[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 30 (Monday, February 27, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO DR. SUNEDRA KUMAR KAUSHIK

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                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2012

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Sunedra 
Kumar Kaushik, the founder and chairman of the Mrs. Helena Kaushik 
Women's College in Rajasthan, India, and a constituent in the 18th 
Congressional district of New York. On March 2, Dr. Kaushik will be 
honored by the Indian Consul General in New York after receiving the 
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Samman Award, India's highest honor for natives 
living overseas, from President Pratibha Patil. For decades, Dr. 
Kaushik's work as a Professor of Finance at Pace University and his 
exceptional leadership at Mrs. Helena Kaushik Women's College have made 
an extraordinary impact at home, in the Lower Hudson Valley, and 
abroad, in his native India.
  For more than 35 years, Dr. Kaushik has led a distinguished academic 
career, shaping the minds of generations of young Americans at Pace, 
Boston University, Northeastern University, Babson College and other 
institutions. Over this period of time, Dr. Kaushik has published an 
impressive number of academic works in economics and finance.
  While completing his PhD at Boston University, Dr. Kaushik met the 
love of his life, Helena Pokotnicki, of Detroit, Michigan, and the two 
were married in September of 1973. For decades, Mrs. Kaushik employed 
her skills as a health professional to promote children's health and 
education issues in India. On her very first day in India, Mrs. Kaushik 
wasted no time making her voice heard, lobbying the head of the World 
Health Organization in Delhi on the need to improve health conditions 
in India and to mitigate the adverse effects of open sewers on the 
Indian population at large.
  In 1991, Mrs. Kaushik tragically suffered a devastating stroke and 
since has been cared for by her husband at their home in Westchester 
County, New York. Inspired by his wife's commitment and work on behalf 
of the children and women of India, Dr. Kaushik founded the Mrs. Helena 
Kaushik Women's College in Rajasthan, India, in 1999. Watching his wife 
in action, Dr. Kaushik understood the tremendous impact hard-working 
women could have on their communities across the globe. In his native 
Rajasthan, one of the most poverty-stricken regions of India, Dr. 
Kaushik was concerned by the lack of educational opportunities for 
women. He was especially upset by the fact that his hometown of 
Malsisar, Rajasthan, lacked even a male or co-ed college within a 35 
kilometer radius.
  For over a decade, the Mrs. Helena Kaushik Women's College has 
empowered countless women from rural India, training them to become 
integral parts of the Indian economy and Indian society. Since its 
establishment, over 900 of the college's graduates have gone on to 
serve their communities as teachers and civil servants, and in an array 
of other critical professions. Moreover, by operating solely on 
generous private donations and not charging any tuition fees, the Mrs. 
Helena Kaushik Women's College has made obtaining a higher education 
possible for numerous low-income women.
  Given Dr. Kaushik's inspiring work, it comes as no surprise that 
President Patil has awarded him one of India's highest honors and that 
his achievements have been celebrated by both the New York State 
Assembly and the New Jersey General Assembly. It is time for Congress 
to also recognize Dr. Kaushik's extraordinary efforts both at home and 
abroad, and I urge my colleagues to join me in doing so.

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