Sakhi celebrates 20th anniversary

Clad in a gold and burgundy churidar kurta, filmmaker Mira Nair took center stage in Manhattan’s Prince George Ballroom, promising, “...only dinner. Appetizers included and excellent conversation,” to one lucky bidder. She jokingly added, “and maybe, depending on how tantalizing the conversation is, it can go places.” Nair, who agreed to be auctioned off for a charity fundraiser, was one of almost three hundred people in attendance on Friday, Oct. 2, at Sakhi for South Asian Women’s 20th anniversary gala. Minutes later, Sotheby’s auctioneer Maarten ten Holder went to work, generating a winning bid of $5,000 for the dinner date with Nair.

Sakhi, meaning “woman friend” in Hindi, is a non-profit organization, founded 20 years ago by five South Asian women. Its modest roots trace back to no particular location, rather various apartments in New York, where volunteers fielded phone calls from women in distress. “Our call volume has tripled over the last 7 years,” said executive director Purvi Shah. “I think our community based approach is successful and our community trusts us as a resource,” she added.

The evening began with a reception at the World Monument Funds Gallery, adjacent to the ballroom. Artist Gazala Chinwalla donated one of her paintings for auction.

Capitalizing on the buzz from the dinner- with-Nair auction, Sotheby’s auctioneer ten Holder worked his magic throughout the room, person by person and item by item. In rapid succession he doled out front row seats to the 2010 U.S. Open, a vacation package to Bali and a real-life breakfast at Tiffany’s. When his fist hit the lectern for the final time, Sakhi had raised nearly $40,000 from the live auction and almost $48,000 from the two auctions combined.

A great night was capped off with a speech from outgoing executive director Shah. Presented with a bouquet of roses at the podium, she reflected on how Sakhi started and spoke about its future. “For the last 20 years it’s been a groundbreaking organization,” Shah said. “It has begun by breaking the silence about the abuse in our community and today because of Sakhi’s hard work, our community recognizes that domestic violence exists and it is an issue,” she added.

After nearly eight years as executive director, Shah will be stepping down in order to consult on violence against women, language access, and media matters.