Immediately following the educational event, an evening gala was organized by MOHAN USA to raise awareness about organ donationand seek funding for their many programs. The evening saw a jam-packed hall with close to a hundred and fifty guests being entertained with live music, dancing and inspirational stories of how organ transplants had affected many lives.

Dr. Anand Vadivel laid the event foundation with his welcome address. Lalitha Raghuram, country director of MOHAN Foundation, began with a soul stirring invocation after which Meghan and Rohan entertained the audience with their sultry, sweet songs. Next to rock the stage was Abha’s dance troop, performing some energetic Bollywood Dance numbers, much to the delight of the audience.

Dr. Anirban Bose then addressed the gathering, bringing to focus the importance of the work of MOHAN Foundation. To highlight the Foundation’s journey and achievements, he called on Dr. Sunil Shroffto introduce the audience to MOHAN Foundation in more depth. Dr.Shroff’s talk was very well received and when he introduced   to two heart transplant recipients: Mr. Ron Lemmer (anAmerican with an Indian heart) and Mr. Mohan Mahal (an Indian withan American Heart) it showed how organ transplant transcends nationalities, ethnicities, religions and brings humanity closer. Thecrowd broke into spontaneous applause.

The highlight of the evening was the personal story of Lalitha Raghuram, MOHAN Foundation’s country director, who has not only ‘talked the talk’ but also ‘walked the walk.’ She related the story of how she donated the organs of her son, Swamy, after he suffered atraumatic brain injury and saved the life of Luv Dhody, who received Swamy’s liver. Luv Dhody, along with his wife and two daughters,joined Lalitha on stage to underscore the point that organ donation isn’t about death… it is about giving new life.

This celebration of LIFE continued with a sumptuous dinner. Two more musical performances by talented guitarist Rohit and singer Moinak,was greatly appreciated by the audience. Abha’s dance group returned to perform three more energetic dance numbers to nicely bookend the entertainment section of the evening. Dr. Anirban Bose, delivered the vote of thanks to express MOHANUSA’s appreciation for the hosts, organizers, guests, participants,donors and recipients for their time and effort. Although supported by MOHAN USA, the event wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless energy of Dr. Anand Vadivel, Yash and Divya Shroff.

The evening came to a wonderful end with many members of the audience making pledges to donate or seeking ways to participate in helping this noble cause.