An Alliance Forged for Harvey Relief Fosters Strength, Unity of South Asian Healthcare Groups

The Board of Directors of AAPI and IDA with members of APPNA and BMANA before the event

The Board of Directors of AAPI and IDA with the Talat Aziz tour promoter, Riceland CEO Tahir Javed and members of APPNA and BMANA before the event. AAPI Treasurer and event emcee Dr. Manju Chandana is not pictured.. Photos: Ali Khan Photography

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By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: It was the kind of close collaboration of South Asian healthcare groups that has seldom been seen in the past five decades of the community’s growth in the US but one that many hope will become the harbinger of communal togetherness and harmony. And that was exactly the idea that propelled the normally disparate Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi physicians together to show not only a first baby step towards working on healthcare policy issues, but more pertinently, to show that they care for the people of Houston affected by Hurricane Harvey.

At the fundraiser, from left, Dr. Madhu Aggarwal, Chair of AAPI’s Charitable Foundation; Dr. Manju Sachdev, AAPI past Treasurer and Board Member and Dr. Udaya Shivangi, Chair of  AAPI’s Women’s Physician Committee

At the fundraiser, from left, Dr. Madhu Aggarwal, Chair of AAPI’s Charitable Foundation; Dr. Manju Sachdev, AAPI past Treasurer and Board Member and Dr. Udaya Shivangi, Chair of  AAPI’s Women’s Physician Committee

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, or AAPI as the members fondly call it, held its fundraising gala in Houston last Saturday evening, October 14 at the Westin Oaks Galleria Hotel, and the main draw was a ghazal concert by the well-known Indian singer Talat Aziz who hails from Hyderabad. “We had booked the 9-city concert a long time back and were raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder of Colombus, Ohio. “But after the devastation caused by Harvey, we decided to pool all the funds together to turn over all the funds for Harvey relief here.”

The CEO and President of Riceland Healthcare, Tahir Javed, flanked by AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder (right) and Riceland COO Nick Lampson

The CEO and President of Riceland Healthcare, Tahir Javed, flanked by AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder (right) and Riceland COO Nick Lampson

The popular singer had already performed in Fresno, California; San Antonio and Huntsville, Alabama before performing in the Bayou City and was next going to Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago and Cherryville, New Jersey and in each city, except for Houston where they raised much more, they expected to collect between $10K to $15K.

“But in Houston, being the recipient city, we wanted to do something big, something that AAPI usually never does and the first time for a natural disaster,” added Samadder. AAPI’s local chapter, Indian Doctors Association, swung into action and its President Prasun Jalal and AAPI Board member and Treasurer Dr. Manju Sachdev were introduced to Tahir Javed, the firebrand who is the founder and CEO of Riceland Healthcare and preliminary plans took shape for the gala.

Javed is well-known for his advocacy in building bridges across different communities and enterprises, a strategy that has allowed him to rapidly grow Riceland from an idea to an integrated network of physicians, hospital, hospice and home health based out of Winnie, Texas just southwest of Beaumont. Since he arrived in the US in 1989, he and his brother Shawn have leveraged their original single convenience store business into a conglomerate of 27 separate companies.

Congressman Al Green (D) brought together the team which coordinated the Gala event, from left Dr. Madhu Aggarwal of Pittsburgh; co-emcee Dr. Manju Sachdev of Victoria, AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder and co-emcee, Riceland COO Nick Lampson

Congressman Al Green (D) brought together the team which coordinated the Gala event, from left Dr. Madhu Aggarwal of Pittsburgh; co-emcee Dr. Manju Sachdev of Victoria, AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder and co-emcee, Riceland COO Nick Lampson

Based in Chicago, AAPI was founded in 1984 and has over 10,000 physician members, second only to the American Medical Association, and has a chapter in each state. There are estimated to be 50,000 doctors of Indian origin or 5% of all doctors in the US. AAPI aspires to help excel in patient care, teaching and research and to pursue professional and community involvement. With so many changes in healthcare policy on the horizon and reforms that may impact the way physicians work, Samadder expects that AAPI will need to focus on legislative issues and would like to build bridges with the Pakistani and Bangladeshi physician groups (AAPNA and BMANA respectively) to muster unity in numbers.

When the opportunity for holding the Talat Aziz concert in Houston came along, AAPI jumped at the chance to make it an event at a grander scale and solicited the help of Jalal. With help from Vaishali Dev, of San Antonio, both AAPI and Javed came together to fulfill an ambitious plan to hold a glittery gala to highlight all three communities and raise $100,000 to donate to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Harvey Relief Fund. At the last minute, Sachdev suggested moving the event from the Avya Center to the Westin Oaks and  from there Javed took over with his insistence on a quality production, down to the high-definition jumbo LED monitor as a backdrop to the stage, very high resolution graphics and superb food catered by Mezban restaurant (whose owner Sohail Feroze supervised arrangements).

The gala for nearly 400 people went off well, with Sachdev emceeing with former Congressman Nick Lampson (he now works as the COO for Riceland). Saad Javed, Ricelend’s CIO introduced to a group of seven South Asian police officers as Heroes, followed by Megha Chandna, Manju’s talented daughter and an aspiring singer, who sang a lilting version of the national anthem. Samadder gave a rundown of AAPI and its goals and Jalal made brief comments of the IDA goals and presented awards to key individuals.

A replica of the $100,000 check was presented to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner by Riceland CEO Tahir Javed (to Turner’s right) and AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder, with ghazal singer and artist of the evening Talat Aziz on the left

A replica of the $100,000 check was presented to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner by Riceland CEO Tahir Javed (to Turner’s right) and AAPI President Dr. Gautam Samadder, with ghazal singer and artist of the evening Talat Aziz on the left

Lampson introduced a short video clip about the phenomenal growth of Riceland into becoming the 17th largest pharmaceutical supplier in the nation. Javed, dressed in a baby blue suit (as were other key men from his team) took the stage with his presence, and emphasized his desire to build bridges of co-operation, noting that Riceland will sign a MOU with AAPI to help beyond the gala. A quick and decisive individual, he became annoyed as people stood around one of the speakers, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and shouted repeatedly at them to sit down.

After Lampson warmly introduced Congressman Al Green (D), he shot back “I can’t wait to hear myself” and asked key individuals onto the stage for pictures. Turner arrived late at 10:30pm and spoke warmly about Javed and his successes and then was presented with a check for $100,000 by the artist Talat Aziz. Both he and Lee took swipes at the Trump administration plans against immigration.

Through all the speeches, awards and continuous picture taking on stage, sadly the person whom many came to see and hear was relegated to a late start at 11pm, by which time many in the audience had already left. Those who stayed enjoyed the sonorous sound of his baritone voice singing ghazals of love, life and sweet but sorrowful partings.