Speed-dating business garners attention by targeting South Asians

Printed with Permission from The Washington Post

Written by Aruna Viswanatha, Originally published: July 10, 2011

Oshmita Anwar was debating whether to attend a speed-dating event for South Asian Muslims earlier this month when her father, who is Bengali, called with a message: “Go!”

“My parents are always like, ‘you have to get married,’ ” said Anwar, a pretty 25-year old with big eyes and an easy laugh. “I want someone religious, yet social. A lot [of guys] are not social enough.”

The event was the brainstorm of a company called Professionals in the City, which has built a profitable business around organizing events for single men and women, including those whose families hail from the subcontinent that includes India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Anwar and about two dozen other Muslims gathered at a lounge on U Street on a warm Thursday night in June to meet each other through a series of five-minute “dates.”

In addition to South Asian Muslims, Pros in the City has offered speed-dating get-togethers for South Asian Hindus, Punjabis, Bengalis, vegetarians, and South Asians who are in their 30s and 40s. In April, it sponsored a South Asian gay event.

The specialized gatherings evolved from the general South Asian events the group has hosted for the past few years, according to Michael Karlan, who runs the company.

Karlan left a legal career to start Pros in the City in 1999, and began with social events at nightclubs and embassies. Over time, he added international trips and a New Year’s party that draws 3,000. All told, Pros in the City, with a staff of eight full-time people and 20 part-time, brings in about $1 million a year in revenue.

Once the downturn hit, demand waned for some events, but not those involving speed dating. Karlan said the company sells around a hundred tickets a day and hosts a thousand events a year in the D.C. area, many of them targeting young professionals without ethnic restrictions.

He saw an opportunity to go after more niche demographic groups when more than 100 people started regularly showing up at his South Asian dating events.

“They are not all going to succeed, but I’m trying to get a sense of what will be more popular and less popular,” Karlan said.

The total number of speed daters at the targeted events might be smaller — they usually attract a few dozen people — but they often present something of a more fruitful pool for a community that is segmented by religion and language.

“They like it because there are qualifiers already built in,” said Vipin Adhlakha, who is vice president of a networking group called the Network of South Asian Professionals, that helps market the events and splits the profit if it sends a lot of its members to an event. “If you said you only wanted a South Asian vegetarian or a Muslim, it gets you further in the process.”

“When you have your list of priorities, if race or religion is at the top, it’s great to be able to check off the first box,” said Erika Ettin, who runs A Little Nudge, a firm that helps people with online dating.

Some of the events are not as successful. Only eight registered for the gay event, for example, and only half of that showed up. Other events, including one that targeted South Asians in their 30s and 40s, attracted more women then men. Some women complained the events, open to non-South Asians, drew too many men they were not interested in.

But at the Muslim event, as men rotated through intimate, two-person, candle-lit wood tables and women sat opposite them on the red velvet benches that lined the wall, the sexes appeared to be more evenly matched.

Most said they weren’t particularly religious. They drank socially, and didn’t fast for Ramadan or visit a mosque regularly. “I try to represent,” said Anwar, the only woman wearing a loose hijab.

And most said they were looking not for someone to date but to marry. That search, they said, was complicated by parental pressure to marry someone from the same background.

Aziz Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, said that while he didn’t care if he married a Muslim woman, “higher forces” did.

Not everyone was pleased with the options. One woman’s ballot rejected candidates as “greasy!”, “too arrogant” or “FOB,” an acronym for Fresh-off-the-Boat, or a recent immigrant.

But others said they felt the price of the event — usually around $30 — was worth it.

“Some are pretty awkward, and some are pretty competent,” said Nadia Patel, 26, a law student at George Washington, in her assessment of the candidates. “I had very low expectations, but there were definitely a couple of guys I would talk to again.”

A wave called Dr. Chopra. A Cultural Heritage Story brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves. Join us at the NetIP Annual conference in Washington DC over labor day to celebrate your heritage.

Dr. Parveen Chopra is the first Indian American honored by the New York State Bar Association in the history of the organization to receive the Haywood Burnes Memorial Award for his commitment to the struggle for justice and the qualities that made him an outstanding advocate for civil rights and the empowerment of the powerless. He also was the first Indian American to ever receive the Liberty Bell award for the promotion of Justice from the Nassau County Bar Association ( Largest Suburban Bar Association in the United States), where he served on the Judiciary screening committee of Housing court judges to prevent discrimination in housing. He currently serves as President of the Asian American Coaltion with 14 member countries representing the needs of the broader Asian communities.

“I’m privileged to have a loving father who taught us to stand up for our beliefs, community and society – through the example of his life. Both my father and mother are highly educated and mentally strong individuals who worked for the betterment of our people. I remember as a child, when our community was the subject of violent attacks by local gangs in Jersey City ( Dot Busters). Instead of retreating away from the problem – they both leaned into it, to ensure a better life for all ethnic minorities.  We have been blessed to have parents who are incredibly supportive of who we are as people, but also parents who have provided a tremendous amount of support to help realize the goals of our life and who instilled the values of higher education, hard work, discipline and perseverance. Our family has dedicated over 40 years to the growing community in the United States, hopefully we will still have the opportunity to serve.” said Dr. Praveen Chopra’s son, Samir Chopra who lives in New York with his wife and expecting their first child.

Dr. Parveen Chopra is an outstanding Asian-American who has excelled in academics, civil rights movement, regional and national leadership to community and has been widely recognized by leading Asian and American institutions for his outstanding contributions.

Dr. Chopra has excelled in academics by attaining five graduate degrees with honors and top ranks from prestigious universities and an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration. He has taught over seven thousand BBA, MBA, and doctoral students and has authored several books and articles in the field of Management in Business Administration and has been a member of the Academy of Management since 1976.

Dr. Chopra has lead, as the first Asian-American in the State of New York, as a Commissioner of Human Rights in Nassau County for the past seventeen years, vice chairman since 1996 and as acting chairperson since 2004. He has done a lot to mitigate discrimination in employment, housing and public matters. Dr. Chopra was also the first Asian to work as Commissioner of Planning from 1996 to 2002 and served it with great distinction in open hearings to public and improved the quality of life of 1.3 million Americans in Nassau County, New York in terms of land use, zoning, density, environment, transportation, population dynamics, urban planning and economy. Dr. Chopra was part of the team that prepared a master plan for the development of Nassau County for the next two decades based on his vision, experiences and input from citizenry based on hundreds of town hall meetings. Dr. Chopra also represented on the Decentralization Board of the Office of Cultural Development (1990-2002) promoting cultural heritage of many communities in New York and appeared before county legislature and state bodies for promotion of arts and culture in the state of New York.

Dr. Parveen Chopra addressing Indian Americans as President of Federation for the tri-state area during the period when Indian Americans were the target of racial crimes in 1987.

Ellis Island that beacons the Statute of Liberty in America and has been the landing point of many ancestry groups honored Dr. Parveen Chopra with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for 2005 as an outstanding American for his great contributions to American life. This honor has been bestowed on many former Presidents like Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon; Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist; Muhammad Ali; pioneer heart surgeon Dr. Michael E. DeBakey; Rosa Parks; Noble Laureate Elie Wiesel; Frank Sinatra; Bob Hope; Barbara Walters; Donald Trump; Quincy Jones; General Colin Powell etc.

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), with over 76,000 members, the largest voluntary association of attorneys in the United States founded in 1876. Decided to confer Dr. Parveen Chopra with the Prestigious Haywood Burns Memorial Award for his outstanding work in civil and Human Rights. Of major significance, Dr. Chopra was the first South Asian honored in the history of the 133 year old organization. Former Recipients include Federal Judge Honorable Cornelius V. Blackshear, Hon. Pam Badoria Jackman Brown of Jamaica and Prof. Randolph M. Scott-McLaughlin of Pace University School of Law.W. Haywood Burns, was a former dean of the City University of New York School of Law Mr. Burns joined the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and later became law clerk to Judge Constance Baker Motley of United States District Court. From there, he became assistant counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc and where he served as general counsel to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign in 1968.

Dr. Chopra was Marshal of India Day Parade which he helped to organize in 1987-88 and succeeding years as President of the Federation of Indian Associations for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, considered as the largest umbrella organization in USA. He also organized many functions in major cities of USA as General Secretary of National Federation of Indian American Associations (1992-94) to preserve and enhance Asian Indian cultural heritage and promote the causes that strengthen the relationships between two strongest democracies of the world India and USA. Since then he has frequently acted as a liaison with many elected officials in the region and the White House in Washington, D.C.

In civil rights movement, Dr. Chopra has fought prejudice and discrimination against the Indian, Asian, and American community. In 1987-88 he spear headed the movement in Jersey City, New Jersey and in New York City by organizing community protests. He also participated directly in a debate at Columbia University with the Chief of Police of New Jersey. He led the delegation to meet the Attorney General in Washington, D.C. and also organized seminars at the Crystal City Inn to fight discrimination where entire EEO Commission was in attendance. In 1989-90 he took an active role in organizing demonstrations in Jackson Heights, Queens when Indian merchants and customers became targets of violence. With the assistance of Police Department, Mayor and the Borough President™s Office the situations were resolved.

Recently Dr. Chopra, was the first Asian to be honored with the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King Award for 2005 at the Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel in New York, along with the current Police Commissioner which was attended by many supreme court judges and scores of elected officials and cross section of representation from Irish, Italian, Israeli, African, Hispanic and Asian communities. He was again the first Asian to be honored by The One Hundred Black Men Inc. at the Grand Ballroom of Crest Hollow Country Club New York in 2003 for his distinction in community service and efforts to promote understanding and relations between the African and Indian communities. He also worked with the Hispanic leadership on English Plus campaign successfully to retain English as a second language. He has received many prestigious awards from the highest elected officials like the Prime Minister of India, U.S. congressmen, N.Y. state senators, county executives, presiding supervisor of legislator, town boards and mayors and many prestigious associations and organizations in Indian and American community like Federation of Indian Associations, Sri Chinmoi Mission at the United Nations, H.H.H.Pramukh Swamy Maharaj of B.A.P.S., News India Times Group Inc., Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation Inc., Jackson Heights Merchants Association, World Business Forum Inc., Shiromani Punjabi Puraskar-2002 by the International Council of Punjab, etc. His leadership and community activism has been covered by American newspapers like The New York Times, Newsday, The Herald, The Citizen etc. several times.

Dr. Chopra founded Jackson Heights Merchants Association (1988), Flushing Merchants Association (1989) which are the business hubs of Indian community in New York City. He worked to improve the neighborhood conditions for merchants, customers and citizenry. Dr. Chopra is also the founder of Asian American Coalition USA Inc. (1988) representing leaders and associations of thirteen Asian countries in America. Dr. Chopra is also the lifelong trustee of Hindu Center/Temple, Flushing, N.Y., and currently chairs the Election Committee.

Dr. Chopra has organized over thirty fund raisers to help elect officials like county executive, congressmen, senators, judges for Supreme Court, county court, family court and district courts, town supervisors, mayors, legislators and councilmen. This has greatly helped not only Indian community to assimilate in America but also benefited countless causes in mainstream America. Dr. Chopra has also represented New York City Mayor and Comptroller and the two county executives on Long Island at over three hundred functions over the past two decades welcoming such visitors as the Prime Minister of India, Federal Ministers, industrialists, ambassadors, consul generals, bishops, movie stars, and outstanding men and women of significant achievements by presenting them with a key to the city, a flag of Nassau County, a citation or a proclamation to mark various events, achievements and celebrations.

Dr. Chopra has been profiled and honored by America’s oldest and prestigious biographer Marquis’ (since 1894) WHO’s WHO IN AMERICA, WHO’S WHO IN FINANCE AND INDUSTRY IN AMERICA, and WHO’S WHO IN THE WORLD for his distinguished and singular achievements spanning over twenty five years.

Dr. Chopra has lived in United States for thirty five years with his wife Usha who is a Clinical social worker. They live with their two sons Samir a Managing Director on Wall Street and Dr. Sachin Chopra an Attending Physician. Usha and Parveen have graduated from Western Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Manali and Usha was Deputy Leader of the mountaineering expedition to Mount Weissorn in Himalayas. Both have taken part in marathons in New York and all of them love Punjabi folk dance Bhangra.

“I wish NetIP the best of success in their endeavors. It is a leading organization that is making great contributions to both Indians and Americans by providing a platform for learning, mentorship and leadership of future leaders in all professional fields as well as community service.” – Dr. Parveen Chopra

Am I an NRI? The Non-Returning Indian?

Written by Pawan Kumar Sharma of NRImatters.com

I want to return to India someday. When I am done looking for what I’ve always wanted in life – wealth, lifestyle, progress and success, I would surely go back to India!

How can I ever forget where I come from? No matter how rich I become or how much luxury I enjoy, it will always make me really happy to go back to the place I was born and raised. The local village ground where I played with my friends, my one-storied rugged old school, my farm, and the narrow street lanes just next to my ancestral house that was built in red bricks.

The smell faces and the places that reminded me as I got up every early morning that this is the place where I belong. This is the space where I will always be welcome no matter where I go to live in the world or whatever I do!

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.” That’s the beauty of life. It made me realize that as an NRI, all my dreams, ambition and hunger to excel will eventually fizzle-out like those soft drink bubbles once I have had some luck, when someday I feel that my longing for material wealth and pleasure has ran its course!

Look at India today…..India’s great! The economy’s booming, now they have so many multi-million dollar companies, the standard of living is better; it is better connected through airways and roadways. I guess someone in that country has finally woken up to the untapped, infinite potential that a mammoth country like India has!

I just love what the country has to offer now! Global recognition in the form of being an, “IT giant”, “Bio-technology hub”, economic powerhouse and one of the finest medical tourism industry in the world! The other day I even heard that now there are more millionaires in India than any country in the world after United States and China! Phew…that’s gonna take the icing on the cake!

I mean, seriously, the amount of progress, wealth creation and economic transformation that India has had over the last 15 years have been nothing short of phenomenal! For the first time in my life, I have really felt proud of being an Indian. The other day some random guy in the US came to me and congratulated saying,”Hey buddy, I heard you guys made the world’s most economical car at what? 25, 00 bucks or something that runs 15 miles? If that’s true than why don’t you tell our guys to stop wasting millions of dollars on that stupid bio-fuel thing?”

I was spell-bound to hear this and felt like people from India do have the ability to surpass even the American technocrats when they have the desire and the fuel and opportunities that fund this desire!

You know I really feel like returning to India now! There’s no such thing in this first-world country that India does not have anymore. With world class malls, multiplexes, shopping arcades, fast food chain of restaurants, the KFC, McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Levis, Gucci, Rado and what not? As a person now habituated to foreign lifestyle and culture, I can get anything and everything I want at my fingertips! I miss so many things….my habits, my ways, my Desiness. For a father, it’s like missing out on his infant daughter growing into a teen and finally a beautiful woman ready to get married.

When I first stepped out of India to do a respectable white collar job in a foreign country, I thought I would make quick buck working really hard for a couple of years and finally return back to India to my small village life and my family. Today, I cannot recall when those couple of years ate into my whole life and I am still living in the same alien, foreign country that I never feel attached to or comfortable with- be it the culture or daily routine.

I keep asking myself the same question- will I ever go back? Here, I have wealth, better standard of living, less chaos (unlike in India), order, law, safety, life has a value. In India, I have my culture and roots, my relatives, less cost of living and education, my parents, my brother and sisters, my friends- my identity and existence!

For people like me who have settled in a foreign country for the last 20 years- there’s one recurring question and thought that we all are afraid to answer and confront- how will I start my life all over again? I left India to have a good, better life. Now I have everything I had set out to achieve but if I have to return to India today- my social existence, my friends, my relations, my lifestyle and myself will have to undergo so much transformation which might not be easy after getting accustomed to a foreign culture and lifestyle for the past 20 years of my life.

It’s a catch-22 situation and there’s no easy answer for a guy like me- a Non-Returning Indian!

I am. A Heritage Story from Tasneem Zaihra Rizvi brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves.

Join us at the NetIP Annual conference in Washington DC over labor day to celebrate your heritage.

My Cultural Heritage Story begins with a drop that consists of hopes and aspirations that has led into a ripple of inspiration and determination. And now, I am hoping that turns into a wave that not only satisfies my own quench to give back to society and achieve the impossible but just as importantly to give back to society and my cultural heritage. I would like the next generation to also benefit from my own cultural heritage while becoming a vibrant product of the community for all to partake in.

My cultural heritage is who I am, where I have come from, is my identity and a major part of who I am. As it’s commonly said, you can take the Indian out of India, but you can’t take India out of the Indian. Such true words that echoes my sentiments. I have applied all that I have learnt from my cultural heritage in my daily life and career as I go about my life trying to reach for the stars one day at a time. I strongly feel that I have been able to achieve what I have so far directly due to my energetic cultural heritage.

Well, here I am. Officially, I guess, I am well on my way within the pulsating world of Statistics. ‘Statistics’ – a word many cringed as I mentioned my background, as if it was worse than root canal. However, Statistics, where I am both in the academic as well as research sector, has been an enriching experience for me so far. As clichéd as it may sound, my journey towards achieving the very best, and going for the top, has truly been a wonderful and thrilling ride. And it has just begun.

The fact remains that I come from a very humble background. I was born and raised in a small town in north India; a place where usually only a few can have the audacity of even dreaming and reaching for the skies. And yet here I am today after breaking all shackles and freeing myself from all norms, striving towards a professional career. However, I have never forgotten where I have come from, my background and what my cultural heritage has taught and inspired me. I would like to be an inspiration to all those women out there who dare to dream and reach for the stars.

Despite coming from a humble background and raised in a country that many consider as a third-world, I have been able to overcome all my obstacles and critics; and ignored the social norms, to pursue my goals while making an overall positive difference to society. I was able to achieve much despite being raised in area where even the basics such as water and electricity is considered a luxury.

My aim is to touch the lives of others and motivate others to take full advantage of their own lives, dreams and destiny, and go after the impossible. I am attempting to do that through the world of education where I personally interact with many who are the future of this world. I hope through my teachings, I can reach out to the various students and inspire them to be all that they can be. My ideas and achievements are a mirror image of my parents, my teachers and my overall education, a major part of which was in north India.

I was also fortunate enough to be motivated by all my teachers in general but especially my high school math teacher. I still remember her constantly reminding us in class that though we live in a small town with only six hours or so of power supply; yet that won’t be written anywhere on our transcripts.

She inspired me greatly and gave me the courage and determination to dream and excel beyond the horizons that our eyes can see despite any and all odds. I acquired from her teachings along with my father’s preaching that it does not matter what kind of society we are born in or the lack of resources we may have, what truly matters is the kind of society we leave behind, and the people we touch.

These words have left an everlasting impression on me as I strive to continue on that path with these words of my teacher, as my guiding light and motivation. When you have lived in that environment, and seen first-hand, the poverty and obstacles around you, it gives you that drive with a keen sense of guts to first make a difference in your own life, and then give back to society through your achievements and the network you create. We come across many people, and there are only a few that leave their footprints and the cultural heritage stamp on our hearts. Hence, it is vital to instill the values and principles that are a result of our cultural heritage, and become a contributing citizen of wherever our paths lead us to.

After attending renowned private Catholic schools throughout my education till high school where I was provided one of the best education to assist me with my dreams and goals, I finally went to Aligarh Muslim University where I completed my Bachelors, Masters as well as a MPhil degree. I have always been determined and attempted to reach for the stars regardless. In India, as I was pursuing my Bachelors in Statistics Honors, I achieved the University Gold-Medal for securing a first position in the Faculty of Science.

I not only won another University Gold-Medal while doing my Masters in Operations Research for securing a first position in the same Faculty, but this time I also won the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for academic excellence in the MSc exam conducted nationally by the Central Universities of India. Out of millions of students literally, I was of one 15 students selected for this notable award. As a result,

I along with the other winners were personally invited by the then Prime Minister of India to sit with him in his private box on a national holiday, Republic Day, to watch the major Parade in the nation’s capital. This was a moment of pride not only for my family and friends, but a pride for the country and my community as well. There was no looking back for me at that point. I wanted to fully grasp life, and go where others seldom even dream of going.

For a female in that region to travel abroad alone let alone for educational purposes was a distant thought. But I was determined to take advantage of all her resources and skills to reach the mountain top. So in 2005, I arrived in this great nation of opportunities to further pursue my education. Of course, as I had never seldom ventured out of my small town let alone traveling by her self except for my education, I was a little overwhelmed, a little apprehensive of the unknown, and what laid ahead, and had to get adjusted to this new environment.

But I overcame all of my fears and anxiety, and achieved what I came here for. By beating all odds and continuing to beat all it all, I was able to cross the seven seas to pursue my doctorate. I completed my PhD in Statistics in summer of 2009 from the University of Windsor in Ontario Canada. My dissertation was on “Inference on some epidemiological indices and variance function in semi-parametric analysis of count data”.

My research included the analysis of correlated and clustered counts, and proportions which occur frequently in the field of biostatistics. While at the University, I also wanted to give back to the community here in Canada that gave me so much, including another amazing chapter and a new beginning of my life, and was a major part of my achieving yet another one of my goals. So I volunteered a lot of my time as well in between my studies. There were many including as a council member of the Graduate Student Society which represented the Canadian Federation of Students on my campus. That was just one of many. I also actively volunteered for a wonderful organization that helped students in India as well.

Along the way, I have added to my overall credentials and achievements, attaining many awards and successes. During the 23rd New England Statistics Symposium, CT, I was awarded an Honorable mention for the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center / Student Research Award Competition. I was also covered in AMStatNews (ASA) magazine. As I progressed towards completing my PhD, I was often confused about the path to take next. I contemplated about teaching, research and the corporate world, and all of its pros and cons. I guess God does work in mysterious ways as teaching was something I was leaning towards, and has now become my calling.

I am currently working as an Assistant Professor at a University in Canada while also engaged in various research. I have also had the pleasure of giving various talks and presentations both in Canada as well as the USA. Regarding my research, I have also written a few papers as well that were published in various reputable journals. I still remember my first day of teaching. Excited but nervous, anxious but uneasy not knowing what exactly lied ahead. How the students would be, how they would respond to my teaching, if I would be able to convey all the materials effectively, how much should I move around in the class, if I should be more of a mentor than a teacher?

So many thoughts in my head, so much to teach and learn, as the butterflies in my stomach buzzed about. While teaching, I also enrolled in Diploma in University Teaching (DUT). It’s been a great program, giving me a better insight to the world of teaching with some fantastic resources. It has provided me with the knowledge of teaching in relation to an academic discipline, skills related to educational design and to the assessment of teaching-learning interactions. DUT has helped me in further defining my teaching goals more precisely.

I am constantly encouraging my own students to excel, to do their best, achieve all that they can, strive for their dreams and to be the best they can. When my students come to know of my background and cultural heritage, where I came from, how that has shaped my life, my identity, and made me who I am, and how I have been able to achieve much, and continue to do so, they are motivated and geared to take on the world as well, come what may.

I try to reach out to my students, interacting with them on a individual level and rallying them with motivating and encouraging words not to hold back, or let anyone hold them back, and conquer their fears and accomplish their goals. You can see the sparkle in some of the students’ eyes as reality sets in that they too can do be whatever they want to be, and achieving whatever they want to be. I attempt to offer various opportunities for students to fine-tune their overall skills and gain additional experiences.

I try to actively find ways to help my students and reach out to them. As a teacher, my goal became not only to educate the students to its fullest but also give them a reason to learn and be a part of the learning. I would do my best to instill in them a zest for the subject by making the lectures more interactive, interesting and dialogue based. Teaching for me is similar to the art of pottery, where as teachers; we play the role of a potter who moulds the students who are like unshaped clay, in the best possible form with new ideas, thoughts and information. Enlisting these eager students into the world of education, they can then go into the real world armed with new knowledge, finding their own selves, drawing their own conclusions, creating an identity, and creating new frontier. I want to encourage my students to achieve their true potential.

I would like to instill self confidence in them to a level where they can have confidence in themselves and aspire to do something which they perhaps thought they could not do when they came to class for the first time. I believe in an egalitarian classroom where both teacher and student are partners. Education is a two-way process. I believe that as a teacher my role is to act as catalyst in their learning process by encouraging them to ask questions and by continuously reminding them that no question is trivial and asking questions is the first step towards the process of learning.

I would like to focus on the individual student as best as I can while listening listen to their concerns, and provide guidance, support and encouragement. I would say that I am a good teacher if I can help my students not only get a better understanding of the subject I am teaching but actually help him or her in the overall development of his or her personality, while encouraging them to develop a sense of belonging to this society and a sense of giving back. If I succeed in motivating even one student I would be glad, as for me, even one rose in my garden is better than none. I would like to strike a balance between teaching and with research as also being an essential part of my job function.

Teaching does matter and I believe it should be recognized in all its various forms as it opens the minds. Research is just as vital as it opens new frontiers. Both are vial and needed in their respective ways. Both the academic and the volunteer areas have fine-tuned my various abilities enabling me with a very strong work ethic. As a result, I am self-motivated, detail-oriented and a goal achiever, striving to attain the very best in all the endeavors that I embark upon. I hope that my passion for challenges and education helps towards making a little difference in learning and research while making some difference wherever I go and whoever I meet. There is one other thing that this journey has provided me with, and that’s my husband, Hasan Rizvi who is from the USA.

He has been my pillar of support and strength, and has been the next chapter of my life’s inspiration. If he wasn’t there, then I am certain I would hesitate on doing certain things. He loves to proudly proclaim that he is originally from Allahabad, where his mother was born and raised completing her college there, before immigrating to the United States with her husband, my father-in-law.

My husband believes that this part of his cultural heritage, i.e. Allahabad has produced two giants contributing towards India, namely Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru and Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. As a result, my husband is proud to have some major ties with this city. Even though my husband came to the United States when he was two years, with his father who was coming here with his own dreams and hopes, for residency after completing his medical degree at King George Med School in Lucknow, due to his parents, he has never let go of his cultural heritage as his parents took him back to India for regular visits as he was growing up. My husband feels proud to have two great and powerful countries as part of his cultural heritage. My husband has also been very successful in his own right as he continuously embarks on his own dreams and goals with his business and other activities which includes various non-profit, volunteer and political purists. Like his father, he has established himself well in society giving back to it as much as he can.

There are those in the world who work and strive for their own personal satisfaction from within. And then there are those who go out to make a difference in the lives of others, giving meaning and satisfaction in their own lives. We come across these handfuls who are set out to make an lasting impression on others and their lives. Their goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of others and assist them to achieve their dreams.

I would like to think that I am in this later category. I want to touch as many lives as I can, help as many people as can, inspire as many people as I can as I walk about this world. Hence, I choose this noble profession of teaching as an avenue to achieve a major part of my goals. I would like to share with others, what I have learned so far, even though I still have many miles to go, something that I am looking forward to, as I fondly cherish the memories. One thing is to enjoy the journey itself, and not to be blinded by the goal.

Have fun in the process, taking one day at a time. Relax, be yourself, and don’t let anything take over your life. It should revolve around you, and not the other way around. Always believe in yourself, have faith and trust the many decisions you take.

Thank you.

Tasneem Zaihra Rizvi

Bloomfield, NJ

The Genesis of IISD: a Cultural Heritage Story brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves.

Shomik Chaudhuri is a UN Representative for the Institute of  International Social Development, a NetIP North America Alliance Partner.

I was born into privilege with my father heading the largest printing ink company in India and with my siblings, got schooling from La Martinere School, Kolkata, regarded as one of the best schools in India.

Yet, our parents made us conscious of the deprivation all around and service to humanity was made a priority during our leisure. So, along with our studies and training in various skills, arts, and sports, we also got to serve people who needed help.

My sister Rajyashree and I developed a passion for rendering service and got ourselves volunteering in a local NGO that had some affiliation with the United Nations. My mother, having done her thesis in United Nations related subjects for her Masters, inspired us to work with the United Nations. We transformed the local NGO into a national NGO with 23 branches within 6 years.

After a national conference organized by us with Jadavpur University on ‘Social Development and NGO Management’ in January 1995, came my biggest break when I was chosen to represent the United Nations System in India to the ‘World Summit for Social Development’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1995. I was the youngest person in UN history to represent the UN at a world summit.

My experience from the trip was an insight into the vastness of opportunities that existed in networking at the international level that could be used to better serve the underprivileged.

To fulfill our dreams back home, Rajyashree and I formed Institute of International Social Development (IISD) under Section 25 of The Indian Companies Act, 1956, as an international NGO that could work to bring about transformation in people’s lives in real terms through sincere, honest, professional grade work and service.

The NGO was formed in October 1996 and in January 1997 we organized the First International Conference on Values for a Better World which had speakers like Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Nobel Laureates, among others.

To us values form the foundation of life and are essential for any work including developmental work to be fulfilling and sustainable. Our report from the conference is deemed as a valuable document at the United Nations on values even today.

We started on Project Sushiksha (Functional literacy) in the slums of Kolkata, slowly expanding into Project Suswasthya (Healthcare) and Project Shramdaan (employment generation). We also opened our branch in New York, U.S.A. in 1997.

Our projects, programs, workshops and other programs gave us the platform to seek Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations and we received this most prestigious Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations in October 2000. We are in the exclusive panel to recommend to the UN on various relevant issues based on which the world body would formulate their legislations.

From 2000, we also consciously framed every project to support the newly formulated Millennium Development Goals by the UN. That opened a whole new class of projects. Check www.iisd-ngo.org

Meet writer and columnist Anand Giridharadas!

Anand Giridharadas, is an American writer and newspaper columnist. He also serves as an analyst for CNN and CBC Radio.

Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Giridharadas has since resided in Cleveland, Paris and Maryland. He studied the history of political thought at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. After college, he moved to Mumbai in 2003, where he worked as a consultant for the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

He has written pieces for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In 2008 he was promoted to columnist at The New York Times. In addition, he serves as an active lecturer, panelist and moderator at universities, the United Nations and private companies.

In 2011, he released his first book ”India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking.” He has recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has also been featured on NPR. India Calling is the official book c;lub pick for the 2011 NetIp Conference.

Learn more about Anand Giridharadas and other conference speakers on the conference website.
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