Greenbelt, MD, December 18 - Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, upbeat from an economic development mission to India where he led the largest-ever delegation, has declared that the future of India and the US is tied together.

“India is the largest democracy in the world”, he said. “Our futures are tied together. We are both revolutionary people. And we are people whose revolutions, while happening in different ways and at different times, were all based on our belief in the dignity of every individual and our own responsibility to advance the common good”.

O’Malley, the former Mayor of Baltimore, made these remarks at a community reception organized by the National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA), celebrating his successful mission to India as well as his appointment of Dr. Rajan Natarajan as Deputy Secretary of State for Policy and External Affairs, the highest position occupied by an Indian-American in Maryland. Some 200 people attended the elite event, Sunday, held at the Martin’s Crosswinds banquet facility.

The trip has clearly left an indelible impression on the Governor and he told the gathering, “People everywhere we went could not have been kinder. I tell you the spread that was laid out for your Maryland delegation, the hospitality, the warmth, the kindness, the going the extra mile for us in every little thing, it was probably the one piece of our experience in India that Katie and I will remember most fondly. Everyone, from the Chief Ministers to the men and women at the hotels, and everyone in between. Just a very, very kind nation”!

The purpose of the mission was to create more jobs and opportunities in Maryland by strengthening the state’s relationship with India. Over 100 business leaders, educators and state officials participated in the trip that included stops in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

O’Malley touted that $60 million in business deals were signed on the India trip and deals worth millions more are in the works. “We met with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and we are moving towards sister-state relationships with those great states”, he said.

“When we decided to go to India in order to bring new jobs to Maryland, we did not know that it would turn out to be the largest delegation ever to travel from any state in the United States to India”, O’Malley gushed, to much applause from the audience. The delegation was also the largest in terms of elected officials who were on board: Majority Leader Kumar Barve; Delegates Aruna Miller, District 15; and Sam Arora, District 19.

Applauding the efforts of Miller, the Governor said she “was instrumental in setting us up with meetings, especially in Andhra Pradesh where her family hails from”.

The turnout at the community reception was impressive by any standards! On hand, were a ‘Who’s Who’ of Maryland politics including: Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown; Secretary of State John McDonough; Attorney General Doug Gansler; Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett; Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman; State Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola; and Majority Leader Kumar Barve, House of Delegates.

Representing the Embassy of India was Mr. Vinay Kwatra, Minister of Commerce. At the helm of NCAIA and the organizing committee, were Mr. Benoy Thomas, current President of NCAIA, Dr. Suresh K. Gupta, Dr. Sambhu Banik, Mr. Kumar Singh, Dr. Parthasarathy Pillai, Mr. Yogendra Gupta, Mr. Anadi Naik, and Mr. Pavan Bezwada. Mr. Walton Dawson and Gisela Ghani served as the eloquent emcees.

O’Malley told the gathering that “there were so many Maryland companies and Indian partners eager to work together” on the largest economic development mission ever to go to India. “Our trip made history and we could not have done it without the Indian-American community right here in Maryland”, he said, “because we here in Maryland understand that our diversity is truly our strength. And we are working to strengthen further that greatest asset that we have”.

The Governor noted that some 27,000 people would not have jobs were it not for the fact that Indian-Americans in Maryland have founded companies that are employing them. “Our entrepreneurs, our innovators, are taking the risk and making this economy move forward”, he said, with appreciation.

It is noteworthy that during his trip to India, O’Malley met with top companies and signed an agreement with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to create an India-Maryland Center here which will boost trade between the two regions. The Federation will lead a delegation to Maryland in April.

The India-Maryland Center was created “to help us build and strengthen our ties with India”, O’Malley said, “and to process the gigantic stack of business cards that I collected”, he quipped.

Reminiscing about the recent trip, O’Malley told the audience that he and his delegation got an “opportunity to see so much of the innovation and so much of the dynamic creative energy that is the new and emerging India”. In this context, he mentioned visiting a facility owned by Tata Motors and saw first-hand the new automobile, Nano, priced at just $2,500. “Truly revolutionary”, he said. “The new iPad will cost about $30. Imagine what an empowering, democratizing force that can be in this new economy that is connected through that new information highway called the internet”.

At a brief ceremony, in traditional Indian style, the Governor presented a plaque to Dr. Natarajan who was being honored that evening for his recent appointment as Deputy Secretary of State.

While acknowledging that Natarajan is the most senior Indian-American ever to serve in the Maryland state government, Lieutenant Governor Brown made it clear that “it is not simply because the governor and I look to diversify our cabinet. We look for the most qualified individuals”, he underscored.

To Natarajan, he said, “With many years in the private sector, in the IT sector, running companies, starting companies, you are extremely talented. And your talent reflects the talent of the Indian-American community”. Brown also showered praise on Barve who, he said, is “an outstanding voice for progressive principles and initiatives on the floor of the General Assembly”.

Natarajan, a biotechnology and IT entrepreneur, told the gathering, “The Indian-American community is vibrant and fast-growing and I am very proud of being a member of this community”. He stressed that Indian-Americans “can play a vital role in shaping Maryland’s bright future through active engagement in both mainstream, public and private sectors”.

On his part, he pledged, “To help somebody” will be his guiding principle as Deputy Secretary of State.

Hailing O’Malley as a visionary, Natarajan pointed out that the Governor has led two successful trade missions to India and China within a span of six months. He warmly acknowledged First Lady Katie O’Malley’s role during the India trip, particularly her interactions with children and with people, in general.

At the outset, Natarajan thanked his wife, Savitri, “for her strong support” and his two sons Ram and Bala “for constantly reminding me that family is what makes life worthwhile”, he said.

Lauding the contributions of the Indian-American community, Attorney General Gansler said, “I don’t think they can be overstated”. He recalled that not only did our community help in his election, an Indian-American, Vivek Chopra, ran his campaign.

From the community reception, Gansler, who went on a trip to India and China last year, was heading to another event organized by the Chinese American community. “So, I am very big at hitting 2.5 billion people in one time”, he quipped.

Howard County Executive Ulman thanked the NCAIA gathering “for strengthening the relationship between the oldest democracy and the largest democracy in the world. That message was driven home to me when I visited India three years ago and had a remarkable time”, he said.

State Senator Rob Garagiola, who is currently running for Maryland’s redrawn 6th Congressional District seat, congratulated “the O’Malley-Brown administration and Deputy Secretary Natarajan for a great, wonderful trip to India”. Commending the Governor for his appointment of Natarajan, Garagiola said, “I can’t think of a better person to assume the role of Deputy Secretary than Rajan Natarajan. You have been a great friend”, he told Natarajan. “I know it is about building international partnerships, community relations, working between the legislative and executive branches. I don’t think there is a better person for that job”, Garagiola said.

Describing the India trade mission as “outstanding”, Barve noted, “it was one of the most professional trips of its kind that I have ever been involved in”. While acknowledging that the Governor made a very good impression for the entire state of Maryland because of the dynamism and the scope of the group of people that he brought with him, Barve attributed the success of the mission to all the advance work. In this regard, he credited Natarajan who, he said, was “centrally important in what happened in the weeks leading up to that trip” which “was a success because of Rajan”.

On India-US ties, Mr. Kwatra pointed out that “one key aspect of the defining relationship is increasing interface between the states of the United States of America and states of India”. In that context, he said, the Governor’s “visit was historic in promoting and strengthening the relationship between the two countries”.