The Massachusetts Chapter of the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) held their Annual General Body Meeting on Sunday, February 26 at the Waltham Westin Hotel. The meeting was marked by a recognition event of the 2011 Forum Summer Interns, the election of a new Executive Committee and a lively panel discussion on the topic of the day – The upcoming elections and the impact of the economy on its possible outcome.

A distinguished three member panel led this thought provoking conversation – Dean Stephen Crosby of the McCormack Graduate school of Policy and Global Studies at U Mass Boston, Professor Alan Clayton-Mathews, Economist and Professor at the School of Public Policy, Northeastern University and Mr. Partha Ghosh, Consultant and Policy Advisor and Industry Strategist. The   panel was moderated by our very own Raj Sharma, Managing Director and head of Merrill Lynch Private Banking’s Sharma Group.

The panelists considered the question of a slow reviving economy on the elections as well as the impact on the economy of the candidates’ spending that results from election activity. There appeared to be a general consensus that the Great Recession was certainly impacted positively by the Stimulus spending. While the federal deficit was large, as a percentage of the GDP it was within the range of historical norms. Our own local economy was expected to grow and had not been as adversely affected by the recession as other parts of the country because of our investments in Education, High Tech, Health  Care, etc. Given global trends on the availability of human capital from emerging economies, we, in Massachusetts would profit and benefit from investments in the scarce commodities of a highly educated work force. Partha Ghosh made a significant point around the need of a new “ism” – beyond Capitalism, Socialism, Conservatism and Liberalism that could bridge the gap across levels of government and the private sector. A lively question and answer session followed with many questions being raised about the impact and trends in Indo-US economic and political ties, especially in light of the global economic leadership of China.

The audience was treated with a passionate and heart felt delivery by the Chief Guest for the event – Mr. Prabhu Dayal, Consul General of India, NY. Mr. Dayal articulated challenges India faces with education, the gap between the have and have-nots and how the Indian government is addressing those. He exhorted the Indian American community, especially those of us here in Boston to continue the good work of being engaged with the political system and our leadership both locally and in Washington as we were the best and strongest proponents of the relationship with India. We are also the image of the model minority here.

The incoming President, Ramesh Advani spoke of the challenges faced by the early Indians who emigrated to the US and how it was important that we make our voices heard even today. We can do that by participating in Forum events and speaking up at times like the Presidential elections and in our local communities as we can make a difference. The incoming Executive Committee was fortunate to have a successful mantle inherited from the Committee led by Dr. Melvyn Menezes and also members – Dr. Manju Seth, Mr. Ajay Saini and Mr.Sanjay Kaul who continue to serve on the new Committee. The new Committee members include Mr. Advani ,who returns after a long hiatus and also Mr. Anupam Wali as Vice President, Dr. Sapna Agarwal and Ms. Anjali Wali.

The 2011 Summer Interns recognized were:

Meghna Aggarwal, Marlborough, MA
Interned at the office of Senator James Eldridge

Saatvik Ahluvalia, Lexington, MA
Interned at the office of Rep. Jay Kaufman

Vidur Khatri, Norwood, MA
Interned at the office of Rep. Bill Galvin

Hima Nannapaneni, Southborough, MA
Interned at the office of Senator James Eldridge

Ayan Purkayastha, Acton, MA
Interned at the office of Senator Michael Knapik

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