Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Indian-Americans Kaushik, Guntupalli among 15 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award winners

JAIPUR: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar and 14 other distinguished PIOs and NRIs were conferred with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards for 2012 for their outstanding service/contribution that brought glory and enhanced the prestige of India.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is the highest award conferred by the Indian government on Non-resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and institutions run by them for their contribution in serving the Indian Diaspora and enhancing India’s image in different parts of the world.

“Indian overseas community is not only large, but is becoming increasingly influential in the economic, professional and political fields in the country in which they are now living. We are proud of their accomplishments,” Patil said at her valedictory address of the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held here from Jan 7 - 9.

Bissessar, a person of Indian origin who became the first female prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, is the most prominent among this year’s awardees.

 “I would like to congratulate all the winners… It is an extremely distinguished list and we are honored by the presences of the awardees at this function,” said Patil.

The president gave awards to 15 NRIs for excellent work in various fields. These are Ms. Kamla Persad Bissessar, The Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago, Shri P.V. Radhakrisha Pillai, Honorary Secretary of the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam, Prof. Sachchidanand Sahai, eminent writer Cambodia, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce for enrolling more than 12 members from the Canadian business and professional communities, Mr. Deepak Naraindas Shivdasani, for running a prominent business house in Cote D'Ivoire, Dr. Victor Shahed Smetacek, Head of the Pelagic Biology Division of the Alfred Wagner Institute of Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, Mr. Sri Prakash Lohia, the founder of the Bali India Foundation, Indonesia, Mr. Jose Parayanken, the prominent Indian businessmen in Mozambique, Mr. Kiran Navinchandra Asher, the Managing Director of the Al Ansari Group of Companies, Oman, Mr. Hassan Abdulkarim Chougule, the Managing partner of the Emad Group of Companies Qatar, H.E. Mr. S.R. Nathan, an extremely distinguished Singapore public servant, Dr. Khorshed Noshir Ginwala-Rustomjee, a champion of anti-aprtheid KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Saraiya, a student from Ukraine who build a cultural centre called Sansksriti in Kyiv, Prof. Surendra Kumar Kaushik, from Malsisar in the Jhunjunu District of Rajasthan, a well known philanthropist and Dr. Kalpalatha Kummamuri Guntupalli, a Professor and Head of Department of Pulmonay Crtical Care and Sleep Medicine at the prestigious Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also honored for its contribution in bettering business and economic relations between the two countries.

“Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a celebration of Indians living abroad. It is an occasion to welcome them to the land of their ancestors, to the country of their origin to interact with them and to reacquaint ourselves with each other,” the president said.

Over 2,000 delegates from 59 countries participated at the three-day event.

 

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