Amritraj rallies US for Indian Aids fight

NEW YORK: The ever-so-smooth tennis legend Vijay Amritraj has launched a campaign in the US to drum up funds for AIDS charities in India. He has roped in everyone from good friend Vijay Mallya to the makers of Rolex watches to sponsor a two-day 18-hole golf tournament in November in the Lost Canyons.

The golf fundraiser will be capped with a charity dinner in Los Angeles on November 5 which will drip A-list Hollywood celebrities from actor Richard Gere to Sir Ben Kingsley. Amritraj who is a peace ambassador for the United Nations is rallying the 2.5 million Indian Americans in the US to support the Aids fight. The chief beneficiary of the funds will be Delhi-based Naz which drew Amritraj’s attention by starting a special home in 2001 for children infected with Aids. 

“I have seen first-hand the magnitude of the plight and suffering that exists around us and something had to be done to help millions who continue to succumb to disease, tragedy and circumstance,” said 53-year-old Amritraj just before jetting off to London to be a star commentator for Wimbledon which starts on June 26.

The former Indian Davis Cup captain has priced tickets to the charity dinner in Los Angeles at $500 and has roped in top event management consultants to ensure the dinner is not the usual whisky-soaked affair.