On Sunday, November 17th,
2013, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will present amfAR INDIA, its
inaugural fundraising gala in Mumbai. The event will take place at the Taj
Mahal Palace in Mumbai, and will be hosted by amfAR’s Global Fundraising Chair
Sharon Stone and the India select co-chairs, amfAR supporters and Bollywood
movie legends Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.
World-renowned recording artist Ke$ha will travel to India to give
a special performance at the event. Cyrus Poonawalla is the event’s presenting
sponsor.
“I
would like to thank the people of India for their brave and conscientious work
in the fight again HIV/AIDS and for allowing amfAR the privilege of joining
them in this important global effort,” said Sharon Stone. “We are grateful and
humbled to be welcomed by the Indian community and to share in the wealth of
knowledge provided by the Indian people and its government.”
amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, Anuj Gupta, and Rocky Malhotra will
be amongst the special guests attending the event which will include a
black-tie dinner and auction and will be similar to amfAR’s black tie galas
that take place all over the world. A host of
Indian celebrities, industrialists and a who’s who are expected to attend to
make this inaugural amfAR event an annual fixture on the socialite calendar.
Through the years, the Indian community has been exemplary in its
support of amfAR, particularly in connection with its events in Cannes and
Milan. amfAR’s first international benefit was held in 1993 during the Cannes
Film Festival and hosted by amfAR Founding International Chairman Dame
Elizabeth Taylor. Since then, the Foundation’s international galas in
Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Cannes, São Paolo, Venice, Rome, and Dubai have
become some of the most high-profile, eagerly anticipated and consistently
successful charity events in the world, raising millions for critical AIDS
research programs.
While this is its first
fundraising gala in India, amfAR has worked hand in hand with Indian physicians
and researchers for many years through its TREAT Asia program.
Furthermore, amfAR-supported
research contributed to the development of four of the six classes of drugs
used to treat people living with HIV in India and around the world. And amfAR
pioneered the research that ultimately led to the use of antiretroviral drugs
to block mother-to-child transmission of HIV. As a result, this mode of
transmission has been virtually eliminated in many parts of the world.
About amfAR
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research is one of the world’s
leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV
prevention, treatment, education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public
policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $366 million in its programs
and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. For more
information, please visit www.amfAR.org.
Delta Air Lines is the official airline of amfAR, and amfAR
INDIA’s Signature Sponsor.
