India Pakistan Cricketers and Bollywood Stars Get Together

[sheeza]

Lucknow, Nov 13: Sahara India Pariwar, the main sponsor of the Indian Cricket Team, hosted a royal reception and colorful evening 'Dawat-E-Dosti' for the Indian and Pakistani teams at its Sahara Shaher Auditorium.

The uniqueness of the occasion lay in the fact that for the first time in the history, the cricketers and filmstars joined hands on stage to enthral the audience and fellow cricketers.

Shah Rukh Khan along with Harbhajan Singh with his typical Bhangra style, Yuvraj with his Punjabi style dialogue delivery, Dhoni with his stylish Don act and the fabulous dance of Sreesanth took the event to a historic peak which was never seen before.

In the star-studded two-and-a-half hours programme Kareena Kapoor, Diya Mirza and Koena Mitra presented magnificent performances to entertain the India and Pakistan teams. Bollywood's renowned anchor Sajid Khan was the emcee of the evening.

[youtube]https://youtube.com/watch?v=co0e4pnnDas[/youtube]

The evening started with the address of Shri Sushanto Roy, Head-Sahara Infrastructure and Housing. In his address he said, "Sahara India Pariwar is an ardent supporter of sports. Sahara has a close association with cricket since 1996 when the Sahara Cup was organized in Toronto between India and Pakistan. This was the beginning of the Sahara era of Indian Cricket - the Golden era which continues."

His address was followed by a short film titled Sahara & Indian Cricket – The Golden Era.

This was followed by a foot tapping performance by Koena Mitra on a song of film 'Don'. The dance performance by Diya Mirza added colors to the evening. While Kareena Kapoor put up a thrilling performance to the song of her latest hit, ace choreographer Ganesh Hegde set the stage alive with his extraordinary dance sequences.

The star performance of the evening was of course Shah Rukh Khan, who with some of the cricket stars stole the show. King Khan also presented a sequence with Kareena Kapoor, Diya Mirza and Koena Mitra.

The evening culminated with a felicitation ceremony of the cricketers by 'Saharasri' Shri Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker & Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar with special gifts and bouquets. The players of both India and Pakistan cricket team along with the Bollywood stars came on stage to pose for a photograph with 'Saharasri' Shri Subrata Roy Sahara.

The programme was followed by a gala display of fireworks and an exclusive jam session where the cricketers along with the Bollywood stars danced till late into the night.

On this occasion the Head - Corporate Communications of Sahara India Pariwar, Shri Abhijit Sarkar, expressed his best wishes to both the teams and said, "Sahara India Pariwar is overwhelmed and proud to felicitate the teams for their wonderful contribution to the sport of cricket. We have always been emotionally attached to the cause of upliftment of sports & sportsmanship. We wish them all the best for their ongoing series."

Sahara's Sports Initiative

Sahara India Pariwar has a noble dedication towards the cause of sport, which is reflected in their association with different sports on National, International and in-house levels.

In lieu of its commitment, Sahara India Pariwar is also the official sponsor of Indian Cricket Team, Indian Women’s Cricket Team and Indian Hockey Team. Sahara India Pariwar was awarded the prestigious FICCI annual award 2002-2003 for “Outstanding Corporate Sports Initiative".[/b]