Young people honored for community service
TEN Indian-American youths in Huston have been honored for their services to the community and promoting Hindu culture.
According to the Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH), a non-profit organisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the winners and called the awards an opportunity for the Indian diaspora, particularly the youths, to further strengthen the connect with their roots.
‘The winners will surely help propagate the richness of our magnificent identity, particularly among the young generations,' Modi said in a letter to the HGH, which honored the youths at its 10th annual awards event on December 19.
The awardees were nominated by various Hindu faith-based organisations. Consul General of India in Houston, Aseem Mahajan, presented the awards and lauded the youths for displaying leadership and participation in the community.
The awardees were Anish Nayak (Sewa International), Anusha Sathyanarayan (Eternal Gandhi Museum of Houston), Nithya Ramankulangara (Sri Meenakshi Temple Society), Sandeep Prabhakar (Global Organisation of Divinity), Kruthi Patel (BAPS), Vipaschit Nanda (Arya Samaj), Abhimanyu Aggarwal (Hindu Heritage Youth Camp), and
Rajit Shah (Vallabh Vidya Mandir).
Two special awards were presented to Namita Pallod of Sanatan Hindu Dharma and Komal Luthra of Young Hindus of Greater Houston.
Dr Madan Luthra, a 73-year-old retired scientist, was awarded the 2020 Akhil Chopra Unsung Heroes award for his selfless service during the pandemic. He and his team stepped in during the pandemic to help community members coping with emergencies, accidents, medical issues, death and bereavement and family disputes. One of his biggest contributions was to start a plasma donor registry for Covid-19 patients with Sewa volunteer Kavita Tewary.
The US began administering vaccines a week ago and has approved jabs developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
‘We all should take the vaccine. It is very effective and we are seeing good results. The vaccine is the only saving grace we have right now and we have to take it,' former President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) Dr. Suresh Reddy told.
Reddy recently received the Pfizer vaccine shot and said he did not have any reactions.
‘I'm very excited about the (vaccine). I think whoever is given an option they should take the vaccine. There is no need to hesitate. There is nothing to be shy about in taking the vaccine. It's very safe,' he said, adding that the vaccines will help the world move forward.
With several global pharma giants developing the Covid-19 vaccines in record time, Reddy said technology and medical expertise have helped speed up the process of developing a vaccine and getting it ready for mass usage.
The Covid-19 pandemic ‘is a war-like situation and we don't have that kind of luxury to do our routine exercises. I'm very confident that this vaccine is very effective and it is a lifesaver,' he said.