More than 130 supporters, community leaders, elected officials, and philanthropists attended the 43rd Annual Fundraising Gala of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation held September 27, 2026, at Leonard’s Palazzo, in Great Neck, New York.
According to Chairman of the Governing Board Dr. Prem Goel, this was a good showing as the Nor’easter storm made its way into the region with heavy rains and danger of flooding.
“The event went off very well. But so far we are still tallying the numbers,” Dr. Goel told Desi Talk/News India Times, about the total funds raised at the event to support cancer projects in India. Dr. Goel’s message to the gathering was, “Please donate generously so we can do better together.” Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York also attended and spoke at the event.
Dr. Rajesh Verma, Chief Medical Officer, NYC Health and Hospitals, Kings County, was the chief guest and keynote speaker. He highlight the need for early detection of cancer, and warned the audience not to delay is suspected cases. This message was reiterated by several speakers.
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Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media, an advisor to the Foundation, was honored with a bouquet along with Dr. Sudha Parikh. He also presented plaques to an honorary, as did the three other advisors who were able to attend the event – Dr. Manjit Bains, Dr. Jatin Shah, and Dr. Bhupendra Patel. Dr. Parikh in his speech, praised the Foundation for the philanthropic work it has been doing and pledged to continue supporting its future endeavors.
The honorees recognized at the event included Leena & Nitin Doshi (Power Couple); Indu Jaiswal (Lifetime Achievement Award); Satish Agarwal (Dedicated Service To NDMF); Gobind Munjal, CPA (Past National President AIA); Dr. Mrinal Jha (MHH Clinical Services); Andy Mansukhani (Past President NDMF, and Vicky Vij (INDN Restaurant).
The entertainment during the evening including Bollywood song performers, dances, including a Japanese rendition, and Indian cuisine served throughout the evening and for dinner.
The Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation’s main charitable activities include sending equipment to various entities in India who request specific requirements. It also funds individual for additional training. The most recent project completed a month ago, was in Silchar, Assam where the cancer hospital needed a 4th operating room, in a region that serves 10 million people, Dr. Goel said. He also noted a request made by a hospice care facility in Uttarakhand, and a cancer hospitals request from Madhya Pradesh.