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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline NOVEMBER 28, 2025 | The Indian Eye 16

RANA New York Marks 26th Annual

Deepawali Gala with Community Awards and

Major Philanthropic Commitments

OUR BUREAU
Long Island, NY
he Rajasthan Association of North Amer-
ica (RANA) New York celebrated its 26th
TAnnual Deepawali Gala with colour, tradi-
tion and community pride, drawing more than 400
guests from across the tri-state area. Held in Long
Island, the event brought together senior diplomats,
business leaders and prominent members of the In-
dian diaspora, reinforcing RANA’s role as one of
the region’s most active cultural organisations.
Deepmahotsav Chairman Dr. Raj Bansal
opened the evening by welcoming attendees, fol-
lowed by the arrival of distinguished guests, in-
cluding India’s Consul General in New York Am-
bassador Binaya Pradhan, Deputy Consul General
Vishal Harsh, Indian Foreign Service Officer Suren-
dra Adhana from India’s Permanent Mission to
the UN, Air India’s USA & Canada Head Shalini
Singh, and New York City Deputy Commissioner
Dilip Chauhan.
The evening featured a series of significant
recognitions. For the first time, RANA New York
presented the Rajasthan Ratan Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award, honouring Dr. Narendra Kukar, who
has lived in the United States for nearly six decades.
The Excellence in Medicine Award was given to Dr.
Bharat Gupta, while the Young Achiever Award
was presented to Ms. Nidhi Laddha.
RANA also used the platform to announce
2025 as the International Rajasthan Tourism Year,
inviting essays on Rajasthan tourism from partici-
pants of all ages. Five winners received `25,000 each
along with Certificates of Appreciation.
In his address, RANA President Prem Bhan-
dari underlined the vast potential of Rajasthan,
noting that the state is geographically larger than
133 countries and holds immense promise for solar
energy and investment. He praised the Consulate
General of India in New York for operating 365
days a year and lauded Ambassador Pradhan and
his 70-member team for serving 2.4 million Indians accept the Nassau County honour, saying he would VSS), Jaipur, in partnership with India’s Ministry of
across the United States. not accept the recognition until he ensured the mor- External Affairs.
In a major philanthropic gesture, RANA found- tal remains of Ajit Choudhry from Alwar were re- Under the MEA’s ‘India for Humanity’ initia-
ers K.K. and Chandra Mehta presented a `1 crore patriated from Russia to his family. The audience tive, BMVSS has already held nearly 36 Jaipur Foot
cheque to Bhandari for ongoing charitable and later rose to its feet to applaud both Dr. Kukar and camps across Africa, Latin America and Asia, pro-
humanitarian projects. This year’s annual souvenir Bhandari for their contributions to the community. viding artificial limbs and mobility aids free of cost.
featured the Jaipur Police Commissionerate on its A major announcement came during the gala As the world’s largest NGO serving the different-
cover, recognising Jaipur as India’s second safest when physician and philanthropist Dr. Deepak ly-abled, BMVSS continues to amplify India’s glob-
city and honouring the service of former Commis- Nandi pledged to sponsor a free Jaipur Foot camp al message of compassion and service.
sioner Biju Joseph. He was also presented with a in his birthplace, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, The gala ended with renewed community spir-
Certificate of Recognition by Nassau County for his in memory of Veer Savarkar. Welcoming the ini- it and a reaffirmation of RANA’s commitment to
transformative work in improving public safety. tiative, Bhandari—who also chairs Jaipur Foot cultural preservation, humanitarian outreach and
In an emotional moment, RANA Secretary USA—said the camp would be organised through strengthening bonds within the Indian diaspora.
Ravi Jargarh recalled that Bhandari declined to Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BM-

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