Executive Team

Ujjwal Srivastava

Ujjwal has lived in the Triangle area since 1990 and has been an active volunteer in the Indian American community. He has served on the board of several cultural and religious organizations. As Vice President and Treasurer of the Hindu Society of North Carolina, he computerized society accounts, just as the society was gearing up for the construction of a new hall, to increase transparency and bring it closer to GAAP standards.

As the founding president of Hum Sub Inc., he formed and led a highly motivated volunteer team to implement Cary Diwali, a Hindu Festival. Within two years, Cary Diwali grew to attract 6,000 people and received praise from all for being a well-organized and smoothly-run event.

Under his leadership Nuv Yug has grown to attract a large number of general public from diverse backgrounds to its events each year. He has led teams to write several successful grant proposals with arts agencies. He is also regarded as one of the most prolific fundraisers in the local Indian American community.

In recent years, he has helped implement an interactive web based system for managing a large number of stage performers, vendors, advertisers, and volunteers at India Fest. This system has been successfully utilized to produce the stage performance since the 2009 festival where over 1,000 performers share the stage during the two day festival.

Ujjwal has a B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (India) and an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is also a licensed real estate professional.

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Harshad has lived in the Triangle area since 1996. He has always been involved with music and music related organizations since childhood. He has served on the committes of several organizations. He was active with SPIC-MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) in his undergrad and Vice President of the same in grad school (Clemson University). He has been actively involved in the Marathi community and served on its committe. He is a semi-classical singer and also plays the keyboard. He has participated in several cultural programs. Harshad brings his experience and enthusiasm to Nuv Yug.

Harshad serves as Vice President & Treasurer.

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Payal Malkani

Payal moved to the triangle area in 2001. She lives in Morrisville with her husband and 2 daughters. She has done her MBA in Human Resource and now works as HR trainer.

Payal has a passion for dance. She has been choreographing dances for many years and continues to do so with an aim to help the community connect to their Indian roots and be a part of their rich culture and heritage.

Her passion for cultural arts and choreography brings her to Nuv Yug . Payal believes that Nuv Yug is the platform that spreads diversity and promotes Indian culture and she contributes her time to work towards this goal.

Payal serves as Vice President of Cultural Programs.

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Anshul Singh

Anshul is an Electronics Engineer and he moved to Triangle area in 2006 from Boston. He has been serving the community by volunteering for many different organizations. He has always been involved with cultural events and has performed in many plays and dances. Anshul earned his Master's in Electrical Engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla, where he was also a member of Student Council, representing Indian Student Association. Anshul brings his event management experience and enthusiasm to Nuv Yug.

Anshul serves as Assistant Vice President of Marketing.

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Dhwanit Shah

Dhwanit moved to theTriangle area in 2005 and has been actively involved with Nuv Yug ever since. He has been involved with cultural events and event organization for a long time. He was the Steering Member of Cultural Committee in his Undergrad and organized several concerts and programs. He has also envisioned and architected National level Symposiums for his Alma-Mater in India. He is also the founding member of NEXS-A - the vey active Alumni association of Navrachana, India where he did his schooling from. Dhwanit is a Computer Science major from University of Southern California where he was actively involved with Association of Indian Students and the Trojan Cricket Club administration. He brings his creativity, enthusiasm and energy to Nuv Yug and lives by the true Trojan Spirit - Fight On!

Dhwanit serves as Assistant Vice President of Operations.

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Darshana Zaveri

Darshana has been in the Triangle since 2000 and currently lives in Cary. She is actively involved in music, dance and arts since early childhood, is a “Sangeet Visharad” in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music and a Kathak dancer. Darshana and her music academy "Sur-Sumiran School of Music" have been valuable assets of the Triangle Indian community. Her school, affiliated with Gandharva Mandal - India, teaches vocal and instrumental music. Her students actively participate in local events - ICMDS, Nuv Yug, Hum Sub, HSNC, TGA et al. Darshana has also choreographed numerous dances in India and in the U.S. Her passion for music, dance and arts brings her to Nuv Yug. She wants to spread awareness about India and Indian cultural heritage and believes that Nuv Yug is an excellent medium for doing so.

Darshana serves as Assistant Vice President of Cultural Programs.

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Nikhil Deshpande

Nikhil has been in the Raleigh area since 2005. Being an aficionado of the classical arts and involved with student organizations at various levels, over the years Nikhil became more interested in contributing to the improving cultural experience of the local community at large. He enjoys work and recreation in equal measure. He is currently working on finishing his PhD at NC State University, which takes up a majority of his recreation time.

He is a key member of the grant writing team at Nuv Yug. He also serves as Secretary.

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Pritika De

Pritika holds dual Masters degrees in Special Education & Social Work and has been volunteering at various organizations from a young age. She has lived and worked in many cities across India, thereby exposing herself to various cultures and inculcating a love for diversity in all art forms.

Coming from an artistic family of renowned Tabla player and Musicologist Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh of the Farukhabaad Gharana, Pritika started her training in dance (Bharatnatyam) at a very early age and has a Diploma with distinction from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh. She has also taken classes in Indo Jazz, Jive and Hip Hop dance forms and has been performing and choreographing for various cultural events in the triangle region.

Pritika feels passionately about the positive value that art brings in the lives of children and adults. This is what brings her to the Nuv Yug family.

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Richa Kapoor

Richa has lived in the Triangle area since 1997 and currently lives in Morrisville with her husband and two kids. She has been an active volunteer in the community. Richa was born and brought up in Kolkata, India and is an MBA from Calcutta University. Currently she is a stay at home mom to her two kids.

Richa is passionate about music and dance and has been involved with kids to promote Indian Culture and Heritage. She has also actively participated in a number of cultural programs in the Triangle Area. Richa has been involved with Nuv Yug Cultural Committee since 2010.

She believes that Nuv Yug is an excellent platform to promote Indian Culture, Heritage and Diversity in the USA as well as bringing out the local talent.

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Shweta Surana

Shweta has been closely involved with the Indian community development in US. She has was involved in the local Indian communities in LA, Columbus OH and moved to Raleigh in 2008 and has been associated with Nuv Yug since then.

She is from Nagpur India and won the “Miss Maharashtra” during her college days and was the college’s cultural president and participated in several fashion shows and dance events across US and India. She feels working with Nuvyug keeps her interest alive and gives her a platform to stay connected to her culture. She brings energy and enthusiasm to Nuv Yug family.

She is an Interior Designer and manages sales for her family’s Granite Distribution business. She is married with 2 kids and lives in Raleigh.

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Past Board Members

Ashish Jain

Ashish is a software engineer working at IBM, RTP since 2002. He has an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He has been a part of various cultural festivals, events and volunteer activities throughout his life. He has served as board members of several student bodies at school and college level. He is actively involved with the Asian Diversity Networking Group and Culture Connections at IBM. Whether it is performance or organization, he enjoys both with equal zeal.

Ashish has served as Vice President of Nuv Yug.

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Payal Chakravarty

Payal works as a Software Engineer at IBM. She moved to NC in 2005 to pursue a Master's in Computer Science at NC State University.  Payal has been a choreogrpaher, a dancer (Odissi and other forms) and an artist since childhood. She holds a senior diploma with distinction in Odissi from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. She has won several contests and has been a chair of cultural activity teams in school and college.

She has also served as the board member of various student and professional bodies and volunteered for several organizations including Rotaract, IBM's Women's Diversity Networking Group, Duke Children Hospital and Women and Math Mentoring in the Triangle.  Payal was awarded the President's Bronze Award for volunteering services in 2007.

Payal stepped down from the Nuv Yug board in summer of 2011 to attend the executive MBA program at Duke University.

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Nandita Garg

Nandita Garg moved to the area in 1994, and has been an active member of the community for the past 13 years. She is an Occupational Therapist by training, and works in a private practice in Raleigh. She volunteers her time at various local organizations including Kiran, a non profit group to support victims of domestic violence. She is interested in working towards providing a platform that enhances cross cultural awareness and interaction, through involvement in areas such as education and the performing arts. She served on Nuv Yug board from 2006 to 2010.

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Leena Mehta

Leena Mehta is a resident of the Triangle area since 1994 and lives in Cary with her husband and son. She is a Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina in a Disease Management Program area, and is also a Wake County Public Health Board Member. Her expertise is in business and health care management.

Leena enjoys meeting people, traveling, and participating in community activities. Her interest lies in health education, and culture awareness. As an executive board member, Leena wishes to build Indian cultural awareness and appreciation for its traditions with the Triangle community. Her hope is for the community to embrace the diversity, respect the differences, and share the myriad cultures with pride. She served on Nuv Yug board from 2006 to 2010.

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Vanita Sehgal

Vanita Sehgal is a linguist by training. She works full time as a foreign language professor and serves as a coordinator of the Study Abroad Program at a local college. Ms. Sehgal has a BA and MA from Louisiana State University. She has recently completed an ESL program at Duke University. She is active in the community as she volunteers her time at National Charity League with her daughter. She was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina to serve as a member of the North Carolina Human Relations Commission. She also serves on the board of Interact, a non-profit organization to support victims of domestic violence. Her passion to promote cultural diversity, respect and mutual understanding between different cultures with the hope that all individuals retain an attitude of openness and respect toward each other is the reason she joined Nuv Yug. She served on Nuv Yug board from 2006 to 2010.

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Non-executive Trustees

Nalini has been a Vice President of Nuv Yug in the past and now serves as a Trustee.

Mika Chadha

Mika is a top notch and a highly sought-after choreographer. She used to be "Ms. Twinkle Toes - Farah Khan" of Triangle. She has been trained in various Indian dance styles since the age of 7. Her presentations always receive a thunderous applause from the audience as they have her trademark of well coordinated and dazzling moves. Her expertise extends to event planning and stage management.

She was a key member of the Cary Diwali 2002 team. Her meticulous production of the main stage program received rave reviews from one and all as a long array of items were presented like clock work. She also co-directed the "Badhai Ho Badhai" Fashion Show. During 2003, she helped Nuv Yug create history with Bhangra Dhamaka The Ultimate Blowout. The first such event in the Triangle area that attracted over 2,500 people at Cary's Regency Amphitheater.

Mika served as the Vice President of Nuv Yug. She lives in Chicago and continues to be a source of constant moral support to Nuv Yug's team. She is a Trustee of Nuv Yug.

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Neeta Pillai

Neeta Pillai has been involved and has won accolades in cultural activities since her childhood. She was elected as the debating secretary of her college. In the past, she was an active participant and volunteer in the events organized by the Malayalee community in Raleigh.

Neeta has been a member of Nuv Yug since 2003. She led efforts to diversify Nuv Yug's funding sources. She was instrumental in conceptualizing, organizing and co-hosting the immensely popular 'Antakshari Muqabala' in the summer of 2005. She has also been part of the core team that was involved in brainstorming and conducting various diversified events organized by Nuv Yug like 'Pratibha 2005' and 'Asiascope'. She has also been an active participant and organizer in the cultural events presented at India Fest.

Currently, Neeta leads the effort in the search for international artists to perform at India Fest. She was instrumental in having the Queen of Indian pop music, Usha Uthup, to perform for India Fest 2007. This was followed by a thrilling performance by Indian Idol 3 runner up, Amit Paul for India Fest 2008. This year she helped bring Indian Idol 3 winner. Prashant Tamang.

Neeta has moved back to India to realize her dreams of giving back to her motherland but continues to provide support and help to Nuv Yug. She is a Trustee of Nuv Yug.

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Mehul Shah

Mehul grew up in a large city in India. He went through formal training of Indian Folk dances. His love for folk dance grew into making him a great folk dance teacher by his undergraduate years. Mehul taught Indian folk dances to kids ages 5 to 12 while earning his engineering bachelor's degree.

Mehul moved to Triangle area in 2000 and since then he has greatly involved himself with Indian community at large. Mehul has participated in more than 50 festivals as a volunteer, choreographer and dancer. He has choreographed more than 25 dances in the past several years and participated in different festival celebrations and fund raising programs. From 2000 to 2004, Mehul worked with children from Indian origin to raise awareness of Indian folk dances.

In November of 2002, Mehul joined the "NuvYug" team. Since the inception of NuvYug, Mehul has held several positions on the board. Mehul served as president during 2007-2008. His passion for art and culture continues today. Mehul has moved to Bangalore India to take on an exciting challenge from his employer.