New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. with honorees and co-sponsors at his South Asian Heritage and Culture celebration in Brooklyn on June 28, 2007. Pictured (back, l to r) are: Imrana Khera, Asia Program Officer, Asia Society; Dr. Tara Niraula, President, America-Nepal Friendship Society, Inc.; Thompson; Sonam Lama, Owner and President, Natural Frontier Markets and Founding President, Mustang Kyidug; Raghbir Singh Subhanpur, President, Association Punjabi in North America and President, Shromani Akali Dal, New York; (front, l to r) Dil Afroz "Nargis" Ahmed, President, Bangladesh Society, Inc.; Vasantrai M. Gandhi, Founding Member, Jackson Heights Merchants Association, Inc. and Chairman, Community Board 3, Queens; and, Leela Maret, New York Regional President, Federation of Kerala Association in North America (FOKANA).  Photo Credit: Marla S. Maritzer
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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. honored four City leaders last night at his South Asian Heritage celebration. The event was co-sponsored by the Asia Society, America-Nepal Friendship Society, Jackson Heights Merchants Association and the Federation of Kerala Association of North America.

“Throughout the city, the traditions and culture of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and beyond, are alive and well,” Thompson said to those in attendance at Paradise East in Coney Island. “South Asian individuals in every profession, and in every industry, are reaching new heights of achievement and making vitally important contributions to the life of our city.”

Thompson added: “We celebrate these contributions and this cultural blossoming. We also celebrate the strong bonds of friendship that exist between our city and many of the nations of South Asia. With shared communities, shared histories, and shared dreams, New York and many South Asian countries enjoy a special sense of fellowship.”
 
The night’s honorees were:

●   Dil Afroz “Nargis” Ahmed, who was recently elected as the first female president of the Bangladesh Society, which represents more than 10,000 Bangladeshi Americans in North America. She is an active member of many philanthropic organizations, including Bangladesh Shangshod, the Bangladeshi American Public Affairs Front, Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America and the Bangladesh Society Inc. Ahmed is the founding president of Drama Circle, a drama organization that strives to preserve the Bangladeshi culture through the arts, and serves as the first South Asian female member of Community Board 8 in Queens. In addition, Ahmed has created opportunities for Bangladeshi Americans by providing them with English language learning classes, job training and placement, and free medical services.

●   Vasantrai M. Ghandi, who is the owner of Gold Bullion, a business selling gold coins and gold bars in Jackson Heights, Queens. He is serving his second term as Chairman of Community Board 3 in Queens, where his primary focus is to open a much-needed high school in the district. Ghandi is the founder and past President of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association, Inc., former Vice President of Gujarai Samaj, an organization of more than 2,000 natives of Gujarat, and a member of the Indian Advisory Board of the Queens Child Guidance Center. 

● Sonam Lama, who is the owner of Himalayan Yak Restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens. Lama founded and currently presides over Mustang Kyidug Society, a non-profit organization serving the local Nepali community. Most recently, Lama formed an alliance of nine different local community groups hailing from the Himalayan region of Nepal to support the underprivileged children of Nepal by strengthening education and HIV/AIDS awareness.

●   Raghbir Singh Subhanpur, who is the owner of one of the largest and most successful construction companies in the Sikh community. He is the President of the Association of Punjabis in North America, an organization involved in the social and economic issues affecting Sikhs in the region. Subhanpur serves as the Elder Statesman/Senior Advisor to the Executive Committee of the Makhan Shah Lubhana Sikh Center in Richmond Hill, Queens, where he served as president for three and a half years. He helped establish the annual Sikh Day Parade in Manhattan and the Nagar Kirtan Sikh Parade in Queens.

Singer and actress Meena Nair also performed at the celebration.

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