Bihar Business and Tourism conclave held in Edison, NJ

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The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) held a Bihar Business /Tourism conclave Oct. 25, 2020, in Edison, New Jersey, in partnership with Consulate General of India, New York.

According to a press release from BJANA, Darley Newman (American Producer and Writer/ TV host), Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal who was the chief guest, as well as  with Deputy Consul General Shatrughna Sinha, Consul Vipul Mesariya, attended the event.

Others present (virtually) included P. K. Agarwal , president Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Nupur Nishith as guest speakers.

Ravi Shankar Srivastav (Investment Commissioner, Government of Bihar), Abhaya Kumar ( IRS 2004) chairman, Bihar Foundation Western India also attended virtually.

Consul General Jaiswal wished all those participating in the event online, a Happy Dussehra and talked about many aspects on how to promote tourism not only in Bihar and Jharkhand but other states of India.

He also focused on how important it is for the People of Bihar to know about the heritage, roots, and culture. He also suggested this kind of event be scaled up so that more international entities were part of it.

Srivastav identified all the areas where investment can be incentivized to come, and answered questions from the audience.

Kumar focused on international relationships and on the need for more people from Bihar to come forward and make Bihar a ‘super’ successful state.

Newman signaled how today’s educated and modern travelers behavior has changed where they want to go with locals to get the authentic experience.  She also pointed on the emerging trend of Bihar towards agrotourism, food and sustainable tourism.

Agarwal of the Bihar Chamber of Commerce, gave an account of how the current situation in Bihar changed into a place for investment opportunities. The state, he said, is a big market for future investment since there is change in purchasing capacity and economic demographics.

Nishith, who described herself as the daughter of Mithila and daughter of Bihar, talked about Bihar’s art and culture, and how it is the land that embraces multiple religions, be it Gautam Budhha of Buddhism, Guru Govind Singh of Sikhism and as the Land of Vardhman Mahavir of Jainism. She also talked about the enriched culture and cuisine of Bihar.

FIA Past President Srujal Parikh shared his ‘amazing’ experience of attending the Pravasai Bhartiya Diwas in 2019 and visiting Varanasi, Nalanda, Patna and  Bodhgaya.

President of BJANA Dr. Avinash Gupta,Vice President Anurag Kumar, and other committee members were also present during this event.

All speakers commended BJANA for its role in supporting the initiatives taken towards exploring the business opportunities in Bihar and Jharkhand.

“BJANA established over the last 35+ years a strong brand and reputation among Indo American entrepreneur aspirants. We believe that there is a substantial opportunity for growth in Bihar and Jharkhand given the existing expansion plans, combined with future market opportunities, we believe that Bihar and Jharkahnd is poised for significant growth in the coming years,” President of BJANA, Dr Avinash is quoted saying in the press release. He also focused on how Bihar has changed in the last 15 years and there should not be any hesitation in the people’s mind to visit historical places and invest in Bihar.

Secretary Sanjeev Singh gave the example of how kids with the entrepreneurial spirit were developing new business under the guidance of Prof Anil Agarwal on production of face shields on a larger scale.

Traditional Bihari dishes and sweets were on the menu during this event among them signature Bihari dishes like Parwal sweets, Balushahi, Lavanglatta and Makhana Kheer.

Executive Member and Past FIA President Alok Kumar presented a vote of thanks to all volunteers, supporters, and attendees.