Prem Bhandari is a successful entrepreneur and community leader involved in philanthropic work in the United States and India. Mr. Bhandari graduated from Jodhpur and came to New York in 1987. He is a natural-born entrepreneur and ran businesses in the hospitality and luxury industries. His wife, Dr. Rekha Bhandari, is an accomplished triple medical board certified and working as Chief Medical Officer of one of the largest nursing home groups in the USA. Dr. Rekha Bhandari also received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal, recognized by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. His son Peter Bhandari is following in his mother’s footsteps, completed his medical education, and is currently working as a 2nd-year resident doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York – among America’s 50 Best Hospitals. Peter is a representative of the American College of Physicians New York chapter for Medical Students.
Mr. Bhandari is very soft-hearted and always helps anyone and everyone in the community. He is a devoted social activist and works to help differently-abled people under the guidance and leadership of Padam Bhusan D.R. Mehta, Founder & Chief Patron, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Saminiti (BMVSS)/Jaipur Foot. Since 1975, Jaipur Foot (BMVSS) has helped rehabilitate more than 2 million differently-abled amputees and polio victims, providing free artificial limbs, calipers, and other requisite aids and appliances in India, 36 countries and 86 international camps through international prosthetics fitment camps. Mr. Bhandari was instrumental in organizing multiple camps in India under Jaipur Foot USA’s funding, including MHOW – Madhya Pradesh, inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and Nagpur, Maharastra camp, inaugurated by then Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis. The prosthetics fitment camps in Jamshedpur (in the memory of Pulwama), Kota, Kolhapur, Nakoda, Khichan-Jodhpur, and West Bengal were held. Through Jaipur Foot USA, Mr. Bhandari was instrumental in starting many initiatives like Mobile Prosthetic Fitment Camp in Bhavnagar (prosthetics at the door-step of Divyang), and during COVID 2nd wave in India, sent thousands of Oxygen Concentrators all over India, including states like Rajasthan, Kerala, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Delhi. He also collaborated with the Mount Sanai Hospital group (one of the well-known Cardiologist Dr. Samin Sharma instrumental) based in New York to provide nearly a million dollars’ worth of ventilators to various hospitals in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
COVID has been a havoc on society and brought many painful difficulties for non-resident Indians who wanted to travel to India to attend to family emergencies, like death in the family or parents’ critical conditions. Governments worldwide put many travel restrictions, and travelers, specifically to India, faced tremendous hardships. Many of the NRIs, frustrated with government restrictions, arbitrary rules, and difficulty getting an emergency visa to travel from consulates, reached out to Mr. Bhandari in distress. Mr. Bhandari sprang into action and helped so many people in distressed conditions day in and day out. When anyone with no personal connection with Mr. Bhandari reached out to him, he pursued their cases vigorously, whichever consulate it belonged to, and was instrumental in getting them travel visas. He helped them operate Air India flights under a restricted air bubble travel corridor. Also, he was instrumental in pursuing various departments of the Indian government to ease arbitrary travel restrictions for OCI and ‘T’ visa holders. His contributions to helping NRIs in distress due to COVID restrictions will be remembered for a long time. He received the “Community Leader of the Year” award from the New Jersey Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association in 2021 for his contributions to providing food and other humanitarian help in the New York & New Jersey area during COVID lockdowns.
He was honored by Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Chancellor, S-VYASA, a renowned Yoga Guru, and received the “Yog Ratan award in London, United Kingdom. Mr. Bhandari is a founding director of the first-of-its-kind University outside India on a worldwide stage, dedicated to providing short-term and long-term courses on Yoga and allied subjects.
Mr. Bhandari was the Convenor & Chief Guest for the historic celebration to commemorate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA)-NY-NJ-CT- NE at Madison Avenue (Manhattan), New York City on Aug 21st, 2022. FIA is one of the largest organizations in the USA, representing the Indian diaspora, and organized the 40th India Day Parade, which had historic participation of close to 2,00,000 people from all around the New York/New Jersey area and other parts of the US. This is the largest parade outside India ever organized to celebrate India’s Independence Day.
His love for the mother tongue is supreme, and he has been persistently campaigning for many years to include the Rajasthani language in the Eighth Schedule of India’s constitution. He doesn’t lose a chance to persuade and convince political leaders to take up this matter on a priority basis.
Mr. Bhandari was instrumental in organizing historic Exhibitions & Seminars for Jaipur Foot/BMVSS at the U.N. Headquarters, New York, under participatory blessings of Govt. of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Saminiti (BMVSS)/Jaipur Foot, the world’s largest non-profit for handicapped. Similar Exhibitions & Seminars for Jaipur Foot/BMVSS were organized at Capitol Hill, Washington, in collaboration with Indian Embassy, Washington DC.
All India Rajasthani Pravasi Federation chose Mr. Bhandari for the “SHER-e-MANHATTAN” award, conferred by the Honorable Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje in 2006 in New York. He received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from his alma mater Jai Narain Vyas University (Commerce Dept.), in 2019. Mr. Bhandari was honored by the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) in California , Canada, and New York in 2011, 2014, & 2018, respectively; Marwar State’s highest civilian award “SIROPAV”; and the prestigious award of Honorary Doctorate Ph.D. by one of India’s leading Desh Bhagat University is a real tribute and recognition of his outstanding social contributions, in so many diverse fields, so much, for so long. Mr. Bhandari was honored by the US-based one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations, the Association of Indians – AIA New York Chapter’s 35th Deepawali Celebration & annual benefits gala 2022, for his outstanding humanitarian services to the community worldwide.
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