Indian-American Community of New England Celebrates 25 Years of PM Modi’s Selfless Public Service
More than 1,000 attendees gather in Worcester to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public service journey and honor community ambassadors for their contributions.
- Indian-American Community of New England marks PM Modi’s 25 years in public service.
- More than 1,000 attendees gather in Worcester for the Silver Jubilee celebration.
- Twenty-two individuals and couples honoured as Community Ambassadors.
- Event highlights India-US ties, diaspora engagement and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
GG News Bureau
Worcester, Massachusetts, 25th Oct: The Indian-American Community of New England celebrated the Silver Jubilee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public service at a special event held on Saturday evening at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester, Massachusetts. The gathering brought together more than 1,000 attendees, including families, community leaders and well-wishers from across the region.
The event, themed “US–India: Progress Together,” reflected on India’s development journey since independence in 1947 and its aspiration to become a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047. It also highlighted the expanding strategic partnership between India and the United States, the world’s two largest democracies.
The programme began with a welcome address, the traditional lighting of the lamp and a patriotic song performed by Praveen Mohindru, setting a celebratory tone for the evening.
From Gujarat Chief Minister to Prime Minister
Speakers reflected on PM Modi’s journey in public service, beginning with his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister in 2001 and his subsequent appointment as Prime Minister in 2014. His vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” was highlighted as a guiding principle of his leadership.
The event showcased several milestones associated with India’s economic, technological, healthcare and scientific progress. These included the country’s rise from the world’s 10th-largest economy to among the top five, the expansion of digital payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the opening of more than 50 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts to promote financial inclusion.
Speakers also highlighted the Ayushman Bharat healthcare initiative, Chandrayaan-3’s historic landing near the Moon’s south pole and India’s presidency of the G20 as significant developments in the country’s national journey.
The discussions connected these achievements with the broader ambition of building a developed India by 2047, encouraging the Indian diaspora to remain engaged with the country’s future.
Indian-Americans Recognised as Partners in India’s Growth
A dedicated session examined the contribution of the estimated five million Indian-Americans to India’s development and the relationship between the two countries.
Speakers described the community as an important bridge between India and the United States, contributing through investment, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, knowledge-sharing and the promotion of Indian culture, yoga and values internationally.
“India’s journey to 2047 is not only India’s mission. It is ours too,” one speaker said, emphasising the role of overseas Indians in supporting the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The discussion underlined the potential for Indian-Americans to strengthen bilateral ties by fostering economic partnerships, encouraging academic collaboration and introducing more Americans to India’s cultural heritage and development opportunities.
Abhishek Singh Recalls Meeting Prime Minister Modi in New York
Indian-American community leader Abhishek Singh shared a personal account of his 30-minute meeting with Prime Minister Modi in New York in 2015.
According to Singh, when the Prime Minister learned that he was from Boston, Modi recalled travelling to Boston and nearly 25 US states before holding government office. Singh said the Prime Minister demonstrated an understanding of the challenges faced by Indian-Americans.
Singh also recalled that Modi encouraged Boston’s academic community to participate in the government’s GYAN initiative, which invited overseas researchers and professors to teach at Indian universities.
The Prime Minister also encouraged Indian-Americans to consider investing in India’s infrastructure development and to bring small delegations of American friends and families to experience Incredible India, Singh said.
“Every one of us, in big or small ways, can be a brand ambassador for India and a bridge between our two great nations,” Singh remarked.
His account highlighted the role of diaspora engagement in strengthening educational, economic and cultural connections between India and the United States.
Community Ambassadors Honoured for Their Contributions
A major highlight of the celebration was the recognition of distinguished community members as Community Ambassadors for their service to humanity and commitment to community welfare, inspired by the ideals highlighted during the event.
The honourees were:
- Pramod Pandey
- Sunaina and Kamal Chauhan
- Praveen Kumari and Naresh Kumar
- Dr. Snehal Lakkar
- Bipin Parikh
- Karthik Shah
- Girish Mehta
- Surendra and Kiran Nath
- Surendra Nagpal
- Lalit and Minakshi Shinde
- Jitendra Sharma
- Chandrakant and Daxaben Patel
- Kiritkumar Surya
- Sanjay and Manisha Patel
- Rajendrakumar Dhanjibhai and Purvi Patel
- Rekha and Vinod Gupta
- Ravi and Sudha Sarin
- Kaushik and Charu Patel
- Parveen and Monika Kumar Mohindru
- Anil and Himani Chawla
- Pramod Kumar and Hema Rani
- Rajesh and Sudha Bhutani
The recognition celebrated the honourees’ contributions to community service and their role in supporting and strengthening the Indian-American community.
Celebration Concludes with Cake-Cutting and Garba
The evening concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony followed by a vibrant Garba celebration led by the Council of Indian Fine Arts. Attendees joined in the festivities, marking the occasion with music, dance and a shared spirit of unity.
The gathering brought together reflections on India’s development journey, the contributions of the Indian diaspora and the importance of stronger India-US relations. Through the celebration and the recognition of community leaders, organisers highlighted the continuing role of Indian-Americans in building connections between the two countries and contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
