Dipak Patel urges NRIs to "March For Our Motherland" at 29th Annual FIA Parade in New York City

Dipak Patel with his family: From left Dr Bhavin (Son-in-Law),Aryan (Grand Son),
Dhara (Daughter), Dipak Patel (FIA-president),Varsha (Wife), Dwar (Son).

"The world learned the power of nonviolent movement and the march to Dandi as Mahatma Gandhi led the diverse people of India in a struggle for home rule," said Dipak Patel, president of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) representing the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. "India formally gained independence on August 15, 1947 after centuries of British rule - and years of turmoil. Today, after 62 years, we want to commemorate the freedom struggle and celebrate our freedom, liberty, democracy, diversity and economic growth through a colorful parade and celebrations in New York City by ‘Marching for Our Motherland."

Nirav Mehta with his wife Rupal and daughter, Rooni

Nirav Mehta, the Executive Vice President of FIA said, "FIA of the Tri-state will host the 29th India Day Parade in New York City on Aug. 16, 2009. The parade starts at 12:00 pm at 41st street @ Madison Avenue and ends at 28th Street. There is a big "mela" at the end with stalls selling everything from newspaper subscriptions to food, music, clothes and what not!

Shipla Shetty, a popular Bollywood star will be the Grand Marshall and lead the parade, Patel added. "Several other stars and politicians, including Chote Ustad Aishwaraya Majmudar, Sudhish Shah and Jayshan are expected to participate and perform live during the parade and the cultural extravaganza soon after on Madison Avenue," he said.

"The historic 29th annual parade, described as the largest outside of India, will have 35 floats, representing almost all facets and aspects of our community life in the United states and for the first time would be live telecast," Patel said. "We showcase Indian culture and heritage through the mela, booths, dances and floats to the mainstream Americans and the next generation Indians. Hundreds of volunteers participate to cherish our values and entertain the attendees. Over 120 booths depicting art, crafts, literature, garments, jewelry, food, businesses and other resources will be exhibited representing different states of India, Indian American community and businesses will fill the street at the parade," he added.

"As the president of FIA, I have tried to bring in transparency and given full freedom to each committee to plan, organize and implement their activities, while working towards the success of the Parade," Dipak Patel told this writer during an exclusive interview. "I urge all the communities representing all the linguistic, political and cultural groups to participate and make this parade truly a parade of the larger Indian American community in the Tristate," he said.

"As one of the largest and oldest umbrella organizations in this country founded in 1970, FIA has undertaken numerous activities and causes over its long history and the parade is one of the many programs it organizes every year," noted Ramesh Patel, past president and a very senior leader of the organization. In addition to the celebration of democracy and diversity at the parade, Dipak Patel believes that the role of a true leader is to create more leaders and raise the team spirit bar by including all young team members. According to him, FIA’s actions should help foster the Indian American image in US and in the world, and must set an example of dedicated community service.

Under his leadership, FIA has partnered with the Royal Albert’s Palace in New Jersey in honoring the army men, both, serving and those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, the US. It also honors the veterans from India, now living in the US. Dipak Patel, a businessman, long time franchisee and current National Distributing Center co-chair for Dunkin’ Donuts, wants to share his expertise and knowledge with the NRI community. "We are planning a Wealth Wellness Program in October this year," Patel said.

A community leader and successful businessman for several decades, Dipak Patel, recently donated $131,000.00 to the Dunkin’ Donuts Community Fund. Patel recalls, "When I was just a boy, my grandfather passed away leaving my father with a small estate. Rather than just spend it, my father thought deeply about how he might use that inheritance to help others. What he decided was to build a 100-bed hospital for the community. That hospital is still operational and served thousands of people over the years. As I considered my own success in the Dunkin’ Donuts operating system, I was thinking about my father’s decision and it was clear to me that I had to follow in his foot steps."

Born in 1955 in India, Patel began volunteering at an early age in the National Cadet Corps, the equivalent of the Boy Scouts in the United States. From there, he served in Rotary International, participating in blood drives, eye camps and dental camps bringing sorely needed medical attention to those in need. The Rotary group also organized community beautification projects and soup kitchens for the needy.

Patel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1975, a second B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1980 and a Masters in industrial engineering from Texas A&M in 1986. Patel came to realize that the greatest rewards in the business world went to those who became successful by operating their own businesses.

Partnering with Anand Patel, Dipak and "Andy" operated their first store in Morristown NJ. From that single store, they built and acquired more than twodozen additional stores and a management team to run them. Today, they are not just multi-unit franchisees, but multi-units hotels as well. "The early years were the toughest ones," said Patel. "I can’t count the number of times I almost wanted to give up." But perseverance and a life-long commitment to both discipline and service gave him the stamina to weather the storms of the economy and the labor market, coming out on top.

Educated in India, Nirav Mehta immigrated to USA about seven years ago. Entering the land of opportunity, with his quench for achievement, he entered the world of commercial mortgage banking and successfully blossomed First Empire Group. Over the last six yrs with First Empire Group he has handled more than $ 1.3 billion in commercial financing, Nirav Mehta is dedicated to help his business thrive to new heights even as he devotes his time and energy and resources for the betterment of the community.

Mehta said, "The FIA has blossomed into a commendable organization that has become an effective mouthpiece and mobilizer for the community. The FIA represents various issues that concern a growing Asian-Indian community at the local, state, and national levels. Over the years, it has also tried to project a truthful and real image of India to the mainstream community and also further the interests of Indians residing in the United States. It is in this spirit that, since 1981, the annual India Day Parade is held in New York City to present our progress and unity to the many diversified ethnic communities in this area."

[ BY AJAY GHOSH ]