‘With the joyous celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, as a backdrop, members of the Asian American Commission for a New Georgia held their first town hall meeting at the B.A.P.S Swaminarayan Temple in Clarkston on Saturday, November 13th, 2004.

The temple was buzzing with the excitement of the holiday as Commission Chairwoman Josephine Tan, accompanied by members BJay Pak, Dr. Bharat Shah, Nancy Quan-Sellers, and Ritesh Desai, toured the temple, which was adorned with colorful, elaborate decorations. 

After the tour, the members spoke to people from around the state who had come to participate in the festivities and attend the town hall meeting. Specifically, AACNG members discussed its education, healthcare, and economic development initiatives. After briefing the attendees of the work undertaken by each sub-committee and the soon to be published informational brochure, the floor was opened for questions.

“This was the first time that the B.A.P.S. community has had such close interaction with the commission,” said Praveen Patel, President of BAPS-Atlanta, who attended the meeting. “It means a lot for the commission members to share the holiday with us and reach out to show that they really care about issues that affect our community.” Pankaj Patel, another attendee, agreed. “The meeting provided us an opportunity to voice our opinions to the committee,” he said. “It made us feel that the committee was working for us and looking after our interests.” It also opened the door to improving relations with the commission, he added.

Gov. Sonny Perdue established the Asian American Commission for a New Georgia in July 2003. The Commission currently has 18 members who serve as advisors to the Governor and liaisons for the Asian American community in Georgia. The commission has three sub-committees focusing on economic development, education, and health issues. Dr. Josephine Tan serves as chairwoman. 

The Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (B.A.P.S.), a worldwide socio-spiritual organization in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, is dedicated to community service, peace, and harmony. Founded on the pillars of practical spirituality, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families, and individuals. Through a number of medical, cultural, educational, environmental, social and spiritual activities, BAPS endeavors to produce better citizens of tomorrow, who have very high esteem for their roots - the rich Indian culture. Its 9,000 centers including more than 5,000 youth centers across the world support these activities of character building. Under the guidance and leadership of His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community free of addictions and that is morally, ethically and spiritually strong.