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Ban Ki-moon, Tony Blair grace Akash-Shloka’s grand wedding (Lead)
Mumbai, March 9 (IANS) Former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and a host of politicians and film personalities graced Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta’s grand wedding here on Saturday.
Bollywood celebrities Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukerji and Karan Johar, as well as cricketer Hardik Pandya danced away to singer Mika Singh’s live tracks as industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s son Akash made his way to wed his childhood friend Shloka, the daughter of Mona and Russell Mehta.
The celebrities joined the lively and colourful “baraat”, which also saw the groom’s parents — Mukesh and Nita Ambani — and sister Isha Ambani groove.
While Isha sported a pastel pink lehenga, Nita was dressed in a heavily-embroidered lehenga.
The groom looked dapper in a soft pink, intricately embroidered and sequinned sherwani, while the bride chose a traditional red for the D-Day.
Akash kickstarted the wedding festivities by offering prayers to his paternal grandfather, late Dhirubhai Ambani, and maternal grandfather, late Ravindrabhai Dalal.
The wedding venue — Jio World Centre in Bandra-Kurla Complex — was decked up with elaborate floral arrangements set according to a garden theme, complete with a faux waterfall, floral figurines, a fountain and a grand stage with a huge Krishna idol done up with flowers.
Live music added to the festivities at the wedding gala, which saw the Who’s Who of the cinema, political, business and sports world.
Isha and her husband Anand Piramal, along with Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal and his wife Swati, were part of the celebrations. Others from the business sector included Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Niwas Mittal and Usha Mittal, Anand Mahindra and Gautam Singhania.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft head honcho Satya Nadella too came for the celebrations, as did politicians like Praful Patel and H.D. Deve Gowda.
As for the film world, the Bachchan family, including Amitabh, Jaya, Shweta, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aaradhya, were in attendance, as were Rajinikanth, Priyanka Chopra, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, Alia Bhatt, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anu Malik, Armaan Jain, Jackie Shroff, Vidya Balan, Vishal-Shekhar, Gauri Khan, Farah Khan, Juhi Chawla, Kiara Advani, Sidharth Malhotra and Shabana Azmi.
Among the sportspersons, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Zaheer Khan, Ajinkya Rahane and Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene were present on the occasion.
After the wedding, a celebration night will be held on Sunday, followed by a grand reception on Monday.
The marriage was preceded by days of celebrations, which began with a “dandiya” night last month. A three-day extravaganza at St. Moritz in Switzerland saw The Chainsmokers and Coldplay’s Chris Martin perform to an audience full of Bollywood stars, as well as a carnival bash which was opened to the locals for two hours.
The week before the wedding was also full of celebrations for the families with a Harry Potter-themed party, a musical night, a mala and mehendi function and more.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.