On Sunday evening Mumbai’s finest attended Room to Read’s annual gala, ‘An Evening of Education’ at The Westin in Goregaon. Room to Read was founded in 2000 by ex-Microsoft executive John Wood on the belief that World Change Starts With Educated Children. Now in its 11th year of operations in 9 countries within Asia and Africa, Room to Read’s programs have touched the lives of over 5 million children! The incredibly inspiring co-founders of the Mumbai chapter Laura Entwistle & Rebecca Sullivan replicated last year’s successful auction and set new records for India.
Spotted: Bijal & Hetal Meswani; Ekta & Rahul Raheja; Gaurav & Pratima Bhatia, Sonali & Goldie Behl, Nirav Modi, Sangeeta Bijlani, Ravi & Sumati Raheja; Amitabh Jhunjunwala, Vikram & Namrata Shroff, Suneeta Rao, Sanjay Suri and Bandana Tewari.
The night was graciously hosted by Gayatri & Vikas Oberoi and event sponsors, Symantec. With the help of the wonderful auctioneer Mallika Advani, former head of Christies India, to up the ante and inspire guests to bid away on some very exclusive and once in a lifetime experiences thereby affording educational opportunities to thousands of children across India. Some of the auction packages that were up for bidding included a day with Shane Watson; a firsthand Bollywood experience with Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor on the sets of their respective films; a visit to Moet and Chandon’s vineyards; a visit to the Geneva Jewellery Auction under the patronage of David Bennett and of course the chance to sponsor libraries in government schools and a holistic education program for girls. The evening began with an inspiring speech from John Wood, Room to Read Founder and Board Co-chair; followed by an auction and a sit-down dinner featuring exquisite delicacies and many glasses of Moet-Chandon. The evening ended with guests experiencing a different sort of satisfaction-one that stems purely from selfless deeds to help those who need it most. The group generously provided support to establish 171 libraries and provide over 754 years of girls’ education across 9 states in India!
For more information on Room to Read log onto: www.roomtoread.org