NetIP talks to Tony Fernandes

Prime Time with NetIP , May 6, 2010 7pm EST only on HumDesi Radio

Buckle your seat belts for CEO of Air Asia and owner of the prestigious Lotus Team F1 Grand Prix. Tony will be on the show live from Malaysia, this is one Prime Time you won’t want to miss.

More about the show:www.netip.org/primetime

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Please join us for a live broadcast, call toll free 1-877-DESI-321 Ext 305 to ask questions during the show.

Email us questions at primetime@netip.org, Tweet us onwww.twitter.com/netipna

The Return of the Raj: An Article by C. Raja Mohan

Printed with Permission from the May-June 2010 issue of The American Interest Magazine Online. C. Raja Mohan is strategic affairs editor of the Indian Express, and from 2009–10 was the Henry A. Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress..

It is not clear what French President Nicolas Sarkozy had in mind when he invited a contingent of 400 Indian troops to march down the Champs-Élysées for the Bastille Day parade in 2009. But Paris might be on to something that Washington has missed, in spite of its more intensive military engagement with India in recent years. Although Paris does not have the power to engineer international structural changes in New Delhi’s favor, it has often been ahead of Washington in strategizing about India.

Of course, Sarkozy’s motives might have been merely tactical: a move to butter up Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was among the honored guests at the parade, or to raise its share of India’s rapidly expanding market for advanced arms.

But Paris is capable of more than tactics: It may sense the prospects of a fundamental change in India’s defense orientation and its potential to contribute significantly to international security politics in the 21st century. It may see that a rising India, which runs one of the world’s major economies and fields a large armed force, will eventually bear some of the military burdens of maintaining the global order.

The image of Indian troops marching in Paris should remind the world that India’s military past could be a useful guide to its strategic future. If the United States and India can together rediscover and revive the Indian military’s expeditionary tradition, they will have a solid basis for strategic cooperation not only between themselves but also with the rest of the world’s democracies.
A genuine partnership between Washington and New Delhi can reconstitute in the 21st century the “India Center” that organized peace and stability in much of the Eastern Hemisphere during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

More Americans than ever now see beyond India’s third-worldish rhetoric and appreciate its quiet affection for power and realpolitik. Ever more Indians appreciate the genuine opportunities for strategic, economic and political partnership with the United States and the West in general.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

The preceding excerpt is a sponsored article and does not reflect the views of NetIP North America.

NetIP Chicago’s Sinai Health System Volunteer Event

By Marina Isaac, Community Partnership Liaison, NetIP Chicago

Chicago’s Sinai Health System is used to seeing diversity on a daily basis.  The health system was originally founded to serve the needs of Eastern Jewish immigrants in the community.  Currently, it primarily serves the African-American and Latino population.  However, on April 3, 2010, Sinai welcomed a strong presence of volunteers from the Network of Indian Professionals, Chicago Chapter eager and willing to dedicate their time to support Sinai’s Kids Club Easter Event.

NetIP Chicago  recently partnered with Sinai Health System as part of their community outreach efforts.  Sinai Health System, located on Chicago’s west side, has been serving the surrounding community’s needs for over 90 years.  Over 72% of the patients have no coverage or utilize Medicaid.  Yet Sinai continues to uphold the belief that all individuals deserve to be treated according to the same standard of care, regardless of socio-economic status.

In addition to volunteer hours, NetIP Chicago seeks to provide a number of professional services such as financial consulting, short-term marketing projects, and pro bono legal support to Sinai as requested.  Furthermore, NetIP Chicago will be providing fiscal support to Sinai as one of the beneficiaries for the upcoming annual gala on November 20th.  The theme for this year’s gala is Cancer is Colorblind (CiC).

NetIP Chicago’s first volunteer event with Sinai was a marked success.  Over 55 children had the pleasure of working with volunteers to make crafts, color, and play games for Sinai’s Kids Club Easter Event.  Sinai Health System promotes these Kids Club Events for children from the community to enjoy the holidays like many of their peers across the nation.

The day started with volunteers working on Easter baskets and crafts for the children to take home to decorate their homes.  As the children worked diligently on their masterpieces, NetIP volunteers distributed refreshments and supplies and assisted the aspiring, young artists and their parents.  As the morning progressed, volunteers gathered children to play games such as “Simon Dice” [Simon Says] and “Sillas Musicales” [Musical Chairs].  Above the cacophony of voices shouting in different languages and bodies moving in different directions, it was clear that regardless of age, all who were present enjoyed their time together.  After all, fun is colorblind too.

For more information on NetIP Chicago including their upcoming events please visit www.netipchicago.org.

www.NetIP.org

NetSAP Boston Helps Community Boating,Inc. Prep for 2010 Sailing Season

Written by Teju Patel ~ NetSAP Boston Cultural Chair & Anisha Patel ~ NetSAP Boston Secretary

On Saturday, March 20^th from 10 am to 4pm volunteers  from the Network of South Asian Professionals Boston Chapter were on hand to get Community Boating, Inc.  ready for this year’s sailing season.    The boat house and surrounding structures are very typical of the New England area: a clash of new and old worlds.    Where else but Boston will you find a not-for-profit organization that is considered “.  .  .  the largest, oldest, and best public sailing program in the United States, and serves as a model program for many others.  .  .  “?

Generally speaking, March 20th is cold and snowy, and better suited for a little spring skiing.   This year the weather was unseasonably warm, with temperatures reaching up to 70 degrees by the early afternoon.   With no sailing skills required, the NetSAP volunteers came together to clear the docks and to ready the boats to set sail for the season!  As everyone set about their work it was clear that there was a lot to accomplish! The marina held a few boats, but the majority of the boats were still sitting on the dock in their winter resting places waiting for a little TLC.

The boats were laid in a manner reminiscent of a package of taco shells.   The boats were placed on their sides, fitting together so that the least amount of space was used for the maximum amount of storage.   Each Mercury weighed anywhere from 200-300lbs.   An assembly line quickly came together to place each into the water.   The eager volunteers, pumped up on coffee and munchkins, set out to flip, fix, and push the Mercury’s into the water.

So how does a group of 5 volunteers tip over a boat to make sure it’s right side up? Four people would stand at the back, and then one person would shimmy to the inside of the boat and step on the edge to tip it over.   This was referred to as “riding the rail”! Once the boat was flipped, it was gingerly placed on a wheeled dolly in order to be inspected.   Once all the bolts, life jackets, and the main mast were adequately fixed – the boat was heave-hoed into the chilly Charles River.   Despite the balmy weather, no one even dared accidentally falling into the frigid 40 degree waters! We split up into 4 groups and the work started moving along.  .  .

As the assembly line progressed, volunteers were finally able to see the dock, with most of the boats now bobbing in the water.   A clear indicator of the group’s success! Once this happened, the Community Boating folks wanted to thank all the volunteers for all their hard work by energizing them with a hearty barbecue lunch.   During lunch, the NetSAPpers sat with the organization’s executive director and chatted about the historic boat house.   We all learned that this boat house exists and operates solely on the generosity of energetic volunteers.   People that belong to this organization not only sail, but recruit their friends and family into their passion.   Community Boating, Inc.   caters to sailors of all ages and ability, as well as youngsters from the city’s disadvantaged neighborhoods.

At the end of the day the Network of South Asian Professionals, Boston gang took a picture on the dock with the beautiful skyline in the background.   Physically exhausted by the lifting, pushing, and pulling, the group reveled in their accomplishments and then headed home for a nap.

To learn more about NetSAP Boston please visit http://www.netsapboston.org/ and click HERE to visit their Facebook page.

www.NetIP.org

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

Announcing the 19th Annual NetIP North America Conference!

NetIP North America Conference 2010: Seattle
unique.by.nature

Friday, August 20th – Sunday, August 22nd
Grand Hyatt, Downtown Seattle, WA

Be ready for a conference like you’ve never seen before! We’re taking our most anticipated event of the year to the “Metronatural” city of Seattle: America’s best kept secret. With expansive blue skies and warm summer weather, the Emerald City will be a perfect backdrop for our action-packed weekend.

The 2010 conference agenda will boast a new type of “Interactive Skill Building Workshop”, top Keynote Speakers, Panel Discussions, Fun & Social Optional Events, and lots of time to network at our Friday night mixer or Saturday night Gala. We’re proud to announce that the conference is Green, utilizing modern social media technologies, and will have a focus on food!We hope you’ll join us in Seattle on August 20th. Although last year’s conference hosted over 1000 attendees, this conference is exclusive and limited to the first 500 that sign up (NetIP Members Only).

For updates, stay tuned to www.netipconference.org and follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/netipconference (#netipcon).

Questions or Comments? Email Sarika Punjabi and Neha Sharma: conferenceinfo@netip.org

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Dallas Dinner Circle

by Palvi Waghela, Cultural Awareness Pillar Chair, Network of Indian Professionals Dallas

What could be better then trying out a new restaurant while catching up with friends and making some new ones before the night is through?  A recent NetIP Dallas dinner circle event provided all of the above and then some!  This month NetIP Dallas decided to explore the exotic tastes of East Africa by sampling delicious Ethiopian cuisine at the Queen of Sheeba restaurant in Addison, Texas on February 23, 2010.   The event had a capacity turnout of NetIP members as well as non-members (many attending a NetIP event for the first time).

The evening began with a networking segment giving everyone a chance to meet and get to know each other before they took their places at the table.  About half an hour into the evening dinner was served and consisted of a range of items that reflected the heart of Ethopian cuisine.

One on the appetizers named  ”Sambusas” were basically samosas, and consisted of spiced lentils in a crispy pastry wrapper.  This was served with Sheba’s Salad made with tomato, onion, and jalapeno lightly spiced and dressed.  Next came a spicy crepe like bread called Injera.  For all you spicy food lovers this was a great pick! Our vegetarian members raved about these two starters.

During the course of appetizers and dinner, an icebreaker game was played as well.  The icebreaker consisted of telling two truths about yourself and one lie, the group then made their guesses as to which fact was the lie.   This was a fun way to get to know interesting facts about each attendee, for instance dinner guests learned who was a triplet and which guy cuts his own hair.  It was a great way for people to make connections and learn the most random things from the attendees unique backgrounds.

The arrival of dinner brought with it an aroma of spices that made your mouth water.  For the vegetarians there were a couple of dishes: Lentils, Cabbage, and Chickpeas gravy, which was served with their delicious bread Injera.  For our meat lovers there were two wonderful dishes: Spicy Beef and Shredded Chicken, which were also served with Injera. A surprise for most members in attendance was that food was eaten by hand using the Injera in a way similar to naan.

The room’s pitch went from loud and boisterous to complete silence.  This only meant one thing, the food was DELICIOUS and everyone was too busy stuffing his or her mouths to talk.  After eating this wonderful meal no one had room for dessert!  The night came to an end after two hours of networking, eating, laughing and just having a wonderful time with old friends and new.

This was a great value to members since they were able to sample the best and most interesting food Ethiopia has to offer for the mere price of $20 which included tax, tip and a non-alcoholic beverage!  Dinner Circle at Queen of Sheeba was a huge success according to our members and non-members.  Queen of Sheeba is strongly recommended if you have not been yet.  Happy Eating!

To attend the next NetIP Dallas dinner circle or for more information about upcoming events please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

www.NetIP.org

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

NetIP Houston hosts 1st Annual For the Love of Food

by Sejal Bhrambatt, National Liaison, Network of Indian Professionals Houston

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!

NetIP Dallas World Record Breaking Community Service Event

by Vishal Bagchi, Community Service Pillar Chair, Network of Indian Professionals Dallas

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

Network of Indian Professionals 7th Annual Officers Leadership Conference

The City of Angels welcomes the Network of Indian Professionals

7th^th Annual Officers Leadership Conference

Celebrating 20 years of South Asian Empowerment

Los Angeles, CA, Feb 10^th 2010: The Network of Indian Professionals’ (NetIP) 7^th Officer’s Leadership Conference (OLC) was held Feb 5 to Feb 7, 2010 at the Wilshire Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles. The OLC served as the national kick-off for the 2010 NetIP calendar year. It provided an open forum for leadership to be recognized, for officers both new and returning to network and form good working relationships. The goal of the OLC has always been to provide an opportunity for NetIP chapter leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges, as well as to collaborate on leading practices as an organization. NetIP North America is the parent organization to its 24 chapters.

“The main goal of this leadership conference was to Inspire and Motivate all our chapter leaders from 24 cities. Based on the overwhelming response, I believe we surpassed our highest expectations. NetIP as an organization has incredible potential, and we’re on our way to becoming a household name, not just in the South Asian community but across North America.” -Shubha Rao, VP Internal Affairs, NetIP North America. Rao’s team put together and managed the conference and logistics in less than 8 weeks.

Attendees from NetIP’s 24 chapters, from coast to coast graced the conference to give feedback and learn about the goals and vision for the organization as a whole. Day one at the conference included a surprise live on-air segment with Brand Strategist Pooja Dhawan and NetIP’s media partner, Hum Desi Radio.

Sundip Arora, President, Network of Indian Professionals of North America was pleased with the conference and the performance of his board. “20 years on, NetIP has made unbelievable strides and leaders from chapters around the continent got a first-hand feel of our progress at our Officer’s Leadership Conference. My goal this year for the OLC was for Chapter Officer’s, new and returning, to Learn, Share, Inspire and Be Inspired. We achieved this through two days of intense collaborative sessions and workshops. NetIP North America is very proud to be part of the biggest OLC in our history and to have set another defining moment for our 20th anniversary.”

Along with ambitious plans to streamline technology across the 24 chapters and the North America parent Organization, NetIP revealed its new intranet which uses google collaboration to make internal communication and reporting seamless. The new VP of Technology, Anish Mistry, explained his efficient plan for the year ahead which included a revamped NetIP.org website and his goal to increase back-end content management efficiency.

Sri Narasimhan, NetIP North America’s VP of Finance and Administration, and his team went over legal, tax and financial reporting requirements for the incoming Chapter Officers. Latha Nehru, VP External Affairs, and her team explained NetIP’s Grameen Foundation initiative in Haiti as well as their plans to forge alliances with other non profits in an effort to raise visibility for NetIP.

The Los Angeles-Orange County (LA-OC) chapter of NetIP helped manage logistics and hosted the evening socials for the weekend. “I was very excited to see that months of hard work had culminated in a successful OLC. The conference setting and venues allowed chapter leaders to network and share ideas in a both professional and social environment.“ -Sapan Shah, President, NetIP LA-OC. The Los Angeles Orange County chapter of NetIP was the host for the conference.

Director of Operations, Santosh Perla, kept the momentum going right from the weeks before the conference with an eagle eye on deadlines. At the conference he kept attendees motivated and energized during a packed presentation schedule.

“More than a forum to share ideas, the OLC was a showcase of the many resources NetIP-NA provides to individual chapters seeking to make an impact in their respective communities.  Our chapter left the OLC with a greater understanding of the tools available to mobilize our membership and enhance the value of the NetIP brand locally.” Ashwin Janakiram, President NetIP Chicago

This year NetIP’s largest event, the Annual Conference is being held in Seattle on August 20-22, 2010. Conference Co-chairs Neha Sharma and Sarika Punjabi presented their conference strategy and theme “Unique by Nature”.

“This OLC was my first NetIP conference experience and I was blown away by the professionalism of the organization. The high caliber of the young professionals in leadership positions in NetIP was very inspiring. It was a great opportunity to connect with people across North America and share experiences. I hope to bring the insight, enthusiasm and strength of NetIP National and other local chapters back to NetIP San Francisco Bay Area. NetIP has great potential for national and local impact on the young professional South Asian community.” Purvi Patel, President NetIP San Francisco Bay Area.

At the conclusion of a weekend packed with valuable take-aways, action items and resources, NetIP and its chapters are uniquely positioned to forge ahead amongst its demographic. NetIP provides the only platform for South Asians in North America to network and grow in their professional and personal lives.

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.

# # #

If you’d like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview contact Pooja Dhawan, Brand Strategy for NetIP North America, by email at pooja@netip.org

NetSAP DC’s January Third Thursday Benefiting the Grameen Foundation

Reprinted with Permission from Purti Ruchi Bali, President of the Network of South Asian Professionals DC

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. The 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