Mira Nair bestowed with India Abroad Person of the Year

Indian born and internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair has been conferred with the Person of the Year Award by a leading newspaper India Abroad at a star studded ceremony at the Gotham Hall in New York City on March 28.

The Oscar-nominated director for films like Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, Mississippi Masala and Salaam Bombay was bestowed with this honour by Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO, PepsiCo and herself a winner of the coveted award in 2006.

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Nooyi said, “After all, the Indian-American community is my extended family; India Abroad is its mirror and voice -- hence the pride I continue to take in the trophy that occupies a prominent position on my mantel.”

She said reflecting on the winner of the award Mira Nair, “She has, through her work, provided all of us immense joy. She has, through her excellence, captured the popular imagination, and thus built yet another important bridgehead between the community and the country.”

Mira’s acceptance speech was a blend of humour and poignance with a brief description of her journey in this tinsel world of Hollywood from Raurkela in Orissa where she was born. She paid tribute to her mother and many other women who inspired her through out her life to be able to climb to this height.

Also Professor Padma Desai, eminent economist and her husband Professor Jagdish Bhagwati, a leading advocate for free trade and globalisation were awarded India Abroad Lifetime Achievement Award from Salman Rushdie.

The other award winners were:

• Dr Renu Khator, President and Chancellor of the University of Houston- India Abroad Publisher's Special Award for Excellence.

• Somdev Dev Burman -The India Abroad Youth Achiever 2007 Award.

• Dr Navin Shah and Dr Joy Cherian- The India Abroad Community Service Award 2007.

India Abroad newspaper, which is one of the oldest and most circulated news weekly among the Indian- American community, instituted the award in 2002 to recognise the Indian American achievers in various field.