Indian American community in Long Island holds candlelight vigil for Kashmir terror victims

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A large gathering of Indian Americans and others gathered in a show of force at Eisenhower Park in Long Island April 27, 2025, for a solemn candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.

The highlight of the evening was the candlelight vigil, joined by members of Glen Cove, Hicksville, and Plainview Gurudwaras, as well as representatives from surrounding temples.

“Thousands gathered in silent prayer, united in grief and hope, offering strength to the victims’ families and reaffirming the community’s stand against terrorism,” a press release from organizers said.

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The initiative was led by Indo American Community Voice.Org, in collaboration with more than 40 cultural, spiritual, and civic organizations, the vigil was meant to be a tribute to the innocent lives lost, and a call for global peace, a press release from organizers said.

The event brought together community leaders, elected officials, and others. Among the key supporting organizations were: AAPI (Dr. Kishan Kumar), AIA National (Gobind Munjal), AIA NY (Beena Kothari), Arya Samaj of Long Island (Dr. Yashpal Arya & Veer Mukhi), American Malayalee Association (Thomas Joy and Hon. Kevin Thomas), FIPA (Dr. Raj Bhayani), APS (Gary Sikka & Mohinder Singh Taneja), ASAMAI Hindu Temple (Gobind Bathija), Bollywood Insider (Varinder Bhalla), FBIMA (Koshy Thomas & Dincil George), Gujarathi Samaj (Harshad Bhai Patel), HOLI (Urmila Shivaram), HSS (Jaya Patil), Humanity First (Omkar Singh), IAAC (Deepak Bansal), IANA (Vimal Goyal), IDP (Vimal Goyal & Deepak Bansal), IAF (Indu Jaiswal), IALI (Jasbir Singh), Indo American Lions Club (Anju Sharma), Indian Panorama (Prof. Inderjit Saluja), Kashmiri Overseas Association (Dr. Virender Hak & Mohan Wanchoo), KKNY (Raghu Ranganath), LIDC (Paul Bindra), LILC (Pinky Jaggi), Lotus in the Mud (Parveen Chopra), MAHIMA (Dr.Purushotaman Paciker), NYTTA (Vani S. Anugu), RANA (Neelam Modi), SAAWA (Dr. Anila Midha), SAAWO (Suhag Mehta), South Asian Times (Kamlesh Mehta), Soul of Hindutva (Gobind Singh Negi), TANA (Deepika Sammeta), TLCA (Sumant Ram), Tri-State Events (Atul Sharma), TTA (Jaya Prakash Enjapuri), The World Voice (Mukesh Modi), Vaishnav Temple (Anil Shah), VHI (Nayan Kisnadwala), WVV (Rakesh Bhargav), and YICG (Rathi Raja)..

A solemn prayer was conducted by Narinder Kapoor followed by an ardas led by Gyaniji. American and Indian national anthems were performed by Nipun Marwaha. Dr. Bobby Kalotee, chairman of Human Rights Commission – Nassau County, along with Bina Sabapathy, founder President of Indo American Community Voice, welcomed the crowd with a message of peace and unity.

Some of the dignitaries at the event included Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Former NY Senator Kevin Thomas, Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava, Councilman Edward Scott, and Wioleta Dusza Human rights commissioner – Nassau County each sharing messages of sympathy, support, and solidarity. Several officials sent representatives, including County Executive Bruce Blakeman (via Elaine Phillips), Chuck Schumer US. Senate Minority Leader for United Sates Senate (Taranbir Kaur), Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino (Harry Malhotra), and Governor Kathy Hochul (Joey Ramirez).

Prominent community leaders including Kamlesh Mehta, Mukesh Modi, Mohan Wanchoo, Dr. Urmila Shivaram, Indu Jaiswal, Prof. Inderjit Saluja, Sgt. Thomas, and Koshy Thomas, offered prayers and reflections, emphasizing the need for peace, compassion, and vigilance against violence.

Venus Bhasin, representing NY State Senator Steven Rhoads, along with Omkar Singh coordinated hospitality serving hot tea sponsored by Punjabi Dhaba. Anil Dua gave a musical tribute to victims with a message of healing and peace.

The program concluded with prayers for peace led by Acharya Shri Madan Jha and Swami Brajeshwaeanand Ji.

Organizers thanked the media for covering the event, including ITV Gold/Parikh Worldwide Media, led by Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh.

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