The 1st Annual Mir Zafar Awards Ceremony was held at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi on 11th August 2007.

These awards were presented to 12 eminent politicians, burearucrates and businessmen for their outstanding and invaluable contributions to corporate-led ‘development’ in India.

A rather obscure but impressive-looking organisation, known as the Dalal Foundation, has instituted these awards in memory of the great Mir Zafar who betrayed India to the East India Company in 1757.

The United Corporations of America

Rachna Dhingra, Executive (Corporate Communications) for the Foundation, introduced the awards and awardees, and enlivened the whole programme with some very humourous MC-ing.

Suhasini Mulay, a noted TV and film personality from New Delhi, inaugurated the function by hoisting the logo-spangled banner (the Dalal flag – see above. Ms Mulay, the president of the Foundation, commended the 12 Dalals for their care-free (careless?) and undaunted pursuit of profit.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia looks thrilled…

The Dalal choir, comprising supporters of various anti-corporate struggles, performed the anthem “Democracy is useless, corporates mean development!”

Ratan Tata’s pride is self-evident

The awards were distributed by survivors of corporate crime from Bhopal, Singur and Nandigram. Among them, Rashida Bi from Bhopal, Paromita Das from Singur and Anand Mohan Mondal from Nandigram described their struggles against the corporate juggernaut. The vote of thanks was delivered by Satish Tiwari, Secretary of the Dalal Foundation.

The stars of the 2007 Mir Zafar awards take the plaudits from an excited audience

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