The Indian Panorama

Tag: Kamlesh Mehta

  • Eminent oncologist Dr Jatin Shah honored by The South Asian Times as its Person of the Year 2025

    Eminent oncologist Dr Jatin Shah honored by The South Asian Times as its Person of the Year 2025

    • By Parveen Chopra

    WOODBURY, NY (TIP): Dr Jatin Shah, the leading head and neck surgeon in the world, was felicitated as The South Asian Times – Person of the Year 2025 at a gala function at Crest Hollow Country Club here on January 9, 2026. The gala was attended by who’s who of the Indian American community and many distinguished professionals.

    Dr Jatin Shah making his acceptance speech

    Kamlesh Mehta, Chairman and Publisher of The South Asian Times, along with three Padma Awardees — Padma Bhushan Sant Singh Chatwal, Padma Shri Dr Sudhir Parikh, Chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media, and Padma Shri Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, an eminent oncologist,  presented the POY crystal plaque to Dr Shah.

    Dr Parikh, a family friend of Dr Shah, wished him more achievements and honors, good health and a long life.

    Dr Shah, who is 85 and completed 50 years of service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York last year, including over two decades as Chief of Head and Neck Service, said in his acceptance speech, “I am honored and feel privileged to be chosen by The South Asian Times as the Person of the Year for 2025. Being recognized by your own – family, community or society – is a unique honor that is hard to come by, and even harder to achieve than any award or recognition from a professional or academic organization. For that, I am grateful to The South Asian Times. I will cherish this high honor for the rest of my life.”

    Dr Shah, who is world renowned for transforming the medical discipline in his specialty with research, innovations and fostering collaborations worldwide, was introduced by Dr Ashok Shaha, Attending Surgeon on the Head and Neck Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering for the past 35 years.

    Unveiling The South Asian Times Person of the Year Special Edition featuring Dr Jatin Shah: Kamlesh Mehta, Nimmi Mehta, Dr Jatin Shah, Dr Ivana Shah, Deputy Consul General Vishal Harsh, Jori Kohli and Parveen Chopra.

    Dr Jatin Shah was also felicitated by eminent doctor friends of his – Doctors J. Ganesh Bhat, Nitin and Leena Doshi, Shashi Shah, Narinder Kukar, and Bhupi Patel.

    A video message from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman congratulating Dr Shah and The South Asian Times was played at the event.

    The honorees of The South Asian Times – Person of the Year from previous years – Chintu Patel (2017), Naveen Shah (2018), Ranju & Ravi Batra (2019), Ravishankar Bhooplapur (2020),  Mohan Wanchoo (2021) and Mukund Padmanabhan (2024) – spoke and congratulated Dr Jatin Shah.

    Honoring Dr Jatin Shah with a shawl: (from left) Kamlesh Mehta, Dr J. Ganesh Bhatt, Dr Leena Doshi, Dr Jatin Shah, Dr Shashi Shah, Dr Narinder Kukar, Dr Bhupi Patel and Dr Nitin Doshi.

    The South Asian Times has been honoring a Person of the Year since 2010 with a special pull-out section coinciding with the New Year edition.

    Mrs Nimmi Mehta, Kamlesh Mehta’s wife, gave the welcome speech and felicitated Dr Ivana Shah, Jatin Shah’s orthodontist wife, with a shawl and bouquet.

    The special edition of The South Asian Times recognizing and featuring Dr Jatin Shah as Person of the Year 2025 was unveiled on the occasion. Joining Kamlesh Mehta and Dr Shah for the unveiling were Vishal Harsh, Deputy Consul General at the Indian Consulate in New York, Dr Ivana Shah, Nimmi Mehta, Parveen Chopra, Founding Editor of The South Asian Times and Founder of A Lotus In The Mud, and Jori Kohli, an entrepreneur.

    The Dr Jatin Shah POY Special carries an intensive and extensive interview with him, as well as over 50 congratulatory messages from his colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering, eminent head and neck surgeons, his peers and former trainees as well as friends and family. They include Hollywood superstar Michael Douglas and Bollywood actor-director Rakesh Roshan.

    Distinguished personalities including previous Person of The Year honorees congratulated Dr Jatin Shah – (from left) Naveen Shah, Kamlesh Mehta, Ravi Batra, Nimmi Mehta, Sant Chatwal, Dr Ivana Shah, Dr Jatin Shah, Dr Sudhir Parikh, Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Ranju Batra, DCG Vishal Harsh, Chintu Patel, Mukund Padmanabhan and Mohan Wanchoo.

    The program concluded with the cutting of the cake, where all the key people joined in to congratulate Drs Jatin and Ivana Shah.

    The program was EmCeed  by Jori Kohli, who kept it soulful and energetic. Sneh ‘Sunny’ Thakkar, Artistic Director of Music for the Indo-American Arts Council, curated and presented a Sitar recital by Radhika Samson, who was accompanied by Ramanan Venkatraman (on Hansaveena), Manav Khurana (Tabla) and Joseph Costello (Ghatam). Ganesh Vandana and Kathak performance was by Aiyana Begani, Arya Gosalia, Aranya Kathpal, Zara Lakhani and Nina Patel, students of Preya Patel of Vivarta Arts.

    A sumptuous, elaborate dinner was catered by Benares. The elegant gala event, attended by over 150 elite guests, was held at the exquisitely-decorated Grand Ballroom of Crest Hollow Country Club, one of the most beautiful venues on Long Island.

    (Parveen Chopra is the former founder editor of the South Asian Times and the founder editor of  ALotusInTheMud.com, the premier wellness and spirituality web magazine)

  • Indo-American Community Unites in Candlelight Vigil to Honor Victims of Kashmir Terror Attack

    Indo-American Community Unites in Candlelight Vigil to Honor Victims of Kashmir Terror Attack

    Long Island, New York | April 27, 2025 — In a powerful expression of solidarity and compassion, the Indo-American community gathered at Eisenhower Park for a solemn candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Organized by Indo American Community Voice.Org, in collaboration with over 40 prominent cultural, spiritual, and civic organizations, the vigil served as a moving tribute to the innocent lives lost and a call for global peace.

    Mr. Bobby Kalotee, Chairman, Nassau County Human Rights Commission, speaking on the occasion.

    The event brought together community leaders, elected officials, and hundreds of attendees under one banner of unity and resilience. Among the key supporting organizations were: AAPI (Dr. Kishan Kumar), AIA National (Gobind Munjal), AIA NY (Beena Kothari), Arya Samaj of Long Island (Dr. Yashpal Arya & Veer Mukhi), American Malayalee Association (Thomas Joy and Hon. Kevin Thomas), FIPA (Dr. Raj Bhayani), APS (Gary Sikka & Mohinder Singh Taneja), ASAMAI Hindu Temple (Gobind Bathija), Bollywood Insider (Varinder Bhalla), FBIMA (Koshy Thomas & Dincil George), Gujarathi Samaj (Harshad Bhai Patel), HOLI (Urmila Shivaram), HSS (Jaya Patil), Humanity First (Omkar Singh), IAAC (Deepak Bansal), IANA (Vimal Goyal), IDP (Vimal Goyal & Deepak Bansal), IAF (Indu Jaiswal), IALI (Jasbir Singh), Indo American Lions Club (Anju Sharma), Indian Panorama (Prof. Inderjit Saluja), Kashmiri Overseas Association (Dr. Virender Hak & Mohan Wanchoo), KKNY (Raghu Ranganath), LIDC (Paul Bindra), LILC (Pinky Jaggi), Lotus in the Mud (Parveen Chopra), MAHIMA (Dr.Purushotaman Paciker), NYTTA (Vani S. Anugu), RANA (Neelam Modi), SAAWA (Dr. Anila Midha), SAAWO (Suhag Mehta), South Asian Times (Kamlesh Mehta), Soul of Hindutva (Gobind Singh Negi), TANA (Deepika Sammeta), TLCA (Sumant Ram), Tri-State Events (Atul Sharma), TTA (Jaya Prakash Enjapuri), The World Voice (Mukesh Modi), Vaishnav Temple (Anil Shah), VHI (Nayan Kisnadwala), WVV (Rakesh Bhargav), and YICG (Rathi Raja)—demonstrating a united front in the face of tragedy.

    Ms Bina Sabapathy who coordinated the event addressing the gathering

    The program began with a solemn prayer by Narinder Kapoor and an ardas led by Bhai Bhupinder Singh Ji, Head Granthi of Gurdwara Shaheedan,  followed by heartfelt renditions of the American and Indian national anthems by Nipun Marwaha. Dr. Bobby Kalotee Chairman of Human Rights Commission – Nassau County, along with Bina Sabapathy, Founder President of Indo American Community Voice, welcomed the crowd with a message of peace and unity.

    Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips speaking on the occasion

    Distinguished dignitaries in attendance included Hon. Binay Srikanta Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Former NY Senator Kevin Thomas, Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava, Councilman Edward Scott, and Wioleta Dusza Human rights commissioner – Nassau County each sharing messages of sympathy, support, and solidarity. Several officials sent representatives, including County Executive Bruce Blakeman (via Elaine Phillips), Chuck Schumer US. Senate Minority Leader for United Sates Senate (Taranbir Kaur), Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino (Harry Malhotra), and Governor Kathy Hochul (Joey Ramirez).

    Mr. Kevin Thomas, a former NY State Senator, speaking on the occasion

    Prominent community leaders such as Kamlesh Mehta, Mukesh Modi, Mohan Wanchoo, Dr. Urmila Shivaram, Indu Jaiswal, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Sgt. Thomas, and Koshy Thomas, among many others, offered prayers and reflections, emphasizing the need for peace, compassion, and vigilance against violence.

    Mr. Mukesh Modi, another member of the organizing committee speaking on the occasion

    Venus Bhasin, representing NY State Senator Steven Rhoads, coordinated along with Onkar Singh hospitality efforts including hot Tea sponsored by Punjabi Dhaba. A soulful musical tribute by Anil Dua echoed messages of peace and healing.

    The highlight of the evening was the deeply moving candlelight vigil, joined by members of Glen Cove, Hicksville, and Plainview Gurudwaras, as well as representatives from surrounding temples. Thousands gathered in silent prayer, united in grief and hope, offering strength to the victims’ families and reaffirming the community’s stand against terrorism.

    The Indian Panorama Publisher – Editor Prof. Indrajit Saluja warned Pakistan to desist from the foolish acts of sending into the Indian territory terrorists to kill innocent people or risk annihilation.

    The program concluded with peaceful prayers led by Acharya Shri Madan Jha and Swami Brajeshwaeanand Ji, leaving the audience with a message of spiritual strength and resolve.

    A special thank you was extended to media partners including TV Asia, ITV Gold, Preetnama, Hum Hindustani, The South Asian Times, The Indian Panorama, The World Voice, Newsday, and Nassau County for providing the Eisenhower Park, Kite Fiend and stage.

    The evening was a testament to the Indo-American community’s enduring values—resilience, compassion, and unity. Even in times of darkness, these values shine as beacons of hope and humanity.

    A view of the gathering at the Vigil
  • Independence Day of India celebrated at Town of Oyster Bay

    Independence Day of India celebrated at Town of Oyster Bay

    L to R: Pradeep Tandon, Joseph Saladino , Jagdish Sewhani , Narinder Kapur Pradeep Tandon, Joseph Saladino , Jagdish Sewhani , Narinder Kapur

    OYSTER BAY, NY  (TIP): Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino hosted a celebration of the 77th Independence Day of India at Town headquarters on August 15. Mr. Saladino hoisted the Indian National flag and congratulated the Indian American community on the occasion. Members of the Indian American community participated.

  • Founder of Sulabh International Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak felicitated on Long Island

    Founder of Sulabh International Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak felicitated on Long Island

    Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and wife Amola Pathak were given a warm reception on arrival at the Mint Restaurant in Garden City. From L to R: Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, Arvind Vora, Kamlesh Mehta, Amola Pathak, Pam Kwatra, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Jagdish Sewhani, and Raj Wadhwa.

    GARDEN CITY, NY (TIP): Prominent Indian American community leaders welcomed living legend Dr Bindeshwar Pathak at a meet-and-greet on June 19 in Long Island. A Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr Pathak is famous as the founder of Sulabh International, the largest NGO in India, which has built over 9,000 public toilets across the country.

    Co-hosts of the dinner event at Mint restaurant near Roosevelt Field Mall included community leaders Pam Kwatra, Kamlesh Mehta, Eric Kumar, and Raj Wadhwa. Eminent speakers included Ragini Srivastava, Town Clerk, Town of North Hempstead, entrepreneur and philanthropist Mohan Wanchoo, The Indian Panorama Chief Editor Prof Indrajit Singh Saluja, President of AAPI-QLI Dr Vinni Jayam, Shanti Fund founder Arvind Vora, Dr Jagdish Gupta, Jagdish Sewhani and senior community leader Dr Narinder Kukar.

    Eric Kumar as emcee drew the line from the pathfinding work of Dr Pathak to eradicate scavenging to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachch Bharat campaign. Ellis Island Medal honoree Pam Kwatra mentioned that the seed capital for Dr Pathak’s social enterprise came in the form of jewelry from his wife, Amola, who was present at the event. Amola Pathak was felicitated by Nimmi Mehta and Totee Wadhwa. Prominent guests who gave Dr Pathak a standing ovation included Harish Thakkar, Jaspreet Mayall, Ashish Srivastava, Parveen Chopra, Shomik Chaudhuri, Jay Raj, Dr. Manju Kukar, Ila Vora, Taranbir Kaur and Prasad ji. In his speech, Dr Pathak, a sociologist with a PhD from the University of Patna, acknowledged that his inspiration came from Mahatma Gandhi. A recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2016, Dr Pathak was on the 5-member jury this time which last week selected Gita Press, Gorakhpur (the world’s largest publisher of Hindu religious books since 1923) for the same prestigious award by the Government of India.

    Dr Pathak’s accomplishments span the fields of sanitation technology, social enterprise, and healthcare education for millions of people in India, serving as a model for NGO agencies and public health initiatives around the world.

    Born a Brahmin, he has worked tirelessly for the human rights of the manual scavengers who clean dry latrines, come from the lowest stratum of India’s caste-based system, and are mostly women. His actions aimed at rehabilitating them and providing alternative employment through skill development.

    The most visible sign of his work is the Sulabh toilets in all major public places in India including at 36 railway stations which are used by approximately 20 million people every day.

  • Indian media in America faces challenges and opportunities

    Publishers and editors reveal how they have been coping and the business strategies they have adopted.

    By Parveen Chopra
    Founder, ALotusInTheMud.com
    Founding Editor, The South Asian Times

    In 2020, India Abroad, known as the gold standard in ethnic newspapers in America, closed operations after 50 years in circulation. In 2022 New India Abroad was started by a different team.
    That tells you the story of Indian media in America. Down and up. Resilience and renewal. Learning and adapting.
    The downturn for all journalism – not just Indian ethnic media – has been caused by the ever-growing digital revolution. The 2008 economic meltdown was bad for the media too. Covid years were worse. Now, social media is the new villain in the journalism story. Many storied newspapers in the US have closed or curtailed operations.
    Indian ethnic media has been more vulnerable because of a lack of promoters with deep pockets for sustaining operations and a dearth of committed journalists doing quality work to keep readers engaged. Surprisingly, the big media houses from India have not ventured here.
    The need for quality journalism to serve the Indian community is greater than ever. For one, the community is growing – their numbers increased from about 3 million in 2010 to more than 4.5 million as per the 2020 census. Indian Americans make headlines as achievers in the US media and are referred to as a model minority.
    But being new immigrants, the community cannot let its guard down. Knowledge is power. It is the job of community media to bring to the notice of their readers issues that need collective action. And, becoming their voice, take their issues to officials and lawmakers concerned. For example, they need to keep hammering the US Congress to resolve the monstrous green card backlog for Indians.
    A new, combustible case is Washington state passing a law (now under consideration in California) banning discrimination based on caste, a practice allegedly extended here from India. Some Hindu groups condemned the move as anti-Indian. The community papers should be explaining the implications of the bill and build a consensus – for or against.
    Surely, all regions of the US with large Indian populations have community newspapers. But most of them have mainly ended up as aggregators compiling news and features available freely. In contrast, New York-based India Abroad once spawned editions in other diaspora countries and a news agency.
    India Abroad, under publisher Gopal Raju, even made press freedom history. They published a story linking megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s brother, Ajitabh Bachchan, to kickbacks in a defense deal. Ajitabh sued in London and won 40,000-pound damages in 1990. Raju fought the enforcement at home. US legacy media including The New York Times filed briefs in Raju’s support. Raju won.
    Unfortunately, declining ad revenue while honor-bound to keep printing copies to serve its 20,000+ paid subscribers made the paper a hot potato eventually.
    One contemporary of India Abroad was India West, a paper with big circulation on the West Coast. Its aging owners, Bina and Ramesh Murarka, shut it down when Covid struck.
    Today, a new opportunity has arisen for the Indian media. With the greater visibility of South Asians in many spheres of American life, it is time to tell their story to the mainstream. But to achieve that you need some gumption and broader vision.  Indian Americans are well-educated and high earners. Rightly leveraged, this market can support a vibrant media.
    So, what is blocking that from happening, and what is the way forward? Publishers and editors responded to reveal how they have been coping and the business strategies they have adopted.

    Business models in the mix

  • The South Asian Times celebrated felicitation of Anil Bansal as Person of the Year 2022 at the Indian Consulate

    The South Asian Times celebrated felicitation of Anil Bansal as Person of the Year 2022 at the Indian Consulate

    NEW YORK (TIP): Anil Bansal, Past President of FIA, a successful serial entrepreneur, ambassador and promoter of Indian arts and culture, and a great humanitarian, was felicitated as The South Asian Times Person of the Year (POY) 2022 at the Consulate of India here on January 21. The event was oversubscribed with the presence of who is who of the Indian diaspora of the New York metro area.

    At the graceful event, immediate past Person of the Year Mohan Wanchoo presented a shawl and Consul General Randhir Jaiswal presented the crystal plaque honoring Anil Bansal POY-2022 on behalf of  Forsythe Media Group. Joining in the presentation were Kamlesh C Mehta (Chairman, Forsythe Media), Ankur Vaidya (Chairman, FIA), Dr Nirmal Mattoo (Chairman, IAAC), Chintu Patel (CEO, Amneal Pharmaceuticals), and Haridas Kotahwala (Chairman, Navika group). Mrs. Nimmi Mehta presented a floral bouquet to Mrs. Kumud Bansal.

    As a surprise but memorable moment of the evening came when on request of FIA, Consul General Jaiswal presented to Bansal the Pravasi Bharatiya Medal conferred on FIA, which was honored by the Indian government for its commendable service in India and the US during Covid during Bansal’s presidency. Noticeably, Anil Bansal was president of FIA during the peak of COVID-19, and he was instrumental in sending over $50 Million worth of aid from FIA to India during the pandemic.

    Speaker after speaker praised the publication and Bansal’s accomplishments and services to the community and society. Kamlesh Mehta highlighted Bansal’s humility and selflessness, mentioning that it was hard to convince him to accept POY honor. Ankur Vaidya spoke on behalf of FIA (Federation of Indian Associations – NY-NY-CT-NE) and Rakesh Kaul and Dr Mattoo for IAAC (Indo-American Arts Council). POY Bansal  has supported both organizations for decades.

    Bansal’s extended family, friends and colleagues were present in full strength at the event. His son, Avin Bansal, CFO and investor, and daughter Neha Hannan, a lawyer, expressed their love and admiration for him. Nephew Dr Sharad Sahu, an internist, shared some family anecdotes involving Anil Bansal.

    Anil Bansal in his acceptance speech expressed gratitude for the honor and went on to share his life experiences. He concluded by sharing the life lesson of ‘giving back’: “I and Kumud felt that we have enough financial resources for the rest of our lives for what we want to do and how we want to live.”

    The newspaper featuring Anil Bansal as POY 2022 was also launched at the event by the Consul General. Copies of the issue were distributed to the attendees and coffee mugs gifted by alotusinthemug.com web magazine.

    Consul General Randhir Jaiswal presented PBD medal to Anil Bansal. The Indian government conferred PBD Samman award on FIA for 2020 when Bansal was its president.

    The South Asian Times could not formally felicitate Mohan Wanchoo, POY 2021 because of Covid, so he was honored with a shawl  by Kamlesh Mehta and crystal plaque by Haridas Kotahwala. Other past POYs who were honored and who spoke at the event included  Chintu Patel (2017), Haridas Kotahwala  (Navika – TSAT Organization of the Year 2018), and Ankur Vaidya (FIA was Organization of the Year 2015 during his presidency). Pam Kwatra, a renowned community leader, Shailesh ‘Sam’ Jain, Chairman of Cheapoair, and prominent community leaders Karamjit Singh Dhaliwal, Jasbir Jay Singh, Alok Kumar Dr. Avinash Gupta, Rajeev Kaul, Sunil Shah, Saurin Parikh, and Sujata Seth were among the attendees.

    The event was emceed by the famous Bollywood & Hollywood actor Prashantt Guptha.

    A sumptuous vegetarian dinner created by Michelin Star decorated chef Hemant Mathur was served.

    The proceedings of the event were supported by Eric Kumar, Totee Wadhwa, Nicky Jagda and Parveen Chopra. Chopra’s wellness and spirituality website, alotusinthemud.com was launched after the felicitation.

    Acknowledging felicitations from dignitaries, friends and family, Anil Bansal shared lessons from his own life with the audience.
    Kumud and Anil Bansal posing with son Avin and daughter Neha’s families.