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For decades, many of India’s most skilled professionals have pursued opportunities abroad, often making the life-changing decision to immigrate to the US seeking access to advanced surgery techniques, furthering their medical careers, or simply trying to learn new techniques that were unavailable back home. While these professionals built successful careers—becoming distinguished cardiologists, accomplished surgeons, and successful entrepreneurs- most of them don’t forget their foundation, their homeland, their people. Doctors like Dinesh Ranjan and Avinash Gupta believe that people of India basically funded their education, that’s how their education fees was almost negligible. This deep gratitude, coupled with the desire for the unparalleled satisfaction and happiness that comes from public service, now fuels a powerful movement of diasporic giving, transforming lives back in India. Here’s a quick look at people who’ve moved abroad decades ago yet constantly work towards improving the lives of their fellow Indians back home.
Mohan Nannapaneni: When Strangers Become Family
Mohan Nannapaneni’s journey is a testament to channelling professional success into profound humanitarian service. After completing his civil engineering in India and moving to the US in the early 1990s, he built a successful software company, Sigma Systems Inc. Initially, he used his own personal funding to establish The Friends Foundation in India, which supported students from rural backgrounds.
However, his defining initiative was born from recognizing a crucial gap: the need for support Indians settled abroad required during tragic times, in the absence of family and friends. While serving as president of TANA (Telugu Association of North America), he helped families repatriate mortal remains to India and that’s when he realized there was no dedicated organization for immigrants in these situations. This gave birth to Team Aid in 2017 on the motto: “We help where there is no family support.”
Team Aid acts as an extended family, providing timely intervention for emotional distress due to accidents, death and other tragic events- the motto is to help Indians abroad and their families back home. In addition, it also provides legal support for immigrant students, and mental health aid when required. They have repatriated over 3,000 mortal remains across the globe. This 24/7 service is driven purely by compassion and relies on a global network of over 3,000 selfless volunteers. The organisation continues to grow, as more and more people are recognizing the importance of the support carried out by them.
Dr. Dinesh Ranjan: The Promise of Free Care (Nishulk)
Dr. Dinesh Ranjan’s career began under the rigorous Gurukul system at Netarhat School, Jharkhand, and he moved to the US to learn advance surgery. He eventually became a renowned transplant surgeon in the US who performed the University of Kentucky’s first liver transplant and first pancreas transplant. Upon retirement, he co-founded the PRAN Medical Group in 2019. The name PRAN—Pravasi Alumni Nishulk (Non-Resident Alumni Free)—underscores their core commitment: free medical care for Indians back home. His decision of free medical care was largely fueled by the commercialization of Indian medical establishments, that led to patient distrust and fear of unnecessary costs. PRAN operates health camps in Bihar and Jharkhand, focusing heavily on preventive care, which he feels is largely unavailable, even in urban areas. The initiative targets prevention of four major non-communicable diseases: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Kidney Disease, During the COVID-19 crisis, PRAN, under Dr. Ranjan’s guidance, rapidly deployed virtual Zoom Clinics (Telehealth), which he noted was one of the first groups to use Telehealth for continuity, treating an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 patients. Dr, Dinesh Ranjan, along with Dr. Avinash and Geeta Gupta, have successfully set up an initiative that continues to improve the lives of thousands in Bihar and Jharkhand, providing them a better quality of life.
Dr. Avinash Gupta: Mobilizing Resources and Education
Dr. Avinash Gupta grew up in a village near Ranchi with no basic facilities like water and electricity, but pursued education diligently to become a distinguished cardiologist in the US. Driven by the memory of receiving nearly free medical education, he founded the Dr. Avinash Gupta Foundation in 2008 to provide scholarships to poor but meritorious students, and eventually co-founded PRAN. His quick instincts have been vital in granting extensive help to people of Bihar and Jharkhand through PRAN- while serving as President of BAJANA (Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America), he secured a major grant from the Bhatia family foundation that allowed PRAN to purchase a Medi Van (a fully-equipped mobile clinic) and two ambulances for use in Patna and Ranchi. Furthermore, Dr. Gupta was a key figure in setting up the Zoom Clinic during the pandemic, mobilizing BJANA volunteers to provide tech support for the virtual consultations. He also served as the President of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), focusing on supporting the Indian diaspora and enhancing Indo-US relations, and continues to work towards uplifting the lives of Indians, both at home and abroad.
Dr. Geeta Gupta: Community, Culture, and Compassion
Dr. Geeta Gupta, an emergency room physician and co-founder of PRAN, plays a dual role in both humanitarian health services and cultural preservation. Alongside her husband, Dr. Avinash Gupta, she provides free medical care in Bihar and Jharkhand, sometimes visiting Naxal-affected areas where community support is scarce. During the height of COVID-19, she was part of the team that used Telemedicine to treat over 1,000 patients in India. Beyond healthcare, Dr. Gupta is instrumental in fostering community connection in the US, and tries to connect Indian-American children to their heritage by teaching Indian culture and heritage through the Gurukul at the Sri Siddhivinayak Temple in New Jersey. She also supports the Asha Ashram in Ranchi, an organization that cares for orphan children and children rescued from human trafficking or child labor, funding their care and education through donations. PRAN collaborates with Asha to provide on-the-ground support for PRAN’s free medical camps. Dr. Geeta’s compassion for her homeland has enhanced the lives of thousands of children, and is a reminder that distance cannot stop you from expressing your love for your home country.
Your Homeland lives In Your Heart
These remarkable individuals demonstrate that the gratitude and love for your country can be channelised through various positive ways, all ways leading to meaningful changes back home. They are returning to their roots to deliver specialized skills, modern technology, and profound compassion to the country that nurtured them as kids and made them capable individuals.
Inspired by these global lifelines? Share this post to amplify these stories, and explore how you too can follow their clarion call, ensuring that the light of help shines brightly back home.
