An invigorating discussion on Indo-U.S. Relations was lead by the U.S. Consul General, Paul Folmsbee and Manish Sabharwal on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 6:15 pm at the American Center Mumbai. Manish Sabharwal asked many leading questions to the Paul Folmsbee which he readily answered. Along with the AAA members the members of the U.S. Consulate also participated in the discussion. Members enjoyed wine and light refreshments after the event.

An Evening Under the Stars – Wine, Dinner and Music – February 13, 2009    

The evening was a resounding success with lively music, good wines and great company. The event co-hosted by the Consul General, Paul Folmsbee and the AAA celebrated the activities between the consulate and the AAA as will as the growing educational exchange between India and the U.S.

Sahil Parikh - Vice President of the AAA   compered the event. Dr. Jagdish Parekh – the founder president of the AAA spoke about the association’s beginnings and the Habitat for Humanity felicitated Paul Folmsbee and Poorvi Chothani for their contributions to their organization.

The Wine Society of India (www.thewinesocietyofindia.com) kept the wine flowing while Sharmila of Shylite Creation provided lively music in an elegant atmosphere under the stars!

Habitat for Humanity:

The American Alumni Association (AAA) team along with the President of the AAA Poorvi Chothani and U.S. Consul General Mr. Paul Folmsbee and other U.S. Consulate members enthusiastically helped build houses on Saturday February 7, 2009 at Tadwadi village near Karjat.  Twenty three members participated in the event organized by the AAA with the Habitat for Humanity.  The group comprised of lawyers, doctors, high school students, engineers, psychologists, professionals and members of the business community.

The build was a great success.  Poorvi Chothani as a special gesture gave gifts to all the village children, which were deeply appreciated.    

By the end of the day exhaustion, sunburn and sore muscles were compensated by the joy and satisfaction of having contributed to society and helping Mangali Dadhu Padhir, Nagi Pandu Kewari, and Lata the home owners who benefitted from this exercise.

The Habitat for Humanity and its Women IndiaBUILDS team were extremely happy and grateful to the AAA.

Mumbai Marathon 2009: Mumbai Marathon was held on January 18, 2009. Total 30 members joined the AAA team for the Dream Run out of which 12 were from IMC. Times  of India sponsored pre marathon tea in the morning at the Times of India building to the AAA team. Members wore T Shirts with the AAA and Green Thumb logos. Flags with the    logos gave more visibility to the team. It helped raising awareness about the organization. Sahil Parikh expressed all the AAA members were together initially before the race started which was enjoyabe experience.   

Session on Vedanta- The Great Secret of Stress Management was held at Poorvi Chothani’s residence, President the American Alumni Association (AAA). Along with the AAA members, members from Indian Merchant Chambers were also invited for the session. Total 34 attendants participated in the session.

A few responses:

I enjoyed the event very much.  I learned a lot and appreciated the exchange and learning kind of atmosphere. Certainly a great bridge between east and west. Please tell Poorvi I greatly appreciated her kindness in inviting me.

 Paul Folmsbee

Thirsty Thursday at San Qi bar at Four Seasons Hotel was full of energy — It was attended by over a hundred members of the AAA, Yi and YBF; of course, the AAA members made up for more than 2/3rd of the crowd! Networking, fellowship and socializing was the mood of the evening. U.S. Consul General Mr. Paul Folmsbee and wife, Mrs. Juanita Folmsbee graced the evening with their presence. The energy level was high and I think several people left the venue with new friends and contacts to help them in their careers and personal lives as well.

By Pritam Doshi
Past President

The American Alumni Association flagship event, the Education Americana Nite, 2008 was held at the JW Marriott, Mumbai. This year the AAA awarded grants of Rs.50, 000/- each to 22 needy students to help them pursue higher studies in the United States.

U.S. Consul General, Paul Folmsbee was the Chief Guest of the evening and we believe that this was his first public event after he resumed office in Mumbai. Dr. Saryu Doshi and Elina Meswani were the guests of honor at the event.

Airline tickets to exotic destinations courtesy Singapore Airlines were auctioned at this event and funds in excess of the reserve price go to build the AAA corpus.

Our sincere thanks to our donors:

The Shri Lalchand Hirachand Premier Trust
The JW Marriott Mumbai
The Walchand Foundation
Mr. Nadir B. Godrej
Mr. Vijay Raheja
Mr. Kishore Mehta - The ABOK Group
Mr. Mudit Jain - Shriyans Prasad Charitable Trust
Mr. Jaitirth Rao
Mrs. Beena Yargop
Mr. Hasit Dani

The AAA had a Special Evening at the BLUE FROG for its members, and families on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 8:30 PM - 12:00 AM – The highlight of the evening was Live music performance by Distil Soul (Funk, blues & jazz). The AAA got a special entry fee waiver courtesy the Rolling Stone magazine.

A few responses:

“Great experience & the band was fantastic” – Akhil Shahani

“Great ambience and did not have to wait long to get our drinks
:-)” – Sahil Parikh

“The venue was brilliant; our table comfortably seated 8 - 9 members. So, seating was well organized such that a good number of people were seated together” - Amulya

“It was a great evening–Enjoyed the food, music & ambience. AAA should organize more such fun evenings” - Nimo Punwani

A special Screening of “The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was organized for the AAA members, on the day of its release in India. This was organized at the Inox, Nariman Point on May 30, 2008 at 7.30 pm.

There were 50 people present at the screening, including the members, their families and friends. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, and entertainment.

SPLASH is back by the popular demand of several AAA members and spouses that couldn’t attend the Jan 27th Splash - Learn to Sail event and that attended the sailing event the first time.
If you are interested, please sign up as soon as possible, BEFORE TUESDAY MARCH 25, 3PM. You will need to make a payment of Rs.2,000 per participant. Children above the 8 years are permitted, however, a knowledge of swimming will be required. This time we are planning to charter a private boat to and from Mandwa, however, in case the turnout at the event is lower than what is budgeted, the private charter may not be possible and a commercial ferry will be used.

You can make the payment either:
(i) by paying online using your credit card at:
http://americanalumni.net/member_forms/donation.php or
(ii) by sending a cheque to American Alumni Association to 1-C, Vulcan Insurance Building, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020.

Once you have enrolled, we will communicate the exact time to reach Gateway of India for the ferry. Please feel free to email american.alumni.association@gmail.com for any questions. If you have specific questions about the splash program for the AAA, please contact Sandeep of the AYSF at 99876-81826.