By Radhika Mishra
BOSTON– Seven leading New Englanders from academia to business to healthcare, and a non-profit community organization will be bestowed the prestigious New England Choice Awards this year on Oct. 29, 2023, at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA, INE MultiMedia, a non-profit organization that promotes art, culture, education and empowerment, announced on Monday.
This year’s NECA award recipients are Ash Ashutosh, a serial tech entrepreneur and Global Director of Solution Sales at Google; Pranav Ghatraju, a rising tabla player and New Product Development Engineer at Entegris; Dr. Salil Midha, MD, Cardiology Chief at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital; Priyamvada Natarajan, a Physics Professor and Theoretical Astrophysicist at Yale University, known for her work in mapping dark matter and dark energy; Trupti Patel, an immigration attorney and Saheli Advisory Board Member; Phil Scarff, a Saxophonist, Composer and Founder of world-jazz ensemble Natraj; and the India Society of Worcester, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year as a vibrant non-profit community organization.
These luminaries and high achievers will be honored at a black-tie gala at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA on Oct. 29, 2023.
The annual gala, which is presented by the INE MultiMedia in collaboration with the INDIA New England News, will also honor Raj Sharma, an ardent believer in philanthropy, poverty disruption, education, youth leadership and the environment. Mr. Sharma is Managing Director of Wealth Management and Head of The Sharma Group, a high-end boutique within Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group.
Over 400 entrepreneurs, corporate executives, philanthropists, educators, and community leaders are expected to attend the awards gala.
To buy a ticket for the event, please click here.
INE MultiMedia received over 400 nominations for these awards. A jury of 13 individuals selected the final winners. The event is organized in collaboration with INDIA New England News.
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. This year’s outstanding recipients have demonstrated unwavering dedication and made profound impacts in their respective domains.
“New England Choice Awards (NECA) have become the most anticipated, loved as well as the most prestigious awards that celebrate achievements of our Indian American community and those who enrich our community. It is exciting to receive hundreds of nominations every year and watch the process unfold over several months as our judging team selects the most deserving Award recipient in each category,” said Dr. Manju Sheth, MD, president of INE Multimedia, creator of NECA Awards and co-producer of the event. “As always, this year too, we have fantastic awardees in each category. My Congratulations to everyone.”
The 2023 Awardees are as follows:
Ash Ashutosh
Business & Entrepreneurship
A serial entrepreneur and Global Director Solution Sales at Google
Mr. Ashutosh is a visionary serial entrepreneur, and early pioneer in cloud technology. He has built and sold leading-edge companies to the world’s largest technology companies and is recognized for his remarkable achievements in the realm of business and entrepreneurship.
Mr. Ashutosh founded Actifio in 2009, and sold it to tech giant Google in 2020. Actifio was once valued at $1.3 billion. In addition, Mr. Ashutosh serves as a Partner with Greylock Partners where he focused on making investments in enterprise IT companies. Prior to Greylock, he was Vice President and Chief Technologist for HP Storage.
He also founded and led AppIQ, which was acquired by HP in 2005. He was also the founder of Serano Systems, which was acquired by Vitesse Semiconductor in 1999. Prior to Serano, Mr. Ashutosh was Senior Vice President at StorageNetworks, the industry’s first Storage Service Provider. He previously worked as an architect and engineer at LSI and Intergraph. He remains an avid supporter of entrepreneurship and is an advisor and board member for several commercial and non-profit organizations. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters degree in Computer Science from Penn State University.
Pranav Ghatraju
Rising Star
Rrising Tabla Player and New Product Development Engineer at Entegris
By day, Mr. Ghatraju is a hard working biomedical engineer, serving as New Product Development Engineer at Entegris. By night and on the weekends, he celebrates and honors his culture through the beats of his Tabla.
At 26, Mr. Ghatraju is recognized for sharing his remarkable talent on the popular Indian instrument tabla with the next generation of young Americans and inspiring them to not only learn the instrument but appreciate Indian classical music as well.
Mr. Ghatraju studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois where he received his Bachelor of Science degree.
Dr. Salil Midha, MD
Healthcare
Chief of Cardiology at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and Founder of The Boston Cardiac Foundation
Dr. Midha heads the department of cardiology at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital. More importantly, he is the founder of the Boston Cardiac Foundation, a non-profit healthcare organization that supports healthcare missions in Africa, South America, the Caribbean and India.
Under Dr. Midha’s leadership, the Boston Cardiac Foundation (BCF) has performed more than one thousand lifesaving heart operations over the past 30 years. His foundation provides services to patients in developing countries who otherwise could not afford lifesaving care.
The foundation brings medical technologies and services to those in need around the world. The BCF team is made up of physicians, nurses and technologists who perform cardiac procedures such as pacemaker implants with follow-up, coronary stenting and angioplasty free of charge for patients who cannot afford the lifesaving treatments.
Priyamvada Natarajan
Academia
Physics Professor and Theoretical Astrophysicist, Yale University
Prof. Natarajan is Joseph S. and Sophia S. Fruton Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics; Chair Astronomy; and Chair Women Faculty Forum at Yale University. She is recognized for her groundbreaking research that has deepened our understanding of the cosmos and pushed the boundaries of astrophysics. She is currently studying gravitational lensing, Black Hole Physics, and History & Philosophy of Science among other topics.
Her book “Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas that Reveal the Cosmos” sheds an inspiring light on some of the most redefining cosmological discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the universe. Prof. Natarajan received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Physics from M.I.T. Shortly after, she earned her Doctorate degree from Cambridge University in 1998.
Prof. Natarajan has many accolades to her name including Liberty Science Center (LSC) Genius Award, Emeline Conland Bigelow Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship. She was also the 2009 recipient of the India Abroad Foundation’s “Face of the Future” Award.
Trupti Patel
Community Service
Immigration Attorney and Saheli’s Board of Advisors
Ms. Patel is a respected immigration lawyer for her unwavering commitment and tireless efforts in championing rights and advocating for immigrants while providing free or discounted services to those who cannot afford legal services. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Advisors of Saheli, which has helped over 1,000 women escape domestic violence by providing them with transitional housing, scholarships, legal advocacy, and in-house mental health counseling, among others. Attorney Patel has been volunteering for Saheli for many years.
Having traveled widely from an early age, Ms. Patel was born in India and grew up in both Central Africa and England, UK. She has dedicated her career to helping others with their immigration needs and to help them navigate the US immigration system and start a new life in the United States. She is the founder of the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates, which represents clients from all over the United States and throughout the world.
Her firm is active in the local community providing information and guidance to immigrant communities. Attorney Patel is often called to give talks and holds clinics on immigration-related matters. She also mentors other up-and-coming immigration attorneys in the Boston area. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association (ABA), Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, Boston Bar Association, and Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) as well as a member of the committee on immigration at MBA.
Phil Scarff
Art & Music
Saxophonist, Composer, and founder of world-jazz ensemble Natraj
Mr. Scarff, a master jazz saxophonist, leads the acclaimed world-jazz ensembles, Natraj and the Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group. He has been featured on over 35 acclaimed CDs/DVDs. In 2017, he released his CD “Ragas on Saxophone” which was recorded live at the Hirai Music Festival in Chandrapur, India.
Mr. Scarff’s Indian classical appearances include India’s famed Tansen Samaroh (Gwalior), Nehru Center, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and Dadar-Matunga Cultural Centre (Mumbai); Saptak School of Music (Ahmedabad); ICCR Theater and India Habitat Centre (Delhi); and LearnQuest Music Festival (Boston).
Natraj seamlessly melds the classical music of India, traditional music from West Africa, and contemporary jazz to create its own adventurous and infectious style. Selected as Boston’s Best Jazz Band by the Improper Bostonian, Natraj captivates and excites audiences with its exotic textures, accessible melodies, and rhythmic energy.
The Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group’s debut CD, “Three Minutes to Four,” is contemporary, East-meets-West jazz. Indian raga merges with Western classical, Ghanaian traditional fuses with improvisational, and organic meets studied.
India Society of Worcester
Community Organization
Celebrating 60 Years of Success
India Society of Worcester, known as ISW, has dedicated its 60 years of service to uplifting and preserving Indian culture, fostering a community that celebrates and cherishes Indian heritage.
Founded in 1963 when there were only 25 Indian residents in the Worcester area, who craved community and a taste of home, ISW has now grown as a vibrant and inclusive society which allows individuals to recognize the wonders of Indian culture.
In 1991, ISW opened its new home at the India Center in Shrewsbury, MA, the only Indian organization to do so in New England. The India Center gives Indian Americans a special place to appreciate their heritage and express creativity. ISW holds many programs for showcasing Indian performing and visual arts.
At the heart of ISW’s initiatives are its cultural celebrations and festivals, which showcase the rich tapestry of India’s diverse traditions and customs. These events not only provide a platform for the community to celebrate their heritage but also offer an opportunity for people from various backgrounds to come together and appreciate the beauty of Indian culture.
In addition to its cultural endeavors, ISW actively engages in community outreach and philanthropy. The organization takes pride in contributing to the local community’s welfare through various charitable initiatives, volunteering efforts, and partnerships with other non-profit organizations. Their current initiatives include promoting women’s empowerment through a series of programs where women of all walks can come together to inspire each other through conversation and events.
