Founding member of GOPIO, Dr Motwani stood out for his deep dedication to the Indian Diaspora community for 4 long decades.
Dr Jagat Motwani, lived a long and fulfilling life and breathed his last on December 27 at the age of 97 in Long Island, New York. A Fulbright scholar, professor and social worker, he worked for the City of New York Health Services prior to his retirement. Other than his professional contributions, he stood out for his deep dedication to the Indian Diaspora community for 4 long decades.
Dr. Motwani was born in 1926 in Mehar, a town in the outskirts of Karachi, Sindh prior to the partition of India. He subsequently moved to Gujarat, India where he studied and taught at the University of Baroda and also completed his Masters in Economics and Social Work. He arrived in US in 1970 with an American Dream. He attained his PhD from Fordham University in 1986.
He was devoted to keeping his Indian heritage alive in the US. Dr. Motwani worked to unite people of Indian origin around the world. To this end, he was a Founding Member of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and served as its Secretary General from 1996 to 2004. He was a Co-Convener of the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin held in 1989 in New York City where GOPIO was formed. He served as official of several community organizations including Heart and Hand for the Handicapped, Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA). Dr. Motwani was one of the initiators of the First India Day Parade in New York City in 1981. He wrote several books on the Indian Diaspora.
A globetrotter, he traveled to several countries, to interact with people of Indian origin. Dr. Motwani lived a full life and believed in making the most of every moment.
