INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Wednesday was a night of great food, entertainment and celebration at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis.

“Dance, entertainment, culture. It all comes together and celebrates one night together,” said founder Raju Chinthala.

Chinthala founded the Indiana India Business Council in 2016. Since then, the number of Indian-owned businesses in Indiana has grown exponentially.

“There are many Indians living in Central Indiana. We have more than 15,000 families living in Indiana. So these are small businesses, if they need anything, advice or guidance or they have a problem, they come to us,” said Chinthala.

The gala honored the work of the organization and the people who support the group. The event also provided an opportunity for networking.

“The fact that you have business leaders in Indiana and Indianapolis who are actively promoting a strong US-India relationship, including a strong India-India relationship specifically, was incredible for me to see,” said Ravi Kapur, owner of You can watch Diya TV on WISH-TV Channel 8.4.

Diya TV provides entertainment and news to a large Indian population in Indiana. Kapur said: “This community has responded to Diya TV and WISH-TV. I can’t tell you what dates we get. I feel like this is our #1 affiliate in the country and we broadcast in New York, LA and Chicago.”

Bharath Patel is a board member of the Indiana India Business Council. He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Cos. in Indianapolis. He says without the council’s work, there would be several companies that wouldn’t be in Indiana.

“The biggest thing that happened with IIBC was Infosys. They had many places to go, Raleigh, Boston, other places. We finally landed them here. That’s because of IIBC,” Patel said.