GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN
A Tribute to Dr Jagat Motwani By Dr. Thomas Abraham Chairman, GOPIO International
I
t is unfortunate news for all of us in the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) to know that Dr. Jagat Motwani is no more. A Fulbright scholar, professor and social worker, Dr. Jagat Motwani worked for the State of New York and made outstanding contributions to the field of Social Work. Besides his professional contributions, he stood out for contributing to the Indian Diaspora community for the last four decades. Dr Jagat Motwani was a strong leader of the Indian Diaspora community and a founding member of the GOPIO. He was a Co-Convener of the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin held in 1989 in New York City, where GOPIO was formed. He served as an official of several community organizations, including Heart and Hand for the Handicapped (HHH), Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA) and the last in GOPIO as its Secretary General. Dr. Motwani was one of the initiators of the First India Day Parade in New York City in 1981 and served as its Marshal. He wrote several books on the Indian Diaspora and Indian history. He was a patriotic Indian. I had had an opportunity to 32 | JANUARY 2024
work with him closely since 1978 when he represented HHH in FIA New York. From that time, he was with me in every group I had initiated, including NFIA and GOPIO. In the FIA New York, we created a program to provide family counselling to new immigrants. As FIA President, I attended several meetings at his house to coordinate this effort. Many of you may not know that in 1988, when the US Govt. was planning to give massive military aid to India, we from the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) were invited to give in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We went to attend the meeting, but it was cancelled. They again scheduled this meeting and informed us one day before. So, we drove to Washington DC, starting at 10 pm and reaching at about 2.30 am. We did some practice with Jagatji, giving the testimony.
Early in the morning, we went to the Senate hearing, where Jagatji presented our testimony, and we could stop that massive military aid to Pakistan. When we thought of the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in 1989 under the aegis of NFIA, we were in unchartered territory since there was no communication between our communities worldwide. Telephone communication was costly, and personal meetings were the only option then. So, we decided to travel to all countries with large Indian Diaspora populations. Dr Motwani was a great help in travelling alone to the Far Eastern countries to seek participation and support from the Indian Diaspora. We had travelled together to many parts of the world and all over India, promoting the First Global Indian Convention held in New York in 1989. At the convention, Dr Motwani and his co-editors brought out the first-ever book on Global Indian Diaspora - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. After the GOPIO was formed at the convention, Dr. Motwani contributed as Secretary General and later as the Chairman of the GOPIO Academic Council for over two decades. GOPIO International and its chapters convey our heartfelt condolences to Shilpa, Neha, Jyoti, and Lal Motwani's families. We will miss him in our midst. May his soul rest in peace.
