New 2018 Executive Committee, Trustees for ICC

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: A month after it held elections for new Directors, the India Culture Center held its follow up election for the Executive Committee for 2018 on Sunday, January 7, at India House. And once again, in the same manner as the previous election, things went smoothly as nominations were made and votes were cast.

Election Committee Commissioners Girish Pandya and this reporter conducted the process and certified the results for the key positions for 2018. A room full of ICC members, Directors and Trustees were present for the hour long process, following which the new Trustees were also announced.

Nominations received for each position were unopposed and then the candidates were accepted by unanimous voice votes. The new 2018 Executives are President Nisha Mirani; Vice-President Pramod Bengani; Treasurer Hemant Patel and Secretary Ajit Patel. Falguni Gandhi will fill out the team as past-President.

Also revealed were the two three-year term Trustees, Praful Gandhi, former president of the Indian Senior Citizens Association and Rajiv Bhavsar, twice a former ICC President and Director. The two-year term was filled by Jasmeeta Singh, a previous ICC Director. All there candidates were unopposed.

The group will now head up its first upcoming flagship events of the year: the celebration of India’s Republic Day on January 20 at the Stafford Civic Centre on Cash Road.

Each member of the new executive Committee gave a short introduction of themselves and their goals for the upcoming year. Mirani, who works as an office manager at a doctor’s office, remembered when she was a teenager 37 years ago and got involved with the community. “I want to bring the youth into the ICC through activities like sports and picnics,” she said, adding that her other goal was to work on women’s issues.

Bengani, a petrochemical engineer, said he would support Mirani in her goals and recalled a recent incident of a young Indo American who committed suicide at Texas A&M University. “I want to work with youth and give them a sense of belonging,” he added.

Hemant Patel, a researcher with MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been on the ICC Board before and said serving was for the community and not for the ego. He also agreed that getting the youth involved and empowered was an important goal. Ajit Patel, who owns Air An U Cool air conditioning, said the ICC was “one big happy family.”

In concluding her year as president, Gandhi said she was proud of what she was able to achieve and “when you sit in this seat, you understand the responsibility.” She added she was “very passionate for what the ICC stands for.”