SPECIAL ISSUE

Raghu Nayak is a committed community leader

Among the community leaders often in the news, the name of Raghu Nayak figures prominently. Raghu Nayak is an ardent Indian flag-bearer, who strived to awaken political consciousness among the Indian Americans to empower them. Above all, he is a distinguished steward of the Indian American community. His illustrious life, replete with altruism, ethos and fine Indian values, has earned him admiration far and beyond.

By A Correspondent

Chicago: Among the community leaders who are often in the news, the name of Raghu Nayak, born in Sagar, Karnataka, India, figures prominently After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from a Bangalore University, India, and Master’s Degree in Pharmacy from a Manipal University, India, he became a Registered Pharmacist in the US. Since then, he has been an integral part of the political and social growth of the Chicago’s Indian community and has the distinction of serving and leading many Asian and Indian community organizations. Nayak is the former president of the American Konkani Associa-tion of Chicago and served as president of the Federation of Indian Associations. He has sponsored several prestigious community events like the Voters’ Registration Drive for Asians and Neighborhood Clean-up. He was instrumental in convincing several influential and ranking members of the Congressmen to join India Caucus. He persuaded Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and Congressman Luis Guiterrez to join the India Caucus. He obtained a pledge from US Senator Barack Obama to join the US Friends of India in the Senate.
In an effort to assist the elderly, Raghu Nayak organized free high-level seminars relating to healthcare, prescription drug programs for senior citizens in Illinois and other public policies. He lobbied with several US Congressmen for prescription drug programs for senior citizens in Illinois. One such program was presented to the federal government during former US President Bill Clinton’s tenure. He organizes healthcare convention for Operation PUSH every year which is attended by President Bill Clinton. He has worked for several years with Operation PUSH and American Cancer Society to promote cancer screening in minorities of the Chicagoland area.
Raghu Nayak is a member of the board of trustees of the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation. Last year a mobile hospital was donated to Rajeev Gandhi Hospital in Amethi, UP, and this year a mobile hospital was donated to an NRI hospital in Vijaywada, AP.
After the tsunami in 2005, he visited Chennai and, in the spirit of assisting, he requested Ustad Amjad Ali Khan to perform in Chicago with his sons and all the proceeds were donated to American Red Cross for Tsunami Relief in India.
Raghu Nayak worked closely with the successful campaign of Governor of State of Illinois and also served as co-chair in the Healthcare Transition Team. He is on the Asian Advisory Commission for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Lt. Governor, Patrick Quinn. He has worked hard for immigration reforms. He headed a delegation of Indo-American leaders during the visit of former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to Chicago to discuss issues relating to global peace and understanding.
Nayak was elected as a Delegate for the Democratic National Convention held in Boston (one of less than 20 Indian Americans nationally) in 2004.
He owns and operates surgical and MRI centers in Illinois and Indiana. He is also the president and owner of the first fully Indian-owned hospital in the US, named appropriately after the motherland, “Hind General Hospital” in Hobart, Indiana.
He has recently acquired an old hospital in Aurora, Illinois, which is an over 500,000-square-foot facility, located on 15 acres. This facility is within one mile of the Balaji Temple. Nayak will use the old hospital building, constructed in 1889 as the First Indian Museum in the USA and has obtained a financial commitment of $3.5 million by the State Senate president Emil Jones for the project. Nayak is planning to convert the newer hospital building into a senior retirement home for people of Indian origin —again a first in the United States.
Nayak was the recipient of the prestigious Anti-Defamation League (one of the oldest premier Jewish organization) Michael Smolyansky “Champion of Freedom Award” on April 5, 2006 in honor of his involvement in business and community programs that bring together people of all races, religions and ethnic backgrounds to join in the fight against bigotry and discrimination. This award was conferred on Raghu Nayak for his leadership in healthcare entrepreneurship and for his achievements that personify the realization of the American dream — all this for championing the humanitarian causes. In January 2003, Nayak was given the PUSH Excellence for Public Service Award — an organization started by Martin Luther King and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Raghu Nayak was given the Konkani Public Service Award in Toronto in 2006, which was attended by over 1,600 Konkanis from around the world.
Raghu Nayak has recently taken up a role as a publisher of USA Hispanos, a leading Hispanic newspaper with its wide circulation in the States of Illinois and Indiana. Through this newspaper, Raghu Nayak aspires to provide voice to the minorities and allow this publication to serve as an instrument of social change and promote health care issues surrounding the burgeoning Hispanic community.
Under Raghu Nayak’s leadership, the community hosted several Inter-Faith Unity events that brought together Hindus, Muslims Christians and Sikhs. He has the rare honor of being the only non-African-American to be on the board of Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) organization founded by global civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson.
In May 2006, Raghu Nayak led a delegation of elite Indian American community and business leaders to Washington DC, and successfully enlisted the support of the highly influential Con-gressional Black Caucus (43 members) and Congres-sional Hispanic Caucus (25 members) to co-sponsor the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Agreement Bill, which today has become a reality in the United States House of Representative. Raghu Nayak mounted one of the most compelling lobbying efforts ever launched by any individual to convince and persuade a large number of powerful ranking lawmakers on the Capitol Hill, including influential Senator Joseph Biden, Barack Obama, Congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis. Nayak hosted a reception on the Capitol Hill to bring together a legion of lawmakers to showcase the significance of the Indo-US Nuclear Civil Agreement and how it mutually benefits two world’s greatest democracies.
He also arranged a luncheon for the Hispanic Caucus with the Chairwoman of the Hispanic Caucus, Grace Napalitno Flores on the Hill. This meeting resulted in the endorsement of the Nuclear Treaty by the Hispanic Caucus, and as a result of this, Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Henry Bonilla of Texas co-sponsored the treaty to lend their support to the nuclear deal. During the visit, Nayak calleld on Senators Barack Obama, Joseph Biden, John Kerry and Richard Lugar (members of the Foreign Relations Com-mittee), and convinced them regarding the significance of the nuclear deal both for India and the USA. All these Senators went on to vote for the nuclear deal. Nayak’s tireless crusade paid off with the Indo-US nuclear initiative passing in the Congress in flying colors.
Raghu Nayak served as the president of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA). He is credited to have presided over this largest umbrella organization in Chicago with distinction and honor.
He has persuaded Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and Karnataka Chief Minister of Karnataka to sign the agreement to have a sister state relationship between Illinois and Karnataka. Nayak also convinced the Governor to open a trade office in India. The office now has been opened in the FICCI building in New Delhi.
Nayak finds time in his busy schedule to promote unity among people of different faiths living in the US. As he has contributed with his resources and time to various community-based organizations by hosting inter-faith community events, Nayak can aptly be called a favorite leader of all communities and faiths.
He joined globally-eminent panelists along Rev. Jesse Jackson to participate at the International Day of Non-Violence Round Table event at the United Nations General Assembly in commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2, 2007 in New York. At this event, he met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Pranab Mukerjee and Anand Sharma to commend their leadership.
Raghu Nayak worked to facilitate leading a delegation by Global Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson on his maiden trip to India in mid -November 2007. Nayak has helped arrange Rev. Jesse Jackson to speak at the Jawaharlal Nehru’s Memorial Symposium on November 20, 2007 at JNU in New Delhi, India.
Raghu Nayak is an ardent Indian flag-bearer, who strived to awaken political consciousness among the Indian Americans to empower them. Above all, he is a distinguished steward of the Indian American community. His illustrious life, replete with altruism, ethos and fine Indian values, has earned him admiration far and beyond.

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