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Gopal Raju, who was abridge between India and the United States in the fields of media, politics and philanthropy for over half a century, died in New York early April 10 after a brief illness. He was 80.
In an obituary released by the Indo-Asian News Service the day he died, Raju's death was announced by his long-time colleague and friend Veena Merchant. He died after complications from a week-long bout of jaundice.
An institution builder, he founded the India Abroad newspaper, the Indo-Asian News Service, the Indian American Foundation and the Indian American Center for Political Action. At the time of his death, he was the publisher of the weekly newspapers News India-Times, Desi Talk and Gujarat Times.
A pioneering advocate of the two-million strong Indian American community, Raju made India Abroad his passion for serving as an information bridge between them and their native country.
Later, he founded the IACPA in 1993, which extended this community involvement to U.S. politics from Washington to state and local levels. Under the center's tutelage he placed about 200 Indian American interns with Congressional and Senate lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
The IAF, which he launched in the 1970s, mobilized millions of dollars in contributions for education, health, social development and disaster relief projects in India, helping in some cases to rebuild many homes left devastated by the earthquake in Latur in Maharashtra and Kutch in Gujarat.
Former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, who knew him well, said, "He was an institution and also the most significant bridge between India...