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Children’s Hope India Secret Garden – A Success Story

If you’re wondering what the Secret Garden is, and where it is,  it is Children’s Hope India’s annual gala and it was held on October 7 at Pier Sixty in Manhattan. The theme of this much anticipated fundraiser for the education of under-served children was based on the classic children’s novel ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett which shows how love and compassion can transform the lives of children.

“We chose this theme because this story of transformation is a perfect metaphor for the mission of Children’s Hope India,” said Tinku Jain, emcee for the gala evening and a member of the Advisory board of CHI. “In the story, the once-neglected children flourish once they are nurtured and cared for. And as they work and care for it, the neglected, withering garden not only becomes a positive environment for the children, it also blossoms and thrives. As the story shows, when properly cared for and educated, children prove they can accomplish great things.”

The venue had been turned into a lush garden with candles and rose petals by Elegant Affairs. The enterprising Jharna Jaisinghani of Artistic Affairs had used diffusers to turn it into a scented garden. Here bloomed the images of smiling children from the 20 projects that the organization runs in different Indian cities to promote education for under-served children in urban slums and remote villages who don’t always have access to education and vocational training.

Over 500 supporters from the tri-state area attended the glamorous and fun Secret Garden Gala where many had themed their colorful sarees and outfits to ensure an abundance of flowers and yes, even birds! The guests were equally generous with their checkbooks and helped raise over one million dollars for education in one evening.

The  high-powered guests included Consul General of India Sandeep Chakravorty and his wife Taruna, educator and philanthropist Chandrika Tandon, Ajit Jain of Berkshire Hathaway, Prakash Melwani of Blackstone, designer Anita Dongre and Barbara Corcoran of ‘Shark Tank’ fame.

 

The evening’s highlight was the recognition of three hugely successful people that are from diverse worlds but each is where they are due to the power of education and in turn pass their support on to others.

Anand Khubani who was honored with the Lotus Award is Chairman and CEO of IdeaVillage Products Corp and an innovative entrepreneur who is committed to bringing education to the underprivileged.

Dr. Manjit Singh Bains, a thoracic surgeon at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, cancer researcher, educator, and humanitarian received a Special Impact Award. He continues to impart knowledge as a Professor of Surgery at Cornell University Medical College.

Ravi Kanth Ganti, the Making a Difference honoree, is the COO of the Eklavya Schools, low-cost schools in the slums of Hyderabad which are one of CHI’s cornerstone projects. It is here that the CHI-Tandon Scholarships have been instituted for deserving but needy students to have access to higher education.

Education is indeed the lodestar for changing the lives of children and CHI now funds over 20 projects across India, including four schools –  The Children’s Hope India Girls School in Bhopal, a school in Jammu, and two Ekalavya Schools in Hyderabad.

As Dr. Dina Pahlajani, the president of CHI noted, “Whether it is in a non-formal setting like our mobile school or in a formal setting like the Children’s Hope Girls School in Bhopal, we stay true to the core values that this organization was founded on—Every Child Counts.”

A live auction by star auctioneer Sandhya Jain-Patel, raised funds for a new school in Bangalore and also for a learning center for refugee children of Hindu Pakistanis who have fled to India. Entertainment for the evening included a special performance by America’s oldest collegiate a cappella group, the talented Yale Whiffenpoofs, bringing a wonderful touch of all the great places education can take you to. Also a star at this show was Irene Fong, the noted electric violinist who had the guests dancing to her tune.

This Secret Garden also had a not-so-secret attraction – a gourmet food fest by celebrity chef Gaurav Anand who sent guests on a fun roller coaster ride of a bounty of India-inspired cuisine and unending dessert bar. Anand also helped raise $26,000 by offering his one-of-a-kind dinners on live auction. Meals were completed with a juicy, aromatic paan from New York’s Paanwalaa! Doing good can be so much fun!

To learn more about CHI projects and have the satisfaction of educating a child, please visit www.childrenshopeindia.org

:Related Articles:

At CHI Gala – Children’s Education, Monsoon Wedding & More!

Children’s Hope India Gala Raises over $ 1 Million for Education

Children’s Hope India – A Joyful Quest for Giving

A  Photo Gallery of The Secret Garden

All guests got to pose in the CHI Secret Garden where compassion and caring make giving better than receiving.

The amazing founders of Children’s Hope! From the kitchen table to education for so many! Brava! Love Light Laughter @lavinamelwani @childrenshopein @ChildrensHope https://t.co/tZ9V4cb4T0

— Chandrika Tandon (@chandrikatandon) October 10, 2018

 

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At the fabulous Children’s Hope India Secret Garden Gala at Pier Sixty with Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank fame and CHI board members Sagorica Rudra, Lavina Melwani and Dina Pahlajani. Read about it on Lassi with Lavina! #childrenshopeindia #ngo #education #india #lassiwithlavina #barbaracorcoran #sharktank #realestate

A post shared by Lavina Melwani (@lassi_with_lavina) on Oct 8, 2018 at 12:19pm PDT