Kesha Parikh & Pawan Manocha Win 2011 Best President Award

With over 700+ annual events and 2500+ annual paid members, NetIP chapters are a clear success story.  However, none of this would be possible without our leadership, especially our NetIP chapter presidents.  Chapter presidents work tirelessly to bring you unique programming and provide value for our members.   The Best President Boscar is given to individuals who have exhibited a strong sense of leadership, dedication, and passion in growing their board and chapter.  

 NetIP St. Louis’ Pawan Manocha, winner of the Best President – Small City Award is an individual who has been involved with NetIP for over 5 years – and President for the past three years.  During his Presidency, he focused on revamping the chapter’s programming and aligning it with NetIP’s four pillars.  In doing this, he was able to grow the chapter from under 10 members to having events attended by over 550 people. 

 NetIP Chicago’s Kesha Parikh, winner of the Best President – Large City Award is simply put, just one amazing lady.  Involved with NetIP for the past two years, she has raised the bar across the board by learning every area of her chapter – programming, marketing, technology, and more.  She has incessantly worked to further grow not only the local chapter, but the organization as a whole.  This can best be seen through her spearheading of one the most acclaimed community service events of the year “Honoring Narayanan Krishnan” and helping to manage a brand new technology platform for NetIP North America.

Best PD Event & Best CA Event 2010

Best Professional Development Event & Best Cultural Awareness Event

Things we are looking for, in this category:

• Uniqueness of Event
• Quality of Event
• Impact made in the community
• Effective event marketing strategies
• Membership and financial impact from the event

And the Winners are…

• Best Professional Development Event – NetIP Dallas for “Job Search 101”
• Best Cultural Awareness Event – NetIP St. Louis for “Philosophy Club”

“Our goal of showcasing NetIP Dallas as a Professional organization and providing a service to the community has been successfully achieved.  Our 2010 Professional development series is founded on the belief that today’s NetIP Dallas members are tomorrow’s leaders. This event was broadcasted on our local radio station and we had an increase in membership after this event. We have been asked by members about a Part 2 event that includes recruiters.”

-Riya Bhattacharya, President, NetIP Dallas

“The philosophy discussion group has added a new demographic to NetIP. Several people previously uninterested in NetIP discovered a niche in which they could feel comfortable. Furthermore, through their friendships, these people have found a route into active NetIP membership. The group has consequently benefited in activity and diversity from new members. In the more general community, our image has shifted- now people realize that there is a philosophical element to NetIP, increasing the respect we garner. This perception mirrors a reality, as the philosophical discussions carry over into our daily lives and into other NetIP events.”

NetIP St. Louis, Winner of Best Cultural Awareness Event at the Boscars

This year, NetIP St. Louis decided to become a part of something revolutionary. A nascent theater group called “The South Asian Theater Company” decided to take its first production, “Birds, Bees, and Biodata,” to the stage in St Louis. Such an enormous task entailed a large amount of risk and the promise of countless hours of work.

“Birds, Bees, and Biodata,” is a comedy originally written and performed by “Princeton South Asian Theatrics” in 1999 (primary authors Sachin Shah and Karthick Ramakrishnan, modification in 2008 by Sanjiv Bajaj). The final product is a 2 ½ hour comedy about relationships and conflicts in South Asian families in America and about arranged marriages. The play touches on serious themes such as dating vs arranged marriage vs arranged introductions, premarital sex, child autonomy, and changing notions of family roles. It does so against a comedic backdrop, encouraging the audience to enjoy the play as they deal with these difficult issues.

NetIP St. Louis initially helped in recruiting many members of the cast. It then helped in publicity (using several media) and funding for the endeavor and finally lent manpower for the production crew. In the end, NetIP St. Louis’s involvement was critical to the great success of the production. The Black Cat Theater in St Louis has seating for 145 people and the first show seated 195 (with extra seats brought in) and had extra guests standing in the back!

Most of all, the production brought a new consciousness to the St Louis community that the arts could provide a valid vehicle for showcasing important issues in South Asian culture. It stood out against a landscape populated by many Diwali shows and talent shows. The South Asian Theater Group is currently writing its next production and will be putting it on in the coming year in collaboration with the St Louis chapter of NetIP, highlighting a unique collaboration that adds cultural depth to the South Asian cultural scene and the broader theatrical milieu in the city of St Louis.

NetIP Announces May’s “Leader of the Month”

Mridula Kulkarni, NetIP St. Loius

Mridula joined the NetIP St. Louis board in 2009 as a Treasurer but her role on the board has grown above and beyond the responsibilities of her core position.  She upholds and promotes the NetIP brand through her pleasant attitude, enthusiasm, and dedication to developing unique events for the St.Louis chapter that have resulted in an increase in membership.  These have included the chapter’s Holi event, which she organized and managed single-handedly by selecting a venue and marketing the event to other South Asian organizations.  Most recently, Mridula organized a successful winery trip,  selecting the venue, handling transportation arrangements, and even preparing sandwiches for event participants!

NetIP North America congratulates Mridula on all of her accomplishments with NetIP St. Loius!