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NRI Pulse spotlights stories of courage and community
The annual storytelling event by NRI Pulse celebrated lived experiences of resilience, justice, and hope within the Indian-American community, bringing together voices that inspired reflection and connection.
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 06, Nov 2025
- 11:39 EST
- 20
The five speakers who shared their stories at the NRI Pulse event / Courtesy: Photo Xperts
NRI Pulse hosted its signature event, 'NRI Stories 2025,' in celebration of courage, connection, and the transformative power of lived experience.
The evening hosted earlier this month at the Golden Venue in Cumming, Georgia, brought together community leaders, artists, and storytellers.
Launched last year to mark NRI Pulse’s 20th anniversary, the 'NRI Stories' platform has quickly evolved into a cornerstone of Indian-American storytelling, spotlighting real-life accounts of resilience, social justice, and identity.
The 2025 edition, presented in partnership with title sponsor MOH: Jewels, combined live storytelling, music, dance, and dinner for an immersive evening of reflection and solidarity.
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In her opening address, founding editor Veena Rao underscored the event’s mission to amplify authentic narratives. “Stories have a ripple effect. They move hearts, lead to conversations, and sometimes shake up entire communities,” Rao said.
“My vision is simple: to create a space where our community’s stories can be heard. Stories of struggle and courage, reinvention and hope.”
The event was emceed by speaker coach and Storytellers Table CEO Neha Negandhi and attended by Deputy Consul General of India in Atlanta Sreejan Shandilya and Chief Magistrate Judge of Fulton County Cassandra Kirk.
Speakers at the NRI Pulse event / Courtesy: Photo XpertsThe evening also honored Dhananjay Sagdeo, chief medical officer of the Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission in Wayanad, Kerala, for his decades of service in tribal healthcare, and community leader Mustafa Ajmeri for his long-standing contributions to the Indian diaspora in Atlanta.
Five storytellers took the stage, each sharing deeply personal journeys of endurance and transformation. Raveena Kumar recounted her recovery from paralysis following a rare spinal stroke, while Sonny Bharadia shared his two-decade struggle for exoneration after a wrongful conviction.
Journalist Moni Basu reflected on her journey from an orphanage in Kolkata to reporting from global conflict zones, highlighting journalism’s power to “bridge divides.”
Aparna Bhattacharyya, executive director of Raksha, Inc., spoke about turning inherited trauma into advocacy for survivors of violence, and Mahendra Patel shared his experience of being wrongfully accused and later cleared of a kidnapping charge, reminding the audience that “injustice can happen to anyone.”
Interspersed between the stories were cultural performances, including music by Vaibhavi Matapathi and a Bharatanatyam recital by the Adavu Group.
The evening concluded with remarks from Jyothsna Hegde, who thanked sponsors, storytellers, and attendees. “Our storytellers gave us courage, our audience gave us connection, and our sponsors gave us the strength to continue this mission,” she said.
The gathering reinforced the relevance of first-person narratives in shaping understanding and solidarity inside the Indian-American community.
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