India government committee set up to study issues of harassed NRI wives and beleaguered maids
The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Renuka Chowdhury have agreed to set up a six-member sub-committee to deal with the issue of harassed wives of NRIs and beleaguered maids working Overseas.
Nirmal Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs would head the committee, which would draw a member each from the Ministries of Law, Home Affairs and Women and Child Development. As most of the failed NRI marriages are from Punjab, and domestic servant related cases have their roots in Andhra Pradesh, these two states would also be represented by a member each on the sub-committee.
The committee will look into the legal dimension of these cases and submit its report in a month's time. The government has taken a firm view of these harassment cases, and strict action is likely to be taken. Emigration laws could be amended, if necessary to pre-empt insidious intent on the part of NRIs. The cases of affected women married to NRIs have been a major concern of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and the number of reported cases are as high as 30,000.
Guyana commemorates169th Indian Arrival Day
On May 5, 2007 Guyana commemorated the 169th anniversary of the first arrival of Indian labourers who came on May 5, 1838 on the ships Whitby and Hesperus that landed with 936 Indian indentured workers after a hazardous journey crossing from Calcutta to then British Guiana. The descendants of Indian labourers in Guyana now number over 400,000 and have contributed significantly to the development and culture of Guyana. There is an almost equal number residing in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and countries of the Caribbean region.
The Indian Commemoration Trust, chaired by Yesu Persaud, Guyanese industrialist and Chairman of GOPIO Guyana, played a major role in the commemoration activities. These included hosting an evening of culture, music and dance on the lawns of the Monument Gardens in Georgetown. There was a prayer session with recitations of a Hindu prayer, a Christian prayer as well as a Muslim prayer. In addition, the Indian Religious Cultural and Social Organization hosted its annual Arrival Day event at Vreed-en-Hoop on the West Coast of Demerara.
GOPIO International sends congratulatory message
Guyanese born Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General of GOPIO International, sent a letter of congratulations on behalf of GOPIO International to Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo and the people of Guyana on the commemoration of the 169th Anniversary of Indian Arrival Day on May 5 in Guyana. The statement read as follows:
The GOPIO International pays honored tribute and expresses its gratitude to those who made the first journey as indentured laborers from India to British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1838.
We are reminded of their pioneering spirit, determination, persistence and endurance under extremely harsh conditions. While survival must have been the primary concern, they persevered to maintain their sense of origin, traditions, culture and religion.
Their children, grandchildren and following generations will always take pride in this unique accomplishment, recognizing and appreciating the sacrifices and achievements made on their behalf. We also recognize the invaluable contributions they have made to the diverse culture and economic development of Guyana.
GOPIO to Commemorate Indian Arrival Days in Trinidad and Suriname
In coordination with GOPIO International, the GOPIO Chapters in Trinidad and Suriname are collaborating with their respective Indian High Commissioners to commemorate Indian Arrival Days in Trinidad and Suriname. The first of indentured laborers from India arrived in Trinidad on May 30, 1845 and in Suriname on June 4, 1873. Despite enduring extremely harsh conditions and severe hardships, the first arrivals persevered to maintain their sense of origin, traditions, culture and religion. Their descendants presently number in the hundreds of thousand and comprise a large percentage of their respective populations, and have contributed significantly to the development of each country.
The respective GOPIO Chapters in Chapters in Trinidad and Suriname each plan to host a symposium followed by a dinner with chief guest Indian Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi. Hon. Ravi plans on visiting Trinidad and Suriname for the commemoration of Indian Arrival Days as well as visits to Guyana, Jamaica and Antigua.
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GOPIO-CT Chapter Honors four at first annual gala
The Connecticut Chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-CT) celebrated its first anniversary with an awards banquet addresses by Congressman Christopher Says and Consul General Neelam Deo at the Italian Center of Stamford on April 22nd. Attended by over 250 community leaders and American friends from across the state, Westchester, New York and New Jersey, the event began with a brief introduction to the origin and goals of GOPIO by Amarjeet Singh with a slide presentation.
GOPIO-CT Sangeetha Ahuja welcomed the delegates and the awardees to the reception. She thanked Dr Thomas Abraham, whom she described as a true Indian “energizer bunny” for his vision and guidance and her executive committee for making the gala a grand success.
Ahuja who has been elected as the chapter’s first president said that to become a distinguished organization involves a lot of voluntary community service work from its members. “We will assess our community’s needs for the future, set right priorities and plan new activities for our community,” she said.
GOPIO-South Florida (Miami) chapter inaugurated
Dr Piyush C. Agrawal, US National Coordinator of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) inaugurated GOPIO South Florida (Miami) Chapter, and introduced Hemant Patel as the newly elected President. The Indian ambassador to the US, Ronendra Sen, and Consul General of India (Houston Office) S.M. Gavai congratulated Patel.
Hemant is also a director of AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) and President of Miami Police Departments Do The Right Thing Program. Mr. Shaun Patel was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Chapter. Shaun is a member of the Miami-Dade County Historical Preservation Board.
Last year, the Central Florida (Orlando) Chapter was inaugurated in the presence of Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Consul General Gavai.
Ambassador Sen was hosted by the GOPIO leadership in Miami on Friday evening at the Terrace of the La Gorce Palace Pent House of Akhil & Mavara Agrawal. The Ambassador Sen was accompanied by his wife and the Consul General Gavai.
GOPIO New Jersey in the offing
A planning meeting of current GOPIO Life Members from New Jersey and other supporters decided to start GOPIO-New Jersey chapter. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Sudhir Parikh and organized by Ram Gadhavi who had served as a Co-Convener of the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in 1989.
GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham addressed the meeting and told the audience that within the next five years, GOPIO will emerge as a major powerful organization with over several hundreds chapters around the world to serve the overseas Indian community.
Other GOPIO life members attending the meeting included Dhiraj Solanki, H.R. Shah, Yash Pal Soi, Jaswant Mody and Dr Asha Samant. Others that attended the meeting include were Shobhana Patel, Chandrakant Trivedi, Alex Koshy, Rakesh Gupta, Pratima Mahajan, Dr. Rajeev Mehta, Ravi and Kamlesh Mehrotra, John Stephen and John Sachariah.
Those who would like to participate in GOPIO-New Jersey may contact Dr Sudhir Parikh at sudparikh@aol.com or Jaswant Modi at jmody968@aol.com
Indian American Monika Kalra to head Kennedy Rights Center
Indian American Monika Kalra Varma has been appointed the new director of the Washington-based Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights (RFK Center).
RFK Center engages in long-term partnerships with human rights activists to initiate and enhance sustainable social justice movements. It works closely with international bodies including the UN and NGOs for launching consumer awareness campaigns aimed at fostering corporate responsibility.
"The RFK Center is a unique human rights organization with an agenda wholly driven by its partners - some of the most inspiring and innovative human rights leaders in the world. It is truly an honor to be able to lead the center's efforts to contribute to our partners' social movements," said Varma.
Varma will oversee the center's day-to-day operations. She will work with the staff, board members, the Kennedy family and volunteers to construct advocacy programs which provide on-going support to the center's partners, the RFK Human Rights Award winners.
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