All eyes on Asia

goes ferreting for some of the Asia Society's forthcoming plans.

It took 50 years in the running and an Indian-born president to push for Asia Society to institute a chapter in India.

To be fair, the society has had a long-standing tradition in India-related programming and hosting Indian dignitaries at its centres around the world, but its arrival here formally recognises the crucial role India plays in a rapidly changing global dynamic.

"The timing is great because India has passed the stage where we were questioning globalisation," says Bunty Chand, executive director, Asia Society, India Centre.

It was an American, John D Rockefeller, and a dedicated philanthropist with a passion for Asia, who founded the Asia Society, headquartered in New York.

Today, the high-profile, non-profit, non-partisan platform for US-Asia exchange is recognised as a commanding resource on issues concerning emerging Asia. Through art exhibitions, performances, seminars, publications and publicly available databases, the Asia Society has been offering colourful perspectives on the uniqueness of Asia.

Also talked about for adding great colour and international glamour to the social calendar of New York's beau monde is the Society's annual gala dinner which has a significant turnout from both visiting foreign dignitaries and the city's financial, bureaucratic and policy circles.

Chand herself is on first-name basis with the likes of Montek (Singh Ahluwalia), Mukesh (Ambani, also a founding member of the Indian chapter), Karan (Singh) and others. Purnendu Chatterjee and Indra Nooyi are trustees and the society's presidents are repeat special invitees to White House soirees.

Does being high profile overwhelm their contribution to the cause? Not necessarily. It's still one of the leading platforms for fostering sustained networks and for encouraging nuanced public dialogue.

There are encouraging programmes like the Asia 21 young leaders summit addressing issues of leadership and innovation. Then there's the Bernard Schwartz Fellows Program that selects two Asian fellows to serve in residence at the society's headquarters. And the annual Osborn Elliott award, for Asian and American journalists, for the best examples of journalism concerning Asia.

But the society's greatest perceived strength is still its promotion of arts and culture. And this is fuelled by its superlative permanent holding of Rockefeller's private art collection, viewed as one of the most notable collections of Asian art in the US. The collection is housed in its Park Avenue Museum that attracts about 30,000 daily visitors.

"Vishakha Desai (the society's president), is herself an art scholar and museum curator so we will continue to leverage our connections with Asian art to demonstrate its influence on the development of today's society," says Chand.

She speaks excitedly about the society's current engagement with art in India "" a travelling exhibition of 80 works of contemporary Indian art from 1933 to the present, that was on view in the National Gallery of Modern Art inDelhi and now shifts to Mumbai in January.

Earlier this month, the society presented a collection of cutting-edge Asian video art as part of a larger assemblage aired at New York's annual Asian Contemporary Art Week. Chand is also keen to break the perception that Asia Society is a place for wealthy, older benefactors. She wants to build memberships for the 20-35 age group.

Garnering numbers in membership is key to the effective functioning of the society, since they are a non-profit organisation. And while they may be operating on a sizeable budget of $22 million, it's always a hunt for sustained corporate and institutional support.

Chand is providing year-round programming in areas of business and policy, besides social issues and culture. The society opened its India mandate with the three-day Asian Corporate Conference that examined India's potential as a mature business market.

Recently, in conjunction with NCAER, Asia Society invited Nick Lardy from the Institute for International Economics to speak on consumption-led growth in China.

Chand has her work cut out. "The Hong Kong society organises about 100 events a year, so we have to keep pace."

She wants to create a set of thematic signature events that will be representative of the quality of programming they stand for. Then there are membership benefits to be fine-tuned to the local context.

Patrons and members in the US gain from members-only events what with discounts at local Asian restaurants, free admissions into partnering museums and invites to guided tours of exclusive sites in Asia. But none can beat the access to the wealth of erudition via the society's network of Asia scholars and policy-makers.

As The New York Times once remarked, "At a time when the eyes of the world are on Asia, this institution is indispensable."