The Boston Chapter of the Network of South Asian Professionals (NetSAP-Boston) held its annual holiday gala celebration and Executive Board Election at News Restaurant and Lounge in the heart of Boston's Downtown on Saturday, December 9th. The event featuring a delicious Indian buffet catered by Dakshin restaurant, music by DJ Bombay and an awards ceremony was attended by over 115 people including NetSAP-Boston's alliance partner representatives, speakers from their past events and sponsors. The response to the event was so overwhelming that quite a few people had to be turned away at the door since the tickets were sold-out.

As people decked up in their best formals and Indian ethnic wear mingled and networked with each other while having dinner, DJ Bombay entertained them with some lively lounge music. A presentation on the television screens in the restaurant showcased a variety of popular NetSAP events from 2006. Later in the evening, NetSAP-Boston surprised their 2006 board members by announcing leadership awards to recognize their contribution to the organization. Raj Melville, Special Interest Groups Chair from TiE-Boston and Ranjani Sehgal, Co-founder of Lokvani gave away the tokens of appreciation. Speaking at the event, Raj Melville said "NetSAP-Boston and TiE-Boston have had a great year in 2006 where we collaborated on several events. I hope we can build on that relationship and collaborate on many more initiatives in 2007."

The new Executive Board is looking forward to continuing the traditions and chapter legacy of NetSAP-Boston as one of the premier professional networking organizations in the New England area. Consisting of many Board members from the past albeit in different roles the election brings a combination of experienced and new officers to the organization's Executive Board.

The group's 2007 officers include: Tushneem Dharmagadda, President; Pallavi Chhabra, Vice President; Vijay Daryanani, Treasurer; Sheila Rajan, Secretary; Sundip Arora, National Liaison; Renee Sinha, Membership Chair; Niranjan Bose, Avni Jhaveri and Aarti Sood as Social Chairs; Kiran Ganda and Swarupa Purandare as Professional Chairs; Manoshi Vin and Usha Govindarajulu as Cultural/Theatrics Chairs; Siddharth Pandit, Community Service Chair; and Vignesh Kuppusamy, Website Director.

Outgoing President Kas Sharma said, "Serving NetSAP-Boston for the last 5 years in various capacities has been a great experience. In the last two years NetSAP-Boston has taken long strides to grow at an amazing pace. We intoduced several unique events catering to Theater, Cultural Awareness, Social and Professional Networking. I wish the new team luck in carrying this forward and building the organization further." Kas will continue to serve as an Advisor to the Executive Board throughout 2007.

Incoming President, Tushneem Dharmagadda who most recently served as the Advisor of NetSAP remarked "I am excited to lead NetSAP in 2007. It is challenging because we need to perform much better and live up to the high expectations of our members and patrons that we set in the prior years. We have established strong partnerships with many organizations in the Boston area including The Indus Entrepreneurs - Boston, our platinum sponsor. By leveraging the strengths of each other, we have taken advantage of the synergy to create events that appeal to a wider audience. My goal next year is to develop these relationships further and build the NetSAP-Boston Brand." Pallavi Chhabra, Vice President, added "The objective of our annual holiday gala was to gather all the NetSAP members together for a night of food, music and fun and to give a taste of the organization to new members. It marked the end of a successful year for NetSAP-Boston and signifies the beginning of a great year ahead. We were also honored to have some special guests present with us on this special occasion."

Holiday Gala set the trend for a successful year ahead for NetSAP-Boston. Number of people signed up for NetIP membership taking advantage of the discounted pricing at the event. The party and socializing continued till late in the night. For more pictures from the event which will be posted soon, visit the NetSAP-Boston website. Promotions for 2007 membership are open till December 20th 2006. Members and patrons are encouraged to send their feedback on the event and enquiries on voluntering opportunities to the NetSAP Board at board@netsapboston.org.
About NetSAP-Boston:Founded in 1995, the Network of South Asian Professionals of Boston (NetSAP-Boston) is a professional, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional, political, cultural and civic needs of the South Asian community in the Greater Boston area. We seek to unite South Asian professionals, nurture leadership, and build partnerships in the New England area through professional programs, networking events, and community service efforts. NetSAP-Boston is part of NetIP-NA, The Network of Indian Professionals, North America. For more information on events, membership and other initiatives, visit http://www.netsapboston.org/. To learn more about NetIP North America and other chapters in other cities, visit http://www.netip.org/.

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