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The U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) launched the second edition of its coffee table book, “We The People: 250 Voices, A Tribute to the 250 Voices that Shaped U.S.-India Relations,” on June 29 during its flagship Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.
According to a USISPF statement, the summit, themed America@250, celebrated the 250th anniversary of American independence and concluded with the launch of the coffee table book, accompanied by a special video presentation. The organization said the new edition honors “250 stellar individuals” from different eras and professions whose contributions have strengthened U.S.-India relations.
The honorees include artists, architects, academics, activists, diplomats, physicians, entrepreneurs, engineers, presidents, prime ministers, policymakers, pioneers, and both living and deceased individuals.
“In their own ways, knowingly or unknowingly, they all played a part in helping to shape the most robust strategic partnership that we celebrate today,” the statement said. “USISPF acknowledges that the list by no means implies only these 250 individuals, both deceased and living are the ones who have shaped the relationship. We know that there are many more who, some yet unknown to us, have shaped and will continue to transform the relationship.”
USISPF said the book reflects its philosophy of recognizing both historical and contemporary figures who have strengthened diplomatic and cultural ties while advancing the soft power dimension of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.
The publication features historical figures including Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi, alongside contemporary leaders from government, business, science, academia, healthcare, diplomacy, and civil society. Among those highlighted are Narendra Modi, Donald Trump, Sergio Gor, Marco Rubio, S. Jaishankar, Indra Nooyi, Shantanu Narayen, Ajay Banga, Anoushka Shankar, Shubhanshu Shukla, Sunita Williams, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Priyanka Chopra, Ajit Doval, Stephen Knapp, Padma Lakshmi, Dalai Lama, Hasan Minhaj, Mira Nair, Freida Pinto, A. R. Rahman, Rathan Rajan, and Julia Roberts.
“At the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), our mission has always been to translate strategic intent into tangible outcomes,” said USISPF President and CEO Mukesh Aghi. “We have seen firsthand how our work is carried forward both by institutions and by people who believe in the potential of this relationship and invest their energy, expertise, and ambition in its growth. This book is a tribute to those individuals. It is a celebration of what has been built, and an acknowledgment of all those who laid the foundations. USISPF wishes to tell the story of the U.S.-India relationship through the voices of the people who give it meaning.”
USISPF’s first coffee table book, We The People: 75 Years of U.S.-India Relations, was released in 2022 to commemorate the platinum jubilee of India’s independence and 75 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and India. The organization said the second edition, We The People: A Tribute to the 250 Voices that Shaped U.S.-India Relations, takes a different approach.
“It is more personal, more human, and in its own way, more impactful,” the statement said, adding that each of the individuals featured has “helped weave the threads that bind the United States and India together into a relationship that is as enduring as it is dynamic.”
