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

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

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

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

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