Indian & American Achiever Awards Held in Washington, D.C.

Sep 14, 2007 13:04 ET

The Honorees Are Bill Gates, AR Rahman, Richard Gere, Late Dhirubhai Ambani, N.R. Narayana Murthy, Tata Group of Companies, New York Life Insurance

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - September 14, 2007) - CineMaya Media Group, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CNMY), the leading South Asian media, entertainment, and marketing company servicing the Indian community worldwide, held the inaugural CineMaya Media Group Indian & American Achiever Awards on Thursday, September 13, 2007 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The prestigious awards were instituted to recognize individuals and companies who have excelled in their fields, in four separate categories. There were two Honorees in each category, one an Indian and the other an American. The winners were:


-- Innovation, Science & Technology
-- Indian: N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman & Chief Mentor, Infosys
-- American: Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft
-- Arts, Entertainment and Media
-- Indian: AR Rahman
-- American: Richard Gere
-- Multi-National Company
-- Indian: Tata Group of Companies
-- American: New York Life Insurance
-- Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award
-- Indian: Late Dhirubhai Ambani
-- American: Bill Gates, Founder, Gates Foundation
Officials from the respective entities and personalities were on hand to receive the honors.

The glittering, black-tie evening featured a gala dinner at the Atrium & Foyers packed with VIPs, Dignitaries and Diplomats from many countries, the corporate sector, media, and community leaders from North America.

Supported by the US-India Business Council, this inaugural event is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of India's Independence and recognizing individuals and multi-national corporations (MNCs) who have contributed towards the collective advancement and growth of the two largest democracies in the world. http://www.cinemayamedia.com/IAAA/awards.htm.

AR Rahman performed a rendition of Jana Gana Mana, The Indian National Anthem, accompanied on vocals by Penn Masala, the world's finest Indian a-cappella group, which also sang the American National Anthem.

Interspersed with the Awards were performances by internationally acclaimed maestros of Indian music:


-- Dr. Balamurali Krishna and Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty (in a duet --
jugalbandi)
-- Pandit Birju Maharaj
-- Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
The artists received standing ovations from the black-tie audience.

The evening was eloquently hosted by rising Bollywood star Kunal Khemu.

The Chief Guest of the event was Honorable Ambassador from India to the United States, Ronen Sen.

CineMaya Media Group has also instituted a Scholarship Endowment through this event, which aims to encourage the efforts of deserving Indian-American students who have displayed great potential in various subjects, and give them knowledge, resources, and mentoring for advancement from the Honorees in each category for one year. Four undergraduate students will be awarded scholarships of $5,000 each (one per category of awards). Details of the Scholarship Endowment application criteria and process will be announced after final consultation with the Honorees.

Commenting on the event and endowment, AR Rahman said, "I am very humbled that I was chosen for such an occasion. The institution of this endowment will pave the way for Indian-American students to excel in their fields with mentoring and opportunity for international exposure. It is a wonderful thought, and I look forward to doing my role of mentoring through this endeavor."

The panel of esteemed BOARD OF ADVISORS & JUDGES selected the Honorees in each category of awards. The panel consisted of: Hon. Ambassador Robert D. Blackwill; Hon. Ambassador Vijay Nambiar -- Chef de Cabinet, United Nations; Ron Somers -- President, US-India Business Council; Dr. Jayaraman -- Executive Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; and Prof. Sreenath Sreenivasan -- Dean of Students, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and Co-Founder SAJA.

The principal sponsors of the event include Air France, Nationwide, DIRECTV, and Air India. Patrons include State Bank of India, HSBC, and ICICI Securities.

For more information about The Indian & American Achiever Awards or to see pictures from the event, visit www.cinemayamedia.com/awards.

About CineMaya Media Group:

CineMaya Media Group, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CNMY) is the leading provider of high quality international South Asian media, entertainment, and marketing services. Established in 2000 as a vertically-integrated company, CineMaya Media Group has since grown into a mini-conglomerate in the ethnic media landscape through its robust businesses within the following areas: Publication, Broadcast Television, Radio, Film & Television Production, Events, and Advertising. For more information on CineMaya Media, please visit www.cinemayamedia.com.

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