CHICAGO: A large number of eminent persons from the Indian Subcontinent in Chicago, irrespective of nationalities, religions, and regions, including their community organizations, flocked together at Monty’s Banquet on January 13 to bid farewell to their own Indian diplomat Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, the outgoing Consul General of India.
The function attended by over 300 renowned persons from different walks of life, despite inclement weather, was proof of Dr. Sayeed’s widespread popularity, considering the fact that in contemporary society welcomes are common and farewells are rare.
In his address, Dr Sayeed paid rich tributes to the 500,000-strong Indian-American Diaspora in the US Midwest, which has been contributing magnificently in the domains of education, science & technology, trade, culture, etc. He expressed his gratitude to them for their unflinching support to the Consulate and its activities during his tenure.
Dr. Sayeed stated that with the conceptualization and execution of such innovative flagship measures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Digital India, Clean India, Make in India, Skills India, and Green India, and his commitment to bring about 100 Smart Cities and to lay down world-class infrastructure, India has witnessed an economic paradigm shift and thereby emerged as one of the hottest destinations for global investors.
Dr. Sayeed mentioned that the efforts of the Consulate during his tenure were directed towards strengthening the political, economic, cultural, educational, and people-to-people relationships between India and the US Midwest. “The proactive networking resulted in a number of high level trade delegations, signing of a number of MoUs, and a boost to the volume of mutually beneficial business transactions”, he added.
Handing over an Official Letter of Appreciation from Governor of Illinois Bruce Rauner to Dr.Sayeed, Hardik Bhatt, Chief Information Officer, said that the charismatic leadership of Dr. Sayeed resulted in signing of MoU for Smart State cooperation between the State of Illinois and Government of Telangana. He said that Dr. Sayeed has been facilitating the State of Illinois for concluding similar agreements with the Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
Mickey Straub, Mayor of Burr Ridge stated that Dr. Sayeed has succeeded not only in diversifying and enriching the Indo-US Midwest relations but also in establishing extremely cordial relations with people at large, across all religious denominations.
Marijus Gudynas, Consul General of Lithuania in Chicago, described Dr.Sayeed as a very close friend and “a brother in Sanskrit”. He said that despite the tenures of Consul Generals being very short, the volume of achievements of Dr. Sayeed is really mind-boggling.
Michelle Mussman, State Representative of the 56th District stated that the recognitions that are being showered on Dr. Sayeed are on account of the unique fusion of his competence and commitment.
Dr. Gopal Lalmalani, Mayor of Oak Brook had great appreciation for the success of Dr. Sayeed in forging unity among different organizations run by Indian-Americans. He thanked Dr. Sayeed for working closely with the Village of Oak Brook for introducing friendly Polo matches between Delhi Polo Club and Oak Brook Polo Club. He handed over a Proclamation of Oak Brook to Dr. Sayeed and Ms. Farha Sayeed for their services to the community.
Swami Ishatmananda, Minister-in-Charge, Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago said that he was greatly impressed by Dr. Sayeed’s deep knowledge of Indian history, culture and religion and recalled his participation in the Conference marking the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Ishatmananda presented a book on Swami Vivekananda to Dr. Sayeed.
Sampath Ramesh, Adjunct Professor in Global Management, Kellogg School of Management said that the number of events that have been organized by the Consulate during the tenure of Dr. Sayeed is a record in its own right. “Through a rare combination of his technical, conceptual, and people-related skills, Dr Sayeed succeeded in successfully networking with the Government and corporate sectors for Indo-US Midwest relations”, he added.
Syed Shanawaz Khan, Vice Chair, Council of Islamic Organization of Greater Chicago, said that Indo-US Midwest relations present multiple challenges. “Dr. Sayeed succeeded in protecting the interests of India in a dignified and honorable fashion”, he opined.
Imran Dhatwani, President, His Highness the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for the Midwestern USA said that Dr. Sayeed provided ample opportunities to Indian-Americans to contribute their optimum best to further enriching the socio-cultural fabric of the US Midwest.
Rajinder Singh Mago of Sikh Religious Society said that unlike the diplomats in general who confine themselves to the four walls of their chambers, Dr. Sayeed was a people’s diplomat. “His doors, ears, heart, and mind were always open. He followed the open doors policy of ‘Every Hour-Visiting Hour – (24 Hours)'”, he added.
Ashfaq Syed, Ms. Ayeisha Osman and key speakers presented Plaques of Appreciation to Dr.Sayeed. Dr. Ausaf Sayeed & Mrs. Farha Sayeed cut the cake prepared by Mrs. Huma Mirza.
Earlier, the event kick started with the singing of the National Anthems of the United States and India by Dr. Narayan S. Tata. Iqbal Mirza Baig, Vice President, Glory of Hyderabad and a childhood friend of Dr.Sayeed welcomed the gathering. Mr Krishna Bansal proposed a Vote of Thanks. Dr. Prem Rupani was the Master of Ceremonies.
Ashfaq Syed
