GOPIO Central New Jersey’s gala and awards banquet to be held on June 3

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GOPIO Central New Jersey is hosting its 10th Anniversary Gala Community Recognition & Awards Banquet on June 3^rd, at Ember Banquets, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey.

Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty, the Consul General of India in New York, will be the Chief Guest at this 10th Anniversary Gala & Awards Banquet. Other dignitaries include New Jersey Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and West Windsor Mayor Hemant Marathe.

The 2018 awardees are:

• Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. who represents New Jersey’s Sixth Congressional District that covers Middlesex County, Bayshore and oceanfront areas of Monmouth County. He has served Co-Chair of Indian Caucus in US Congress will be inducted as Friend of India.
• The Shri Krishna Nidhi (SKN) Foundation, which is a community based 501C3 non-profit organization with a mission to improve total well-being by addressing the physical, mental, and cultural aspects through innovative forms of education and support. The SKN Foundation will be recognized for its continued community service.
• Ashok Luhadia, who is the founder of US Pharma Labs, and the recipient of awards from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will be recognized as an outstanding entrepreneur.
• Rina Shah, who is the director and founder of AUM Dance Creations. She wants to pass on her knowledge of Bharat Natyam, Bollywood, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Hip Hop to the future generations. She is being honored for her contributions to the performing arts.
• A special award is being presented to Sparsh Shah (aka Purhythm), a 12-year-old multi-talented singing prodigy who was born with an incurable disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. This condition makes his bones extremely fragile and brittle.
• Amit Jani, who is the President & Co-Founder, NJ Leadership Program, and serves in Governor Phil Murphy’s Administration. He was Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Outreach for the Murphy-Oliver Gubernatorial Campaign. Mr. Jani is being recognized for his contribution to our community’s political involvement.
• Pinakin Pathak, a successful entrepreneur and community activist. He is a member of the Hindu-Jewish coalition, BAPS, and March of Dimes, and is being recognized for his contributions to Public Service.

Two awards are presented for achievement in media: Padma Shri H.R. Shah, the Chairman & CEO of TV Asia, who is a pillar of the community supporting various social works, cultural, educational and related activities, and Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, who is a philanthropist and chairman and publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media Inc., the largest Indian-American publishing group in the United States.

Commenting on the award selection, GOPIO-CJ Past President Dinesh Mittal who is the Chair of GOPIO International’s Chapter Validation Committee said, “With a fast-growing Indian American population, we have had a large number of nominations and we picked the best in the various categories.”

GOPIO-CJ Founder President Dr. Rajeev Mehta who now serves as the Secretary-General of GOPIO International, said, “These awardees are role models and recognition of their achievements will motivate our new generations to contribute to our community and society at large.”

The proposed agenda for the evening includes a cocktail reception, the awards ceremony, entertainment, dinner and dancing.