[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 11087] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]INDIA HONORS SWADESH CHATTERJEE ______ HON. DAVID E. PRICE of north carolina in the house of representatives Tuesday, June 19, 2001 Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks celebratory events have been held both in Washington and in my district in North Carolina, honoring one of our most distinguished citizens, Swadesh Chatterjee, upon his reception of India's Padma Bhushan award in the area of public affairs. The award was conferred by the President of India on March 22, 2001. Established in 1954, the Padma Bhushan is one of the highest civilian awards that the Indian Government can bestow on an individual. Mr. Chatterjee is the first Indian American from North Carolina to receive this award and the first Indian American to receive the award in the public affairs category. ``As a young boy growing up in the small town of Somamukhi, West Bengal,'' Mr. Chatterjee recalled, ``I remember how in awe I was of the men and women who were chosen to receive these honors.'' Yet for those of us who have come to know Swadesh Chatterjee and to appreciate his leadership, this award is not surprising and is richly deserved. For Swadesh Chatterjee has gained recognition in North Carolina as an astute businessman and a respected community and political leader, and in recent years he has become well-known nationally as well. Particularly noteworthy has been Mr. Chatterjee's presidency over the past two years of the Indian-American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), one of the oldest and most respected Indian-American organizations in the Nation. In this capacity he worked effectively to strengthen the organization at the grass roots and to raise its profile nationally. He helped stimulate the growth of our Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans. He encouraged President Clinton to make his historic trip to India last year and accompanied him when he went. Mr. Chatterjee, his wife Manjusri, who is an accomplished psychiatrist, and their children Sohini and Souvik, are citizens of Cary, NC, whom I am honored to represent. They have helped make the Indian-American community in our State a vibrant one, and they have greatly enriched our wider community as well. Swadesh Chatterjee once said that he and other Indian-Americans were ``fortunate to be the children of two mothers: India, which gave us our lives, and the United States, which gives us our livelihood.'' He and his family are proud Americans who contribute a great deal to our country and remind us that being American does not require a masking or suppressing of our diversity; on the contrary, our country is enriched by the flourishing of the multiple ethnic and cultural traditions from which we came. Mr. Speaker, the Padma Bhushan Award is a fitting recognition not only of Swadesh Chatterjee's contribution to his native land but also of what he has contributed to America and to Indian-American relations. And while it surely represents a high point of his career, I am also confident that it points to even greater things to come! ____________________