BOSTON–The American India Foundation, known as AIF, announced that its annual Boston gala will be emceed by comedian Rajiv Satyal, whose TV-clean act has made him one of the most versatile comedians working today.
AIF will hold its annual fundraising gala on March 31, 2018 at the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston. The gala is co-chaired by Kunjan Anjaria & Vikram Mahidhar and Asha & Kim Shah. The theme for the 2018 gala is “Connect: Connect with a cause, Connect with ideas, Connect with the community.”
Mr. Satyal is a Los Angeles-based comedian/host. He began his career in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had an unusual entry into standup, doing his act for then-World No. 1 tennis player Pete Sampras in a locker room.
Mr. Satyal has some interesting claims to fame: he opened for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of 17,000 people. He made the massively viral I AM INDIAN video, which was shared by Bollywood stars and used to introduce the Indian Prime Minister in Shanghai and Dubai. He has opened for Russell Peters more than any other Indian comedian.
He performs weekly at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. He has garnered 50 million+ online views and been featured on/in NBC, NPR, Nickelodeon, Fx, Netflix, Bob & Tom, Times Now, Zee TV, Pandora, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, Advertising Age, The Times of India, The Huffington Post, and The LA Times.
Rajiv has performed on three continents. He co-created the world-touring Make Chai Not War, a Hindu/Muslim stand-up show. The U.S. State Dept. sponsored it, sending it to seven cities in India.
This University of Cincinnati engineer and former P&G marketer has done stand-up at more than 100 colleges. He named his alma mater’s online radio station “Bearcast,” launched/managed a Miss India America’s career, and has spoken to audiences from Fortune 500 companies to NFL players on innovation, diversity, and personal branding. His corporate clients include P&G (12 times), GE (8 times), Google, General Mills, Quaker, Toyota, Cisco and more. He runs a consulting business called the Standpoint Agency, which helps marketers generate insights for their brands. He gave a TEDx Talk, “The Jester Is King,” in March 2016.
New England leadership of AIF includes: Raj & Nalini Sharma, Venkat & Pratima Srinivasan, Drs. Brian & Sunita Pereiira, Vivek & Vandana Sharma, and Santhana & Namita Krishnan. Members of AIF’s New England Council of Governors are: Andy Gupta, Farida Kathawalla, Nimit Nathwani, Sangita Thakore, Srini Ambati and Vikram Mahidhar.
Founded in 2001, AIF is committed to catalyzing social and economic change in India, and building a lasting bridge between the United States and India through high-impact interventions in education, livelihoods, public health, and leadership development. Working closely with local communities, AIF partners with NGOs to develop and test innovative solutions and with governments to create and scale sustainable impact. AIF’s programs emphasize inclusive models that focus on the unique needs of girls and women to achieve gender equity as a basis for sustainable change.
AIF was formed at the initiative of President Bill Clinton following a suggestion from Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee. AIF has impacted the lives of 3.1 million of India’s poor by providing access to high-quality education, formal sector employment for urban youth and rickshaw drivers, and public health services to protect the health of mothers and their children, while building the next generation of global leaders through service. With offices in New York and California, eleven chapters across the U.S., and India operations centered in New Delhi, AIF is transforming lives across 23 states of India while addressing these issues on a regional, country, and international scale. President Bill Clinton serves as Honorary Chair and former Ambassador to India Frank Wisner chairs the Advisory Council. Learn more at www.AIF.org
