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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline NOVEMBER 20, 2026 | The Indian Eye 30

FIA Celebrates a Phenomenal Year of

Impact with Dazzling Diwali Celebration

and Annual Board Meeting

OUR BUREAU stage. He was followed by current • Chairman Sunil Shah invited the Chairman Sunil Shah surprised and
Presidents Altaf Bukhari and Richa members who joined in October inspired attendees by announcing
Chicago, IL
Chand, past presidents Anu Malho- 2026 to the stage and introduced two dynamic female leaders as in-
he Federation of Indian Asso- tra, Hitesh Gandhi, Vinita Gulabani, them to the audience with a brief coming Presidents for 2027: Sonia
ciations (FIA) is Chicagoland’s and Pratibha Jairth, alongside FIA overview of their background sand Luther and Ajanta Talukdar.
Tpremier and largest Indian First Lady Rita Shah. interests. This historic announcement
American 501(c ) organization, host- Chairman Sunil Shah opened • Joint Treasurer Payal Shah pre- powerfully reinforced FIA’s unwav-
ed a high-energy, unforgettable dual the Diwali celebration with festive sented the finance numbers during ering commitment to women em-
celebration of Diwali and its Annual greetings, celebrating 2026 as one of the year and encouraged teams to powerment and visionary community
Board Meeting at the Crown Plaza FIA’s most phenomenal and impact- become life-time members. growth. The newly inducted incom-
Hotel in Burr Ridge, IL. Infused with ful years as the largest Indian organi- • Followed this, FIA Chairman Mr. ing presidents delivered inspiring
Bollywood glamour, vibrant commu- zation in Chicagoland. He expressed Shah invited current Presidents speeches followed by official felic-
nity spirit, and deep camaraderie, the deep gratitude to current presidents Altaf Bukhari and Richa Chand to itation. Highlights, Glamour, and
evening marked a monumental tran- Altaf Bukhari and Richa Chand for share their message with the team, Special Recognitions FIA Founder
sition of leadership and a powerful their exceptional leadership and con- followed by remarks from the past Chairman Sunil Shah then invited
celebration of a historic year tributions throughout the year. Fol- presidents: Anu Malhotra, Vinita Advisory Board members Brij Shar-
The meeting officially com- lowing his remarks, Chairman Sunil Gulabani, Pratibha Jairath, Hitesh ma, Keerthi Ravoori, Pinky Thakkar,
menced at 4:15 PM, by General Sec- Ji invited General Secretary Kamlesh Gandhi along with FIA First Lady Dinesh Thakkar, Shrujal Patel, Dr.
retary Kamlesh Kapoor. With the Kapoor to present a comprehensive Rita Shah who all addressed the Arun Narang, Prdeep Shukla and
permission of the leadership, GS Ms. summary of the organization’s major team with pride and encourage- Vipan Wadhera to the stage. Their
Kapoor opened the session, outlined accomplishments, standout events, ment. remarks were a delightful blend of
the meeting’s objectives, and invited and celebrity guests hosted over the A major highlight of the evening inspiration, wisdom, and humor, en-
Founder Chairman Sunil Shah to the past year. was the official leadership transition.

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