Virat Kohli Foundation has joined hands with Smile Foundation, a
national level development organization, which benefits approximately 4 lac children and their families, to
support the cause of empowerment of underprivileged Children and Youth. As a
first step towards this endeavor, Virat hosted a one-of-its-kind charity dinner
at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai for 200
influencers and was joined by his colleagues Mahendra Singh Dhoni , Shikhar
Dhawan , Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane ,KL Rahul to support the cause of
children and youth empowerment . Other friends of Virat who joined the evening were Jehan and Miihier Singh . This uber luxury-experiential
evening also had a five course Michelin starred dinner curated by Chef Vikas
Khanna which included the likes of Akash Ambani , Gautam Singhania, Rana
Kapoor, Nandita Mahtani, Archana Kochhar, Tara Sharma, Nikhil Chaturvedi, Mr.
Digvijay Sinh Kathiwada to name a few
Talking at the event Virat Kohli, Founder – Virat Kohli
Foundation and Ace cricket said, “The soul behind this initiative is to raise
awareness and support for the cause of education and skill training for the
thousands of less privileged children and youth in India. I am glad to see the
support that has come from all corners towards this initiative and this is just
a humble beginning to spread smiles amongst the kids and youth. As a public
personality, I realise that I have a huge responsibility on my shoulder to
support causes that matter to the society the most and I am glad that my
foundation – Virat Kohli Foundation has joined hands with Smile Foundation
towards this endeavour .”
The fund raiser also witnessed an auction of few of the
high end luxury products and cricket memorabilia close to the heart of star
batsman and his cricket friends. The amount raised will help to support the
empowerment of underprivileged Children and Youth. The auction was conducted by
Malcolm Todywalla from Todywalla Auctions. The event was anchored by Ridhima
Pathak and Karan Ambardar.
The evening also saw young talents from music Armaan
Malik and Neeti Mohan mesmerize the guests with their performances, the kids
from Smile Foundation couldn't hold their excitement performing with Sandip
Soparrkar. Nitish Bharti put together a beautiful sand art portraying the cause
and Virat’s association with Smile Foundation. The evening was also joined by
Invincible and Nitisha Nanda who performed at the event.
Vikas Khanna added his own flavours to the spread along
with the chefs from Hyatt Regency Mumbai team and he has been advocating the
cause of nutrition for a long time. He, himself, cooked and supervised the menu
especially designed for the event. Chef Vikas Khanna, Global Ambassador for
Smile Foundation’s Nutrition Campaign and 5 times Michelin starred Chef said , “ I have a family of 20500 kids with Smile Foundation who are
no less that my own ...and when I was asked to come forward and cook for this
dinner there was an immediate yes though I was cooking almost after 20 years in India. I am happy that
people from all walks of life have come forward to support us for this event
and help us raise resources for the cause. I appreciate Virat Kohli and his
friends who took out time to make this event a huge success and put smiles on
many children’s faces.”
The event also witnessed Ms. Divya Khosla Kumar being
announced as the Goodwill Ambassador of Smile Foundation to support its Mission
Education initiatives and encourage talents in the field of music amongst the
less privileged.
“Virat Kohli is
one of the most loved youth icons of the day, embodying the hopes, aspirations
and dreams of millions of young people across the country. We appreciate
philanthropic values of Virat Kohli Foundation. To have him to support the
cause of empowerment for children and youth strengthens our resolve to reach
out to thousands of those unreached young people who are still struggling to
come out of the vicious cycle of poverty and help them write their own
destinies with the power of education.” Said Mr. Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder and
Executive Trustee, Smile Foundation.
He further added,
“Michelin starred Chef Vikas Khanna has been instrumental in taking the cause
of nutrition to soaring heights. It is our pleasure to have committed
individuals like Chef Vikas Khanna as our Global Ambassador for the cause of
‘Nutrition for Education’ campaign and his initiative to donate the auction
proceeds of his first limited edition book to this cause which will help us
benefit a lot of children.”
This event was also supported by Hyatt Regency Mumbai,
Hyatt Thrive, Soie, Cornerstone Communications, Ravish Kapoor Innovative
invitations, Business World, MSL Group , Khushi Advertising , Air France KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines, Montegrappa , Tissot Watches , Vertu and eminent artists
like Anjolie Ela Menon , Seema Kohli, Suvigya Sharma and Babu Xavier .
Smile Foundation
has been working intensively for the empowerment of children and youth through
its education initiatives that provide them with quality education, skills
training, proper nutrition, and relevant exposure and opportunities. With the
two industry stalwarts Virat Kohli and Vikas Khanna joining this initiative,
the movement will step in to the next phase of success. We look forward to many
similar events moving ahead.
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