Meera and Vikram Gandhi at the Giving Back launch

On The Joys of Giving Back

Recently Meera Gandhi launched her book, Giving Back at the Leela Palace Hotel in New Delhi, with over 500 guests including family, friends, media and movers and shakers. All proceeds from the book benefit the Giving Back Foundation, which recently also established an India office. The book highlights the many organizations that the Giving back Foundation is associated with. For more on the organization and the work it does, check out  www.TheGivingbackFoundation.net

As Fareed Zakaria writes, “The act of giving is twice blessed, touching the recipient but also the donor. We are at the beginning of a great revolution of giving. Meera Gandhi describes and celebrates it in this beautiful, heartwarming book.”

A photo gallery of the evening…

Rukmini Vijayakumar: all photos Shwetha Pandit

Indian Dance comes to the Financial District

I missed it. This beautiful festival of Indian dance in the middle of Manhattan’s bustling downtown business district. A pretty surreal event, I’m sure, looking at the pictures of bedecked dancers striking poses, surrounded by skyscrapers rising against the New York skyline. Yes, the temples of Khajuraho are very far away.

What do mudras, dhols and ghungroos have to do with stocks and shares and financial portfolios?

Nothing. But they did give busy 9 to 5 people a break from their office routines with this free lunchtime concert in the open air organized by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC)  in collaboration with Battery Dance Company’s annual  Downtown Dance Festival.

How unexpected must it have been for people grabbing a hot dog from a vendor or rushing for a cab to see these dancers transformed into gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon?  Heavenly beauty in the middle of a traffic jam!

The outdoor audiences got to see several ancient dances from India: Manipuri by the Natya Academy; Mohini Attam by Mandakini Trivedi; Bharatanatyam by Lakshmi Sriraman and Aniruddhan Vasudevan; Kathak by Bageshree Vaze and Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance by Rukmini Vijayakumar. These were curated by Prachi Dalal of IAAC.

For you and me, who weren’t at the dance festival, these evocative images say it all.  I thought I’d share them so you can enjoy the action, the grace and the sense of community.  Maybe we’ll catch it live next year!

Related Article: Indian Dance – Out of the Box

Live mannequins in ornate couture greet guests at Royal India Gala. Photo (C) Shaun Mader

Royal India Gala – Children’s Hope India’s annual fundraising event

It was the night of maharajas and maharanis, of pomp and splendor. The occasion was Children’s Hope India Royal India Gala and Pier Sixty in Chelsea Piers, Manhattan had been transformed into a royal retreat with life-size peacocks, golden sculptures, rich silks and gorgeous live mannequins draped in Mughal couture. Yes, hookahs and turbans too!

Guests at the silent auction at Children's Hope Royal India Gala

Over 540 guests, dressed in their royal best, attended to support the cause of health and education in India.  The guests included Consul General Prabhu Dayal and Mrs. Chandini Dayal, Congressman Frank Guarani, Derek O’ Brian, Member of Parliament, Ghazal King Talat Aziz, Raphael and Linda Benaroya, Drs. Sandra and Arnold Gold of the Gold Institute for Humanism in Medicine and Anjhula Mya Singh Bais of Baiswara with her husband Satish Selvanathan. The Master of Ceremonies was the eloquent television personality and CHI advisory board member Tinku Jain who wove the whole evening seamlessly together.

A Command Performance at the Royal India Gala Photo (C) Shaun Mader

Guests got to pose for their official portraits on royal thrones and feast and drink like royalty on a menu designed for maharajas. A striking dance tableaux from ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ by Aatma Performing Arts set the royal mood of the evening, with warriors, princesses and even the mighty Akbar and Jodha making an appearance. This was followed by singer Falu’s lively performance with her band, which got guests rushing to the dance floor.

L to R:Kavita Lund, CG Prabhu Dayal, Urmi Basu and Mr.Lamano of HSBC Private Bank

The Making a Difference Award was presented to the amazing Urmi Basu, founder of New Light Center which works with women in the red light district of Kalighat in Kolkata. This award was sponsored by HSBC Private Bank. Basu spoke movingly of the ‘six degrees of separation’ which connect us all in doing good work.

Tinku Jain who emceed the gala flanked by Sagorica Rudra and Maya Rajani. Photo - Tony Graves

The Lotus Awards were presented to Daryl and Dr. Mel Rand, great friends of India, and to the noted cardiologist Dr. Samin Sharma, who is presently building a hospital in Jaipur, India.

The Lotus Awards were sponsored by Poonam and AJ Khubani of Telebrands. Daryl Rand spoke eloquently about her personal connection with India and Children’s Hope. She has lead several delegations of American businesswomen to India and is once again taking one to India in February 2012, to forge new connections between the women of two countries, and also help in student-exchange.

Kavita Lund, CG Prabhu Dayal, Daryl Rand, AJ and Poonam Khubani. Photo (C) Shaun Mader

Perhaps the most powerful 3 minutes of the evening was the screening of a video of testimonials from children who have benefited from the work of CH – it was a moving experience and many guests said they were deeply touched by it.  All 11 members of the junior wing of CHI, known as CH2, who are young professionals in Manhattan, came on stage to talk about the importance of volunteering and supporting education for under-privileged children.

CH2 Members at Children's Hope Royal India Gala - Photo Tony Graves

A new feature was also unveiled at the Royal India Gala – The Giving Tree. Through it, supporters could donate funds for the project of their choice and get a red rose or a bracelet of thanks. “The Giving Tree nurtures its saplings; much like Children’s Hope India aims to aid and support less fortunate children,” says Aditi Malhotra, a member of the Benefit Committee, who organized this. “By selecting a specific type of gift you are enabling a direct and immediate benefit to the children. This allows donors, first time or even long time supporters, to participate in measurable causes.”

Sunset over the Hudson at the Royal India Gala. Photo(C)Shaun Mader

A lively silent auction of luxury goods from artwork to resort stays to jewelry raised several thousand dollars. There was even a bat and ball signed by cricket great Kapil Dev! The evening included sponsors, donors, supporters and their guests.

After dinner, guests got to savor a feast of desserts out on the terrace facing the Hudson River. Having seen a beautiful sunset, they now enjoyed a starlit night over their coffee, before heading out for home with their goodie bags loaded with fun items. All funds raised go toward health and education projects. How could doing good be so much fun?

Visit us on the web: www.childrenshopeindia.org

Related Articles

Children’s Hope – Every Child Counts
An Evening in Rajasthan
When Mumbai Came to Manhattan.

The Marrakesh Collection by Pria Kataaria Puri. All phtographs credit: AA Film Studios

Fashion Tales – Pria Kataaria, Amrita Singh, Atelier Azza, Rani Emaan

With all the fashionistas in New York, this was bound to happen. Against the grand canvas of New York Fashion Week, a group of young South Asian women entrepreneurs created their own hurrah, a showcase of the sparkling talent of  desi designers from the US and the Indian-subcontinent.

At the Fashion for Compassion event at the Ritz Carlton, organized by SAYWE, there was a happening buzz with lots of star power on the red carpet :  Abhay Deol, Preeti Desai, Archie Punjabi, Samrat Chakrabarti, Janina Gavankar, Anusha Dandekar, Pooja kumar, and Shenaz Treasurywala.

Saywe’s Smashin’ Fashion

Guests mingled over cocktails which preceded the runway show by designers Pria Kataaria Puri, Amrita Singh, Azeeza Desai Khan of Atelier Azza and Farzeen and Deeba Haider of Rani Emaan – a fast moving, color-drenched evening where each designer re-interpreted fabric with her own vocabulary of styles, embellishments and silhouettes.  It was a celebration of  South Asia’s bejeweled crafts, colors and opulent materials, but with a sleek modern perspective. Farzeen and Deeba of Rani Emaan’s showed an elegant line of richly embroidered outfits which underscored these points.

Shenaz Treasurywala, Pria Kataaria, Preeti Desai and Abhay Deol

Pria Kaataria Puri showed a sexy and glamorous resort line with free flowing forms, inspired by Marrakesh. She acknowledged that it had nothing Indian about it but being an Asian-Indian designer, there is always a subconscious influence of India. The tilla and mirror-work are common to both Morocco and India. For the designer who lives in Mumbai, Dubai and Kuwait, native influences blend and merge. She says, “I think women are the same all over the world, and shows tend to be the same all over the world because beautiful women want beautiful clothes.”

For Azeeza Desai, it was the debut of her collection Monarch under the label Atelier Azza, and her line was a striking melange of east and west. Born in Chicago, Desai has often gone back to her roots in Ahmedabad, and her clientele is diverse. She’ll be showing in the Chicago Fashion Week, and has created a socially conscious give back model – for every piece sold, she gives back clothing to South Asian children in need.

While showcasing the talents of these South Asian designers, Saywe also helped create awareness for Wishwas, a non-profit which works at providing vocational training to underprivileged South Asian women in New York.

Zeenat Desai, Shariq Khan, Azeeza Desai Khan, Zaheen Khan and Ranjana Khan

Ranjana Khan – Success Unlimited

Ranjana Khan, the noted jewelry and accessories designer, (and wife of designer Naeem Khan) was there with her two handsome sons, Shariq and Zaheen. She was honored with the Fashion for Compassion award for being a great inspiration to young South Asian women entrepreneurs.  Her jewelry pieces are in major stores from Neiman Marcus to Bergdorf Goodman Direct.

Khan spoke movingly about her reasons for getting involved. As she described it, in India there’s great joy when a son is born, and there’s much less enthusiasm for the birth of a girl.

“Most women go from being their father’s daughters to their husband’s wife without having any independence and if there’s any neglect and abuse, the girl is lost and she just doesn’t know where to turn,” she said.  “That’s why this cause is so important and I want to be a mentor to these women.”

Khan, who started her own career at the age of 42 and showed her first collection at 53, said, “It’s never too late. When you’re passionate about something and you have in your memory what your grandmothers, mothers and aunts have given you in inspiration – go with it, follow your passion!”

She added, “There is in all the girls who are underprivileged and who are struggling – there is something in their minds, there is a passion – find it. I want to find it – let’s all find it in them and just give back. I’m here for that. This is going to be my pet cause.”

Saywe hopes to raise funding for the women of Wishwas to buy sewing machines and jewelry kits, and with Ranjana Khan agreeing to be on its board, the future looks promising for both these nascent groups.

Related Articles:

Saywe- A Woman’s Place
Fashion for Compassion with Saywe

All photographs: AA Film Studios

Melissa Chiu, Lulu Wang, Vishakha Desai, Naeem Khan, Ranjana Khan. Photo - Elsa Ruiz

At Asia Society – An Asian Garden of Many Delights

Every year as surely as Spring comes to New York, the colorful Spring Gala comes to Asia Society in celebration of the Asia Week when all the galleries, museums and auction houses celebrate Asian art with exhibitions and events for an entire week. The Spring Gala benefit is the fabulous start to a week steeped in all the delights of Asian art. So it’s not surprising that the gala at 583 Park Avenue turned into a garden of rainbow hues, of women in kimonos, sarees and cheongsams. Nowadays, the men are no less in their sherwanis and Chinese jackets!

Serap Demirag, Julian Lwin, Rosena Sammi, Misha Shivdasani, and Eve Gardner

Benefit Chairs Stephanie and John Foster and Lulu and Anthony Wang, mingled with the noted guests from the worlds of arts, fashion and business, headed by the honorary chairs – Renee Fleming and Naeem Khan.  These included Carolyn Hsu and Rene Balcer, Alexis Clark, Betsy Cohen, Amy Fine Collins, Donna D’Cruz and Tom Silverman, Mica Ertegun, Ajit Hutheesing, His Excellency Piriya Khempon, Consul General of Thailand, Nancy and Henry Kissinger, Ranjana Khan, Alexandra Kotur, James Lally, Ida Liu, Mary McFadden, Bibhu Mohapatra, Alexandra Munroe, Ruth and Harold Newman, Dennis Paul, Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky, Daisy Prince and Hugh Chisholm, Charles Rockefeller, Carl and Barbaralee Diamonstein Spielvogel, Susan and Dirk Standen, Prince Zain Talyarkhan, Carl and Kari Tiedemann, Barbara and Donald Tober, and Jack and Susy Wadsworth.

Naeem Khan, Hemant Mathur, Surbhi Sahni. Photo - Elsa Ruiz

The space was enhanced with silk drapes and tents, and each of the jewel-like tables were designed by a different designer, including Waris Ahluwalia and Julian Lwin, Rachel Cho, Doo-Ri Chung, John Hardy, Banchet Jaigla, Gemma Kahng, Naeem Khan, Soigne Kothari, Rosena Sammi, Misha Shivdasani, Anita Trehan, and Kathy Wilson. Sri Lankan jewelry designer Rosena Sammi, for instance, had decorated her table with a long tower filled with her famous monsoon bangles.  She says, “It was quite the hit and more than one guest asked if they could go ‘fishing’ for bangles at the end of the night.”

Bibhu Mohapatra and Annabel Tollman

The dinner menu was created by Chef Hemant Mathur of Tulsi and his wife, the equally talented pastry chef Surbhi Sahni, whose hot new dessert space is Bittersweet NYC, provided the sweet ending for this evening of many colors, tastes and textures. An evening celebrating Asian Art couldn’t end without acknowledging those who cherish it: the Distinguished Collector Award was given to Mary Criggs Burke, who has nurtured the largest collection of Japanese art outside Japan.

Donna Cruz and Tommy Silverman

Avjit Nanda, President of TimesofMoney, Ambassador Meera Shankar with Shabana Azmi; hosts Nina Manuel & Jitin Hingorani look on.

Light of India Awards recognizes Indian Achievements  in America

Bold-face names and big accomplishments amid the opulence of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria – the perfect place for The Light of India Awards, the first ever major recognition of NRI movers and shakers by Remit2India, a Times Group company. Over 200 of the who’s who of the South Asian community gathered to pay tribute to their own, the doers and dreamers of the corporate, business, arts and technology world.

It was a place to see and be seen. Meera Shankar, the Indian Ambassador had come in from Washington DC, and big names from Salman Rushdie to Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar were there.  Raghav Sachar had come in from Mumbai to entertain the guests and television host and model Nina Manuel, along with Jitin Hingorani emceed the evening. Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had the audience in splits.

NRI Achievers

So who is the best in NRI-Land? Javed Akthar, Shabana Azmi, Pranay Gupte, Prasoon Joshi, Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Priya Paul and Mahesh Dattani were among the jury that selected the Light of India Jury awardees, while a People’s Choice Award was also given through voting via the Internet. Ajay Banga, president and COO of Master Card  won the Jury award for corporate leadership, while the People’s Choice Award went to Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup.

Vinod Khosla, CEO of Khosla Ventures, and Naveen Jain, founder of InfoSpace and Intelius were the awardees in business leadership.Mira Nair walked away with both the Jury and People’s Choice Awards in Arts and Entertainment – rather her friend Aroon Shivdasani, Executive Director of Indo-American Arts Council,  walked away with the awards as Mira was out of town.

As to literary lions ranging from Jhumpa Lahiri to Amitav Ghosh, how do you choose from a distinguished bunch? Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni won the Jury Award, Vikram Seth the People’s Choice Award and Salman Rushdie, the Power of Influence Award.

Some other major awards included the award for Research and innovation in Medical sciences for Shiladitya Sengupta, Assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Vinod Dham, CEO of Silicon Spice, bagged both awards for science and technology.

Aasif Mandvi performs at Light of India Awards

The Winners’ Circle

Recognition in Corporate Leadership:

Jury Award – Ajay Banga, President and Chief Operating Officer – MasterCard

People’s Choice Award – Vikram Pandit, Chief Executive Officer – Citigroup

Recognition in Business Leadership:

Jury Award – Vinod Khosla, Chief Executive Officer – Khosla Ventures

People’s Choice Award – Naveen Jain, Founder of InfoSpace and Intelius

Recognition in Political Leadership:

Jury Award – Dr. Ruby Dhalla, Member of Canadian House of Commons

People’s Choice Award – Swati Dandekar, IOWA State Senator

Recognition in Science & Technology:

Jury Award & People’s Choice Award – Vinod Dham, Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Spice Inc.

Extraordinary Contribution in Research & Innovation in Medical Sciences – Shiladitya Sengupta, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences at Harvard Medical School

Recognition in Journalism & Literature:

Jury Award – Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni, Writer & Novelist

People’s Choice Award – Vikram Seth, Poet, Novelist, Travel Writer, & Biographer

Power of Influence Award – Salman Rushdie, Writer & Novelist

Recognition in Arts & Entertainment:

Jury Award & People’s Choice Award – Mira Nair, Film Director & Producer

A  photo gallery of  the Light of India Awards Gala at the Waldorf Astoria.

The Imperial Court of New York at Red Ribbon's Bollywood Gala

Red Ribbon Foundation’s Bollywood Gala

Loading Dock, a swinging night spot on the water in Stamford, CT, had been transformed into an India of the imagination: Swaths of pink and mango-hued fabric, golden goddesses, pots full of floating rose petals and a huge presiding Ganesha, not to mention an Indian bazaar and Bollywood martinis. Montages from Bollywood movies played on the big screens as henna artists painted the hands of guests and sitar and tabla players did their magic.

This fantasy evening was Bollywood Gala, the biennial fundraiser to support the cause of  HIV/AIDS by Red Ribbon Foundation which is one of the top 25 grantmakers for HIV/AIDS organizations worldwide.  It had been founded by Florence and Karl Suerig in memory of their son Michael Faerman who had died of HIV/AIDS.

Bollywood Axion perform at Red Ribbon's Bollywood fundraising gala

Americans had gone Indian for a day and there were enough turbans, kurtas and jewels to outfit a Bollywood film production as over 250 guests,  clad in Indian outfits and headgear, danced to the music of Om Shanti Om and Jai Ho with the Bollywood Axion dancers.

One of the most eye-catching sights was the Imperial Court, a fundraising group for gay and lesbian charities, fabulous entertainers resplendent in over-the-top Indian finery and jewels, clad in sarees for the first time. The headliner for the evening was singer/songwriter Ryan Star who performed from his album.

Philip Lilienthal, Dr. Jeffrey Laurence and Nicole Hazard

Bollywood Helps Combat HIV/AIDS

Stamford’s movers and shakers had come out in full force to try the Indian delicacies from Coromandel and dance to the music of  DJ Kucha and enjoy the India recreated by Elegant Affairs.  A vibrant auction by Sotheby’s auctioneer helped toward raising $350,000 for programs combating HIV/AIDS.  Nicole Hazard, Director of Red Ribbon, said, “Demonstrating our commitment to combating the increasing presence of HIV in India, we are delighted to have Children’s Hope India as Red Ribbon’s newest funded program.”

As memory of their Indian evening, guests took home bangles, bindis and an auspicious Ganesha in an ornate organza bag.

(C) Lavina Melwani

(This first appeared in Hi Blitz magazine)

Breakthrough Gala - Cynthia Nixon, Eve Ensler and Mallika Dutt

Breakthrough – A celebration of  Human Rights

Breakthrough celebrated a decade of work on issues of human rights with the  Let’s Breakthrough Together Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, with over 300 supporters of the organization’s groundbreaking work in India and the US.

For an organization dedicated to speaking out, it seemed natural to give the Inspiration award to Eve Ensler, the activist, performer and playwright of The Vagina Monologues who has battled cancer. Also honored was Dr. Peter Ackerman, the founding chair of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, and Managing Director of Rockport Capital.

Anshu Jain, head of Deutsche Bank’s corporate and investment bank, and Teresa H. Clarke, Chairman and CEO of Africa.com presented Patricia and Madhav Dhar with the Breakthrough Leadership Award.

Guests saw a remarkable performance by Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award-winner, Cynthia Nixon and her daughter, Samantha Mozes from Eve Ensler’s ‘I am an Emotional Creature.’

The gala raised  $ 500,000 to support Breakthrough’s multimedia projects in India and the US. For Mallika Dutt, the CEO and president of Breakthrough, the glittering evening was really a reaffirmation of how corporations, community and individuals can come together to support social change. Quite a breakthrough!

Breakthrough Gala - A Photo Gallery

‎

Related Article:

Breakthrough’s ‘Bell Bajao’ wins Cannes Silver Lion

Cilla Black, Raj Loomba, Cherie Blair, Preity Zinta, Veena Loomba and Joanna Lumley were in New York to raise funds for widows at the Loomba Foundation dinner

The Loombas, Cherie Blair, Preity Zinta, Yoko Ono,  Cilla Black & Joanna Lumley

Yes, 10 Downing Street has made it official – British entrepreneur Raj Loomba has been made a Lord by the Queen – so it’s Lord Raj Loomba now!  He was in New York to hold the annual fundraiser for the Loomba Foundation of which Cherie Blair is  the president. The evening raised funds for the cause of widows, in memory of his widowed mother who had to bring up her children alone.

Guests at the Loomba Foundation fundraiser at Essex House

Guests at the elegant fundraiser at Essex House in New York organized by Loomba trustee Peter Rajsingh included some heavyweights – Cherie Blair, Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Yoko Ono and Preity Zinta who is Goodwill Ambassador for the Loomba Trust, Broadway actress Joanna Lumley, Lord Dholakia, Meera Gandhi, Raj and Rohan Mirchandani.

Cilla Black, the Beatles and Bhangra

After cocktails in the Petit Salon, the guests moved to the Grand Salon for dinner. Here the Loomba Foundation Leadership Award was presented by Cherie Blair to English singer and television personality Cilla Black, who is from Liverpool and had been such close friends with the Beatles that Paul McCarthy wrote songs for her auditions!

Guests enjoyed some lively moves by the New York University Bhangra dance team, and participated in a live auction which raised funds for providing assistance to widows and their children in 13 countries, including India and Africa.

As Cherie Blair said of the Loomba Trust, “I’ve been watching its influence grow and expand. We now educate children of widows in every one of India’s 29 states. It’s not just an Indian problem so we have expanded into Africa, Sri Lanka and Nepal.” The organization hopes to get June 23 recognized as International Widows Day by the UN to provide a focus for global action.

(C) Lavina Melwani

All Photos (C) Jonathan Elderfield.

Bollywood actors & crew gather with film curators, volunteers & MIAAC director Aroon Shivdasani at the conclusion of the MIAAC film festival

South Asian flavored, Movies from Everywhere…

Bollywood, Hollywood, art cinema, documentaries and shorts  all came together in that swirling melange of new and exciting films at the Mahindra 2010 Indo American Art Council Film Festival known as MIAAC. With events, movies, panels and Q and A’s, not to mention parties and more parties and after-parties, filmholics  got to go on a binge.

It was a celebration of cinema in all its avatars: as Aroon Shivdasani of MIAAC pointed out, this time there were lots of movies with non-Indian collaboration – movies made by Australians, Canadians and even Israelis, though all touching upon India.  There was Aparna Sen’s lyrical ‘The Japanese Wife’ shot in Japan as well as in India, while Deepa Mehta’s ‘Cooking with Stella’ moves from Canada to India.

There were films not just in Hindi and English but also in Tamil, Konkani and Gujarati, movies dealing with everything from music to plastic surgery to mental illness and sports.  As Shivdasani said, ” This time we got a fabulous, truly independent and Diaspora festival. This is really the first time we’ve pretty much represented India on the whole, within and without India.”

Indeed there was also a  wonderful mix of  Indian and Indian-American stars, emerging and big names. Some of the stars walking the red carpet included Mani Ratnam, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ekta Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor,  Seema Biswas, and Rahul Bose along with the New York celebrities like Salman Rushdie, Mira Nair,  Sarita Chowdhury,  and Padma Lakshmi.

Star-spotting turned into spectator sport, with celebs – both from behind and front of the camera – swirling around.

2010 MIACC Film Festival - A Photo Gallery

All photos by Michael Toolan.com