Loudonville — Several of Albany and Saratoga's top officials all descending upon the Hindu Cultural Center in Loudonville on Saturday, awarding Lifetime Achievement Awards and Proclamations for Capital Region community cornerstone Manoj Ajmera.
An immigrant from India, Ajmera has been in the Capital Region for five decades, he worked for the State Health Department for decades, but his impact stretching much farther than that. He's led the Festival of Nations in Albany for three decades, created the Best Tasting Water in New York State contest, while also working with the Tri-City Indian Association and the Albany Rotary club, and much, much more.
His influence coming through connecting different cultures in the community, and his Lifetime Achievement Awards on Saturday coming from Albany County, the State Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives.
"It helps people, newly entering, to assimilate, it makes certain that people share their own individual culture, but then also encourages the spreading and connecting of that culture," Congressman Paul Tonko, speaking about Ajmera's work at the event, said. "On behalf of really every elected official, there's not an elected official in the Capital Region that would disagree with me they would say thank you thank you thank you for helping us to be better leaders," Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said.
Many individuals from a variety of community groups and organizations also honored Ajmera on Saturday.
The next big event, the Festival of Nations, takes place at Empire State Plaza on October 27th.