The convener and co-convener of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) - New England and Boston namely Shri. Abhishek Singh and Shri. Supreet Subbaraya respectively organized their Shraddhanjali Sabha program, “Tribute to the beloved leader of Bharat – Smt. Sushma Swaraj Ji” on Saturday, Aug 10, 2019 at Flerra Meadows, Boxborough, MA. A large number of players from the New England area who came to play for the Freedom Cup 2019 organized by the Telangana Society gathered to pay tribute to Smt. Sushma Swaraj Ji along with the special guests of the event.

The death of BJP leader and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday late night triggered a wave of shock and grief to all the Indians and non-Indians all over the world. At the age of 25 in 1977, she became the youngest cabinet minister of Indian state of Haryana. She also served as 5th Chief Minister of Delhi for a short duration in 1998. She was a minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet from 2014 to 2019 and served her fourth term in Lok Sabha, but she was much more than that for the aam aadmi and respected across party lines for her excellent talent, public services and speeches. Swaraj was aptly hailed as 'supermom' of India by The Washington Post for solving the problems of distressed Indians around the world. People admired her for the rare empathy and a human approach to India's diplomacy. She encouraged overseas Indians to approach Indian Embassies by saying, “Indian Embassy is your home away from home. Whenever in trouble, please contact the Indian Embassy/Consulate. They will help you”

Smt. Sushma Swaraj Ji was fondly remembered by all as being one of the most followed politicians on Twitter, Smt. Swaraj Ji became the most accessible politician for those in distress with just a tweet. She was successful in making connections with both the old and the young with her unflagging social media presence and wish to help. Smt. Swaraj was known for her ready wit and inspiring responses on the microblogging site.

The program started by offering of flowers to the portrait of Smt. Sushma Swaraj Ji by Shri. Shatrughna Sinha, Deputy Consul General, New York, Prof. Bal Ram Singh, Chairman, Executive Board, Boston Center for Excellence for Health and Human Development, and Boston entrepreneur Shri. Subu Kota, founder and CEO of the Boston Group USA and other members of the OFBJP and volleyball team leads. It was followed by observing of one minutes silence by all and singing of National Anthems of India and USA. All the guests remembered remarkable services of Smt. Sushma Ji and said that she left behind a legacy of being a responsive minister who became a source of encouragement for Indian politicians. She was an exemplary power woman. They also said that sports brings people together and makes them stay fit and healthy as well. They greeted all the team leads and wished them good luck. They inaugurated the tournament by cutting ribbons.

Several teams played volleyball matches throughout the day. The final matches were played in 3 sets. All Sets team won the trophy by defeating CT Lucans Connecticut. And Nerupda Nashua became the second runner up.

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