New Board Takes Helm at ICC

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The ICC Board with the newly installed Directors at the general body meeting on Sunday, December 4.

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: While the national electioneering fever has inflamed passions all across the nation, one small election for Directors to the India Culture Center’s Board drew nary a whimper of protest or accusation! Which is precisely the way the venerable 43-year-old organization wants to operate and hopes to flourish. There is no lack of enthusiasm or eagerness in the 16 members who comprise the Board, many of whom have worked together for many years and continue to support each other like a well-oiled machine. It wasn’t always so, and the changes began to show about 5 years ago as different personalities jelled!

This year there were eight seats available on the Board and two seats for Trustees. After a month-long period of advertising, the nominations started coming in to the Election Committee made of Girish Pandya, Sam Merchant and this reporter. Only four nominations were received for the eight seats, hence no voting was conducted during the General Body meeting held on Sunday, December 3 at India House. The nominated Directors are Sapna Shah, Rafi Ansar, Hemant Patel and Saundarya Sohoni.

However two people from the assembled were nominated and accepted as Directors; namely Nimish Sheth and Ina Patel. The two other vacancies will be filled in the course of time.

Before the vote, ICC President Rajiv Bhavsar gave a rundown of all the activities that the ICC has been involved in during 2016. And the audited accounts and tax-filing papers were presented by Trustee Swapan Dhairyawan, who also has his own accounting firm, MD Associates.

There were three nominations – Charlie Patel, Lachman Das and Dr. Raj Bhalla – for the two Trustee positions and who will be selected will be resolved by a vote of the Directors in their January 8, 2017 meeting at which time the Executive Committee will also be formed.