NEW YORK: The first ever South Asian Excellence Awards came to a stellar conclusion at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, on the evening of May 10. Created by Sony Entertainment Television Asia, the South Asian Excellence Awards was developed to honor the accomplishments and excellence of South Asian Americans in multiple categories. The show featured the crème de la crème of the South Asian community.

This black-tie annual event is to be exclusively broadcast to Sony Entertainment Television’s audience in over 100 countries. With a full house of over 450 esteemed audience members, the event was a huge success and attracted some of the industry’s best. Celebrity guests in attendance, included tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, Bollywood actress Pooja Batra, musician Mira Veda, American Idol sensation Sanjaya Malakar, Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi, Hollywood actress Janina Gavankar and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz, and many more.

The host of the evening was Nitin Ganatra, the British actor famous for his roles in Bride and Prejudice and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The night was filled with performances by The Dhol Foundation, the NYC Bhangra Dancers, music sensation Raghav Sachar, Indian Idol 3 winner Prashant Temang, and Jamaican reggae group, Chaka Demus & Pliers, famous for their hit Murder She Wrote. The much anticipated winners of the ten categories were announced as well on that evening. The big win of the night was the South Asian Personality of the Year Award, which went to Robin Raina, businessman and philanthropist.

He is the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Ebix, Inc. as well as the Founder and President of the Robin Raina Foundation, a charity carrying out the largest private charity initiative in the Indian subcontinent. His charity has carried out the building of 6,000 homes, free of cost, for the underprivileged. The other categories included entertainment, science, technology, social service, performing and visual arts, business, literature and sports, as well as a special award given to a young achiever demonstrating outstanding excellence in their field.

Rajan Singh, Executive Vice President of Sony Entertainment Television Asia, stated, "These annual awards are set to become one of the most high profile and respected events of its kind in the US. The winners have all come from various backgrounds and professions, yet they all share a sole vision, the vision to excel. The winners of this evening’s accolades symbolize the talents of today’s South Asian American community and serve as an inspiration for the achievers of tomorrow."

The 2008 South Asian Excellence Awards were made possible with the support of the presenting sponsors Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, associate sponsors Western Union, Nationwide, Mpingi, Raja Foods, Raza Communications, Melani Jewelers, Tilda, Air India. The South Asian Excellence Awards is a unique event honoring the accomplishments and excellence of South Asian Americans in multiple fields.

Conceptualized as a TV event that will be broadcast to a worldwide community, the South Asian Excellence Awards will feature the crème de la crème of the South Asian community in the fields of business, entertainment, social and public service, education, science, sports, literature, technology and IT, and the performing and visual arts, with a special award given to a young achiever demonstrating outstanding excellence in their field. It is expected to become an annual event and a cultural landmark.

Among the other awardees are:

Young Achiever of the Year: Farah Taslima and Ishan Mandani

Science Achiever of the Year: Dr. Anil Kaul

Performing and Visual Arts Achiever of the Year: Shazia Sikander

Social Service Achiever of the Year: Purvi Shah

Sports Achiever of the Year: Mohini Bhardwaj

Business Achiever of the Year: Safi Saxena

Technology and IT Achiever of the Year: Dr. S. Somasegar Entertainment

 Achiever of the Year: Lena Khan

Literature Achiever of the Year: Bapsi Sidhwa