Lakshmi Iyer
India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: On Thursday, August 9, Dr. Romesh Japra, the Publisher of India Post and the Founder/Convener of Festival of Globe (FOG), along with the entire FOG team, hosted a grand farewell at Japra Vineyards for the outgoing Consul for Community Affairs, Mr. Venkata Ramana and a warm welcome for Ms. Sumati Saksena Rao, who will soon be taking up office at the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, California.
This was also the occasion for the kickoff of the upcoming FOG Extravaganza 2018 from 15th to 19th August. Grand Marshal Tanishaa Mukerji graced the event much to the delight of the attendees.
On behalf of the Federation of Indo Americans (FIA), Rajesh Verma, the President of FIA, presented Consul Venkata Ramana with an Award of Excellence certificate.
It said, “All the work you did as Consul for Community Affairs to develop relations with the large Indian American community of Northern California, developing and maintaining relations between us, helping Indian community, sometimes in difficult situations, with their travel to India needs, and for always helping to make our festivals, parade and other events a big success.
During your time in San Francisco, you made a strong presence here, with some remarkable events of substance and exposure, in the FIA/FOG organization, where your persistence and personal vision were clearly felt.”
Mr. Venkata Ramana expressed his gratitude for the opportunity that the Government of India had given him to serve on the West Coast of the US and also thanked his superior, Consul General Mr. Venkatesan Ashok.
The Consul spoke about his journey where he came into contact with many community leaders. He said, “When I was heading to the (West) Coast, the one person whose name I heard before boarding the flight is Romesh Japraji.” He praised Dr. Japra for his magnanimous heart and said that he had paved the way.
Further elaborating on his position, Mr. Venkata Ramana said that this was not a job; rather this is a service for the community.
He said, “It has given us an opportunity to serve innumerable friends and their families, whom we know, whom we may not know.
But all these blessings, sitting far away from India, if one family and one heart yearns to reach India, the only way they can, they will knock the door of the Consulate. And if we are awake and alert behind that door and if we are able to support them in their need, I think we did our job. That was the motto of the Consulate.”
Members of FIA welcomed the incoming Consul for Community Affairs, Ms. Sumati Saksena Rao. In her address, Ms. Rao said that she would be there for anyone needing any help and that she was their friend in the Consulate. She thanked everyone for the warm reception and said that she felt she was “amongst friends already”.
One of the FOG Grand Marshals for 2018, Tanishaa Mukerji was another guest of honor who graced the occasion. In India, people had asked her why she wanted to spend Independence Day so far away from home. In her speech, she said that she was excited to do so as she felt that the people in America celebrate it with so much more enthusiasm and patriotism and they were so much more excited.“People feel so much more strongly about India.”
She referred to the debate back home about standing up for the national anthem in movie theaters. She talked about people’s reactions and her opinion. “Why? Why should we stand up for the national anthem before movies? Movies should be democratic of all of this nationalism. And I said, you know what? Even if it is in a movie theater that we get that little bit of nationalism, I am like let’s do it, because we are losing it everywhere else.”
At the same time, Ms. Mukerji acknowledged that other people could have different opinions.
About the upcoming festival, she said that we are all now global citizens. “I am very impressed that you have converted it into the Festival of Globe. I hope your Parade is a massive success and I hope you go to huge heights beyond this.”
Dr. Japra thanked all the members of FOG, the sponsors and the media for their hard work and support.
