Indian Americans of Gujarati ancestry living in New Jersey are hosting a reception at the Carteret Performing Arts Center, New Jersey, August 22, 2026 morning, for visiting Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel. This event is free and open to the public and will be telecast live to Gujarat in primetime on TV9 Gujarati, carrying the voices and experiences of New Jersey’s Gujarati diaspora into homes across the Chief Minister’s home state. The event theme is “Garvi Gujarat, Global New Jersey.”
The community reception is being co-hosted by two Indian American sitting mayors of Gujarati descent, Mayor Sam Joshi of Edison Township and Mayor Pulkit Desai of Parsippany–Troy Hills.
Organizers anticipate an audience of approximately 2,000 attendees and believe it will rank among the largest community gatherings convened in the United States for a Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Mayors Joshi and Desai have long-standing relationships with civic and cultural institutions across the region, and their joint participation reflects the growing civic engagement of a community whose members now serve in elected office at every level of local government, organizers said.
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A Community That Helped Build New Jersey
New Jersey is home to one of the largest Gujarati populations outside India. Over the past five decades, Gujarati Americans have contributed significantly to the state’s economy and civic life — in pharmaceuticals and life sciences, hospitality, information technology, retail and franchising, medicine, real estate, finance, and public service. Community members have founded businesses that employ thousands of New Jersey residents, supported hospitals, schools, and places of worship, and participated in relief and recovery efforts during times of crisis.
Garvi Gujarat, Global New Jersey is organized as a celebration of that contribution — a homecoming in reverse, in which Gujarat comes to meet the community that carried its name across the world. The program will feature cultural performances, remarks from community leaders, and an address by the Chief Minister.