ For further detail of her previous work please visit her page ‘Anu’s Art” on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/Anujainart/
Anu can be reached at Jainanu2005@gmail.com and phone no. 516-728-4186
Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos has released a report titled “Opportunities for Improving Preschool Special Education Outcomes for Nassau County Children.”
A press release said the report finds that Nassau school districts lag New York State (NYS) in placing three and four-year-old special needs children in optimal learning settings. Federal guidelines indicate that preschool students with special needs can benefit most when taught in integrated early childhood settings alongside typically developing, age-appropriate peers. Only one Nassau school district exceeded the NYS average for placing children in integrated settings. Nevertheless, our special needs children still achieve average developmental benefits
In 2014, Nassau County served 5,249 three and four-year-old special needs children at a total cost of $100.7 million. The average cost per student was $19,186, but private center-based programs charge as much as $52,000 per child.
“Nassau school districts pride themselves on being some of the best in the country for K-12 learning,” Comptroller Maragos said. “The same, however, cannot be said for our special needs children. We should aim for better than average results for all of our children.”
The data available indicates that Nassau County school districts underperform the NYS average with respect to placing students in integrated settings. Less than one in four Nassau preschool special education stu-dents (22%) attended a regular or integrated preschool class from 2011-2012 through 2013-2014, compared to 43% of students across New York State and 42% of students nationwide.
Within the County, placement results vary dramatically from district to district. At the low and high extremes, East Meadow school district placed 3% of special needs students and Island Park placed 49% of special needs students in regular or integrated preschool classes.
Despite Nassau’s below-average integration rates, special needs students reach the NYS average for skill development. Countywide, more than 50% of Nassau County’s students reached age-appropriate development in any of the three main skill categories by the time they finished pre-school.
State and local school administrators surmise that low integration rates may be due to the lack of availability of classes where children with special needs can learn alongside typically developing peers, and to parents’ and administrators’ belief that the more intensive instruction provided in separate classes is more beneficial for many children. Integration also appears to be impeded by the NYS Education Department’s lack of regular feedback to districts on the merits of integration and to lagging districts on their performance compared to their peers.
Signup to our Newsletter!
Don’t miss out on all the happenings around the world
Here is the concluding part of the interview. 
TIP: I have to just ask you what are your views on what are you planning to do for equal opportunities to all and at the same time special opportunities for minorities? I am not saying women, minorities.
