IT Team

Webmaster

Mr. Sidharth Kaw

Sidharth Kaw was born in Northern California (Zone 9) to Ravi and Nancy Kaw. His religious and cultural immersion is due to a family that participated heavily with KOA, Livermore Temple, Chinmaya Mission and the Sai community in the 1980s and 90s. He has had the honor of directly meeting faith leaders such as (his paternal family guru) Swami Lakshman Joo, Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, Mata Amritanandamayi and Pandit Raghu Nath Kukiloo, who honorably presided over his mekhal. Although his last visit to the Valley came in 1986, the exodus left a significant impression on the importance of maintaining culture and faith. Sidharth attended UC Davis and was President of the South Asian Student Organization. He started the Chinmaya Mission Yuva Kendra in the Bay Area, and helped start and teach at Chinmaya Mission Cleveland. Currently, he serves as Board President of the Marin Interfaith Council and serves on the working committee for the North Bay Hindu Center. He developed and maintained the website for both non-profits, in addition to focusing on religious education. Serving as Director of Account Strategy for Sage Digi, a digital marketing agency, his combined professional and service experience will directly impact the direction of KOA’s web properties with a focus on updating the site architecture, design and educational content. His past independent work on the online timezone-based panchang will play a key role in the digital presentation of our calendar going forward. Sidharth is married to Mona, who is of Filipina Catholic descent, and together they raise their three (3) children - Arianna, Nishan and Gianna - in a combined cultural and religious household, which stemmed from a double (Kashmiri Pandit and Catholic) wedding and is being slowly introduced via hakh, rogan josh, tahar and a thorough understanding of our Kashir pooza.

Member Admin

Mr. Nimit Kaul

Nimit Kaul was born in Rainawari, Kashmir and did most of his schooling in Indore. He is the son of J.L. Kaul (Dembi) and Nancy Kaul. Nimit moved to the US in 2007 and currently lives in Dublin, OH along with his wife Gitali Handoo and 2 boys- Riaan (6) and Yuvaan (5). Nimit has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Telecommunications and an MBA Finance degree from Mumbai University. Nimit works as an independent consultant for Cardinal Health in Columbus, OH. Nimit loves Music, singing, travelling, eating and meeting new people. Nimit is involved in promoting Cricket in High schools and is President of a Local Cricket club.

Web Developer

Mr. Romit Ganjoo

Romit Ganjoo was born and raised in Jammu, J&K, India. Romit pursued his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Maharastra Institute of Technology in Pune. In 2022, he made the move to San Jose, California, to pursue his Master’s degree in Computer Engineering at San Jose State University. Since arriving in the U.S., Romit has realized the significance of community and family connections, especially being far away from home. He feels fortunate to have discovered the supportive community of the Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), where he can foster his cultural heritage and sense of belonging.

KOA Youth

Youth Co-Director

Ms. Arushi Kotru

Arushi Kotru was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, AL. She joined the KOA Youth team in 2019, serving as the Zone 6 Youth Representative and a Social Media Chair through 2024, when she became a Youth Director. Arushi graduated from The University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering along with minors in Chemistry and Biology, and is currently working in clinical research.

Youth Co-Director

Ms. Sidhi Raina

Sidhi Raina, based in the Bay Area, California, is dedicated to preserving the Kashmiri Pandit identity and heritage. Since 2022, Sidhi has led as the Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) Youth Director, empowering young community members. Prior to her directorship, Sidhi actively contributed to KOA Youth as the Zone 9 Youth Representative and Social Media Chair. With a Bachelor’s in Business Administration Management from the University of San Francisco, Sidhi excels as a Product Manager. She cherishes her Kashmiri Pandit heritage and is committed to fostering cultural awareness and solidarity.

Nomination and Election Committee (NEC)

Chairperson of NEC

Mr. Soman Dhar

Soman Dhar works in global project management at a Fortune 500 company. His family is originally from Vicharnag, Srinagar and currently resides in Naperville, IL, a suburb of Chicago, where they moved in 1999 from New Delhi. Soman and his wife, Dr. Promila Dhar, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, have 2 children: Jyotsna (Kongposh) Dhar, a counselling psychologist in training, and Archit Dhar, a finance professional on an entrepreneurial journey. Soman has been involved with KOA for the past two decades, having served as Secretary for 2 years under Sunil Fotedar and 1 year under Praaduman Ticckoo. He and his family have found joy and community in being involved with the KP Chicago Baradari for the last 25 years.

Member

Mr. Raj Koul

Raj Koul is a Kashmiri Pandit from Sholipora, Budgam who grew up going to school in Srinagar. He now lives in the Chicagoland area with his wife (Ritu) and his two children (Roshni, a previous KOAY Director, and Rahul). Raj has been an active member of KOA for 20+ years and served as the Zone 7 Director in 2011 & 2012. He was a Camp Coordinator for the 2018 KOA Camp in Chicago. Most recently, he organized the Chicagoland Shivratri children’s play. Raj is known in his local KP community for always lending a helping hand and his passion for passing on our KP heritage to the next generation. As a member of the NEC, Raj hopes to continue serving his community by facilitating the election process for the incoming Board.

Member

Mrs. Sanjila Razdan Dhar

Ex-webmaster under Mrs Shakun Malik’s tenure. She is a very dedicated and committed volunteer and was an asset to the board when she was the Webmaster.