Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston

Picture albums from 2008 are now posted on our website

2009-01-22T00:55:00.003-05:00

Picture albums from our events in 2008 are now posted on our website at www.netsapboston.org/photos. Do check them out!

Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP Boston) celebrates their successful year and picks new leaders

2008-12-25T13:47:00.012-05:00

December 25th, 2008, Boston, MA - The Boston Chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP-Boston) held its annual holiday gala celebration and Executive Board Election at Tantric India Bistro in the heart of Boston's Downtown on Saturday, December 13th. The event featuring a delicious Indian buffet, standup comedy by Corey Manning, music by DJ OM and an awards ceremony was attended by over 106 people.

As people decked up in their best formals and Indian ethnic wear mingled and networked with each other, Corey Manning performed Standup Comedy to entertain the audience. This was followed by dinner and an awards ceremony where NetSAP Boston recognized all their Board members and volunteers for their leadership, most of whom played dual roles in 2008 helping organize the regular local NetSAP events in addition to the National Conference.

The Awards were followed by DJ OM who entertained the audience with some lively dance music.

NetSAP Boston had many achievements in 2008 and the gala marked the culmination of a much successful year. The organization hosted the best NetIP National Conference ever in the recent history. NetSAP also increased its membership by over 51%, organized over 30 events and also increased its financial status by 115% year over year. The Alliance partner program at NetSAP Boston also grew a lot in 2008. NetSAP Boston supported 7 charities by raising over $3,500, members donated their time to 5 soup kitchens locally, and more importantly NetSAP Boston was able to create awareness about different causes among their membership and encouraged them to give back to the community. The partnerships that NetSAP builds allows it to give more value and a wide choice of events to members in areas such as professional development & networking, political awareness, community service and socio-cultural awareness.

The new Executive Board is looking forward to continuing the traditions and chapter legacy of NetSAP Boston as one of the premier professional networking organizations in the New England area. This year, the Board brings in many new faces into the team along with a few experienced officers from the past.

Comments Yash Chitre, Former President of NetSAP Boston and Advisor about new faces on the Board - "I have always found, that the key to NetSAP’s success and the reason why it is so popular and brings in big numbers for events is because of the fact that the board turns over every few years completely. The organization encourages new energy and expansion. Other organizations have lifetime executives that do indeed provide good strategic direction—but it gets old and boring very quick. The whole reason new board members get involved is because they can play a responsible role right out of the gate without creative limitation. They also have a chance to mold the organization and meet other like minded people such as themselves. That’s exciting!"

The group's 2009 officers include: Pallavi Chhabra, President; Chaitali Thakar, Vice President; Swarupa Purandare, Treasurer; Gayathri Arumugham, Secretary; Kunal Mishra, National Liaison; Sanjay Tamhane & Sonia Rai, Membership Chairs; Manoshi Vin & Harish Gulati as Social Chairs; Sonit Seth & Kalyan Bemalkhedkar as Professional Chairs; Rishi Popat & Michael Dwan Singh as Cultural/Theatrics Chairs; Saru Mahajan, Community Service Chair; Rashi Mittal as Sponsorship Chair and Shiva Pattamadai, Website Director.

Outgoing President Tushneem Dharmagadda will continue to serve on the Advisory Board for the organization along with Past Presidents Nishith Acharya, Yash Chitre and Kas Sharma. The creation of a more formal Advisory structure in 2009 intends to help the Executive Board to continue the enormous growth that the organization achieved in the past 4 years. Other longtime Board members such as Usha Govindarajulu, Theatrics Chair (2005 - 2008), Vijay Daryanani, Treasurer & Social Chair (2000 - 2008) and Sheila Rajan, Secretary (2006 - 2008) also intend to help the Board in advisory roles.

President for last 2 years, Tushneem Dharmagadda said, "Serving NetSAP Boston for the last 5 years in various capacities has been a great experience. During my leadership roles NetSAP Boston has grown at an amazing pace. We introduced several unique events catering to Theater, Cultural Awareness, Social and Professional Networking. We were also voted as the Best Chapter 3 times in a row. NetSAP commands respect today and every organization in New England looks upto us including other NetIP chapters. Today, NetSAP Boston is also very strong financially than it ever was in its entire history, thus being in position to support smaller non-profits and charities. I wish the new team luck in carrying this forward and growing the organization further."

Incoming President, Pallavi Chhabra who most recently served as the Vice President of NetSAP Boston remarked "I am excited to lead NetSAP in 2009. It is definitely challenging because of where the organization is today. We need to perform much better and live up to the high expectations of our members that we set in the prior years. I am looking forward to everyone's support next year."

Holiday Gala set the trend for a successful year ahead for NetSAP Boston. The party and socializing continued till late in the night. For more pictures from the event which will be posted soon, visit the NetSAP-Boston website. Promotions for 2009 membership are open and NetSAP encourages people to take advantage of it.

About NetSAP Boston: The Network of South Asian professionals of Boston (NetSAP Boston),which is the leading chapter of NetIP, includes professionals from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other regions of South Asia. NetSAP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston and New England area. NetSAP Boston promotes diversity that is unrivaled by most organizations. For three consecutive years (including 2008), NetSAP Boston has been awarded the "Best Large Chapter Award" by NetIP North America in recognition for its outstanding initiatives.

The leadership of Mr. T

2008-12-11T12:28:00.008-05:00

This article is inspired by the leadership and dedication of Tushneem Dharmagadda, outgoing Netsap-Boston President. Having served two terms as president and five years all together on the board, Tushneem is bound for even bigger and greater opportunities. During his term, Tushneem worked to change the image of Netsap from one of just a mere social organization to one that promotes all the pillars of Netsap: community service, cultural activities, and professional development. Tushneem sought to strengthen each area in its own right with no area left untouched. In addition, his hard work at obtaining sponsorship allowed the organization to put on bigger and better events than ever imagined before.

During his term on the board, Netsap-Boston won the Best Chapter award from NetIP three years in a row, including this year. In addition, Tushneem worked relentessly to organize the annual NetIP conference to be held in Boston this year. It is largely through his tireless efforts, support of all volunteers, and vision that this conference was well-attended and a huge success. The last night of the conference, other chapter leaders sought out Tushneem's advice for their future events as they realize Tushneem's success comes from his foresight to plan and execute great events.

Every event is put on with a sense of passion and meaning as guided through Tushneem. The chapter has evolved greatly during his last five years. Tushneem's dedicated work of operating almost single-handedly without other support was truly his greatest endeavor for the organization. Many board members and volunteers appreciated serving with a strong leader who worked for them to bring all events to full potential. It would be difficult to replace Tushneem, but it will be easy to pickup where he left off since he has set Netsap-Boston in a great place from which to start.

Congratulations to Tushneem for all his hard work and dedication to the board and to the members of Netsap-Boston as well as to the community. We wish him all the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Usha Govindarajulu

outgoing Cultural/Theatrics Chair of Netsap-Boston

Press Coverage of the Candlelight vigil for victims of terrorism

2008-12-06T12:22:00.011-05:00

NetSAP Boston would like to thank all those who came for the Candlelight vigil on Thursday, 4th December, 2008. By coming together as one, we were showed that we were all united against acts of terrorism everywhere. It also meant a lot for the people affected by the recent attack in Mumbai. NetSAP Boston was one of the Sponsoring Organizations' for this event which was also supported by over two dozen other organizations from across the spectrum. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and several other religious leaders from all faiths spoke at the Vigil in Boston.

Message by Congressman Barney Frank supporting the Vigil

Congressman Barney Frank recommended the insertion of the statement drafted by the Asian American Commission on behalf of all participating organizations into the Congressional Record.

Click here to read the recommendation.

For pictures from the event held at Boston, Providence and Worcester click here

The candlelight vigil was covered by the press in Boston and here are the links:

WBZ TV Video of the Vigil
http://wbztv.com/video/?id=69930@wbz.dayport.com

Worcester Telegram Story
http://www.telegram.com/article/20081205/NEWS/812050715/1116

Providence Journal
http://www.projo.com/news/content/INDIAN_MEMORIAL_12-05-08_FBCHHQL_v12.3bc43fc.html

WBZ TV Article
http://wbztv.com/local/mumbai.candlelight.vigil.2.880287.html

The Boston Herald
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1136978

Also read NetSAP Boston condemns Terror in India & sends its condolences

Candle light vigil to show unity and remember victims of terrorism - 6pm on December 4th

2008-12-02T16:31:00.010-05:00

A Candlelight Vigil

Remembering Friends, Family and all those lost and hurt in the Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India November 26-29, 2008

NetSAP Boston, The Asian American Commission of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 15 other organizations invite Americans of all faiths to join in a Candlelight Vigil on December 4, 6 PM at City Hall Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts

Click here for the program outline

Many South Asian and American organizations from the region will be joining us in this vigil

Simultaneous events are being held at City Hall in Worcester and on the State House steps in Providence, RI

Statement:

We are saddened by the loss of so many in Mumbai, India this past week because of the actions of a few terrorists. We offer our deepest condolences to their families and pray for the speedy recovery of those who were hurt. We applaud the heroic actions of the police, firefighters, armed forces and the staff of the hotels, restaurants, train stations and hospitals and all concerned citizens who helped to stop the terrorists and rescue and guide people to safety.

In this global village, like the United States, India is a democracy with rights for every man, woman and child, regardless of religious or ethnic origin; a secular country with tolerance for many faiths; and a strong tradition of cooperation among its many ethnic, religious, and linguistic communities. India also serves as a positive influence for many people here and in countries around the world through its strong traditions, contributions to culture, political leadership, trade and world economic development.

As the world’s largest democracy, India's represents a religious cross-section of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists and people of every faith that have traditionally lived in harmony. Unfortunately, there are a few who seek to sow divisions and cause harm to its people, its economy, to all those who visit or wish to do business with India. We believe that terrorism affects us all and we must all unite and act to defeat this common enemy.

As Asians and Americans we are all part of a global village and strongly condemn these heinous acts. No matter where terror raises its ugly head, it impacts all the citizens of the world. We believe that by coming together as a community to show support to the bereaved and by fostering greater bonds between all peoples and faiths here at home and across the globe that we will be able to stop such hate .

Also read NetSAP Boston condemns Terror in India & sends its condolences

NetSAP Boston condemns Terror in India & sends its condolences

2008-11-29T22:10:00.016-05:00

Boston, Sunday 29th November 2008: Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP Boston) strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. The organization also expresses condolences to all the families of innocent victims who lost their lives in this attack including the officials who laid down their life fighting the terrorists.

NetSAP Boston executive board and its members who are first and second generation Indians have strong ties back to the country. What angers and frustrates many is the magnitude and the type of attack in Mumbai. Moreover, this event which was preceded by terror attacks in other prominent cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, and Ahmedabad over last two years, seemed like a nail in the coffin. Many have in fact lost patience with the political establishment in India which despite the several recent attacks failed to prevent or move in quickly to mitigate the loss.

While political awareness has been a pillar that NetSAP Boston focuses on, this incident highlights an important issue that many other non-profits and NGOs should focus on in addition to their other developmental activities. What good is development and growth without peace. Indian politicians are bent upon dividing people on race, region, caste, and language hardly focusing on the important issues that matter to the people including security. Since years NetSAP Boston has worked with several alliance partners and helped them with fundraising and other developmental initiatives. Today, NetSAP Boston pledges its support to Indian NGOs and non-profits here in Boston to help create non-partisan political awareness in India about these issues. It is also time that the young Indian generation who are against terror and want to bring about change in India joined our organization and made their voices heard.

Our hearts and prayers are with all the people and families in India who are undergoing this trauma.

NetSAP Boston is also planning to hold a candle light vigil to show the support of the strong Indian American community to the people in India. We are talking to many of our partner organizations to join us in this effort. If you are a representative of an organization and want to support this cause with us please email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP Boston or Chindu Satheesh, Community Chair. Details will be posted on our website soon.

Update: Candle light vigil to show unity and remember victims of terrorism - 6pm on December 4th

Meanwhile NetSAP encourages its members to use its forums at www.netsapboston.org/forums to discuss more about this issue and to send in their comments. We believe that Mumbai is resilient and will spring back to normalcy soon. A tribute to Mumbai is this old song from CID - "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan"

On behalf of NetSAP Boston Team
Tushneem Dharmagadda

Vote for the 2009 NetSAP Boston Executive Board

2008-11-19T11:10:00.008-05:00

Dear NetSAP Members,

The final nominations for the NetSAP Boston 2008 Executive Board are in. Click on the names of the candidates to view their letters of intent.

Process for voting: All 2008 and 2009 NetSAP Members are eligible to vote in the elections. Voting will be carried out for the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and National Liaison which makes up the Board of Directors for the organization. The BoD will then finalize the nominations of the other chair positions on the Board.

For uncontested positions, members will have an option to challenge the candidate and voice any issues they may have. If not the candidates will be considered unanimously elected.

Each candidate brings lot of passion, commitment and energy to the NetSAP board. When deciding to vote make sure to read their letters of intent to learn about their strengths. While new candidates may bring fresh ideas to the table, candidates with prior stint with NetSAP will bring in enormous experience. It is this mix that has helped NetSAP Boston grow tremendously over last few years.

How can you vote: This year members will have two options for voting. You can vote in person at our holiday party and elections event on Saturday, December 13th, 2008. Alternately, you can vote online through the voting link that will be sent out to your email in the next week or so. The voting process will end on 13th December and all votes will be anonymous.

Lastly, we'd like to thank the candidates for stepping forward and volunteering to take NetSAP Boston to the next level. We'd also like to thank you for taking the time to choose the next leadership. If you have any questions feel free to email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP Boston 2008 and elections officer at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Position	Responsibilities & Duties
The following positions on the 2009 Executive Board are contested (Click on the names below to view the candidate's letter of intent)
President	Provide leadership, vision and guidance to the team in all areas.Manage the overall flow of activities and events. Nominees: Kunal Mishra, Pallavi Chhabra

Vice President	Responsible for creating alliance partner relationships, external communications and building the NetSAP-Boston brand. Coordinate all teams (social, professional, community, cultural, membership and sponsorship). Work hand-in-glove with the President in all these activities Nominees: Chaitali Thakar

Treasurer	Oversee and manage finance for NetSAP-Boston, including generating periodical reports. Maintains all financial records. Work hand-in-glove with Sponsorship Chair in building the financial status of NetSAP-Boston Nominees: Swarupa Purandare

Secretary	Responsible for, managing internal communications, board meetings and newsletter. Keep an on-going record of all activities and events. Help President and Vice-President coordinate all teams. Nominees: Gayathri Arumugham

National Liaison	Coordinate communication between NetIP-NA and NetSAP-Boston. Attend all meetings and conference calls and represent NetSAP-Boston in the National organization. Work with respective Chairs and develop initiatives at NetSAP-Boston with National significance. This includes membership incentives and sponsorship opportunities. Nominees: Manoshi Vin
The following positions on the 2009 Executive Board are finalized by the President & Board of Directors (Vice President, Treasurer, & Secretary)
Website Director Multiple Openings	Maintain, update and develop the NetSAP Boston website; Assist with all web-related NetSAP activities including forums. Requires knowledge of basic HTML and JavaScript. Knowledge of PHP scripting language preferred. Nominees: Sivashankar Pattamadai

Membership / Marketing Chair Multiple Openings	Take a proactive role in constantly increasing membership base by devising new strategies; Manage all marketing-related activities for the organization and Alliance partner relationships. Nominees: Sonia Rai, Sanjay Tamhane

Sponsorship Chair Multiple Openings	Responsible for securing sponsors for NetSAP-Boston. This key position involves building relationships and securing sponsorships from corporations and other potential local organizations to achieve annual sponsorship goals to support NetSAP-Boston Nominee: Rashi Mittal

Social / Networking Events Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all social & networking events; Organize all monthly social events; Organize an additional 4 to 6 networking events per year. Nominees: Harish Gulati

Professional Development Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all professional development events which include panel discussions, speaker series, and mentoring events; Organize 6 to 8 professional events per year. Nominees: Sonit Seth, Kalyan Bemalkhedkar

Cultural/Theatrics Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all cultural/theatrics events which include Gala events, celebration of festivals, Chai chats and plays; Organize 3 to 4 cultural events per year. Nominees: Rishi Popat, Michael Dwan Singh

Community Service Events Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all community service initiatives which include volunteering events, fund-raising initiatives and social entrepreneurship panels; Organize 3 to 4 community events per year. Nominees: Saru Mahajan

NetSAP Forum Moderators Multiple Openings	Moderate and maintiain User-Forum on the NetSAP website. Open

For further questions and clarifications feel free to email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP Boston 2008 and elections officer at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Thank you

NetSAP Boston Executive Board 2008

NetSAP Boston 2009 Executive Board Nominations and Extended Deadline (15th November 2008)

2008-11-02T22:34:00.009-05:00

Here are the nominations for the 2009 NetSAP Boston Executive Board. The deadline is extended till 15th November 2009. To declare your candidacy, submit one-page letter of intent to Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP Boston & Elections Officer at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org.

Members are encouraged to sign up for open positions or a position of interest (from the non-open ones too). Voting will most likely take place on or before December 13th 2008.

Click here for details on the The letter of intent and Board Member responsibilities.

Position	Responsibilities & Duties	Avg. Time Commitment
The following positions on the 2009 Executive Board are contested
President	Provide leadership, vision and guidance to the team in all areas.Manage the overall flow of activities and events. Nominees: Kunal Mishra	8-10 hours / week

Vice President	Responsible for creating alliance partner relationships, external communications and building the NetSAP-Boston brand. Coordinate all teams (social, professional, community, cultural, membership and sponsorship). Work hand-in-glove with the President in all these activities Nominees: Chaitali Thakar, Usha Govindarajulu	6-8 hours / week

Treasurer	Oversee and manage finance for NetSAP-Boston, including generating periodical reports. Maintains all financial records. Work hand-in-glove with Sponsorship Chair in building the financial status of NetSAP-Boston Nominees: Swarupa Purandare	4-6 hours / week

Secretary	Responsible for, managing internal communications, board meetings and newsletter. Keep an on-going record of all activities and events. Help President and Vice-President coordinate all teams. Nominees: Gayathri Arumugham	4-6 hours / week

National Liaison	Coordinate communication between NetIP-NA and NetSAP-Boston. Attend all meetings and conference calls and represent NetSAP-Boston in the National organization. Work with respective Chairs and develop initiatives at NetSAP-Boston with National significance. This includes membership incentives and sponsorship opportunities. Nominees: Manoshi Vin	2-4 hours / week
The following positions on the 2009 Executive Board are finalized by the President & Board of Directors (Vice President, Treasurer, & Secretary)
Website Director Multiple Openings	Maintain, update and develop the NetSAP Boston website; Assist with all web-related NetSAP activities including forums. Requires knowledge of basic HTML and JavaScript. Knowledge of PHP scripting language preferred. Nominees: Sivashankar Pattamadai	3-5 hours / week

Membership / Marketing Chair Multiple Openings	Take a proactive role in constantly increasing membership base by devising new strategies; Manage all marketing-related activities for the organization and Alliance partner relationships. Nominees: Sonia Rai, Sanjay Tamhane	3-5 hours / week

Sponsorship Chair Multiple Openings	Responsible for securing sponsors for NetSAP-Boston. This key position involves building relationships and securing sponsorships from corporations and other potential local organizations to achieve annual sponsorship goals to support NetSAP-Boston Open	3-5 hours / week

Social / Networking Events Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all social & networking events; Organize all monthly social events; Organize an additional 4 to 6 networking events per year. Nominees: Kalyan Bemalkhedkar, Harish Gulati	3-5 hours / week

Professional Development Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all professional development events which include panel discussions, speaker series, and mentoring events; Organize 6 to 8 professional events per year. Nominees: Sonit Seth	3-5 hours / week

Cultural/Theatrics Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all cultural/theatrics events which include Gala events, celebration of festivals, Chai chats and plays; Organize 3 to 4 cultural events per year. Nominees: Sivashankar Pattamadai, Rishi Popat	3-5 hours / week

Community Service Events Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all community service initiatives which include volunteering events, fund-raising initiatives and social entrepreneurship panels; Organize 3 to 4 community events per year. Nominees: Saru Mahajan	3-5 hours / week

NetSAP Forum Moderators Multiple Openings	Moderate and maintiain User-Forum on the NetSAP website. Open	3-5 hours / week

Please Submit your nominations by Saturday, 15th November 2008 to tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Click here for details on the The letter of intent and Board Member responsibilities.

NetSAP Discounted Events: "One Night in India" - Gala with Fashion Show at Taj Boston & Pandit Jasraj Concert at MIT

2008-10-12T22:17:00.018-04:00

Continuing on our efforts to bring our members more discounted events, we have two popular events on October 24th and October 25th - "One Night in India" - Gala with Fashion Show at Taj Boston & Pandit Jasraj Concert at MIT. More details are below.

NetSAP Boston is striving hard to bring more more value for their membership by partnering with several organizations in the New England region. Our partners are listed on our alliances page and their events are posted on our forum. If you are not a NetSAP Boston member yet, take advantage of the 2009 Membership promotion and sign up now!

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"One Night in India" - Gala & Runway Fashion Show by Shelley Chhabra Bridal's
Hosted at Taj Boston Hotel
Sponsored by NetSAP Boston, Safar Boston & Leader Bank

A fashionable evening in the Taj Boston Grand Ballroom with award winning Indian appetizers, music by the legendary DJ Babyface, hosted drink tickets, and a runway fashion show unveiling Shelley Chhabra's 2009 collection.

Tickets are a discounted $40 for Netsap members and can be purchased online. Afterparty at Boston's Underbar.

Date: Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Time: 8pm to Midnight
Place: Taj Boston, 15 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116
Price: General Admission $50, NetSAP Members $40
Registration:
Members: Click here (Membership will be validated)
Non-Members: Click here

NetSAP Membership will be verified.

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MITHAS presents Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj
Khyal -Hindustani Vocal Signature Fundraiser concert

With
Pandita Tripti Mukherjee - Vocal Support
Aditya Narayan Bannerjee and Nitin Mitta on Tabla
Madhu Vora on Harmonium

NetSAP Members only - 20% off on any level seating (with valid NetSAP ID) - Pls. use coupon code - NETSAP20 while purchasing. Offer not valid for purchases already made without using the coupon code.

When: Friday, October 24, 2008
6:30 PM - Pre-concert reception with a musical colloquium by George Ruckert, an accomplished Sarod player and the founder of MITHAS
8:00 PM - Fundraising Concert

Where: Kresge Auditorium, MIT
FREE parking available in MIT's West Garage on 125 Vassar Street
http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=W45

Event Details & Registration: Click here

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Prudential signs up as a NetSAP Boston Sponsor

2008-10-10T08:48:00.005-04:00

We are glad to announce that Prudential has signed up as a NetSAP Boston Gold Sponsor. Considering that this sponsorship support from Prudential comes despite the chaos in the financial markets and economic turmoil, just goes on to show the strong commitment of the company towards the communities that they work in. It also reinforces the dominant and influential role that NetSAP Boston plays in the New England region.

NetSAP Boston Executive board thanks Prudential for their support. As always funds from this sponsorship will be used to improve the quality of NetSAP events and to support all our non-profit charity organizations in the area. To read more about these initiatives please read the many articles on our blog: Human Face of NetSAP Boston, Note from Vibha, Note from India School Fund, Note from Sahayta.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors who have continuously supported NetSAP Boston over the last 3 years...

NetSAP discounts for 2 awesome events: ForSE 2008: Forum for Social Entrepreneurs & Indian Ocean Rock-Fusion Concert

2008-09-29T10:17:00.007-04:00

NetSAP Members can avail of discounts for two popular events this weekend - ForSE 2008: Forum for Social Entrepreneurs & Indian Ocean Rock-Fusion Concert. More details are below.

NetSAP Boston partners with several organizations in the New England region to give its members a wide choice of events (apart from the regular NetSAP Boston events) and more value for their membership. Our partners are listed on our alliances page and their events are posted on our forum. If you are not a NetSAP Boston member yet, take advantage of the 2009 Membership promotion and sign up now!

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ForSE 2008: Forum for Social Entrepreneurs

ForSE 2008 brings together social innovators, business professionals, investors, donors, academics, and students to share technology, business ideas and management learnings and to foster discussion and action on new social venture concepts.

Date: Friday October 10, 2008
Time: 9.00 am to 5.30 pm
Place: Graduate School of Management, Boston University, 595 Commonwealth Ave., Boston Ma 02215
Price: General Admission $75, TiE members/NetSAP Members/BU affiliates $35, Students $20
Register: http://www.bu.edu/forse

Select TiE as your affiliation (from the drop-down box) when you register for this event. NetSAP Membership will be verified.

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Indian Ocean Rock-Fusion Concert Live @ MIT; NetSAP Special Offer

"Indian Ocean does with Indian music what I always wanted to do with Chinese music." - Yo-Yo Ma.
Association for India's Development (Boston/MIT chapters) invites you to experience the best of Indian rock-fusion music and to make a difference by supporting a great cause. Indian Ocean is currently one of the most popular fusion bands in the world. With an electrifying stage presence that matches their phenomenal talent, the group blends Indian rock, folk, and classical music and various other styles, truly creating music without boundaries. All proceeds to towards supporting sustainable development projects in India.

$5 off per ticket for NetSAP members. Enter discount code: NETSAP on the online tickets page to receive discounted tickets. You can get additional 'early bird' discount if you buy on/before October 1st. Discounts are limited to online purchase.

When: Sunday, October 5th, 6:00-9:00PM (doors open at 5:30PM)
Where: MIT Kresge Auditorium. 48 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
Event Details & Registration: http://www.aidevent.org/MIT

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SIGN UP FOR 2009 NetSAP BOSTON MEMBERSHIP

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New and Upgraded NetSAP Boston Forums - Reach out to the community!

2008-09-25T09:22:00.007-04:00

We recently upgraded the forums on the NetSAP Boston website. The forum is a great way to interact with other people in the community, learn about non-netsap events, new job opportunities and more.

Discounted Events: Many events posted on the forum by our alliance partners offer discounted and special pricing for NetSAP Members. So take advantage of these offers.

Job Opportunities: Our sponsors and members post new job openings on the forum. It is a very effective way to hire people from a network that you know of and where you can get easy references.

Activity Partners: Mingle with other people in the community around your favorite activities. More networking outside of NetSAP events

Housing & Rentals: Looking for roommates or a home for yourself. Where else to find someone from the community other than this forum.

Classifieds: Post Ads about anything that you want to sell, buy or barter.

RSS Feeds: Dont have time to visit the forum every day? Subscribe to the RSS feeds and get the latest posts right into your browser or your favorite RSS reader.

All forum posts are sent out in our weekly newsletter and also appear on our home page www.netsapboston.org (center right box). So the visibility is very high.

Try it out at www.netsapboston.org/forums

Nominations now Open for NetSAP 2009 Executive Board!

2008-09-18T14:25:00.005-04:00

NetSAP Boston Annual Elections

The Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) invites dynamic, creative and motivated members to take up leadership positions in the 2009 Executive Board. If you are interested in becoming part of the NetSAP Board, please send in your nomination for a position that suits your interests and talents from the list below. Elections will be held on Saturday, November 15th, 2008. Other Chair positions on the Board will be nominated soon after.

Deadline for sending nominations is Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Volunteering on the NetSAP-Boston Board allows you to enhance your resume, expand your professional network in the Greater-Boston area and be recognized in the community for your contributions. Read our blog article "Five Great Reasons to Volunteer for NetSAP-Boston".
If you cannot commit much time but still want to get actively involved with NetSAP-Boston, join our volunteer group. Email Sheila Rajan, Secretary at sheila.rajan@netsapboston.org

To declare your candidacy, submit one-page letter of intent to Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP-Boston & Elections Officer at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org by Sunday, November 2nd, 2008.

The letter of intent should address the following and should be limited to less than 500 words.

Your professional background
A brief history of your past extra-curricular activities and achievements.
Why should you be chosen for the position?
- Your motivation to join or continue on the NetSAP-Boston Executive Board
- Ideas and Vision that you will bring to NetSAP-Boston and how they can
  contribute to the growth of the organization

Please note that all Executive Board members are required to attend monthly Board meetings. Executive Board members should also be willing to take an active and helpful role in all the activities and events that NetSAP-Boston has to offer.

Position	Responsibilities & Duties	Avg. Time Commitment
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are contested
President	Provide leadership, vision and guidance to the team in all areas.Manage the overall flow of activities and events;	8-10 hours / week

Vice President	Responsible for creating alliance partner relationships, external communications and building the NetSAP-Boston brand. Coordinate all teams (social, professional, community, cultural, membership and sponsorship). Work hand-in-glove with the President in all these activities	6-8 hours / week

Treasurer	Oversee and manage finance for NetSAP-Boston, including generating periodical reports. Maintains all financial records. Work hand-in-glove with Sponsorship Chair in building the financial status of NetSAP-Boston	4-6 hours / week

Secretary	Responsible for, managing internal communications, board meetings and newsletter. Keep an on-going record of all activities and events. Help President and Vice-President coordinate all teams.	4-6 hours / week

National Liaison	Coordinate communication between NetIP-NA and NetSAP-Boston. Attend all meetings and conference calls and represent NetSAP-Boston in the National organization. Work with respective Chairs and develop initiatives at NetSAP-Boston with National significance. This includes membership incentives and sponsorship opportunities	2-4 hours / week
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are Nominated by the President & Board of Directors (Vice President, Treasurer, & Secretary)
Website Director Multiple Openings	Maintain, update and develop the NetSAP Boston website; Assist with all web-related NetSAP activities including forums. Requires knowledge of basic HTML and JavaScript. Knowledge of PHP scripting language preferred.	3-5 hours / week

Membership / Marketing Chair Multiple Openings	Take a proactive role in constantly increasing membership base by devising new strategies; Manage all marketing-related activities for the organization and Alliance partner relationships.	3-5 hours / week

Sponsorship Chair Multiple Openings	Responsible for securing sponsors for NetSAP-Boston. This key position involves building relationships and securing sponsorships from corporations and other potential local organizations to achieve annual sponsorship goals to support NetSAP-Boston	3-5 hours / week

Social / Networking Events Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all social & networking events; Organize all monthly social events; Organize an additional 4 to 6 networking events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Professional Development Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all professional development events which include panel discussions, speaker series, and mentoring events; Organize 6 to 8 professional events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Cultural/Theatrics Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all cultural/theatrics events which include Gala events, celebration of festivals, Chai chats and plays; Organize 3 to 4 cultural events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Community Service Events Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all community service initiatives which include volunteering events, fund-raising initiatives and social entrepreneurship panels; Organize 3 to 4 community events per year.	3-5 hours / week

NetSAP Forum Moderators Multiple Openings	Moderate and maintiain User-Forum on the NetSAP website.	3-5 hours / week

Please Submit your nominations by Sunday, November 2nd to tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Thank you and we look forward to your declaration of candidacy. If you have questions on any of these positions or need to discuss more, email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Sincerely,
The 2008 Executive Board
Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston)

Its a Hattrick! NetSAP Boston wins the Best Large Chapter Award 3rd time in a row!

2008-09-07T13:01:00.004-04:00

Dear Member & Patrons,

Thanks to your unconditional support for the organization, the tons of new initiatives, and exciting events in our Chapter, we were able to win the NetIP's Best Large Chapter Award for 2008. This is the third consecutive year that NetSAP-Boston has won this award.

Considering that we had to compete with 22 other NetIP chapters in the US & Canada to win this award it is no ordinary feat. This obviously could not have possible without the extra-ordinary efforts of the many NetSAP board members and volunteers who worked very hard this year. Kudos to each of them for making this happen.

We are also excited to announce that the 17th Annual NetIP National Conference in 2008 that was hosted by NetSAP-Boston was an overwhelming success. More details are on the conference blog

As always we are looking for motivated volunteers to help us out. Read more about benefits of volunteering and feel free to contact us for more information.

Also read NetSAP-Boston does it Again - Wins NetIP's Best Large Chapter Award for 2007

2009 Membership Promotion and Renewals! Take advantage now!

2008-09-06T18:33:00.004-04:00

Dear NetSAP Boston Members & Patrons,

NetSAP Boston's membership promotion for 2009 has begun and ends on January 31st 2009. A typical member in 2008 received over $500* of benefits for a fee of just $50.

There are numerous benefits and advantages of becoming a member.

NetSAP Boston Membership also gives you:

Access to member-only events, preference and discounts at all NetIP events
Discounted access to events of 20+ NetSAP Boston Alliance Partners
Recent Discounted Partner Events:
NetSAP discounts for 2 awesome events: ForSE 2008: Forum for Social Entrepreneurs & Indian Ocean Rock-Fusion Concert
NetSAP Discounted Events: "One Night in India" - Gala with Fashion Show at Taj Boston & Pandit Jasraj Concert at MIT
Discounts at Museums, Professional coaching organizations and other vendors
$5 referral bonus for each new member that you refer to NetSAP Boston

For a comprehensive list visit www.netsapboston.org/join

As a token of our appreciation, we are offering discounted rates for renewing the 2008 membership. An email with a link for discounted purchase will be sent out soon. If you are a 2008 member and have not received this email please contact Sanjay Tamhane, Membership Chair at membership@netsapboston.org ASAP.

If you sign up for membership now, the following promotional rates will apply:
New Members
Individual Membership: $45
Couple Membership: $75
Students: $30

Existing 2008 Members ('08 members renewing for '09)
Individual Membership: $30
Couple Membership: $55
An email with the Online Renewal Link will be sent out to 2008 members soon. We also encourage renewal at our events.

Our referral program still continues. If you are a current member and refer a new member to NetSAP Boston, you will immediately get $5 in referral benefit.
[when you ask your friends to sign up for membership online on our website www.netsapboston.org/join ask them to provide your name in the "Referred By" box and we will send you a referral check for the total number of new members referred by you at the end of every month.]

We hope that you will take advantage of this exciting offer. In addition to supporting a non-profit organization and it's programs, you will also become part of one of the most influential South-Asian communities in New England.

Sincerely,
NetSAP Boston Executive Board

Relive your Memories - Showcasing NetSAP Boston at The 17th Annual NetIP Conference

2008-07-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

Showcasing NetSAP Boston at
The 17th Annual NetIP Conference

Professional Seminars & Dinner Circles
(Now with Top-notch Speakers)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who like professional seminars & Dinner Circles at NetSAP Boston, the Conference takes it a level higher with top-notch speakers and engaging topics from Opportunities in India to Healthcare to Social Entrepreneurship. On top of these, the workshops and networking events allow you to expand your professional circle.

Theatric Plays & Acting Workshops
(Now with Documentary screening, Art Exhibitions & 3 Workshops)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you loved our Plays and the theatric workshops, the Conference boasts of interesting documentaries, art galleries and 3 different acting workshops for amateurs! Learn how to act and watch how professionals from mainstream professions just like you are making their hobbies/passion into careers!

Sunset Cruise
(Now on the Odyssey)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who had tons of fun on our Sunset Cruise last year, imagine how much more fun it would be on the Odyssey Cruise with 850 people - an elegant sit-down dinner, dance floor and great music!

Wine N' Greet
(Now with 150 people & its Speed-dating)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you loved to meet people at our Wine n Greet events at Vinalia, the Conference boasts of the biggest Wine n Greet ever. And yes, unlike our regular Wine n Greets, this is a speed-dating event. So if you want to make friends or you are looking for that someone special you don't want to miss this opportunity!

The Classy Gala
(Now with 850 people and a Red Carpet)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those who loved our classy Annual Gala in November last year, the gala at the Conference will take you out of this world. A Red Carpet Themed Gala with tons of entertainment (including our very own Boston Bhangra, Comedian Rajiv Satyal, Jazz Band...) and class!

Come Experience Your Favorite NetSAP Boston Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 17th Annual NetIP Conference 2008!
www.netipconference.org

Join 850 other professionals this labor day weekend to
Explore. Dream. Discover.

Registrations Prices are going up, so Register Soon!

The Sweet Deal: 50% off on 2009 Membership for those who attend the NetIP Conference in August

2008-07-14T17:44:00.004-04:00

The Conference Offer - Discounted Membership

Dear NetSAP Boston Members,

As many of you are aware, NetSAP Boston is hosting the 17th Annual NetIP
Conference this year in Boston. Several NetSAP board members are busy planning and working hard to make this flagship event very memorable! Based on the content and the response we got so far, we are confident that it is going to be an amazing experience for you!

For the unconditional support you have shown for NetSAP Boston so far, we want to thank you and show our gratitude through this sweet deal.

Every 2008 NetSAP Boston Member who attends the NetIP/NetSAP Conference in August, will get 50% OFF on the 2009 NetSAP Boston Membership.

(Offer not valid for Student Memberships. Your 2009 Membership will be valid at any NetIP/NetSAP Chapter in the country. So get the value even if you plan on moving out of Boston sometime next year!)

Come enjoy all your favorite NetSAP Boston events at the Conference in August and Relive your memories!

Members from 23 NetIP/NetSAP Chapters across the country will make it to the Conference this year and it will be great to see "Our Chapter" - NetSAP Boston represented in large numbers and show everyone what Bostonians are all about - Fun, Entertaining, Classy, and Sport loving (except the yankees :) right?).

Note: Registrations Prices will keep going up every week and will close by mid-August. Take advantage of the low prices, Sign Up For NetSAP Boston Membership and Register for the Conference soon!

We look forward to seeing you all at the Conference!

Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, NetSAP Boston
Pallavi Chhabra, Vice President, NetSAP Boston
Sanjay Tamhane, Membership & Marketing Chair, NetSAP Boston

Membership Prices Reduced – Take Advantage and Join NetSAP Boston Today

2008-06-16T01:26:00.001-04:00

The NetSAP Board would like to announce that we are reducing membership prices! Membership prices have been pro-rated as follows:

Individual: $40
Couple: $70
Student: $25

With the members-only National NetIP Conference just around the corner, now is a great chance to join NetSAP Boston. For more information on joining, please visit: http://www.netsapboston.org/join.html

As a bonus, if you join before June 20^th, you will be able to attend the NetIP Annual Conference kick-off party at Felt for FREE! The kick-off party promises to be a fantastic event. Come to Felt where you can sip delicious cocktails, enjoy complimentary appetizers, network with NetSAP members and learn more about the upcoming conference! In addition, attendees will be granted admission to the 4^th floor of Felt after 11:00pm. For more information on the kick-off party, please visit: http://www.netsapboston.org/events/2008/conferencekickoff.html

As a reminder, there are a number of other benefits to joining NetSAP Boston:

Discounts worth over $300 at NetSAP events throughout the year
Access to Member-only events and preference at all NetSAP events
$5 in referral benefit when you refer a new member to NetSAP Boston
Membership valid at 22 NetIP/NetSAP chapters throughout the US and Canada
Discounted access to 15+ NetSAP-Boston Alliance Partners
Exclusive discounted access to the 17th Annual NetIP Conference in Boston.
Avail 15% discount at Peabody Essex Museum
2-year complimentary subscription to Indus Business Journal
$300 off on exclusive GMAT Course with Princeton Review

Final Press Relesase: NetSAP/SETU sponsored play

2008-06-04T11:36:00.000-04:00

Post-play Press Release
Contact: Usha Govindarajulu, Producer
NetSAP-Boston
usha.govindarajulu@netsapboston.org

Subrata Das’ Rape, Regret, and Retribution at Arlington Center for the Arts
May 29-31, 2008

Stage Ensemble Theatre (SETU) and NetSAP-Boston presented the premiere of Subrata Das’ play, Rape, Regret and Retribution, an artistic rendition of a dark and twisted tale. The play was written and directed by Subrata Das and featured a cast of twelve South Asians. The production ran successfully for three consecutive nights at the Arlington Center for the Arts with approximately 180 persons in total attendance.

Set in early 1990s, the portrayal of a life-changing event is at the heart of this play that unfolds in the dream of the main character, Jiten, played by Michael (Bunty) Dwan, who gave a stellar performance as the demoralized character. While his wife (Malini Varadarajan) and parents (Vasundhra Ganju and Kishanlal Chakraborty) plead for him not to move to the big city, he leaves them behind and finds a friend (Gagan Mahan), to whom he confesses his past. Not long thereafter, he becomes the center of a horrible crime, the rape and death of a young girl, Meena (Meghna Singhal), destroying her parents (Jignasha Makwana and Indranil Sarkar) who later move after their lives are shattered. Jiten's time in jail with confession to the security guard (Harun Razith) and final trial by the president (Abishek Nagrath) and opposing lawyers (Tejbir Singh and Ajay Jain) eventually led to an ending that shocked the audience. The stage crew consisted of Pallavi Gupta, Ashish Gupta, Alok Asoor, Gagan Mahan, and Siva Shankar, who did an excellent job with stage, music, and lights.

The audience was captivated by the show and the acting abilities of the South Asian members of the cast/crew. Sheila Rajan commented, “The storyline was engaging and the acting was very professional. The play kept me captivated until the very last line!" The audience also had a chance to enjoy scrumptious Indian food provided by Punjab Restaurant or Arlington during the intermission. Overall, attendees enjoyed the experience, with an after-party at Bombay Club restaurant on the last night of the play, hosted by NetSAP-Boston.

The cast and crew are to be commended for their stamina through three consecutive show nights and almost four months of practice preceding the production. This was Subrata Das’s first written play that he directed under SETU, for which he has directed other plays. This was the fourth production for NetSAP-Boston, with Theatrics Chair, Usha Govindarajulu as producer. Tushneem Dharmagadda, NetSAP-Boston President noted, “Every year, NetSAP Boston's commitment towards theater and culture has been growing stronger and stronger....Rape Regret & Retribution is NetSAP's fourth successful production since launching the theatrics initiative in 2005. It has been a pleasure to support this initiative. We encourage all professionals to join us in this endeavor in promoting fine arts.”

Intensive NetSAP/Princeton Review GMAT Course - Starting June 7th

2008-05-31T10:27:00.000-04:00

Intensive NetSAP/Princeton Review GMAT Course

One Week Left to Enroll!

Are you looking to score above a 700 on the GMAT?

Thanks to the partnership between The Princeton Review and NetSAP-Boston, we are able to offer an exclusive GMAT program designed specifically for NetSAP members. This is an advanced version of The Princeton Review’s GMAT course. This course will be fast-paced and will focus on the most complex concepts tested on the GMAT.

Course Schedule

Test 1 – To be completed prior to Class 1

Class 1 – June 7^th – 9:30am-12:00pm

Class 2 – June 7^th – 1:00pm- 3:30pm

Test 2 – To be completed prior to Class 3

Class 3 – June 14^th – 9:30am-12:00pm

Class 4 – June 14^th – 1:00pm- 3:30pm

Test 3, 4, 5 – To be completed after to Class 4 (optional)

________________________________

Tuition: $575 (includes all materials and in-class tools)

Due to the nature of this class The Princeton Review will need to verify the test taking abilities of each student. A score of 600 or higher on a previous GMAT exam will qualify a student for this class. If a student has never taken a GMAT exam, that student must demonstrate outstanding scholarship at a top undergraduate/graduate institution AND previous test taking expertise.

Contact Sanjay Tamhane, Membership Chair, NetSAP-Boston at membership@netsapboston.org or Kyle J. Matis, Director of Marketing, Princeton Review at KyleM@Review.com or (617)-558-2828 to enroll.

"Rape, Regret & Retribution" - SETU/NetSAP Play - 29th - 31st May 2008

2008-05-06T13:02:00.002-04:00

Press Release
Contact: Usha Govindarajulu, Producer
NetSAP-Boston
usha.govindarajulu@netsapboston.org

Subrata Das’ Rape, Regret, and Retribution at Arlington Center for the Arts
May 29-31, 2008

Stage Ensemble Theatre (SETU) and NetSAP-Boston will present the premiere of Subrata Das’ play, Rape, Regret and Retribution, an artistic rendition of a twisted tale. Written and directed by Subrata Das and featuring a cast of 12, the production runs for three consecutive nights from May 29 until the 31st at the Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster Street, Arlington, MA.

Set in early 1990s, the portrayal and ramification of a life-changing event is at the heart of this play that unfolds in the main character's dream. The main character, Jiten, living a life of conflicted self-interests and lack of tradition, leaves his wife, Karuna, and family in a small village in India to move to a big city nearby, where he lives as he pleases. Not long thereafter, he becomes the center of a horrible crime, the rape and death of a young girl, Meena, destroying two families, the Banerjee and Mehta families, who come from completely different social strata. Jiten's ordeal thereafter and death sentence culminate the play, until ….

Subrata Das’s directing credits include co-directing Vijay Tendulkar's English play Kamala and directing Girish Karnad's Hayavadana.

Dates and Times
May 29, 30, and 31: 7:30 – 9:30 pm

Venue:
Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster St, Arlington MA

Price
$8 NetSAP members, $12 Non-members

COMPLIMENTARY ENTRY FOR:
FIRST 15 PEOPLE to register for the Thursday, MAY 29th Show
FIRST 10 PEOPLE for the Friday, MAY 30th Show

COMPLIMENTARY AFTER-PARTY FOR ALL ATTENDEES on 31st MAY at 10pm:
OM BAR, 92 Winthrop St. Cambridge, MA 02138

Ticketing:
Purchase tickets at www.netsapboston.org/events/2008/setur3.html

For more information:
Netsap-Boston (http://www.netsapboston.org/), SETU (www.setu.us)

About Arlington Center for the Arts

The Arlington Center for the Arts was established as a community arts center in 1988 by a visionary group of artists, writers, musicians, and educators as a place where artists could share their work with the community through educational and outreach programs and also find studio space. For more information, visit http://www.acarts.org/ .

Thanks to Bulfinch Group for Sponsoring NetSAP Boston

2008-05-01T07:54:00.002-04:00

A week ago Bulfinch Group signed up to become NetSAP Boston's Gold Sponsor. We'd like to thank them for supporting our organization and believing in our mission. These funds will go towards providing better professional events for our members, supporting our community and promoting culture, and art.

There are many benefits for becoming a NetSAP Boston sponsor. Each sponsorship level offers its own benefits and added value (details in our packet). Be it corporate branding, diversity initiatives, or job recruitment, our member demography is an ideal target that you can tap into. By becoming a sponsor of NetSAP Boston you will elevate the awareness of your organization within the South Asian community.

NetSAP Boston also offers corporate membership and partners with diversity groups within different companies thus extending their offering by providing more value to employees. Reach out to us for more details.

Tushneem Dharmagadda
President
781-541-0346

Pallavi Chhabra
Vice-President
706-338-9321

Member Updates and Benefits - More Reasons to Join NetSAP Boston!

2008-04-18T13:12:00.013-04:00

The NetSAP team would like to update everyone on some recent events and also share information on several membership promotions and initiatives.

March was a very successful month, with several great events including the Acting 101 Theatrics Workshop and Rang de Holi celebration. Thanks in large part to the March Membership Mania promotion, 30 individuals joined the NetSAP membership community during March. NetSAP truly has a lot to offer its members, so it’s great to see that more and more people are seeing the value in signing up for NetSAP Boston membership.

To show our appreciation for our members, we also held a special, members-only dinner at Bombay Club. The dinner was well attended with over 70 attendees, many of whom were new members. The success of the dinner was a clear indication that we should host such an event in the future.

Membership Benefits

On the heels of the success of the March Membership Mania promotion, we have chosen to extend a membership promotion into April. Any individuals that sign up for membership between March 23^rd and April 25^th will be able to attend the Wine n Greet event on 4/25 for FREE. This is our way of giving new members the chance to reap the benefits of NetSAP right away.

In addition, thanks to our alliance partnerships, members can take advantage of discounted admission to two fantastic conferences coming up: MITCIO Conference and TiECON East:

MITCIO Conference: NetSAP has a discount code set up - NetSAP2008 . People who sign up with this code have to show their NetSAP Membership card at the Conference registration check-in for validation. All NetSAP Members can sign up for a discounted price of $195. For more information on the conference, visit: www.mitcio.com

TiECON East: Members also get TiE Member prices at TiECON East. To register, call the TiE Office 781-272-3875. For more information on the conference, visit: www.tieconeast.org/

As always, there are a number of other great benefits to NetSAP Boston membership including:

Discounts worth over $300 at NetSAP events throughout the year
Access to Member-only events and preference at all NetSAP events
$5 in referral benefit when you refer a new member to NetSAP Boston
Membership valid at 22 NetIP/NetSAP chapters throughout the US and Canada
Discounted access to 15+ NetSAP-Boston Alliance Partners
Exclusive discounted access to the 17th Annual NetIP Conference in Boston.
Avail 15% discount at Peabody Essex Museum
2-year complimentary subscription to Indus Business Journal
$300 off on exclusive GMAT Course with Princeton Review

As some of you know, we have a NetSAP Boston group on Facebook. This is a great way to connect with other members and stay up-to-speed on NetSAP events, so we highly encourage you to join. To join, visit our group.

All March Events Free for 2008 Members...Become a Member Today!

2008-03-04T20:30:00.005-05:00

NetSAP Boston is pleased to announce the return of March Membership Mania! To show our appreciation for the individuals that have signed up for membership in 2008, all of the events during March will be free for members.

During March, we will be hosting several great events, including a special members-only dinner at Bombay Club in Harvard Square on March 13th. In addition, we will be celebrating Holi on March 22^nd and will be hosting a financial workshop focused on taxes on March 27^th.

To learn more about upcoming events, visit: http://www.netsapboston.org/events

For those who have not signed up to be a 2008 NetSAP Boston member, join today to take advantage of our special membership offer during March

2008 promises to be a great year, filled with numerous exciting events, including the "17th Annual NetIP Conference" in Boston. NetSAP Boston membership also gives you:

Access to member-only events, preference and discounts at all NetIP events
Discounted access to events of 23 NetSAP Boston Alliance Partners
Discounts at Museums, Professional coaching organizations and other vendors
$5 referral bonus for each new member that you refer to NetSAP Boston

and more....

To sign up for membership or learn more about membership benefits, visit: http://www.netsapboston.org/join

Thanks,
Sanjay Tamhane
Membership & Marketing Chair, NetSAP Boston

Acting 101 Workshop: A Sucess !!

2008-03-03T10:57:00.005-05:00

NetSAP-Boston partnered with SETU and SAATh to host an Acting 101 Workshop held on March 1, 2008 at the Arlington Center for the Arts. SETU and SAATh have been staging South Asian plays in Boston for over 6 years and a milestone was achieved by having these two groups come together to jointly put forth this workshop for NetSAP-Boston.

The workshop began with SAATh members, Bunty Singh and Irfan Malik, leading warmup exercises, starting with bhangra and leading into acting exercises. The warmups were lighthearted and highly interactive. This was followed up by SETU, lead by Subrata Das, who lead the rest of the workshop with additional warmup, practice exercises, and practice scenes, where each participant would go on stage and rehearse a short scene from one of their previously staged plays.

Everyone who came, including board members, participated in the workshop. It was highly interactive and enjoyable by all the participants. Manoshi Vin, a NetSAP board member, noted, "This was an amazing experience. For someone like me, who has never stepped a foot on stage before, this workshop was like a gateway into a whole new world." Giving this opportunity for beginner actors to learn some basics was the key to the workshop.

With the great success of this workshop, we sincerely hope to hold future acting workshops. For those who could not make it this time, please stay tuned in.

Usha Govindarajulu
NetSAP-Boston Theatrics/Cultural Chair

NetSAP and Vibha thank you for your contributions

2008-02-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

NetSAP Boston (Network of South Asian Professionals) organized a Happy Hour at Stix Restaurant & Lounge in Boston, MA on Jan 24th 2008 to raise funds for Vibha Boston, an alliance partner and a non-profit organization, whose mission is to educate, empower and enable every individual who wishes to make a positive difference in the life of the underprivileged child. Over 70 people turned up to network and start the New Year by supporting a cause.

NetSAP Boston raised over $350 through contributions from all attendees. All the proceeds were donated to Vibha. NetSAP Boston and Vibha convey their gratitude to all those who contributed at the event. These funds will be used by Vibha to provide financial support to projects that provide children with their right to education, health and opportunity. You can view learn more about Vibha at their website http://boston.vibha.org or via email at coordinator@boston.vibha.org.

More pictures from the event will be posted on the NetSAP Boston website. Also look forward to seeing more Happy Hours in 2008 associated with a cause or a theme. Again, we thank you for making the first happy hour successful. We look forward to seeing you at a future NetSAP Boston event.

Clarification on Health Insurance Issues from Bone Marrow Drive at NetSAP Gala

2008-02-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Dear NetSAP Members & Patrons,

Some health insurance expense issues from the Bone Marrow Drive at the NetSAP Gala were brought to our notice recently. There have been some instances where people who provided their insurance information on the forms have been billed large amounts by the lab which conducted the marrow tests. In a couple of cases the insurance companies paid the bills and passed on a part of the payment to the volunteers as patient responsibility. This is not supposed to happen. You are not responsible for ANY payments for this test.

The Marrow drive at the NetSAP Boston Gala was organized for Savita (www.savesavita.org) by the Caitlin Raymond International Registry (www.crir.org). Unlike SAMAR with whom NetSAP Boston has worked with in the past and where you participated in drives, CRIR has a different process because of local laws. Read more about the insurance process here
www.savesavita.org/insurancerelatedinformation

If you participated in the Bone Marrow Drive at the Gala on November 17th, 2007 please make sure your health insurance has not charged you. If you notice any expense, please call Caitlin Registry at 800-726-2824 immediately and speak to Kim Ikenberry or Joanne Raymond. Caitlin Registry has promised to work with affected donors to resolve this issue and get their health insurance expense reverted. Read more here...

If you are not satisfied with the service of CRIR or still have issues, contact Tushneem Dharmagadda, President NetSAP Boston at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org. NetSAP Boston will take up your issue with the registry.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you again for participating in the drive to save Savita at the NetSAP Gala.

Tushneem Dharmagadda
President, NetSAP Boston

Press Coverage: NetSAP Annual Gala - A Classy Affair

2008-01-28T14:59:00.000-05:00

NetSAP Annual Gala - A Classy Affair
Ranjani Saigal, Lokvani
11/26/2007

An upscale, elegant night of entertainment, networking, fine dining and dance at the Omni Parker Hotel was a fitting gala to celebrate the accomplishments of NetSAP Boston Chapter which has grown leaps and bounds. “We are proud to announce that NetSAP Boston again has won the best large chapter award. We are proud to have won two years in a row,” said Tushneem Dharmagadda, who is the President of NetSAP Boston.

Professional development, community service, socio-cultural awareness and political awareness are the four pillars of NetSAP and the chapter had worked to improve its work in each one of these areas. The membership of NetSAP Boston has grown to nearly 300 members. “Today we partner with 23 organizations in the New England region, so we are not only bringing professionals together but also the organizations they represent,” said Dharmagadda. Some of the leaders of these organizations including Vineet Nijhawan, Chairman of TIE-Boston and Geeta Ramamurthy, Executive Director were there at the Gala.

The organization has had several themed networking events and they have networked close to 1000 professionals in the Boston area this year through their professional seminars and social networking events. They have also raised more than $3,000 for various causes such as cancer, childrens rights, children's education etc. This is in addition to the 800 hours of labor they provided to local non-profits by taking teams of 20-25 NetSAP members to work on the ground.

At the gala awards were presented to individuals to recognize their contributions. Swarupa Purandare, Shobit Chugh, Renee Sinha, Shiela Rajan, Arindam Chakraborty, Kiran Ganda, Munish Gupta, Usha Govindarajulu, Manoshi Vin, Siddharth Pandit and Pallavi Chabra were given the leadership award. President Tushneem Dharmagadda was recognized for his dedication and hard work which was instrumental in taking NetSAP to the next level.

“NetSAP Boston has come a long way from the time it was founded 10 years ago. NetSAP has been part of my life for the past 10 years and has contributed towards many aspects of my life. I now strive to give back to the organization by volunteering my time as an advisor” said Rajiv Laroia, whose company Laroia Realty was a sponsor at the event.

The national conference for 2008 is going to be hosted in Boston.

Click here to read the original article on Lokvani

Also read our blog article Thank you for making the Annual Gala a Success!

For pictures from the Gala check visit http://www.netsapboston.org /photos

Chai Chat Press Coverage: Are you an ‘American-Born Confused Desi?’

2008-01-28T14:45:00.000-05:00

By Reshma Melwani, IndiaNewEngland


	Local South Asian Americans talk at a “Chai Chat” held in downtown Boston.

BOSTON — “Are you an ABCD or a FOB?” asked Manoshi Vin to a crowd gathered on leather sofas and drinking chai on a recent chilly Sunday afternoon.

Thus began the year’s first “Chai Chat,” held at News Café and Lounge in Boston and hosted by the Boston chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals, a nonprofit organization known for its happy hours, charitable events and social gatherings such as this one.

“Being labeled a FOB [Fresh Off the Boat] or an ABCD [American-Born Confused Desi] is something we’ve all battled at some point in our lives,” explained Vin, the network’s social chair.

As an icebreaker to the social gathering, all attendees took turns stating their names and if they were an American born confused Desi or fresh off the boat.

The diverse group of 40 — made up of well-heeled doctors, researchers, engineers, lawyers and financiers — introduced themselves and chose an affinity, some happily, others hesitantly. Among those South Asians sitting in the crowd was Chai Chat’s guest of honor, Sunil Lala, author of “American Khichdi.”

Click here to continue reading...

More NetSAP Boston Events at www.netsapboston.org/events

2008 Membership Promotion ends on January 31st, 2008

2008-01-17T19:42:00.000-05:00

Dear NetSAP Boston Members & Patrons,

NetSAP Boston's membership promotion for 2008 ends on January 31st 2008. A typical member in 2007 received over $300* of benefits for a fee of just $40.

There are numerous benefits and advantages of becoming a member. Moreover, 2008 promises to be a great year, filled with numerous exciting events, including the "17th Annual NetIP Conference" in Boston.

NetSAP Boston Membership also gives you:

Access to member-only events, preference and discounts at all NetIP events
Discounted access to events of 23 NetSAP Boston Alliance Partners
Discounts at Museums, Professional coaching organizations and other vendors
$5 referral bonus for each new member that you refer to NetSAP Boston

For a comprehensive list visit www.netsapboston.org/join

As a token of our appreciation, we are offering discounted rates for renewing the 2007 membership. An email with a link for discounted purchase was sent out recently. If you are a 2007 member and have not received this email please contact Sanjay Tamhane, Membership Chair at membership@netsapboston.org ASAP.

Please note that Membership prices are scheduled to increase to $50 and $80 for Individual & Couple memberships respectively from January 31st 2008.

If you sign up for membership now, the following promotional rates will apply:

New Members
Individual Membership: $40
Couple Membership: $70
Students: $20
Click here to Sign Up

Existing 2007 Members ('07 members renewing for '08)
Individual Membership: $30
Couple Membership: $55
An email with the Online Renewal Link was sent out recently to 2007 members. We also encourage renewal at our events.

Our referral program still continues. If you are a current member and refer a new member to NetSAP Boston, you will immediately get $5 in referral benefit.
[when you ask your friends to sign up for membership online on our website www.netsapboston.org/join ask them to provide your name in the "Referred By" box and we will send you a referral check for the total number of new members referred by you at the end of every month.]

We hope that you will take advantage of this exciting offer. In addition to supporting a non-profit organization and it's programs, you will also become part of one of the most influential South-Asian communities in New England.

Sincerely,
NetSAP Boston Executive Board

NetIP Annual Member Survey - Participate and Win Prizes

2008-01-16T11:16:00.001-05:00

NetIP North America and NetSAP Boston believe in constant improvement and strive to learn from past performances to provide you with the best overall value. Our mission is to make NetIP/NetSAP the premier and most well-respected organizations within the South Asian community, catering to the needs of successful professionals such as yourself. We realize that our enormous value lies in our member base.

In this spirit, NetIP North America conducts a yearly survey to help shape our annual programming. We would highly appreciate if you take a few minutes to share your perspectives and help shape our 2008 initiatives. This information will only be used for the purposes of this survey and will not be shared with any entity outside of NetIP/NetSAP Executive Boards.

As an incentive to those who complete this survey, we are going to raffle off an Ipod and FREE conference registrations for our 2008 17th Annual NetIP Conference in Boston as prizes.

Please click here to Take our Survey

Thank You
NetIP North America & NetSAP Boston 2008 Teams

Chai Chat - ABCD v/s FOBs

2008-01-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

Reasons, Consequenses & Justifications for Stereotypes in the South Asian Community

NetSAP Boston invites you to start off the year 2008 by sharing your opinions on stereotypes in the South Asian Community. This month's Chai Chat will address the following issues:

*Have you ever been characterized as an ABCD or FOB?

*Have you ever characterized anyone else?

*How were these terms coined and what do they mean to you?

*What are the ultimate consquences of these stereotypes on our community and on individuals?

Joining the discussion will be Sunil Lala, author of American Khichdi. He will be introducing his new book and sharing his experiences as an Indian American.

Whether you consider yourself a FOB, ABCD or somewhere in the middle, come express yourself over good coffee & snacks, a bit of controversy and enticing conversation!

Click here for more information

Call for Stage Crew for SETU/NetSAP play production

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

NetSAP-Boston in conjunction with Stage Ensemble Theatre Unit (SETU) is planning to stage a play at the Arlington Center for the Arts in May 2008.

The play is: “Rape, Regret, and Retribution” by a Subrata Das

We have finalized the cast and are still looking for a few more stage crew persons to assist with the production. No prior experience is necessary. The following are sought:

Crew:
-Stage Manager (1)
-Lighting designer (2)
-Music assistant (1)

Approximate dates of practice and frequency: February - May once a week on Sundays at 1 pm

Location of practices: Arlington Center for the Arts, Arlington, MA or member's houses

Dates of production: May 29, 30, and 31

Please send an email to Usha Govindarajulu, NetSAP Theatrics/Cultural Chair at theatrics@netsapboston.org if you are interested and for further information.

For more information about SETU, please visit their website at http://www.setu.us. SETU is an organization in the Greater Boston area that has been staging South Asian plays for 6 years.

2008 NetSAP Initiatives - Mentor Xchange & Community Consulting Programs

2007-11-25T23:31:00.000-05:00

NetSAP Boston continues on its innovative initiatives in 2008. We are happy to announce that we are planning on launching 2 new programs next year.

Mentor Xchange Program:

The dinner circle series in 2007 was an overwhelming success. We hosted 3 events which connected over 60 professionals from diverse fields such as health-care, finance, technology, and social entrepreneurship with 9 mentors. We intend to expand and continue this initiative in 2008. However, as a group of successful professionals ourselves, it becomes our responsibility that in addition to getting mentored, we should in-turn go back into our community to mentor our younger generation.

Keeping this in mind, we are glad to announce a partnership with TiE-Boston which has been a great source of mentors for our dinner circle events. TiE also has a younger group within their organization called "TiE Young Entrepreneurs" or TYE. TiE-Boston is mentoring these kids between the ages of 14yrs - 18yrs to become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. While some kids will undoubtedly launch their own ventures, there are many other kids who are looking for advise on career options and strategy. They need a "big brother" or "big sister" if you will... someone who can relate to them, talk to them and provide them the inspiration they are looking for. This is clearly an area where NetSAP Boston members can come in as mentors and share their experiences and advise.

Therefore, on one hand as mentoring moves down the hierarchy, we also hope that the membership will move up the hierarchy. Young members of TiE will become NetSAP members who will then go on to become members of TiE again.

Please contact our Professional Chair, Jigar Patel, at professional@netsapboston.org to learn more about this initiative and participate actively .

NetSAP Boston Community Consulting Program:

In 2007, NetSAP Boston focused a lot on the community. Through more than 4 fundraisers, we were able to donate over $3000 to different charities working on initiatives in India. We also brought teams of NetSAP volunteers together to serve local causes. All in all, we contributed over 800 man-hours of labor, through 6 volunteering events which involved farming, sorting/preparing food, working with the blind and so on... While these activities provide much value to local non-profit organizations, we at NetSAP Boston think that there is much more value in providing help in areas where core strengths of our members lie.

With the Community Consulting program in 2008, NetSAP Boston will move beyond just fundraising and providing physical help. Our goal is to build a platform where South Asian non-profit entities and our members can come together to share ideas on growth/fundraising strategy, core domains (healthcare, finance etc), streamlining administrative tasks and more. We also hope that leaders from different non-profits will join us and use this platform to share their best practices with each other.

This new initiative will not only allow our members to contribute their expertise to those who need it, but on the other hand it will allow them to learn how corporate theories can or cannot be applied in the non-profit world. More importantly, the joy in giving back to the community will supersede everything else.

The "NetSAP community consulting" program is still in the formative stages. We would like to invite members to join us in shaping this program. Please contact Siddharth Pandit at Siddharth.Pandit@netsapboston.org for more information.

There is a different kind of joy and a feeling of satisfaction, and accomplishment when you make a difference in someone's life. We are hoping that you share our sentiments and will join us in these endeavors.

Tushneem Dharmagadda
President, NetSAP Boston

Thank you for making the Annual Gala a Success!

2007-11-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank you for making the NetSAP Boston Annual Gala a success. The event which was attended by over 150 professionals was sold out (second year in a row). We received some great feedback about the event. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the Stand-up Comedy by Corey Manning, Jazz Music, Dinner, Dance and not to forget the company of other elite professionals from the Boston area.

Pictures are posted on our website. If you have any feedback on the event please feel free to email us at board@netsapboston.org.

We look forward to seeing you at more NetSAP Boston events in the future.

Nominees for 2008 NetSAP Boston Board

2007-11-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

NetSAP Boston Annual Elections

Nominations are still being accepted for chair positions. If you are interested please send in your letter of intent.

The Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) announces nominees for the 2008 Board. NetSAP is still looking for dynamic, creative and motivated members to take up leadership positions for the Chair roles under different pillars (Social, Cultural, Professional, Political and Community Service). If you are interested in becoming part of the NetSAP Board, please read our blog article "Nominations now Open for NetSAP 2008 Executive Board!" to know more about the Job responsibilities of different positions and find one that suits your interests and talents. Elections will be held on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at the NetSAP Annual Holiday Gala.

Volunteering on the NetSAP-Boston Board allows you to enhance your resume, expand your professional network in the Greater-Boston area and be recognized in the community for your contributions. Read our blog article "Five Great Reasons to Volunteer for NetSAP-Boston".

Position	Responsibilities & Duties
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are contested (Click on the Icons to read Letter of Intent)
President	Tushneem Dharmagadda

Vice President	Pallavi Chhabra

Treasurer	Swarupa Purandare

Secretary	Sheila Rajan

National Liaison	Pratyush Vaishnavi
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are Nominated by the President
Website Director Multiple Openings	Tanmay Kumar

Membership / Marketing Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Sanjay Tamhane

Sponsorship Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Munish Gupta

Social / Networking Events Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Priya Sathy Manoshi Vin Vijay Daryanani Kalyan Bemalkhedkar

Professional Development Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Jigar Patel Kiran Ganda

Cultural/Theatrics Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Bharathi Patimalla Usha Govindarajulu

Community Service Events Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Chindu Satheesh

Political Awareness Chair(s) Multiple Openings	Open

NetSAP Forum Moderators Multiple Openings	Open

If you are interested in any Chair Position above (including those that are filled), please send your nominations to elections2008@netsapboston.org

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the NetSAP Annual Gala. If you have questions on any of these positions or need to discuss more, email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Sincerely,
The 2007 Executive Board
Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston)

A Memorable Year Thanks to YOU!

2007-11-07T22:33:00.003-05:00

NetSAP Boston would like to say A BIG THANK YOU
for your enthusiasm to mingle at our happy hours this year...

So many friends, so many smiles for your generosity to give back to the community this year...

So many causes, so much fun for your eagerness to learn through our seminars this year...

So much knowledge, so many contacts for your support to our art, culture & theater this year...

So much heritage, so many values for your guts to be adventurous this year...

So many risks, so much thrill It has been a truly memorable year thanks to you! Please join us at the Annual Gala & Formal on Saturday, 13th December, 2008, to share the joy and relive the memories from 2008. The gala is an upscale, elegant, classy night of entertainment, networking and fine dining. An experience like never before that you will cherish for long! www.netsapboston.org/events/gala Thank you for contributing to our community and to the success of NetSAP Boston! NetSAP-Boston was awarded the "Best Large NetIP Chapter Award for 2008", for the third consecutive year. Sincerely, 2008 NetSAP Boston Executive Board Members [NetSAP Boston is a volunteer run 501(c)6 Not-for-Profit organization]

Fundraiser Thank you Note from India School Fund

2007-11-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

NetSAP Boston thanks its members and patrons for attending the Happy Hour at Whiskey Park on October 18th and contributing to a genuine and much-needed cause. NetSAP's fourth fundraiser event this year raised $325 for India School Fund. These funds will be used for ISF initiatives in India. Below is a note from the President of ISF.

We thank you for your generosity in giving back to the community this year. In all NetSAP Boston raised over $3000 in 2007 for 4 different charities focusing on various causes. This is in addition to the hundreds of man-hours that NetSAP volunteers spent in local soup kitchens and organizations. Do read The Human Face of NetSAP Boston to know more about NetSAP Boston's community initiatives in 2007.

Thank You Note from ISF
NetSAP Boston generously dedicated its Happy Hour in October to the India School Fund (ISF), helping spread the word about a nonprofit organization recently founded by five Harvard Business School students to ensure effective delivery of education in rural India to break the vicious cycle of poverty.

For a non-profit organization like ISF, NetSAP Boston events represent a wonderful opportunity to connect with young, bright and driven professionals and explore new ideas that have a real impact on the ground! We hope that with small contributions and support from this powerful network, will not only ensure sustainability of our innovative education system but also expand education, entrepreneurship and health across rural areas over time. If you are interested in visiting our first education center in UP, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you again to the whole NetSAP Boston team.

Annie Bertrand, ISF President & Co-Founder
India School Fund (ISF), www.indiaschoolhousefund.com

Nominations now Open for NetSAP 2008 Executive Board!

2007-10-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

NetSAP Boston Annual Elections

Update (November 6th): Nominations are still being accepted for chair positions. If you are interested please send in your letter of intent.

The Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) invites dynamic, creative and motivated members to take up leadership positions in the 2008 Executive Board. If you are interested in becoming part of the NetSAP Board, please send in your nomination for a position that suits your interests and talents from the list below. Elections will be held on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at the NetSAP Annual Holiday Gala. Other Chair positions on the Board will be nominated soon after.

Volunteering on the NetSAP-Boston Board allows you to enhance your resume, expand your professional network in the Greater-Boston area and be recognized in the community for your contributions. Read our blog article "Five Great Reasons to Volunteer for NetSAP-Boston".
If you cannot commit much time but still want to get actively involved with NetSAP-Boston, join our volunteer group. Email Sheila Rajan, Secretary at sheila.rajan@netsapboston.org

To declare your candidacy, submit one-page letter of intent addressed to Rajiv Laroia, Advisor, NetSAP-Boston & Elections Officer at elections2008@netsapboston.org by Sunday, November 4th, 2007.

The letter of intent should address the following and should be limited to less than 500 words.

Your professional background
A brief history of your past extra-curricular activities and achievements.
Why should you be chosen for the position?
- Your motivation to join or continue on the NetSAP-Boston Executive Board
- Ideas and Vision that you will bring to NetSAP-Boston and how they can
  contribute to the growth of the organization

Position	Responsibilities & Duties	Avg. Time Commitment
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are contested
President	Provide leadership, vision and guidance to the team in all areas.Manage the overall flow of activities and events;	8-10 hours / week

Vice President	Responsible for creating alliance partner relationships, external communications and building the NetSAP-Boston brand. Coordinate all teams (social, professional, community, cultural, membership and sponsorship). Work hand-in-glove with the President in all these activities	6-8 hours / week

Treasurer	Oversee and manage finance for NetSAP-Boston, including generating periodical reports. Maintains all financial records. Work hand-in-glove with Sponsorship Chair in building the financial status of NetSAP-Boston	4-6 hours / week

Secretary	Responsible for, managing internal communications, board meetings and newsletter. Keep an on-going record of all activities and events. Help President and Vice-President coordinate all teams.	4-6 hours / week

National Liaison	Coordinate communication between NetIP-NA and NetSAP-Boston. Attend all meetings and conference calls and represent NetSAP-Boston in the National organization. Work with respective Chairs and develop initiatives at NetSAP-Boston with National significance. This includes membership incentives and sponsorship opportunities	2-4 hours / week
The following positions on the 2008 Executive Board are Nominated by the President
Website Director Multiple Openings	Maintain, update and develop the NetSAP Boston website; Assist with all web-related NetSAP activities including forums. Requires knowledge of basic HTML and JavaScript. Knowledge of PHP scripting language preferred.	3-5 hours / week

Membership / Marketing Chair Multiple Openings	Take a proactive role in constantly increasing membership base by devising new strategies; Manage all marketing-related activities for the organization and Alliance partner relationships.	3-5 hours / week

Sponsorship Chair Multiple Openings	Responsible for securing sponsors for NetSAP-Boston. This key position involves building relationships and securing sponsorships from corporations and other potential local organizations to achieve annual sponsorship goals to support NetSAP-Boston	3-5 hours / week

Social / Networking Events Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all social & networking events; Organize all monthly social events; Organize an additional 4 to 6 networking events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Professional Development Chairs Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all professional development events which include panel discussions, speaker series, and mentoring events; Organize 6 to 8 professional events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Cultural/Theatrics Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all cultural/theatrics events which include Gala events, celebration of festivals, Chai chats and plays; Organize 3 to 4 cultural events per year.	3-5 hours / week

Community Service Events Chair Multiple Openings	Develop and manage all community service initiatives which include volunteering events, fund-raising initiatives and social entrepreneurship panels; Organize 3 to 4 community events per year.	3-5 hours / week

NetSAP Forum Moderators Multiple Openings	Moderate and maintiain User-Forum on the NetSAP website.	3-5 hours / week

Please Submit your nominations by Sunday, November 4th to elections2008@netsapboston.org

Thank you and we look forward to your declaration of candidacy. If you have questions on any of these positions or need to discuss more, email Tushneem Dharmagadda, President, at tushneem.dharmagadda@netsapboston.org

Sincerely,
The 2007 Executive Board
Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston)

2008 Membership Promotion ends on January 31st, 2008

2007-09-26T10:33:00.000-04:00

NetSAP Boston Membership also gives you:

Access to member-only events, preference and discounts at all NetIP events
Discounted access to events of 23 NetSAP Boston Alliance Partners
Discounts at Museums, Professional coaching organizations and other vendors
$5 referral bonus for each new member that you refer to NetSAP Boston

For a comprehensive list visit www.netsapboston.org/join

As a token of our appreciation, we are offering discounted rates for renewing the 2007 membership. An email with a link for discounted purchase was sent out recently. If you are a 2007 member and have not received this email please contact Sanjay Tamhane, Membership Chair at membership@netsapboston.org ASAP.

Please note that Membership prices are scheduled to increase to $50 and $80 for Individual & Couple memberships respectively from January 31st 2008.

If you sign up for membership now, the following promotional rates will apply:
New Members
Individual Membership: $40
Couple Membership: $70
Students: $20
Click here to Sign Up

Existing 2007 Members ('07 members renewing for '08)
Individual Membership: $30
Couple Membership: $55
An email with the Online Renewal Link was sent out recently to 2007 members. We also encourage renewal at our events.

Our referral program still continues. If you are a current member and refer a new member to NetSAP Boston, you will immediately get $5 in referral benefit.
[when you ask your friends to sign up for membership online on our website www.netsapboston.org/join ask them to provide your name in the "Referred By" box and we will send you a referral check for the total number of new members referred by you at the end of every month.]

We hope that you will take advantage of this exciting offer. In addition to supporting a non-profit organization and it's programs, you will also become part of one of the most influential South-Asian communities in New England.

Sincerely,
NetSAP Boston Executive Board

NetSAP-Boston & Princeton Review Partnership for Discounted GMAT Classroom Courses

2007-09-06T18:59:00.001-04:00

6th September, 2007, Boston MA: NetSAP-Boston and Princeton Review have established a partnership to offer customized GMAT Classroom Courses at discounted prices for NetIP/NetSAP members.

These courses are customized for Professionals of South Asian / Indian descent focusing on nuances of the verbal section as well as advanced math. Considering the intense competition among people of Indian origin, the program will allow NetSAP members to focus on areas that will enable them to crack the GMAT. The classroom size will also be kept small to allow individual attention to each student.

More importantly, the agreement provides a NetSAP member upto $300 off on any classroom course. NetSAP-Boston encourages members to take advantage of this exclusive deal which gets you the best GMAT Classroom course at the lowest price ever!

Contact Munish Gupta, sponsorship chair at NetSAP-Boston at sponsorship@netsapboston.org or Kyle J Matis, Director of Marketing, Princeton Review at KyleM@review.com (617 558 2828) for more information.

Course information for October 2007 is up on the NetSAP website.

Visit our table at the World MBA Tour in Boston on September 20th to find out more about how NetSAP-Boston can help you with pursuing top MBA Programs

NetSAP-Boston does it Again - Wins NetIP's Best Large Chapter Award for 2007

2007-09-06T12:56:00.001-04:00

Dear Member & Patrons,

Thanks to your unconditional support towards the organization, the tons of new initiatives, and exciting events in our Chapter, we were able to win the NetIP's Best Large Chapter Award for 2007. This is the second consecutive year that NetSAP-Boston has won this award.

Considering that we had to compete with 22 other NetIP chapters in the US & Canada to win this award it is no ordinary feat. This obviously could not have possible without the extra-ordinary efforts of the many NetSAP board members and volunteers who worked very hard this year. Kudos to each of them for making this happen.

We are also excited to announce that the venue for the 17th Annual NetIP National Conference in 2008 will be the home of NetSAP-Boston, Boston. More details on this will follow soon.

As always we are looking for motivated volunteers to help us out. Read more about benefits of volunteering and feel free to contact us for more information.

Here are some pictures from the NetIP National Conference in Miami. More will be posted on our website soon

Five Great Reasons to Volunteer for NetSAP-Boston

2007-08-27T13:17:00.000-04:00

We are always looking for motivated and driven people to volunteer for NetSAP-Boston... Join us at our Board meetings, typically held on the first Tuesday of every month and learn about different volunteering opportunities on the Executive Board as well as the volunteer group. Contact Sheila Rajan at Sheila.Rajan@netsapboston.org for more information.

Note: Next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 2nd October at the Brookline library. If you are interested in attending contact Sheila ASAP.

Here are Five great reasons to Volunteer for NetSAP-Boston:

5. Follow and promote your passion by organizing initiatives which get like-minded people together. Be it Socio-cultural events, Professional, Community service, Politics, Theatrics or others... NetSAP-Boston encourages them all

4. Enhance your skill-set and resume through extra-curricular activities. Develop leadership, management, interpersonal, and communication skills. Use them in your regular jobs or for pursuing management degrees

3. Get access and connections to a network of top leaders from various fields

2. Be part of a growing and influential non-profit organization... get known and recognized for your work in the community

1. Give back to the Community, Build a close-knit social network of great friends and Have fun

NetSAP-Boston Executive Board and Volunteers

NetSAP-Boston Raffle Winners at IAGB India Day

2007-08-25T01:05:00.000-04:00

We would like to thank all those who visited our table at IAGB India Day. We are glad to annouce the winners of the raffle held by NetSAP-Boston on the day...

NetSAP-Boston 2007 Membership Winners
Arumugam Murugawamdam
Vivek Shah

NetSAP-Boston Sunset Cruise Winners
Ajit Dash
Jay Desai
Vishal Gupta

Congrats to our winners. Pictures from IAGB India Day are up on our website. If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to contact us at board@netsapboston.org

Getting into Top MBA Programs - Panel Discussion Follow-up & Thank you note

2007-08-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

NetSAP Boston would like to thank everyone that attended our MBA Panel Discussion last week. We hope the session and accomplished panelists were helpful in answering all your questions. You can continue the discussion with the panelists and your peers through our forums at www.netsapboston.org/forums.

The pictures from the event are up on our website at www.netsapboston.org/photos . If you'd like to share your feedback and suggestions on topics for future professional seminars with us, contact our Professional chairs, Swarupa or Kiran at professional@netsapboston.org.
Don't forget to take advantage of Princeton Review's special discount on GMAT classes to NetSAP members!

A message from Princeton Review, our event sponsor:

Hello NetSAP-Boston Members!

I want to extend a personal thank you for attending The Princeton Review/NetSAP-Boston MBA Information Session. We hope you found this session enjoyable and enlightening!

The importance of a solid GMAT score was discussed at length during last week’s session. In order to help you ensure that your GMAT score is as high as it can be, The Princeton Review would like to extend a $100 discount to all NetSAP-Boston members off ANY GMAT Classroom Course!!!

Additionally...

The Princeton Review would like to extend a $150 discount off these two upcoming classes!!!

GMAT course: Downtown / Back Bay / Copley Square

Where: 20 Park Plaza Suite 1201 Boston, MA

Course Code: 070900122

When: Jul 28th - Sept 22nd 2007 (Every Saturday, 10:00am - 1:00pm)

Special Starting Class for NetSAP Members: Sat Aug 11th

GMAT course: Harvard Square

Where: 16 Garden Street Cambridge, MA

Course Code: 070900124

When: Aug 1st - Sept 19th 2007 (Every Wednesday, 6:30pm - 9:30pm)

Please contact Kyle J Matis at KyleM@review.com for more information. To reserve your spot in a classroom course, call 617 558 2828 or visit PrincetonReview.com.

Kyle J. Matis

Director of Marketing

The Princeton Review

Tell us how we are doing & help us improve

2007-07-31T16:19:00.000-04:00

We are half way into 2007 and its time we evaluate our performance as an organization so far. The NetSAP-Boston team worked very hard this year to bring you many exciting and high-quality events and provide you with more value for your membership not only at our events but also at our alliance partner events. As a community we have been trying our best to build a socially responsible network of highly talented South Asian-American professionals and entrepreneurs.

We now seek your help to improve and grow our organization further. We created a 30 second survey where you can answer a few questions to provide feedback and let us know what your thoughts are...

More importantly, your feedback will bolster our case to become NetIP-NA's Best Large Chapter again for the year 2007.

Click here to take our survey

Thank you for your support!
NetSAP-Boston Team.

NetSAP & Small World Big Sky's "Indian Ink" gets rave reviews from Press!

2007-06-26T10:21:00.000-04:00

(click on links below to read different articles)

Piecing together a mystery in India ... Krohn's producing partner is NetSAP-Boston, an organization of South Asian professionals that is highly active, Krohn says: "They have a theater component, they do community service, run events , and have workshops on all kinds of things."
- Boston Globe

'Indian Ink' is a muddied exploration of identity
- Boston Globe

NetSAP brings ‘Indian Ink’ to Boston in theater effort... Play set in colonial times, resonates with immigrants
- India New England

NetSAP and Small World Big Sky bring a worthwhile production to Boston, especially since South Asian theatre, unlike cinema and literature, is so rare a medium here and far less patronized. This is the third year NetSAP Theatrics brings a play to Boston, and it is also commendable of Small World Big Sky to take on a play with such a strong South Asian theme.
- Lokvani

Pictures from the Play Indian Ink:
(click on thumbnails to view albums)

Tom Stoppard's Play - Indian Ink

Indian Ink After-Party/Happy Hour at MASA

NetSAP-Boston Press Release:
On June 23 at 8 pm in the Plaza Theatre located in heart of Boston's South End, NetSAP-Boston hosted one of the nights of production of Indian Ink in conjuction with Small World Big Sky Productions, providing discounted prices to members and non-members. The show was a success, as it had been other nights of production. The audience was impressed by the actors and organized production sets. The play centered around the main character, Flora Crewe, played by Janelle Mills, and provided an interesting insight into an independent and thought-provoking British woman living in India during the 1930s. The characters revolving around her life provided entertainment and pause for thought at the life of Flora Crewe. Especially of curiosity was her relationship with Nirad Das, played by Bharat Bhushan, friend or lover?

The cast are to be commended for their endurance through many days and nights of performance. The stage crew put on a professional setup for the play. The production company, Small World Big Sky (SWBS), under the leadership of Sarah Krohn (director and producer) is a small organization trying to expand and grow and are certainly learning about the difficulties of putting such a production together and coordinating assignments through production and direction. However, they have managed to pull off a succesful production. Netsap-Boston assisted SWBS in the production aspects via Usha Govindarajulu as as Associate Producer.

Netsap-Boston was pleased to partake in one of these nights and to promote South Asian culture through this medium. Members of Netsap-Boston and TiE were part of the audience and added to the diversity enhanced through the play. The audience had a chance to interact with the cast/crew after the play at Masa Restaurant, a few steps from the theatre. Netsap-Boston appreciates the success of Indian Ink and hopes to promote future productions which incorporate South Asian participation and culture.

Sincerely,

Usha Govindarajulu
Theatrics Chair of NetSAP-Boston

The Human Face of NetSAP Boston

2007-06-09T13:46:00.000-04:00

With the plethora of social organizations and happy hours booming around the Boston area, it is time to reevaluate impacts that NetSAP Boston has tried to make on local and global footings.

While the recent happy hour at Caprice helped to raise $500 for CRY America (www.america.cry.org) , NetSAP Boston has also strived to help local non profits by organizing community events. This was the second happy hour this year that NetSAP Boston has decided to funnel the proceeds to an organization that works in India. While the January happy hour raised $600 for Sahayta, the May happy hour will help to transform the lives of 20 children by ensuring they get education and health care for a year.

Says Shefali Sunderlal, the President of CRY America, "The NetSAP community in Boston has shown itself to be a concerned citizens group. By contributing to CRY America, NetSAP members have portrayed their concerns for the children in India, who suffer silently amongst India's economic development. This fundraiser, besides raising funds, has proved that NetSAP is ready to stand and fight for the rights of the children. Kudos to the NetSAP Boston leadership".

On the local level NetSAP Boston continued its relationship with the Long Island Shelter Organic Farm and made new relationships with the Drumlin Farms. Taking teams of around 20 people, NetSAP Boston assisted in clearing farm lands, walking trails, planting seeds as well as sorting organic food that will serve the homeless in Boston and let the local community enjoy the nature trails. At the Holi celebrations earlier this year at Dakshin, NetSAP helped raise the awareness for the need of bone marrow donations among South Asians with SAMAR. The May happy hour at Caprice also hosted Team AID-Asha marathon runners who interacted with the NetSAP community and registered new participants for their annual marathon. The NetSAP board is firmly committed to fostering amongst its members, a sense of contributing in the local community as well as engaging and acting on issues of global significance. This year's community events are a testament to that commitment.

With similar happy hours intended for other alliance partners like Avsar, India Schoolhouse Fund, Clinton Health Aids Initiative and Vibha, as well as local volunteering events at Community Servings and Greater Boston Food Bank, NetSAP Boston is creating value for its members to be leaders in the community. By organizing social discussion panels, it is also striving to open the process of dialogue to everyone.

We hope our members continue to support our mission in professional development, culture and arts, community and political participation and thus foster a strong sense of South Asian and American values.

About Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(6) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. For more information visit www.netsapboston.org

Press Release: Small World Big Sky in association with NetSAP presents Boston Premier of Tom Stoppard’s Play "Indian Ink" - June 15th-July 1st, 2007

2007-05-19T13:58:00.000-04:00

18th May, 2007, Boston MA: Small World Big Sky Productions in association with NetSAP-Boston will present the Boston premiere of Tom Stoppard’s full-length play Indian Ink, a beautifully written but largely unknown work. Directed and produced by Sarah Krohn and featuring a cast of 13, the production previews June 15, opens June 16, and runs through July 1st in the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116. The production is sponsored in part by the Boston chapter of NetIP (Network of Indian Professionals), NetSAP-Boston (The Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston). NetSAP-Boston will have a special showing of the play on Saturday, June 23^rd at 8:00pm for its members and patrons.

Following on the past successes with Bend it Like Auntie and Netsap Comedy Mela, NetSAP-Boston partners with Small World Big Sky, a Boston-based theatre company founded in 2005 by Sarah Krohn to bring this play to the South Asian community in Boston. Sarah Krohn’s directing credits include Hamlet for New Rep on Tour as well as Small World Big Sky’s productions of The Illusion and A Doll’s House.

Indian Ink is set in 1930 during India’s struggle for independence. The play chronicles the brief but transformative encounter between Flora Crewe, a rebellious English poet and Nirad Das, a charming Indian painter who Flora meets while traveling through Jummapur. Flora and Nirad develop an intimacy as Das paints Flora at work on her poems. Fifty years later, Flora’s younger sister Eleanor Swan, Nirad’s son, Anish, and Eldon Pike, an American professor writing about Flora attempt to piece together the truth about that brief encounter in 1930 through letters and artifacts. The orbiting characters and story lines begin to converge around a single question: did Flora and Nirad have an affair?

In typical fashion, Stoppard constructs a thought-provoking and highly entertaining drama that examines complicated questions of art, history, and identity.

Dates and Times: June 15th-July 1st: Thu 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 8:00 pm and Sun 3:00 pm

NetSAP-Boston Exclusive Show: 8:00pm, Saturday, June 23rd

Price :
$24 adults, $22 seniors, $15 students, NetSAP Members $20 (10% off)
Friday, June 15 preview is pay-what-you-can, minimum $5.
Saturday, June 23rd Exclusive NetSAP show: Members $15, Non-Members $20

More Information: www.netsapboston.org/events

Cast:
Flora Crewe Janelle Mills, Nirad Das Bharat Bhushan, Eleanor Swan Jean Sheikh, Anish Das Anurag Mishra, Eldon Pike Chuck Schwager, Dilip Sudarshan Belsare, David Durance Andrew Winson, Rajah Irfan Malik, Coomaraswami Avinash Padhye, Nell Meredith Stypinski, Eric Swan Neil Hayward, Nazrul Arun Ravindran, The Resident Anthony Dangerfield

Contact: Usha Govindarajulu, Associate Producer at theatrics@netsapboston.org

About Boston Center for the Arts
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) is an urban cultural village, incubating and showcasing the performing and visual arts and artists of our time. Occupying a city block in Boston’s historic South End, the BCA provides a creative “home” for artists, a welcoming destination for audiences, and an arts connection for youth and community. For more information, visit www.bcaonline.org

About Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(6) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. For more information visit www.netsapboston.org

Member Benefits, Social Networking Groups & New Alliances

2007-05-07T21:38:00.000-04:00

While spring is setting in bringing warm and nice weather, the NetSAP team has been trying to come up with new ways to provide incentives to our members, creating groups on social networking sites to enable more interaction between members outside of NetSAP events and establishing partnerships with new organizations in order to bring a wide array of events to you.

So far the year has progressed well. Although we have received a lot of positive feedback from our members, there is much scope for improvement and we are always looking forward to new ideas and feedback from you. Meanwhile, as we continue to work, I wanted to take time to update you on what we have achieved on different fronts so far...

Member Benefits at NetSAP & Alliance partner events

Take advantage of heavy discounts at NetSAP events and events organized by our alliance partners.

Our new alliance partner MIT Sloan Alumni Club of Boston is organizing the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium on May 17th. Get an exclusive discount of approx 20% when you register for this event. If you cannot spend a day at this conference, attend the NetSAP seminar on Launching Successful Businesses the same night for a discounted fee of $5.

Our alliance partner TiE-Boston is organizing TiECON East, one of the largest entrepreneurial innovation conferences' from June 14th - June 15th. Register for this conference at a special discounted price (Discount code will be emailed to NetSAP members)

We have established a new partnership with the Peabody Essex Museum. Get a discount of 15% on the ticketed entrance price at the museum.

Every NetSAP member will also be getting a complimentary 2-year subscription to Indus Business Journal, a prominent fortnightly business newspaper that provides exclusive business, franchise and healthcare news and insights.

Check for more alliance partner events on our forum which provide special discounts to NetSAP Members. We are also working on issuing membership cards to new members as soon as possible. If you do not have your membership card please email us and we can send a verification note to the alliance partner organization whose event you want to attend.

Needless to say, members always get priority and discounts at NetSAP events. We are committed to making your NetSAP membership worthwhile, so, watch out for more incentives in future.

NetSAP-Boston Group on LinkedIn, Friendster & Orkut

Our group on LinkedIn was launched on May 4th and is exclusively for NetSAP members. Some of you may have already received an invite from us to join the group. If you have not received an invite yet, you will be getting one soon. Use this group to not only network with other NetSAP members but also to network with speakers, mentors and panelists from our events. Explore career opportunities and build relationships that will help you grow in your profession.

Our group on Friendster has been around for sometime. If you are on friendster, go to groups and search for "NetSAP-Boston". Look for the group with the image shown on the left and join our group.

Our group on Orkut was launched recently. So if you are on orkut, click on this link to access the NetSAP-Boston Orkut group. Use Friendster and Orkut to build your social network.

If you are not a member yet, I encourage you to sign up soon so that you can start taking advantage of all these incentives and more...

Creating Wealth Through Real Estate

2007-03-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

The real estate market continues to be a hot topic of discussion at holiday parties and continues to be written about frequently in the media. During the boom years ending in July 2005, housing equity rose by $4 trillion. This gain was tremendous, but was even more "remarkable when compared to stock market wealth accumulation, which was essentially flat over the same comparable period."

The market has softened since its peak in 2005 but does this mean that we can expect a market crash. Well... maybe not! The fundamentals of the state (MA) remain strong and more importantly this is not the early to mid 1990s or the early 1980's or the mid 1970's when prices dropped because of recession and high unemployment.

"A recent detailed study of 379 US metropolitan markets by a well-regarded Pennsylvania consulting firm, Moody's Economy.com, says that while home prices are falling nationally, the worst may be over for Boston area homeowners. Prices may not rise any time soon, the study said, but they are probably NOT going to fall much further." However, Predictions are always tricky!

As long as households keep on spending, the economy should be able to withstand the blow from the housing correction.

Key Points and Outlook:

Buyers on the Move Again: This is the best time in recent years to be a buyer. Pent-up buyer demand seems to be loosening, as the market appears to be stabilizing, and more are making lifestyle purchases and taking advantage of lower prices and better inventory before the spring market is in place. Even the Globe has been announcing the bottom of the market for the past 2 months.
A Wide Variety of Homes to choose from: Inventory is still healthy, but beginning to drop as buyers are no longer waiting to time the market.
Mortgage Rates remain Low: Mortgage rates are still historically low, inventory is healthy, and most sellers are setting reasonable prices based on this market rather than the unusual spiking prices of the past five years.
Market at or near Bottom: Real estate market is experiencing a healthy price correction and return to a “normal” long-term appreciation rate. The New England Economic Partnership, a nonprofit research firm, is forecasting that home prices in Massachusetts will decline about 5 percent through the year.
Still a Great Investment: Real estate continues to be a great long-term investment. Prices are expected to appreciate an average of 15-17% between 2007 and 2015.
Location Location Location is still the Rule: This means that some towns will experience higher appreciation rates while others a bit lower.
Rents are Rising: As for the rental market, industry watchers are expecting to see rents inch up. Continued job growth in Massachusetts and nationally, as well as low inflation, should bode well for apartment demand.
Come Spring and More competition for Good Properties: 2007 is expected to mirror 2006, resulting in another historically strong year, although below the market sales and price spikes of recent years (according to National Association of REALTORS®).

To learn more about the real estate market and related investment opportunities join the discussion on this topic at the Holiday Inn, Brookline, on Thursday, April 26th. See NetSAP-Boston's website for more details.

NetSAP Dinner Circle - Peer networking and Mentoring

2007-03-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

NetSAP Boston is starting a new event called "Dinner Circle," a concept inspired by our DC chapter and improvised by us to promote peer networking as well as mentoring with an experienced professional in a field of your choice. To make this event better suited to your needs and expectations, we have a prepared 30 second survey for you here. Details of this concept are mentioned below. However, if you have more questions, suggestions or feedback feel free to contact Shobhit Chugh, Social chair or Aman Patel, Professional chair at dcircle@netsapboston.org

Update: Check out pictures from our August Dinner Circle

Dinner Circle Details:
Have you been searching for the opportunity to meet and get to know other South Asian professionals in the Boston area? Are you the type that prefers small dinners with friends over raucous nights out at clubs? Do you want to know more about different career fields, and didn't know who to ask?

Well, then come participate in the Dinner Circle. These small group dinners are designed to provide comfortable, intimate settings where young professionals with similar interests can have meaningful conversations and expand their social and professional relationships. In addition, they present an opportunity to meet an experienced professional from the industry of your choice, who can guide you, and answer your questions.

Here's how it works: Please click on the survey link if you are interested in this event and answer a few questions that will help us learn more about you and the careers you intend to know more about. (This may not necessarily be linked to your current profession. For ex. an attendee who is a management consultant might want to know more about Journalism or Non-profit organizations)

We will send another survey which participants interested in attending a particular dinner circle event can take and provide us with more details about themselves. Additionally, you can choose the mentor whose table you prefer to be at. Also choose your entrees (list will be provided) and prepay for the meal (NetSAP will negotiate group discounts with restaurants).

Once we have a list of all interested participants, we'll divide you up into groups of 5-7 based on the information you provide, and assign a mentor for your group based on your preferences (first come first serve). You will then be sent a confirmation email with details of your group and mentor. Show up at the dinner, ready to be social, learn more and enjoy a meal! Please feel free to mingle with the rest of the groups at the bar after the meal.

Our commitment: We'll do our best to maximize the potential of the evening by thoughtfully matching participants with others of similar age, interests, and career stage, and providing a suitable mentor. We'll also try to pick easily accessible, moderately priced restaurants that make the evening more enjoyable.

Your commitment: Firstly, We ask that you prepay for the dinner when your group has been assigned, and show up to your assigned restaurant on time (that's Eastern Standard Time, not Indian Standard Time!). Secondly, we ask that you prepare a list of questions you might like to ask your mentor, and participate fully in the discussions!

Career Management and Strategies for Success

2007-03-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

Well, the Professional chairs at NetSAP, Swarupa and Kiran spent quite some time early this year brainstorming about different topics that we can focus on at our professional seminars. And as we started planning our first seminar on Managing your Career, I began delving deeper into this topic myself. Career management has become very complex today. It is not just about performing well in your current jobs but the many factors that influence and determine how you do at work that make it more confusing and perhaps interesting. Undoubtedly, it is important to be good at what you do and gain new technical skills that will give you an edge over your peers. However, performing well in the tasks assigned to you and doing better than your co-workers is not all. The flat world (multi-site) and large cross-functional teams have totally changed the dynamics of career growth today. People skills, power and influence play as much importance as your technical skills and expertise. More importantly, you need to sell yourself and build your network so that you get noticed, get promoted or get that new job you like. As the old adage goes "It is not just what you know, it is who you know and what they know about you."

Our Speaker Kathleen Cashman who is a renowned management coach will be discussing these issues and more in our seminar on Tuesday March 20th. Meanwhile, here are some articles that you may find interesting...

25 Hot Tips For Managing Your Career

Being an Interim Boss Can Broaden Skills, Enrich a Career

Job Hopping Abroad Can Enhance A Career, But It Takes Fortitude

==
Tushneem.

Press Release: NetSAP Chai Chat provides a forum for South Asians to express themselves

2007-03-12T20:23:00.000-04:00

March 12, 2007, Brookline, MA. NetSAP-Boston organized Chai Chat on 11th March at Expresso Royale in Brookline. The event which received more than anticipated response was attended by over 35 professionals. Chai Chat is a unique concept where people get together on a sunday afternoon for "Chai" (Tea in India) and have informal discussions on topics that are affecting or playing a critical role in the lives of South Asians, predominantly Indians. The event which was started by NetSAP-Boston in 2004 was revived again this year due to popular demand. It provided a forum (first of its sort in the Boston area) where NetSAP members and non-members can network as well as have intellectually stimulating conversation by talking about their experiences and views in a non-intimidated setting.

The topic of this first Chai Chat was "Arranged Marriages v/s Love Marriages - Building relationships in the Cyber Age". Participants discussed the pros and cons of arranged and love marriages, dating in the south asian community, social stigmas and the role of society (the culture and environment we grow up in) in relationships. It was also interesting to note that many professionals today give more importance to values, interests and compatibility rather than culture, race or religion. Thoughts and opinions on the role of career and professional pursuits viz. intense stress to do well and grow in one's career, pressure to achieve professional goals, and lack of time to get involved in a relationship or its effects on existing relationships were exchanged among the attendees. Although online marriage and dating websites have provided busy professionals with the tools necessary to explore relationships at their convenience and have combined the benefits of dating (i.e getting to know the person) within traditional (cultural) bounds, they do come with their own disadvantages. Issues such as these and more were explored at the Chai Chat.

"The Chai Chat was a forum which allowed people to voice their opinions openly. It was interesting to hear the varying opinions regarding dating and marriage and all the issues that come with them as South Asians" said Renee Sinha, Marketing chair, NetSAP-Boston. Manoshi Vin, Socio-Cultural chair at NetSAP Boston who organized this event added.."It was so good to see such a good turn out for our first chai chat. It was good coffee , great company and a insightful discussion about an issue that affects us all!"

Overall, many views from different generations as well as different experiences were shared. NetSAP-Boston plans to organize Chai Chat every other month complementing it with Dinner Circle events in the months inbetween. More information about Dinner Circle and pictures from Chai Chat will be posted on the NetSAP-Boston website soon. If you have suggestions on topics for future chai chats which can vary from issues affecting south asians today to book or movie reviews email Manoshi Vin at cultural@netsapboston.org. Members and non-members can continue to discuss these issues on the NetSAP forum at www.netsapboston.org/forums.

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(6) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit www.netsapboston.org. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

March Membership Mania!!

2007-02-15T07:51:00.000-05:00

Hello NetSAP Boston Members & Patrons,

After lot of thought regarding membership, the NetSAP Boston team wanted to provide value to both our existing members, as well as, the new and potential members. We decided to have all our events in March for free.

We also decided to add a new referral program. If you are a current member and refer a new member at our event, you will immediately get $5 in referral benefit. In addition, when you ask your friends to sign up for membership online on our website www.netsapboston.org/signup ask them to provide your name in the "Referred By" box and we will send you a referral check for the total number of new members referred by you at the end of every month.

I hope that you will take advantage of these exciting offers. In addition to supporting a non-profit organization and it's programs, you will also become part of one of the biggest South-Asian communities in New England.

Thanks,

Renee Sinha
NetSAP Marketing & Membership Chair
membership@netsapboston.org

Sign Up as a NetSAP Member Today and get the following Benefits

1. All events in March worth $50 for FREE
Events include:
Managing Your Career - Professional Development Event
Rang De Holi - Festival of Colors - Cultural Event
Happy Hour - Social Event
Chai Chat - Social Event

2. Refer a New Member to NetSAP-Boston and receive $5 in referral benefit

3. Receive discounts worth more $200 at NetSAP events throughout the year

4. Discounted access to 15+ NetSAP-Boston Alliance Partners

Other promotions:

- 2 email subscribers get Free membership annually
- 2 people who sign up for our newsletter* at an event get the next Happy Hour Free
- 1 member from an event may get Free entry to the next NetSAP event**
- 1 participant from NetSAP's community service event gets Free entry to a NetSAP social event**

* Winners selected at random from the list of subscribers at that event
** Events are chosen at the discretion of NetSAP-Boston

For a comprehensive list of past and current events, go to www.netsapboston.org

NetSAP and Sahayta thank you for your contributions

2007-01-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

NetSAP-Boston(Network of South Asian Professionals) organized a Happy Hour at Met Lounge, Tonic, a trendy bar in Allston, MA on Jan 18th to raise funds for Sahayta, an alliance partner and a non-profit organization based in India, whose mission is to provide holistic (financial, emotional and social) support to people afflicted with cancer. Over 80 people turned up on the cold night to network and start the new year by supporting a cause.

NetSAP raised over $600 through contributions from all attendees. All the proceeds were donated to Sahayta. NetSAP-Boston and Sahayta convey their gratitude to all those who contributed at the event. These funds will be used by Sahayta to provide financial support to underprivileged cancer patients and their families. Besides sponsoring a patient's chemotherapy treatment the money will also fund the education of their children. You can view video testimonials of sponsored patients/doctors on Sahayta's website http://www.sahayta.org .

More pictures from the event will be posted on the NetSAP-Boston website. Also look forward to seeing more Happy Hours in 2007 associated with a cause or a theme. Again, we thank you for making the first happy hour successful. We look forward to seeing you at a future NETSAP event.

President's Message: NetSAP's Vision for 2007

2007-01-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

Greetings fellow NetSAP-Boston Members and Patrons!

On behalf of the 2007 Executive Board of the Network of South Asian Professionals, Boston Chapter, I'd like to wish you and your family best wishes for health and happiness in the New Year. After the overwhelming success of our programming activities from 2006, we enter 2007 with exciting opportunities and increased expectations from you. I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight our success in the past year and outline our vision for 2007.

Over the last two years NetSAP-Boston has grown tremendously. This growth is attributed to several factors, most significantly your unconditional support and patronage for the organization. Last year we raised the quality of our events by hosting them at elegant venues, streamlining registrations through online signup, and collaborating with other organizations to bring events of wide variety. Our events ranged from the popular monthly networking mixers (Happy Hours) and social galas, to professional development events, to theatrics and cultural events, and last but not the least community awareness and volunteering opportunities. Through all these initiatives we fostered and built lasting relationships between people from different backgrounds.

We started 2007 on a great note. Thanks to your generous contributions, we raised over $600 for cancer patients at our first Happy Hour hosted at Met Lounge, Tonic. Most of our monthly Happy Hours in 07 will have a theme or a cause associated with them. Look forward to exciting cultural events such as Holi in March, one-on-one networking events such as wine n greet, harbor cruise in summer, theatric workshops and plays, and community volunteering opportunities. Additionally, NetSAP professional chairs are planning new seminars for career development and mentoring. You will also probably see several bi-monthly socio-cultural get-togethers for book reviews, movie reviews and discussions on current affairs.

In our efforts to raise the quality of our events and provide you with the best experience, we will face significant increase in our expenses. However, we are in the process of seeking sponsorships to offset this expense which will result in lower registration fees and heavy discounts for our members. Therefore, I encourage you to sign up for membership and assure you that we will strive to provide lasting value for the cost. Through your annual NetSAP/NetIP membership, you will also enjoy a wide range of benefits and discounts at events organized by over fifteen of our alliance partner organizations in the greater Boston area.

My team is very excited, motivated and is working towards finalizing the list of events for 2007. While we are in that process, we will try our best to keep you informed through our website and blog. We also welcome your ideas and constructive feedback so that we can improve NetSAP and serve you better. As you know, we are an organization built by a team of passionate volunteers who dedicate their time, energy and patience to achieve our vision. I invite our members and patrons to play an active role in our organization. If you are interested in making a difference in our community and honing your leadership skills, join our board or volunteer for events of your interest. Please feel free to contact me or other Board members with any questions or suggestions you may have.

As a duly registered non-profit organization in the State of Massachusetts, we would like to continue our mission of reaching out to the South Asian community and empowering as many individuals as possible in the New England region.

My team and I look forward to seeing you at a future NetSAP event in the greater Boston Area!

Sincerely,
Tushneem Dharmagadda
President, NetSAP-Boston

NETWORK OF SOUTH ASIAN PROFESSIONALS (NetSAP-Boston) PICKS NEW LEADERS

2006-12-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

December 15th, 2006, Boston, MA - The Boston Chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP-Boston) held its annual holiday gala celebration and Executive Board Election at News Restaurant and Lounge in the heart of Boston's Downtown on Saturday, December 9th. The event featuring a delicious Indian buffet catered by Dakshin restaurant, music by DJ Bombay and an awards ceremony was attended by over 115 people including NetSAP-Boston's alliance partner representatives, speakers from their past events and sponsors. The response to the event was so overwhelming that quite a few people had to be turned away at the door since the tickets were sold-out.

As people decked up in their best formals and Indian ethnic wear mingled and networked with each other while having dinner, DJ Bombay entertained them with some lively lounge music. A presentation on the television screens in the restaurant showcased a variety of popular NetSAP events from 2006. Later in the evening, NetSAP-Boston surprised their 2006 board members by announcing leadership awards to recognize their contribution to the organization. Raj Melville, Special Interest Groups Chair from TiE-Boston and Ranjani Sehgal, Co-founder of Lokvani gave away the tokens of appreciation. Speaking at the event, Raj Melville said "NetSAP-Boston and TiE-Boston have had a great year in 2006 where we collaborated on several events. I hope we can build on that relationship and collaborate on many more initiatives in 2007."

The new Executive Board is looking forward to continuing the traditions and chapter legacy of NetSAP-Boston as one of the premier professional networking organizations in the New England area. Consisting of many Board members from the past albeit in different roles the election brings a combination of experienced and new officers to the organization's Executive Board.

The group's 2007 officers include: Tushneem Dharmagadda, President; Pallavi Chhabra, Vice President; Vijay Daryanani, Treasurer; Sheila Rajan, Secretary; Sundip Arora, National Liaison; Renee Sinha, Membership Chair; Niranjan Bose, Avni Jhaveri and Aarti Sood as Social Chairs; Kiran Ganda and Swarupa Purandare as Professional Chairs; Manoshi Vin and Usha Govindarajulu as Cultural/Theatrics Chairs; Siddharth Pandit, Community Service Chair; and Vignesh Kuppusamy, Website Director.

Outgoing President Kas Sharma said, "Serving NetSAP-Boston for the last 5 years in various capacities has been a great experience. In the last two years NetSAP-Boston has taken long strides to grow at an amazing pace. We intoduced several unique events catering to Theater, Cultural Awareness, Social and Professional Networking. I wish the new team luck in carrying this forward and building the organization further." Kas will continue to serve as an Advisor to the Executive Board throughout 2007.

Incoming President, Tushneem Dharmagadda who most recently served as the Advisor of NetSAP remarked "I am excited to lead NetSAP in 2007. It is challenging because we need to perform much better and live up to the high expectations of our members and patrons that we set in the prior years. We have established strong partnerships with many organizations in the Boston area including The Indus Entrepreneurs - Boston, our platinum sponsor. By leveraging the strengths of each other, we have taken advantage of the synergy to create events that appeal to a wider audience. My goal next year is to develop these relationships further and build the NetSAP-Boston Brand." Pallavi Chhabra, Vice President, added "The objective of our annual holiday gala was to gather all the NetSAP members together for a night of food, music and fun and to give a taste of the organization to new members. It marked the end of a successful year for NetSAP-Boston and signifies the beginning of a great year ahead. We were also honored to have some special guests present with us on this special occasion."

Holiday Gala set the trend for a successful year ahead for NetSAP-Boston. Number of people signed up for NetIP membership taking advantage of the discounted pricing at the event. The party and socializing continued till late in the night. For more pictures from the event which will be posted soon, visit the NetSAP-Boston website. Promotions for 2007 membership are open till December 20th 2006. Members and patrons are encouraged to send their feedback on the event and enquiries on voluntering opportunities to the NetSAP Board at board@netsapboston.org.

About NetSAP-Boston:Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org/. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit http://www.netip.org/.

Press Release: Social Entrepreneurship Event provides Opportunities to Connect

2006-11-14T12:24:00.001-05:00

November 14, 2006, Boston, MA. NetSAP-Boston and TIE-Boston hosted the Social Entrepreneurship panel on November 8th at the MIT Tang Center as a part of the ongoing community events schedule. The event was well attended by close to 70 people who came in, despite harsh weather, to listen to Amir Alexander Hasson, Shefali Sunderlal, Jay Paap and Azad Oommen talk about their organizations work in the different spheres of Social Entrepreneurship.

The panel discussion was preceded by dinner which allowed the attendees to network with these seasoned professionals in the social sector as well as with each other. Fernande Raine from Ashoka , in her inimitable style set the tempo of the discussion by elaborating on Social Entrepreneurship from its inception to its modern ubiquitous form. Amir, Founder of United Villages, talked about developing low-cost wireless technologies that will connect people at the bottom of the pyramid and enable them to access internet. By creating entrepreneurs in villages in Cambodia and India to promote these technologies, Amir's company empowers community with tools for development. Shefali, President of CRY-America, talked about CRY’s work in building sustainable development through dialogue and collaborative efforts with the governments, private sector and people to mitigate children rights violations in India. Jay Paap from Community Consulting Teams (CCT) talked about his organization's efforts in the local Boston area to help non profits build their organizational efficiency by providing voluntary management consultation. Azad, Director of Chapter Development, AIF, illustrated AIF’s efforts in eradicating poverty through holistic approaches to the problems. Each panelist also gave specific examples where their organizations have created impact in different ways.

The overriding theme of the panel discussion was participation in the first step to make sustainable changes to the lives of the people around us. The attendees were enthusiastic to know about different ways through which they could contribute to these organizations. This was evidenced by them staying long after the scheduled time to talk to the panel members. NetSAP-Boston introduced this idea in order to open to its members, the opportunities to contribute to the society and this panel discussion helped to galvanize that effort. Buoyed by the success, this event should be a permanent fixture in the forthcoming years for the NetSAP Boston chapter.

NetSAP-Boston organizes several community service events throughout the year. These events not only provide members the opportunity to contribute to the community but also serve as fund raisers for charities. Some events from the past include the Organic Farm volunteering, Food Bank volunteering and WGBH volunteering.

The organization encourages members and patrons to send their feedback and ideas on various community events to Siddharth Pandit, community service chair at NetSAP @ community@netsapboston.org . If you are interested in volunteering for NetSAP activities or sponsoring any event contact the NetSAP Executive board at board@netsapboston.org

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

Press Release: Communication Skills Strengthened at NetSAP's "Speak with Confidence" Workshop

2006-10-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

October 2, 2006, Boston, MA -- NetSAP Boston today announced that its professional workshop event, "Speak with Confidence & Move ahead in your Career", was successfully held on September 21, 2006 in Brookline, MA. The event featured Professional Coach Jean DiGiovanna, who led the audience through a series of exercises designed to strengthen communication skills in the workplace.

DiGiovanna covered situations that young professionals commonly encounter on the job on a day-to-day basis. Scenarios included phone conversations, large meetings, one-on-one meetings such as with one's manager, and conflict resolution. The focus was on communicating clearly and effectively, while maintaining confidence and purpose in delivery. Attendees actively engaged in an interactive discussion throughout the course of the event, allowing theory to be put into practice. Many of the attendees left the event citing a renewed perspective on workplace communication.

Jean DiGiovanna's background includes IT and management consulting. She has also worked with individuals and companies from technical backgrounds, which resonated well with the NetSAP community. In 1998, DiGiovanna founded her own coaching and consulting firm, ThinkPeople, through which she continues to deliver coaching services around a variety of personal and professional needs. For more information, please visit www.thinkpeople.com.

Pictures from this workshop event are posted on the NetSAP photos page at http://www.netsapboston.org/photos. NetSAP plans to organize more workshop events in future that will contribute to the career development of professionals. The organization encourages members and patrons to send their feedback and ideas on various topics to Kiran or Payal, professional chairs at NetSAP @ professional@netsapboston.org . If you are interested in volunteering for NetSAP activities or sponsoring any event contact the NetSAP Executive board at board@netsapboston.org

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

Call for Proposals for upcoming theatrics event

2006-09-29T15:06:00.000-04:00

Netsap Call for Proposals for Upcoming Theatrics Event
The theme of this event is "9/11 and its impact on the South Asian diaspora"

With the 5 year anniversary of 9/11, awareness in our community is pre-eminent. Netsap-Boston would like to hold a half-day event in which we invite South Asians to demonstrate their creative work under the theme of the effect and ramification of 9/11 on the South Asian diaspora in at least 3 categories of works:

Literary (prose, fiction, non-fiction)
Visual arts (movement, dance, skits)
Artwork (photography, sculpture, paintings)

We are currently seeking proposals for works in each category. The work can reflect any aspect of the artist’s interpretation or rendering of the impact of 9/11 through a South Asian perspective. This is a chance to highlight your creativity for a good cause as proceeds from this event will go towards charity. Proposals must include the category of work (one of three listed above), explanation of how the work embodies the theme of this event, and description of the how the work will be presented.

Please limit this description to 1 page and plan for a presentation of your work not to exceed 20 minutes in length
For artwork, these will be displayed rather than presented. Visual arts should be presented through demonstration or short audiovisual presentation. Literary works should be presented in the format of a book reading.

Due Date: Proposals are due November 1, 2006 (Note: Actual event to be held in January/February 2007 in Boston, MA (details will come later)

Contact: Please RSVP as soon as possible that you plan to submit a proposal by the due date. Then please email proposals and any questions to: Usha (cultural@netsapboston.org). Decisions will take up to 2 weeks. Will be notified by email.

Move Ahead in Your Career: 7 tips for starting a new job successfully

2006-08-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

As a prelude to our upcoming professional event "Move Ahead in Your Career", I thought this article in EETimes maybe interesting to those people who have recently moved into a new job. Though this article focuses more on the Dos and Don'ts at a new job, our seminar will focus on the communication techniques in your current jobs that will enable you to get your point across in the best way possible. For more information on the seminar click here Here is the article... To read the original version on EETimes click here 7 tips for starting a new job successfully
Randy Block
TechCareers (08/28/2006 3:07 PM EDT)

Congratulations. You have accepted a new position. All that work in your job search has paid off handsomely. Take a breather. But not for too long as it's time to switch gears. Your next objective is to integrate yourself into the new organization. Here are seven steps to making it happen: Day One: Maintain Old Contacts Start off by saying sending out 'thank yous.' Contact all the people who helped you get the new position. Often people don't make this effort because they feel they'll be in the new job for a long time. But today, when the average American changes jobs every four years, the odds say you're going to change jobs again soon. You need to keep the network alive. Avoid "Big Projects" The First Three Months On your second day, you think: "Here comes a big project! I'll take this one on and really impress them." This is a mistake that many people make in the first three months of employment. It's critical that you acquire knowledge about the system and the people. You cannot comprehend the implications yet of certain decisions you make. Your company isn't going to expect you to know everything in the first couple of weeks. Take your time to learn how things work. Get To Know The Stakeholders These are those people who have a huge stake in your success. And they don't necessarily have a fancy title. Find out who they are. Ask for their support and offer yours to them. Start the bonding process. Identify Priorities And Challenges Most of the world's unhappiness stems from the unmet expectations. Develop a plan that demonstrates how you will address your most critical challenges and the time frames that you expect completion. Communicate this with your boss. Keep An 'Up' Attitude Do not share any concerns or misgivings about the job. Even if your boss appears to be going back on a promise, be careful. So when the boss (or anyone) asks you in the first three months, "how is it going?" the only good answer is "things are going wonderfully." You are still learning. Give Precise Meaning To Your Job When asking for information, listen carefully to the input offered by fellow employees regarding ways to add more value to your new employer. Ask the question 'how was this job done before?' This will give you insight into how you might achieve some early successes. Keep Managing Your Career It's understood that no one is going to watch out for your career but you. Setting vision and long-term goals is critical in the career management process. This certainly comes into play when projects come up. If a project fits into your long term career plans, then do it. If not, then gracefully decline (you are "too busy"). The more proactive you in taking on assignments that help you achieve your career goals, the quicker you will attain them. Final thought: Have fun!

NetSAP provides activities to network & party hard

2006-08-13T22:29:00.000-04:00

All work and no play makes professionals a dull lot
By Dermot Whittaker (India New England)

The Network of South Asian Professionals provides activities that bring young South Asians together for professional development, community service and fun. White water rafting trips (above) are part of NetSAP’s schedule.

BOSTON — Where would you rather be? In a conference room on a work night, listening over the struggling air conditioner to every word of advice on getting into business school? Or camping on a cool July night in Maine, sleepless with anticipation of the next day’s whitewater rafting trip on the Penobscot River?

NetSAP Boston — The Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston — is determined that members should have their choice.

The panel discussion “Getting into Top MBA Schools” held on June 22 and the “3rd Annual White Water Rafting at Penobscot River in Maine” trip on July 22 and 23 represent NetSAP Boston’s two distinct faces: one practical and serious, the other fun-loving

Click here to Read more

For information on NetSAP Boston go to www.netsapboston.org

Press Release: MBA Panel Discussion - A Success!

2006-07-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

June 22, 2006, Boston, MA -- NetSAP Boston today announced that its MBA panel discussion, "Getting into a Top MBA Program", was successfully held on June 22, 2006 in Brookline, MA. The panel discussion featured a mix of speakers, including alumni from top MBA programs, as well as representatives from Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions and Cambridge Essay Services.

An audience of prospective MBA students heard varied perspectives on the MBA experience, including how to prepare for the GMAT, what to include in a meaningful essay, and how to put together a solid application. After listening to the panelists give thoughts and perspectives on the process, audience members engaged in an interactive Q&A discussion.

Alumni panelists were: Anu Chitrapu, Alumnus, MIT Sloan; Kiran Ganda, Alumnus, Boston College; Al Kapoor, Alumnus, Harvard Business School; Nikhil Mehdiratta, Alumnus, Boston College; and Puja Sehgal, Alumnus, Harvard Business School. Kandace Kukas, Marketing Director, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, provided information on the GMAT exam, and Sandy Kreisberg, a frequently cited business school admissions expert and founder of Cambridge Essay Services, provided key statistics and insights on acceptance rates and essay strategies and tactics.

As a sponsor of the panel event, Kaplan held a raffle for Kaplan books and additionally provided attendees with a $100 discount on the Kaplan GMAT course.

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org/. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

MBAs ROCKIN EVERYWHERE!!!

2006-06-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

Update: This event is on Thursday, July 26th, 2007.
Check event details - Getting Into Top MBA Programs!

As I reflect back on my career endeavors in the past 6 months, while simultaneously humming that Bubba Sparks song in my head.."Booty, booty,.. booty, booty rockin everywhere..", I remembered that the MBA Panel session is quickly approaching us. Everything I wanted to know about MBA options in Boston as well as real-life stories from former students and admissions reps..all at one info session on June 22nd, 2006.

So, this morning I figured I would do a little research of my own. How successful are these "MBA holders"??, there must be great achievers that exist now in society that hold MBAs. I personally admire individuals that stem from both higher education, as well as those that succeed thru determination, drive and perseverance. After a 2 minute search..this is what I found. In my case, I am particularly interested in Harvard, however also found a few things on MIT as well....

FYI: all Harvard Grads from only 1 class, the class of 1979. Try to imagine what some of the MBAs from the past 10 years may strive to become over the next 15 years.

1. US Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Chao jumped off the corporate track years ago to run the Peace Corps and, later, the United Way of America.
2. Computer technology produced the first famous member of the class well before graduation. Dan Bricklin developed Visicalc, the first electronic spreadsheet for personal computers (this was when he was a student!)
3. In 1978 Clay Christensen became a leading academic voice on managing the stress companies faced from developing technologies.
4. '79 alum and billionaire Meg Whitman runs the world's most successful Internet company as chief executive of eBay Inc. Today, Whitman is probably the most successful self-made woman in American business history.
5. Classmate George McMillan runs CMGI Inc. in Charlestown.
6. Jeff Skilling, the former Enron Corp. president
7. John Thain, who gave up his job as president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to become chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange
8. Ron Sargent, the chief executive of Staples Inc., came from a blue-collar Kentucky family and went to work as a manager for Kroger Co., the supermarket firm that had paid him to bag groceries as a teenager.
9. Jim Bender, the former chief executive of Aware Inc. of Bedford;
10. Charlie Cuneo, the head of a small New Hampshire manufacturing company;
11. Lisa Churchville, the general manager of WJAR-TV in Providence
12. Corning's Wendell Weeks, earned a Harvard MBA.

MIT MBAs hit headlines:

A former MIT student and computer-publishing magnate, Patrick J. McGovern Jr., and his entrepreneur wife, Lore Harp McGovern, recently presented MIT with a $350 million gift. The donation - trumpeted by newspapers, including the Harvard Crimson, as the biggest in US academic history - occurred mere months after an MIT student-turned-entrepreneur, Kenan E. Sahin, dropped $100 million on his alma mater.

Local news compares Harvard vs. MBA:
"These days, MIT's apples seem to shine just as brightly as Harvard's oranges.

In technology, Harvard is behind in a race led by MIT. Harvard is forging more links with private industry and teaching undergraduates how to be entrepreneurs. It has become cliche, in business circles, to note that William H. Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote himself to Microsoft Corp.
Would Gates have dropped out if he had gone to MIT instead?"

So there you go! If these over-achievers all came from only one class, meaning 26 additional classes have graduated since, then MBAs are truly rockin everywhere!!

Come to our MBA Panel Info Session on June 22nd to find out how you can make your mark in history!

Tuhin

Getting Your MBA - Part Deux

2006-05-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

So, the date has been set for June 22nd. The event is going to have a tight theme and provide you with vital insight and information to get your application considered!

We are jam-packed with speakers, so make sure to clear your calendars, from 6:45pm (registration and pre-event networking) to 10:00pm. We will start the discussion sharply at 7:15PM!

Do you have specific areas you want to see covered? We are determining the topics now, so send me your questions (professional@netsapboston.org).

The general areas we will focus on are:
a) Should I get an MBA?, and
b) What strategies and techniques do I need to employ to get into a top ranking school?

We have admissions and financial aid reps from local schools who have a lot to share - Brandeis, Babson and BC. It is unfortunate that HBS and Sloan reps could not join us. The reps will discuss methods of evaluation and provide strategies that are aligned with the criteria used. I would recommend you review the websites of these schools for basic information. This will allow you ask more penetrating questions at the event.

We also have recent alumni from HBS and BC. They will share their experiences with the application process and provide insights into what you should highlight throughout your application, including the essays. They will also tell you what they know now, ie after having completed their MBAs. What do the schools focus on? What kind of experiences do they want to provide their students (and therefore which areas would interest them in your candidacy).

We will round out this information with a discussion on writing essays - always a challenging part of the application. Sandy Kreisberg, a well-known expert in this area, will provide his insights. You can read more about him here: http://world.std.com/~edit/index.htm.

Registration will open in the first week of June. Please contact Jagjit at professional@netsapboston.org with any questions.

Press Release: NetSAP Comedy Mela - A Success!

2006-05-19T20:29:00.000-04:00

May 17, 2006, Boston, MA--The Theatrics group at the Boston Chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP-Boston) staged "Netsap Comedy Mela" at the Comedy Connection in Faneuil Hall in Boston on May 17. It was a successful event with just over 100 people in attendance (a great draw on a weekday nite)! The theatrics group, "Team Masti Boston", practiced for 2 months this spring to stage this event, and their hard work paid off!

The show was directed by Usha Govindarajulu, Theatrics Chair, NetSAP-Boston and produced by Vijay Darynani, Treasurer and Sports Director, NetSAP-Boston. The cast included: Prashanth Cherukuri, Pallavi Gupta, Sarbani Hazra, Raghu Kotrike, John Meehan, Ravi Shahani, and Corey Manning. The crew included: Rekha Chikka, Neesha Tandon, and Raghu Kotrike. Everyone including the director, cast, and crew put in a concerted effort to bring about this fortuitous event.

Corey Manning, a local area comedian, who had gotten a flavor of South Asian comedy earlier this year by performing in Rahul Siddharth's show, hosted the Comedy Mela. The host lead the show and kept the audience going in between skits and standup acts, by juicing up the show with his own standup comedy routines, especially an entertaining headliner with another standup comedian. There were six comedy skits, written by the director, which were spaced between standup pieces.

All acts were well received by the audience who laughed watching skits making fun of online dating, American Express, and airport security. Standup pieces were performed by newcomers to comedy, Masala Mami (Sarbani Hazra) and Roger and Pat (Prashanth Cherukuri and Ravi Shahani). Masala Mami paved a new path for desi female comedians and Roger and Pat gave an extended standup piece from the desi male perspective.

After last year's success of "Bend It Like Auntie", which Usha wrote and produced, she was very pleased by the success of the "Comedy Mela". Her experiment from a play with comedy into a show with comedy skits was a dream come true. She remarked, "All my life, I thought about writing comedy, but I never thought I would have a real opportunity to make this happen and the chance to write some material and stage it was exciting. The addition of standup pieces by the cast made it a solid show. I'm very proud of the cast and crew for their commitment and performance."

NetSAP-Boston was pleased by the success of the event. Vijay noted, "First a resoundingly successful play and now a wonderfully entertaining comedy mela...who could imagine that NetSAP Boston has come so far in such a short time..." Tushneem Dharmagadda, NetSAP Advisor and Web Director, stated "NetSAP Theatrics continued on the success of "Bend it Like Auntie" with a successful "Comedy Mela" this year. The event gave an opportunity to fellow South Asian Professionals to show their talent in standup comedy. We plan to make theatric events an annual feature to promote theater in the community and encourage interested people to join us in this endeavor."

Comedy Mela was sponsored by Kabob & Curry of Providence, Kashmir Foods & Spices and TiE-Boston.

Keep an eye out on their website, www.netsapboston.org, as NetSAP-Boston continues in its effort to support the South Asian theatrics community.

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org/. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

PaintBall Adventure with NetSAP !!!

2006-05-18T10:49:00.000-04:00

Its almost summer and time to enjoy some outdoor sports! Join us for an adventurous day at a Paintball field in Tewksbury on Saturday June 3rd.

For those of you who haven't played paintball before, it is a more challenging, high-stakes version of tag, hide-and-seek, or capture the flag. It is a game where you shoot and get shot at and have loads of fun. It is kind of like Holi where you shoot water color using guns, but this is not a game where you will get wet.

Have never played Paintball before?? No problem. Players of all levels are welcome to join the NetSAP Paintball outing.

Throughout the day we will be playing lot of games like Road Kill, Mission Recon, Attack and Defend, and capture the flag. Don’t miss out a day of fun and excitement.

The fee includes Paint Gun, 50 rounds of Ammo (50 shots), Masks and Goggles, Free CO2 refill (to power up your gun) and ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ!!!

Please RSVP by June 1, 2006

Date: Saturday June 3rd
Time: 8.30 am - 2.00 pm

Location: Action Paintball, Tewksbury MA (20mins from Boston)

Charge: For NetSAP Members: $25
For Non-members: $30

Buy tickets online at www.netsapboston.kintera.org/paintball or www.netsapboston.org/tickets

Please contact Swarupa Purandare at social@netsapboston.org for more information.

Getting Your MBA? Should You Fork Out the Big Bucks?

2006-05-14T12:54:00.000-04:00

So, our business school seminar is right around the corner. Have you thought about getting your MBA?!? Should you shell out the big bucks for it? In my opinion, of course you should if you can! In today's highly competitive business world, the MBA can and will make all the difference in your career growth and your lifetime earnings. To state the obvious, some of my friends, who completed their degrees from Haas, HBS, BU, and Babson, talk about the boost the MBA has had on their careers - it matures your career (and paycheck) to another level immediately.

Should you do the full-time program or maximize and do it part-time while working 40 hours per week? Does that make any material difference? Are you after the degree or do you want to create the network too?

Some links for you to review:
http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/studentlife/anu.php

http://management.monster.com/articles/mba/
"You no doubt know that having the degree will very likely increase your income over the life of your career, even after you factor in paying back whatever loans you end up taking out. The estimates vary tremendously, of course, but you can expect probably to increase your lifetime earnings by at least several million, even if you don't make it to the top of the corporate ladder."

http://www.forbes.com/2005/08/16/cz_05mba_business_schools_gain_calulator.html

The tentative date is June 22nd, to be confirmed soon, mark your calendars.

Tuhin and I are working to make sure your needs and desires are met (I hope you took that in the right way) as you pursue your career and educational goals, questions are answered, new ideas are generated, energy is created, and encouragement is provided!!

Plan to come by and meet everyone and be sure to say "hello" to us also!

Jagjit

Fireside Chat with Women Leaders Set the Example for Professional Events in 2006

2006-05-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

In the past few weeks, several colleagues and friends of mine have asked me when the next Professional event would be...and if would it be similar to the Fireside Chat we had a few weeks ago with Indira Patel, CEO of New England Office Supply, Inc., and Shelley Chhabra, entrepreneur and owner of Shelley Chhabra Indian Bridal. After some contemplation, I realized that the Fireside Chat was a success due to the fact that we didn't target just Indian Professionals, or Indians in Boston (after all, aren't all desis professionals in some way or another..;), but instead we narrowed and targeted a select audience within our NETSAP affiliate..which would be women and minorities that have interest in entrepreneurship , starting their own business, or those that wish to follow through with their dreams...even with obstacles that they may face. In this regard, I see the Fireside Chat with Women Leaders to set the example or "Model the Way" for what I expect our Professional Events to encompass in 2006.

As I mentioned above, and in accordance with the audience that I saw, I would say there was a majority of women that attended, and perhaps a majority of those that recently started their own business, attend business school or come from an accounting/finance background, or have dreams to break away from their current discipline and pursue business. So, if I use this event as an example, here is what I saw. We had a perfect mix of business "entrepeneur types" with those that just were interested in hearing the women leaders' stories, as well as the right number of individuals that were genuinely interested to ask the right questions, keep the discussion moving, and provide entertainment to everyone in the attendance.

Contrary to a monthly happy hr, it wasn't loud, there was no hip-hop music, and the event did not end at last call. It was intimate, educational and enriching, and in slang terms.."chill". Even with the calm environment, networking continued prior to and after the event. There were many individuals that came out of the "woodworks" so to speak..and said "I don't normally come out to monthly HH, but saw this posting on Women Leaders, etc..and it sounded interesting..."
Delxi Fernandez commented "I went to the Fireside Chat meeting and loved it!... The knowledge I gained and respect for all entrepeneurs is priceless...Quote for the day:"Without passion or risk", you'll always wonder whatif".

So the Fireside Chat sets the example by first targeting a select audience, and second provides a special, unique, and different atmosphere to the Happy Hour atmosphere. Calm, relaxed, quiet contrary to loud and busy. There is one more distinction of why the Fireside Chat sets the example.

Well besides the obvious one, discussing a professional topic like business or entrepeneurship, the final particular feature from this event that really sets the example is the fact that there was someone to actually "set the example". 2 people to be exact. 2 Women Leaders led the discussion within a group of eager, inspired, young, desi professionals. By having someone to lead, then modeling the way naturally occurs...mentoring is emphasized....and simply enough, a story is told. Everyone loves stories!! We naturally want to hear of human struggles, trials and tribulations, and success over barriers. In this professional event, we have inherently incorporated mentoring, following a dream (doesn't this always start with a vision anyway??), and ...the big one...leadership.

So I would envision that with the Fireside Chat as an example, we make good use of audience, atmosphere, and leadership (which may be a mentor, a speaker, expert, or prominent figure in our professional society).

Be sure to keep updated with our events list for the rest of 2006. Jagjit and I expect to utilize these 3 features through the course of our upcoming Professional Events.

Tuhin

Press Release- Wine N Greet, An Overwhelming Success!

2006-04-20T16:14:00.000-04:00

April 13, 2006, Boston, MA--The Boston Chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP-Boston) had an overwhelming response to a new event this year “Wine & Greet” organized on Thursday, April 13th. The new concept enables people to make many contacts in a short amount of time. The event was attended by 50 people from the Boston area. Many NetSAP members and non-members RSVPed for this event, but due to the size of the venue, seating was limited. NetSAP plans to pursue this event again in a couple of months.

The setting for this event was at the intimate and cozy Vinalia Restaurant, located on Summer Street in Boston. The entry fee included a complimentary glass of wine and a chance to network with individuals, in a non-traditional manner. The concept of the event was well-thought and was set up in such a way that everyone in the room gets to spend at least 5 mins with each other. The individuals sat across each other and conversed about various interests and topics. A few ice-breaker questions were given to each person to provide ideas for conversation topics. Inbetween coversations, people also got to taste different wines. The event put both "outgoing" and more "reserved networkers" on a level playing field. An after event mix and mingle session ensured that people got to interact more. Everyone came away with meeting new people and building a wider network.

One attendee, Pankaj Gupta, mentioned that he liked the idea of the “Wine & Greet” and that it was “really helpful to establish new connections because the setting compelled people to interact with each other. This is a very good initiative.”

Another attendee, Kiran Ganda, had a few words to say about the event: “It was such a good idea as it really facilitated interaction and introductions. In the past, I have attended a couple of NETSAP events (happy hours) and found it difficult to talk to people because most people seemed to know each other. The Wine and Greet really drew people who a) wanted to meet new people and b) needed a non-intimidating, secure, relaxed atmosphere to do so. I think NetSAP should continue to hold such events where interaction is easy. I would definitely go to another Wine 'n' Greet event”.

Bhairav Mehta, who moved to Boston recently and was attending the event with his wife felt that the Wine 'n' Greet event definitely helped them know more people in the Boston area and build their network.

Pallavi Chhabra, NetSAP Social Co-Chair and the organizer of the event, mentioned that, “Wine ‘n’ Greet was definitely a huge success. It gave people the opportunity to get together in a very comfortable environment. At the end of the event, it was like a ‘big happy family’. Wine ‘n’ Greet was more so targeted towards people who are not very relaxed in talking to others in a regular bar environment but on the other hand are certainly interested in meeting new people. The event drew people closer to one other and built new friendships to cherish! We would definitely like to host similar events in the future. It was a great way to represent NetSAP as a social organization!”

Pictures from the Wine 'n' Greet event will be posted soon on the NetSAP photos page at http://www.netsapboston.org/photos. The next NetSAP event is the monthly happy hour at Caprice on April 27th. A community service event is also planned for April 29th, 2006, Saturday at the Long Island Shelter Farm. Please contact Siddharth Pandit, NetSAP Community Chair, at community@netsapboston.org for more information on this opportunity!

About NetSAP-Boston:
Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit www.netsapboston.org. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit www.netip.org.

Articles and Information on South Asian Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners

2006-04-17T04:58:00.000-04:00

As our April 20th fireside chat comes closer, I thought you might find these interesting. Some of the articles are on or about South Asian women. Others are about Indian women in general, which highlight some common issues faced worldwide.

Feel free to add more links that you found interesting.

Women business owners have three top goals: to enjoy their daily work, increase profitability, and have the freedom to put into practice their own approach to work. Three quarters (75%) of women attributed importance to having greater flexibility for personal and family life, fulfilling a personal vision, and having more satisfying work relationships.
- Center for Women's Business Research, Capital Choices: Volume 1, What Matters and What Works. September 2005.

The No-Sari Zone: South Asian Women At Work

Top Facts About Women-Owned Businesses

Women Business Owners

Minority Groups Increasing Business Ownership

Developing Women Entrepreneurs in South Asia: Issues, Initiatives, and Experiences

IIM Ahmedabad - A Reflection of the Indian Women in Entrepreneurial World

Microcredit Helps Women Entrepreneurs in India

Investment in Indian Women Entrepreneurs Leverages Economic Growth

Focus on Professional Networking

2006-04-17T04:51:00.000-04:00

Event Registration & Professional Networking
NetSAP Boston is increasing our professional networking opportunities. Each event has a 30 minute registration and mingling session at the beginning. This is your chance to talk with other South Asian professionals in the area. I want to encourage you to introduce yourself to everyone! Make it your goal to walk away with 3-4 business cards of people in your field or in a field you are interested in. If you do this and attend the rest of our events this year, you will have increased your network by 30 to 45 people of common interests by the end of 2006!

Our next professional event is on Thursday, April 20th. Please click here for more details.

Informal Discussion, Happy Hour & Professional Networking
Holiday Inn, where we will hold our professional events, has a bar on the main floor. After each event, you will have an opportunity to continue an informal discussion with the speakers. Since you took the time to attend the event, why not spend 45 minutes to an hour more and make a few contacts over drinks.

Please email professional@netsapboston.org if you have any questions.

NETSAP Promotes Social Growth..and I Have the Numbers to Prove It.

2006-04-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

It only hit me last month, that a fair portion of my Boston social network (perhaps 15-20 friends) stemmed from an initial meeting at a community or social NETSAP event. The unexpected statistic is that prior to this month when I actually joined as a member and a board member, I only attended 3 events in the past 10 months. And the 15-20 people aren't 20 people that all hang out with each other..actually most of them don't even know each other. I just happen to know them in groups of 3 or 4, or even 2 or 1. Here's my story....

Last July, I relocated here to Boston for work, from the Philly area. My main core of friends have been Philly based, South Jersey/CHILL..hellz ..the rest of Dirty Jersey..Penn Staters..and a plethora of Penn State Desis that now reside in D.C, NYC, Philly, or on the East Coast, and their networks. Moving to Boston for me, was kinda like breaking out of my "shell" (or groups of friends that I was comfortable with). It was in many ways (career and socially), starting from scratch. I only had 2 friends in Boston before moving here. One is still a great college friend from PSU, doing her residency here. The other is a friend of a friend, who is a film director..as you may have guessed..I have still yet to touch base with him.

So as expected, coming to work for the largest employer in the Boston area, there were many many young, single professionals and entry-level college grads that got hired on around the same time. I'm talking in the hundreds to thousands... Several of these guys and girls are some of my best friends here. We have tv/movie marathons during the week, or a restaurant of choice to check out and happy hr socials or apt parties and clubs to attend on weekends. I've had to socialize and network with individuals that have come here to Boston from everywhere from ASU in Arizona, to LSU, to Carnegie Mellon, to Rutgers..actually pick a school, basically anywhere in the U.S. It's like a Technical UN forum. However, with the exception of 1-2 desi friends from work, by the time August came..I really felt deprived of Indian culture and socializing, that I was soo used to back at home, or even at school.

So, the first NETSAP event I attended was Food Bank Volunteering for Greater Boston Food Bank. In summary, it was an easy 4hrs to volunteer on a saturday morning, you were able to pick whether you wanted to move carts, package, or the preferred task..sort..in this case sort boxed or canned foods. My take away was that I met individuals that later became to be friends..in a non-alcoholic environment!! Eventhough, I was still hung over from the night before..it was refreshing to meet new people at a community event, and alcohol didn't play a factor..no expectations, no digits, no thinking "is she into me?, should I ask her out?"..just people there for one common cause, volunteering for the needy. Right away I became friends with 3 individuals (actually throughout this entire blog, I am keeping these people anonymous, but I apologize if it gets confusing by leaving out names). Anyway, since then, the 4 of us meet about 1-2 times a month..it started with one of their Birthday parties at a hot lounge, then we continue now with brunches, or whenever we are available. Although, we all come from different backgrounds and our professions range from medical to engineering to finance, we still keep in touch and make it a point to have a social get together, even if we miss the monthly happy hr (which happens every month), we'll still meet to eat or grab drinks.

Event 2: My first happy hr..yes..memorable or not?? I did end up with 6 highly valued friends..a few of my best friends here in Boston. Ironically I ended up working with one of them, and the rest I had some odd bond to that whether it was a girl from Cally, or two recently married couples, we liked hip-hop, we talked trash, and whether it was a few of us that just moved to Boston, while half of em lived and grew up here all of their lives, it was easy and a fun time to make new friends. In this case, and like the others I will mention in the blog, I was unable to get my friends from Food Bank Volunteering to come with me to Event 2, so I have proved multiple times..that going to these events alone, forces you to put yourself "out there", meet new people, make professional contacts (i have so many business cards), and make new friends. Actually, even by the 2nd event, I met people that knew friends of mine from Penn State, PA, or Dirty Jersey. Boston is small like that though..it doesn't take too long before you start running into the same people on the T, or at Felt on Fridays or 33 on Saturdays, etc, etc.
btw, I believe this HH was at the used to be 180 lounge in the financial district...

Ok, finally Event 3: This Happy hr was set further out..like on BU campus off of the B Line so the problem I was confronted with again was 1. Conflict in schedule for my other friends to accompany me 2. My schedule since at this time I was on businees travel for about half of the month, 3. None of my previously established or newly founded desi friends wanted to trek all the way down Comm Ave for this HH location. Eventhough this place was mad hot! Tonic..I think it was called. So, at this point, when many of my friends were unable to accompany me, it was more like an invigorating challenge for me..how many new contacts can I meet??, what in the world is down there at the end of the B-Line anyway??, so...sure enough it was the next Thursday Happy Hour I was available to attend, which was in the start of 06, and the last I went to was ..Sept I think. At the end of the event, I made a number of new professional and social contacts, I occasionally meet with friend for dinner who's from the midwest, made a Bengali contact who wanted to accompany me to the Saraswati Pujo that I was attending the month following, made a business venture contact that I can not get into on this blog, some biological science professionals in Framingham, and made some friends that I saw out partyin in Boston in multiple occasions...and have warmly invited me over for home cooked Indian food.

So in summary, let's do the math: 5+6+6...through 3 events..and I forgot to mention on the way I've made over5 board member friends which actually drove me to become interested enough to impact more of the South Asian Professional Community here in the Boston area, by contributing as a board member. That's over 22 recurring contacts that I touch base or spend time with ~weekly, not to mention countless other individuals that I may interface with in the future on a professional or cultural level.

So Tushneem..I think that's the success story you might have been looking for!! :)

Tuhin

Support NetSAP by becoming a Member

2006-04-12T08:52:00.000-04:00

NetSAP is a 501c(3) not-for-profit organization. By becoming a member you will not only support the organization but will also support our programming activities.

We provide our members with professional development events, social and cultural events, networking opportunities, community service and outdoor activities. We are committed to making your membership worthwhile while making a difference in society. Whether you are new to the city or have been in Boston for years, NetSAP is a great way to expand your network. We have memberships available for students, singles, and couples!

For a list of events planned for 2006: http://www.netsapboston.org/events
For a list of past events: http://www.netsapboston.org/pastevents.html
For member testimonials: http://www.netsapboston.org/testimonials

NetSAP Membership Benefits

Get discounts at all NetSAP events (Happy Hours are free versus the $5 for non-members)
For the year 2005, a typical NetSAP member would have gotten discounts worth more than $100 for a membership fee of just $35.
Access to Member-only events. Preference is given to members for all events.
Discounted access to Alliance Partner events (TiE-Boston, MITHAS, AID-Boston, IWL, AIF, SAMTA, IAGB, Project Impact and many more… )
Receive a membership card
In the process of creating “NetSAP Membership Miles”- after so many events, an event is free
We are also in the process of speaking with area businesses to give discounts specially to NetSAP members

Events

Community Service - Participate in our volunteer work projects to encourage and support the larger Boston community in need of assistance.
Professional Development - Define and achieve academic and career objectives and improve professionals skills such as leadership, management, interpersonal, and communication
Professional Network - Meet not only other professionals in your field, but also interact with men and women from other areas which may encourage you to explore complimentary fields and aspirations.
Political Awareness - Understand the legal issues affecting the South Asians today.

Membership Fees (Membership expires on December 31, 2006):

Student Membership- $20
Individual Membership - $40
Couple Membership (Married) - $70

For more information regarding membership, please contact Renee Sinha, Membership and Marketing Chair at membership@netsapboston.org.

Volunteer at the Organic Farm

2006-04-12T08:48:00.000-04:00

Come join NetSAP for a fun filled day at the Long Island Shelter Farm to make a difference. The farm is a 4 acre organic vegetable, flower, and herb farm located on Long Island in Boston Harbor and produces 30,000 pounds of high quality food serving over 850 homeless individuals every day. NetSAP volunteers will help in harvesting/ landscaping activities around the farm. Enjoy the start of spring by spending a day out in open fresh air with your friends and other professionals, helping on the farm and helping to make a difference in local community.

NetSAP provides community service opportunities several times in a year. To see pictures from our volunteering event at the Greater Boston Food bank click here. These events are fun and a great way to meet like-minded people.

We have only 25 spots available for this experience. So sign up soon . The last date to RSVP is 29th April. For more details on the event click here