On Tuesday May 4^th, NetSAP Boston hosted sought after speaker Dr Jaya Prakash Narayan of the Lok Satta Party during his tour of the United States to deliver talks on various topics as part of the “Rejuvenate India” series.  The event was held at MIT University and co-promoted by the MIT University student group, Sangam and the local People for Lok Satta chaper.

Dr.Jayprakash Narayan is presently a member of Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly, a former doctor, social reformer, columnist and former Indian public administrator. During the 16 years of distinguished public service in various capacities, he acquired a formidable reputation in the state of Andhra Pradesh and India. He was also the founder of ‘Lok Satta movement’, an Indian non profit for democratic reforms in India. Dr.JP launched the Lok Satta political party in 2006 with citizen centric government as it’s main agenda. He was a journalist (author of news paper articles), an Indian social activist for local governments, a member of various Constitutional and Government committees and a motivating speaker. He has played a key role in drafting many Indian laws in last decade like the Right to Information act (2005), Electoral reforms and decentralization.

The event began with Dr. Narayan speaking on multiple topics of his political experiences in India and he shared a number of interesting and enlightening stories on what was currently happening in the country.  He then gave his views on what his vision of what India should be doing moving forward and he gave ideas to people on how they could get involved.

After his initial speech, a lively and interactive question and answer session followed for more than an hour.  The crowd of almost 100 people were very engaged with the discussion and many different people asked questions about Dr. Narayan’s views on  issues relating to politics, his own life experiences and how he got to the point where he was at today.  In fact, the question and answer session would have continued even further, but the event had to end because the time ran out.

This was an excellent event that received positive feedback afterwards.  The people in attendance enjoyed listening to the dynamic speaker, Dr Narayan and they appreciated NetSAP Boston hosting him for an event.  The event served as good publicity for the organization in the local community as many people in attendance were not aware of NetSAP Boston prior to attending the event.

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

Winner of Two Boscars at the 18th Annual Conference in Toronto

Best Professional Development Event: MBA Panel

NetSAP Boston held their 4th Annual MBA Panel event for Prospective Business School over the summer. The goal of the event was to help attendees create the most competitive business school application possible in this tough economic climate, to provide them with tips to apply immediately for B-school no matter where they were in the process, and to also bolster their chances of getting into top schools.

The panel had six distinguished guests; Deirdre Kane, Assistant Director of MBA Admissions at the Sloan School of Management, MIT; Christina Kyprianou, Associate Director, Graduate Admissions at Babson College, School of Business; Lara Zelman, Marketing and Admissions Manager for the BU Executive MBA Program; Aman Khaira, consultant at Bain, recent HBS alumnus; Parag Patel, consultant at McKinsey, recent MIT -Sloan alumnus and Kishore Deverakonda, management consultant at L.E.K., U of Chicago. There was also a representative from Manhattan GMAT, one of the leading GMAT test service agencies in the country at this time who was also a Wharton alum.

NetSAP Boston brought together Admissions Officers, Alums and a GMAT testing agency, making it an extremely helpful professional development program for prospective Business School students. Additionally, this event gave out member base access to admissions officers from some of these top schools. The unique blend of professionals, alumni and admission officers provided just the forum that potential B-School applicants were looking for, creating a highly successful event for NetSAP Boston.

Best Officer: Rashi Mittal, NetSAP Boston

Rashi Mittal has served as the Professional Development Chair for NetSAP Boston since January 2009. She has put her professional connections to great use and has been highly successful in increasing NetSAP Boston’s name and brand in new and different professional communities. In February, Rashi worked with the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston (SABAGB) and Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) to coordinate a Cultural event at Taj Boston. The event drew over 400 South Asian professionals. The program also allowed NetSAP Boston to network with Taj Boston (owned by Tata Group).

As a lawyer, Rashi has constantly served as a liaison between NetSAP Boston and SABAGB. SABAGB and SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together) have partnered to organize an annual day of service day in October to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. NetSAP Boston will be partnering with the two groups to spread the word about the event, and invite members to the event. This is a great opportunity for NetSAP to partner with SAALT for the very first time.

In July, Rashi organized the yearly NetSAP Boston MBA Panel.  While the event has become an annual event for the Boston chapter, Rashi was able to bring a new and refreshing perspective to it by asking three distinguished admissions officers from some of the top MBA programs (MIT, Babson, Boston University executive program), along with 3 MBA alums from top Business Schools (HBS, Chicago Booth School and MIT) to come to the panel. Rashi moderated the panel. The panel has assisted NetSAP Boston to create presence with MIT, Babson, Boston University and GMAT Manhattan.

Currently, Rashi is working on organizing a Seminar called “Out-of-the-box Careers”. The concept is to bring panelists who are not pursuing traditional career paths. In this economy, this panel is especially important because it will assist the members to explore and learn about alternative career paths.

Rashi is proactive and takes her responsibilities very seriously, always showing her support for events run by other chairs and often helping them with their tasks. Rashi has truly been an asset and a valued addition to the NetSAP Boston board.

 Leader of the Month winners!

Nevin Shetty, National Liaison, NetIP-NY

Nevin Shetty can best be described as a “Jack of All Trades” when it comes to NetIP-NY.  He began his tenure on the NetIP-NY Board as VP-Membership 2008 and has served as National Liaison in the past year. Nevin’s goal has been to not only establish the NetIP-NY brand as one of quality and value in the tri-state community, but to ensure that NetIP-NY serves as a model chapter throughout the nation. He has worked to create a collaborative culture for all Northeast NetIP chapters and has been a key contributor to a positive Board culture. Nevin’s passion and dedication to NetIP-NY’s success is truly commendable and the team is proud to have him as a leader.

Sonit Seth, Vice President, NetSAP Boston

Sonit Seth’s journey on the NetSAP Boston board began in 2008 as the Professional Development Chair.  He then went on to become a key volunteer in the Logistics team for the 17th Annual NetIP Conference hosted in 2008. Sonit continued his role as the Professional Development Chair in 2009, but his role grew above and beyond the responsibilities of his core position since May of this year when Sonit elected as VP. In each of these positions, Sonit has exhibited qualities of a strong leader, is personable and approachable, and has vision and great execution.  Sonit has become an invaluable resource to the Boston board and continues to demonstrate his versatility, leadership, and dedication to the NetIP organization.

NetIP-NY’s 2nd Annual Community Service Day, held on July 25th,  provided members with the unique opportunity to give back to the NY community through four different charities – Keen new York, Riverside Park Fund, CRY, and Ronald McDonald House. Following the various volunteer activities, the day concluded with a Volunteer Appreciation Cocktail Hour, which featured a bone marrow drive with SAMAR.  The event was highly successful, attracting over 60 participants. NetIP-NY’s Community Service team’s vision is to maximize social return through consistency and impact.  No matter the size of the event, they have put their hearts into ensuring that each event attendee realizes their inner potential to make a difference in today’s society – garnering over 400 hours of volunteer service by over 120 volunteers thus far this year.  

NetSAP Boston held their 4th Annual MBA Panel event for Prospective Business School Students at Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge on July 11th, 2009.  The goals of the event were to help attendees on creating the most competitive application possible in this tough economic climate, provide them with tips that they could apply immediately for B-school no matter where they were in the process, bolster their chances of getting into the top schools, have a discussion about the cost-benefit analysis of getting an MBA, have a forum to discuss issues related to being a MBA candidate from a minority group, and build essential contacts with admission officers and alumni from some of the top business schools across the country. The event brought together admissions Officers, alumni and a GMAT testing agency all in one place, making it a very comprehensive and extremely helpful professional development program for the prospective business school students.

On August 10th, NetIP San Diego hosted a “Design Your Future” Life Coaching Event.  This event showcased lessons from a life coach to rethink what is possible in all areas of life, including relationships, business, personal dreams, career or overall life questions. The coaching also aimed at providing access to that which is unpredictable, unknown and discontinuous with one’s past experiences.  This event was truly unique and particularly relevant in today’s environment. The event proved to be very appealing to particpants who were engaged in the highly interactive atmosphere and who hope to see similar events hosted by NetIP San Diego in the future.

NetSAP-Boston partnered and participated in a community awareness event called “Bhopal Chemical Disaster” on April 25th, 09. The event was organized by Saru Mahajan, Community Awareness Chair on the NetSAP-Boston board.
 
The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, http://boston4bhopal.org ,  is a coalition of survivors group that got together in Boston after several other tours around the world. These survivors have been working for justice and a life of dignity after suffering through one of the world’s worst industrial disaster, and for a toxic free future for all. The event was organized with various organizations around Boston including MIT, AID-Boston and various other Human Rights Group.
 
The Union Carbide Chemical Disaster of 1984 that happened in Bhopal, India killed more than 23,000 people due to a catastrophic gas leak and ongoing water contamination in the central Indian city. The youth from the second generation of survivors are affected by the ongoing water contamination from the abandoned Union Carbide factory site.
 
Dynamic youth leaders, 16 year old Sarita Malviya and Safreen Khan, traveled from their homes in Bhopal, India to the US and Canada to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Bhopal Chemical Disaster. Traveling with the teens was Rachna Dingra of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, an international coalition of survivors and supporters with a worldwide presence. The campaign called for ‘No More Bhopals’, more effective regulation of the chemical industry, and greater rights for marginalized communities to protect them from chemical harm.
 
The main purpose of this event was to educate the attendees about the plight of people in Bhopal after 25 years and how they are still struggling for resolution. The stories told by the individuals reached out to the audience and impacted them immensely. Many people gave donations to the group and also helped the group reach out to other major Human Rights groups in the US and world. After the meet, similar meets were organized in Boston. Several individuals from NetSAP-Boston also assisted the victims by providing monetary support and also helped them with setting up other funds.
 
Pallavi Chhabra, NetSAP Boston President remarked that “NetSAP was proud to partner with the Coalition in a first-of-its-kind community service event; The survivors of the tragedy shared their moving stories with the attendees and overall feedback was positive leading us to believe that NetIP should participate in more such events, not only in Boston but across the Nation”