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Doctors glam up for charity

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AIMGA’s inaugural charity dinner raises funds for adolescents in India and Australia

The Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association (AIMGA) held its successful inaugural charity dinner at Parra Villa on 27 June to raise much needed funds to support three indigenous youth projects in India and Australia, as well as the victims of the recent Nepal earthquake.
Even as their home country celebrated National Doctors Day on 1 July, Australian Indian doctors did their bit towards charity over and above their duty of care towards society.
It was a special night indeed as 270 guests came together to be a part of this wonderful cause. And why not, the offer seemed so ridiculously good it was simply hard to miss. Fashion, Bollywood, Indian food, comedy, raffle prizes, an auction and much more, all for a great cause.
AIMGA’s key objective is to improve the professional standards of its members by conducting regular clinical meetings, where members share information and discuss the latest clinical developments and evidence-based medicine. It has recently forayed into a new area with an aim to recognise the importance of investing in the health and development of young people by supporting key community projects.

Funds raised at the dinner are to be donated to the Aboriginal Youth Project in Broken Hill (Maari Ma Health organisation), Butucarbin Healthy Active Program (Butucarbin Aboriginal Corporation), Society for Education Welfare and Action (SEWA) Rural’s Adolescent Project in India and to support earthquake victims in Nepal.
Appreciating the efforts of AIMGA, Julie Owens, Federal MP for Parramatta and chief guest for the night, told Indian Link, “I’m quite impressed to see the manner in which AIMGA has chosen its charities. They are quite specific; they are small and have specific projects that make extraordinary difference at the ground level.”

The night began with a very energetic welcome by emcees Dr Rashi Minocha and Dr Varun Chandra. Dr Prabhachandra, AIMGA President spoke fondly about the Association’s three decade long journey.
The room was set up beautifully, with sparkly floral centre pieces, which went well with the glittery ensemble of most guests who were dressed in traditional Indian outfits. Some young Australian doctors even braved wearing the saree – it surely paid off! ‘Fab’ might as well have been the theme for the night!
The dinner was also an attempt to reach out to the young professionals of the community, which it successfully did.

With the mood set, it was time to roll a series of performances. The highlight was a Bharatanatyam traditional dance by Preetha Varadarajan, Sahana Sateesha and Sharanya Napier-Raman, who performed a piece describing the beauty of Krishna, channeling the dancing peacock.
The AIMGA Charity Subcommittee worked relentlessly to put together the spectacular show and was ecstatic with the response. Associate Professor Smita Shah, the event coordinator said, “As Mahatma Gandhi said, generosity consists not the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed. I would like to thank the guests for attending, acknowledge the contribution and dedication of the charity committee members, the generosity of the sponsors for their donations and thank all those who contributed to our raffle and silent auction, helping us to achieve our goal.”

The Fashion Show turned out to be a stunner, as members took to the ramp with elegance and poise on a remixed version of the number In ankhon ki masti. The audience cheered and whistled in appreciation as the models took turns to hit the ramp. Some models were decidedly “naughty at forty”, as they winked and blew flying kisses. In keeping with the masti mood, members in the audience also decided to get in on the action, as they offered a donation for a chance to walk the ramp, as organised by Dr Bharati Reddy.

Bollywood dances and a comedy act, Loose Motion, made up of Dasun Abeygoonawardana and Dr Lakshman Nirthanakumaran was also appreciated by all.

The Indian fare on offer at dinner added to the vibrancy of it all. And of course, the night became even more memorable for those who took home the spoils of the silent auction and raffle prizes.
Overwhelmed by the success, Dr Prabhachandra told Indian Link, “I am grateful for the dedication and skill of the AIMGA Charity Subcommittee in the great success of AIMGA’s Inaugural Charity Dinner. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the 270 attendees on the night, which helped us really make a difference in the lives of others. I trust they enjoyed the night as much as I did, and you can expect bigger and better things from AIMGA in 2016.”

With the take-home thought that if every man took only what was sufficient for his needs, there would be no rich and no poor, Julie Owens MP summed up the night in one meaningful phrase “Share your spare capacities with others.”

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