On September 10th, the international law firm of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge hosted a dinner meeting for 90 guests featuring a high-profile delegation from the Government of Gujarat, India. Hosted by Shahana Basu Kanodia, Partner and Chair of EAPD's South Asia Practice Group, the dinner was sponsored by the Government of Gujarat, the US India Business Council (USIBC) represented by Gaurav Verma, and the Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment (MOITI). The meeting included a panel of distinguished government and business delegates from India, who discussed investment opportunities in the various sectors in Gujarat.
 
The State of Gujarat has played an important role in the economic history of India and has one of the fastest growing economies in the country. It has the longest coast line in India, which offers numerous opportunities for port-based industries. It is also ranked as the best state for investment and is a pioneer of public-private partnership projects in India. The long list of distinguished delegates included D.J. Pandian, Principal Secretary, Government of Gujarat;  S.A. Dula, Advisor, iNDEXtb;  R.J. Shah, CEO, Dahej SEZ Ltd.;  Palak Sheth, OSD, Pandit Dindayal Petroleum University;  Nitin Shukla, CEO Hazira LNG Pvt.; Samir Vora, General Manager, Adani Power Limited; Hemant Desai, President, Reliance Industries Ltd.;  Beena Hiremath, Business Head, Abellon Clean Energy; D. Alok, Business Head, Suzlon Energy Ltd.; Samir Patel, Chair. & MD, Amos Enterprises Ltd.;  Nirav Mahadevia, Managing  Director, Technopolis; Vipul Patel, Sr. Exec., Torrent Pharma Canada Inc.; Jitendra Shah, Managing Director, Tipsons Financial Services; Vivek Rastogi, Vice  President, Business, Abellon CleanEnergy;  Amrit Vatsa, Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Jeyesh, Deputy Director, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
 
Shahana welcomed the delegation and the attendees and Keith Motley, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts spoke passionately about the world renowned strength of educational institutions in Massachusetts that provides a fertile ground for an educated labor force, some amazingly innovative companies and an ecosystem that supports business and investment. Michelle Lampa from MOITI read out a letter issued by Governor Patrick for this occasion welcoming the delegation to Massachusetts. The Gujarat Delegation did an insightful video presentation on Investments in the Solar Energy Sector following which Mr Pandian, Principal Secretary, Government of Gujarat spoke about investment opportunities for US companies in various sectors including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy like wind and solar, chemicals, textiles, IT etc. He also invited investors from the US to visit India for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Conference in January 2011. Mr. Pandian's presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session and interaction with the delegates.  
 
One attendee, Jeff Bacon, Senior Director - Investments, Oppenheimer commented that  "it was a privilege to meet such a prominent delegation from India with a compelling pro business story."  
 
Attendees at this India event included prominent members from the Boston government, business and academic community including the Honorable Navjeet Bal, the Commissioner of Revenue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,  Arthur Robert, Director, Defense, Technology and Renewable Energy, Mass Office of Business Development, Jeff Bacon and Sail Adler, Senior Directors - Investment, Oppenheimer, Amit Kanodia, Managing Partner, Lincoln Ventures, Robert Smith, Managing Director, Turan Corporation, Punita Kumar-Sinha, Managing Director, The Blackstone Group, Jayant Sinha, Managing Director and Country Head- India, Omidyar Networks, Rekha Ranganathan, Director, Boston Scientific Corporation, Samir Desai, CEO, Aditi Inc., Subu Kota, CEO, The Boston Group Upendra Mishra, Chairman, The Mishra Group, Gaurav Mallik, Senior Portfolio Manager, State Street Global Advisors, Darshana Zaveri, Principal, Catalyst Health Ventures, Dr. Ravi Ramamurti, Director, Center for Emerging Markets, Northeastern University, Deepti Nijhawan, MIT- India Program and Akhil Nigam, Founder & President, MassChallenge.  
 
Kush Parmar, from 5AM Ventures stated enthusiastically that the event "was absolutely fantastic and filled with tons of interesting folks." Another attendee, John Pepper, CEO, Boloco, echoed the sentiment stating "we met many interesting people with such a diverse set of backgrounds, talents, and interests, and yet a very clear common thread- a curiosity to learn and do more in this world quite likely to the benefit of India."

Attendees also enjoyed a brief performance by Bharti Shah and Lavin from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, who sang the national anthems of India and the United States. Ken Desmaris of EAPD prepared a lovely buffet of Indian cuisine for the guests .

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