Waltham, MA — Joined by Chief Guest Dana-Farber CEO Laurie Glimcher and US Congressman Joe Kennedy, over 440 entrepreneurs, corporate executives, philanthropists, educators, and community leaders gathered last week in Waltham to honor 10 shining stars of New England. Organized by INE MultiMedia, Inc., in collaboration with INDIA New England News, New England Choice Awards also recognized Dr. Glimcher and Congressman Kennedy for their services.
“As I said in my speech, success of a major production like NECA rests on the two pillars: a dream and the team. There is nothing better than a dream to create a platform that honors our community and those who enrich us. Our team helped make that a reality,” said Manju Sheth, President of INE Multimedia and creator of the awards show. “As a woman doctor it was exciting to have Dr. Laurie Glimcher as Chief guest. It was always on my wish list to have Congressman Joe Kennedy at our Award show—it was very thrilling to hear his heartfelt address at the gala.”
The 2019 New England Choice Awards Committee consisted of Anu Chitrapu, Upendra Mishra, Mandy Pant, Anupendra Sharma, Manju Sheth and Aditi Taylor. The judging committee consisted of several prominent members and entrepreneurs of the Indian American community.
Upendra Mishra, the publisher of INDIA New England News, said that the New England Choice Awards gala was a great example of teamwork and a passion for honoring the best of the best. “New England Choice Awards honors those who have made great choices in their own life in order to succeed and give back to the community, whether through business, academia, healthcare, or art and culture,” said Mishra. “We are gratuful to our organizing committee, judges, awardees and all the attendees of the event that was sold out two months before the event.”
In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award to Leader Bank Founder and CEO Sushil Tuli, other awardees were honored with the following awards:
Professor Kuzhikkalail M. Abraham: Academic Excellence
Berklee College President Roger Brown: Leadership in Art & Culture
MilliporeSigma CEO Udit Batra: Business & Entrepreneurship Award
Founder & CEO of Boston Group USA Subu Kota: Excellence in Community Service
Dr. Om Ganda: Healthcare Pioneer
Indian Circle of Caring USA: Best Non-Profit Organization 2019
Dr. Shamim Dahod & Ashraf Dahod: Philanthropists of the Year
Ritu Raman: Youth Leadership Award
NECA this year was supported by a number of businesses:
Platinum Sponsor: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Gold Sponsor: Lahey Health; Silver Sponsor: BMW of Sudbury. Supporting sponsors included Alankar Event Planners & Decorators, Boston Sound and Light Co. and Art of Memories and Pervez Taufiq Photography. Community sponsors included Indian Medical Association of New England, Miss India New England, Shah, Dixit & Associates PC, and Sraveo.
Indian American singer Anuradha Palakurthi was the featured artist. The students of Angikam Dance Academy performed a dance directed by Jasmine Shah. Masala Art catered the food. INE Multi Media Inc. is a non-profit organization focused on the South Asian community in the US and the South Asian sub-continent. Working directly with them and connecting them with each other as needed, INE Multimedia promotes art, culture, education and empowerment through workshops, seminars and multimedia presentations and documentaries. To learn more, visit inemultimedia.org.