Alfred Ford
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| Alfred Ford | |
| Born | 1950 USA |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religious belief | Hinduism |
| Spouse | Dr. Sharmila Bhattacharya |
| Children | Amrita and Anisha |
Alfred Ford (1950 - ), also known as Ambarish Das, is an American businessman. He is a great grandson of legendary businessman Henry Ford. He is married to Dr. Sharmila Ford and has two daughters named Amrita & Anisha.
Ford is the son of Josephine Clay Ford (daughter of Edsel Byrant Ford and Eleanor Lowthian Clay) and Walter Buhl Ford (not related to the Ford family). His brother Walter Ford III served as a Ford executive.
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[edit] Hare Krishna
Alfred Ford joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (the Hare Krishnas) in 1975 and that same year he made his first trip to India with A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He assisted in the establishment of the first Hindu temple in Hawaii and also donated $500,000 to help establish the Bhaktivedanta Cultural Center, a highly regarded tourist destination in Detroit [1] which was completed in 1983. Alfred has made many significant donations to ISKCON over the years which have assisted ongoing projects to build the Pushpa Samadhi Mandir of Srila Prabhupada. He founded the Iskcon Foundation, and is also campaign chairman of the Sri Mayapur Temple of Vedic Planetarium. [2]
Ford is also reported to have lobbied to have a Vedic cultural centre made in Moscow at an estimated cost of $10 million.[3]. He also bought a $600,000 mansion to house Hare Krishna temple and learning centre in Honolulu.[4]
Ford has adoped a Hindu name, Ambarish Das.
[edit] Himalayan Ski Village
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Ford plans to construct a ski village by the name of Himalayan Ski Village in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh in India with an investment of $500 million.
The project is proposed to have more than 700 five-star hotel rooms, 300 villas, 150 condos, and luxurious spa and restaurant facilities.[5]
The project however ran into trouble in early 2006, when people purporting to represent the local gods declared that the project was environmentally unsound.
The oracle of Jamlu devta, the most important deity of Kullu, advised against the project. Upon his insistence, Maheshwar Singh, king of Kullu state and now a BJP leader called a formal Jagati Puch (grand convention) of persons claiming to represent 175 local deities. The convention ruled that the proposed ski village would be detrimental to the local populace and rejected the ski village.[6][7]
The fracas was dubbed by the media as a politically motivated one between the ruling Congress and the BJP.[8]
The project, as of August 2006, is in the process of getting approvals from the government.
[edit] References
Himalayan Ski Village is a proposed eco-friendly mixed-use resort community, providing ski slopes and other mountain sports facilities in the Himalayan region. The Project, developed by Himalayan Ski Village Private Limited involves development of hospitality, vacation homes and entertainment facilities of a world class standard on 115 acres of land in the hilly terrains of the Kullu Valley. This development will be the first fully planned and integrated resort destination to be built in India since the British colonial powers built their 'hill stations', which remain enormously popular throughout the subcontinent. HSV will provide an international quality holiday experience to as many as 4,500 visitors at any one time.
The Project will be developed at the Northern end of the Kullu Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh, with the various facilities located at heights between 7,500 and 14,000 feet above sea level. The Project targets the domestic tourists of India, as well as international visitors from the U.S., Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The Project involves the development of 700 Hotel rooms, restaurants along with an 'Indian Village' shopping experience; a 20,000 sq ft convention facility and a high end spa; and an entertainment/performing arts center. The Company expects to commence the presale of chalets and condo hotel rooms in early 2007, the first hotel to be opened in 2009 and for full commercial of operations by early 2011.
