Ekta Community Center

Nikhil Bahadur

Nikhil and his wife Gauri moved to Ridgefield in 2010 and have built deep roots in the community. He has been actively involved in a variety of Asian Indian activities both cultural and sports. He is an active leader in the local Boy Scouts Troop and regularly volunteers in social and community improvement projects. Nikhil by training is a management consultant in the field of mergers & acquisitions, and brings his finance background in supporting Ekta’s mission.

Sangeetha Basker

Sangeetha, her husband, two children and two dogs moved to Ridgefield in the summer of 2020. She has studied, worked and raised her family in various countries in three continents. She has volunteered in many non-profit organizations. In Ridgefield, she has been volunteering with the Meals on Wheels organization. As a cofounder of Ekta Community Center she believes in building a secular, inclusive and nurturing place for future generations of South Asians in the community.

Neeta Connally

Born to Sindhi parents and raised in upstate New York, Neeta Pardanani Connally is excited to bring her perspective as a first-generation Indian American to ECC’s mission of creating an inclusive community for all. A Ridgefield resident for more than two decades, Neeta lives with her family as well as two Australian shepherds, a hamster, and a small flock of chickens.

Neeta holds the position of CSU Distinguished Professor of Biology at Western Connecticut State University. Neeta also oversees the WCSU Tickborne Disease Prevention Laboratory. Neeta served as the scientific advisor for the Town of Ridgefield’s Lyme Disease Task Force for more than a decade. Ideally, Neeta would love to spend her time doing NY Times Sunday crosswords, traveling the world, and eating fine cheese. Instead, she settles for doing the daily Wordle, driving the soccer carpool, and finishing the food her children leave on their plates.

Sonia Krishna

Sonia and her family have been living in Ridgefield for nearly two decades. As a devoted and active community member, Sonia is a proud volunteer at Meals on Wheels where she helps prepare meals and organize the delivery. Sonia was also involved with the PTA while her two children were in the school system, and she helped organize Teacher Appreciation Week celebrations for her children’s elementary and middle schools.

Sonia holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College and taught at their Early Childhood Center. Sonia is delighted to be serving on Ekta’s board. Having raised two kids in town, she is excited to help develop a community space in which South Asian-Americans can gather to safely and comfortably explore and connect with their cultural identity. In her spare time, Sonia enjoys knitting, playing bridge, and spending time with her family.

Naresh Podila

Naresh, Lalitha and their two daughters have lived in CT for over 20 years and have been residents of Ridgefield since 2012. Naresh works in the field of Cybersecurity Management and enjoys reading, running and hiking.

Naresh is motivated by Ekta’s stated purpose of providing the Asian-Indian diaspora in the area a forum to participate in social and cultural activities as well to organize and provide a voice for the concerns of our community.

Bhargavi Ramamurthy

Bhargavi and her family, and their dog Coffee, have lived in Ridgefield, CT for more than ten years. Bhargavi is a Research Analyst at the Connecticut State Department of Social Services and a Consulting Economist. She is an active volunteer in Asha for Education, Ridgefield Library Odyssey of the Mind program, and Ridgefield Prevention Council. Bhargavi enjoys reading books, hiking and traveling.

As co-founder, she believes Ekta Community Center fills in a critical gap in the South Asian community and beyond. Organizing resources within the community, cross cultural exchanges, and building a place of belonging for future generations are some of the possibilities that motivated her to serve on the Board of Directors.