Monday, May 5, 2008
Washington Leadership Program interns remember Gopal Raju and their experience on the Hill
Amit Dhiru Patel, WLP Class of 2005
The first time I met Gopal Raju, he was a man of few words, but with a big heart. He was a humble man who I would unfortunately not come to greet again, but his commitment to me and many other Indian American youth will have a lasting impact. I will forever be thankful to him for giving me the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill and opening my eyes in my search for a career path. After I finish law school, I look forward to working again in the political process; an opportunity that I would never have had without the aid of Gopal Raju.
Ajaita Shah, WLP Class of 2005
Gopal Raju was a man with a vision and passion for activism and change - through his contributions he created an incredible program which brought young like-minded individuals together, giving them the opportunity to understand politics, policy, and their roles and responsibilities as future leaders in the Indian American community. He generously nurtured an organization and groups of Indian Americans in a way that will always influence who they are and how they approach their lives and careers. He will truly be missed.
Prem Trivedi, WLP Class of 2005
I join everyone in the WLP and News India Times families in expressing my sorrow at Mr.Raju's passing. Mr. Raju invested in the political future of Indian-American youth at a time when politically oriented careers were considered radical or impractical. He played a pioneering role in ensuring that these career interests received the serious consideration and respect that they deserved. More importantly, he recognized that bolstering the prestige of a political career was secondary to inculcating the value of civic engagement.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
The first time I met Gopal Raju, he was a man of few words, but with a big heart. He was a humble man who I would unfortunately not come to greet again, but his commitment to me and many other Indian American youth will have a lasting impact. I will forever be thankful to him for giving me the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill and opening my eyes in my search for a career path. After I finish law school, I look forward to working again in the political process; an opportunity that I would never have had without the aid of Gopal Raju.
Ajaita Shah, WLP Class of 2005
Gopal Raju was a man with a vision and passion for activism and change - through his contributions he created an incredible program which brought young like-minded individuals together, giving them the opportunity to understand politics, policy, and their roles and responsibilities as future leaders in the Indian American community. He generously nurtured an organization and groups of Indian Americans in a way that will always influence who they are and how they approach their lives and careers. He will truly be missed.
Prem Trivedi, WLP Class of 2005
I join everyone in the WLP and News India Times families in expressing my sorrow at Mr.Raju's passing. Mr. Raju invested in the political future of Indian-American youth at a time when politically oriented careers were considered radical or impractical. He played a pioneering role in ensuring that these career interests received the serious consideration and respect that they deserved. More importantly, he recognized that bolstering the prestige of a political career was secondary to inculcating the value of civic engagement.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Gopal Raju, IACPA, Indian American community, interns, passion, Washington Leadership Program
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Pioneering publisher Gopal Raju is no more
Gopal Raju, who was a bridge between India and the United States in the fields of media, politics and philanthropy for over half a century, died in New York late on April 9 after a brief illness. He was 80.
Raju's death was announced by his long-time colleague and friend Veena Merchant. He died after complications from a week long bout of jaundice.
An institution-builder, he founded India Abroad newspaper, the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), the Indian American Foundation (IAF) and the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA). At the time of his death, he was the publisher of the weekly newspapers News India-Times, Desi Talk and Gujarat Times.
A pioneering advocate of the two-million Indian diaspora in the United States, Raju saw India Abroad as an information bridge between the Indian-American community and their native country.
Later, he founded IACPA in 1993, which extended this community involvement to US politics - from Washington to state and local levels. As part of the Center's eight-week Washington Leadership Program, he placed about 200 Indian American interns with Congressional and Senate lawmakers in Washington, D.C., introducing them to the US political process.
In 1995 IACPA introduced the Washington Leadership Program (WLP) to introduce Indian American college students to the political process through Congressional internships. The program enabled them to get a firsthand look at how the political process works. Each year WLP selects college students to participate in an eight-week summer program, which includes the first and the last week of orientation and evaluation specially designed by the program.
In 2003, the WLP expanded its scope by sending six interns to visit India for a week, to understand the political process of the world's largest democracy, interact with policy-makers and think-tanks.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Raju's death was announced by his long-time colleague and friend Veena Merchant. He died after complications from a week long bout of jaundice.
An institution-builder, he founded India Abroad newspaper, the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), the Indian American Foundation (IAF) and the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA). At the time of his death, he was the publisher of the weekly newspapers News India-Times, Desi Talk and Gujarat Times.
A pioneering advocate of the two-million Indian diaspora in the United States, Raju saw India Abroad as an information bridge between the Indian-American community and their native country.
Later, he founded IACPA in 1993, which extended this community involvement to US politics - from Washington to state and local levels. As part of the Center's eight-week Washington Leadership Program, he placed about 200 Indian American interns with Congressional and Senate lawmakers in Washington, D.C., introducing them to the US political process.
In 1995 IACPA introduced the Washington Leadership Program (WLP) to introduce Indian American college students to the political process through Congressional internships. The program enabled them to get a firsthand look at how the political process works. Each year WLP selects college students to participate in an eight-week summer program, which includes the first and the last week of orientation and evaluation specially designed by the program.
In 2003, the WLP expanded its scope by sending six interns to visit India for a week, to understand the political process of the world's largest democracy, interact with policy-makers and think-tanks.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Gopal Raju, he Indian American Foundation, Indian American Center for Political Awarenes, Indo-Asian News Service, Pioneering publisher, Raju's death, Washington Leadership Program
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