Rapper M C Hammer. Actress Shabana Azmi. New Age guru and best-selling author, Deepak Chopra. Kathak maestro Chitresh Das. And last, but definitely not the least, former US president Bill Clinton.

These were among the 2,000 odd people gathered under one roof, the Jubilee Christian Center, in San Jose, last Friday for a concert for Gujarat.

The three-and-a-half hour concert went off smoothly, except for a couple that stood at the entrance with a sign denouncing Clinton for corruption.

"You have invited the wrong man for a noble cause," the woman insisted, as she was booed by several attendees.

The event was held under the aegis of United Community Appeal for India, an umbrella organization for Silicon Valley relief work groups. The IndUS Entrepreneurs leaders toiled with the Swaminaryanis and members of 39 other Indian organizations to host the concert.

The Swaminarayanis offered free food to the guests and thousands of hours of voluntary service.

The World Vision organization, which has sent over $ 5 million worth of medicine and clothes to Gujarat, not only co-hosted the show, but also helped rope in M C Hammer, a born-again Christian.

The theme of love and giving was continually invoked during the concert. "When you are showing love to others," declared Hammer in between his performance, "you are still helping yourself."

The other message that went out loud and clear was that the new Gujarat should become a model for the world.

"We must resurrect a Gujarat that never existed before," said Chopra in his address. "The new homes, hospitals and other facilities being rebuilt should be eco-friendly. There should be greater accountability at every level of development, and ethical and moral responsibilities should be part of the new society," he said.

Chopra added, "It should also be a wisdom-based society," referring to TiE president Kailash Joshi's declaration that Indian entrepreneurs and technicians in Silicon Valley would work to create a knowledge-based society in Gujarat.

Earlier, Clinton applauded the government and private efforts to rebuild the state. If the infrastructure evolved in Gujarat to fight earthquakes and rehabilitate the victims is effective, "it can be a model for dealing with earthquakes all over the world," he said.

"So I want you to know what you are doing here tonight is contributing to this cause is an enormously humanitarian gesture... It may well be a part of a whole different way of helping people to rebuild their lives after natural disasters."

Clinton's presence drew over two dozen reporters from major West Coast publications and local television stations to the event. While the former president had attended a fund-raiser in New York and helped forge a foundation of Indian American business leaders to rebuild the earthquake- ravaged state, this was his first Gujarat fund-raiser on the West Coast.

The concert began with several rousing numbers by Hammer and a dozen singers and dancers, followed by an amazing Kathak performance by Das.

But the second half turned into an evangelical affair with a slide show of missionary work in India and Hallelujah songs, which made several among the audience squirm in their seats.

Some said they did not realize that a church organization was so fully involved in hosting the concert, and wondered if the organizers were fully aware of the evangelical agenda of the church.

Others, however, said they found it interesting that Christian and Hindu groups were working together, given the bitterness between Christian missionaries and some Hindus in Gujarat, a few months ago.

The organizers were not available for immediate comment.

The event made the front page of the San Jose Mercury News. The article by Matthai Chakko Kuruvilla also analyzed why Clinton -- who reiterated his plans to visit Gujarat soon -- is extraordinarily popular with Indian Americans.

"I don't think anybody can replace what Clinton has done," said Sunil Aghi, a Democratic Party organizer in California's Orange County, referring to the thawing of relations between New Delhi and Washington.

But Ramesh Japra, publisher of India Post, said while "whatever help we can get from anybody is welcome," he felt Clinton's standing among Indian Americans was a matter of serendipity, and not greater devotion. Clinton was in power when the Indian American community's prosperity, especially in Silicon Valley began rising, he told Mercury News.

The well-publicized gala was expected to raise $ 2 million from ticket sales and pledges made during the concert. It, however, raised a brave $ 1.7 million nevertheless.

Actress Sharon Stone, who was billed as one of the guests in the initial announcements, begged off few days before the event due to scheduling conflict. Indian television star Shekhar Suman was also a no show.

Clinton, who received a standing ovation for his brief speech, stayed for about 20 minutes of the event. Seated around him were guests who had paid $ 1,000 each for the privilege. He recalled that soon after he left the presidency, he had no plans to get involved in any activity "for probably, three, four, five months. But Nature intervened with this unbelievable calamity."

When the former president called Prime Minister Vajpayee to ask him what he could do to help Gujarat, he recalled with a chuckle, he also reminded Vajpayee that being a former president he could not do much. Vajpayee told him that, much more than funds, what was needed was help to rebuild the villages and towns.

Clinton, whose comments drew repeated applause, particularly enjoyed Kailash Joshi's suggestion he might want to run for office in India because, unlike in America, there are no term limits in India.

Photographs: Suleman Din

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