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AIF hosts Spring Awards Gala Celebrating Honorees Deepak Parekh & Martin Sullivan on May 11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Anita Gupta

Percussion Performance by Shivamani and Richard Bona. Mistress of Ceremonies: Daljit Dhaliwal, Host on PBS’s Wide Angle.

New York (AIF), April 16, 2007 – The American India Foundation (AIF) is hosting its annual Spring Awards Gala on Friday, May 11th, 2007 at Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria to raise funds for its three pillars of development work in India: Education, Livelihood and Public Health. The Gala will celebrate AIF’s continuing success in furthering social and economic empowerment in India.

“With strong support from Indo-centric individuals and corporations in the U.S., AIF is in a truly unique and exciting position to have a meaningful and lasting impact in India,” says Pradeep Kashyap, Executive Director of AIF. “Indeed, we have much to celebrate in our success this year, while we also look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

“Since our inception six years ago, AIF has grown tremendously,” continues Kashyap. “We have raised around $40 million today and have invested over $32 million in some of India’s most innovative non-profit organizations. AIF has official partnerships with eight state governments – a quarter of the states in India. As an institution, AIF has grown to have four offices managed by a mixture of staff and volunteers representing the best of the diaspora.”

The Gala program will present an exciting array of participants and entertainment: a cocktail reception, awards ceremony, dinner, and a fusion percussion performance by Shivamani and Richard Bona. The Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening will be Daljit Dhaliwal, Host on PBS’s Wide Angle. The awards ceremony will recognize two individuals for their philanthropy and leadership: Deepak S. Parekh, Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd., and Martin J. Sullivan, President and CEO, American International Group, Inc. The Gala Chairs are Sir Deryck C. Maughan, Chairman KKR Asia, and Ravi Akhoury, Chairman and CEO of McKay Shields LLC. Co-Chairs include a number of noted leaders of the business and philanthropic worlds, including Amb. Frank Wisner, Vice Chairman AIG, and Shelley and Donald Rubin, Co-Chairs of the Rubin Museum of Art and the Rubin Foundation. Past guests of the AIF Gala have included Hillary Rodham Clinton, Deepak Chopra, Richard Gere, Gloria Steinem, and A.R. Rahman. Other high-profile guests are expected again this year.

Individual tickets start at $500; tables start at $5,000. For more information, please contact Anjali Sharma at (646) 530-8971. MEDIA CONTACT: Anita Gupta: anita@servicesats.com (646)884-4830

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About AIF: The American India Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit foundation whose mission is accelerating social and economic change in India. In order to achieve this, AIF provides grants and directly implements programs in three areas - education, income and asset creation and public health - that focus on the most disadvantaged. The programs include Digital Equalizer, bridging the “digital divide” by providing computers, internet, and training to under-resourced schools and League of Artisans, creating a platform to build sustainable livelihoods for impoverished artisans. Additionally, it provides fellowships to Americans to volunteer their skills with Indian NGOs and health institutions working on HIV/AIDS. AIF was formed in 2001 under the leadership of President Bill Clinton, who now serves as the Honorary Chair. AIF has main offices in New York, Silicon Valley, Bangalore and New Delhi. The AIF India Advisory Council is sponsoring the Launch and is made up of: Mr. K.V. Kamath, (Co-Chair), Mr. Deepak Parekh, (Co-Chair), Dr. Isher Ahluwalia, Mr. Ashok Alexander, Mr. Nishith Desai, Ms. Parmeshwar Godrej, Mr. Vijay Mahjan, Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Mr. Sanjay Nayar, Mr. Ranjit Pandit, Ms. Priya Paul, Mr. Saurabh Srivastava and Mr. O.P. Vaish.