Pratham's Annual Gala
By Sapna Pandya
December 7, 2009
Set against the backdrop of the beautiful ballroom of the Pierre hotel in Manhattan, Pratham's Tri-State Gala was held on December 3, 2009. Pratham USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for India's underprivileged children with an opportunity to better their living situations by providing with what we may take for granted here in the US, reading and education.
The Gala served as a platform to increase awareness about the need for education in India as well as honoring Mr. and Mrs. Nilekani from Infosys Technologies, Ltd. The couple are the Chairpersons of the organization and have helped to contribute over $37 million to Pratham USA. The year of 2009 marked Pratham's Ten Year Anniversary, and served as a reminder of the growing need for education in India, along with recognizing Pratham's past accomplishments. Event co-sponsors were Peggy and Avinash Ahuja, Artha Capital, CSFB, Goldman Sach's, and the Sanger Family Foundation. Other major corporate sponsors included Morgan Stanley, American Express, Nomura, Greenberg Traurig LLC, and Ernst and Young.
Daljit Dhaliwal of World Focus PBS MC'ed the event and the evening featured many speakers, with the main guest speaker, Fareed Zakaria of CNN. Video footage following Pratham volunteers in India also made it's debut at the event, including a five-minute clip of Pratham volunteers "in action". Fareed Zakaria stated that there is definitely a difference in China and India; China being the number one socioeconomic force in the world, followed by India. "When you land in Beijing, you take a taxi and immediately you hit eight lane highways; when you land in Mumbai, India and you take a taxi, you see slums on the side of the roads, however, keep taking that taxi and you will see entrepreneurs, these entrepreneurs represent the microfoundations of India, and within these microfoundations lie the strength of India." Zakaria also went on to mention that there are many millionaire families in India, however unfortunately those same families do not make donations to organizations such as Pratham, however they will donate millions of dollars for a temple of gold with their name listed as the main benefactor.
The event concluded with a formal dinner and a live musical performance by Falu. The fundraiser gala was a success and provided guests with an overview of the foundations of Pratham and what the organizations achievements have been and what they plan to achieve in the future.
For more information on how you can contribute or get involved with Pratham visit: www.ny.prathamusa.org
The Gala served as a platform to increase awareness about the need for education in India as well as honoring Mr. and Mrs. Nilekani from Infosys Technologies, Ltd. The couple are the Chairpersons of the organization and have helped to contribute over $37 million to Pratham USA. The year of 2009 marked Pratham's Ten Year Anniversary, and served as a reminder of the growing need for education in India, along with recognizing Pratham's past accomplishments. Event co-sponsors were Peggy and Avinash Ahuja, Artha Capital, CSFB, Goldman Sach's, and the Sanger Family Foundation. Other major corporate sponsors included Morgan Stanley, American Express, Nomura, Greenberg Traurig LLC, and Ernst and Young.
Daljit Dhaliwal of World Focus PBS MC'ed the event and the evening featured many speakers, with the main guest speaker, Fareed Zakaria of CNN. Video footage following Pratham volunteers in India also made it's debut at the event, including a five-minute clip of Pratham volunteers "in action". Fareed Zakaria stated that there is definitely a difference in China and India; China being the number one socioeconomic force in the world, followed by India. "When you land in Beijing, you take a taxi and immediately you hit eight lane highways; when you land in Mumbai, India and you take a taxi, you see slums on the side of the roads, however, keep taking that taxi and you will see entrepreneurs, these entrepreneurs represent the microfoundations of India, and within these microfoundations lie the strength of India." Zakaria also went on to mention that there are many millionaire families in India, however unfortunately those same families do not make donations to organizations such as Pratham, however they will donate millions of dollars for a temple of gold with their name listed as the main benefactor.
The event concluded with a formal dinner and a live musical performance by Falu. The fundraiser gala was a success and provided guests with an overview of the foundations of Pratham and what the organizations achievements have been and what they plan to achieve in the future.
For more information on how you can contribute or get involved with Pratham visit: www.ny.prathamusa.org
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