Jay Sean talks to NetIP!

As he walked in the room, he shook everyone’s hand and took time to greet his fans and the media present at the SAMMA invitation only event hosted on Feb 7th in New York City.  Hours before his latest single “Hit the Lights” currently #2 on the iTunes charts, was set to be released, Jay Sean sipped on a glass of red wine and spoke openly with his fans on a variety of topics.

Perhaps the most engaging vignette he shared was where he discussed the closeness he still shares with his family and friends despite his success – his grandmother giving him sweets to eat to wish him good luck, or his mother – like a typical desi Mom checking in with him to make sure his record label is happy.

Once again showing his success has not gone to his head, Jay Sean comically describes what it felt like when he was on stage at Madison Square Garden opening for Enrique Inglesias hoping that they realized  he was Jay Sean and not Jay Z.  As the CEO of DesiHits replied, he “rocked the stage Jay Sean Pure”  adding that everyone should see Jay Sean live at MSG next time he’s there, “and there will be a next time’’

The evening took a more serious note as the pair discussed the future of music and recording artists in the face of rising illegal downloads.  Jay Sean quoted a statistic that only reported only 44% of Americans believe music is worth paying for, and the reason for that is the habits that were formed between the 1999 -2003 when Napster first began, and until iTunes became a viable source for artists to receive credit for music downloads.

Jay Sean explained is an educational process where society needs to familiarize itself with the notion of paying for music.  With flair and style that is prevalent in his music as well, Jay Sean says its somewhat like walking into a store, finding out that the price of an item isn’t to your liking, but walking out with the product anyway.   The future ofrecording artists is very bleak if their fans do not continue to pay for music downloads.

Be Brilliant!  is his one piece of advice Jay Sean wants to share with all his fans, and whatever you do, do it with passion otherwise its not worth doing.    He says, he wouldn’t want to step foot on the stage one more time if he wasn’t passionately in love with the music he created.  As far as his fans are concerned, we are certainly glad he still passionately enjoys what he is doing and look forward to his new album in a few months!

Click below to listen to his new single. We thank SAMMA for the invitation to meet Jay Sean 1-on-1.

Hit the lights

SAALT Hosts 10th Anniversary Celebration in NYC on Dec 6th

NetIP has always sought to foster partnerships with fellow non-profits which is why we are pleased to announce our latest alliance partnership with SAALT.  Support SAALT as they commemorate a decade of building stronger communities through our four program areas of policy advocacy, community outreach and mobilization, leadership development, and partnerships on Monday December 6 in NYC at the CUE Art Foundation as it hosts an evening with Mr. Farooq Kathwari CEO, Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. and Commissioner, President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

SAALT is a national non-profit organization dedicated to fostering an environment in which all South Asians in America can participate fully in civic and political life, and have influence over policies that affect them. Approximately 2.7 million South Asians live in the United States, tracing their backgrounds to Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the diaspora, including Trinidad/Tobago, Guyana, and Africa. SAALT works to achieve its mission through a social justice framework that incorporates the strategies of policy analysis and advocacyy, community education, local capacity-building, and leadership development.

Date: December 6th, 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Venue: CUE Art Foundation, 511 West 25th Street (Between 10th and 11th Avenues)

Appetizers and wine will be served.

Price: $100 online until December 5^th and $125 at the door
For here more information about the event or to buy tickets.

For more information about SAALT visit: www.SAALT.org

To learn more about NetIP North America’s Alliance Partnerships visit: http://na.netip.org/partners/alliance

-Kanika Marwaha, Alliance Parnerships, NetIP North America

Sankara Eye Foundation hosts Charity Fashion Show to Raise Funds for Eye Center

Sankara Eye Foundation’s NY Chapter will host a benefit Gala Thursday Oct 7, 2010. “Scratch the Surface: A Benefit Gala” is a charity fundraiser at Greenhouse, from 6:30pm to 11:30pm. Guests will enjoy Ethnic Wear with a Flair: a Fashion show by Gurdiya Couture and music by DJ Karma.

Gurdiya Couture, the brainchild of designer Prabhleen Bindra, will be showcasing its sleek, sexy, and sophisticated new fusion line for men and women. Coming from a Punjabi background the team at Gurdiya Couture is excited to be partnering with Sankara Eye Foundation to raise money for the Punjab Hospital in Ludhiana, India. With the ultimate aim of comfort and fun, Gurdiya Couture wants you to experience the integration of Indian culture with a mainstream attitude, as you support fashion for a cause. No cover but a donation of $20 is suggested.

Actor, producer, model, TV host, emcee and entreprenuer – Obaid Kadwani will be walking the ramp for Gurdiya Couture in support of Sankara Eye Foundation. Obaid is the host of numerous shows on “Namaste America,” and has also walked the ramp for many designers and events including Bollywood Fashion Awards, the International Pakistan Cultural Ministry Fashion show in DC, and shows for various other designers.

Also walking the ramp as celebrity guest will be Bikram Singh, the embodiment of Punjabi folk music in the new millennium. Bikram whose feet are firmly planted in the Punjabi soil, has conquered the North American, European, and Asian charts with his golden voice, masterful lyrics, and urban attitude. Bikram brings the folk roots of his people’s music to the forefront of global culture. After hits like ‘Kawan,’ ‘Tip Top,’ ‘Tere Nain Nashiley,’ and the most recent ‘Aaja Ni Billo,’ Bikram Singh will be adding a new first to his list of accomplishments, as he walks the ramp wearing Gurdiya Couture to support the cause of the Punjabi Hospital.

Sankara Eye Foundation’s Project Punjab initiative is supported by media partners including Jus Punjabi, Crossings TV, PTC Punjabi and The Indian Express. Sankara has also garnered support from a long list of community partners including Indus Tuesday, Gurdiya Couture, Deejay Karma, Network of Indian Professionals North America (NetIP NA), South Asian Bar Association -NY (SABA-NY), Zyndagi.com, City Saheli, Dew Drop Special Events, KalArt, Chocal8kiss, Kanvar Singh, and The Sikh Art & Film Foundation.

The Sikh Art & Film Foundation is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to creating awareness of and pride in the diversity, culture and history of the Sikhs, as well as the contributions of Sikhs in American society. Sankara is proud to be their Charity of Choice for the second year in a row. By way of this platform, both Sikh Art & Film Foundation and Sankara Eye Foundation hope to collaborate in raising awareness and funds for the Sankara Eye Hospital, Punjab. Visit http://www.sikharts.com to learn more about the Sikh Art & Film Festival to be hosted on October 22-23, where you will have the opportunity to learn more about, and support this year’s charity of choice: Sankara Eye Foundation and its Punjab initiative.

About Sankara Eye Foundation
Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) is a Charity Navigator 4 star ranked Charity and a registered 501(c)(3) organization in the USA with the mission of achieving Vision 20/20 by the year 2020. India is sadly home to over 45 million visually handicapped, of which about 12 million are totally blind. Poverty further deepens their plight as there is limited, if any access to preventative or curative care. As such, SEF’s goal is to provide free, quality eye care at the doorsteps of rural India. The primary cause of blindness is untreated cataracts, which can be easily cured using existing medical techniques which cost just $30 USD. One would think such care would be more widely available but sadly it is not. Through SEF’s work with Sankara Eye Care Institutions India, over half a million surgeries to date have been performed. Since 1998, the annual rate has increased nearly ten-fold to about 100,000 free surgeries. These life-saving surgeries not only restore vision, but reinstate a person’s ability to be self-sufficient, to support themselves, their families, and their communities.

History and Impact
Since its inception, 8 hospitals have been opened and are a source or medical respite and much more in their communities. In fact, doctors choose to volunteer at our hospitals as we utilize state-of-the-art technology. Sankara fosters growth in neighborhoods as young adults are trained as lab technicians and given a chance to further their skill-set and economically support their families. We are currently in the process of raising money for our ninth hospital which will be located in Ludhiana, India under an initiative called Project Punjab. Sankara not only brings much needed vision care, but also supports economic and educational development in neighboring communities by providing jobs and vocational training; thereby, contributing to the sustainable growth of individuals and communities at large.

Global Presence
While Sankara Eye Foundation has strong roots in India, it has been asked by the World Health Organization to teach is model to 20 other developing nations such as Cambodia, Seychelles, and Nigera, as the Sankara Model has proven sustainable in India. Sankara Eye Foundation, USA is a leader in the fight against curable blindness in India and is recognized on the world’s stage as one of the leading grassroots and rural community outreach programs in the world.

What YOU Can Do!
Nationwide, there are over 700 volunteers who work daily to raise awareness for this cause and much needed funds to support these various hospitals in India. Today, technology enables us to make life-changing contributions to the lives of others right from the comfort of our own homes. Many SEF volunteers have set-up causes on www.yourcause.com , enabling them to set a fundraising goal, share the cause with their friends/family, and automatically receive donations. Last year, over $50,000 was raised just like this! These donations go 100% to SEF. If you’d like to sign up, please visit www.yourcause.com and join the movement!

Contact
Kanika Marwaha
Sankara Eye Foundation NYC Coordinator
Kanika@GiftofVision.org

Sejal Dave, MPH
Regional Director: Tri-State
Sankara Eye Foundation, USA
sejaldave@giftofvision.org

Asha for Education: “Prepare, Help, Empower – Work an Hour”

Each year, people from around the world come together in a demonstration of great human spirit, to help educate underprivileged children in India. Work An Hour, or WAH, as it is popularly known, is a summer-long, global, online fundraising campaign based on a simple concept:

” Participants are asked to symbolically Work an Hour towards the cause of children’s education by donating an hour’s worth or more of their salary.”

This year, the event began on July 15 and concludes on September 15 spanning through India’s Independence Day on August 15 and Teachers’ Day on September 5. Thirteen projects across Asha have been showcased in this year’s WAH. Donors will have the ability to give to a project of their choice.
Asha’s project partners selected for WAH support, typically require larger sums of money, more than what a single Asha chapter can raise, in order to facilitate fixed expenditure on items such as infrastructure, construction and other one-time costs and recurring expenses. WAH aims to help such projects by this worldwide campaign to raise funds across all projects.

All Asha projects are closely monitored by Asha project coordinators to ensure that the funds are being properly utilized and the proposed benefits are actually being realized by the children in the project.
The first WAH campaign started in 1998, raised over $30,000 from close to 700 donors. Last year, WAH raised over $146,000 with a donor base of over 900 participants.

To learn how you can “Prepare, Help and Empower”, click here.

Asha is one of NetIP’s Alliance Partners.  NetIP is interested in creating long-term mutually beneficial relationships with organizations that are dedicated to the growth and advancement of the South Asian community.

For more information about our Alliance Partners, or to become a NetIP North America Alliance Partner and gain access to reach over 350,000 people, please email Kanika@NetIP.org

Run New York City or Mumbai Marathon with NetIP- Lend A Hand India team

Do you wish to one day run a marathon, or perhaps, a half marathon? Well, wait no more! Join NetIP-Lend A Hand India team for the exciting New York City Marathon (Nov 7th 2010) or Mumbai Marathon / Half Marathon (Jan 16th 2011)! As part of the team, you will get guaranteed entry to these much sought after marathons (only 1 in 10 applicants got in the New York City Marathon). Apart from this, you will have access to:

- Professional running coach (in person during weekly group run in New York or via email/phone)

- Customized training schedule to get through the finish line

- Weekly group runs in Central Park (Manhattan)

- Nutrition seminar

- Fundraising tips

In return, you commit to raise $2000 (for full marathon) or $1000 (for half marathon) for Lend-A-Hand India.

To sign up visit http://www.lend-a-hand-india.org/rfd/netip.php

Lend-A-Hand India (LAHI) is an alliance partner of NetIP working to address the issue of youth unemployment and urban migration in rural India by promoting entrepreneurship. The funds you raise will go towards providing vocational and job/life skills training to young high school students and enterprise loans to entrepreneurs from rural India. Founded by young professionals based in New York and with its own field staff/programs in India, LAHI’s programs are benefiting over 10,000 students spread over 55 villages. LAHI recruits local trade practitioners (carpenters, plumbers, electricians etc) and trains to them to teach the young high school students in the villages as part of the regular curriculum hence making the high school education much more relevant and practical. Visit www.lend-a-hand-india.org or write to LAHI@lend-a-hand-india.org for more information.

To sign up for the marathon / half marathon training program – visit http://www.lend-a-hand-india.org/rfd/netip.php