AWB Food Bank Felicitates Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla;Offers Aid to Floating School

May 20, 2018In- dia’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty, Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, New York State Senator Elaine Phillips, judges of New York Supreme Court,Steven Bucaria, Denise Sher and Ruth Balikn, Roger Bogsted, former Nassau County Commissioner joinedbankers, educators, physicians and who’s who of the Indian American community at a reception for Manipur Governor Dr. Najma Heptulla, hosted by Ratna & Varinder Bhalla at their home in Albertson, Long Island.
Dr. Heptulla has worked over the years for the welfare of the less fortunate in India, and it is this area of her endeavors, which brought her in touch with the Bhallas, who founded AWB Food Bank, a hunger relief organization which has delivered 12 million meals to the needy children and women in New Delhi since its inception over a quarter of a century ago.
In August 2014, Bhallas read a news story of 125 teenage students in Sajjanpur village of Gujarat, swimming across a turbulent river with no bridge – risking their lives every day – to reach school on the other side of the river. The couple travelled to India and donated a motor boat and life jackets for the students. Earlier last month, the Bhallas reached out to Governor Heptulla offering aid to the children of a floating school in Manipur Loktak Lake, who currently travel each day nearly four hours roundtrip in a wooden boat, without life jackets.
Addressing the guests at the reception, Governor Heptulla urged the community to support the development of Manipur. Ambassador Chakravorty welcomed Dr. Heptulla to New York and pointed toa packed house turnout to greet her. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, unable to attend due to prior engagements, sent a personal letter to Dr. Heptulla, which was read out by Chairman Jacobs, who articulated the contributions of Indian Americans to New York and the United States. On behalf of New York State, Senator Phillips presented Honor Citation to Dr.Heptulla recounting her 40 years of public service as member and Deputy Chairperson of the upper House of India’s Parliament and serving as Minister of Minority Affairs in the Modi administration, before taking reigns of Manipur as governor. In his welcome remarks, PadamshreeSudhir Parikh commended the governorfor her services to the nation and the cause of women.
Among others in attendance were Taruna Chakravorty, First Lady of India Consulate, B. Elango, CEO of Bank of Baroda, AkashdeepSarpal, CEO of ICICI Bank, Roopam Maini, VP Indus American Bank, Benjamin Rifkin, Dean of Hofstra University, Prabha& Kanak Golia, President & CEO of Perfume Center of America, Dr. Anumolu Rao, CEO of ASR International, Tejinder Singh Bindra, Founder of Sikh Studies Chair at Hofstra University, RajasekharVangapaty, Registrar, Fashion Institute of Technology, Rakesh Gupta, former Dean of Business School of Adelphi University.
Renowned physicians Dr. Sudha Parikh, Dr. Nilesh Mehta, Dr. Sunil Mehra, Dr. Deepak Nandi, Dr. Mala Nandi, Dr. BhupeshDhama and Dr. Anjula Akhtar were also there to greet the governor.
Community leaders who attended included Neeta Bhasin, Founder of Diwali at Times Square, Sunil Hali, publisher of Indian Express, Sunil Tristar, publisher of India Life & Times, Manesh Patel, President of Gujarati Samaj of New York, Bobby Kumar, Chairman Reform Party, GunjanRastogi, President, Indian Association of Long Island, Rajesh Chugh, GobindBathija, Founder of Hicksville Asa Mai Temple, Hardeep Singh Goldy, President Akali Dal of New Jersey, Ketan Mehta, President of Jains Group of New York, AnimeshGoenka&Rohit Vyas, both former Presidents of the Association of Indians in America; Satnam Singh Parhar&Beena Kothari, both former Presidents of Indian Association of Long Island,AnjaniPersaud of Global Harmony, Anu Jain, former Treasurer of the Rajasthan Association of North America.
The event was later covered on television by ITV and TV Asia.

For more information about this news release, please call Varinder K Bhalla at 516.680.8038.