Upendra J Chivukula, the first-generation Indian-American elected to the New Jersey legislature in the United States, was felicitated by an estimated 500 Indians and other South Asians at a function held on March 1. The occasion was also a fundraiser for the Democratic Party to which Chivukula belongs. About $50,000 were collected at the fundraiser whose venue was Royal Albert's Palace function hall in Fords Township.