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Newsroom

AIF Ambassador Ismail Merchant Passes Away

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Kavya Rajan
kavya@aifoundation.org / (646) 530-8964

New York (AIF), May 26, 2005 – The American India Foundation (AIF) mourns the passing of our dear friend and AIF Ambassador Ismail Merchant, who passed away at 4:30 pm yesterday in a London hospital. Merchant was a pioneering independent filmmaker who, along with his partner James Ivory, created Merchant Ivory Films.

“Ismail remained an ardent supporter of AIF in many small creative ways. He helped fine tune the positioning of AIF in its formative stages,” said Pradeep Kashyap, AIF Executive Director. “In his passing, we have lost a great humanitarian and a personal friend. We will miss him dearly.”

Ismail Merchant had been involved with AIF over numerous events. In April 2002 Merchant premiered his film Mystic Masseur in New York as an AIF fundraiser for education and universal literacy in India. In 2004 Merchant helped put together and chaired AIF’s first gala-format fundraiser, which featured an opening night performance of the Broadway show Bombay Dreams.

Anjali Sharma, AIF Marketing Director remarked, “Ismail was always so generous in lending his name and time to our efforts.  He exemplified how celebrities can use their stature to raise awareness for important causes. He inspired us to use creativity in whatever we do, be it filmmaking or social issues.”

About AIF

The American India Foundation (AIF) is a leading international development organization charged with the mission of accelerating social and economic change in India. By mobilizing people and resources across the United States, AIF has raised over $24 million since its inception in 2001. AIF provides grants to education, livelihood, and public health projects in India with a focus on elementary education, women’s empowerment, and HIV/AIDS, respectively. AIF also administers two programs: (1) the Service Corps, which develops young American leaders by matching their skills with the needs of Indian nonprofits, and (2) the Digital Equalizer, which bridges the digital divide by providing computers, Internet, and training to under-resourced schools. AIF works out of New York and Silicon Valley in the US, and New Delhi and Bangalore in India. President Bill Clinton serves as Honorary Chair.

For more information contact:
Press Contact: Kavya Rajan
kavya@aifoundation.org / (646) 530-8964
http://www.AIFoundation.org