New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, was held up in a traffic jam and barely made it to the venue when he was called on the dais -- "before I could even sip my water," he joked -- to share his thoughts on the event, and he came good despite the short notice.

Also See: Mohini Bhardwaj is the India Abroad Person of the Year 2004

Photograph: Paresh Gandhi | Design: Rahil Shaikh