Jose Pinto Stephen

The Indo-American Arts Council is celebrating its Fifteenth Anniversary Gala at New York City. At this auspicious occasion IAAC will honor three Indian Outstanding Dignitaries, Salman Rushdie (Author), Mira Nair (Filmmaker) And Dr. Manjula Bansal for their commitments and prominent contributions to the world. This celebration will be held at The Angel Orensanz Foundation for Performing Arts (172 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side) on Thursday, November 21 from 6 P.M. onwards. The Emcee for the evening will be International Stand up Comedian Dan Nainan. He is half Indian and Half Japanese. American Malayalee Community can be proud of him. Daniel Nainan’s father is a Malayalee.

Visit his website www.danielnainan.com The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization. IAAC is the first and only Indian Arts Council in the United States representing all of the artistic disciplines, including theatre, dance, music, film, folk arts, literature and fashion. “The IAAC has done invaluable work in creating a showcase for Indian Americans in many art forms. I'm delighted to have been a supporter from the earliest days,” said author and IAAC supporter Salman Rushdie. "Love and salaams to dynamic Aroon and the IAAC for bringing us our cinema for 15 years”, Mira Nair opinioned. As per Dr. Manjula Bansel, one of the honorees at the gala, “IAAC has been the perfect platform for nourishing and promoting Indian heritage, through the medium of performing arts, in our adopted homeland – the U.S.” Some of the celebrities presenting awards and walking the red carpet include: chef and author Madhur Jaffrey, actor Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), writer and filmmaker Sabrina Dhawan, actor Sakina Jaffrey (House of Cards), author, screenwriter, producer Tracey Jackson, tabla artist and musician Suphala, Consul General of India Dhyaneshwar Mulay, Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, Ambassador Manjeev Puri, actors Reshma Shetty (Royal Pains) and Deep Katadare, just to name a few. The event will be filled with the presence of celebrities, both Indians as well as from other cultural and national backgrounds. You can see celebrities on stage and see even more of them among the audience.

There are chances to meet them face-to-face, have conversations and pose for photos with them and so on. It is a very good platform for networking. So it is worthwhile to take a break from your busy schedule and spend time and money to attend this event. I am sure you won’t regret later for attending it. There are entertainment programs includes performance by songwriter/ singer/ composer Paul Williams (Oscar winner with Barbara Streisand for “Evergreen”) with pianist/composer Kenny Ascher, of “Rainbow Connection” (from The Muppet Movie) fame. Additionally, Exclusively.In (www.exclusively.in) will present a breath-taking runway show featuring the creativity of iconic Delhi-based designer Manish Arora. You can purchase individual tickets or reserve tables at the Gala. Time is real short. So don’t forget to buy your tickets today. For more information and to purchase your advance tickets, please visit www.iaac.us.