WALTHAM, MA (TIP): Seven Indian-American luminaries and two organizations received New England Choice Awards at a black-tie gala last month at Westin Hotel in Waltham, MA. Philanthropists Jaishree and Desh Deshpande, founders of the Deshpande Foundation, were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners in each category are :

Academics -Vijay Kumar, Associate Dean of Digital Learning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Art and Culture (Individual) – Jothi Raghavan, Founder, Nrityanjali School of Dance, Art and Culture (Organization) – LearnQuest Academy of Music, Business and Entrepreneurship – Amar Sawhney, Chairman and CEO, Ocular Therapeutix Inc Community Catalyst – Puran Dang, Mithas, IAL, IIT-SINE, TiE-Boston, Ekal and others

Healthcare – Dr. Dinesh Patel, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Non-Profit Organization – Saheli Philanthropy – Venkat Srinivasan, Vice Chair, American India Foundation (AIF)

Youth Leadership – Gautam Narula, Award Winning Author: Remain Free

The New England Choice Awards are presented by INE MultiMedia in collaboration with INDIA New England News, the region’s oldest and largest online, print and video magazine serving the South Asian community. INE received more than 250 nominations for these awards. A jury of 11 individual selected the final winners.

“The jury has chosen the legends of our community for the first New England Choice Awards,” said Dr. Manju Sheth, CEO of INE MultiMedia, a Waltham, MA-based non-profit organization devoted to promoting and supporting charitable organizations, art, culture, education and empowerment through workshops, seminars and multimedia.

Philanthropists Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande and Jaishree Deshpande were recognized for their support for education, innovation and entrepreneurship in the New England region and worldwide.

Upendra Mishra, publisher of INDIA New England News and the IndUS Business Journal, said “We are honoring Jaishree, Desh and the Deshpande Foundation in recognition of their invaluable support of education, innovation, entrepreneurship and helping create a new generation of technology leaders and entrepreneurs in the United States, India, and Canada.” The Deshpande Foundation founded by the couple promotes social entrepreneurship by supporting a variety of non-profit organizations in India working in the areas of health, education, microcredit and agriculture.