New York: The second annual South Asian Excellence Awards came to a stellar conclusion in New York City, on the evening of May 9, 2009. Hosted by Sony Entertainment Television Asia, the Excellence Awards were 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 of over one billion viewers in over 150 countries.

The event took place at the beautiful Cipriani’s in New York City. With a full house of over 400 esteemed audience members, the event was a huge success and attracted some of the industry's best. Celebrity guests included tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, Bollywood actress Pooja Batra, Pakistani actor Ahmad Razvi, Daily Show’s Aasif Mandvi, Hollywood actress Janina Gavankar, Manu Narayan and many more. The host of the evening was Dan Nainan, who was the feature act with Robert Schimmel and Russell Peters, currently filming alongside “Slumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel in a movie directed by M. Night Shayamalan.

The night was filled with performances by the Indian Idol winner Sourabhee, Grammy winner Betty Wright, music sensation Navin Kundra, and Satrangi, a dance group from New Jersey.

The much anticipated winners of the twelve categories were announced on that evening. The big win of the night was the Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Dr. Viswanath, a pioneer of Indian Television in USA, and a cardiologist from Bangalore. In 1976, Dr. Viswanath and his wife Sathya started the first Indian TV program “Vision of Asia,” reflecting India’s culture, and offering a platform to reach the community. Aside from being the first Indian-American to own and operate TV and FM stations, Dr. Viswanath continues to practice cardiology in New York City, and is active in all companies he started.

The other categories included South Asian personality of the year, entertainment, science, social service, performing and visual arts, business, literature, technology & IT and sports. A special award was given to a young achiever demonstrating outstanding excellence in their field, and a new award this year, Good Earth, given to an individual whose life is aimed at protecting the environment.

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 2009 South Asian Excellence Awards was made possible with the support of Western Union, Continental Airlines, BeamaLife, MakeMyTrip.com, Genesis Networks, Ziba, Kohinoor Foods, Raza.com, Mediamorphosis, Longtail Ad Bold Advertising, Elite Limousines and Sony Entertainment Television Asia.

For more information about the South Asian Excellence Awards, please visit www.saea.tv. For press enquiries email Helena@MasalaCommunications.com or call (732) 257-9600.