About Us
IAGB is an Indian-American community organization dedicated to civic, community, social and cultural causes
“IAGB strives to foster a strong Indian-American social, cultural and community presence in New England”
History
Founded in 1962 as a socio-cultural organization, IAGB has played an important role in bringing the area’s Indian communities together.
In its early years, IAGB played a major role in bringing the then small Indian community together to celebrate Indian festivals and special occasions. It must be noted that its annual India Day celebration in Boston has grown into one of the largest ethnic events in the City of Boston, drawing thousands of people of all ethnicities comprising not only Indian Americans, but also the national mainstream.
IAGB is governed by an Executive Committee consisting of professionals, who speak different languages, come from different backgrounds, and are a microcosm of the unity-in- diversity that is India. IAGB thrives because of the dedication and hard work of its volunteer officers and directors and the continued enthusiastic support from the Greater Boston communities. It looks forward to continuing to work in the spirit of its mission for years to come.
Our Team
Tanu Phoenix (President)
As a life-long enthusiast, Tanu has a track record of initiative, dependability, camaraderie and excellence. She is an outspoken, empathetic, highly motivated, and progress-focused person of long-standing. Tanu considers it her honor to be the President of IAGB and commits to uphold the community as a place where everyone can enjoy superior quality of civic, socio-cultural & educational activities & endeavors, community service and Pan-India engagements. Her passion and versatility in her community service realm of work enable her to excel in her professional life as a demanding, high visibility HR Leader in a high-end Consulting, Data science & Technology Services firm. Her overall career profile includes Public and Private School Teacher, Professional Orator, Dancer and Event Coordinator. Tanu also serves as a board Secretary of Saheli Boston; she is a Founder Member of IAB having been its Cultural Director since its inception until 2022. She also volunteers at multiple homeless shelters, senior care homes, rehabs and food pantries.
Nilesh Agrawal (Vice President)
Nilesh agrawal is a senior it project manager and manages the database team globally as dba manager. He has over 20+ years of it experience. He has a master’s degree in computer management (mcm) from pune university. He is an active director of admin in shishu bharati school and an executive committee member in various new england organizations such as hindi manch - baal yuva vibhag, dharma center of america lowell etc. Nilesh is a community leader, involved with various voluntary non-profit organizations. He would like to help in various iagb initiatives such as civic collaboration, giving back to the community etc. He loves music and sports (nfl & cricket). He lives in burlington with his wife and two children.
Deepak Garg (Treasurer)
In his long-standing career of 22 years, Deepak is currently a Vice President, Loan Officer at Leader Bank. He has been an Executive Director at IAGB in IAGB's previous Executive Committee. He is a member of the Warrant Committee with the Town of Belmont and also working as a Treasurer at the Belmont Pan Asian Coalition. Deepak was an Executive Director at UIANE, 2 years ago. He has been volunteering with town school organizations as a treasurer for 4 years and just finished his 2 year term with FBE as their Treasurer. Deepak has a double MBA in Finance and Marketing along with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering. Deepak is committed to continue actively with IAGB and help grow the community.
Manishabrata Bhowmick (Secretary)
Scientist by training and educational background, Manish is passionate about giving back to community through volunteering in his leisure time. He strives to take ownership and drive for success with commitment. Manish strongly believes that fostering a strong Indian social and cultural presence is essential in New England to give our young generation a solid foundation of Indian history which empower and inspire them to understand, appreciate and enjoy the rich cultural heritage of India and integrate it into American culture. He loves photography and cinematography. He lives in Chelmsford, MA with his wife and daughter.
Anagha Singh (Director)
Anagha Singh’s artistic eye, love for her culture and her desire to teach our young “Indian-American” generation about our culture has brought her to IAGB. As a community member, she has been involved in many non-profit organizations in the past. Currently she is serving as a Vice President of Ashland Indian community and she has been a member of Marathi organization for the past 15 plus years. She has always believed in giving back, by volunteering her time for the community. She sees it as an opportunity for her to grow as a person and better understand how she fits into the world around her. She strongly believes that IAGB is one big umbrella organization that represents everyone from India. Apart from her community involvement, she is a proud mom of 2 beautiful girls and a loving wife! In her free time she loves to do her art work, cook, and spend time with family and close friends.
Arpita Das Pathak (Director)
Arpita is an Engineering Sr. Manager by day and lives in Littleton, MA with her husband, 2 kids and a dog. She is the Founder / Creative Director of GuruKool Enrichment Center, Co-Founder of Science Cardinal and also involved with a number of other non-profits in the Greater Boston area. Her interest in serving on the IAGB board stems from the passion for giving back to the community. With a strong dance background in Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Rabindra Nritya and folk dances, Arpita strongly believes in spreading the rich tradition of culture, dance, music, and art in various forms. By staying rooted to traditions and values, she wants to set an example for future generations to come. Her vision for IAGB is to uphold it as an iconic organization representing the South Asian community as a whole, irrespective of which state/region their roots might be in India.
Ashalata Thotangare (Director)
Ashalata Thotangare goes by Asha. She lives in Bedford, MA with her son and husband. She has taught Indian regional language Marathi, at Shishu Bharati-Nashua. She has been part of IAGB for many years in the form of a volunteer and now an active EC team member since 2021. Asha is an IT professional focused on Product Management and Process Improvement. Besides her day job, she has also taught graduate-level IT courses at SNHU University as an Adjunct Faculty. She loves working with students and sharing her knowledge. She loves to cook, read, and sew as a hobby. Asha will never bypass an opportunity to volunteer for charitable work in person or in financial form. Mediation has been her passion. IAGB motivates her to connect with people from all walks of life.
Lohith Nagaraj (Director)
Been actively involved with NEKK and IAGB, volunteering in various organizations (VSNE, GLRR, PMC, AMC– appalachian mountain club). Passionate about hiking, biking(bike MS – a fundraising ride that changes the world for people affected by multiple sclerosis), running( marathons).
Prerna Mathur (Director)
A versatile and creative mind that combines the strength and patience of a mother and an avid Community helper, Prerna has been associated with several Non-Profit Community organizations like Ekal Vidyalaya, Indian Americans for Burlington, EKAM Boston, New horizons Senior Living etc. These experiences have given her the confidence to perform this leadership role at IAGB with full zest and enthusiasm, as she strives to collaborate efforts for the development and betterment of a diverse and well cultured Indian community. Being a Risk Analyst in her professional life, she always weighs risk and makes a thoughtful move. Being a sociable and outgoing personality, life has never failed to amuse Prerna, and helped her build deep connections within the community. She enjoys singing, dancing, and cooking. A staunch believer of positivity and ‘whatever happens, happens for good’, Prerna would like to take this belief and brighten the day of everyone she meets with her charming smile and vivacious personality.
Shital Bhammer (Director)
Shital Bhammar is a dedicated community leader and nonprofit strategist with over 23 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Her journey began with a goal to unite the Indian community and highlight its culture, values, and bonds. With a career spanning roles in program management, regulatory labeling, and executive leadership, Shital has driven strategic initiatives that have helped secure stronger community connections.Having experienced the challenges of being an early immigrant to the US, Shital is passionate about strengthening community connections through dedicated nonprofits.
Shubhada Kulkarni (Director)
Shubhada is a UMASS Lowell CS graduate and works as a software engineer in the greater Boston area. She is passionate about giving back to the community. She has volunteered at many local non-profit organizations and events for the last 20 years. She is a director at Shishubharati - school of languages & culture of India. She is also a Marathi language coordinator and has been teaching various aspects of Indian culture and Marathi Language for more than 15 years at that school. Shubhada has served as a secretary (part of executive committee) in the New England Marathi Mandal and had the pleasure of organizing several cultural and educational programs for many years. She enjoys dancing, biking and listening to music.
Vijayendra Bhargava (Director)
Vijayendra Bhargava is a VP at State Street Bank & Trust, with 16+ years of experience in the finance industry across various domains like risk management, regulatory reporting and data governance. He strongly wishes to ensure that the local Indian community is able to integrate with the mainstream while not losing its rich cultural heritage and identity. Vijayendra wants to be able to contribute to the community as a whole and volunteer where possible for initiatives which bring not just the Indian population together but also attract interest from other communities. Vijayendra has a keen interest in current affairs and politics while also actively playing tennis and pickleball in his spare time.
Shashwati (Lima) Das (Director)
Shashwati Das a.k.a Lima is Kind, compassionate & empathetic to other people’s needs. She is a conscientious person who takes pride in helping others. She always likes to keep herself informed about geopolitics and global news. She loves to cook, listen to the Bollywood music, play chess and loves to do art work. She lives with her husband and two sons.
