GOPIO to honour 4 Indian Americans

In addition, Paul Semanski of Hartford will be honoured with Friend of India Award, GOPIO announced Tuesday.

The four Indian Americans - Vijay Prashad, Madhu Mathur, Vidya Teredesai, and Mequitta Ahuja -  will be honoured with a Friend of GOPIO award as the organisation celebrates its fifth anniversary Sunday at the Italian Centre of Stamford.

Prashad holds the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History, and is Professor of International Studies at Trinity College, Hartford. He has published several books on world governance. Prashad is recognized in the category of Arts and Letters.

Mathur of Greenwich is a tireless advocate for children's health. She is the founding member of Stamford's Childhood Obesity Task Force. In addition, she is Medical Director of the Regional Medical Home Initiative and Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee of Childhood Blueprint Initiative in Stamford. Mathur is recognized for her contribution to Health Services.

Teredesai of Norwalk is being recognized for her community service in the US and in India. She has raised funds for homeless shelters, Norwalk Senior Centre, Evergreen Foundation as well as Women's Hospital in Baroda.

The Young Person's Award goes to Mequitta Ahuja of Weston, who is a visual artist. Her work has been exhibited across the United States, in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, India and Dubai. In February 2010, she was profiled in ArtNews as "Artist to Watch."

Semanski serves as a Co-Coordinator for Asha Hartford, which organizes several fundraisers each year on behalf of the Navsarjan Trust Schools for disadvantaged girls in Gujarat and the DF Blind School in Kolkata.