Ramesh D. Kalicharran, popularly known as “Kali,” was an entrepreneur, activist and leader in the Indo-Caribbean community in Queens and all of New York City. Kalicharran was born to a second-generation Indian family in Guyana and moved to New York in January 1970. While he at first found it difficult to adjust to life in a new country, he soon founded Arcel Driving School which served immigrants like him, opened his own real estate office, and created Kali Travel and Kali Bharat Yatra Tours, which conducted tours for people of Indian descent to journey to their homeland.

Kalicharran was also an activist in his community, supporting many causes including representation in Queens of the Indo-Caribbean holidays of Diwali and Phagwah. He founded the Gyaan Bhakti Satsangh Mandir; convened a meeting of Hindu priests from which was born the USA Pandits’ Parishad; and was a founding member of the Indo-Caribbean Federation, which hosts the annual Indian Arrival Day celebrations. He was a founding member of the Indo-Caribbean Council, promoting the rights and welfare of Indo-Caribbean people in the United States and the Caribbean. In the mid-1980s, he launched an Indo-Caribbean radio program called “Sangeet Mala" (1520 AM). He was one of the founders of the Phagwah Parade and was also a founder of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and served as its Caribbean Regional Coordinator. GOPIO represents 23 million Indians who live outside India. Kalicharran received many awards from U.S. and Caribbean officials, including the president of Guyana. In 2012, he received the Bharat Gaurav Life Time Achievement award from the Sarv Brahman Sabha of Jaipur, India.