HOUSTON: The American Society of Indian Engineers and Architects (ASIE) held its Scholarship Gala on Thursday, May 14, at the Omni Galleria Hotel, bringing together civic leaders, dignitaries from local, state, and federal organizations, engineering professionals, architects, sponsors, students, and community supporters for an evening dedicated to education, service, and professional excellence.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire joined the event as the keynote speaker, highlighting the importance of leadership, community engagement, and investment in the next generation. His presence, along with the participation of other distinguished guests and public-sector representatives, added special significance to the evening and reinforced the strong connection between Houston’s civic leadership and the technical professionals who help shape the city’s infrastructure.
The evening opened with the American national anthem presented by the Boy Scouts of America Troop 507. The Indian national anthem was performed by the Los Angeles based nationally acclaimed flutist Anis Chandani, who also performed musical numbers and songs as he walked through the ballroom. Anis also serenaded guests during the social hour in the ballroom lobby.
Gala Chair Karthik Balasubramanian, President of ABAM Engineers and President-Elect of ASIE welcomed the guests and emphasized that the purpose of the gala was to support scholarships, encourage mentorship, and strengthen professional development opportunities for students pursuing engineering, architecture, and related fields.
ASIE President Alok Shah (lead engineer at AUC Group), gave a short synopsis of the ASIE, a non-profit organization, founded in 1994. He described how the ASIE has grown over the years and continues to focus on providing education and networking opportunities for the member engineers and architects in the greater Houston area. He added that the, over the past decade, ASIE’s scholarship program has provided over $250,000 in scholarship funds to deserving students as they prepare to enter demanding careers. Video clips of this year’s awardees were played.
After dinner served at the table, Avinash Mehta, President of Pivotal Engineering, the underwriter for the event, introduced Mayor Whitmire who won many people over when he said he “wanted to go to India and see what produces such fine engineers”. He admitted that infrastructure, public safety, leaky water pipes, water distribution, wastewater needed to be improved. He challenged others to present their ideas if they didn’t like his plans, but was disappointed that there was very little State assistance for urban areas.
After he finished, Balasubramanian, Shah, Amit Sengupta and other ASIE Board members presented the Mayor with a special felicitation for his leadership and service to the City of Houston and the State of Texas.
The evening also included a silent auction, with winners announced by Suresh Kalaga, ASIE Board member. The event concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Saritha Padhirae, ASIE Executive Board member.
The 2026 ASIE Board Alok Shah (President), Karthik Balasubramanian (President-Elect), Saritha Padhirae (Secretary), Kunal Tanwani (Treasurer); Board Directors Vidula Bhadkamkar, Madhu Narayanswamy, Dheeraj Jamgadhe, Suresh Kalaga, Vraj Chauhan and Advisory Council Aravind Nimma, Amit Sengupta, Varenya Mehta, Naresh Kolli, Srinivas Chintalapati ensured that the gala went off well for the over 350 guests who attended.
