Paul Kazarian, CEO Japonica Partners, Subra Suresh, Director, National Science Foundation and Nitin Nohria, Dean, Harvard Business School to headline AIF ‘Bow Ties and Bangles’ gala

The Boston Leadership Council of AIF is hosting "Bow Ties and Bangles” a fundraising gala on Saturday, November 13th, 2010, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. This elegant, black-tie affair will benefit the American India Foundation (AIF), the largest diaspora-led philanthropy focused exclusively on India.

“The gala is an opportunity to showcase AIF’s pioneering work in India helping uplift the most marginalized communities: providing education to children of migrant workers, helping rickshaw pullers with micro loans to make them self sufficient and helping women set up community waste disposal and compost facilities.  AIF gives people to ability to dream and create a brighter future. By helping people realize their aspirations, our mission is to unleash a virtuous circle of hope and achievement”, explains Raj Sharma, AIF Board of trustee and a member of the Boston Leadership Council

Paul Kazarian, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Japonica Partners, an entrepreneurial co-investment firm will be the honoree. Brian J.G. Pereira,Chief Executive Officer, President and Director,AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc and Victor J. Menezes, Senior Advisor for New Silk Route Partners, will be this year’s Gala Chairs.

Channel 7 anchor, Sorboni Banerjee will be the gala's mistress of ceremonies. The evening begins at 6:00pm with cocktails, silent auction and music. Dinner and entertainment by the Sa Dance group of New York will follow to entertain guests.

This is the fourth annual AIF gala held in Boston, and many of New England’s leading philanthropists will be attending this year’s event to show their support.  Each of AIF’s Boston galas has been celebrations of giving, paving the way for programs in education, livelihood, and public health.

AIF honorees, at other gala’s in the US have included Henry R. Kravis, Founding Director of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd., Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, and Sy Sternberg, Chairman and CEO of New York Life Insurance Company.

More about AIF: Conceived under the initiative of President Clinton in 2001, AIF is focused on helping those in India, and has raised over $60 million to invest in education, livelihoods and public health programs.  It has partnered with over 115 reputable Indian NGOs, dispatched nearly 200 Service Corps Fellows to serve for ten months, and introduced new technology to improve the education of over 600,000 students through the Digital Equalizer program.  As a result of the generous support of the corporate community in America, its programs have made an indelible impact upon millions in need.

To learn more about AIF, visit www.aif.org . Contact Venky Raghavendra at venkatesh.raghavendra@aif.org

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