The new Consul General of India in NY (CGNY) Ambassador (Mrs.) Riva Ganguly Das made her first visit to Boston along with her Deputy CG Dr. Manoj Mohapatra. 

In the afternoon of Sunday, April 10 Ambassador Das interacted with Indian students at the Harvard Business School. She invited them to New York to network with other Indian students to explore ways of enhancing collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.  She assured full support of her office in facilitating such discussions.

In the evening a reception/welcome event was organized by various community organizations led by the Global Indians for Bharat Viakas (www.GIBV.org) at the Chinmaya Maruti, Andover, MA.  Pawan Roy and Maha Pula were the masters of ceremony. The event started with an invocation prayer and national anthems by the Bal Vihar children of Chinmaya Mission Boston (CMB). Dr Gopala Dwarakanath, president of CMB delivered the welcome address. It was followed by a beautiful cultural program.  Janani Sharma sang a melodious "Yeh Jo Desh Hai Mera". Members of the Tamil Makkal Mandram made an outstanding performance of bharatanatyam and Carnatic music recital. 

Jayashree Voruganti, president, IAGB introduced Dr. Mohapatra who spoke about the ways in which the consulate is improving quality and speed of services.

Kanchan Banerjee, president, GIBV introduced Ambassador Das by emphasizing historic significance of Boston for US-India relations.  Mrs. Das shared her enthusiasm about moving forward and continuing to develop relations with the communities at large. She asked for new ideas and suggestions from the community.

The questions & answers session addressed issues related to visa, passport, OCI card etc. The New York office covers 10 states and serves nearly 1.8 million Indian Americans.

Mr. Sanjay Kaul, executive board member of the VHP America and convener of the Hindu Heritage Day delivered the vote of thanks, which was followed by an exclusive dinner with the CG at Bollywood Grill attended by community leaders and sponsors. 

This event was co-sponsored by Global Indians for Bharat Vikas, Chinmaya Mission Boston, Global Indian Business Council, VHP America, Om Hindu Community Center, India Association of Greater Boston, Moksha Spa and Wellness Center Methuen, Tamil Makkal Mandram, and Milan CT.

.

On Monday, April 11 morning Ambassador Das met with the Mayor of Cambridge Ms. E. Denise Simmons along with her staff, and the City Manager Mr. Rossi. Discussion topics included sister city, trade, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics), and yoga.

A lunch meeting for Mrs. Das was organized by Mrs.  Melanie Mala Ghosh, Managing Director, MIT-India, MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives.  Mrs. Das was apprised of the work and projects of MIT-India center, followed by a tour of the MIT Media Lab where she gave a talk on India’s role in advancement of technology at the Emerging World conference. She spoke about ‘Make in India’ the flagship project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring technology, business and investments.

The trip concluded after a very productive meeting with Lt. Governor of Massachusetts Mrs. Karyn Polito. They discussed possibilities between India, Indian states and the state of MA. A follow up meeting will be planned soon.

The Boston visit of Ambassador Das was very successful. Kanchan Banerjee and Pawan Roy of GIBV played a key role in the planning/execution of this visit with an outstanding support of community members and organizations.