Pratham fundraising gala honors Amartya Sen

By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 13:37 IST
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New York: The Pratham fundraising gala, final among Pratham Education Foundation's series of such fundraising events in Houston, Chicago, Raleigh and San Francisco, honored Nobel Laureate and renowned author Amartya Sen. The event held in the hotel Pierre's ornate ballrooms, was attended by more than 500 people and featured a gracious setting with overhanging drapes and crystal chandeliers, a silent auction selling jewelry and vacation getaways and celebrities sharing moments with the Harvard Economist. The event, compeered by Actress and musician Janina Gavankar, raised $2 million in funds. Amartya Sen spoke about the importance of education and that early education is the answer in creating awareness in the masses. It also featured dignitaries like former United Nations Under Secretary General and author Shashi Tharoor and wife Sunanda Pushkar, Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh, publisher of News India Times and stand-up comedian Aasif Mandvi. Around $1.75 million was raised through the silent auction and pledges, according to auctioneer Dr. Hugo K. Weihe who leads the cross-departmental business getting team for South Asian art at Christie's. He is also responsible for the Indian and Southeast Asian art department there. Sen was honored with the second annual Pratham USA Award for Outstanding Service in Education, which was presented to him by Pratham USA Chairman Arvind Sanger. John E. Sexton, president of New York University, in his keynote address, touched upon the reach of education and its global impact. Urging the audience to donate to Pratham's causes, Sexton shared a quote often used at NYU fundraisers. "It is not really giving till it hurts." Rukmini Banerjee, director of Pratham's India operations shared her 15 years of experience in the field. She asserted that the strength of Pratham is not only its ability to help the under privileged children, but also its ability to pull in people who are willing to help, willing to put in their efforts.