BURLINGTON, MA—Over 400 people attended the annual New England Choice Awards gala last Friday in the grand ballroom of the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA, and celebrated success of 10 individuals and organizations from the Indian American community. (Photos: Cocoon Media)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals CEO & President Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., FASN, who has dedicated her life and career to improve patients’ lives and their care, received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Produced annually by INE Multimedia, in collaboration with INDIA New England News, the event honored: Hamsa Balakrishnan, associate dean of Engineering at MIT; Dr. Mandeep Mehra, MD, Harvard Medical School; Ravi Ika, founder & CEO, Nirvana Health; Mohan Nannapaneni, founder and president of Team Aid; Preetesh Shrivastava, founder of Hindi Manch; Academy of Creative Arts; Shishu Bharati; and Vision-Aid.
NECA this year added its inaugural Legacy Award, which went to Sounds of India Founder Harish Dang.
John Sculley, one of America’s best-known business leaders, with one foot in the storied history of Apple technology and the other planted firmly in 21st century innovations that change the way the world does business, served as the Chief Guest at the gala.
MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield, who has distinguished herself in a career spanning advanced scientific research and the presidency of one of the world’s premier institutions of science and engineering, and the Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio were the Guests of Honor at the New England Choice Awards.
The NECA Awards, founded in 2016 as a service of INE MultiMedia, are renowned for recognizing excellence across various fields such as academia, art and music, business and entrepreneurship, community service, and healthcare. INE MultiMedia is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization created to recognize those who are associated with the Indian American community.
“NECA Awards bring the entire cross section of the community together in celebration of success with joy, grace, elegance and warmth,” said Dr. Manju Sheth, MD, president of INE Multimedia, creator of NECA Awards and co-producer of the event. “It is truly a privilege to do this award show every year and celebrate together. I want to thank everyone on behalf of our team.”
The core NECA team includes Dr. Sheth; Anu Chitrapu, Senior Vice President, Bank of America; Upendra Mishra, Publisher, INDIA New England News and Managing Principal of The Mishra Group; Mandy Pant, Lead Technologist, Design Engineering Group at Intel; and Aditi Taylor, Senior Vice President, Director of Global Broker Relations and Trade Support at MFS Investment Management.
“Success comes in different colors. For some, it is reaching the top, for some it is serving others and for some following one’s passion,” said Mr. Mishra. “At the New England Choice Awards, we witnessed success in all its colors. The energy, the joy and the celebration of success filled the grand ballroom of the hotel.”
To view the photos from the event by Cocoon Media, please click here.
NECA Sponsors: Vertex, Leader Bank, Merryll Lunch/The Sharma Group, Gourmet India, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission, Precise Marketing, and Women Who Win.
Community sponsors and supporters: Miss India New England Pageant/Ruchika Arora, Cocoon Media, TaranOm Creations, SRAVEO, Boston Sound & Light Company, and Fotu Duniya.
This years performers and artists at the Gala were: singer Valentino Almeida, dancer Sapna Krishnan, and poet Sunayana Kachroo.
The gala is supported by many organizations and individuals, including the following:
Audio & Sound: SRAVEO, co-founded by Ramakrishna Penumarthy, Ramesh Dadigala and Surendar Madadi, has been serving the New England region for many years. They provide audio services (both outdoor and indoor), photography and videography, DJ services, live streaming, projection services, virtual event planning, hosting and management.
Cocoon Media: Founded by Deepa Jacob and Jason Jose, Cocoon Media will chronicle the event through its lenses. The founders are passionate about photography and filmmaking. They provide high quality videos for corporate and personal use. Cocoon Media provides holistic options for its clients and helps them to create new media assets to leverage online. From story writing to storyboarding the Cocoon team works with its clients to come up with the message that works for their brand. They capture the imagery that tells the story, and offer creative direction, script writing, film production, voice over and custom music.
Decoration: TaranaOM Creations, founded by Aneesha Karody, is a wedding planning, designer and event management firm. Aneesha started her career in the IT industry where she enjoyed success in software development and management line. Program management, organizing, team leadership and working well with people came naturally to her. Encouraged by friends and wanting to use her creative and entertainment skills in addition to her management skills, Aneesha decided to take the bold step to switch from her successful career to do something of her own. Hence the birth of her company: Decoration.
DJ: This year’s DJ is Sidd Chhayani, a young rising star on the New England SJ scene. He is graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology. He collaborated with Boston Sound & Light Company.
Fotu Duniya: Founded by the husband-wife team of Sanjay and Vasudha Kudrimoti, Fotu Duniya has established itself as a premier provider of photography and videography services. They provide such services to various community events, plays and festivals. They will capture NECA through videography.
Gourmet India: Founded in 1995, Gourmet India provides its customers with authentic Indian food of superior quality. Known as one of the region’s premier caterers of Indian cuisine, Gourmet India prepares everything fresh from scratch, using the best quality cuts of meat and the freshest vegetables available. Whether you are trying Indian food for the first time or simply looking for a taste of home, Gourmet India’s commitment to quality is sure to please everyone. With several locations throughout Massachusetts, Gourmet India is one of the most sought-after regional caterers to this day.
Sound & Light Company: Boston Sound and Light Company is New England’s premier and award-winning Entertainment company featuring the latest in music technology, execution and precision. Boston Sound & Light also specializes in Fusion Mixed Weddings. Of the 150+ events BSL performs every year, over half of the weddings they service are of a fusion; as in some part Indian, some parts not. BSL is a full-service audio-visual company and can customize its equipment based on a client’s need and also based on the venue’s requirements.
