Four Indian Americans are among 38 individuals who were honored for having "helped advance and enlighten our society, culture, and economy" as "Great Immigrants: The Pride of America" by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

As a July 4th American Independence Day "Salute to Great Immigrants Who Help Make America Strong" and their accomplishments, the corporation for the tenth year took out a full-page public service ad in The New York Times.

In addition, Carnegie recognizes new citizens with a companion Web site at greatimmigrants.org, which includes the stories of many other naturalized citizens, video and audio recordings, and interactive quizzes.

The four Indian Americans being honored are: Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York; Rakesh Khurana, Dean of Harvard College and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership and Development; Madhulika Sikka, vice president, executive editor, Mic (India); and Abraham Verghese, physician, professor and author.

"Only America welcomes, every day, populations of people like me and my parents – people who ate biryani before they ate burgers, who learned cricket before they learned baseball," Bharara told PTI.

"There is still something called the American dream, and I have dreamt it; I have lived it; and I hope I never awaken from it. I am deeply proud of both my Indian heritage and my American roots, and I am more than honored to be named a ‘Great Immigrant’," Bharara said.

"Geography is destiny. It was in coming to America, in that change in geography that I found my voice and purpose," Verghese said.

"I am humbled and honored to be included in this list of people who represent the promise of the immigrant experience. America has been good to me and I am proud to call myself an American immigrant," said Sikka, who was previously the executive editor at NPR News before joining the news site Mic.

"Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, came to this country as the son of impoverished immigrants and grew up to become one of the greatest contributors to American industry and philanthropy," said Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation.

"His devotion to U.S. democracy stemmed from his conviction that the new infusion of talent that immigrants bring to our country keeps American society vibrant."

The 38 “Great Immigrants” honored this year come from more than 30 countries around the world and represent leadership in a wide range of professions, the corporation said.

Celebrating "naturalized U.S. citizens whose contributions are vital to the fabric of our nation and the strength of our democracy," it noted that nearly nine million legal permanent residents are currently eligible to become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding."

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