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IACF marks 25 years with unity dinner in California
Nearly 36 public officials attended, including city councilmembers, county supervisors and assemblymembers, along with representatives
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Staff Reporter - Sun, 19, Apr 2026
- 00:42 EDT
- 15
Mayor Gary Singh of Union City being honored by Jeevan Zutshi and Mayor Raj Salwan of Fremont, CA. On the left is Mayor Carmen Montano of Milpitas and Mayor Larry Klein of Sunnyvale, CA / Courtesy photo
The 25th anniversary of Indo-American Community Federation (IACF)’s Unity Dinner was held on April 3 at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, bringing together nearly 400 community leaders and public officials.
Founded in 1993 by Jeevan Zutshi, IACF aims to help Indo-Americans engage in civic life and build connections across communities through dialogue and public service. Its annual Unity Dinner, launched in 2002, is a central platform for that effort.
The event opened at 5 p.m. with a panel discussion on artificial intelligence and its societal impact, including jobs, governance, security and trust. Moderated by Tas Jalali, the panel featured Moinul Khan of Aurascape, Krishnan Chellakarai of Gilead Sciences, former Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, and Sunnyvale City Councilmember Murali Srinivasan.
The program included the inaugural Public Sector Leadership Awards recognizing six officials across categories such as innovation, operations, cybersecurity and public service. Awards were presented by Vice Mayor Chantel Walker, Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The formal ceremony began at 7 p.m. with the national anthems of India and the United States sung by Amrita Kar. The event was anchored by Anjali Shaykher Zutshi.
Consul Abhishek Kumar Sharma of the Consulate General of India in San Francisco addressed the gathering, followed by remarks from several Bay Area mayors, including Carmen Montano of Milpitas, Raj Salwan of Fremont, Gary Singh of Union City, Mike Hannon of Newark, Lisa Gillmor of Santa Clara and Larry Klein of Sunnyvale.
Union City Mayor Gary Singh was honored for promoting diversity and inclusion.
Nearly 36 public officials attended, including city councilmembers, county supervisors and assemblymembers, along with representatives from Sen. Dave Cortese, Rep. Sam Liccardo and Rep. Ro Khanna, who brought commendations from their offices. Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dixon and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen spoke about efforts to address hate and crime.
Left to Right: Jeevan Zutshi, Uphaar Kotru, Miss Kotru, Shyla Zutshi and Shefali. / Courtesy photo
Villaraigosa, the keynote speaker, urged attendees to value both heritage and national identity. “We are all immigrants who came to America from somewhere. We are as American as anyone is. Let us take pride in our roots and be great Americans,” he said.
A recorded message from Rep. Ro Khanna followed, in which he praised Jeevan Zutshi’s work through IACF in bringing communities together.
Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal was honored as the “pride of Kashmir.” The award was presented by Shyla Zutshi.
The evening concluded with dinner and cultural performances, including music and dance presentations.
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