India Culture Center
Serving our communities for the last 47 years!
Serving our communities for the last 47 years!
President
She is a UT Graduate and Founder & CEO of Jaz Creationz, an International Fashion and an Entertainment production company and also Professional Keller Williams Met Realtor. She is a pioneer & hosted many shows like Vaisakhi, ICC Pageants and cultural programs, Dance competitions, and many fashion shows, and prompted the value of creativity in today’s entertainment world. She is a director of Interfaith Ministries, HBBCC, ICC, and PSH, and many more and raised awareness and contributed funds and talent for American Heart Association, Real Men Wear Pink for Breast Cancer, Houston Broad Based Community Center for troubled youth, Bald is Beautiful by Jamie’s hope for cancer patients, IMAGH, IHA, IACF, Interfaith Ministries, Houston Fashion week for Costume collection for needy ones, Mrs.
India 2016 for Women Empowerment and Lion’s Club for disabled kids. She owns the certifications in Indian Classical Kathak dance and Indian classical vocal music and loves playing percussions harmonium and Tabla. What inspires her more than anything is inspiring others, especially women and kids, to make them realize that passion is not only about commitment; it’s about the meaning and, just as important, it’s about fun. She has been involved with India Culture Center since 2009 and believes in Building Bridges.
Past President
Dr Falguni Gandhi B.A.M.S; N.D (Diploma in Naturopathy); MRSH (Member of Royal Society of Health, London, UK) is an Ayurveda Physician from Bombay University.
For a couple of years after coming to the USA in 1985, she worked for Maharishi Ayurveda and was privileged to consult patients alongside with Dr. Deepak Chopra. Later in El Paso she taught Herbology and Ayurveda at the University of El Paso and was a consultant in Ayurveda in her own private practice. In 1995 she moved to Houston which is now her permanent home. In 1998 Dr Gandhi participated in the approval of Grant for Fibromyalgia at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX – Anesthesiology Department. She also has written several articles for women’s magazines over the years.
Since 1997 she has been managing her Family business of Medical Clinics, as a Chief Operating Officer. Her husband and both daughters are Physicians.
Dr Gandhi was also a RJ on a well-known radio station in Houston for several years starting 2009.A Distant Education Lecturer – “Ayurveda Today” over 75 recordings
She has been awarded Ayurvedic Doctor Professional Membership -from National Ayurvedic Medical Association NAMA, Los Angeles, CA. Just a couple of years back she was a Recipient of MoU from the State of Gujarat for Certificate of Investment Intention in Gujarat in Education. In 2018 she formed a non-profit organization and was the Co-founder & Chairman of ‘SAY International’ - Sanskrit, Ayurveda & Yoga.
ICC was proud to receive a $5,000 grant in 2017 from Houston Art Alliance and the City of Houston to organize a cultural event ‘Festivals of India’ in downtown, and plan to participate again to get this great opportunity to showcase India Culture Center in Houston mainstream.
After serving in various positions at India Culture Center including Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, a President in 2017, and as a Trustee on the Board, she is currently serving ICC Executive Board committee this year as a Past-President again.
BOD
Dr. Dinesh Purohit is a businessman, educationalist, restaurateur and a philanthropist. He is the Founder Director of All Star EDU, bridging the gap between students and multiple accredited US Universities, and a bridge between institutions of India and the USA. CEO of KITComPro Inc, IT Solution provider and a placement agency. Helping IT graduates in the US for job placement, Owner of the popular Houston-based restaurant Chowpatty Chat, former Vice President of Lyca mobile, and Black Wireless prepaid cellular service provider, a council member of the community-oriented NGO, India House and the CEO of KIT Communications, a major client to AT&T auctions for cell phones which includes iPhone, Samsung devices and exports high quality merchandise to three continents worldwide. He was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Social Services and Higher Education by the National Virtual University for Peace and Education too. He also boasts 14 years of work experience in the telecom industry, especially for bringing global telecom services provider Lyca mobile to the US and introducing CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) tech for sim cards in India, with Swadesh mobile JV with MTS.
His works have been highlighted by The Hindu, Tribune India, Business Standard, Times of India, Voice of Asia, Indo American news and a slew of media publications, notably for providing food aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 served more than30,000 people and for his contributions to the Brahmin community in the region.
Purohit is a dedicated educationalist, providing access to affordable education for students aspiring to study in the US. As the Founder and Director of All Star EDU, they bridge the gap between students and universities in India and in the US, offering student resettlement and partnerships with multi-accredited universities in America. He was also an international representative for Houston-based North American University, offering a multitude of programs especially in business and information technology
BOD
Nimish Sheth is CEO & COO for Houston (Sugar Land) based on O&G and construction material Company.
Born and raised in Mumbai India and graduated From Mumbai University in Commerce and Accounting in 1991.
I arrived in Houston, USA After finishing an MBA in Financial Management from Sydney, Australia in 1998.
Married to Vaishali Sheth for more than 25 years. Blessed with 2 sons 24 and 21 years respectively.
Joined ICC in January 2017 as Director. Besides ICC Nimish is an officer in Kala Kunj which is Gujarati Cultural Organization. Also organizing social events for the group called Club 38. Also, lead coordinator for Community Group called Birpur Group of Texas
BOD
Retired from University of Houston as Director of International Studies and Programs in 2014 and started her consultancy connecting global universities together. She holds three masters degree in English, World History and International Administration and Development. Being the first Indian woman to be a Country Director, for the pacific country Kiribati and implementing international projects for Unicef, USAID , AIDAB and Canada Fund, she holds grass root development very dear to her heart. For 9 years with Houston Community college she was instrumental to connect Houston to India in an USAID project called SEPI., which developed courses for HIV AIDS. She has received several awards and is considered an Elite American Educator. She joined ICC as trustee, was elected Chief Trustee and is now serving as Director. She has visited and stayed in several countries, a globe trotter, and speaks 5 different languages. Open to to different perspectives and religions , she writes grants and calls herself citizen of the world.
BOD
Rahna is a director in Expedien, Inc, a Houston based IT services firm. She also serves on the board of Expedien Foundation, a 501 c(3) organization catering to people with special needs. Expedien, Inc, was recognized as top 50 fastest growing women owned companies by American Express Open and Women’s President Organization. Shalu also serves on the board of India House. Shalu has an undergrad in economics and grad degree in fine arts from India. She did her executive education from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Shalu is happily married and has two sons. She is very fond of dancing and painting.
BOD
Principal Project Manager, Worley Corp, 2007 - 2017
M.S. Degree: Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India 1961
Washington University, St. Louis, MO USA MS in Control Systems
1970Community related:
Founder and President, India Association of St. Louis 1969 - 71
Member, BOD India House, Houston
Member, BOD India Culture Center, Houston
Chairman, Program Committee 7th International Conference of Telugu Assn
of North America 1989, Houston TX.
Chairman, Program Committee 4th International Conference of American
Telugu Association 1992, Houston, TX.
Technical:
Chairman, ASME Technical Committees and Conferences:
▪ Gas Turbines and Cogeneration Tech Committee
▪ Steam Turbines and Related Auxiliaries Tech Committee
▪ !st ASME Regional Conference on Power and Cogeneration
BOD
BOD
He is the President of Infodat International, Inc., a software development company based in Houston since 1996. He is also the co-founder of Selltis, a CRM company and Datavedik, a machine learning company. Education: Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Bachelors in Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.
Organizations: He is with ITServe, a national non-profit organization catering to the needs of IT company founders and employees on issues of immigration policy. He volunteer at the Houston Food Bank through Indo-American Food Council.
BOD
The world of music was not a choosen one for Uma, instead it was blended in her blood.Uma had her training under the great Maestros, Belgum Parveen Sultana, Ustad Dilshad Khan and the Ghazal Maestro Late Shri Jagjit Singh. She is gifted with a melodious voice. Uma is one singer who has successfully broken the North-South divide and blazed a trail of glory in both worlds. Uma has performed on various National Channels like DD, MAA TV and Gemini TV, in addition to numerious performances in All India Radio Hyderabad, India. The famous music director and maestro Ilayaraja introduced her to playback singing Tamil in a movie 1980. She has received numerious awards, including a special award from Hyderabad Cultural Association, Houston naming her as the "Bul-Bul-E-Deccan". She has shared stage with popular Bollywood star like - Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, AR. Rahman, Kumar Sanu, Daler Mehndi, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan, Hema Sardesai, Jolly Mukherjee, Udit Narayan, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Nitin Mukesh, Bankim Pathak, Talat Aziz, Abu Mallik, S.P. Balasubramanyam, P. Susheela, S. Janaki, Yesudas, Chitra, G. Anand and Ramakrishna, to name a few. She has done thousands of shows throughout the US, Canada, UK, UAE & India.
Uma also hosts a weekly radio show on FM 106.1 & 107.9 FM (Austin) every Wednesday from 7PM to 9PM (CST) that educates the public on updates on the current hotly debated issues of immigration, especially under the current administration.She is a regular speaker on several regional television shows in the US & India and provides updates for BBC Telugu.
Uma is happily married with two sons and wonderfully balances her legal career, community service and her passion for music.
BOD
Gaurav Jhaveri, originally from Mumbai, India, received his BS in Electrical Engineering from The University of Pune and MS in Industrial & Systems Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. He has over 20 years of executive experience within both energy and the renewable energy industry with background in sales, operations and strategy. He is currently the Director of Strategic Customer accounts for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and he was part of the start-up team to set up the service sales & marketing business for Siemen’s Wind Division which has now grown into a multi-billion dollar business. Gaurav moved to Houston in 2014 and since then he has been involved with various non-profit organizations. He currently serves as the VP of the JVB Preksha Meditation Center, is an active Board Member & Secretary of the Indian Music Society of Houston, and serves on the board of Dulles High School’s Math & Science Academy. He joined the board of ICC since Feb 2020 and is a graduate of theUnited Way of Houston's Board Leadership program. Gaurav relocated to Houston from Orlando where he was on the board of The Asian Cultural Association of Central Florida and held various roles from 2005-2014. He resides in Sugarland with his wife Jigisha and two kids.
BOD
Pavana Gadde is the CEO of Shale Value, a shale technology and Artificial Intelligence company based in Houston. Prior to that, Pavana was Product Management and Alliances director at Hewlett Packard and Dell. Pavana has over 20 years of experience in technology industry in leadership and technical roles. In her career, Pavana introduced world's first Android Desktop computer and established our nation's first mobile classroom for career coaching for elementary kids. Hence, she was honored as 'Star Woman' of IT on International Women's day in 2014. Pavana has MBA from Sloan school of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Sloan) and MS in Computer Science from Texas A&M University, College Station.
Pavana does her part to give back to the community. Pavana is the director of India Culture Center, Houston and chair of ICC Youth Club. She also served as secretary for a Houston based non-profit organization, Universal Service & Support (Sneha Hastham). She was also a board member of Katy ISD GT parent advisory board. She volunteers with Junior Achievement and Destination Imagination and does career coaching for kids. Pavana was the President of HP Houston Toastmasters. She also led the Executive Entrepreneurship Club at MIT Sloan.
Pavana was crowned as Mrs. Social media winner in Mrs. India USA 2015 Pageant Nationals. Pavana was a Judge for Baby Miss America National contest. She was also crowned as Mrs. Bollywood USA 2014 First runner up and Mrs. TANA Houston 2015 winner. She walked the ramp for many fashion shows: Mandira Bedi fashion show, Houston Bridal Show, Fusion couture, Ramp with a cause to raise money for Clean India initiative. She was also featured emceeing for TV shows and she emcees for charity events around town. She has a passion for dance. Pavana and her family actively participated and performed at many events including Rockets half-time show.
Pavana is a proud mother of two and she enjoys and cherishes her time with her husband, kids and dog the most.
BOD
My name is Purvika Patel. I moved to States in 2014, I have perused my Bachelors in Electronics and Communication from India and further Graduated in Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from University of Houston. I currently occupied as a CEO of Rakahotels Management overlooking Managements for multiple hotels based In United States. I am pursing my Master’s in finance from Harvard University Expected graduation in 2022. I currently serve as a Joint Secretary for Indian Cultural Community Houston.
ICC PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS |
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| IH - India House | Vipin Kumar | vipin@indiahouseinc.org | ||
| IHA - International Hindi Association - | Swapan Dhairyawan | swapandha@yahoo.com | ||
| Vadtal Dham Houston | Madan Mohan Patel | mpatel108@gmail.com | ||
| FIS- Foundation for India Studies | Kirshna Vavilala | kvavilala1@yahoo.com | ||
| ISCA- Indian Senior Citizen Association | Bharat Shah | bharatbindu@hotmail.com | ||
| NSF - North South Foundation | Sai Rachakonda | sairacha@gmail.com | ||
| BANA - Birhari Association of North Assocaition | Santosh Verma | skverma@windstream.net | ||
| JVB - Preksha Meditation center | Seema Jain | seemajain78@yahoo.com | ||
| IBN Sina Foundation | Dr. Hina | director@ibnsinafoundation.org | 713-816-5445 |
| YEAR | PAST PRESIDENTS |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Late Dr Harbans H Hayre |
| 1975 | Late Dr Harbans H Hayre |
| 1976 | Dr Satish Jhingran |
| 1977 | K S Padda |
| 1978 | Rashmi Desai |
| 1979 | Late Dr K L Sindhwani |
| 1980 | Late Dr K L Sindhwani |
| 1981 | Dulal Datta |
| 1982 | Girish Pandya |
| 1983 | Bhamy Shenoy |
| 1984 | Late Dr Ninan Mathew |
| 1985 | Vilas Majumdar |
| 1986 | Dr Sewa Legha |
| 1987 | Anu Mahendru |
| 1988 | Late Dr M Paul Mehta |
| 1989 | Kul Bhushan Uppal |
| 1990 | Dr Manoj Vakil |
| 1991 | Sam Abraham |
| 1992 | Dr Shailendra Endley |
| 1993 | Raj Mehdiratta |
| 1994 | Sunil Khurana |
| 1995 | Dr Krishna Rao |
| 1996 | Dr Susan Jacob |
| 1997 | Joseph Sreshta |
| 1998 | Bharat Sanghavi |
| 1999 | Lalita Dasgupta |
| 2000 | Meera Kapur |
| 2001 | Koshy Thomas |
| 2001 | Harshad Patel |
| 2002 | Lachhman Das |
| 2003 | Lachhman Das |
| 2004 | Ramesh Cherivirala |
| 2005 | Vale Subramaniyam |
| 2006 | Harinath Medi |
| 2007 | Shobana Muratee |
| 2008 | Bangar Reddy |
| 2009 | Late Keshu Patel |
| 2010 | Swapan Dhairyawan |
| 2011 | Col Rajinder Bhalla |
| 2012 | Rajiv Bhavsar |
| 2013 | Prakash V Patel |
| 2014 | Chandrakant Patel |
| 2015 | Chandrakant Patel |
| 2016 | Rajiv Bhavsar |
| 2017 | Falguni Gandhi |
| 2018- 2019 | Nisha Mirani |
| 2020 | Jasmeeta Singh |
