Author: Suman Guha Mozumder, New
York
Publication: India Abroad
Date: June 13, 2001
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.
