BOSTON - Abhilasha Rathi is the new President of the Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America (MMNA), New England chapter in Boston. She will hold the office for next four years. encouraged her to take up the challenge. Abhilasha Rathi is the second woman to be elected MMNA president after Former President Dr. Seema Rathi.
MMNA's Maheshwari community, whose origins are steeped in fascinating folklore, hails from Rajasthan. The organization was created in 1983 to preserve the community’s culture and traditions and to connect the Maheshwari community living in the US and Canada. It has over 4000 members with ten Chapters spread across North America. Famous industrialist family of India, the Birlas, hail from this community.
Other newly elected MMNA National Executive Committee include: Mukul Rathi (Vice-President), Keshavlal Rathi (Vice-President), Swapnil Laddha (Vice-President), Dr. Rahul Nawander (Vice-President), Praveen Gattani (General Secretary), Swapnil Chandak (Joint Secretary), Lata Maheshwari (Treasurer), and Jitendra Maheshwari (Joint Treasurer).
Dr. Ghanshyam Das Heda
The Board of trustees comprises: Chairperson Dr. Ghanshyam Das Heda, Pushpalata Heda, Rajesh Kabra, Sushil Kumar Birla, Hiralal Maheshwari, Narendra Zamwar, Pradeep Kumar Tapadiya, Dev Kishore Maheshwari, Rajesh Rathi and Prabhulal Rathi.
President Abhilasha is involved in causes like the Walk for Hunger where she walked 20 miles, not once but several times, to raise funds for the program and the annual Cancer Walk to support friends who are cancer survivors. During COVID-19, she along with MMNA members, supported the cause of food donations to shelters. She has three key takeaways from all these years of volunteering: Be adaptable, persistent and celebrate small wins.
Her list of goals for her term as president include greater engagement with seniors, more participation by the Rajasthani Abroad Youth Samaj (RAYS), celebrating festivals like Teej and Gangaur, strengthening current initiatives such as interest free loans to deserving students, matrimonial alliances, providing guidance to entrepreneurs, the women’s wing (Sakhi) and philanthropic efforts like food drives and walks to support causes. The new president also plans to roll out a Professional Networking Group to connect the youth of the community.
Other newly elected MMNA National Executive Committee include: Mukul Rathi (Vice-President), Keshavlal Rathi (Vice-President), Swapnil Laddha (Vice-President), Dr. Rahul Nawander (Vice-President), Praveen Gattani (General Secretary), Swapnil Chandak (Joint Secretary), Lata Maheshwari (Treasurer), and Jitendra Maheshwari (Joint Treasurer). The Board of trustees comprises: Chairperson Dr. Ghanshyam Das Heda, Pushpalata Heda, Rajesh Kabra, Sushil Kumar Birla, Hiralal Maheshwari, Narendra Zamwar, Pradeep Kumar Tapadiya, Dev Kishore Maheshwari, Rajesh Rathi and Prabhulal Rathi.
Born in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, Abhilasha was raised in Hyderabad, Telangana. After completing her graduation in Commerce, she married Mr Bharat Rathi, a software professional, and moved to Boston in 1991. She is currently the Software Quality Engineering Manager at CVS Health where she oversees QA processes.
As a teenager, she was actively engaged with the Maheshwari Samaj, Rajasthani Graduates Association and other organizations. After joining MMNA, she served in different roles but repeatedly emphasizes that a position or designation has never been important for her - making a difference is reward in itself.
Underlining the benefits of working in the community, she cites the instance of the 2016 International Maheshwari Rajasthani Convention. Although the New England Chapter signed up to be hosts of the convention, the logistics were daunting given that the number of volunteers were limited. As co-convenor, she encouraged members to enroll in the planning and execution and after an 18 month planning period, what crystallized, apart from a successful convention, was an extremely close knit group that is bonded to this day. Abhilasha was also at the frontlines of the 2020 virtual MMNA Utsav.
Earlier as the MMNA general secretary, Abhilasha worked with then President Vikas Bhutada in setting up and maintaining various communication channels so Chapter leaders could collaborate with each other easily. She used her tech expertise to spearhead systematic procedures that helped everyone be on the same page and actively worked with the digital team. These experiences have helped her develop a personal rapport with members of the different chapters that will serve her well in the coming years.