IAPC History
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2024
11th year of our growth
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2023
10th Anniversary & 9th International Media Conference
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2022
9th year of our growth
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2021
8th year of our growth
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2020
7th year of our growth
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2019
6th year of our growth
2019 was a very important year as it was the 6th year of our growth, and the summary of our eventful growth graph indicates some moments as follows:
The Board of Directors continues with IAPC Founder Chairman Mr. Ginsmon Zacharia as the Interim Chairman on completion of a two year term by Chairman Dr. Babu Stephen. New Directors Mr. Onkar Sharma (Managing Attorney and Columnist) and Mr. Kamlesh C. Mehta (Chairman and Publisher of The South Asian Times Newspaper) are bringing their leadership qualities to the newly constituted Board.
GINSMON P ZACHARIA – Founder and Chairman of IAPC
Ginsmon Zacharia is the Chief Operating Officer of The South Asian Times weekly English newspaper. He is the Managing Director of Global Reporter, the international division of the Reporter TV channel in India. He is the Chairman of the Malayalam tabloid newspaper, ‘Jaihind Vartha’, publisher and chief editor of ‘Aksharam Magazine’ and the President and CEO of ‘The Asian Era’ an English language magazine.
Board of Directors - 2019:
Chairman: Ginsmon P. Zacharia New York Vice Chairman: Onkar Sharma Washington DC BoD Secretary: Thomas Mathew Joys Las Vegas Incorporated Director: Ajay Ghosh Connecticut Director: Kamlesh C. Mehta New York Vineetha Nair New Jersey Korason Varghese New York Parveen Chopra New York Thomas Mathew New York Cyriac Scaria San Antonia P.V. Baiju Alberta The new Executive Committee, under the Presidency of Sunil Koozhampala with Executive Vice President Jacob Kudassanad and General Secretary Mathewkutty Easow geared up to move quickly with a grand induction ceremony held at the Auditorium of Antun’s by Minar at Hicksville NY 11801 on Sunday, March 31, 2019. It was done jointly with the IAPC New York and Philadelphia Chapters. The Honorable Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in charge of Economic Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Toshiya Hoshino was the Chief Guest of the day. Mr. Deepak Mishra, Minister at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN and Mr. Devadasan Nair, Consul Community Affairs, Consulate General of India were the Guests of Honour. The Induction Ceremony was colorful with the presence of prominent leaders and media professionals from the city.
SUNIL JOSEPH KOOZHAMPALA, New York, is the President of the National Executive Committee 2019. Professionally, he is an entrepreneur having versatile stakes in media, hospitality and investment advisory industry sectors in the USA and Costa Rica. His successful career spanned as the Managing Director of the oldest Malayalam daily Rashtra Deepika credits Sunil, an unparalleled, historical record being immensely instrumental in successfully sustaining Deepika, the esteemed Indian media icon, during its catastrophic days of challenges. During the ‘80s, as a successful publisher he was instrumental in launching the US operations of Shanker’s Weekly, Delhi and led the publication of the weekly – Children’s World. Sunil contributed to this initiative as its Chief Editor as well. Sunil, a goodwill philanthropist, and committed community advocate will certainly bring in fresh leadership perspectives and credits to the organization.
JACOB KUDASSANAD (JACOB KURUVILLA) of Houston, TX is the Executive Vice President for 2019. He is a born media and community leader with prominent community presence. Previously Jacob shouldered the roles of IAPC Houston chapter, as General Secretary, Malayalee Association of Greater Houston as General Secretary, World Malayalee Council in different responsible capacities since 1997 and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Houston Province. As a literary enthusiast, he contributes to the contemporary radio, visual, print and portal avenues.His social activities began early by the founding member of Starlight Arts and Sports Club , which later affiliated with All India Radio Balalokham Program. While in college, he was delegated the opportunity to be the Alleppey District representative for All Kerala Sahithya Sangam. Currently, he is an active partner and correspondent for contributing news contents to the TV Channel “Global Reporter”, telecasted for the local Malayalam News Media.
MATHEWKUTTY EASOW is the General Secretary for 2019. He is an active member of IAPC from the early years of its inception and the erstwhile President of New York Chapter of IAPC. He is an active Freelance News reporter for different programs in and around New York. He is also an amateur photographer, video Editor, program organizer and script writer.Mathewkutty Easow was a senior Gazetted Officer in Indian Customs Department for a long period and migrated to the USA a few years ago and presently working as Protocol Officer in Indian Consulate, NY. He was active in different organizations in India and served as President of the Rotary Club, YMCA, Customs Employees Cooperative Society etc. and editor cum publisher of different publications of those organizations. He is the New York Bureau Chief of the prominent Malayalam TV Channel “Global Reporter” and an active content provider for the Global News Hour telecasted daily for the viewers of America.
Other members of the 2019 National Executive Committee :
Vice Presidents:
Mr. Murali J Nair Philadelphia Ms. Sangeetha Dua Houston Mr.ThampanoorMohan Canada Mr. Joji Kavanal New Jersey Secretaries:
Mr. Biju Chacko New York Mr. Roy Thomas Houston Mr. Anil Augustine Atlanta Mr. Binu Gopalakrishnan Dallas Treasurer:
Mr. Reji Philip Philadelphia Joint-Treasurer:
Mr. Babu Chacko Houston Ex-Officio:
Ms. Renee Mehrra New York National Coordinators:
Mr. Sabu Kurian Atlanta Mr. Arun Hari Virginia PROs:
Ms. Roopsy Narula New Jersey Ms. Teresa Tom New York New York Chapter Committee George Kottaram (President), Eapen George (General Secretary), Hema Virani (Vice President), Shaji Ennasseril (Joint Secretary) and John K. George (Treasurer). Advisory Board of the NY Chapter was headed by Darshan Singh Bagga (Chairman) and members Saji Thomas, Sabu Markose, Suresh Thomas, George Thomas, Mathew Thomas and Innocent Ulahannan.
PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER Santhosh Abraham (President), Varughese Kurian (Vice President), Jinu J Mathew (Secretary), Saju Varghese (Joint Secretary) and K. S. Abraham (Treasurer). The Chapter Advisory Board Members are Kora P. Cherian, Mathew George, Milly Philip, Thomas Chandy and Shalu Punnose.
The Oath taking ceremony was administered by IAPC Chairman Ginsmon P. Zacharia, followed by the Presidential address by Mr. Sunil Joseph Choozhampala. Our Honorees were Mr. Devadasan Nair (Consul Community Affairs, Consulate General of India, NY) , Smt. Kanchana Poola (Lifetime Achievement Award), Dr. Neeta Jain (Community Leader), Mr. Ven Parameswaran (Prominent Writer and Critic), Guruji Dileepkumar Thankappan (Renowned Yogacharya), Mr. Mohan Nannapaneni (Co- founder of Team Aid for Community Support), Mr. Ashok Vyas (Bharatiya Gaurav Awardee, Media Professional), Mr. Varkey Abraham (Business Entrepreneur). With the vote of thanks by National Secretary, Biju Chacko, followed by Dinner and a cultural program. The induction ceremony of the National Committee, and office bearers of the New York and Philadelphia Chapters, ended in grand style.
HOUSTON CHAPTER office bearers were inducted on 17th March 2019 at Stafford Center, Houston, with Mr. James Koodal as the President, Mr. Suresh Ramakrishnan – Vice President, Mr. Andrews Jacob – Secretary, Mr. Simon Valacheril – Treasurer, Reni Kavalayil – Joint Secretary. The Advisory Board for the Chapter included Mr. Easo Jacob, Dr. Chandra Mittal, Mr. Joseph Ponnolil, Mr. Joji Joseph and Mr. C.G. Daniel. The grand event was held in the presence of 2019 Chairman Dr. Babu Stephen, Honorable Mayor Mr. Leonard Scarcella, Honorable City Councilman Mr. Ken Mathew, Mr. Sasidharan Nair (FOMAA Founder Chairman), Mr. Renjith Pillai (FOKANA Regional Vice President), Mr. S.K. Cherian (World Malayalee Council Global VP), Ms. Akamma Kallel (IA Nurses Association President), and so many other distinguished guests. Various leaders of social media fields were recognized and presented with mementos. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Secretary Andrew Jacob followed by various cultural activities and a sumptuous dinner.
DALLAS CHAPTER inducted its new office bearers Ms. Meena Nibu (President), Mr. Raju Tharakan (Vice President), Mr. Sam Mathai (Secretary), Mr. Joji Alexander (Joint Secretary) and Wilson Tharakan (Treasurer). The advisory Board Members are Mr. P.C. Mathew, Ms. Anupama Venkatesh, Prof. Joy Pallattumadom, Ms. Aleykutty Francis, and Mr. Frixmon Michael.
ATLANTA CHAPTER – Induction ceremony of the office bearers of the chapter was held on Sunday May 5, 2019 at the Atlanta Hilton Hotel in a colourful manner. National General Secretary Mr. Mathewkutty Easow Introduced the new office bearers and the Founder Chairman Mr. Ginsmon P. Zacharia administered the oath taking ceremony of President Ms. Mini Sudhir Nair and the team. Other team members are Vice President – Mr. Lukose Tharian, Secretary – Mr. Jomy George, Treasurer – Mr. Joseph Varghese, Advisory Board Chairman Mr. Antony Thaliath, Members – Mr. Alex Thomas, Mr. Harmeet Singh, Mr. Lada Bedi and Mr. Prakash Joseph. The General Ceremony was attended and led by the Elected officials from the City and County. The Induction Ceremony was inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Gwinnett, Mr. George Hutchinson. The Mayor of the City of Snellville, Ms. Barbara Bender, The Consul General of India in Atlanta, Ms. Swati Kulkarni, Chairman of Gandhi Foundation, Mr. Subhash Razdan and community leader, Mr. Narendar G. Reddy were the guests of honour for the Induction Ceremony.
With a standing organization, the IAPC has a new phase and new adaptation. The new focus of the organization for the upcoming years is the professional grooming of the members for which many workshops and Seminar sessions are in the pipeline. The debate on Indian Parliament Elections, 2019 held at Houston was appreciated by the media and the entire community with tremendous support and participation. Ms. Anupama Venkatesh, the News Anchor for Global Reporter News Channel was the moderator of the Election Debate.
IAPC has a deep commitment to serve its members with educational opportunities and those who seek journalistic opportunities as a serious profession. We are progressing with our efforts to commence an Online Journalism Course to encourage aspiring journalists, in collaboration with the School of Journalism and Kottayam Press Club.
Each year we pool in talents across the globe in a contained setting to focus on our mission and to share our experiences. We associate with other press clubs and social clubs in India thereby developing a cohesive effort in the networking of media personnel and bringing all NRI journalists to the mainstream media platform.
The social commitment of IAPC is shown in helping the flood victims of Kerala by raising a reasonable fund to construct a house for a poor family who lost their house is in progress and will be handed over shortly.
IAPC NEWS – WIRE SERVICE: The new and innovative venture of this Press Club under active consideration is to start a platform for providing news content to the media fraternity. Mr. Kamlesh C. Mehta, the National Director of IAPC and the Chairman and Publisher of the newspaper, “The South Asian Times”, has put forward the idea of framing a platform to provide news content from different corners of the USA, Canada and other parts of the world. This is a commercial venture of the IAPC enabling members to contribute their journalistic work for this News-Wire Platform. Any contributors will be compensated with the revenue earned in this regard. “The South Asian Times” will advance the initial investment to create an appropriate website utilizing most advanced technology, suitable for the News-Wire Service Agency with built-in e-commerce facility. The initial work for this venture is in the pipeline and the inauguration of the platform is proposed to be conducted at the International Media Conference scheduled in Houston on October 11-14, 2019. Much to the delight, for those who are keen, various activities are being planned by all our chapters during the upcoming days. The most important of all these activities will be the IAPC’s prestigious 6th International Media Conference (IMC-2019) scheduled for October 11-14, 2019 at Hotel DoubleTree by Hilton, Greenway Plaza, Houston. The registration kickoff of the 6th IMC-2019 and IAPC CONCLAVE 2019 was inaugurated by Prof. M.N. Karasseryon August 11, 2019 in Houston. The active participation of the members of IAPC for the IMC-2019 is very encouraging.
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2018
Inducted National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee was inducted at a grand event held at the Indian Consulate Banquet Hall in NY with Renee Mehrra, President, Thomas Mathew (Anil), General Secretary and Ashley Joseph (Toronto) as Executive Vice President. Chairman Dr. Babu Stephen and Founding Chairman Ginsmon Zacharia visited various chapters to discuss their activities and plans. An informative seminar and workshop on Journalism was organized by the Houston Chapter. IAPC has been maintaining good rapport with various Press Clubs, and the enormous support accorded by
Kottayam and Trivandrum Press Clubs were acknowledged. IMC 2018 was initially kicked off by Board Secretary Dr. Mathew Joys at Kottayam Press Club with the IAPC donating two laptops to the School of Journalism run by Kottayam Press Club. The International Media Conference 2018 was held Oct 5-8 at Airport Marriott Convention Center, Atlanta with more than 250 delegates and prominent journalists. It was inaugurated by Sri. P. Sreeramakrishnan, Speaker Kerala Assembly. Workshops on Visas for foreign journalists by Attorney Onkar Sharma, a seminar on Aadhar and PAN Cards led by Attorney Abu T. Mathew (Kerala High Court), were highly informative. For the first time, the Women’s Forum organized a seminar on issues such as, Women’s Role in Media and Women Empowerment, led by Patti Tripati (TV anchor), EM Radha (Social Activist) and Sangeetha Dua (TV Houston). Dr. George Varghese and Dr. Saly Varughese (Georgia University) conducted a class on Current Politics and New Media. A seminar on Malayalam literature in the cyber age was led by Dr. Mathew Joys, Sudheer Karamana (visual media and cine artist), Saji Dominic, Korason Varghese, and James Koodal. A seminar on Morality in Malayalam Media provoked heated discussions among R. Ajithkumar (CEO Mangalan TV), G Shekharan Nair (Mathrubhumi), S.R. Shakthidharan (Kerala Press Academy), V S Rajesh (Kerala Kaumudi), Shyam K.B (Global Reporter Channel), Lalu Joseph (Editor Neraryan), Sarosh P Abraham (St. Mary’s Group Edn Society), PM Manoj (Deshabhimani). It brought to light many old sensational issues in the industry. As at every IAPC conference, an essay competition and photography contests were held. Besides which, 30 students of exemplary talent and leadership were awarded $500 each. Many prominent journalists and community leaders including P.P. Cherian, Thangamani Aravindan, Sunny Mattamana, Dr. Jay Sampath, Rajan Cheeran NJ and Mahadev Desai were recognized for v services rendered with awards and mementos.
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2017
New Board of Directors
A new Board of Directors and National Executive Committee were inducted at a function in New York. Dr. Babu Stephen, a prominent media and business magnate based in Washington DC, became Chairman and Vineetha Nair the Vice Chair. The Executive Committee had Prof. Indrajit Saluja as President, Korason Varghese, Executive Vice President, and Eapen George, General Secretary. Since 2017, with the distinguished leadership of Chairman Dr. Babu Stephen, we are diversifying our resources for service to the public.
Launching a Retirement Home ‘WE CARE’ near Trivandrum in Kerala illustrates our broader outlook, thereby bridging our mission with the ‘Friends of IAPC’ in India. With 100% investment by Babu, it is proposed to be run under the IAPC banner. This project intends to house aged parents of NRI’s, promising the best care with in-house doctors and caretakers. Our chapters in Alberta, Canada, Atlanta and Philadelphia were reconstituted.
IMC 2017, the fourth media conference with international delegates, was held at Radisson Convention Center, Philadelphia. Distinguished guests included Hon’ble Kerala Legislative Speaker Sri. P. Sreeramakrishnan, Com. M.A. Baby (CPM Politburo Member) and several journalists from the Malayalam media.
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2016
New Office Bearers
Early this year we inducted new Office bearers at Chapter and National levels. The National Executive Committee with Parveen Chopra as President, Dr. Mathew Joys as Executive Vice President, Korason Varghese as General Secretary took the oath of office at Tyson Center, New York. A seminar on Rising Real Estate Prices was held by the Vancouver Chapter, and on Social Media Credibility by the Dallas Chapter. The International Media Conference 2016 held at Hilton Convention Center, Stafford in Connecticut, was inaugurated by Manoj K. Mohapatra IAS, Deputy Consul General NY and the VIP at the closing session was state legislator Dr. Prasad Srinivasan. A highlight was the presidential debate in this election year — between Prof. Aamr (for Donald Trump) and Peter Jacob (for Hillary Clinton). Among the distinguished guests were N.V. Nikeshkumar (CMD, Reporter TV), J. Alexander IAS (Ex minister) and journalists from Malayalam media. Sathkarma award was given to Theruvoram Murugan, a well known philanthropist and social activist working for street people.
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2015
New Chapter Formation
2015 saw several chapters formed around North America, – New York, Houston, Toronto and Vancouver. Several chapter level meetings and national teleconferences nourished the bonds between chapters and the national committee.
The International Media Conference 2015 was held at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center, New York from October 9-12, with a large participation of delegates and distinguished guests. The Honorable Minister from Kerala, Sri. V.K. Ebrahimkunju was the chief guest.
Our prestigious awards for social activists were presented:
Dayabai – Sathkarma Award and Boby Chemmanur — Sathbhavana Award for their meritorious services to the society.
Many leading journalists from the Malayalam media diaspora challenged the delegates with debates and seminars. A workshop on video documentary was held by Simon Kurian and Geethanjali Kurian, and seminars led by George Kallivayalil (Associate Editor and New Delhi Bureau Chief, Deepika), Ajithkumar (President, Press Club Trivandrum), Vibhuti Sharma (UN Public Relations).
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2014
Launching IAPC
On November 15, 2014 we made a historic leap at the Hilton Hotel and Convention Center in New Jersey by launching IAPC and holding the first National Media Conference with an array of distinguished guests from the media industry.
Some of the prominent guests who inspired the gathering included Daryl Hawk (world famous photojournalist and author of several award winning books), Sunil Hali (publisher of Indian Express – North American edition), Meera Nair (famous writer and author of award winning book Maya Saves the Day), Lalit K. Jha (Washington DC correspondent of Press Trust of India), S. Mitra Kalita (Idea Editor at Quartz and Wall Street Journal), Dr. Vivek Murthy (Nominated US Surgeon General by President Barack Obama.) Seminars on Risk Management for Journalists (Easo Jacob, Houston), Art of Photo Documentary (Daryl Hawk), Art of Photography (Paresh Gandhi) were the inspiring sessions of this conference. The founder Chairman Ginsmon Zacharia, first President Ajay Ghosh and General Secretary Vineetha Nair deserve the highest recognition for laying a strong foundation of IAPC.
The Indo-American Press Club (IAPC) was officially inaugurated at the Homewood Suites of Hilton, East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, November 15th, 2014 with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Suneel Hali, Founder and Publisher of Cinemaya Media, Inc., Lalit K. Jha, Chief US Correspondent of Press Trust of India (PTI), sponsors, community and corporate leaders and the members of the IAPC Executive Committee, National Directors, and the Board of Trustees.
Attended by nearly 200 media persons, corporate and community leaders and sponsors, the elegantly organized event marked the historic beginning of the Indo-American Press Club, that has been formed with the objective of being the voice of those who are working in the media world and strive to be the conscience of the larger society. In his inspiring inaugural address, Suneel Hali emphasized the key role being played by the media, which drew him to give up his well-paying corporate job by listening to his inner voice and start Cinemaya Media, which encompasses visual, print, audio, and electronic media. “Journalists are extraordinary people dedicating their lives to an extraordinary mission to serve humanity, and to be the conscience of the society,” Hali reminded the audience. Stressing the importance of the media and the role the Indo-American Press Club is expected to play, Lalit Jha, in his keynote address said, “We are the watchdog of the society. Whenever there is an issue – we are the first one to report about it – be it a visa issue, or some road accident, or innovation or matter of pride of our society. Yes, we are the voice for the community” In his presidential address, Ajay Ghosh, President of the Indo-American Press Club, described the reasons and objectives for forming IAPC. “After many months of planning and strategizing, IAPC was formed with the lofty ideal of providing a common platform to journalists of Indian origin living in the United States, while fostering closer bonds and cooperation among an extensive network of journalists across the nation.”
Reflecting on the many individuals behind and the process of forming IAPC, Ginsmon Zacharia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in his address, “that the Indo-American Press Club has been formed with the objective of enhancing the standard and working conditions for journalists, while striving to work towards greater cooperation among journalists working across the nation, and thus be the voice of the community of journalists.” Fr. Johnson Punchakonam, Executive Vice President of IAPC alluded to reasons for the formation of the IAPC.
In her welcome address, Vineetha Nair, Executive Secretary of IAPC, who has been coordinating the weekly teleconferences leading up the inaugural event, said, “The Indo American Press Club is a forum by and for media professionals and freelancers, working, or associating with print, broadcast and online media outlets in North America. We lacked an effective platform to associate and network, to share our success, our concerns, our challenges, a platform that would give us a unique sense of belonging and continuity. IAPC was formed out of this need.”
Earlier, the day began with an introductory session led by Jilly Samuel, Vice President of IAPC. During the General Body Meeting, IAPC delegates charted out the path they wanted IAPC to take in the next one year. During the seminar that followed, Easo Jacob, a National Director of IAPC from Texas, enlightened the delegates, with his presentation of the numerous Risk Factors and Precautions Journalists need to be aware of while carrying out media related works by individuals and corporations in the media world. During the hands-on workshop on “The Art of Photo Documentary” Daryl Hawk, a world-renowned photo-journalist and author, discussed with an enthusiastic audience about his style, philosophy, and various techniques he uses as a professional when photographing subject matter. Equipment, lighting on location, environmental portraits, and travel tips for photographers were other aspects that were covered.
The emcees for the day, Mini Nair and Roshi George eloquently spelt out the importance and the need for forming this dynamic group of next generation of journalists. Prominent among those who felicitated IAPC and its leadership included, Dinesh Goswami,. Vice President of Indus-America Bank, Chirag Shah, Director of Government Affairs, Senior Journalist Jose Thayyil, INOC National Chairman George Abraham, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Dr. Jose Kanattu, Madhavan B Nair, NAMAM President, Dias Damodaran, Freedia Entertainment, Dr. Gopinathan Nair, CEO of Santhigram Ayurveda, Joy Chemmachel, FOKANA and FOMAA Representatives, George Kutty, Roy Ennasseril, John Paul, and Felix Simon. Others who had supported and sent in their best wishes to IAPC included, Dr. Seema Jain, Dr. Sanjay Jain and Dr. Thomas Alapatt of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin of New Jersey, FOKANA President John P. John, as well as Kanchana and Jack Poola of Long Island, New York. Andy Bhatia, a leading Public Relations Officer. Suma Nair, a popular singer from the Garden State, entertained the audience with her melodious voice singing popular numbers in both Hindi and Malayalam. The vote of thanks was proposed by Rajasree Pinto, the Treasurer of IAPC. The inaugural ceremony solemnly concluded with a sumptuous dinner.
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