People from all walks of life turned up to do their bit at the charity auction hosted by Gurgaon Connection at Kingdom of Dreams on Monday evening. The proceeds of the event will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society via the Indian Red Cross Society. The organisers collected at least R10 lakh.
The evening began with a melodious rendition of the song ‘Imagine’ by Sonam Kalra, a survivor of the 2002 tsunami in Sri Lanka. This was followed by a documentary screening of the natural disaster in Japan. Wadaiko Kai, Japan’s answer to India’s bhangra, made the audience tap to the beats of Japanese drums before beginning the all-important auction.
“Different kinds of images evoke different emotions in you,” said actor Arjun Rampal. He bought a photograph of ‘The Ladakh View’ by Amit Pasricha for R50,000. Rampal offered a one-year membership of his pub ‘Lap’ in Delhi, which went to a bidder for R85,000.
Former cricketer Kapil Dev unveiled the sports section. This included a bat used by Dev himself, a bat used by Vijender Singh, another bat signed by Delhi Daredevils and a tennis racquet by Leander Paes. The auction also featured a Japanese painting by Anjana Kuthiala, and an abstract work by Naresh Kumar, auctioned for R1 lakh. “We thank you for supporting the cause, especially Kingdom of Dreams,” said Holly Lacsher of Gurgaon Connection.