If you can’t go to Rajasthan, Rajasthan is coming to you! This is the year that everyone gets to be a maharaja or maharani and indulge in a royal celebration at An Evening in Rajasthan, the fun-filled gala at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan, New York on October 11, to raise funds for children’s health and education in India.
How do you recreate Rajasthan in New York? With a lot of chutzpah and a lot of friends! Ten of us at Children’s Hope India, a New York-based non-profit are trying to recreate the magic of the desert state in the heart of Manhattan. It all began with Satish Gupta’s magical painting ‘Peacock’ from the Thar collection. It inspired us to invent Rajasthan in the Big Apple – and the artist not only donated us his art for our invitation cards but also some beautiful work for the silent auction. Airlines, hotels, wedding planners, deejays, musicians – everyone stepped in to offer their services gratis.
As the board members of CH run about organizing music and dance and food, we all take on double lives. The other nine are Dr. Dina Pahlajani, Kavita Lund, Maya Rajani, Sagorica Rudra Indie Singh, Radha Vanjani, Kuntala Sinha, Kavita Gugnani and Monica Singh.
I’m trying to juggle the gala with writing assignments and the blog, which like a baby, must be fed every night. So I thought I might as well tell you about this extravaganza we are putting up on the side, as we all work at our daily jobs and live our frenetic lives.
About 500 people – dress code royal – are coming for this evening set among swathes and swathes of rich silks, Rajasthani dancers and drummers, a bazaar of trinkets and other delights and Rajasthani food stations. Sarina Jain of Masala Bhangra will emcee the evening and Rujuta Vaidya, who has helped choreograph for the Oscars will get her dancers showing you some Rajasthani moves.
The chief guests are Padmaja Kumari Mewar from the Royal House of Mewar, Rajasthan, and the Consul General of India, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal. The evening will pay tribute to the great state of Rajasthan, its rich culture, unique music and dance, the crafts and the cuisine, but most of all to the resilient people of Rajasthan.
The evening will honor AJ and Poonam Khubani, Founders of TeleBrands Corporation, and Ravi Akhoury, former Chairman & CEO of Mackay Shields and a trustee of AIF and Rubin Museum, and Virginia Akhoury with the CH Lotus Award for philanthropy. The Making a Difference Award is being presented to Dr. Surendra Kaushik for the educational opportunities provided to young women in Rajasthan through the Helena Kaushik College.
Children’s Hope, which runs 25 projects in several cities in India, has a special connection to the children of Rajasthan with its village outreach program in rural Rajasthan in partnership with the Global Hospital, Mount Abu. It has established educational and nutrition programs in the school district for hundreds of children. The mobile health unit with a doctor, nurse and assistant goes into 6 villages in the Sirohi District of Rajasthan, providing checkups, immunizations and treatment, to1000 patients a month.
In Delhi, the flagship project, Children’s Hope Prayas, also has a connection to Rajasthan. Most of the residents of Kathputli Colony are migrants from Rajasthan, and cradle to career services and support to thousands of children and families in this community is provided.
Services include crèches for toddlers, non-formal and remedial learning, nutrition and medical care, computer and vocational training, counseling, workshops, and micro-credit programs for the parents. (www.childrenshopeindia.org)
So now I’ve written my post and told you about Children’s Hope India too – that’s called multi-tasking!
