Asha organized Valentine’s Day Gala to benefit Asha for Education at the Dorothy Quincy Ballroom in John Hancock Building, Boston, MA on February 14th. Over 125 people celebrated Valentine’s day at this gala event where they wined and dined in style and danced the night away with their special someone. The funds raised at this event will be used to support special projects in India.

The evening had an aura of romance in the air. The attendees included single men and women, newly weds, and a few seniors. The evening started with a cocktail hour where a delectable set of cocktails and appetizers were offered. The coordinator for Asha- MIT Ravi Shankar Mundoli, took a few minutes to introduce the various projects that are being supported by ASHA. The Asha Lalpur project is carrying out an experiment in education, while also playing an active role in other activities at the local level. This Asha project is founded by one of the Asha founders, Dr. Sandeep Pandey, and is an attempt to bring new light into the lives of hundreds of dalits living in and around Lalpur. Aviram is another project supported by ASHA-MIT. Aviram has undertaken about 25 projects since 1992 in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand state. Projects are primarily in the areas of literacy, fisheries, social forestry (bamboo), water harvesting, Pig breeding, biogas, and checking soil erosion. “These types of events are really great for we all can have a good time while supporting a good cause” said Mandoli.

Fusion seemed to be the over arching theme of the formal entertainment program for the evening. It was a unique blend of different cultural styles. The Red Velvet Slide presented a fusion of Hindi songs and Western melodies. With powerful vocals and strong guitar work the music succeeded in reaching out. The dance performance that followed was a fusion of Kathak and Chinese dances by the South Asian Dance Company. The ribbon dancers with their dynamic movements formed a wonderful contrast to the classical presentation by the Kathak dancers creating a beautiful fusion of styles and rhythms. The finale for the program was provided by the Taiko Drummers (Japanese Drums) by the Odaiko New England Company, who dazzled the audience with their skilled presentation.

This was followed by a buffet dinner catered by Ajanta Fine Cuisine of Cambridge, MA. It was one of the rare occasions where they served Indian tea besides the regular and decaffeinated coffee. The evening ended on a high note with everyone dancing to a super selection of Punjabi and American music. The DJ from New York was simply superb. The music made even the most reluctant dancers tap their feet in glee.

The Gala Organizing Committee consisted of Anita Mathews of Capture Funds, Vino Gupta of Zip Realty and Arpoo Shah of SweeTamarind and must be commended for their hard work; super organization and making sure that each and everyone enjoyed the evening. Not only was it a night to remember but it also raised a few thousand dollars for a cause that is near and dear to all of us, education for the unprivileged in India.

To learn more about ASHA please visit their website at http://www.ashanet.org/mit/

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