Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Indian American Forum (IAF), India Association of Long Island (IALI), and India Day Parade (IDP USA) jointly celebrated Indian American Night.
The initiative was led by Dr. Bobby Kumar Kalotee, chairman of Human Rights Commission, on June 22nd, 2025, a press release from organizers said. It is part of Nassau County Department of Parks and Recreation’s ongoing International Nights series hosted at Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park.
Hundreds of people gathered at the evening event despite hot temperatures, equipped with picnic hampers and chairs in the backdrop of the picturesque lake. There was Indian music, dance and song performances by around 110 children aged 3 years to teens, dressed in colorful clothes. Many represented different dance schools in and around Long Island. Parents and grandparents looked on proudly.
A very special dance was performed by Sia Nandrajog who came all the way from California to New York to perform in IAF night. Each participants were awarded a certificate, t-shirt and personal pan pizzas.
The program started with American National Anthem sung by Hanika Reddy Parvathala, followed by Indian National Anthem by Jyoti Gupta and group.
Nassau County lawmaker, Rose Marie Walker, welcomed everyone and thanked all the supporters.
Dr Kalotee introduced and congratulated all Honorees for their contributions to the community. The honorees were chosen from diverse groups and professions. There were well known physicians, independent pharmaceutical consultant, entrepreneur, Deputy Commissioner, leaders of organizations, and a young achiever. The Honorees are Dr. Narendra Mal Lodha, Dr. Purna Chandra Prasad Atluri, Dr Dinesh Jaiswal, Vinod Goyal, Sunita Manjrekar, Senthilkumar Sivaprakasam, Ravindra Kumar and Riya Shah. A special honor was bestowed upon Anju Sharma and Nilima Madan at the end for their selfless community services.
Indu Jaiswal, chair of IAF, and Bina Sabapathy, cultural coordinator and their team were praised for their efforts in putting the event together.
Others who were acknowledged included teachers and students of Hamsaasya School of Dance, Guru – Hamsini Kumble, Guru – Lakshmi Chadra Shekar, Mudra Dance Studio, Guru – Dr. Arti Datta, Nritya Saagaram Dance Academy, Guru -Satya Pradeep, Parai and Karagam by Newyork Tamil Academy, RS International NY, Guru: Shilpa Jurani, Rytham Dance Academy, Guru: Shilpa Mithaiwala, and Sadhanalaya School of Dance, Guru – Sadhana Paranji. Also thanked were Roy Anthony, Ryan Roy and team for their orchestra, a tribute to Father’s Day -a medley by JKJ Team led by Jyoti Gupta and Father Daughter team of Mittal Anil and Advita students of Dinesh Kumar Prabhakar..
Organizers also thanked Nassau County Deputy Park commissioner, Dave Franklin, Human rights commissioner Wioletta Dusza and Vimal Goyal, Deepak Bansal and Geeta Shukla, members of Asian American Affairs office, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava.
Community leaders and volunteers, Jasbir (Jay ) Singh, Beena Kothari, Bina Sabapathy, Anju Sharma, Nilima Madan, Dr. Neeru Bhambri, Dr Jag Kalra, Gobind Gupta , Jyoti Gupta, Brahashitha Gupta Sujata Seth, Anu Gulati , Dr Urmilesh Arya, Dr Rajendra Modi, and others were also thanked for their efforts.
Indian American Forum, in its press release, thanked the County, Parks Dept, co-organizers, MPS Pizza LLC, members and volunteers.
