Rotary Club of Newport-Irvine Induction Speech by Sanjay Dalal, President and Managing Director, Innovation Index Group

I am indeed honored to become the newest member of Rotary Newport-Irvine Club today. Thank you President Jerry, Angelita, Rotarians, members and the executive team!! Our family has a deep appreciation for Rotary and Rotary foundation – my father, who is a very proud Rotarian, and proud of me becoming a Rotarian – came to U.S.A. in 1957 with a Rotary Foundation Scholarship, and obtained his MBA from Stanford Business School. If he had not come to the States, who knows? I may not be here in front of you today. Exactly 30 years hence, in 1987, I came to America. Thank you Dad and Mom for sending me here for education and our success.

A little about me... I am not right wing, nor left wing... nor affiliated with any political wings. I just became a U.S. Citizen. I have a question for the audience: What is the most important right of a U.S. citizen? (right to vote)

What I am though is a married family man, raising two wonderful kids, participating in many local activities including basketball coaching, art master, school site council and more. And yes, my business is all about determining the fundamentals of companies whose stocks we invest in.

I am proud of my heritage, my parent country India, the world’s largest democracy. It is a great privilege that my family and I live in America, our home, the world’s greatest democracy, a country of tremendous opportunity and pioneering spirit.

I want to thank my wife, for raising two wonderful children, and who has stood by me through thick and thin over so many years.

Today, in LA County alone, we have tens of thousands of kids who live in foster families. There are more than 600 children currently waiting for an adoptive family. I invite the Rotarians to contribute your time and money to help these children through the KidSave organization based in Los Angeles.

My wife and I have sponsored a child in India for the past many years through Christian Children’s Fund. He lives in Jharkhand state. He is a growing kid, and when we got a letter from him where he talks about, I quote, “the Save Environment program in Jharkhand where the main objective is inhibition on hunting because life is the right of animal” end quote, it really moved us.

Over the years, we have donated our time and money to many charities including USO, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Salvation Army, Free Wheel Chair Mission, Fire Fighters, Police and Sheriff organizations, Hurricane Katrina, Tsunami Relief, China Earthquake, Myanmar Floods, BAPS and more.

Last week, at the local Jain Center, thousands of Jains celebrated the opening of new temple, and asked for forgiveness. My wife is a Jain, and we follow the principles of non-violence, peace, honesty and kindness.

I want to take this opportunity to thank America, our home, for helping us grow and flourish, and letting us enjoy the free spirit and democratic ideals.

We, all of us, are quite blessed by God. Let us take a moment to thank our parents, our family, our friends, our colleagues at work, our partners, our neighbors, our community and our country. We work hard, and most of us have a nice house to live, drive good cars, do not have to worry about food, are healthy (best wishes for Brady) and do well financially. So, let us make a promise to ourselves today: We must not complain.

God Bless Us All and God Bless America...

Federation of Indian American Association Speech by Sanjay Dalal, President & Managing Director, Innovation Index Group, Inc.

Sunday August 31, 2008

Dear FIA Members, Guests and Friends:

I am indeed honored to represent my business, Innovation Index Group, today on our national Independence Day celebration. I am the president of Innovation Index Group. I am humbled that FIA gave me this opportunity, and am quite grateful to the FIA executive team, Prakash Pancholi, Amrit Bhandari, Dilip Butani, Mohan Sharma, and members of this key organization.

Today I stand before you very proud of our heritage, of our parent country India, the world’s largest democracy, and the hottest economy in Asia. It is also a great privilege that my family and I live in America and call America our home, the world’s most open democracy and a country of tremendous opportunity and pioneering spirit.

I have my parents to thank who gave me the opportunity to come to USA for education in 1987, gave blessings to marry and live here, and have guided me through life, good morals, business and entrepreneurship. Thank you Puppa, Thank you Mummi. I want to thank my wife, for raising two wonderful children, and who has stood by me through thick and thin. Thank you Mamta.

Today, in LA County alone, we have tens of thousands of kids who live in foster families. There are more than 600 children currently waiting for an adoptive family. I invite you to contribute your time and money to help these children through the KidSave organization based in Los Angeles. KidSave has already placed more than 1,300 children from all over the world with American families. Please find a way to help these children right here in LA county.

Another organization based in Irvine, Free Wheel Chair Mission, helps adults and children all over the world who have mobility problems. They have an enterprising wheel chair program that creates wheel chairs for only $50 per wheel chair. Recently, the Free Wheel Chair Mission did an amazing program in an Indian village where they donated hundreds of wheel chairs and brought smiles to many, many immobilized Indians. Free Wheel Chair Mission has donated over 8,000 wheel chairs to India alone, and you should definitely get involved with the Free Wheel Chair Mission program.

India gave us our culture, our leaders, our traditions, our morals, our never-say-die spirit, our scores of relatives, and also Bollywood. Let us take a moment to honor and thank our freedom fighters including Gandhiji, Sardarbhai Patel, Subhashbhai, and many more who got us our independence, and also the present day heroes who are helping our country grow by leaps and bounds, and protecting our country from terrorists and radical forces. India has come a long way since our independence in 1947; however, we do have many challenges – poverty, illiteracy, healthcare, basic infrastructure needs – to just name a few. My wife and I have sponsored a child in India for the past many years through Christian Children’s Fund and Shramajivi Unnayan. He lives in Jharkhand state. He is a growing kid, and when we got a letter from him where he talks about, I quote, “the Save Environment program in Jharkhand where the main objective is inhibition on hunting because life is the right of animal” end quote , it really moved us. I recently attended a couple of meetings of Lions Club of Little India, and it was refreshing to see the members create a real program for helping some of the students in India.

Today, at the local Jain Center, thousands of Jains are celebrating Pajyushana, and asking for forgiveness and simultaneously forgiving fellow friends and workers. Yesterday, I attended a peaceful event hosted by Swaminarayan mandir and Bharat Community Center in Irvine. Our Indian swamis gave many examples on how we can live happily and peacefully, and reduce our many vices through many examples from Bhagvad. Every evening, a few hundred people attended the discourse, and came away relaxed and happy with pearls of wisdom bestowed by the learned. Let us take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness, and above all make a pledge to create a shining example of our parent country India here in the U.S.A.

We now live in the great democracy America, where we raise our family peacefully and happily, where we mingle our cultures freely with Americans, where we come to respect and appreciate the multitude of traditions including Hollywood, and where we find opportunities to advance and do well. Let us thank America, our home, for helping us grow and flourish, and letting us enjoy the free spirit and democratic ideals.

We, all of us, are quite blessed by God. Let us take a moment to thank our parents, our family, our friends, our colleagues at work, our partners, our neighbors, our community and our country. We all have a nice house to live, drive good cars, do not have to worry about food, are healthy and do well financially. So, let us make a promise to ourselves today: We must not complain.

Thank you everyone for giving me this opportunity to speak. I am indeed grateful.

God Bless us all!

Sanjay Dalal

President & Managing Director
Innovation Index Group, Inc.