New York, N.Y. More than 300 of New York’s crème de la crème from the business, finance, and entertainment communities converged at the second annual The Light of India Awards, an initiative created by Remit2India and presented by The Amrapali Group. I was excited to attend the first at the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue last year and even more delighted to attend the second at the Taj Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue.
These awards are our humble initiative to acknowledge the contributions of the global Indian community in making India the emerging superpower. These leading lights have lit the global skyline with their beams of brilliance.
The chairman of The Amrapali Group, Dr. Anil Kumar Sharma, added:
It is great to see so many leading luminaries excel and build the profile of India globally. The Amrapali Group is glad to be associated with these leading lights and hopes to work together in further enhancing the global image of India and its people.
Author and Indian Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor with his son.
Photo: www.michaeltoolan.com.
As Americans we are familiar with Bollywood and would expect there to be an award for entertainment, but with the Indian Diaspora adding more and more brilliant leaders into North America, arts, education, medicine and business, the categories for awards were expansive.
The breadth of achievement of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) is phenomenal:
Excellence in Business Leadership
Jury Award: Bharat Desai, founder of Syntel
People’s Choice Award: Gurbaksh Chahal, Chairman & C.E.O. of Radium One
Excellence in Technology
Jury Award: Pradeep K. Khosla, Dean, College of Engineering Carnegie Mellon University
People’s Choice Award: Sabeer Bhatia, Co-Founder of Hotmail Service
Excellence in Medical Sciences
Jury Award: Siddhartha Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University
Jury Award: Anshuman Jain, Co-C.E.O. of Deutsche Bank
People’s Choice Award: Padmasree Warrior, Chief Tech. Officer of Cisco Systems
Excellence in Education & Academics — Deans & Presidents
Jury Award & People’s Choice Award: Renu Khator, President, Univ. of Houston
Jury Award: Soumitra Dutta, Professor of Business & Technology INSEAD
People’s Choice Award: Mohanbir Sawhney, Director, Center for Research in Technology & Innovation, Kellogg School of Management
Excellence in Literature & Journalism
Jury Award: Amitav Ghosh, author
People’s Choice Award: Indu Sundaresan, author
Jury Award: Padma Lakshmi, host of ‘Top Chef’ America
People’s Choice Award: Lisa Ray, actor & host of ‘Top Chef’ Canada
Study in Global Economics: Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia Univ. Professor & Economist
Business Leadership: Narendra Patni, Founder & C.E.O. of Patni Computer Systems
Global Corporate Leadership: Arun Sarin, Former C.E.O. of Vodafone Group
The men and women honored here tonight are true pioneers and leaders in their professional spaces, paving the way for Indians living abroad with their talent, motivation and innovation. Etihad Airways is proud to continue our support of these distinguished Indian figures via our role as the international airline partner of The Light of India. The Indian community is truly a driving force behind the success of our business, both as welcomed guests and as strong pillars of our workforce.
Finally, three special awards were presented in the Grand Ball Room of The Pierre:
Amrapali Young Achievers Award
Gurbaksh Chahal, Chairman & CEO of RadiumOne
Power of Influence Award in Education
Satish K. Tripathi, President, University of Buffalo
Power of Influence Award in Technology
Ajay V. Bhatt, Co-inventor of USB Technology
The Light of India Awards is an initiative of Remit2India, the pioneer in online money transfers, and is the chosen destination for thousands of NRIs across the globe. Part of the esteemed Times Group, Remit2India has over the years created a mark for itself both with customers as well as the industry. With its pioneering technology and unmatched reach, Remit2India now allows NRIs across 24 countries, to conveniently and safely send money to any bank and any location in India.
I’ve been so impressed with Evolve Entertainment’s coordination and planning of the last two Light of India Awards, and I’m looking forward to see what Sapnna Vats and her team have in store for next year’s event.
Overseas Indian Elite Elect Their Best at Waldorf-Astoria (HuffPo)
Corporate America & CSR | India and Indian-American Culture | New York
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Originally published in The Huffington Post.
