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Three Indian-Americans were recognized for their service to the community at a Diwali event hosted by South Asian for Right Choice (SA4RC) Oct. 27 at Richie Rich restaurant in Queens, New York. Chef Hemant Mathur of Tulsi restaurant, Jarnail Singh and Flora Parekh, secretary of SA4RC, were honored by Congresswoman Grace Meng and Public Advocate Letitia “Tish” James, who also co-hosted the event, a SA4RC press release said.
Guests entering the gathering were greeted with diyas and welcomed with the traditional Indian tikka, a red dot of vermillion paste applied on the forehead, by Miss South Asia International 2014 Trisha Guduru. Among attendees were State Senators James Sanders and Toby Stavisky, Assembly Members David Weprin and Felix Ortiz, Councilmen Peter Koo, former NYC Comptroller John Liu, Emily Saltzman, representative from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, Meena Malik, representative from District Attorney Ken Thompson’s office, Mohammad Hack Representative from Queens Borough President Melinda Katz’s office, Dev Awasthi, representative from NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office, Inspector Brian Maguire, head of Queens Narcotics and Captain Danielle Raiai, executive officer from 102nd Precinct.
The festivities began with the lighting of diyas by elected officials, SA4RC team and prominent members of the community, followed by singing of the American and Indian national anthems master of ceremonies Eric Kumar and Parekh. The evening continued with a surprise birthday celebration for Congresswoman Meng, who turned 39 on Oct. 1.
After an introduction by Kumar, elected officials delivered remarks that celebrate the important contributions South Asian Americans and Indians have made to the U.S Congresswoman Meng helped to deliver Proclamation awards to community leaders.
The evening continued with a variety of entertainment including live performances by Varsha Joshi and young students dressed in traditional garments showcasing Indian culture through dance.
