The winners of an Essay Contest titled, “How Does Democracy Arise, Survive and Thrive” were presented awards at a ceremony in Stamford on August 11th  by the  Connecticut chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). Ms. Diane Farrell, First Selectwoman of Westport and Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional district in Connecticut, who was the chief guest,  presented the awards. The winners of the contest are Mallika Vora (Stamford High School), Maya Chakravart (Stamford High School), Amit Mehrotra (Bently College) and Manasi Raveendran (Boston University). First prize winners Mallika and Amit received $1000 each and second prize winners Maya and Manasi received $500 each. The evening was very well attended and enjoyed by all.

Most democracies "were born out of insurrection";  "the earliest use of democratic systems was found in the republics of Ancient India", and "A country is democratic if the people elect their governments in free elections" are some of the thoughts of the winners of the essay contest “How Does Democracy Arise, Survive and Thrive”.

This contest for all tri-state area high school and undergraduate students was sponsored by GOPIO-CT Chapter.  GOPIO – Global Organization of People of Indian Origin – is a worldwide organization and is active in 19 countries. It is non political, secular, not for profit organization that is dedicated to community service and to promote the well being of people of Indian origin

The evening also celebrated India’s Independence Day, with participation and a message by Dr. Neena Malhotra, Counselor-Press, Culture, Information, Education and Community Affairs at the Consulate General of India in New York.

Following the award ceremony, Ms. Farrell had an interactive session with members and friends of GOPIO-CT, in which she covered major issues including terrorism, Iraq war, Social Security, immigration and outsourcing. The audience actively participated with questions and comments. Farrell also made a commitment to join the India Caucus, if elected to the Congress.

The interactive session was moderated by Dr. Thomas Abraham, who is chairman of GOPIO International.

“We believe that it is vital to persuade and motivate the younger generation to actively think about it and participate in democracy.  We were delighted at the participation and look forward to holding additional events for our youth” said Sangeeta Ahuja, President of GOPIO-CT.

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