Sikh Americans thank Pratibha Patil for felicitating Sant Chatwal

Seven US based Sikh groups have thanked president Pratibha Patil for conferring NRI hotelier, Sant Singh Chatwal with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in recognition of his role in improving Indo-US ties.
    
"We are thankful to you for conferring the Padma Bhushan award to Sant Singh Chatwal, a distinguished member of our community in the United States of America," the seven Sikh organisations wrote yesterday in a letter to president Patil.
    
The organisations are Sikh Council on Religion and Education (Score), Hemkunt Foundation, American and Punjabi Cultural Association, American Association of Punjabis in America, Sikh Organisation of New York, Sikh Art and Film Foundation and Global Sikh Forum.
    
"Sant Chatwal was among the prominent Indian Americans who played a key role in convincing many lawmakers to support
the Indo-US nuclear deal", the letter said signed by Score chairman, Rajwant Singh, on behalf of the organisations.
    
Noting that the nuclear deal has cemented the relationship of these two nations, the letter said he "devoted considerable resources to political causes, working closely with the Democratic Party, in particular with senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, senator Charles Schumer and congressman Joseph Crowley".
    
Sant Chatwal is a leading voice of the Indian-American community and is a founder trustee of the American India Foundation.