event
14th ‘FEELINGS’ –
PRIDE OF INDIA AWARDS, 2019 An eventful evening that brought together many NRIs for well-deserved honours and more... On January 11, 2019, a salubrious Friday evening, the Feelings’ 14th Pride of India Awards took off on a fantastic note at the Grand Tulip Hotel in Baroda. The presence of several distinguished guests and excitement among the awardees filled the atmosphere with a shared sense of warmth and bonhomie. The much-awaited, annual event where several prominent personalities from the Indian diaspora are invited and felicitated for their valuable contributions in their fields, is a result of “true feelings” for Mr. Atul Shah, CMD and Editor of the two Feelings magazines. “It gives me much solace and satisfaction, for I believe true patriotism lies in the here and now”, observed a beaming Atulbhai. “These awards not only recognise the outstanding contributions of our countrymen, but also inspire the next generation to reach for the stars,” he elaborated. Ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas was
the ‘cynosure’ of the evening and he spoke with inimitable frankness. A proud Gujarati himself, he said he was happy to see that Gujaratis are striding forward in every field, keeping up with the changing times. Speaking candidly about his professional journey which saw many ups and downs, especially due to lack of a godfather, he quoted famous Urdu poet Ahmed Faraz’s couplet on going on with determination, without worrying about the destination. Among other prominent NRIs, Rahul Shukla caught special attention with his personal story of rising from employee to entrepreneurship. Praising his lovely wife, Meenu, he gave her all the credit for his success. That he now owns the company he once worked for in US. It is now a bigger profit making venture than before speaks volumes about his business acumen. Mr. Shukla said this feat was only possible because of Meenu who believed that 6000 USD was enough to buy a 6 million USD company! Jagdish Trivedi, popular Gujarati
Lighting of the ceremonial lamp
16 | Feelings
february 2019
humorist was at his witty best as he entertained the crowd inexorably. Much to the amusement of the audience, he cited an incident where one young boy dyed his hair white when he saw all the adults dyeing theirs black. On being asked why, he promptly replied, “Well, there has to be at least one senior guy in the group to advise us, isn’t it?”. Later in the evening, the girl with a golden voice - Kinjal Dave sang ‘Gujarati Lehri Lala’, winning rounds of applause from the spectators who sang along. All along, two lovely ladies - Neha Mehta of Taarak Mehta fame and Hemali Sejpal perfected their emcee roles, bringing the guests closer with their apt introductions of those present at the gala function. Glittering photo-sessions, expressions of gratitude and a sumptuous dinner in the open lawns brought to an end the over three-hour long, wonderful evening, full of shared laughter and bonding.
