Shah is being recognised for humanitarian service. A past president of Jaina (Federation of Jain Organisations in North America), he has been chairman of Jaina's World Community Service programme since 1990. The group provided relief to victims of the Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

A resident of upstate New York, Shah told IANS: "My life's motto is what Lord Mahavir said: One who serves the needy, sick and poor really serves me."

Bhupendra Patel is associated with the University of Utah School of Medicine. His expertise is in the management of disorders involving eyelids, periorbital tissues, lacrimal system and facial bones including fractures.

Mukesh "Mike" Patel is president of Diplomat Hotel Company in Atlanta that operates many hotels and related businesses in travel, insurance and real estate. He was instrumental in founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 1989 and has served as its chairman in 1998-99. In 2000, he was appointed by the Clinton administration to serve as a commissioner on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Vardhan is president of Nadadur Vardhan Inc, an entertainment consulting firm in Los Angeles. A financial consultant, he has been building bridges between the film industries in the US and India.