The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) launched the second edition of its coffee table book titled “We The People – 250 Voices: A Tribute to the 250 Voices that Shaped the U.S.–India Relations” on Monday, June 29, at its flagship leadership summit in Washington, D.C.
The summit themed America@250 celebrated the 250th year of American independence and culminated with the launch of the coffee table book, alongside a special launch video for the book.
This edition recognizes 250 individuals across eras who represent diverse professions but have dedicated their professional endeavors to enhance U.S.-India relations.
The individuals range from artists and architects, academics and activists, diplomats and doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers, presidents and prime ministers, policymakers and pioneers, and alive and deceased.
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“In their own ways, knowingly or unknowingly, they all played a part in helping to shape the most robust strategic partnership that we celebrate today,” USISPF said in its press release.
While acknowledging that the list by no means implies only these 250 individuals, both deceased and living are the ones who have shaped the relationship, “We know that there are many more who, some yet unknown to us, have shaped and will continue to transform the relationship,” but the book is meant to “honor 250 individuals both past and contemporary, who have built diplomatic and cultural bonds and enhanced the soft power component of this strategic partnership.”
The book also chronicles historic figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, alongside contemporary leaders from government, individuals who shaped the relationship from the highest corridors of political and corporate power such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Donald Trump, Ambassador Sergio Gor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar along with business leaders, such as Indra Nooyi, Shantanu Narayen, Ajay Banga as well intellectuals from science, academia, healthcare, diplomacy, and civil society, such as Anoushka Shankar, Shubhanshu Shukla, Indira Nooyi, Sunita Williams, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Priyanka Chopra, Ajit Doval, Stephen Knapp, Padma Lakshmi, His Holiness Dalai Lama, Hasan Minhaj, Mira Nair, Frieda Pinto, AR Rahman, Rathan Rajan, Julia Roberts.
“At the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), our mission has always been to translate strategic intent into tangible outcomes,” said Dr. Mukesh Aghi, USISPF President and CEO. “We have seen firsthand how our work is carried forward both by institutions and by people who believe in the potential of this relationship and invest their energy, expertise, and ambition in its growth. This book is a tribute to those individuals.”
USISPF’s first coffee table book, We The People – 75 Years of U.S.-India Relations launched in 2022, commemorated the platinum jubilee of India’s independence and celebrated 75 years of U.S.-India diplomatic ties.
The Indo American Arts Council, IAAC, praised USISPF’s latest coffee-table book noting some of the individuals selected in it were luminaries in arts and culture. “The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) proudly congratulates several of its longtime patrons, supporters, collaborators, and friends who have been featured in the second edition of We The People – 250 Voices: A Tribute to the 250 Voices that Shaped the U.S.-India Relationship, published by the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF),” IAAC said in its press release. It specifically identified India’s Consul General in New York, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan; John Guy, an acclaimed art historian and curator; Hugo Weihe, historian and curator and former head of Christie’s Indian and Southeast Asian Art; and Purna Saggurti of Bank of America.