Pratham Chicago Hosts an Evening with Sam Mehta

On Thursday, May 23, Pratham Chicago hosted an evening with adventurer, photographer and author Sam Mehta. Attendees of the event, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook, IL, enjoyed a selection of 200 pictures from the former IBM executive’s books, Trilogy of Nations: Japan, Korea & China; The Silk Road; and Himalayas: People and Places.

Mehta’s books capture the fascinating cultures along the Silk Road, highlighting the elements that bind them together as well as the self-interest and individualities that pull them apart. The breathtaking images were accompanied by Mehta’s insightful commentary “No matter where you go,” he observed, “children always look happy,” before adding, “No matter where you go, parents have that look that they expect more for their children than they had for themselves.”

Each of Mehta’s books is given as a token of appreciation to donors of a designated charity. For his latest collection, Trilogy of Nations: Japan, Korea & China, Mehta chose Pratham. During his talk, he shared some of the characteristics of the organization that resonated with him: scalability of programs, number of volunteers, low administrative costs, and validation from organizations, such as the Gates Foundation.

Chicago Chapter President Joher Akolawala closed the event by encouraging the audience to get involved and expressed his gratitude to Sam as well as the sponsors who made the event possible, DoubleTree by Hilton, Komal and Ketu Amin, Darpana and Raj Hashilkar, Air Tours Inc., Mafat Patel, and Drs. Sudha and Ravi Yalamanchi.