Sipra Shah, Shishu Bharati veteran
BURLINGTON, MA—INDIA New England News announced it will honor Sipra Shah, a Shishu Bharati veteran for nearly 35 years, with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Shah will receive the honor during the 12th annual Woman of the Year Awards Banquet on June 5 at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be bestowed ever year to a deserving woman who has contributed to and dedicated her life and passion to community service, was initiated by community activist Dr. Manju Sheth and is sponsored by Sushil Tuli, President of Leader Bank.
Shah has been active with Shishu Bharati for more than 34 years. She taught language and cultural classes for five years, and has held the position of principal for the last 30-plus years. As she watched her own children grow up in the United States, she became a firm believer in exposing children of Indian heritage and others to Indian culture and languages. She takes especial pride in Shishu Bharati’s role in the community and its impact on hundreds of children as they go through higher education and discover their own place in the U.S. with a clear sense of their proud heritage.
“I am truly honored,” Ms. Shah said. “It is a great honor to receive this inaugural and historic award. I am receiving this on behalf of all students, parents and volunteers of Shishu Bharati.”
Ms. Shah holds a B.Sc. and Bachelor of Teacher’s Training degree (BT) from Calcutta University and a M.Ed. from Henderson University, Arkansas. Before coming to the United States, she taught geography and English to higher secondary school children in Calcutta and Ahmedabad. Working with children and parents in Shishu Bharati has been a profoundly rewarding experience for her, and she is happy to report that she still maintains contact with many of “graduates” of Shishu Bharati.
Sushil Tuli, Leader Bank’s President
“On behalf of entire Shishu Bharati community, I sincerely express our grateful thanks to INDIA New England News to recognize and honor our beloved Principal Sipra Ji, who considers Shishu Bharati as her •Temple’. This tribute and award honors not only her, but also thousands of selfless, dedicated, and compassionate volunteers who serve Shishu Bharati with hundreds of hours every year with great passion to teach, preserve, and propagate our Indian heritage to thousands students.,” said Seshi Sompuram, President of Shishu Bharati. “Your recognition will further inspire many more to serve Shishu Bharati to instill in young ones the joy and pride of our culture. We thank you from bottom of our hearts for your kind gesture.”
Dr. Manju Sheth, who is producer of INDIA New England News’ popular celebrity series “Chai with Manju” and one of the key sponsors of Woman of the Year and a former Woman of the Year herself, said it was prime time that Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced to recognize women who have contributed so much to our community.
“And who can be better than Sipraben to receive the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. I truly believe that history has been made today as this first award goes to her,” said Dr. Sheth. “There are so many women in our community who have been trailblazers in their own rights and have made so many positive contributions in art, culture, education, social service, charity, research, health and business over decades. We hope they all get their due recognition.”
Dr. Sheth said that she had been dreaming of initiating such an award for several years.
“The contribution women have made to our society in general and our community in particular is priceless,” said Dr. Sheth. “Our sincere thanks to all who contributed and provided their feedback in selecting this year’s winner. I also want to thank Upendra Mishra for making this dream of mine a reality. We have been working on this for several years now. I also want to thank Mr Tuli of Leader Bank for sponsoring it.”
“Leader Bank is proud and humbled to sponsor India New England’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Women,” said Tuli, Leader Bank’s President. “As a community bank, we are privileged to work with so many women business owners and are pleased to have the opportunity to promote the supremely talented recipients of this year’s awards. On behalf of our entire Leader Bank team, we look forward to recognizing the contributions and service of the women in our community in the years to come.”
