News India Times
July 17, 2015
12
– that’s all you need to know
Community
By Suman Guha Mozumder
he American
Association of
Physicians of Indian
Origin launched a pio-
neering initiative to
promote excellence in medicine
and to advance key research and
academic initiatives at a meet-
ing at the Indian Consulate in
NewYork July 3.
Dr. Seema Jain, the newly-
elected president of AAPI, who
headlined the July three event at
which the Scientific, Academic
Research Foundation was for-
mally launched, said that SARF
has been founded to support
and promote excellence in med-
icine, advance key research and
academic initiatives and estab-
lish a robust and credible
process of recognizing signifi-
cant contributions of Indian
American physicians with excel-
lence awards. “It has been a
dream for me for the past 10
years, and today, we have been
able to launch Scientific,
Academic Research
Foundation,” she said.
The first ever SARF Inaugural
Awards Gala will be held August
14, at The Pierre Hotel in New
York where the awardees will be
recognized.
The consulate event was
attended and addressed by
physicians and community
leaders that included Dr Sudhir
Parikh, publisher of News India
Times and recipient of Padma
Shri, and Anwar Feroz, an hon-
orary advisor of AAPI, among
others.
“There is a plethora of physi-
cians of Indian Origin working
globally who have their roots in
India,” Jain, said, adding that
there are an estimated 1.2 mil-
lion physicians of Indian Origin
working not only in India, but
also, in most countries around
the world. “Their contributions
to the world of healthcare are
enormous. It’s in this context
that AAPI’s new initiative
becomes very timely and
unique,” she said.
The SARF awards are for indi-
viduals who distinguish them-
selves and are at the cutting
edge of their field. SARF Award
Categories include: Lifetime
Excellence for Research and
Innovation, Excellence in
Leadership to Young Physician
Award, Excellence in Global
Health award, a Physician of the
Year award, a Hall of Fame
award and Excellence in
Hospital/Health System
Management award.
Jain said there is a need for
greater visibility and cohesion of
these physicians and their intel-
lectual and technical strength
can also be a vital force in the
development healthcare.
Later in an interview with
News India Times Jain said she
wants to make AAPI an academ-
ic and research oriented organi-
zation.
“That is the bottom line. We
want to make sure that research
gets priority. For example, clini-
cal trials in this country are not
done on South Asians, or other
minority people. But it must be
done because a lot of illnesses,
like diabetes, cardiac problems
are more common among South
Asians compared to others. So,
clinical trials will have to focus
on South Asians,” Jain said.
Physicians Launch Initiative To Help Research In Medicine
T
Above, from left, Dr. Sudhir Parikh,
publisher of News India Times and
recipient of Padma Shri award, Dr. Seema
Jain, the newly elected president of AAPI,
Consul General of India in New York
Dnyneshwar Mulay, and other guests, at
the launch of Scientific, Academic
Research Foundation at the Indian con-
sulate July 3. Left, Dr. Jain, addressing
guests at the launch.
Peter Ferreira
Bya StaffWriter
A
bout 2,000 people, largely
of Indian descent, gath-
ered in Franklin Township
in New Jersey July 4 to witness
the Khat Muhurat, or ground
breaking ceremony of Trimandir
– a temple representing the
essence of the three major reli-
gions of India.
The ceremony was performed
by Pujya Deepakbhai Desai, the
current torch-bearer of Akram
Vignan, a new spiritual science
which shows a short-cut path to
self-realization. According to its
devotees, this path was revealed
to Shri Dada Bhagwan in 1958.
Trimandir, which essentially
means ‘Three Temples in One’,
was conceived by Dada Bhagwan
to propagate reverence among
people and to bring purity in
religion by rising above sectarian
mindsets. The temple provides a
unifying platformwhere gods of
Jainism, Shaivism and
Vaishnavism, along with gods
and goddesses of other religions
share equal reverence.
This will be the first Trimandir
to be built outside India and is
sponsored by the Dada Bhagwan
Vignan Institute, a non-profit
run by volunteers with chapters
in major cities of United States
and Canada.
Dada Bhagwan (1908-1988)
devoted his life to imparting that
man cannot learn the essence of
religion unless his prejudice
towards other religions is broken.
Dignitaries present during the
brick-laying ceremony included
Franklin Township Mayor Chris
Kelly, Deputy Mayor Kimberly
Francois, Councilmen Rajiv
Prasad and Theodore Chase as
well as Dr. Sudhir Parikh, pub-
lisher of Desi Talk and recipient
India's Padma Shri Award. Some
of them actively participated in
the ceremony.
Trimandir Ground Breaking Ceremony In Franklin Township
Left, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, publisher of News India Times and recipient of Padma Shri
award, left, speaking to Deepak Desai, leader of a new spiritual science Akram Vignan,
right, at the July 4 ground breaking ceremony of a new temple named Trimandir to
represent three religions Jainism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism in Franklin Township, N.J.
Above, Desai performing the brick-laying ceremony.
