The week of June 15 in Atlanta began with a symposium at the Metro Atlanta Chamber on India-Georgia relations and it ended with U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson’s announcement that he has joined the Senate India Caucus.

“It is critical that the United States works to strengthen our relationship with India, the world’s largest democracy,” Mr. Isakson, a Georgia Republican, said in a statement.

He cited counter-terrorism, promotion of democracy, fostering regional economic development, encouraging respect for human rights and expanding scientific research as important issues on which the U.S. and India needed to collaborate.

Ani Agnihotri, founder and managing partner of the Atlanta-based U.S.-India Business and Research Center, told GlobalAtlanta that Mr. Isakson would play an important role in the promotion of both friendship and business opportunities between Georgia and India.

Mr. Agnihotri was one of the organizers of the "India and the U.S.: Growing Market Opportunities” symposium held at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.

Other members of the organizing committee were John McIntyre and James Hoadley of the Georgia Tech Center for International Business; Ricardo Hubler and Karen Holladay of the Metro Atlanta Chamber;

Thomas Strauss and George Tracy of the U.S. Commercial Service and Lilia Postolachi of the World Trade Center Atlanta.

Among the speakers at the symposium were Bhupinder S. Bhalla, economic counselor at the Indian embassy in Washington; Abdul Shaikh, senior international economist at the U.S. Commerce Department; Lalit Dhingra, president of NIIT Technologies Inc.;

Teri A. Simmons, partner and director, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP; Yelena Epova, partner, Habif Arogeti and Wynne LLP; Peter C. Evans, general manager, global strategy and planning, GE Energy Infrastructure; Claire McLeveighn, manager, international affairs, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport;

Bharat Shah, chairman and CEO, Noble Investment Group; Sanjay Sehgal, CEO and president, Pramana Inc.; Rama Rao Amra, Emory University Vaccine Center; Peter Sinisgalli, president and CEO, Manhattan Associates Inc.;

Ann Durham, president, Global Vehicles USA Inc.;  Beheruz Sethna, president, University of West Georgia; Andrew Sherwood, Asia/Pacific Manager for Micromeritics Instrument Corp.; Monika Nikore, managing editor, AOL News Portal; Hoshi Daruwalla, vice president, American Air Filtration.

Five special sessions were held at the symposium. They were “Strategic, Legal and Financial Challenges and Opportunities,” moderated by Gretchen Corbin, division director of international operations at the Georgia Department of Economic Development; “Challenges and Opportunities in India: Infrastructure, Security and Energy Sectors,” moderated by Anupam Srivastava, director, Asia program, Center for International Trade and Security, University of Georgia;

“Challenges and Opportunities in India: ICT, Bio-tech and Sustainable Technology Sectors,” moderated by Christopher Horace, director, global general and administrative and information technology sourcing, Coca-Cola Co.;

“India and the U.S.: Growing Market Opportunities, Executive Perspectives,” moderated by Dr. McIntrye, CIBER, Georgia Institute of Technology; “U.S. Companies Doing Business In and With India,” moderated by Thomas Strauss, regional director, U.S. Commerce Department.

Mr. Sherwood, Asia/Pacific manager for Micromeritics Instrument Corp., accepted the U.S. Symposium 2009 Award on behalf of his company.

To reach Mr. Isakson, send an email to Sheridan_Watson@isokson.senate.gov

To reach Mr. Agnihotri, send an email to ani.agnihotri@gmail.com

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