Indian restaurateur earns NJ, Connecticut Legislatures' praise

Trenton (US), Jun 4 (PTI) 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.