amfAR HOLDS INAUGURAL INDIA GALA

amfAR HOLDS INAUGURAL INDIA GALA

Hosted by Sharon Stone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan

Event presented by Cyrus Poonawalla, Ph.D.

Some of the most distinguished figures in Indian society joined Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost, and Cyrus Poonawalla, Ph.D. last night at the inaugural amfAR India gala in support of amfAR’s innovative AIDS research programs.

The black tie event, held at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, featured a cocktail reception, dinner, and a gold-themed fashion show featuring exclusive looks by Rohit Bal, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, and Tarun Tahiliani with jewels by Azva, Tarun Tahiliani for Azva, Symetree, and Amrapali. The evening concluded with a high-energy performance by pop sensation Ke$ha, whose songs including her hits “Animal,” “We R Who We R,” and “Tik Tok,” had guests dancing into the night.

amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost invited actress and producer Hilary Swank to the stage at the exclusive event. Ms. Swank gave opening remarks and introduced amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, who spoke about amfAR’s global HIV/AIDS eradication initiatives and the important role of research in ending the epidemic.

Bollywood luminaries Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also addressed the more than 300 guests in attendance. In a highlight of the evening, amfAR Global Fundraising Chairman Sharon Stone took the stage and made an impassioned call to action to the many business and cultural heavyweights in the room, saying “There isn’t a family who has not been touched by AIDS.”

Other notable guests included Neeta Ambani, Anuj Gupta, Rocky Malhotra, Venugopal Dhoot, Vikram Chatwal, Lisa Haydon, Dimple Kapadia, Parmeshwar Godrej, Nargis Fakhri, Sonal Chauhan, Torquhil Campbell, Duke of Argyll, Dino Morea, and Nandita Mahtani, among many others. amfAR India was made possible by Presenting Sponsor Cyrus Poonawalla,  Signature Sponsors LoveGold and Delta Air Lines, Automotive Partner BMW, and Partner Chivas.

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.