What is “the Art Affair” and how did it come about?
“The Art Affair” was conceived in 2021 by Ruchika Yadav as the central theme for Saheli’s annual fundraiser. We live in the Boston community surrounded by Art and artists. From the beautiful seasons to the tapestry of our landscape, to the personification of the diverse society and the enigmatic forms of human sentiment, creativity is spreading its wings in the form of beautiful art forms everywhere. We wanted to encapsulate this form of expression into the subject of our gala and to create a magical evening for audience to savor for a long time to come. This is a red carpet style event which will be streamed live with a special spotlight on artists and their work.
What is the auction for and how are the proceeds being used?
“The Art Affair” is a silent auction of artwork from some known and some unsung artists in our community, celebrating the cause of Saheli. We expect about 15-20 artists to showcase their work and donate the proceeds of this auction to Saheli. The artwork includes oil.acrylic paint on canvases, sculptures, printed material and mixed media. The funds raised through the auction are solely dedicated to the service and upliftment of the vulnerable sections of our community dealing with domestic violence and abuse.
What can the guests expect at the evening of the event?
“The Art Affair” promises an enchanting evening with wine and hors d’oeuvres, a sit-down dinner, a beautiful medley of dance and musical performances, some laughs and some straight talk from noteworthy speakers. We are expecting a great turnout of guests who will be entertained, wined and dined through the evening, getting their social quotient high and celebrating the holiday spirit in glamorous style.
What is the venue of the event and what is the ticket cost?
The event will be held at the Burlington Marriott Hotel, One Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA-01803 on December 5th, 2021. The ticket cost is $100 per person. This event is for adults only and there will be assigned seating. The event opens at 3PM for a cocktail hour and the main event is from 4-8PM.
Note: State Guidelines on COVID on vaccination and social distancing will be followed.
About Ruchika Yadav
Ruchika is a Finance professional but wears many hats. She is a Chartered Accountant from India a Certified Internal Auditor, has worked at Public Accounting firms like KPMG and Deloitte, and Biotechnology Companies like Genzyme, Sanofi. She is a passionate artist at heart and has recently launched an ecommerce platform dedicated to art and artists called Pieceaheart.com. She is also an actor and has been in performing arts since her college days.
She has been involved in many community service organizations over the past years. She has performed on stage as an actor for several “Hindi Manch” events and is a big cheerleader for non-profit organizations serving the community in MA. During the COVID time she co-founded “Care4Janitors” and served the most vulnerable sections of the community. She joined Saheli in 2021 as Treasurer and Board member and conceived “The Art Affair” concept for Saheli’s annual gala.
Ruchika lives in Winchester, MA with her husband Munendra and her twins Rohan and Rhea. She loves to use creativity and charity for the greater good of society and shares this spirit with her family.
Jharna Madan
Jharna Madan is a senior interior designer and project manager and a TV Asia correspondent in Boston. A passionate event planner, Jharna is involved in several community and charitable organizations in the Boston metro area. Jharna has been an “Ekal” volunteer for the past 10 years. She is the Steering Committee member of Hindi Manch and played a pivot role in the Fist Hindi Manch Rashtriya Mahotsav in 2018. She has also worked with South Asian Art gallery and launched “Local Art for Local Cause”. In 2020, Jharna cofounded “Sew We care” and “Care4Janitors” initiatives to help communities during the COVID Pandemic. “IndiArt” is Jharna’s brainchild and started the art contest in 2014.
Jharna is true believer and follower of the concept of Seva and has tried to incorporate that in her life. Jharna lives in Reading Ma with her husband and 13-year-old daughter Aaria.
Ajay Jaisingh:
Ajay is a technology and management consultant helping organizations, from small businesses to large enterprises, achieve their business outcomes through strategic technology solutions. Ajay’s recent passion involves designing Salesforce CRM solutions for clients from various industries, like Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, etc. Ajay currently lives in Shrewsbury, MA with his wife, Sneh and a son, Gaurav. In the past decade, he’s got an opportunity to exercise his passion with cricket and theater, known to many in this community, as a theater artist. Ajay is also co-founder & CEO of a non-profit organization that aims to offer experiential learning based, personal development programs for youth and adults with the intention of social evolution.
He believes the world is experiencing a consciousness shift and we’re all a part of it, whether we’re aware of it or not. One of his quotes is “Enlightenment is a process that is happening to you and it’s not optional”.
