The Indian Panorama

Tag: NIAASC

  • NIAASC Hosts Successful 35th National Conference and 25th Anniversary Celebration, Empowering Senior Citizens with Practical Health and Wellness Insights

    NIAASC Hosts Successful 35th National Conference and 25th Anniversary Celebration, Empowering Senior Citizens with Practical Health and Wellness Insights

    ELMONT, NY (TIP): The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) celebrated its 35th National Conference and 25th Anniversary on November 9, 2024, at the Kerala Center in Elmont, NY. The day-long event brought together senior citizens, community leaders, healthcare experts, and supporters in a memorable gathering to mark 25 years of dedicated service to the senior Indian American community.

    NIAASC President Gunjan Rastogi opened the event, welcoming attendees and acknowledging the accomplishments of NIAASC over the past 25 years. “Today is about celebrating not only our organization’s history but also our commitment to continually addressing the needs of our senior community. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication of our board members, supporters, and collaborative partners who have helped NIAASC grow and thrive,” Rastogi said in her opening remarks. Rajeshwar prasad the founder and the chairman of NIAASC presented the Historical perspective of 25 years of NIAASC.

    The conference highlighted practical topics essential to the health, wellness, and daily life of seniors. Key sessions included:

    • “Practical Points to Achieve Healthier Outcomes with Nutrition” presented by nutrition expert Rita Shah Batheja, offering attendees valuable insights on how nutrition choices directly impact health outcomes and well-being.
    • “How to Stay Out of Hospitals” by Dr. Subramanium Srinivasan, focusing on preventive healthcare measures that seniors can adopt to support long-term wellness and reduce hospital visits.
    • “Enhancing Daily Life with New Technology” by Dr. John Power, who introduced seniors to technological tools designed to improve quality of life, mobility, and communication.

    In addition to these engaging presentations, Sumptuous Breakfast was enjoyed by the attendees, which was sponsored by India Home.   Gunjan Rastogi thanked the sponsors and donors for their contributions in making the conference free of charge to the NIAASC members and attendees. Gunjan Rastogi thanked the dedicated volunteers who helped moving the conference smoothly.

    NIAASC Board of Directors

    The presidents of the collaborating organizations Gobind Munjal -President of  National AIA –  Association of Indians in America (AIA) and Alex Esthappan  President of  the Kerala Center, thanked NIAASC for the partnership and  for doing a great service for seniors.

    After the Luncheon,  guests enjoyed a cultural performance by talented artists Pradep Rastogi and  Vandana Kumar.

    NIAASC honored Bharat Rana of FISANA and senior program of Indo-American Seniors of New York, for their service to seniors .

    NIAASC also presented a founders award to Rajeshwar Prasad,  for his vison and  pioneering Spirit in advancing and Shaping our senior Community.  The day concluded with the 25th NIAASC General Body Meeting, featuring annual reports and organizational updates.

     About NIAASC

    Founded formally in 1999, the National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving Indian American seniors through advocacy, information dissemination, and referrals. Over the past 25 years, NIAASC has grown into a respected institution that provides seniors with the tools they need to live independent, fulfilling lives.

    For more information about NIAASC, its mission, and membership opportunities, please visit our website www.niaasc.org.

     

  • NIAASC holds its 34th Conference in Tavares, Florida

    NIAASC holds its 34th Conference in Tavares, Florida

    TAVARES, FL (TIP): The National Indo-American for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) held their 34th conference in the town of Tavares, Florida on Saturday, November 18th, 2023. This event which was attended by over 100 participants was held in collaboration with Shantiniketan-3, Tavares, Florida. Being that it was the signature annual event of NIAASC, a plethora of renowned professionals were in attendance and talked on various topics. The theme of the conference was: “Empowering Aging”.
    Topics are appended below:
    1 Protecting Seniors Citizens (Safeguarding against Scams) by Alicia Ramirez (AARP)
    2 Aging — A Curse or Boon by Baldev Seekri
    3 Debunking Anti-Aging Myths by Srinivasa Rao
    The above-named speakers are nationally known professionals and have been endeared by the community-at-large. Alicia Ramirez is a retired professional from AARP and in her speech cautioned that AI technology is being used to scam the seniors and advised that seniors need to be cognizant on the aforementioned. Baldev Seekri is the author of ‘Meaningful Aging’ and one of the highlighting topics was how the mind-set can make meaningful aging happen. Srinivasa Rao, a bio-medical scientist who has authored a slew of articles on food and nutrition and in his presentation shed light on reverse aging via nutrition.
    The conference started with lighting of the lamp and invocation by Acharya Praygraj, followed by the opening remarks provided by Yogesh Naik from Shantiniketan-3 (Advisory Committee) and Chandrakant Shah (NIAASC Conference Coordinator) who welcomed all the participants and the guests. This was followed by the lecture topics as per above. All the above-named speakers are subject matter experts, and the delivery of the topics were succinct and material content was one that allayed a lot of apprehension/misgivings that the attendees had relating to Aging and its effects.
    In her welcome speech, Gunjan Rastogi, NIAASC president greeted all participants and talked about the detailed program and in her concluding remarks assured the members of her unwavering commitment to the organization and further reiterated that the vision will continue to fortify the organization’s mission to be a force multiplier for helping the Seniors. Gunjan’s speech was followed by Rajeshwar Prasad who is the Founder and Chairman of NIAASC. He spoke at length the need to foster partnerships and collaboration which in an effort to seek synergy so as to pave the way for organizing an array of nation-wide workshops for Seniors.
    The conference was financially supported by various sponsors and donations ranged from $51.00 to $10,000.00. The major sponsor being Santosh Kumar from Chicago she is also known as “Mother Teresa of Chicago”. India Home (NY) was another notable sponsor and supported the event by sponsoring food. The cultural program was emceed by Tara Ashok who thoroughly regaled the audience with great fanfare.
    At the end of every conference, it is the practice of getting evaluations done by the members in attendance with the sole purpose of getting better the next time. Deep dive into what works and what does not work are carefully examined so that areas and opportunities for improvement are taken into cognizance at the subsequent events.
    NIAASC has been in operation since its inception of Spring of 1999 with the stated objectives “To provide help to seniors through information, referral and advocacy services.”.
    For more information about NIAASC, please visit www.NIAASC.org or email at NIAASC@aol.com.

  • NIAASC holds its 32nd Conference and 23rd Annual meeting in New York

    NIAASC holds its 32nd Conference and 23rd Annual meeting in New York

    Center NIAASC Chairman Rajeshwar Prasad, to his Right NIAASC President Gunjan Rastogi and to his left WVV President Suman Munjal and WVV members.
    Dr. Swaminathan Giridharan Md FACP FACE, speaker.

    QUEENS, NY (TIP): The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens(NIAASC) celebrated its 32nd Conference and 23rd Annual meeting on Sunday, November 7th, 2021which was primarily an in-person meeting but was also streamed via zoom for thosewho were unable to attend the physical meeting. The conference was informative and entertaining with vegan breakfast and lunch served.

    Theevent was held at theIndia Home in Jamaica, New York; courtesyof Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi,who is the founder of India Home nonprofit organization and a current board member of NIAASC. Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Vice president– NIAASC was the coordinator of the conference and coordinated the event effectively and flawlessly.

    The conference started with opening remarks and greetings byNIAASC Chairman and founderMr. Rajeshwar Prasad, and in his speech reflected on the growth of the organization since its inception in 1998. He stated “NIAASC helps Senior Citizens and Senior Associations through information, referral and advocacy services “. Following the Chairman’s speech, Mrs. Gunjan Rastogi, the current president of NIAASC welcomed­­the attendees and echoed the chairman’s message andreaffirmed and reminded everyone that NIAASC is a unique nonprofit organization that provides resourcesfor all the seniors while collaborating with other nonprofit organizationsandthis was well received and acknowledged. The main speaker was Dr. Vikas Malik,a board-certifiedmedical professional in both Child-Adolescent Psychiatry and Adult Psychiatry and his PowerPoint presentation on Mental Health in light of COVID-19 captivated the audience of roughly 70 physical attendees and 30 virtual attendees, who appreciated the information and knowledge that was succinctly explained.Hispresentation was followedby Dr. Swaminathan Giridharan, a Geriatric specialist, who spoke about COVID-19 Vaccination. The conference also focused on physical health and a presentation by   Mrs. Suman Munjal, president of World Vegan Vision, who discussed the health benefits pertaining to a vegan diet. Theoccasion marked NIAASC honoring Mr. Mukund Mehta,President of Indo-American Senior citizen center, a nonprofit organization andthe President of India Home. In introducing Mr. Mukund Mehta, Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi informedthe audience about his active involvement as a director with theFederation of Indian American Seniors Associations of North America(FISANA). Mr. Rajeshwar Prasad was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was recognized for his 23 years of admirable and outstanding community outlook and service, creating and nurturing NIAASC and dedicated to all seniors across the USA.

    NIAASC’s goal of collaboration with other organizations was evident as the conference was well attended by members of the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA). Members included current executive board members and past presidents who made the effort to connect via zoom. NFIA attendees belonged to different states/different time zones and remained present throughout the duration of the program.Also in attendance were members from several other organizations such as World Vegan Vision (WVV) and India Association of Long Island (IALI). Many IALI members attended In-person and on Zoom,including nine past presidents. Other NIAASC Board members that joined via zoom were: Satpal and Satya Malhotra (New York), Baldev Seekri (Florida), Chandrakant Shah(Florida), Santosh Kumar (Chicago), Asha Samant (New Jersey) and Jyotsna Kalavar(Indiana).

    Lunch was followed by Diwalicultural programthat was presented by Ms. Jyoti Gupta and her team consisted of severalsingers, Dr. Jag Kalra, Kul Bhooshan Sharma, Gautam Chopra and Raj Dhingra. The group entertained and regaled the audience with lively Bollywood songs. Music program was followed by Diwali Felicitation by Nilima Madan. In her closing remarks, Gunjan Rastogi thankedthe sponsors that supported the entire event financially and also thanked the India Home volunteers who had helped set up the venue while precluding any hiccups.

    The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Harbachan Singh, NIAASC Secretary who appreciated the presence of large number of audiences, sponsors, and well-wishers. 

    Upon adjournment of the conference, the 23rd general body meeting was conducted by NIAASC president, Gunjan Rastogi, who requested Mr. Rajeshwar Prasad to present the report of nominating committee, since the chairman of the nominating committee Chandrakant Shah, was not able to the report due to some technical issue.Rajeshwar Prasad informed the members that as per NIAASC constitution andbylaws; 1/3rd members retire every year, but based on eligibility criteria, members are eligible to be re-elected for another term of three years that resulted in all the retiring members Gunjan Rastogi, Bhavani Srinivasan, E.M. Stephen, Santosh Kumar, and Rajeshwar Prasad to be elected for three additional years and was approved by the General Body.

    For additional information about NIAASC, please emailthe president at gunjan.p.rastogi@gmail.com.

    (Press Release issued by Gunjan Rastogi)

  • The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens stands in solidarity with the AAPI Community.

    The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens stands in solidarity with the AAPI Community.

    NEW YORK(TIP): The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens Inc. (NIAASC), has come out to express that they are extremely saddened by the massacre of eight innocent people, including six Asian women.This violence comes at a time when racist attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)both verbal and physical are happening more and more often across the country, making these deaths even more painful. Whilst condemning the abhorrent attack by the perpetrator, the Chairman Rajeshwar Prasad of NIAASC warned that hate crime committed against one community is a crime committed against every community and we must all join hands and prevent this from recurring. President Gunjan Rastogi stated that hate crime has no place in civil society and both the Government administration and the private sector must make a joint effort to stamp out this systemic discrimination. Our sympathies go to the families and friends of those who senselessly lost their lives in this racially charged attack. Unfortunately, racism still exists today, and it is a reminder to us all to stay vigilant. We hope this will be another eye-opener to the appropriate authorities to take immediate action so that such a tragedy never happens again.