From The Peopling of New York City

South Asian women in Jackson Heights occupy a variety of positions. From sari shops clerks to founders of organizations vital to the smooth running of the neighborhood, women are an integral part of the job market in the area.

Seema Mohan Agnani

Seema Agnani is currently the co-founder and Executive Director of Chhaya Community Development Corporation. Stationed in Jackson Heights, it is an organization that helps South Asian residents figure out home-owning problems and avoid fraudulence. She is a former recipient of The Charles H. Revson Fellowship at Columbia University, earned her Bachelors at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Masters of Urban Planning and Public Administration at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Before working in Chhaya, she was the Coordinating Consultant to the Fund for New Citizens at The New York Community Trust, a donor collaborative supporting immigrant rights work. She was also the Director of Training and Technical Assistance at Citizens for NYC. In addition, she worked with Asian Americans for Equality for several years as a housing development associate while also focusing on fundraising and development; and later served as a coordinator of the Lower Manhattan Health Care Coalition.

Doctor Uma Mysorekar

Dr. Uma Mysorekar was born and raised in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. After studying medicine at the University of Bombay and being awarded the gold medal for academic excellence, she came to the United States and began practicing gynecology and obstetrics in New York City in 1970. Her accomplishments include being involved and later becoming president of Heart and Hand for the Handicapped; pioneering fundraising for Aid to the Disabled, Orphaned and Poor (ADOP) under the auspices of the Hindu Temple Society of North America; contributing toward the construction of a hostel for poor working women in Bangalore, India. She is the current president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America. As the head of the society, Dr. Mysorekar has initiated programs to bring the community together, including spiritual, educational, and cultural activities. To further bring the community together, she initiated interfaith meetings and has spoken at numerous functions to increase public understanding of Hinduism. She has received several awards over the years for her contributions and community service.

Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai, born in Mangalore, the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka, attended Ruparel College in Matunga in pursuit of studying architecture. When she won the Miss World Pageant in 1994, she gave up architecture and took up modeling and later on, acting. Once she achieved fame, she started participating in fundraising events such as the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 tsunami earthquake. In 2005, she became the ambassador for Pulse Polio, a campaign started by the Government of India in order to stop Polio in India. Along with her family she laid the foundation for a school for underprivileged girls in the Daulatpur village in Uttar Pradesh. She can communicate Tulu, Hindi, English, Marathi and Tamil. Her beauty and talent influences South Asian girls living in Jackson Heights today. Advertisements of her wearing different kinds of jewelry adorn jewelery shops and movie posters featuring her in various Bollywood movies are prominent in video stores. She is an integral part of the South Asian community in America as she is someone many girls strive to be in power, beauty and skills.