New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. with honorees at his South Asian Heritage celebration on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. Pictured (left to right) are: Father Francis Maurice, Parochial Vicar, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Roman Catholic Church; Dr. Tara N. Niraula, President, American-Nepal Friendship Society, Inc.; Thompson; Daljit Dhaliwal, International Journalist and Anchor of the PBS Series “Wide Angle”; Dr. Avtar Singh Josen, Police Surgeon, Medical Division New York City Police Department (Retired); and, Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America.
Photo Credit: Marla S. Maritzer.
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Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. honored five city leaders at his annual South Asian Heritage Celebration on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. The event was co-sponsored by Asia Society, Federation of Indian Associations for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and Jackson Heights Merchants Association. 

Addressing several hundred people at Surrogate’s Court House, Thompson said: “Since the City’s earliest days, New Yorkers with roots in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and beyond, have played an important role in the City’s economic, civic, and cultural life. While keeping its own identity, the South Asian experience has been embraced by our City and that’s a great thing to see. As Indian filmmaker Mira Nair has noted, today in New York, you can catch Bollywood films as often in Manhattan as in Little India in Queens.”

Thompson continued: “Every year, this participation grows by leaps and bounds. As new families arrive, South Asian communities throughout the five boroughs continue to grow. And every year, increasing numbers of South Asians rise to great heights in all professions and pursuits, playing an increasingly prominent role in all aspects of city life. Tonight, we are celebrating these contributions, and we are honoring a special group of men and women who are making a difference every day through the work that they do.”

The first award went to Dr. Avtar Singh Josen. Before his retirement, Josen was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and an attending surgeon at Harlem Hospital Center, where he worked as general and vascular surgeon and Chief of Endoscopy Unit for more than 40 years helping poor and underprivileged community residents on a pro bono basis. In the wake of 9/11, Josen served as a police surgeon for the New York City Police Department, during which time he treated police officers for shock and trauma. In the early 1990s, Josen was President of an Indian Association, and established “India Fest,” a fair highlighting Indian culture and crafts, food, music, clothing and medical information. Josen also was instrumental in purchasing and establishing the first Sikh Temple ever to be established in the East Coast of America.

Thompson praised Dr. Josen for “his outstanding achievements in the medical profession, as well as for his contributions to the Indian and Sikh communities.”

Daljit Dhaliwal was the second honoree of the evening. The daughter of Indian emigrants to London, Dhaliwal is a veteran of the Cable News Network, where she anchored CNN International’s Your World Today and the weekend edition of World Report. Dhaliwal was a regular co-anchor for ITN’s prime-time network newscast Channel Four News and a prime-time anchor for ITN’s 24-hour news channel, where she also anchored World Focus, a weekly international news program. She has been an anchor and local TV news reporter for the BBC and moderated several United Nations conferences in New York and The Hague. She made her American television debut in 1996 as anchor for the daily World News for Public Television, seen throughout the United States. This year she returns to PBS’ award-winning series Wide Angle, which she co-hosted in the show’s inaugural 2002 season. As anchor for the show, Ms. Dhaliwal will interview expert guests and provide viewers with context and critical perspective on how global issues connect to American concerns and U.S. foreign policy.

Thompson presented Dhaliwal with an award “in recognition of her professional curiosity about the world and its many conflicts; her ability to grapple and engage with the toughest subjects that define the times in which we live; and her many achievements in the field of journalism.”

Father Francis Maurice received the next award. Father Maurice, born in the city of Gujrat, in Pakistan, joined the seminary in 1978. After ten years study, he was ordained in July 1988, in Lahore, Pakistan. Father Maurice has dedicated his ministry to helping those on the margins of society – the poor and the struggling. He has said that he feels a great “debt to their love,” for they have taught him “the value of life in their struggles.” In 2004, Father Maurice helped to found a non-governmental organization in Pakistan called MARS, (Mutual Advancement and Reconciliation in the Society). The aim of MARS is to bring peace, understanding, and harmony to a society facing many challenges, including social, political, and religious discrimination against the minorities. MARS also advocates for the disabled and for women's rights.

Thompson applauded Father Maurice for “his devout work on behalf of the poor and underprivileged; for his commitment to children and their educational needs; and for his principled advocacy for peace.”

The fourth honoree of the evening was Dr. Tara N. Niraula. A native of Nepal, Dr. Niraula is a senior research scholar and Research Director at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where he is responsible for designing and implementing research studies, as well as producing reports to help prepare the next generation of teachers, school leaders and education scholars. In the policy field, Dr. Niraula served as Newcomer Education Policy Director for the New York Immigration Coalition, where he tracked, analyzed and documented education issues and policies affecting immigrant and refugee students in the New York City public school system. He has served on the Schools Chancellor’s Advocacy Task Force and helped to develop the New York City Department of Education’s English language learner/immigrant and refugee students’ education reform policy. Prior to those efforts Dr. Niraula was an Education Program Officer for both the Swiss Development Corporation and the Save the Children Fund in Katmandu, Nepal. He is currently president of the America-Nepali Friendship Society and General Secretary for the Nepalese Americas Council.

Thompson presented Dr. Niraula with an award, “in recognition of his commitment and patience as a teacher; his dedicated efforts to assist the educational goals of immigrants and refugees; and his willingness to put his knowledge and time in the service of noble public goals.”

Dr. Uma Mysorekar, the fifth and final honoree, was born and raised in Bangalore, India, and has been practicing Obstetrics and Gynecology in Flushing, Queens since 1975. She has been involved with “Heart and Hand for the Handicapped,” organization for the past three decades. Through work at the Hindu Temple Society of North America, Dr. Mysorekar pioneered the fundraising for “Aid to the Disabled, Orphaned and Poor” and was integrally involved in the construction of a hostel for poor working women in Bangalore, India. As President of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, she initiated numerous programs to bring the community together, and raised over $5 million for the construction of a community center. Dr. Mysorekar also has been the only Hindu leader invited by Presidents Clinton and Bush to participate in meetings aimed at promoting religious tolerance and diversity.

Thompson highlighted Dr. Mysorekar’s “work on behalf of women’s health; her passionate advocacy for the Hindu faith; and her dedication and commitment to the goals of religious tolerance and diversity.”

Thevika & Rathika from the Hindu Temple Society of North America, based in Flushing, Queens provided the entertainment.

Contact Marla Maritzer at (212) 669-2597 or mmaritz@comptroller.nyc.gov to receive photographs.