Seen in the photo, from left, Mahendra Taneja, member of Human Rights Commission of Nassau County; Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, chairman of AIA; Manvar; Sudhesh Mukhi, vice president for Center of India Studies at Stony Brook University; Dr. Urmila Arya, president of AIA-NY chapter; Dr. Meena Sridhar, director for Center of India Studies; Bhooplapur; and Dr. Narendra Kukkar, former chairman of AIA Foundation. (Photo: Courtesy, Amar Manvar)

NEW YORK –– The Association of Indians in America (AIA) raised $36,000 at a meeting held to organize relief for victims of the Tsunami disaster at Akbar Restaurant on Long Island, NY, on Dec. 30. According to a press release, of the amount raised, $4,000 was donated from ‘India Focus group,’ a graduate student organization from Stony Brook University. Dr. Buddhadev Manvar, national president of AIA, started the meeting by outlining the enormity of the tragedy and the magnitude of needed relief. He recounted AIA’s active involvement in past relief efforts and joined other AIA leaders in discussing continuing long-term projects in aid of recovery. Ravi Bhooplapur, chairman of the Rotary Foundation-New York, announced that Rotary would match AIA’s contributions to a minimum of 50 percent up to 100 percent as part of its ‘matching grant program,’ the release said.