An Ind 1ansummer

The Taj Foundation pulls off a glamorous event for its maiden fund-raiser

was this ano d1er sampler of the gener al apad1y they showed on the field? Who knows!

Taj Foundation Ambassador

;' ,sHi(Aoo~A ' , ARJUN

The phi lamhropic dreams of four you ng members of our commruuty rook off in fantastic style as their maiden timd- raisiag event contributed a whopping $150,000 to charity last month , Bobby Singh, E lora Das,Junita Mushenko and Dann y Bhandari formally launched the Taj Foundation in lace February as a not- for- profit organisation ro ra ise funds for cha r itable endeavours.

Their debut event, which raised funds for Auss ie cr icketer Brett Lee's Mewsic Foundation in India and for the Steve Waugh Foundation in Australia, attracted bigwigs from the corporate world, politics and sport.

The guests were treated to the sounds and Savours of India on a g lowing swnmer's evening.

le was silk and sequins galore at the Sydney Convention Centre overlooking the glistening waterfront at Darling Harbour, at the specia l event titled An Indian S11t11111er. Rajputana furnislungs, tab la beats and mehendi artists created a feel of India.

The guests included cricket legends Steve Waugh, Brett Lee and Glen McG ratl1, as well as Gina Rinehart, Sanjay Reddy, J ack Cowin, SW Prenuer Barry O'Farrell and former NSW 10

Premier Kristina Keneally Consul General of India Amit Dasgpura, recent Miss Earth from India Nicole Faria, Peter Cummings and Dan Christian were also present.

But without a doubt, it was the celebrity cricke ters who were the main stars of the night.

Brett Lee came wearing hi s ' m usician' hat and brought along h is band White Shoe Theory He played the guitar and sang with the lead vocalist a new song Tn M] Shoes (A foot tapping number, it was an instant hit with tl,e audience). Recalling his first visit to India in 1994, he declared he was so moved by tl1e country chat he had decided ro give something back. His charitable foundation Mewsic ''aims to heal, educate and empower marginalised cJ1ildren in India through music merapy" It provides children a creative learning environment where their se lf-confidence can be nurtured. Six Mewsic centres have so far been launched, mree in Mumbai locations and one each in LL1cknow, Surat and Hyderabad.

Of course Brett also spoke about cricket (the foUowing day was the sc hedul ed India-Australia one daye r). " I r's an Indian summer ton ight, but hopefully won't be tomorrow ,'light," he quipped. (India beat Australia convincingly the next day, although the win did no thing for the team's campaign in tl1e series). He spoke of his regard for Steve Waugh, who he described as "revere d as a god in India", and his inspiration for chai:itable works.

He add ed, "1 think the Taj

NSW), Poul Brinsmead and Rikhob Join (Pearls Australasia), Barry O'Farrell (Premier ofNSW), Peter Madrers (Pearls Australasia) and Brett Lee ln his address, Steve Waugh spoke about meeting with Mother Theresa - the in spiration for his own philanthropic activities and for the creation of the Steve Waugh Foundation. He also spoke abom what 11.is charity d oes in Australia in their work for children w it!, r are cliseases. Cricket feamred in his speech too: 11.is anecdotes w ith h is team - maces elicited much laughter, such as Brett Lee practicing a bowling tec h nique (s ans the ball of course!) at the Sistine C h apel on one of their trips there.

Foundation will s trengtl1en ties between South Asia and Australia, by forging relationships between second-generation South Asian-Australians ;i.nd the homel ands of d1eir parents. That can onl y benefit each country culturally, economically and most importantly plillanchropically'.

"Brett and I were part of some great sides on tl1e field and it is fantastic ro team up with him again to suppo r t the Taj Foundatio n ," \~augh concluded.

Both cricketers manked Taj Foundation for the initiative and for brin ging peop le togetheL \Xlhen o ne speaker mistakenly referred to Steve Waugh as Shane \Xlarne, one couldn't help but think, why is Shane not here, given hi s India connections ?

Liz on bis arm, in a g lamorous sari, would have made headlines for sure!

Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar

Sangakkara sent a vi deo message wislung the Taj foundation well in its en d eavours. Why were d1ere no Indian cricl{eters present?

"The Indian cricket team were invited bur unfortunately due to touring commitm ents were unable to attend ," Taj Foundation director Junita Jvlusheuko revealed. No one from me lndian team sent a message eitl1er -

Dr Sam Prince presented an inspiring address as well. H e spoke about his journey as student ro becoming the owner of a chain of lvfexican restaurn.ncs in Australia and graduating from medicine much earlier d,an most at 22 He spoke about the most ambitious go al of .leading a team o f individuals to elinuna re scabies from Australia This happen s to be the first phase of h is philand1ropic efforts through a program called 'One D isease At A Time'. He received a resounding app lause by d1e audi ence who were moved b y his speech Barry O'Farrell, Prenuer of I SW detailed hi s recent visit to India and stressed tl1e need for fostering strong re.lationsl'lips with me Indian subco n tinent. He congratulated Taj Foundation and spoke in praise of charitable organisations such as Steve Waugh Foundation and Mewsic whidt work for the betterment of children ia A L1stralia ,Uld the Indian subcontinent.

Guests pledged d1eir support in a g rand auction and in donations.

Indira Naidoo was MC for the night, and entertainment was provided by Justice Crew, Platinum Dhols, tabla ar tis tes, Sirens Bolly\vood dance group and DJ Kis h

Speak.iogwitl1 llldi,111 Link later, director Junita Mushenko revealed how the idea for me night o r igin ated. "The think tank evo lved over the months, a s black tie ball, chari ty and cricket took centre stage as ke y concepts. Februnry 2012 was an opportw1ity d1at c o uld not be missed as t he Indian and Sri Lank.an cricket teams toured Australia [ovo lving the star power of Brett Lee and Steve Waugh was a narnral choice as they are so well regarded locaUy and abroad, not o nl y for their sporting achievement but also for meir plillantluopic programs".

Regarding future activities, Mushen.ko said, "The Taj Foundation hopes to increase i ts membersh ip base wid1 a view to providing community events which promote South Asian culture in aJJ its richness and complexity. L1 addition, opportunities will be provided for professional networking, linking ke y enterprises and individuals to strengthen eco nonuc relations between Australia and South As ia".