The Network of Indian Professionals North America launched its radio show in 2009 under the leadership of then VP External Affairs, Sundip Arora (2010 President, NetIP NA).  It was marketed as a series of teleconferences and webinars to increase the value of NetIP’s paid membership.  The idea behind the series, originally called “Chit-Chaat, all spices considered”, was to have guest speakers that were experts or prominent figures in the South Asian Community.  Arora’s team member, Brand Strategist, Pooja Dhawan, stepped in to refine the concept and its impact.  The series was re-named Prime Time with NetIP and the name struck a cord.

The first guest was relationship expert Jasbina Ahluwalia of Intersections matchmaking. Callers dialled in to learn effective ways to balance Professional, Social and Personal Demands with questions and answers with Ms. Ahluwalia. The teleconference received a positive response and along with requests for more teleconferences, the idea for a real radio show took root. In Q2 of 2009, HumDesi Radio, a division of World Band media (WBM) contacted NetIP for a possible alliance. Through strategic planning and foresight, NetIP and WBM began Q2 with a partnership (Click here for our press release).

The show debuted with Super Model Saira Mohan (the podcast can be heard here ) and we were off to a running start.  During this regular show, leading business, financial, arts and media professionals discuss issues such as surviving the financial turmoil by leveraging South Asian roots, the political voice of South Asian, the face of the 21st century Indian American professional, struggling for the American dream, immigration, economics. and much more.  As of the publication of this article, the show gets over 6000 listeners on the internet alone.  Every show brings NetIP’s social networks to life with questions, comments, status updates and more. There is a huge marketing component to the show. NetIP has over 21,000 Facebook users and more than 1200 Twitter followers.  We market the show aggressively on all our social platforms.

A wide range of South Asians honor us with their presence on the radio.  Some of our previous guests have been Saira Mohan, economist Ravi Batra, NYT bestselling author Ramit Sethi, Maulik Pancholy, Comedian Vidhur Kapur, eBay’s founder of worldofgood.com Robert Chatwani, GM of eBay’s world of good Seema Shah.  We spoke to Simran Sethi on Feb 17th, lauded as one of the top ten eco heros of the planet, an environmental specialist and Green Movement spokesperson on Oprah.com (Click here for our press release).

This March we have two great Primetime shows for you!  We are talking to Naresh Vissa from CNN Radio on March 17th 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event) and Fox Business News Reporter Shibani Joshi on March 31st 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event). Join in the conversation, listen in live at www.HumDesiRadio.com.

Our media partner HumDesi radio is always coming up with innovative ways to increase their listenership with our help. They offer free HD radios in their broadcast cities for your car and much more. Their newest business opportunity is a strategy to launch in more cities. We are excited as this means our show Prime Time will get an even greater visibility. Click below for details

Hum Desi Radio is a division of World Band Media, North America’s first Ethnic Digital Radio Network.

Listen live on HD Radio on
New York - 98.7 FM (HD2)
Washington DC - 103.5 FM (HD2)
Chicago - 101.1 FM (HD2)
Los Angeles - 105.9 FM (HD2)
Or anywhere in the world via the internet, humdesiradio.com
Please join us for a live broadcast, call toll free 1-877-DESI-321 Ext 370 to ask questions during the show.

Email us at primetime@netip.org, Tweet us on www.twitter.com/netipna

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

NetIP Houston hosted and participated in its first annual For the Love of Food cook-off on Sunday February 21, 2010. After being approached by member Shephali Patel about this event to get the community involved in learning about healthy cooking and raising money for local charities, NetIP Houston eagerly got involved. Whole Foods Market and Madras Pavilion (MP) gladly donated their facilities and chefs to teach two cooking classes. The Whole Foods class focused on western dishes such as an asparagus pesto lasagna whereas Chef Sunil with Madras Pavilion focused on the Indian side of things like chhole, chicken and saag paneer.

The cook-off was open to those who participated in the cooking classes and also those who just wished to get involved and showcase their cooking skills. Madras Pavilion owner Mahesh Shah was such a great host and allowed us to have the cook-off at the restaurant. The weather was gorgeous and Jay also with MP helped us every step of the way. Pranav, NetIP Houston VP, set up his turntables and got the crowd going with the Bollywood tunes. MP also graciously served delicious appetizers and beverages to all of us. Our eight contestants had one hour to whip up a dish using paneer as its main ingredient. The dishes ranged from personal creations to fusion entries. There was friendly banter back and forth but definitely with a competitive edge! Our own president, Farida, was one of the contestants and represented NetIP Houston fabulously.

At then end of the hour, the contestants presented their dishes to the two judges. Mr. Shah with MP and Rebecca with the Houston Food Bank judged all the dishes on taste and presentation and Tyna with NetIP Houston presented prizes to the first, second and third place winners. The prizes were generously donated by local businesses. Upon presentation of the prizes, everyone had an opportunity to sample the tasty dishes.

All the money raised through the cooking classes and the cook-off went to charity. Over $600 was raised and the money was split between the Houston Food Bank and a charity reputably linked the Haiti Earthquake relief efforts. We had a great turn-out and are looking forward to next year’s event!

Who knew that by throwing a pie (or three) at others could help The Dallas Animal Advocates (DAA) raise money and break a World Record?!?   Well the NetIP Dallas Community Service Pillar and their members helped make this possible on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at their first community service event of the decade.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that had been offered to DAA to assist them in raising much needed funds to support their primary programs (fences for tethered dogs in the City of Dallas and heartworm funds for HW+ dogs at Dallas Animal Services).   A minimum of 300 volunteers were needed to handle the actual pie throwing for a Dalton-based Shaw Industries, the world’s largest carpet manufacture. For each 100 volunteers, Dallas Animal Advocates earned $2,500.

For more information about this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Largest Pie Fight achievement or to view pie fight video, visit www.shawfloors.com/anso/piefight.

NetIP Dallas has another record setting Saturday of Service planned for April where they will participate in multiple community service events in one day.  For more information please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA, www.NetIP.org

“HOLI COW” by NetIP LA-OC — A Beach Party Organized for the Haiti Relief Efforts

A fun Holi event to benefit Haiti

A spectacular afternoon at the Will Rogers State Beach, under the warm March sun, as NetIP LA-OC & AIF celebrate the “Ultimate Holi Beach Party of the Year” to benefit the AIF Haiti Relief Fund. You’ve all been wanting to help out with the Haiti relief efforts and this is your chance to do so in style and with tons of fun. Come as we celebrate our culture and heritage through vibrant colors, water, sand and games. Bring your family and friends to this joyous occasion and experience our hospitality through these festivities!!

Click here for NetIP LA-OC’s Holi Facebook event

——————————-

“HOLI HUNGAMA” by NetIP New York — An Evening of Fun, Fashion & Flair

Holi Hungama - An evening of fun, fashion and flair

A fashion show courtesy of BIBI Magazine, music by DJ Sammy J, performances by NYC Bhangra a lot more! Don’t miss this exciting evening by NetIP NY!

A percentage of the proceeds will go to support the Grameen Foundation.

Click here for NetIP NY’s Holi Facebook event

——————————-

The Sixth Annual Holi Hungama by NetSAP DC

NetSAP DC's Holi Hungama

Join NetSAP DC to celebrate Holi in the Park! Everyone is welcome to attend and this event is free to members and non-members.  Bring your own gulal (holi color) and picnic baskets and play holi with some new NetSAP DC friends! Gulal can be purchased at most South Asian stores in the metro area.

Given the recent devastation in Haiti, NetSAP DC will be collecting monetary donations for the Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund.  We will also be collecting nonperishables and toiletries for the Arlington Food Bank.

Click here for NetSAP DC’s Holi Facebook event

——————————-

“Holi Hai” by NetIP Dallas — Bid Goodbye to Winter and Embrace the Spring with Holi Festivities

Come join NetIP Dallas as we wave goodbye to WINTER and embrace the SPRING!! There’s no better way to kickoff this spring season with friends and family than smothering them with gulal (holi color). Just think of how much fun a snowball fight is.. and now imagine doing the same thing with colored powder! A limited amount of colors will be provided by NetIP Dallas, but it is recommended that you purchase your own at a local South Asian store (darker colors are more fun) =)

Originally posted on January 25, 2010 at http://netsapdc.wordpress.com/

January Third Thursday, January 21, 2010

We (NetSAP DC) held our first Third Thursday of the year at Hudson in Dupont Circle and had a great turnout. By my humble estimate, I think we had about 50 attendees (its hard to gauge as people come in and out of the happy hour). We had free appetizers and great bar specials. To add a professional element to the Third Thursday, we asked all attendees to wear name tags and attach star or smiley face stickers to indicate their professional industry (for example, my purple star meant that I’m a consultant). Most people were good sports and we got a lot of compliments for the simple and effective idea.

Hudson did get crowded as do most of our Third Thursday locations and this only reinforced the fact that Third Thursdays are our most popular event. Our Special Event Director is working hard to secure larger and new venues for this monthly event. We also took cash donations at the door to fundraise for Haiti relief efforts. The cash donations along with 50% of the door cover charge will be donated to NetIP’s National Charity Partner, the Grameen Foundation. In total, NetSAP DC donated $222.00 to the Grameen Foundation! Thank you for your donations! If you didn’t get a chance to attend this month’s Third Thursday, don’t worry there are 9 more to go this year!

Editor’s Note: Proceeds from this event where donated to The Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Relief Fund. Te Network of Indian Professionals North America has pledged to support the initiatives of the The Grameen Foundation in 2010.

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA, www.NetIP.org

BRICS: The changing faces of global power
By Alan Beattie

Published: January 17 2010 19:05 | Last updated: January 17 2010 19:05
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95cea8b6-0399-11df-a601-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Put a jaguar, a bear, a tiger and a panda together and you might get a good show but you won’t get a quiet life.

The Bric grouping – Brazil, Russia, India and China – has become a shorthand for the rise of emerging markets in the global economy. And after a rather stellar decade, the Brics mainly had a good crisis from which they are now rapidly exiting.

Goldman Sachs, the financial group that invented the category, reckons that China may well become the world’s largest economy before 2030. Collectively, the Bric economies could well surpass output in the Group of Seven wealthy nations – which have dominated the management of the global economy – by 2032.

The Brics already have a bigger share of world trade than the US. China, probably the world’s biggest goods exporter last year, has been supplemented by India’s software and back-office exports, Russia’s oil and gas and the domination of a number of agricultural commodity markets by Brazil’s super-competitive farmers.

While equities in G7 countries were struggling to stay in positive territory during the past five or so years, the Bric share prices, albeit with a steep drop and rapid recovery during the global financial crisis, finished the decade more than twice as high as in 2005. Bric equity indices have emerged; Bric funds have sprung up for investors to pile into the sector.

So as the world emerges from recession, is this a transformational moment when the centre of gravity in the global economy and its governance decisively shifts? Is this a pivot point such as the second world war, where the confident, innovative US muscled aside the weakened, debt-laden economies of Europe and remade the global financial architecture? And, most immediately, are Bric consumers up to the task of rebalancing the world economy by supplanting their acquisitive American counterparts?

The most likely answer is: not yet. Not only are the Brics such a disparate group that almost any generalisation is problematic, but China, the dominant member of the quartet, still seems wedded to an economic model dependent on demand elsewhere.

“The so-called emerging economies, even some like Bangladesh, are undoubtedly players on the global stage,” said Jean-Pierre Lehmann, professor of political economy at the IMD management school in Lausanne, Switzerland. “But I don’t see any great cataclysm in the next 10 years, nor the centre of finance definitively moving east.”

Like a boy band or a street gang, the Brics might almost have been chosen for their disparate abilities rather than their similarities. China’s size and openness to trade give it as much economic clout as the rest put together: Markus Jäger, of Deutsche Bank, calls the hypercompetitive manufacturing exporter “the 800lb panda in the room”. India, similar in population but poorer and economically more insular, is chiefly notable to investors and trading partners for its software and business services. Brazil, despite a sprinkling of manufacturers, remains one of the world’s most efficient agro-exporters; Russia, after feebler attempts to diversify, essentially just sells oil and gas.

The story of their rapid progress is familiar but still dramatic. A decade ago, only one had an investment-grade credit rating; now all do. Only 12 years ago, a Russian debt default and Brazilian currency crisis rocked the world economy; today, they have accumulated vast foreign exchange reserves.

The Brics contributed about half of global growth between 2000 and 2008 – sharply higher than in the previous decade. Yet along with this growth has come an unbalancing of the global economy.

A Chinese growth model based on heavy investment and exports has accompanied vast current-account surpluses across east Asia, matched by a current-account deficit in the US. And despite doing its bit to keep economic growth going during the crisis, it is far from clear that the Middle Kingdom has effected a shift towards consumer demand that a true engine of world growth would achieve.

With a great flourish, Beijing announced a $585bn stimulus package in November 2008 and loosened bank credit. But its ability to create self-sustaining growth was suspect. Rather than handing out cash to consumers to get them spending – a move that might also have encouraged imports – a large chunk of the stimulus went into the old favourite, fixed investment. “If global demand does not recover in time or the stimulus measures fail to stir the animal spirits, China may end up creating overcapacity,” said Mr Jäger.

Razeen Sally, a trade expert at the London School of Economics, said: “The Chinese interventions had the effect of reinforcing existing problems and imbalances. We are going to see a lot of excess capacity in export-oriented industries like steel at exactly the wrong time.”

The repegging of the renminbi against the dollar in 2008, after three years when it was allowed to crawl higher, has also done nothing to shift the Chinese economy from exports to consumer demand. The effect of that decision is multiplied by the copycat actions of many emerging-market countries holding their own currencies down lest they lose competitiveness to China.

Indeed, although the worldwide reduction in consumer demand has cut the absolute level of China’s current-account surplus during the crisis, with fewer ships carrying toys and iPods out of Shenzhen and Shanghai, China continued to gain market share abroad. The International Monetary Fund and others reckon that the apparent rebalancing of the global economy over the past year is temporary. When demand picks up, so will Chinese exports, along with the old surpluses and deficits.

Despite pockets of profligacy, if anything, China’s has become less rather than more of a consumer economy in the past decade. Its overall savings rate grew over the decade. Although much of this rise reflected corporate savings, household savings rose, too, and a greater share of national income went to companies rather than consumers in the first place.

A survey last year by the McKinsey Global Institute backed up what many economists have long argued: that the lack of a social safety net is one of the main reasons that Chinese households save. The top three reasons given were: educational needs, security in case of illness and caring for parents. Changing deep-seated structural factors such as this will not be quick. Nor will it be achieved simply by letting the renminbi rise.

As for the other Brics, whose trend growth rate is slower than China’s, they are unlikely to have a noticeable effect on global demand for some time. Although growth in Brazil and India held up well during the crisis, the former is a relatively mature economy with less scope for rapid growth; the latter an underperformer with a chronic public finance problem and a household savings rate even higher than China’s. Meanwhile, Russia, whose economy contracted sharply during the global recession, still depends on oil prices.

A decade of rapid growth is not enough for the Brics to seize the baton of global economic leadership from the US and western Europe. The grouping, or some of them, may have astonished the world with their progress over the past 10 years. But it will require a qualitative improvement as well as more growth to consolidate that shift of power.

Contribution:
Hardik (HD) Shah
Marketing Chair 2010 - NetIP North America
President 2006-2009 - NetIP North Carolina
HD@NetIP.org
www.NetIP.org

An earthquake, never felt before

A Tuesday afternoon, 12th January 2010, with people all over the world still living in their memories about their New Year events and celebrations, an earthquake hit our planet, in the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This natural calamity was worst of its kind in 200 years with 7.0 magnitude followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Aaaahhhhhh!!!! This is how I responded when I first heard about this. The consequences of this earthquake were unimaginable to me. I quickly started browsing through different sites to get more information about this devastation. It was really sad to read about the aftermath of this incident. The photos made me feel even worse. Soon I learnt that the entire city, the capital of this tiny little country is totally destroyed leaving behind the survivors who are both physically and mentally wounded!!!!

Time to Act

The weekend following the earthquake, a Sunday afternoon, I was flipping through channels and listening to Haiti news. Suddenly I felt a need to do something to help these victims. So I immediately sent out an email to Network of Indian Professionals Pittsburgh board members asking for their opinion. Within few hours our team actively responded to the email and we decided to talk about this in the meeting, which was luckily scheduled the same evening. During the meeting, most of the members came up with great ideas. We all knew we had to act fast and decided to organize a fundraiser event at a local club ‘Firehouse Lounge’ and collect minimal cover charge from all the customers who visited that place. When we approached the club owner, he agreed to this but only on one condition, that being collection of cover charge only till midnight. The team definitely was concerned with this condition, as we didn’t know how much money we could raise. We did not have any $$$$ amount in our mind, but we wanted something substantial. Finally we decided to organize the Haiti Fund raiser event on following Friday evening at Firehouse Lounge.

(L to R) NetIP Pittsburgh Board Members: Pradeep Modi - Social & Co-Cultural Chair, Preetham Gowda - Co-President, Ketaki Desai - Co-President, Rupa Ramaswamy - Community Chair

The Event Day

Friday, 29th January 2010, members of NetIP Pittsburgh, met in the evening and headed together to the club. Two of our team members had also made posters for this event, which were displayed at the entrance of the club. It was 9:30pm and we were all set and ready to start the event. We were definitely concerned in the beginning as we had only few people entering the lounge between 9:30 and 10pm. As the clock ticked, we had more and more coming in and our cashbox started filling up. Within no time, we had a long queue at the entrance. This lounge happens to be a very popular place and they did expect a good number to show up especially on a Friday night. Also fortunately, that evening the lounge had special DJ who volunteered to help us by repeatedly announcing about our fundraiser. A few customers at the lounge were really thrilled by this event and generously gave more than the cover charge. Since we had a deal with the owner to collect the charge only till midnight, everyone in the team was looking at his or her watch, as the minute hand seemed to tick faster than usual. Even before we realized, it was midnight and we were asked to stop the collection.

Everyone in the team was curious about the outcome of the event and patiently waited to hear the final amount. Within no time, one of our team members came out with the total. Yes, NetIP Pittsburgh had raised $1000 in two hours!!!!! It was an Ah Ha! moment to the entire team.

Thanks to Firehouse Lounge and all the wonderful people who helped NetIP Pittsburgh in its efforts to help Haiti victims.

Editor’s Note: Proceeds from this event where donated to the Grameen Foundations’s Haiti Relief Fund. NetIP North America has pledged to support the initiatives of the The Grameen Foundation in 2010.

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

www.NetIP.org

SANTOSH PERLA, INDIA AND ZAMBIA

Feb 17, 2010, New York, NY: The Network of Indian Professionals of North America (NetIP) begins a new chapter in their history today as they welcome Simran Sethi, named one of the top ten eco-heroes of the planet by the UK’s Independent and lauded as the “environmental messenger” by Vanity Fair. Prime Time with NetIP on HumDesi Radio is NetIP’s monthly talk show on HD radio that features inspirational guests and broadcasts world wide to a large listenership. Simran Sethi is also an award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where she teaches courses on sustainability and environmental communications. She is currently writing a book on psychological barriers to environmental engagement and is the contributing author of Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy, winner of the bronze 2008 Axiom Award for Best Business Ethics book.

The live segment airs Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 at 7pm EST on www.humdesiradio.com as well as on HD radio in select cities. With NetIP’s much anticipated annual conference being held in metro-natural Seattle this year, the stage is being set for NetIP’s first ‘Green Conference’. Seattle’s Government and residents have made sustainability a part of their everyday lives and proudly hold on to the #2 rank for America’s cleanest cities by Forbes.

“For our anniversary, we decided to set ourselves apart from the other organizations out there. One way we are doing that is by setting the bar for social responsibility. With the support of our leaders and membership, we have begun a conscious effort towards green living in our communities. By encouraging use of energy efficient bulbs, recycling and using recycled products, we hope our organization will set the tone for others to follow.” – Sundip Arora, President, Network of Indian Professionals of North America.

The conference will be hosted in hotels with Corporate Social Responsibility as well LEED silver certified rankings. In addition to focusing on paperless technology, local produce and organic foods will be served to delegates. Every facet of the conference will aim to have a green component. This year marks the 20th anniversary for NetIP. The organization has planned on making an impact through their philanthropic endeavors, social responsibility, and hopes to continue making strides towards becoming a household name.

Born in Germany, Sethi made her way to the US and began the early days of her career with MTV news. She worked with Al Gore on The Alliance for Climate Protection, a series of podcasts that serves to educate the global community about the climate crises. Sethi’s blog articles grace notable outlets such as Oprah.com, The Huffington post and The Sundance Channel. She has appeared on Nightly News with Brian Williams, Oprah, The Ellen Degeneres Show and The Martha Stewart Show.

“NetIP has the opportunity to reach a powerful group of constituents that can really help turn the tide on sustainability. This effort involves more than changing light bulbs; it requires a transformation of how we conduct business in the 21st Century. I am excited this is the focus of the upcoming conference and glad to be a part of the conversation.” – P. Simran Sethi

NetIP is the only South Asian organization for professionals with a talk show on HD radio. The goal of the show has been to feature South Asians that inspire lives through their work, their life stories and their innate strength. Previous guests have included Nandita Das, Maulik Pancholy, Ravi Batra, Surya Yalamanchili and Robert Chatwani among others. Upcoming guests include Naresh Vissa with CNN Radio and Shibani Joshi with Fox Business News. Show information and podcasts can be found at www.netip.org/primetime

About NetIP
The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which they live and work.

Today, the organization includes over 5,000 members and more than 40,000 subscribers in 24 cities across United States and Canada. NetIP has become a premier networking brand over the years. It is the unequivocal voice for an emerging group of South Asians, who excel in every aspect of western society, from business to politics to the arts. The rise of NetIP and its affiliated chapters reflects a general “Coming of Age” by South Asian professionals.

For more information visit www.netip.org

# # #

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview contact, Pooja Dhawan by email pooja@netip.org

Contact: Pooja Dhawan
Brand Strategy, NetIP North America
pooja@netip.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_of_Indian_Professionals