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Former US president Bill Clinton told a large gathering of Indian Americans here that the course of the 21st century would be shaped by, among other things, what happens in India.
"What happens in India is one of the three or four most important things that (will) determine the course of the 21st century," Clinton said amid a thunderous applause from the guests, comprising Indian American professionals and community leaders.
He was delivering the keynote address at a dinner concert organized Tuesday by the American India foundation (AIF) to raise funds for the Gujarat earthquake rehabilitation.
Clinton, who serves on the board of the AIF, set up in February this year, was also the honorary event chair of the sit-down dinner concert that drew an estimated 700 people. The event raised at least $1.3 million.
Clinton said by the end of this year AIF wants to raise about $10 million. "We can't bring back the lives (lost in the January 26 earthquake), but we want to make sure that all the villages in Gujarat are rebuilt," Clinton said.
Noting the success of Indian Americans in the United States, Clinton said people in India needed help. "Those of you who have come here and done well, must help," he said. "Your country needs you," he said. "I hope this organization (AIF) will work to help long after I have gone," Clinton said.
The guests gave him a standing ovation. Clinton said AIF will raise more money next year and its work will not stop until India enjoys substantial progress in its standard of living and standing in the world.
Although the AIF was formed in the wake of the earthquake to address the relief and reconstruction efforts on an immediate and long-term basis, the organization wants to try and build a bridge between the very successful community here and the people in India.
Victor Menezes, chairman, Citibank North America, said he was optimistic about the project being a success. He said $1.3 million had been raised from the dinner concert.
Among those present at the fundraiser were Viren Shah, governor of West Bengal, and his wife, and former US ambassador to India, Richard Celeste and his wife Jacqueline Lundquist.
Besides, scores of community leaders and members of major Indian American organizations like the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), National Federation of Indian Associations (NFIA), Asians American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and the Gujarati Samaj of New York and Gujarati Samaj of Washington D.C. were present at the minimum $1,000 per plate dinner.
"Many in the tri-state area want to channel their resources for relief and rehabilitation through the AIF," Pradip Kashyap, executive director of the AIF, told IANS.
The evening's program at the 1842 landmark Regent Hotel on Wall Street began with the inauguration of an exhibition of 40 earthquake photos taken by Mohammed Jaffer who accompanied the Clinton team to Gujarat in April. Clinton lit a brass lamp at the ballroom, crowned by one of the largest Wedgwood domed ceilings, to declare the exhibition open.
The three-course dinner began with the accompaniment of a qawwali recital by Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and his troupe.
The dinner and Clinton's speech was followed by a fashion show of India's leading designers, including Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal and Rina Dhaka. It was presented by Jacqueline Lundquist who said she fell in love with Indian designs during her sojourn in India and felt that they would be highly appreciated if brought to the US
Despite the music and fashion show,
evidently the evening's star attraction was Clinton who was almost mobbed
by the guests seeking presidential proximity right from the time he inaugurated
the photo exhibition till he left after the fashion show for a private
photo session on the second floor of the hotel.
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