For Immediate Press Release.
April 13, 2015 (New York NY:
America Nepal Friendship Society (ANFS) organized a cultural program to mark its 32nd anniversary and celebrate the Nepali New Year B. S. 2072 in New York on April 11, 2015. The celebration was a part of long-standing and continuing tradition of ANFS which is devoted in preserving and promoting Nepali culture and tradition in the United States of America. ANFS is an association of individuals engaged in bringing the people of the United States and Nepal closer together in understanding, appreciation and cooperation. It is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, and nonpolitical organization devoted to cultural, educational and public affairs, and to discussions, exchanges and studies in the area of vital interests to both people.
Program began with the national anthems of Nepal and the United States of America. Dr. Rajendra Pradhan, the Chair of the Board of Advisors of ANFS extended New Year greetings to all the guests.
President of ANFS Parita Rajbhandari, extending New Year’s greeting, briefly highlighted the activities of ANFS in the past and thanked all for supporting ANFS to thrive & stand strong among the vast pool of Nepalese organizations in NY.
Permanent Representative of Nepal to United Nations His Excellency Durga Prasad Bhattarai was the chief guest at the event. Other dignitaries included Deputy Permanent Representative of Nepal to United Nations of Madam Sewa Adhikari Lamsal, Vice Consul Prabin Bhattarai, of Consulate General of Nepal in New York, New City Comptroller’s South Asian Community Liasion Officer Mr. Dev Awasthi, former NY City Comptroller John Liu. Past Presidents of ANFS Mr. Kamal Bahadur Karki, Dr. Tara Niraula, Mrs. Muna Belbase, Dr. Binod Shah were also present on the occasion.
ANFS recognized a selected group of individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions to ANFS & in their respective fields. They included Mr. Trevor Patzer for his outstanding service & dedication to providing supports for the education of economically disadvantaged girls in South Asia.. He is also the co-founder of Little Sisters Fund which fosters a sustainable educational environment for Nepalese females by addressing the root causes of low female literacy in Nepal and provides safety, opportunity and hope through the gift of opportunities for education. He did a slide presentation about the work of Little Sisters Fund in Nepal.
Mr. Stephan Adolphus, Vice Chair of the ANFS Board of Advisors, was also recognized as a longtime friend and a supporter of ANFS. Ms. Goma Gurung was recognized for her contribution to Nepali music and her long time contribution to ANFS programs as a singer. Similarly, Prof. Rajesh Gautam who is also a recipient of Madan Puraskar and author of several books was also honored at the program.
Chief Guest Ambassador Durga Prasad Bhattarai, extending the New Year’s greetings to all the guests commended each of the honorees for their contributions they have made to the society. Ambassador Bhattarai praised ANFS for adding different aspect of programming by including Mr. Trevor’s presentation related to his work and the education of girls in Nepal. He also noted the extraordinary service provided by Vice Consul Mr. Prabin Bhattarai with regard to obtaining Machine Readable Passport (MRP) and facilitating the application process in Nepali communities in NY and near by States. He asked all to take advantage of this service. There was a bench set up for the MRP application by ANFS at the same hall before the beginning of New Year program 2072.
Mr. Dev Awasthi, New York City Comptroller’s South Asian Community Liaison Officer presented Commendation from the Comptroller to America Nepal Society for its outstanding work to represent and celebrate New York’s vibrant Nepali-American Community, and for sharing Nepal’s rich culture and adding richness to the larger community in New York and beyond. He also underscored the importance and dedication of Nepali community in preserving and promoting important cultural tradition and helping the city’s Nepali- American community grow stronger and thrive. He thanked ANFS for its tremendous contribution to the city of New York.
The second part of the program was the cultural program which began with a dazzling dance by Srinity Rijal & Crystal Thapa. Other outstanding artists and presenters who gave their best performances included: Rahul Gautam, Shaswat Poudel, Elisa Radhika Shah, Jana Shrestha, Pujyata Sharma, Bashanti Rai, Pujyata Rajbhandary, Prasanna Shah, Goma Gurung, Tilak Shrestha, Jyoti Gurung, Yashodha Khaling Rai, Pabita Pariyar & Neplese Artists Associtaion’s current President Mr. Gambu Sherpa. NRN Election Commissioner & Lawyer Binod Roka request all to participate on up coming NRN Election & recited his “Tukkas”(muktak).
The first part of the formal program was conducted by Mr. Bijay Thapa, one of the members of the Board of Advisor of ANFS. The cultural part was emceed by Mr. Ram Raj Chhetri, President of New York Kala Manch.
The cultural program was followed by dinner, attractive raffle prizes, DJ & Dance. The event was held at Chian Federation Hall, Astoria, New York. Over 250 local Nepali community members, including leaders from various organizations, press and American friends of Nepal attended the event.
For more information about ANFS and to become a member, please visit
www.anfsusa.org or contact us at president@anfsusa.org or paritaraj1@yahoo.com
