The 6th CEOs Share a Smile Lunch fund raiser was held for the very first time in the garden city at the poolside of the ITC Windsor- Bengaluru on Saturday, September 04, 2010.

The morning started out being cloudy and showed signs of possible rain, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly at 11.45am just as the first CEO Chefs started to arrive, the golden rays of the sun touched the waters of the pool and slowly spread over the brightly decorated tables, each of which had a large bowl of white roses.

Our sponsors for the day were Kingfisher Airlines, CRI Events, ITC- Windsor Bengaluru, Bacardi Martini India and SABmiller India (Foster’s beer).

The CEO Chefs were punctual and were greeted on arrival by Prema who introduced them to each other. Our Chefs then set about donning their aprons and chefs hats, ready to put their culinary skills to the test. Armed with Bacardi cocktails and chilled Foster’s beer our Celebrity Chefs threw caution to the winds and got down to some serious cooking.

By 1pm hectic activity was seen at all food counters. Each of the CEOs were seen trying to entice the guests with their cooking. The guests enjoying the cocktails and chilled beer walked from counter to counter to check out the delicious food that was being cooked.

Gopichand Kattragadda, Sen General Manager, GE and Rekha Menon, Executive Director, Accenture ensured that the health conscious guests started their meal with a choice of Greek Salad or Caesar’s Salad with Smoked Salmon.

As we moved to the South Indian section Parvathy Omanakuttan, Genesis Foundation’s Good Will Ambassador (Miss India 2008 & 2^nd runner up Miss World 2008) was seen putting together a spicy chicken, Mirapakai Kodi. Her partner Paolo Lanzarotti, Managing Director, SABmiller India was making an innovative Chapa Vepdu (grilled fish with spices) cooked with a dash of Foster’s beer his own innovation. The dish was so popular that many of the guests suggested the ITC Windsor may like to include this variation to the Chapa Vepdu on their menu.

The live band kept everyone entertained whilst the sun continued to shine. Bacardi cocktails and the chilled Foster’s beer kept in huge bowls of ice were doing the rounds.

At the continental section Rajesh Rao, CEO, Dhruva Interactive, who by the way loves cooking , was busy making Spaghetti Bolognaise. Kanwaljit Singh, Managing Director, Helion Ventures admitted that he never realized how much he enjoyed cooking. His Andaman Prawns & Bell Pepper Brochettes were being picked up as fast as he could get them plated.

Sajai Singh, Partner, J Sagar Associates and Sandhya Vasudevan, Managing Director, Thompson Reuters were looking extremely engrossed in their work at the Indian section. Their Pomegrate Chops and Paneer Khurchan took care of the guest’s veg and non-veg requirements.

The Oriental section had Himanshu Kohli, Founder & Partner, Client Associates cooking the broth required for the very popular Khao Suey; he made sure that all the 7 garnishes were added with each serving. B J Arun, Founder & Chairman, California Digital was effortlessly making an Oriental grill which was served with a choice of 3 sauces.

Madhu Atre, President & Managing Director, Applied Materials India and Giridhar G V, CEO, Ernst & Young assigned to the Dessert section, thought they had it easy earlier in the afternoon. Suddenly they found a long queue in front of their Dessert counter, as most everyone wanted Crepe Suzette flambéed with Bacardi which was a hot favorite.

The afternoon soon came to an end with Chef Parvathy giving away the lucky dip prizes from our support sponsors; 3M, Sennheiser, PepsiCo India, Taco Bell, SABmiller and lunch vouchers and wines from the ITC-Windsor- Bengaluru. For a job well done, Bacardi Martini presented a gift to all our courageous CEOs.

The funds raised from this event will go towards the treatment of the 4 children identified by Genesis Foundation who are in need of surgery. The children are Vinod (scoliosis), Naitik (thalassemia), Ansh (cancer) and Sumit (heart). Click here  for details of the children. 

Our special thanks to Anil Chadha, General Manager, ITC Windsor Hotel and his team for the excellent arrangements and cuisine at this fund raiser.

Click to see more pictures  and  media coverage of this event.

For more information contact Miecckey Bharrucha [miecckey.bharrucha@genesis-foundation.net]

Genesis Foundation staged the English play Love on the Brink, directed by Lillete Dubey, as a fundraiser. The play premiered at Epicentre, Apparel House, Gurgaon on Sunday August 22, 2010. The event helped raise funds for 3 critically ill children suffering from cardiac disorders and  thalassemia. These children come from orphanages and under privileged homes where the family income is under Rs.5,000. For details of the children who will benefit from this support click here.

“Love on the Brink “

An absurdly comic tale about love and the pursuit of happiness  Produced and Directed by Lillete Dubey
Adapted by Sandhya Divecha (Based on the Tony Award Winning Broadway hit ‘Luv’ by Murray Schisgal)
Cast : Joy Sengupta, Kumud Mishra and Shivani Tanksale

 Synopsis :

‘ Love on the Brink ‘ is a wickedly satirical and brilliantly comic story about three people who meet unexpectedly one dark night at the edge of the sea front.

Sudipto Bandhopadhya ( Bandy), an existentialist intellectual who has sunk so low that honest existentialists would disown him. He has no future except to jump off into the sea and is about to do so, when Pankaj Chopra ( Chops) comes along and intervenes. Chops and Bandy turn out to be college classmates. Bandy, in his rags, reveals the depth of his despair, Chops a picture of prosperity, is all sympathy and then confesses that he too is full of frustration, because his wife won’t divorce him so he can marry the woman he loves.

Into this, Chops’ wife Amu appears, a beautiful and highly overeducated woman, and a triangle of the absurd ensues, that in the tradition of all great comedy revels in alienation, the loss of identity, inability to communicate, self expression and the meaninglessness of  it all. And the more their woes increase, the more we laugh, as we recognize our own lives in their incisively observed and wildly funny misadventures, as they struggle to understand life, love, success and the pursuit of happiness.

The evening started on a perfect note with a duet ‘Zubi Dubi Zubi Dubi’ performed by Shireesh Joshi, Director Marketing, Airtel accompanied by his wife Priti Joshi. “Music has been an integral part of who I am”, says Niren Chaudhary CEO, Yum Restaurants India. He gave a wonderful performance with ‘Knocking on heavens door’ and ‘Wonderwall’. Gopal Sarma, MD, Feedback Ventures, sang a toe tapping medley with ‘Forever Young’ by Bob Dylan, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Stumblin’ In’ by Smokie. Suresh Bhojwani, CMD, Bright Bros Ltd. says “Music is important to me. You cannot work all the time. You have to have a multi-dimensional personality.” Not only did Suresh give a beautiful rendition of ‘The Wonder of you’ by Elvis and ‘I can’t stop looking at you, You’re Just Too Good to Be True’, but also kept the guests thoroughly entertained with a few impromptu numbers. Dinesh Mirchandani, President India, Boyden Global Executive Search, performed magic with ‘American Pie’ by Don MacLean and ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond. And everybody had a marvelous time listening to Vikash Gupta, CEO, Opera Wines, sing ‘Ek Din Bik Jayega Maati Ke Mol’ by Mukesh and ‘Again and again and again’. In the beautiful voice of Geetu Verma, Head of innovation, PepsiCo India, we heard ‘Babuji Dheere Chalna’ by Geeta Dutt and the ever popular ‘Lipstick on your collar’ by Connie Francis. Ramesh Iyer, MD Financial Services, Mahindra & Mahindra, in his fantastic voice, sang ‘ Suhani Chandni Ratein Hame Sone Nahin Deyti’ by the legendary bollywood singer Mukesh and ‘Poochcho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitayi’ by Manna Dey. And last but not the least  Ashwin Deo, Fmr CEO, South Asia Breweries India gave a fabulous performance with Begum Farida Khannum’s ‘Aaj jane ki zid na karo’ and ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra.  After which the floor was open to all the guests who wished to sing.

MakeMyTrip.com supported the evening by providing their band ‘The Trippers’. Throughout the evening an entertaining live performance by the band kept the mood going. Some of the CEOs were supported by Dominique on the keyboard while some strummed their own guitars.

At the end of the performance the guests at the fundraiser chose a winner through a secret ballot. The winner Ashwin Deo with his chosen partner for the evening, Genesis Foundation’s Goodwill Ambassador Parvathy Omanakuttan (Miss India 2008,runner up Miss World 2008) were served a specially crafted gourmet supper. It was an evening of great entertainment with cocktails, a live band and great food.

There were a host of lucky dip prizes sponsored by corporates supporting the event such as Reebok, PepsiCo India, Sennheiser, Client Associates, Park Hotel, Canon, Hotel Crowne Plaza Today, Kingfisher, Opera Wines and Levo. There was also a silent auction for limited Edition Grey Goose Martini glasses studded with Swarovski crystals.

The event is an ongoing effort by Genesis Foundation to facilitate critical medical care for abandoned and less privileged children.This fundraiser will support the treatment of and help save the lives of 9 special children who have cancer, require heart surgeries, bone marrow transplants for thalassemia and complex surgeries to deal with extreme deformities. To read more about the children click here.

To see more pictures of the event click here  and for media coverage click here

Mary Rose is a 14 month girl from an orphanage. She suffered from obstructive hydrocephalus with lipomeningomyelocele. She was completely paraplegic with bowel bladder incontinence.

She was admitted to Sir Gangaram Hospital and part of her surgery costs were supported by the charity wing of the hospital.

Mary Rose was admitted for palliative surgery but on further investigation, it was discovered that she was also suffering from VonWilbrend disease and thrombocytopenia. She was operated on June 8, 2010 and underwent corrective coagulation profile. She had a prolonged stay at the hospital, of more than 12 days and finally returned to the orphanage on June 20, 2010. 

Genesis Foundation contributed Rs.55,000 towards this successful surgery. 

Amir was required to undergo Tethering of Cord. In lay man’s language that meant he has a tail bone protruding 7 inches outside the body. Amir’s father is a tailor on daily wages in Uttar Pradesh. He is paidon a  per piece basis and earns Rs.4,200 per month. They are a family with 3 children and Amir is the eldest child. Due to lack of funds the family was unable to get surgery done at birth. Amir is now 5 years old and chances of a rupture are very high which could be fatal.

Amir’s case was referred to Genesis Foundation by Indian Spinal Injuries Center on May 6, 2010. The hospital suggested he be referred to a pediatric neurosurgeon. The child was taken by GF to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for tests. The team at the hospital found his case to be a genuine one and his surgery was undertaken on May 18, 2010. The operation was a success and Amir is progressing well. 

The cost of surgery was Rs.1,00,000/-. Amir was lucky to have got a free bed and his surgery cost was borne by Sir Ganga Ram’s charitable trust.

We’ve been having a lot of  fun organizing Genesis Foundation events in the Delhi NCR that we want folks in your city to have fun, too. Being a volunteer organizer means you’ll be helping raise funds for Genesis Foundation that will pay for medical expenses for critically ill children.

We are looking for volunteers who want to give of their time towards a noble cause. As you can see from our website, we have various fundraising events in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. We would love to have volunteers fundraise and organise these events for us in Mumbai and Bengaurluru.

If you wish to be a Genesis Foundation Volunteer write to sumi.sethi@genesis-foundation.net

Harshita Gidwani after surgery

Harshita Gidwani was 10 years old when she was referred to us, by Thalassemics India for support. Harshita had to depend on blood transfusions to be able to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

Harshita a grade 6 student at Shri Sanatan Dharam Education Center, Kanpur,  is passionate about  dance and enjoys an outdoor life. An intelligent girl, she is always amongst the top 5 in her class. Her hobbies are drawing, dancing and playing badminton.

Her father Mahendra Gidwani who had a fruit shop was only able to earn Rs. 3000 a month.He had to take several loans in order to deal with the regular blood transfusions that were required for her treatment . Her mother  Neha is a home maker who in addition to Harshita, has two other children to care for.

The doctors at CMC Vellore recommended immediate  Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). Luckily,  her sister was a HLA match and served as a donor. The estimated cost of BMT  was Rs.12, 00,000 which the family could not afford. They however managed to collect Rs.3,00,000 . Genesis  Foundation with the support of a donor from Switzerland – Impag AG  helped save the life of this child by donating Rs.9,00,000 for her treatment. Her surgery took place  in May 2009, she is today recovered and enjoys a normal life.

We thank Impag AG, Zurich for their support in helping Save a Life

Students of AES with Friends, Trustees, and Volunteers of Genesis Foundation

During Diwali 2009 parents of Indian children at American Embassy School (AES) led by Arvind Mathur had organized an event. In order that children learn about the importance of charity the surplus funds raised of Rs.10,000 was to be given to an identified NGO.

Genesis Foundation which deals with medical & financial support to critically ill children was identified as the recipient of this donation. Children from AES donned in GF caps presented the donation amount to Prema Sagar, Founder Trustee Genesis Foundation on February 4, 2010.

Genesis Foundation Goodwill Ambassador Parvathy and Pappu

On November 11, 2009, 3-year-old Pappu entered PALNA. He was quiet, listless and hardly smiled. Dr. Veronica Shah, Palna’s medical consultant, found him having breathing difficulties and the tests revealed and it was found that he needed urgent heart surgery.

The team went into action – a heart surgeon was identified, and wonder of wonders, Genesis Foundation offered to bear the cost of the surgery and hospitalisation. Dr Dagar and his team operated on Pappu on December 22, 2009 and Pappu came home on December 28, 2009. He is doing well as the pictures below will show. His smile tells it all!

On January 16, 2010, the Goodwill Ambassador for Genesis Foundation, Ms Parvathy OmanaKuttan (Miss India 2008 and first runner up of Miss World 2008) visited Pappu at Palna and spent a happy hour with the children. God Bless You All.

Aadi Sharma at CEO Chefs Share A Smile Lunch 2010

After a dismal week of foggy days, finally the sun shone brightly on Saturday, January 16, 2010 when we held our fifth CEO Chefs Share-a-Smile lunch fund-raiser at Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon. The venue was the Petal Garden which looked radiant in the sunshine. The blue and white theme colour of ‘Grey Goose’ was everywhere on the tables and the umbrellas and the red flowers on every table added cheer to the event.

Our main sponsor for the event was Bacardi Martini India Ltd. Their ‘Grey Goose’ brand has always been associated with supporting social causes at local and international levels. They were happy to be associated with the Genesis-Foundation for this unique event again and went out of their way to make the event a huge success. Our second sponsor T and T Motors India displayed their swanky latest E-350 Model Mercedes for all to admire and aspire for.

Dragging themselves from their busy schedules, eight leading CEO’s arrived on time, each with a big smile and lots of good cheer. They were welcomed by volunteers of Genesis Foundation who helped them don their aprons and chef hats and were then introduced to their hotel counterparts and their work stations. By then Bacardi had set up a wonderful bar with invigorating cocktails, breezer’s and whatever could enthrall the soul and the spirit. Our donor guests who had contributed towards buying seats at the event were also welcomed and were suitably taken care of to set the mood for the afternoon.

Genesis Foundation Founder/Trustee Prema Sagar

We were all now set to start the event. Magandeep Singh, India’s first French-certified Sommelier, our chief MC engaged the audience and Dominique’s band played foot tapping music of the 70’s. Our CEO Chefs were taking their job seriously and tickled everyone’s palettes with a variety of delicacies. The Indian station had Parvathy Omanakuttan participated whole heartedly as a chef for this event and gathered many admirers around her station while making Meen Varuval and Jehangir Pocha , Managing Director, INX News competed with Paneer Chettinad. At the Continental corner Deepak Mukarji, Country Head, Corp Affairs-Shell India made Enchiladas and Chetan Seth, CMD, Chemon Group thoroughly enjoyed himself tossing Italian Pasta. Manoj Gopalakrishna, MD, Becton Dickenson and Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, Makemytrip.com had people eating out of their hands for Mushroom and Spinach Wantons and Salt& Pepper Calamari at the Chinese corner. The Thai counter had Arun Seth, Chairman, British Telecom and Niren Chaudhary, Managing Director, Yum Restaurant offering Satays and Pad Thai Noodles. Besides all this delectable food the Dessert counter were tossing out Crepe Suzette Flambe’s with Grey Goose, Guava Tiramisu and Chocolate Éclairs and many other mouth watering sweets.

Genesis Foundation Goodwill Ambassador Parvathy Omanakuttan

Twelve-year old Aadi Sharma, our Junior Ambassador who demonstrated his power of oratory spoke about the critically ill children that Genesis Foundation helps and specifically those who would benefit from the money raised from this event. Haran Kumar, a photographer par excellence, was busy cataloging the event capturing stunning moments that will keep these moments alive (click here to see them). Media love covering this event and despite the long trek to Gurgaon they found it worthwhile (click here to see the coverage)

MC Magan with the assistance of Ajit Sahgal, Chairman of the Genesis Foundation advisory board called out the names of the Lucky Dip winners. We are ever so grateful for all the gifts that were donated by our co-sponsors PepsiCo, Sony Ericsson, Gallery One, Three Sixty Degrees, Reebok, Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon, Redd Hot Café, Canon, Jet Airways, CRI Events and Bacardi Martini India Ltd.

In particular, Genesis Foundation is extremely appreciative of all the support extended by Shaun Langdon, General Manager and Area General Manager-NCR, Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon. The success of the event goes to Executive Chef Vikas Oswal and the wonderful team that worked quietly behind the scene to make this a great success. A very special thanks to all those who bought seats at the table – Client Associates, Bacardi, Genesis Burson-Marsteller, Jyoti Sagar, Nipun Sahni, Merrill Lynch, Rita Duggal, Saurav Srivastava, Vimal Mahendru, Vinay Jha, Malti Nehru and many other individuals – helped Genesis Foundation to raise the required funds. We could not have done it without your help. Have a great 2010. See more photos of the event here.