03/30/2026
Chicago, March 29, 2026: The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA-Chicago; established 1980), one of the largest umbrella organizations, held its annual General Council meeting, followed by elections and appointments. The event was conducted professionally, disciplined, and in a corporate style, setting an excellent example for all attending representatives.
President Hemant Patel welcomed attendees and briefly explained FIA’s mission. He then invited Election Chair Dr. Bharatbhai Barai and committee member Bhailalbhai to oversee the elections; the third member, Kantibhai S. Patel, was absent due to health reasons. The entire program, including elections and appointments, was conducted under their guidance and supervision.
FIA Trustees, Ex-Officio, Executives, Directors, and delegates were invited on stage one by one. Hemant Patel highlighted 22 events from the past 11 months, many of which were new initiatives. Treasurer Amar Upadhyay presented the financial report, showing impressive results—lower expenses and increased savings despite organizing 22 events.
Dr. Bharatbhai Barai was unanimously re-elected as Trustee-Director for the 2026–27 term by the Board of Directors, active trustees, Ex-Officio, Executives, Directors, delegates, and association representatives.
Next, Hemant Patel was re-elected as President along with the following panel:
• Hemant Patel – President
• Anil Singh – Executive Vice President
• Rohit Joshi – Vice President
• Joy Shah – Vice President
• Bhavesh Patel – Vice President
• Arvind Ankleshwaria – Secretary
• Amar Upadhyay – Treasurer
• Yashaswini Desai – Joint Treasurer
• Vira Adimulam – Joint Secretary
Election Chair and Trustee Director Dr. Barai administered the oath to the newly elected Executives.
The new Executives appointed Directors and Delegates from various organizations. President Hemant Patel presented Amendment 4.0 for discussion, which passed unanimously with two corrections.
Community leaders also proposed several initiatives, including a health fair, OCI visa camp, health clinic, and an updated FIA webpage.
FIA leadership is committed to serving both Indian and American communities and looks forward to collaborating with all associations and community leaders.
Complete Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZBgWHXHAl-eezqhduvMGzVV85KnCt3h5/view
Adopted Amendment 4.0: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iEeP1T3kId1qI5mpe0r_1MK8a1PPCuxi/view?usp=drive_link
Event photos at: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DRAPM2mt6/
2025 FIA Souvenir Featuring Sponsors’ Advertisements: https://youtu.be/n9K0-e4bGLY
Prepared By:
Hemant Patel
President, FIA-Chicago (Since 1980)
