ELECTION 99
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Sardar Patel Award Day

A P Kamath in Los Angeles

Three months ago when businessmen Harkishan M Vasa and Dinker Shah began the task of raising money for a Sardar Patel Award to be given out each year by the University of California at Los Angeles, they set a target of $ 250,000 to be achieved in three months.

The award, reportedly the highest in terms of dollars, offers $ 10,000 to the best doctoral dissertation on any aspect of modern India from any American university.

"Some people thought we were too ambitious," says Vasa. "But we were clear what we were going to do. We knew that Sardar Patel, an architect of united India, deserved an excellent award instated in his name." The award committee has raised about $ 230,000. "There are some more days left in October and we should be able to surpass our target."

The award will highlight the work of student scholars and will help bring better understanding between America and India, the organizers say.

It will be announced at a gala banquet is set for October 31 at the Ackerman Grand Ballroom at the Westwood Plaza, UCLA, starting at 2 pm with the screening of Ketan Mehta's film, Sardar, followed by a reception between 5.45 pm and 6.45 pm. The banquet starts at 7 pm.

The keynote speech will be given by Rajmohan Gandhi, author and social activist, on the subject of 21st century South Asia: The Relevance of Sardar Patel.

The Friends of Sardar Patel Award Association chose UCLA because it recently started a chair in Indian history with Professor D R Sardesai as its head. Local businessman Navin Doshi contributed over $ 300,000 for a chair named after him and his wife Pratima.

Movie tickets cost $ 10 ($ 5 for students); banquet tickets, which include movie and reception, cost $ 60 ($ 25 for students); VIP seats, $ 1,000 per table (10 seats); banquet table, $ 500 per table (10 seats).

For additional information, contact Harkishan M Vasa, 714-832-2200(O), 714-771-7860 (residence); or contact Dinker Shah at 818-701-0596(office), 818-360-7785 (residence); or Lalchand Gaglani at 714-832-0440.

If you would like to post any information about forthcoming events or community happenings, please email the details to bettypais@aol.com

Information and photographs can also be mailed to Betty Pais at 87-52 108th Street, 2nd Floor, Richmond Hill, NY 11418-2229, USA.

Tell us what you think of this information