SPECIAL ISSUE

Dr. Barai – a respected leader who works for strong Indo-US ties

Dr. Bharat Barai is very popular for his total commitment and involvement in the Indian community organizations and temples. He is a brilliant scholar, a respected professional and a committed community activist. He is a strong believer in seeking fair play for people. His love for the country he has adopted, the US, and the country he was born, India, is so deep that he works hard for improving the Indo-US relations. Community service is Dr. Barai’s passion. He and his wife Dr. Panna Barai are philanthropists and have helped many community organizations, temples in the USA and India.

By J.V. Lakshmana Rao

Chicago: Dr. Bharat Barai is very popular for his total commitment and involvement in the Indian community organizations and temples. He is a brilliant scholar, a respected professional and a committed community activist.
No major temple meeting or community association meeting takes place without his presence. Despite his busy schedule as a physician, he finds time to attend these meetings. He drives all the way from Indiana to Chicago without complaining. All this proves his keen interest in serving the community.
Dr. Bharat Barai is a strong believer in seeking fair play for people. His love for the country he has adopted, the US, and the country he was born, India, is so deep that he works hard for improving the Indo-US relations. He is often consulted about Indo-US issues by the Congressmen, the Senators, and even by Indian Ambassador and the Indian consuls-general. He always keeps in touch with Indian politicians in Delhi and state-level Gujarat political figures.
Being socially and politically involved in the US and India, he tries to find solutions to the problems faced by both the countries and the Indian community in the US.
Dr. Bharat Barai’s latest contribution to Indo-US relations is about the much talked about civilian nuclear agreement that was signed by US President Bush and India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. When the deal was held up for ratification by Congress, Dr. Bharat Barai lobbied intensely with Congressmen and Senators. Dr. Bharat Barai strongly believes the nuclear deal is extremely helpful to overcome the energy crisis faced by economically emerging India.
When Ambassador of India Ronen Sen called a meeting of top 15 Indian Americans in Washington DC, for consultations on the US-India nuclear deal, Dr. Bharat Barai was one of them. He quickly learnt details of the deal from the Ambassador, DCM Raminder Jassal and Vikram Misri. Using his scientific backgound, Dr. Barai gathered scientific information, met 1988 Nobel laureate in physics Dr. Leon Lederman; director emeritus of Fermi Lab in Illinois Dr. Raja; and visited Dr. M. Pandurang Kini, top Indian nuclear scientist. Dr. Barai also learnt about various aspects of nuclear physics to be able to answer questions from Congressmen, Senators and their staffers. He used his presentation and debating skills to make effective scientific and persuasive presentations to members of Congress, Senate, their staffers as well as community members and media. Many community groups used Dr. Barai as chief presenter on the subject.
Using his personal contacts, Dr. Barai as a lead presenter on behalf of Chicago Indian American group. Initially he met Senator Evan Bayh, Senator Lugfar and his chief Ken Myers, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Biden and Senator Kerry. He also met staff of Senator Levin and Senator Edward Kennedy.
In Chicago, he personally met with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Congressman Danny Davis, Congresswoman Jan Schakovsky, Congressman Mark Kirk, Congresswoman Melissa Bean, and Congress-woman Judy Biggert, and presented the information and persuaded them to support the deal. He invited Ambassador Sen to Chicago and arranged a meeting with these Congress members.
Dr. Bharat Barai, Raghu Nayak, Sam Pitroday, Amrish Mahajan and others went to Washington, DC, for four days and personally met a number of Congressmen and Senators. He also met with India’s Energy and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, and arranged meetings for him with Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Evan Bayh and Congressman Jesse Jackson.
Dr. Barai personally visited many community meetings organizations, temples and shared information with community members, to help create and finance a Web site, and urged them to write letters in support of the deal to the US Congress and the Senate. Dr. Barai made six trips to Washington, DC, in three months and spent several days in Chicago to campaign for the deal. He also contributed large amounts to buy full page advertisements in various newspapers.
Dr. Barai was recently appointed as president of Medical Licensing Board of State of Indiana, the highest administrative position for a medical doctor in any state of the USA. He has served on the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana as member, secretary and vice president since 2000, as an appointee of the Governor of Indiana. This year, he was also appointed to serve on Indiana State Control Substance Advisory Committee.
Dr. Barai came to the US 30 years ago, for an internship. And now he appends his signature on the medical licenses grated in the State of Indiana. He is also clinical assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University Medical Center and medical director of Oncology Institute of Methodist Hospitals.
Born in Mumbai, Dr. Barai grew up in Vadodara in a middle class family. His father worked as a chemical engineer at Alembic Chemicals. Being a brilliant student, he was the topper in science at SSC exam. He was the first student in history of Baroda Medical College to get gold medals in each and every subject in all MBBS exams. He stood first with gold medal even in post-graduate MD examination. Even in India, during his student years, he participated in community and student affairs, being class representative in pre-science and vice president of Faculty of Science Students Association.
After coming to the US, he studied and obtained post-graduate medical degrees in internal medicine at University of Illinois program, in oncology at Northwestern University Medical School, and in hematology at Rush University Medical School. He became medical director of Cancer Center at Methodist Hospital in Northwest Indiana along with assistant professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University Medical School.
Apart from academic and professional achievements, Dr. Barai has emerged as a respected, moderate, consensus building leader in Indian American community. He has been an educator for the US mainstream audience with his commentaries and analysis of India-related issues on prestigious media like National Public Radio, BBC London, etc. He led a delegation to editorial board of Chicago Tribune soon after visit of the then Deputy Prime Minister of India, L.K. Advani. Chicago Tribune’s Managing Editor James O’Shea led the newspaper’s editorial board.
Dr. Barai has helped many community social and religious organizations with time efforts and money. He was president of FIA, chairman of Board of Trustees of Manav Seva Mandir. He has been trustee of many other organizations and temples in the Chicagoland area.
Community service is Dr. Barai’s passion. He and his wife Dr. Panna Barai are philanthropists and have helped many community organizations, temples in the USA and India. They have four children - Sujata, Binita, Nikita and Chirag.

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