Tejal Amin honoured by Award from USA’s FIA on International Women’s Day

Representatives of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of NY-NJ-CT (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), USA, travelled to Vadodara to present their Annual International Women’s Day 2021 Award and Citation to Tejal Amin, the only international person to be honoured by the FIA for representing “the best in our community, leading by example, through her contribution for philanthropic work that serves as a motivational and positive inspiration to the young upcoming leaders and trendsetters of our global community.”

Tejal Amin opted not to travel to the USA where she was also going to be the Guest of Honour at their Annual Awards ceremony on March 8, 2021, on account of the pandemic. The Award was presented in Vadodara by Ankur Vaidya and Srujal Parikh, President and Joint Secretary respectively of FIA.

Post the ceremony several proactive exchange projects for young Indians in the USA under the auspices of the Vadodara Marathon—NGO Connect Initiative were discussed, especially related to their exposure to the work of Vadodara NGOs and the possibility of them getting involved in the same. For high school-going Indian children, possibilities summer vacation camps in Vadodara to provide exposure to Indian culture were proposed. FIA has conveyed a keen interest of their members to participate actively in the Vadodara Marathon, especially if it coincides with their dates of travel to India.

Along with Tejal Amin, the only Indian woman from outside of the USA, the other women thus honoured include Dr. Abha Jaiswal, Dr. Uma Rani Madhusudhana, Rashaana Shah, Sabina Dhillon, Rashmi Aggarwal and the ubiquitous Mask Squad.

The FIA (NY-NJ-CT) is one of the largest and the oldest non-profit grassroot umbrella organizations serving the Indian diaspora in the US for over 50 years. Established in 1970, it has grown exponentially to become a collective and representative body, a mobilizer for the Indian community in the USA. FIA engages in various cultural, promotional, and charitable activities, events and causes, with a vision to promote India with grandeur and to showcase its rich heritage by celebrating the India Day and through it the India Day Parade in (Manhattan) New York City. Recently, FIA was conferred the Highest Honor given by Government of India, the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman for its 50 years of community service.