Ritu Jha-
Accountants must stay mentally sharp to keep their organization running smoothly, but a group of Indian American practitioners gathered recently in Fremont, California to also exercise their bodies.
With a theme Viksit Bharat, which translates to “Developed India,” the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – San Francisco Chapter celebrated the 75th ICAI Chartered Accountants Day. It was a walkathon attended by chartered accountants, their families, government officials as well as elected officials, on June 30 at Lake Elizabeth.
Established in 1949, ICAI has played a crucial role in regulating and developing the profession of chartered accountancy in India and beyond. The ICAI San Francisco chapter was formed in 2017, and aims to generate goodwill between the accounting fraternities of the US and India.
Participants received a T-shirt and lunch boxes sponsored by local restaurant Anand Bhuvan after the two-mile run/walk.
Sudha Michel, Chairperson of the ICAI – San Francisco Chapter looked pleased to see people coming early morning to celebrate CA Day 2024 with great vigor.
“It was a pledge by the CAs of San Francisco Chapter to stand proud being Chartered Accountants, and as ‘Brand Ambassadors of ICAI’ they feel honored and enjoy the celebration,” Michel told indica. “The energy at the event was one of great happiness and gratitude.”
Michel said such events each year bring new people to connect as well. Many new first-time Chartered Accountants attended and were happy to connect with the local Chapter of ICAI, and the senior Chartered Accountants had a great time networking with peers.
Indian American veterinarian Raj Salwan, a Fremont city council member who is running for mayor in the November election, also attended.
“The 75th ICAI Walkathon is a great initiative, it brings our community together,” Salwan told indica.
Salwan said that CA’s are crucial to all businesses.
“My father always told me that chartered accountants are the most important positions you can have, especially in India, because they’re very respected,” Salway said. “All the finances, decision-making, and management decisions are based on the work of the charter accountants. We need to have more organizations like the ICAI to bring our community together and celebrate our culture, professions, and good health. We were out in the Central Park to walk and exercise for the day.”
Salwan said he also is committed to fitness, waking up at 5:30 a.m. and hitting the gym.
“I go to the gym and spend one hour there five or six days a week. That’s been the one thing that’s most helpful to me personally.”
He recommends starting slowly and gradually increasing physical activity.
“People want to build Rome overnight. It is more sustainable and achievable to make small changes over a long period. If you’re a beginner, walk for 10 minutes, and then increase the time to 15, 25, 30 minutes, and then an hour to build up your stamina. If you do it once a week, then exercise two or three times a week, and then do it five times a week.”
Salway also advocates weightlifting.
“Weightlifting and walking are very important, especially as you get older. Walking is very low stress on your body, it is good for your joints and acts as a stress reliever too because you’re out in nature.”
He said people need to get out of the house instead of looking at TV or social media, which creates anxiety.
“Once you do that, then look at your diet. If you consume a lot of sugar, cut down and shift to roti and carbs. You should still eat it, but a little less. Indians in general have smaller blood vessels, so we have a high risk for heart attacks. We should do whatever we can to improve our health.”
At the event, Salwan told the accountants he appreciated their work.
“You’’re always looking at the benchmarks and guiding the ownership and the management to make sure we run a good organization. You’re very active and organized, I appreciate all the good work that you do. Let’s keep doing that, not only within your organization, but all across the Indian American community.”
Salwan says it’s time for Indian Americans to make their political power felt.
“Indian Americans contribute so much. Much of it is individual. It’s about time that we collectively started getting on the same platform and doing a lot of good work in so many different aspects of our lives, whether it’s in our professions, our neighborhoods, our children’s schools, or community, to make sure that we are a vibrant part of this community. This is our home base, and we need to create a strong identity for our future generations because that’s the only way our community will do well. I encourage all of you to do all you can to spread the word and keep doing the good work,” he added.
Salwan then more directly appealed to voters.
“I’m running for mayor of the city of Fremont in November. I’m running to be mayor for all, for every single person in Fremont. I’d encourage all of you to vote, please tell your friends and make sure that all Indian Americans vote. You don’t have to vote for me, but make sure you vote for someone. And once you start voting, the elected officials will start reaching out more to the Indian American community once they see us as a power base and they will listen to our concerns and address our issues and prevent some of these measures that come up so that we have a seat at the table.”
Santa Clara Council Member Raj Chahal, who said he walks about two miles a day to stay fit, echoed Salwan’s views and stressed the need to include more finance experts in governance.
“It’s good to see so many people involved in the finances,” Chahal said. “Ultimately for any country, or city, the budget and finance are very important aspects. When you have good finance people around you, it makes you feel good. I wish more municipalities and governments had people who are much more well-versed in accounting and budgeting. It can make things better.”
Earlier, while speaking at the event, Chahal said chartered accountants are a very important part of every step in business.
“All the cities are part and parcel of business. Some of the counties and municipal governments are not doing well budget-wise and one of the reasons for that is that the people who are on the council don’t understand the budget or the council. The CAs need to step up to the level where some of you can get elected to the councils and make judicious decisions. If you are on the council, you can teach other people what a deficit is and how to calculate different ratios for the budget. Your involvement in the political process is very important.”
Chahal said he came to the U.S. in 1995. Most of his education happened in India, where he had free education through 12th grade, then earned a master’s degree in physics and an MBA in finance and marketing.
“A person like me who made the best use of the Indian education system has the responsibility to contribute whatever we can to our country,” Chahal said.
Chahal also urged the accountants to support Salwan in his election.
“Raj Salwan has been a good friend and please, do cast your vote. If you are living in Fremont, please contribute to his election. Make sure you talk to five to ten people within Fremont to vote for him. That’s very important because it’s very hard. I was the first minority ever in the city of Santa Clara, which is a minority-majority city, to be a council member. A lot of hurdles are there. But your support, the community’s support, matters a lot. We will be proud of Salwan getting elected as the mayor, so help him out.”
