Surendra Ullal
CHICAGO: TheFederation of Indian Associations(FIA Chicago since 1980 hosteda) Meet and Greet with Consul General of India, Chicago Shri Somnath Ghosh, along with some elected officials and prominent members of the Indian community on April 8, 2023 at Holiday Inn Chicagoin Elk Grove Village, a north side suburb of Chicago.
FIA has been devoted to community service for the past 43 years and it hosts numerous events to support the Indian Diaspora here. Keeping up with its tradition, FIA hosted a Meet & Greet with the CG Shri Somnath Ghosh to facilitate much-needed help for the Passport, Visa & Immigration services, right at the event site. There were a large number of people who availed this opportunity to get their issues and queries resolved, saving them time and effort to go all the way to the Consul General Office in the busy Chicago Downtown office.
The new CG took over his office recently and has been very actively supporting the Indian community here. About 59 prominent leaders from other parts of the community attended and 34 organizations participated in the event, making this event a huge success! The Deep Party (lamp lighting) ceremony marked the auspicious beginning of the event, in the presence of Chief Guest CG Shri Somnath Ghosh and Guest of Honor Dr Mrs. Santosh Kumar along with President FIA Dr Rashmi Patel. Devotional Bhajans were sung, invoking positive thoughts for all human race, followed by beautiful rendition of the US & Indian National Anthems.
The event was presided over by the President FIA, Dr Rashmi Patel. CG Hon. Somnath Ghosh, Ma Santosh Kumar, Founder MAFS, Kanti Bhai Patel, Trustee FIA, Nimish Jani, FIA, Dr Bharat Barai along with the Master of the Ceremony, Exec Vice President Nitin Patel. Flower Bouquets were to the guests on the podium. In his Speech, President Rashmi Patel, welcomed all dignitaries and guests talked about the new initiatives & Goals for this year.
He mentioned FIA’s efforts regarding establishing a Permanent office in Schaumburg, which will open in July 2023. Also announced that a new and improved website will be functional by Aug12th 2023. The website will be available to serve the community in finding info regarding Primary care, Especially Care, Medical Guidelines, how to apply & prepare for citizenship, low-cost immigration helps and blood donation camps and many more similar queries. Passport & immigration help and answer meant for the community.
The 501c3 status for the organization is on the anvil that will help collect donations for FIA. He announced the date for the Independence Day Parade on Aug 5th 2023 and Independence Gala celebrations on Aug 12th at Ashyana Banquets, Picnic in September, Health Fair in October, Diwali celebration in November and Christmas celebration in December.
He also announced a lifetime membership. He said, “To achieve all these Goals, me & my team invite all your support. And I’m looking for a few more volunteers, like Doctors, Lawyers, Social Workers, Pharmacists, Woman Power, who can help us & help the community.” He mentioned that FIA’s 30-member Woman Power Team is ready in the wings to take on the several tasks for the upcoming events. He ended his speech with a call to our beloved Nation India…“Bharat Mata Ki Jai!”
Cecil Joseph, Vice President FIA introduced and invited CG Somnath Ghosh for his Chief Guest address. Ghosh started with his greetings for Hanuman Jayanti, Easter, Ramadan, and also gave new year wishes for the Indian New Year, and festivals like Ugadi, Sankranti, Tamil New Year, Vaisakhi to all the respective ethnicities in the great Nation of India. He gave the message that we must stay united while India is at the cusp …ready to take off on a memorable journey that this world has not seen yet! India’s rise will be peaceful.
CG Ghosh emphasized that we all have to stand up against the wrong perceptions and wrong narratives against India, as we are poised to follow an upward trajectory in business and the influence of the external forces should be nullified. He offered the Consul General office support for new immigrants, passport status updates, even legal support for Indian Nationals and the overall NRI community. A list of all the organizations is being compiled by the Consul General to spread and disseminate info for the CG Office support to the diaspora.
He took Questions from the audience and provided appropriate resolutions. He pointed that the Source of all the separatist working against India are all and our strength is in this diversity Constitution is our first religion. He added that India is a multicultural multi-religious multi-ethnic multilingual country. He said, “Religion and the country will prosper and will remain safe based on India’s behavior. Innovation & Tech is also an integral to our growth and scientists are working together
In the end, the President thanked SomnathGhosh, all the dignitaries. He also acknowledged the great supporter, Mafat Bhai Patel to the FIA Chicago. The event was a big success and many left the building smiling as their issues we resolved.
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