Shalabh Kumar

Shalabh "Shalli" Kumar

Shalabh "Shalli" Kumar
Born Shalabh Kumar
Ambala, Haryana (thenPunjab), India
Residence Chicago, Illinois
Alma mater

PEC, Chandigarh

IIT, Chicago
Occupation

Chairman of AVG Advanced Technologies

Chairman of Indian American Advisory Council of House Republican Conference, US Congress (Parliament)

Chairman of National Indian American Public Policy Institute
Employer AVG Advanced Technologies

Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar (Hindi: शलभ कुमार) is an Indian American industrialist and a philanthropist based out of Chicago. He is also a conservative commentator, community activist and a political donor.

Early and personal life

Kumar was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India.[1][2] He graduated from Punjab University in 1965 and earned a BS in electronics engineering in 1969 from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.[3] Kumar also attended the Illinois Institute of Technology,[2] where he got recognition for organizing the first exhibition of rare photographs of Indian freedom fighters such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.

Kumar's son, Vikram Aditya, married England born 2007 Miss Earth India Pooja Chitgopekar. Her wedding that was featured as NDTV Good Times Big Fat Indian Wedding on NDTV India and took place in January 2011 in New Zealand where she was living with her Indian immigrant parents [4] Hailed as the biggest wedding in NZ history, it featured 9 helicopters forming a grooms party also called a “Barrat” in the Hindu wedding tradition, and a musical extravaganza lasting three days featuring King of Pop, Daler Mehndi, RDB Rhythm Dhol Bass of Canada and UK, and Signature (dance group) from UK of Britain has Talent fame.

Career

AVG was founded in 1975 and is in the business of automation controls, semiconductors, telecommunications, thick-film hybrids, electronic component manufacturing and distribution.

Kumar is the Chairman and CEO of AVG Group of companies with headquarters in Chicago and operations all over the world.[2] Additionally, Kumar has served as president or CEO of Circuit International Incorporated, Microfast Controls Corporation, Electronic Support Systems, PEC Reliance, Lika Tandy Corporation, Mc Technologies, and Hi-Tech Systems Corporation. Kumar has also been employed with Nanofast Incorporated and National Controls Corporation.[5]

Political interest

Kumar is a community and political activist. He migrated to the US in 1969 and was a supporter of the Democratic Party until he met President Reagan and Jack Kemp in 1979 and since then has become a staunch Republican. Working along with Don Totten, Reagan’s mid-west campaign manager in 1980, he converted a significant number of Indian American community members and formed the first Indian American Republican organization in the country in 1983. He also served on a Reagan small business advisory council during the early eighties.

Right after Bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan, during 2011 and 2012, Kumar became an active citizen lobbyist on Capitol Hill to support Texas Congressman Ted Poe’s bill to cut off foreign aid to Pakistan and the Bill passed in August 2012. Subsequently Kumar founded the National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI), a think tank focusing on issues relevant to Indian Americans. NIAPPI and Kumar had the foresight to take a high level Congressional and Business delegation in March 2013 consisting of Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chairwoman of House Republican Conference, Congressman Aaron Schock and Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis, to visit the then Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat in India, Narendra Modi and invite him to the United States. Modi won as the Prime Minister of India in May 2014, but was in diplomatic isolation by the US Administration back in 2013. Indian TV media[6][7][8][9] at that time characterized this visit as a boost to propel Modi as the front runner for the post of PM of India. Working with Congressman Pete Sessions, Chairman of the Rules Committee of the US Congress, Kumar has sought to recruit Indian-Americans Republicans to run for Congress.[10] Sessions/Kumar project resulted in two Indian Americans running as Republican candidates in the 2014 elections.

Kumar chairs the Indian American Advisory Council of the House Republican Conference.[11] Kumar has organized meetings between American and Indian politicians,[12] Kumar has described Modi as his idol with great future for India and US-India relationship.[11] Hindustan Times has described Kumar as the Punjabi Tycoon, the biggest supporter of Modi in US. During 2014 Kumar and Ramesh Patel, Chairman of Federation of Indian Organizations (FIA-Tristate NY) were quite active in preventing S 744 bill passed by US Senate to be taken up by the US House of Representatives. The S 744 Bill was perceived to affect the economy of both India and US by putting uncalled for restrictions on Indian IT professionals working on temporary work visas in the US. S 744 was opposed by US Chamber of Commerce.

Kumar and Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, have closely worked together in the early eighties and from 2011 onwards. Kumar ran the Gingrich Presidential Campaign in Scott County Iowa in 2012.

Inspired by RJC, currently Kumar is engaged in the formation of Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) with Speaker Gingrich as Honorary Chairman and with the blessing and support of the leadership and membership of US Congress as well as RNC. Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Congressman Pete Sessions, Chairman of Rules Committee and Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of India Caucus are leading the effort.

In June 2016, Kumar attended Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to Joint session of US congress as a special guest of Paul Ryan along with his goddaughter, Miss India, and AVG ambassador Manasvi Mamgai. In July 2016, Kumar became a public supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2016 Presidential Election. Kumar cited Trump's stance on Pakistan and Muslims, namely Trump's plan to profile Muslims.[13] Kumar also lauded Newt Gingrich's calls for increased scrutiny of American Muslims and increased surveillance against mosques in the United States. The Hill quoted Kumar was specifically as saying:

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ [https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Meet-Shalabh-Kumar-IndianAmerican-Tycoon-Who-Is-One-Of-Donald-Trumps-Biggest-Donors/#.pcmhtyi3w ]
  2. 1 2 3 Raj, Yashwant (2 August 2013). "Punjabi tycoon is Modi's top backer in US". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Shalabh Kumar: Innovating his way to outstanding entrepreneurial success". NRIToday. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Morton, Frances (9 January 2011). "Wedding Bill Heads for $10m". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Executive Profile Shalabh Kumar". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Kumar, Ajit (24 September 2013). "Indian Americans can help India turn into a manufacturing powerhouse: Shalabh Kumar". Zee News. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  7. ↑ PTI (28 March 2013). "US delegation meets Narendra Modi". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  8. ↑ 24, News (29 March 2013). "NRI Shalabh Kumar sponsored US delegation that met Modi". News 24 Online. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  9. ↑ PTI, TOI (28 March 2013). "US delegation of parliamentarians, businessmen meet Modi". Times of India. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  10. ↑ PTI (30 July 2013). "Republicans to field 10 Indian-Americans in 2014 elections". The Economic Times. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  11. 1 2 Marinucci, Carla (27 January 2014). "Indian PAC founder behind new candidate for Honda seat". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  12. ↑ Lakshman, Narayan (15 July 2013). "After Modi, Rajnath now a cash-cow for Chicago businessman?". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  13. 1 2 Swan, Jonathan (July 19, 2016). "Hindu-American emerges as Trump mega-donor". The Hill. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Shalabh Kumar AIF Honoree of 2014". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
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