The owner of an Indian restaurant chain has won accolades here from the State Legislatures of New Jersey and Connecticut and the New York City Council for his "corporate social responsibility and entrepreneurship".
The Legislatures felicitated K T Srinivasa Raja, managing director of Chennai-based Adyar Ananda Bhavan group of restaurants and sweet shops, at a function held here Friday.
Presenting the proclamation issued by the Speaker of New Jersey State Assembly, its deputy speaker Upendra Chivukula said Raja excelled in helping the poor and the needy and had fed over 75,000 people round-the-clock following the devastating tsunami that struck the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in 2004.
Though a school drop-out, Raja worked his way up from being a cook, earning USD 1(Rs 44) in his father Tirupathi Raja's stall, to build a group of restaurants and sweet shops across India with a turnover of Rs 300 crores.
The Connecticut Legislative proclamation, piloted by its newly elected Indian-American member Prasad Srinivasan, praised Raja's role in educating girls and offering scholarships, that was denied to him as a student, to the poor and the needy.
His role in planting over 100,000 saplings across the state to reduce global warming also came in for much praise.
Peter Koo, member of New York City Council, said the Council recognised and took pride in the role played by Indian-Americans like Raja who "enrich the quality of life in America."
Raja was also commended for his efforts to promote zero-calorie sweets to cater to the needs of diabetics which, Koo said, could be emulated in the US which has the highest child obesity rate.