Update - II     Veerayatan's acitvities at bhuj.

Veerayatan is pleased to inform that their work has
been appreciated with lot of enthusiam by not only the
people who has known them but by a whole lot of new
people and locals alongwith the government officials
working on the rehabiliatation in Bhuj. Veerayatan has
now catered to the educational needs of 6000 students
in 6 tented schools, - 1. ) Shiv Paras 2. ) Sukhpar 3.
) Narayanpar 4. ) Mathapar 5. ) Mirzapar and 6. )
Dahisara. As no schools in Bhuj is functioning , this
noble activity of stopgap schools , keep  children off
the streets , protect them from bad habits and utilise
their time in the best possible way. Veerayatan will
run these stopgap schools till July / Aug or till
damaged schools in the areas resume normal
functioning. The New York Times of April 8, 2001 have
given a boost to our confidence - all of us have read
the article with pride.

As for the vocational centre Veerayatan runs a
computer training programme free of cost and it has
tailoring and carpentry training classes at Shiv
Paras. These constructive activities by Veerayatan
under the leadership of Acharyaji Shri Chandanaji, in
the earthquake areas have relieved the people to such
an extent that they are feeling and saying that they
hope to return to normal life soon.

The construction of the permanent school at Jakhania
village , on the Bhuj - Mandvi road will start soon.
We are in the process of calculating the detail
planning of the project , which will be sent as soon
its ready. The cost estimate mentioned in the pamphlet
does not include equipment cost, teacher's salary
cost, material cost, or other maintenance cost. It
only highlights the cost of building construction.
Permanent centre of Veerayatan in Kutch includes the
following :-
school building for 500 students
hostel facilities for 250 students
vocational training centre - computer training
                                        nursing
training
                                        teacher's
training
diagnostic centre
earthquake musuem
At the moment almost 1400 schools in Kutch are damaged
, but it seems that some of these will resume around
June / July 2001. We imagine that many of the children
who are coming to us will like to go back to their
original schools.But children who have lost parents,
and are most affected will have the first preference
for the admission in the permanent school. This
permanent school will start from class 4 to higher
secondary.

The breakdown cost of the above project mentional in
the overall cost written in the pamphlet will be
mailed as it becomes ready. It is very difficult to
clearly say the running cost of the temperory school
as the number of children very week increases. It is
not at all easy to say no to chilren who want to study
, after such a great devastation. One an average cost
of one school which caters to the educational needs of
1200 students is approx. Rs 5.50 lakhs . This includes
transportation, ( to & fro bus facility for children )
breakfast and teachers' remuneration. It does not
include any expenditure of any fixed assets purchased
for the establishment of schools. We are able to get
some study material for children from other private
Indian donors, We are trying to get some teachers' kit
and children's kit from unicef but how long wil  it
take we do not know. We were hoping to get good tents
from USA which would have reduced the daily hiring
cost of the tents for our temperory schools.

Many people after visiting us , like our activities
and some flow of funds is definately here but most of
the donations are for the permanent project. Your
support for the running of temperory school will be
appreciated.

Please send in your comments, suggest, questions to
either shilapiji@... or to myself manjer
choksi , e-mail address
mukeshc@...
Thank you.


=====
shanta shah

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/

ATTEMPING TO CONTACT MACDONALDS RE. OTHER QUESTIONS, I FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE
ONE OF THE FEW RESTAURANT CHAINS WHICH DON'T LIST A PUBLIC 1-800 OR TOLL FREE
NUMBER AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS ON THEIR WEBSITE (AT LEAST
ONE THAT I COULD FIND) WHERE YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS. THIS MAKES ME WONDER WHAT
ELSE THEY ARE HIDING. OR MAYBE THEY RECIEVE TOO MANY COMPLAINTS OR NASTY
PHONECALLS! OR THEY DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WITH QUESTIONS?

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ANY SELF-RESPECTING JAIN OR INDIAN WOULD EVEN BE CAUGHT
DEAD IN THIS TYPE OF RESTAURANT.

IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS RE: MACDONALDS OR ANY OTHER FAST FOOD CHAIN, THERE
IS A GOOD INDEPENDANT WEBSITE  mcspotlight.org  AND THE CHAT ROOMS ARE A GOOD
PLACE FOR QUESTIIONS.

On Sun, 08 April 2001, 2atul@... wrote:

   Yes, MacDonald's uses beefshit to flavour their fries, but that's not all,
they also fry everything in slaughterhouse waste (beef-fat & pig-fat stablized
with cottonseed oil). That fact that they are not honest or upfront about it
shows that they are not to be trusted in anything else they make. This is worth
telling all of your meat-eater friends (even they should be disgusted)
especially muslims and hindus.


__________________________________________________________
Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [FW: There goes the  french fries! Anybody know about the
water
served at McDonalds ?]
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 10:55:42 -0800
From: Sri Kalale  <Srinivas.Kalale@...>
Organization: Oracle Corporation
To: indians@...

FYI  ...
- Sri
***********************************************
Hello Rajkumar:

Thank you for taking the time to  contact McDonald's with your
questions
regarding the ingredients in our french fries.

For flavor enhancement,  McDonald's french fry suppliers use a
mniscule amount of beef flavoring as an ingredient in the raw
product.  The reason beef is not listed as an  ingredient is because
McDonald's voluntarily (restaurants are not required to list
ingredients) follows the "Code of Federal Regulations" (required for
packaged goods) for labeling its products.  As such, like food labels
you would  read on packaged goods.. the ingredients in "natural
flavors" are not broken down.
Again, we are sorry if this has caused any confusion.

We hope you  have found this information helpful and that we have the
opportunity to serve you in the  future.  Thank you, again, for
contacting McDonald's.

Megan
Home  Office Customer Satisfaction Department

ref#:665483

------------------------------
You wrote:

Could  you please look at the content of this URL and comment? I am a
vegetarian and  sensitive about what goes into the things I eat. This
webpage implies that flavour made using animal product is used in the
fries served at McDonalds. can you confirm or deny?

Thanks.

http://www.jsonline.com/enter/books/feb01/fast20021901.asp

On Fri, 13 April 2001, 2atul@... wrote:

RE: previous taco bell 7-layer burrito message.

Phoning Taco Bell today regarding "chicken broth mixxed with rice inside their
'vegetarian' 7-layer burrito and Genetically Modified Organisms, I was pleased
to say that i got a much better or much more informed response than i did in my
numerous phone-calls several months back. (Hopefully i will get more than a
nuisance form letter)

She told me that they now use "vegetarian broth" in their 7-layer burrito rice.

AS for G.M.O.'s she told me that taco bell does not use G.M.O.'s, but i am still
unconvinced. When i asked if taco bell had a company policy towards GMO's, if
they had any writen documentation of this policy and how they ensure their
suppliers dont use GMO's; i was told that she had nothing that she could send me
and/or no such document existed. She assured me someone would be calling me with
some answers.

Although this was better than the previous calls, i am still not satisfied and
they have yet to earn my trust. I am sill waiting for their call. If we continue
to keep calling them at 1-800-tacobell they may improve and start acting even
more responsibly in the future.

I recommend that we support the growing number of vegtarian restaurants in North
America instead of using these meat-serving establishments.

> Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com


__________________________________________________________
Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com

Dear Friends,

Our Kparam Krupalu Sadguru Shri Rameshbhai Vejaniji has written a
Lekh on the 2600th anniversary of Bhagwan Shri Mahavir Swamiji as a
tribute to our Lord.

Please do read it as it is an Eye Opening article for all sects of
jainsm.This article can also be downloaded from www.jainojago.com.

For any furthur quries or information please contact me on
mehoolsheth@...

Warm Regards,

Mehool.

On Sun, 08 April 2001, 2atul@... wrote:


  Taco Bell mixxes chicken broth in their rice which is a key ingredient in their
so-called      "vegetarian" 7-layer burrito.

  When I phoned 1-800-TACOBEL to confirm, they wouldn't give me a straight
answer.

  Phoning 1-800-TACOBELL on another issue, I asked if they used G.M.O.'s such as
BT-potatoes or BT-corn, and the idiot on the their side told me "they don't use
potatoes."(which left me wondering what they put in thier fries) She didn't have
a clue What GMO's were, even after a lengthy explanation. These idiots can't
even tell you what they put in their food therefore cannot be trusted. They also
irresponsibly use antibacterial soap in their washrooms.

  I encourage everybody who reads this to Phone them at 1-800-TACOBELL and find
out for themselves how stupid they are. This may also ecourage them to be more
responsible and find out what they are poisoning us with and maybe encourage
them not to use G.M.O.'s.


__________________________________________________________
Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com

Jai Jinendra,

We are planning to start a new college. the name of the college would
be Bhagwan mahaveer centenary college. initially we propose to
conduct b.com (IT) in the college. we would need your suggestiosn,
guidance and support.

we are already running sri a.v. jain girls college. I add a profile
of this institute for your record. this college has started only in
2000.

thanks,
trilok kumar jain

Institute Profile

SHRI ATTAM VALLABH JAIN GIRLS COLLEGE
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
SUDAMA NAGAR
HANUMANGARH ROAD
SRIGANGANAGAR 335001
EMAIL: avjcollege@...
Ph No:-0154-437371
Fax no:0154-428525
Website: Sriganganagaronline.com, avjaingirlscollege.freeservers.com,

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE:
Shri A.V. Jain Girls College is a young and vibrant educational
Institute funded by the  Shri A.V. Jain Shiksha Nyas , Located in an
open and green plain of the beautiful and prosperous city of
Sriganganagar. The College has excellent infrastructure and
facilities to carry out its teaching and research programmes.
The college was established in 2000 in response to the growing need
for managerial human power and development of managerial capacity in
the region and to foster management education amongst girls. Since
its establishment, the college has emerged as a premier educational
Institute in the area of Management in Northern Rajasthan.
The institute conducts two year full time MBA programme. The
institute is also undertaking research in the area of management. The
institute also undertakes consultancy work for industrial clients.
PROFILE

Year of Establishment: 2000


Management Board of the Institute:

Advisory Board: Mr. M.L. Mehta, IAS
Sh P.N. Bhandari, IAS
Sh. K.L. Kochar, IAS
Sh. K.N. Bhandari,
Prof. S.R. Jain, Ex-Professor, IIS, Bangalore
Sh. Navratan Samdaria
Board of Trustees: Sh. Naresh Jain (Secretary), Sh. Kundan Lal
Borar (Chairman), Sh. Shamlal Jain (Treasure), Sh. A.C. Borar
(Advocate), Sh. Manmohan Jain (Advocate), Sh. Naginchand Jain, Sh.
Manikchand Kochar, Sh. Dilatma Prakash Baid, Sh. Rakesh Jain

Director  : Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain

Address :  Shri A.V. Jain Girls College
		  	 Institute of Management & Technology
		  	 Near Sudama Nagar, Hanumangarh Road,
		  	 SriGanganagar, Rajasthan 335 001.

Phone Number:  0154-437371
Fax  : 0154-428525
E-Mail  : avjcollege@...

Total Number of Seats available in MBA Part-I: 60 seats
(a) Free seats 30
(b) Payment seats 27
(c) NRI seats 03
15% of the seats in (a) & (b) categories shall be open to candidates
on all India basis and rest of the seats in these two categories
shall be limited to candidates belonging to Rajasthan.
Name of Affiliating University:  M.D.S University, Ajmer
Whether AICTE has granted permission:  Yes
Whether Govt. of Rajasthan has issued NOC: Yes

Shri A.V. Jain Girls College
	 Shri Attam-Vallabh Jain Girls College has been established by
Shri Attam-Vallabh Jain Shiksha Nyas, a trust created under the
Indian Trust Act. This is a Technical college exclusively for women,
the first of its kind in the country. It is a part of the chain of
autonomous educational Institutions being run by Jain Samaj through
out the country. The college is conducting one course, at present.
Master of Business Administration (MBA). The All India Council for
Technical Education, New Delhi has approved this institute for MBA
course for 2000-2001. The college is affiliated to Maharishi Dayanand
Saraswati University, Ajmer, for award of a degree. This course is to
be run as per the syllabus of the said university under semester
system. This program is specifically designed for imparting modern
management concepts, techniques and skills essential for complex
business situations prevailing in the present day context. The
institute maintains close liaison with business houses and industries
and this helps in providing practical training and final placement of
its students.






Mission:
The purpose of Shri A.V. Jain Girls College is to provide the
industry with managers who are well suited to meet corporate
challenges. The objective is to shape up technically excellent
managers with strong fundamental skills and values. The institute has
designed multidisciplinary approach for the Master's degree program.
The programme aims to prepare students for career in the management
in both the private and public sector.
The program is designed to:
· Provide a foundation in management theory with the practical
application to a broad spectrum of organizational problems.
· Encourage the open discussions and exchange of information
and ideas among program participants, faculty members and guest
speakers.
· Enhance the capacity for creative thinking and problem
solving.
· Foster and enhance an attitude for continuous improvement and
learning in the global context.

Core Faculty:

1. Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain Ph.D. (Management) (Bhavnagar Univ.)
2. Mr. Sanjay Arora MCA (Jodhpur)
3. Mr. Harish Singla MBA (Meerut)
4. Ms. Garima Goyal PGDBM (IIRM Jaipur)
5. Mrs. Pranavi Garg PGDBM (IIMS, Meerut)
6. Ms. Gurdeep Kaur

Visiting Faculty:
1. Dr. Prem Kumar
2. Dr. Ranjeet Singh
3. Dr. R.P. Hudda
4. Dr. D.R. Singh
5. Dr. M.A. Zahir
6. Dr. Sanjay Jain
7. Dr. D.P. Warne
8. Sh. M.L. Vohra
9. Sh. Navratan Samdaria
10. Sh. Sunil Dhariwal




CAMPUS
The Institute's Building is situated on SriGanganagar-Hanumangarh
Road. The location is just 3 km from the city center on the
northeastern side. The campus area extends to more than 20000 Sq.
Mts. The building block has been designed to accommodate
administrative and academic blocks. The institute has all the modern
facilities required for a world-class Business School. Plans are
underway to have an excellent Auditorium in the next few months.

Hostel Accommodation:
The institute's own hostel is under construction and it would be
ready in the next few months. However, there are enough private
hostels for girls in the city. At present residential accommodation
to the outstation students is available in a well-developed
workingwomen's hostel. Plans are underway to have a hostel with
modern residential facilities by the beginning of academic session
2001-2002.

Library Facilities:
Library is housed in a specious large Library Building having number
of Indian and International literature in addition to over 3000 books
in different discipline of management, 30 renowned journals such as,
Vikalpa, decisions, A&M, Journal of Human Values, Journal of
Entrepreneurship, Indian Management, Economic and Political Weekly
Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Foreign Trade Journal, World
Bank Review, NMIM Management Review, Harward Business Review etc.
Management is going to convert it into the digital library in which
it will be fully computerized, giving each student an ID and password
that help them to search and reserve books while sitting in the
computer lab or library itself. Library has a collection of more than
75 CDs. and annual reports of 150 companies.

Computer Lab:
The Institute has a modern Computer lab. With latest equipments. 17
Pentiums, 6 UPS, 3 CVT etc. Computer workstations and network are
constantly updated with the advanced technology, hence providing the
students and faculty an enthralling opportunity to blend minds with
machines. All the computers are connected via a Local Area Network
(LAN) using Windows NT platform. A dial-up TCP/IP. Internet
connection can be processed from all terminals in the campus. All the
students and the faculty members have been provided with individual E-
mail ID. The entire system is supported by GAMUT of latest software
like the V.B.6., besides MS Office 97 windows NT 4 Server, Windows NT
4.0 workstation, Internet Explorer 4.0 and Database Management System.


Placement:
Shri Attam Vallabh Jain Girls College has established a placement
cell for industry summer training and permanent placement. The
placement cell includes student representatives and senior faculty
members, which provides career counseling and acts as a channel of
communication with industrialists and business houses. Some of the
companies with whom interaction for placement / industrial
interaction are going on are :
1. J.C.T. Ltd.
2. Bajaj Auto Ltd.
3. The Ganganagar Sugar Mills Ltd.
4. Oswal Shreyans Industries Group
5. Cello Thermoware Ltd.
6. Sear India Ltd.
7. Ludhiana Stock Exchange
8. Majestic Auto Ltd.
9. Vardhman Polytex Ltd.
10. Vardhman Spinning & General Mill Ltd.
11. Hero Puch, New Delhi
12. Nahar Spinning Mills Ltd.
13. National Fertilizer Corporation (NFL).
14. Jindal Steel Strips Ltd.


Other Information related to Institute:
Special Features:
1. Institute is publishing a quartly general named BHAGWAN
MAHAVEER MANAGEMENT REVIEWS & a fortnightly News-letter named PRAGYA
FEATURES.
2. Institute is running an open national level Essay competition.
3. Weekly seminars are organized to enhance the skills of the
students.
4. Special Personality Development and Career Guidance program
are conducted on regular basis.
5. Separate classes are conducted to improve the English
conversation skills of the students.
6. Various committees of the students are formed to involve them
in the decision making process and enhance their initiation,
leadership and teamwork spirits.

Dear Community Members,
There is Panchkalyanak samaroh being organized in Prabhash Giri near kaushambi,
close to allahabad in Uttar pradesh.The dates for the same are MAY 2- MAY 5,
2001.
The initiative has been taken by Gyanmati mataji who has been in allahabad for
the last two months or so managing everything and recently in the month of
february she organised another such panchkalyanak in 'andawa', the taposthali of
bhagwan sri rishabhdevji.

All the members of our community are invited to participate.

Thanks,

_____________________________________________________
Chat with your friends as soon as they come online. Get Rediff Bol at
http://bol.rediff.com

Hi Guys,

I do not know how many do really read this mails except the owner and
few others.  But I wanted to ask one question is it the Jain one of
the
Hippocratic cast of India or say of planet,

I have the few very solid examples where guys who are complete cheat
in
their life are doing well in the temples and in front of muni jis.
and
each time I went there those guys get higher  weight with their heavy
pocket.  Is it the Jain a really "BANIA" cast where every thing is
taken care by money and nothing else.

Any body interested in getting such fellow out of the Jain society can
mail me back,

Regards,

Dear Sisters & Brothers,

Shri Satshrut Prabhavna Trust-Bhavnagar, is working for last 5 years and
Shri Vitrag Satsahitya Prasarak Trust-Bhavnagar is working for last 30
years. Both trust's are publishing Digamber jain sahitya.
Now the trust has decieded to scan all our hanwritten Pandulipi, Talpatras
lying in various Granth Bhandar all over India and abroad. The job is very
big and it requires more support like financial and man power.
Our Digamber Acharya wrote all Sutras and Sidhdhants in thier Granth. These
are all our property. It is our primary duty to preserve. We have latest
technolgy like scanner and C.D. Writing procedure. So trust has decieded to
scan all these shastras and preserve it in C.D.
The institution which are interested in this type of work. Please contact
us.
Postal Add.
Shri Satshrut Prabhavna Trust
580, Old Manekwadi.
Bhavnagar-364001
Phone : 423470
Nilesh





_______________________________________________________
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We are going to publish a journal on management, non-violence,
vegetarianism, sustainable development, science of living,

You are all welcome to write articles for the same. You may
communicate with me for more details.

We also look forward to eminent scholars to join our advisory board /
editorial board. Kindly suggest some perosons - with exceptionally
good record on writings

Address:
Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain
Director
Shri Attam Vallabh Jain Girl College
(Institute of Management and Technology)
Sudama Nagar Turn, Hanumangarh Road, Srigananagar - 335001

Our institute is Approved by the All India Council for Technical
Education , Govt. Of India
and affiliated to MDS Univ. Ajmer

Dear Jain brothers and sisters,

The Swaraj Foundation has taken a challenge to help transform education and
development in South Asia/World for the benefit of masses. We invite you to
join in this movement (Andolan). This Andolan is run in India from Udaipur by
Manish Jain, Shilpa Jain and Vidhi Jain who moved to India about 2-1/2 years
ago. Manish graduated from Brown University, and completed a Masters degree
in Education Planning and Policy Making, worked internationally for about
three years with UNESCO, UNICEF, and USAID. He also worked for two years on
Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. Shilpa graduated from Harvard, did about
1-1/2 year of work International education development for girls. She has
been doing work with Shikshantar since 1999. Vidhi graduated from Delhi
University in Sociology. She worked for about two years in rural Rajasthan in
developing special education project. I strongly believe if the Jain
community takes an active role (by putting practice principles of Jainism in
its true spirit) we can transform the whole world for the benefit of the
masses.

I take this opportunity to forward two documents summarizing our activities.
However,
to learn more about the Mission and activities of the Swaraj Foundation and
support it please visit our website: www.swaraj.org and
www.swaraj.org/shikshantar.

Sincerely,

Mohan Jain
630-325-7571
swarajfoundation@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SPIRTUAL SOLACE

Quake Victims are not alone

w By Acharya Mahaprajna w

The natural calamity in Gujarat is a challenge to our society. Those who are
affected badly should not feel that they are alone. The whole human society is
with them. The spirit of mutual cooperation (paraspara upagraha) is the
characteristic of living beings. I appeal to all countrymen to come to the aid
of the victims in a spirit of visarjana, i.e. dedicating oneā€™s possessions to
humanity at large without any selfish reason, pride or desire for fame.

Victims of the calamity have endured a scvere shock, but human beings have an
in-built mechanism which awakens at a time like this and is a source of courage,
patience and strong mental power to overcome the catastrophe. This calamity
should teach all people to eschew violence, exploitation, cruelty, fraud,
lustfulness etc. so that their own Karma-system could bear them ā€œauspicious
fruitsā€.

The basis of collective consciousness is reciprocity, and this has to be built
up from individual consciousness which in todayā€˜s situation is indispensable.
There is no alternative to self-restraint if we want to purify individual
consciousness. Self-restraint means restraint on desires, natural dispositions,
the mind, the senses, the body and the food we eat. This restraint shows
individual purity which leads to reciprocity and hence collective consciousness.
Society breaks down if reciprocity is sought to be built in the absence of
restraint. It is obvious that without developing purity of individual
consciousness, a society cannot remain healthy.

According to Mahavira, mighty disasters are the net result of strong, imbalanced
desires of mankind. When collective desire are too strong, major upheavals that
influence the lives of thousands of people take place. It is necessary,
therefore to control desires and to control greed, thereby adoping pure and
simple means to earn our livelihood.

(Acharya Mahaprajna is the Supreme Head of the Jain Shwetambar Terapanth Sangh).


12 Saturday, February 3, 2001 The Times of India, New Delhi


Dear friend,
You are requested to forward the above message to other friends.<br
clear=all><hr>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at <a
href="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</a>.<br></p>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,

I am Mehool from mumbai,India and i would like you to read the jain
lekhanks which has explanations on the jainsm.This series of Lekhs
are updated every Thursday and it will help you in learning the jain
religion much more and in true depth.All this lekhs and many more are
available in series which you can easily download on www.jainojago.com

I will appreciate if you can kindly go through that lekh and
distribute it among all the jain collegues which you are aware off
and ask them if they can visit www.jainojago.com for furthur
downloads.If you have any questions or interest regarding this kindly
mail me on mehoolsheth@...

Thanks,

Mehool sheth.

Hello everyone,
I am a graduta student in the University of Florida, Gainesville
doing Masters in Electrical and computer engineering. Wanna know and
learn about Jain geography. I want a start. I have few other questions
also, but I'll start the discussion, after seeing the response of
this egroup, I am a new member here. Thank you very much, I think
this could become a great source of information for the interested
people.
Regards, Anu

hello,
jai jinendra.

(A) visit: www.thepeace.org   a site worth to look in detail.
     i hope, you will like it.
     please let others know about this site.

(B)send FREE donation to INDIA.
    TO SEND FREE DONATION TO INDIA EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS,
    >(1) visit: WWW.CAUSEANAFFECT.ORG  and
    >(2) click on RED button 'Save a Life' at center of page.
    by doing this, sponsors will donate 1 FOOD packet to earthquake
    victims.

Circulate this info among your circle, so that more people can
donate FREE.

best regards/-dilip doshi


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

Have email/postal friends from Jain community!

Jains are peaceful, religious people of India now spread world over.
They are followers of Jainism, world's oldest living religion. Jains
are born vegetarians and they do not kill or cause to kill any living
beings, excluding plants.

To know more about these unique people and to have friends from this
community, just log on:

www.geocities.com/jain_pals

This is a pen pal site and you can add your details to the site.

Mahavir Sanglikar

  Note: forwarded message attached.

Subject:         Fw: my personal experience in the earthquake

From: "Mihir Meghani" <mihir@...>

> Namaste Dear Friends,
> I just returned to the USA from Bharat where I spent 5 days in earthquake
> stricken Gujarat.  As many of you know, I went to Bharat (India) with my
> parents to attend the Kumbha Mela and bathe in the Ganga, but after the
> earthquake, I cancelled my plans for the Kumbha Mela and instead went to
> Gujarat.  My parents are still in Bharat.  This letter is to provide some
> thoughts that you may not have read about and my impressions, and to guide
> anyone who may be interested in helping out with the relief effort.
>
> As has been described, there is a tremendous amount of damage to the Kutch
> area, with the whole town of Bhachau, and most of Anjar and old Bhuj
totally
> destroyed.  Where houses still stand, people still sleep outside for fear
of
> the structure collapsing with the next aftershock.  We won't know the
actual
> dead, but it is quite high, as you know.
>
> Upon arriving in Ahmedabad, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) arranged for
> me to go to Bhuj.  There, I worked mainly with doctors from Ahmedabad's
> Civil Hospital in a makeshift hospital of stretchers in a tent.  Most
> injuries are lacerations, wound infections, and fractures.  On the first
> day, supplies and medical personnel were lacking as Bhuj's civil hospital
> and military hospital were flattened.  However, by Day 2, we had enough
> saline, povidine-iodine, gauze, and antibiotics.  When amputations were
> required, we managed as best as we could.  Cases requiring surgery were
sent
> to Ahmedabad and other big cities.
>
> RSS and VHP volunteers did tremendous work.  They maintained order in
Bhuj,
> controlled the flow of patients to our hospital, arranged for transport of
> patients to where they needed to go, and organized the flow of food,
water,
> blankets, and medical personnel to the affected areas.  The government was
> non-existent, and perhaps that is better.  The other volunteer group that
> was effective due to their grass-roots network and dedication was
> Swaminarayan (BAPS).   Within 2 days however, aid and volunteers had
arrived
> from all over India and from seemingly every social service group -
> individual, trusts, hospitals, and associations.
>
> In the midst of the despair over the destruction, I had some positive
> feelings.  The relief effort successfully has involved all Indians, has
been
> mostly indigenous in origin, and has been prompt.  Perhaps Indians
> themselves are better prepared for dealing with disasters today than 10
> years ago as a result of learned experiences from the Orissa and Andhra
> cyclones, Latur earthquake, and Surat plague.  People were helped
regardless
> of religion, caste, or socio-economic status.
>
> For the first time in my life, I saw a tetanus case - a young Muslim boy
> from a village came with it.  There was no definitive treatment for him
> available in Bhuj, and he would not have survived a 12 hour drive to
> Ahmedabad, so within 30 minutes, the RSS swayamsevaks arranged for a
> military flight for him to Mumbai where I am sure he received the proper
> care.
>
> Another inspiring story involved my personal experience rescuing a 10
> year-old boy along with the military and a British search-and-rescue team
> from the rubble of old Bhuj.  Following a lead given by the boy's father,
> the British and army personnel spent 12 hours building a tunnel through
the
> rubble to the boy, who was miraculously alive because his mother placed
the
> boy under her while the house collapsed on her - killing her but saving
him.
> The father was saddened about his wife and other son's death, but was
> pleased that at least one other member of his family had survived and
> thrilled at the tortuous effort of 20 people over 12 hours to give his son
> what amounts to a second life.  Too often in mass casualties, we get
caught
> in the huge numbers and forget that each life is important to someone, and
> if it were your spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister,
> that life would be most precious.
>
> I left India happy that Indians had come to help, but knew that most of
the
> rehabilitation would come later, and that too after most other volunteers
> had left.  By January 31, many villages and towns had enough food, water,
> clothing, and blankets - villagers told us that - because most NGOs had
> focused on that initially.  What they will need in the next few days and
> weeks is shelter from the freezing winter of Gujarat and upcoming monsoon
> just 4 months away.  They will need homes rebuilt eventually, running
water,
> return of electricity and communication lines, and a chance to earn a
living
> once again.
>
> Organizers of the relief effort said that volunteers would be needed more
in
> the next few months and weeks, as most of the initial well-wishers
returned
> to their normal lives.  The help needed would be anything from delivering
> food, to rebuilding homes, to creating proper sanitation, to provide
ongoing
> medical care.  If you are interested in offering your time, you can be
sure
> that someone somewhere could use it.  Please contact me or any of the
> organizations mentioned if you are interested.
>
> If you cannot give time, please donate whatever money you can so that it
can
> be put to the proper use.  I saw the relief effort first hand and I know
> many of the people who are working with the organizations listed below, so
I
> hope you will contribute generously.  All of the groups below will use
100%
> of the money.  Of note, foreign organizations did not come until much
later.
> For example, I did not see a Red Cross worker until Jan 30, and this
perhaps
> the fact that while they have tremendous financial resources, they do not
> have a grass roots volunteer network that can reach the needy, often
> hard-to-get-to areas of Gujarat.  Organizations like the Red Cross, while
> honorable, also use a large amount of the money for overhead.
>
>
>
> To donate money with a credit card over the internet from anywhere in the
> world:
>
> 1)      www.noblecauses.org allows you to donate to VHP of America
>
> 2)      www.idrf.org allows you to donate to India Development and Relief
> Fund.
>
> To send money from the USA:
>
> 1)      Vishwa Hindu Parishad is doing great work.  Donations can be sent
> tax-exempt (Tax ID# 51-0156325) from the US via the website
> www.noblecauses.org where you can donate by credit card, or by mail to VHP
> of America, P.O.Box 441505, Houston, TX, 77241 USA.  Email
> vicharak@...
>
> 2)      India Development and Relief Fund (Tax ID# 52-1555563) is also
> channeling funds to India similarly via their website www.idrf.org, or by
> mail to  IDRF, 4807 Phebe Ave.,  Fremont, CA 94555, USA.  Email
IDRF@...
>
> To send money directly to India:
>
> 1)      My family has started the Meghani Foundation and my parents are in
> India at this time doing their part.  Donations to this are tax-deductible
> in India only (not in the USA) and checks can be mailed to the Meghani
> Foundation. PO Box 23, Bhavnagar, 364001, India.  Phone 0278-566402.
Email
> lokmilaptrust2000@...
>
> 2)      SEWA BHARATI-GUJARAT at Dr. Hedgewar Bhavan, Baliakaka Marg,
> Kankaria, Ahmedabad, 380028, India. Tel: 079-5326131 and 079-5326132.  RSS
> is doing their work through Sewa Bharati.
>
> 3)      VHP India has 3 specific plans which you can sponsor (besides
> general donations): adopting the 'rehabilitation' of a FAMILY = US$ 2200,
> adopting the 'Upbringing' of an ORPHAN CHILD = US$ 2200, and adopting the
> rehabilitation of an entire village of varying proportions/area/size = US$
> 110,000 to $1,100,000.  By mail to: VHP BHUKAMP RAHAT FUND, 11 Mahalaxmi
> sector, Mahalaxmi Chaura, PALADI, Amdavad 380007 India.  Tel: 079-663
> 1365/660 4015.  Wire transfers can be sent as follows: Instruct your
banker
> to remit proceeds you want to donate to American Express Bank Ltd. New
York.
> Chips ABA 0159 swift: AEIBUS33 which in turn shall pay to Central Bank of
> India, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) chips UID 060288 A/C # 000719146 swift
> CBININBBLAL favoring "Vishwa Hindu Parishad - Gujarat Bhukamp Sahayata
> Samiti" A/C # 17817 with Central Bank of India, Paldi, Ahmedabad (Gujarat,
> India).  Donations will be 100% tax-deductible in Bharat, instead of the
> usual 50%.  If you would like a copy of VHP's detailed report of the
> disaster with figures, and also details of their relief effort, please
email
> me.
>
> I hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions about my
experience,
> or other thoughts, please call or email me.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mihir Meghani, M.D.
>
> Member VHPA Governing Council
>
> Member Hindu Students Council Steering Committee
>
> Emergency Medicine Physician, Hayward, CA, USA
>
> Member, CA-Disaster Medical Assistance Team
>

His Excellency Naresh Chandra
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: 202-265-4351
E-Mail: amb-washington@...

Respected Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayeee
South Block
New Delhi
110 011
India
Fax: 011-91-11-301-6857

Respected Minister of Agriculture
Shri Nitish Kumar
120 Krishi Bhawan
New Delhi 110 001
E-Mail: am@...

February 5, 2000

Jai Jinendra,

In lieu of the recent earthquake in India, Young Jains of America
(YJA) has taken upon itself to start an ambitious project to send
much needed materials to the victims in Gujarat.  We are asking you
to take an active role in helping YJA succeed in aiding the ailing
victims of the disastrous earthquake.

We would like you to be involved in your community to collect
materials - clothes, blankets, medical supplies (full list is
available on our web site - http://www.yja.org/earthquakerelief  ) -
and cash/check donations.

Once you have gathered the materials/supplies to donate, you should
contact your specific Local Representative or Regional Coordinator
for more information, which you can find at the YJA web site
http://www.yja.org/earthquakerelief

We hope you will play an active role in supporting the victims in
need.  With that in mind, YJA hopes that with your help we are able
to alleviate the tragic situation that has hit India in the past week.

For more information, please visit http://www.yja.org/earthquakerelief

"A person who serves the sick, serves Me." - Lord Mahavira

Mansi Shah
Young Jains of America
Director of Public Relations

hi all
  ....jai jinendra....
my name is jagruti i am a student based in usa
i have been watching the news ,online sites reading
news paper for information re the earth quake and
relief operations....i wud like to contribute to the
relief operations in neway i could...plz let me know
what shud i do...i would also like to give a small
amout of money  from my pocket money...the amout will
be small..i know it may not make a big
difference....but i would like to contribute it
anyway..
i have no relatives in ahemdabad..but
my eyes water as i write this mail.
i pray to god every morning for the people who have
lost relatives n are left homeless
may god be with them
....michami dukdam....
thankyou
jagruti jain



__________________________________________________
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35
a year!  http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/

  Note: forwarded message attached.

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From:            "Jyoti Shah" <jyotika.shah@...>
To:              <Undisclosed-Recipient:@gateway2.gmcc.ab.ca;>
Subject:         Earthquake poster to help raise funds
Date sent:       Tue, 30 Jan 2001 22:32:41 -0000

Jai Jinendra

I hope you don't mind me writing to you.  I apologise in advance if this
intrudes.

I am trying to help raise funds for the earthquake victims in Gujrat.  If you
haven't contributed, you may like to do so now via the charity in the attached
poster.  Even if you have, it would be useful if you would put up the poster so
that other well-wishers can contribute too.

The charity has already started work and their first report is included in the
poster.  Your support in displaying the poster will be appreciated.

The poster is unobtrusive, A4 sized that you may like to print out and pin to
notice boards in your companies buildings, etc..

We have found that the overwhelming majority of people are very receptive to
supporting the victims of the tragedy.  You would be helping by informing people
about channels to send donations and also how it is being used in the area.

Feel free to forward the poster to people who will be able to use it.

Any feedback from you will be useful.

If you have contacts in India, we have also got 2 Jain organisations who are
actively helping people in Gujrat.  They need funds too.  Their details are:-

1)  Jain Jagruti Centre
Opp. Old Power House,
Surendranagar.
Gujrat
India
Ph: 91+2752+25898, 91+2752+22798
Mobile No: 9825223798

"Jain Jagruti Centre" it has 98 centres all over India.  It is 25 years old.
They committee members are hard and sincere workers. They have already sent 10
goods trucks loaded for relief work. The committee members personally go to the
affected areas and distribute things. It is a registered organization.

2)  "Shri Param Pujya Kanji Swami Foundation Charitable Trust" - Rajkot
Registration No. of the Trust is : CIT.R/SYS/63 - P-193/99-2000.
  The address of the mandir is:-
Shri Digamber Jain Mandir
Shree KanjiSwami Maarg
5 PanchNath Plot
Near Shastri Medaan
Rajkot 360 001
Saurashtra, Gujrat
INDIA, PIN - 360 001

Trustee: Kishorbhai Lakhani  Tel:- India (0281) 366068, 362762, (Home: 235086)
The people here are gathering supplies and going to help in the affected areas
every day because it is not far from Rajkot. They have raised funds locally and
started their work but desperately need a lot more.

Please help.

Jai Jinendra
Jyoti
Visit http://www.AtmaDharma.com for the Essence of Jainism
Or Sister Site: http://www.jainism.free-online.co.uk.







------- End of forwarded message -------

  Note: forwarded message attached.

Subject:        These are the aerial pictures (taken from a helicopter) of sites
in Ahmedabad and bhuj showing the destruction

javascript:PopWindow('http://www.ndtv.com/photofeatures/main.asp?feature=quakeae\
rial&number=6&title=Earthquake',415,565)


======================================================
Double click on above site or  go to the following site and go to the
photograph sites

http://www.ahmedabad.com/
================================================================

OR try this


http://www.ndtv.com/photofeatures/main.asp?feature=quakeaerial&number=6&title=Ea\
rthquake

Dear friends and India's well wishers ,

As time passes more and more horrible picture and facts
are emerging.

Cities of Bhuj , Rapar , Bhachau , Anjar and all nearby villages of
Kutchh district are almost wiped out from the map.

In Bhuj city alone it is feared that nearly 100,000 persons are still
under debris ( after 4 days , very thin possibilities of any life )
Due to damages on all roads / bridges
it is very difficult to move heavy machinery which can remove debris
and Army has tried all it's best as to air lift heavy cranes and
machinery
and placed at Bhuj. Every 10 minutes planes are doing sorties at
Bhuj Air Force Base.

In Anjar ,on 26th January morning nearly 500 students were
carrying out a procession with song Vande Mataram and all
were buried on the street with debris from buildings.

International Swaminarayan Satsang Orgenization ( ISSO) USA has
already
dispached $50,000 for relief effort in Gujrat, India. Our Acharya,
and team
of abour 70 sants and more then 1000 volunteers are in the area where
need
is greatest. The Los Angeles Swaminarayan Mandir in Norwlak has raised
atleast$10,000 more during yesterday Satsang- services. We are
accepting
check, clothings, Blankets and medicines for the relief effort.
Container
from Los Angeles, once filled will be dispatched to Gujrat next week.
Please provied this information to other friends and relatives.
Please bring your donations and items to Swaminarayan Mandir. Thanks

ISSO-Earth-quake Fund
Swaminarayan Temple
15213 Pioneer Blvd. Norwalk, CA 90650
Fed. Non-Profit ID # 22-2290410


Like Kutchh district , other worst affected Cities are
MORBI , SURENDRANAGAR and Ahmedabad.

Nearly 257 after shocks have been measured in Gujarat
There is panic like situation in entire Gujarat.
No body is willing to sleep inside flats / home , even on ground
floor.
As news and also rumors are doing round that another heavier
one is coming any moment. There are every efforts being made
to pacify panicky public , but it is also true that
NO ONE CAN PREDICT ACCURATELY WHEN
IT WILL COME AND WHETHER IT SHALL BE REPEATED
AND HENCE MORE PANIC.
FEAR PSYCHOSIS has gripped entire Gujarat.

Ahmedabad city's damages are more to blame
poor construction materials and greedy builders.
They had not followed Indian Standards for construction of multi story
buildings.That is why many buildings have survived which were
adjacent.
In Ahmedabad nearly 50 students who had gone for
practical of physics to Swaminarayan School were trapped
due to poor construction and have died leaving behind their grieving
parents.

Nearly 100 diamond workers died due to stampede at Ahemdabad and
400 are injured.

INDIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MR. GEORGE FERNANDES
HIMSELF IS CAMPING AT BHUJ AIR FORCE BASE TO
SUPERVISE RELIEF OPERATIONS.

At Kandla port 5 Indian Naval Ships have reached and
one of them is fully converted into hospital.
Indian Army and local people were doing their best
along with RSS.
Now other NGOs have been geared up.

Far flung villages needs more help as
every one was talking about only Bhuj

Special trains have been sent from all Indian Metros to
Ahmedabad to help friends and relatives reach to Kutchh

All efforts are underway to connect Bhuj / Kutchh via phone lines
There was no electricity / phone lines working till 28th mid night.
Rest of Gujarat is well connected but heavy communication
causes over loading of telephone lines.

All incoming phones from international phones are coming easily.
UK's Indians have formed a common group and many Doctors
and Engineers are coming to Kutchh.

All Indians are always rising to any such calamities whether it is
LATUR / ORISSA or any such and are willing to help brothers/ sisters
that is the main reason why India is oldest united civilization
on earth.

Offers for help have come from all corners of the world
Foreign helps have started coming in and SWISS , RUSSIANS , BRITISH
helps have already reached Ahmedabad .

Mainly human lives and buildings have been severely damaged.
Initial Estimated losses have been put at US$ 1500 Millions.

International Swaminarayan Satsang Orgenization ( ISSO) USA has
already
dispached $50,000 us for relief effort in Gujrat, India. Our Acharya,
and
team of abour 70 sants and more then 1000 volunteers are in the area
where
need is greatest. The Los Angeles Mandir in Norwlak has raised
atleast$10,000 more during yesterday Satsang- services. We are
accepting
check, clothings, Blankets and medicines for the relief effort.
Container
from Los Angeles, once filled will be dispatched to Gujrat next week.
Please provied this information to other friends and relatives.
Please bring your donations and items to Swaminarayan Mandir. Thanks

ISSO-Earth-quake Fund
Swaminarayan Temple
15213 Pioneer Blvd. Norwalk, CA 90650
Fed. Non-Profit ID # 22-2290410

Dear Friends:

According Rediff.com, the toll in the killer earthquake in Gujarat was
on Monday
reported to be somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000. This figure was
likely to
skyrocket, with survival chances appearing slim for nearly 100,000
people feared
to be trapped in debris at Bhuj, Anjar, Rapar, Bhachchau (all in Kutch
district),
Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Morbi and other places in Gujarat.

In the midst of this benumbing news, it's of some consolation to us
Indian-Americans
that our government here is standing by India in this hour of grave
crisis.

The Times of India reports that Secretary of State Colin Powell,
Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice met in
emergency
session and agreed that India be provided with emergency relief that
could include
not only massive infusion of humanitarian assistance, but also other
material
aid like US military aircraft support to ferry equipment to the
affected areas
to help in search and rescue. The full text of the report is
reproduced below.

Meanwhile, for those who wish to make financial contributions, here
are some
of the organizations to which you may send your check:

1) PRIME MINISTER'S NATIONAL RELIEF FUND: Send checks in dollars or
rupees. Checks/Money
Orders should be drawn in favor of "Prime Minister's National Relief
Fund" and
sent to any one of the following addresses:

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
Embassy of India
Attn: Head of Chancery
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008

Wire Transfer Information:
Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (Riggs Bank, Washington, DC)
Account Number - 08115910
Route Number - 054000030

2) INDIA DEVELOPMENT AND RELIEF FUND (http://www.idrf.org).  Donations
to IDRF
are tax exempted in the United States (Tax exempt ID: 52-1555563), and
a receipt
will be mailed to donors. Make checks payable to IDRF, and mail it to
the following
address:

IDRF
Attention: Nagaraj Patil
1580 Hollenbeck Ave., Apt #4
Sunnyvale, CA-94087 USA.

In the memo, please mention "Gujarat Earthquake Relief."

For more information contact: Vijay Shrivastava at (770) 394 5031

3) VEDANTA SOCIETY OF WESTERN WASHINGTON
2716 Broadway E. SEATTLE, WA 98102
Phone: 206-323-1228

Donations to the Vedanta Society are tax deductible in accordance with
the US
tax laws.

4) The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha will be collecting a fund for the
Earthquake
relief in India. All contributions are to be directed to:
BAPS Earthquake Relief Fund
P. O. Box 891449
Dallas, TX 75389 - 1449

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has played a major role during times of
calamities
throughout India, for details on the progress of the 2001 earthquake
relief work
by BAPS, please feel free to visit :
http://www.swaminarayan.org/news/2001/01/earthquake/index.htm

Ritesh Desai
(770)696-4798
ritesh_desai@...

5) AMERICARES
161 Cherry Street,
New Canaan, CT 06840
Contact: Elizabeth Griffin at 1-800-486-4357

6) AMERICAN RED CROSS (http://www.redcross.org)
Donors wishing to designate their gifts to India should make checks
payable to
the American Red Cross--International Response Fund and earmarked for
India Earthquake
Fund in the memo section of the check or an accompanying letter,
should specify
India Earthquake Fund.

Donor can use a secure online credit card donation services or you may
send your
donation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C.
20013.

The following agencies are accepting contributions for assistance in
India as
members of InterAction, a coalition of relief, development and refugee
assistance
agencies.

a) Adventist Development and Relief Agency, 800-424-ADRA,
http://www.adra.org

b) Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Fred Schwartz, (404) 816
5759

c) AAPI, Dr. Dayanand Nayak; (914) 732-3322

d) American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 711 Third Ave., New
York 10017.
(212) 885-0832. http://www.jdc.org

e) B'nai B'rith International Disaster Relief Fund, 1640 Rhode Island
Ave. N.W.,
Washington 20036. (202) 857- 6533. http://www.bnaibrith.org

f) CARE, 151 Ellis St. N.E., Atlanta 30303. (800) 521-CARE.
http://www.care.org

g) Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore 21203. (800)
736- 3467.
http://www.catholicrelief.org

h) Christian Children's Fund, P.O. Box 26484, Richmond 23261.
(800)-SPONSOR.
http://www.christianchildrensfund.org

i) Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 800-55-CRWRC,
http://www.crwrc.org

j) Church World Service, 475 Riverside Dr., New York 10115. (212)
870-2167. http://www.churchworldservice.org

k) Concern Worldwide, 212-557-8000, http://www.concernusa.org

l) Direct Relief International, 27 South La Patera Lane, Santa
Barbara, Calif.
93117. (805) 964-4767. http://www.directrelief.org

m) Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 2247, New York 10116. (888)
392-0392. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

n) Food for the Hungry, 7729 E. Greenway Rd., Scottsdale, Ariz. 85260.
(800)
2HUNGER. http://www.fh.org

o) Gujarati Samaj of New York, 173-15 Horace Harding Expressway,
Flushing, NY
11365; Peter Bheddah, president, (718) 565-7765, Chandrakant Patel,
secretary,
(718) 762-9007.

p) Gujarati Samaj of Washington DC, 9845 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA
22030

q) Jackson Heights Merchants Association, (718) 651-6969

r) Leva Patidar Samaj of USA, 716 Sweetwater Circle, Old Hickory, TN
37138; (615)
391-4LPS.

s) Lutheran World Relief, P.O. Box 17061, Baltimore 21298. (800)
LWR-LWR2. http://www.lwr.org

t) MAP International, 800-225-8550, http://ww.map.org

u) Operation USA, 8320 Melrose Ave., Suite 200, Los Angles 90069.
(800) 678-7255.
http://www.opusa.org

v) Oxfam America, India Earthquake Response, P.O. Box 1745, Boston,
Mass. 02105
1-800-776-9326 http://www.oxfamamerica.org

w) Salvation Army World Service Office, 703-684-5528

x) The Association for India's Development (AID), (301) 422-7765

v) United Methodist Committee on Relief, 475 Riverside Dr., New York
10115. (800)
554-8583. http://www.gbgm-umc.org

z) US Fund for UNICEF, 333 E. 38th St., New York 10016. (800)
FOR-KIDS.

aa) United Way International, 701 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, Va.
22314 (703)
519-0092. http://www.uwint.org

bb) World Concern, 800-755-5022, http://www.worldconcern.org

cc) World Relief, 800-535-5433, http://www.worldrelief.org

dd) World Vision, 888-56-CHILD, http://www.worldvision.org

Lets contribute generously to relieve the pain and suffering in India.

Ram Narayanan
On-Line Resource for Indian-Americans
http://www.indiatogether.org/us/lobby.htm

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/29indu14.htm

TIMES OF INDIA, JANUARY 29, 2001

BUSH NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM PLEDGES HELP TO INDIA

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration's national security team, in an
emergency
meeting at the highest-level, has unanimously decided to provide India
with any
assistance it may require to deal with the earthquake that struck
Gujarat on
Friday and has killed 20,000 people.

Secretary of state Colin Powell, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and
national
security adviser Condoleezza Rice met in emergency session and agreed
that India
be provided with emergency relief that could include not only massive
infusion
of humanitarian assistance, but also other material aid like US
military aircraft
support to ferry equipment to the affected areas to help in search and
rescue,
administration and diplomatic sources said.

These sources said the Indian government had acquiesced to American
military
helicopters and if necessary C-17 transport aircraft -- like the ones
that accompanied
former president Bill Clinton during his trip to South Asian in March
-- to be
used in this humanitarian effort and that US ambassador Richard
Celeste who was
in constant touch with defence minister George Fernandes had also
conveyed to
Washington the expeditious need for concrete-cutting equipment,
water-purifiers
and mobile hospitals.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the
humanitarian
arm of the American government, will up its assistance to India
from the original $1 million announced on Saturday to $5 million and
has made
provisions to provide even more emergency supplies to India as the
situation warrants.

Len Rogers, acting administrator of USAID's Humanitarian Response
Bureau said
that "this is clearly a terrible earthquake," and that his office had
set up a special task force to monitor the situation and work with
Indian officials
to determine the most critical needs and would send more aid and
intensify its relief efforts as the days go by.

A shipment of USAID supplies that includes plastic sheeting, blankets,
water-containers,
purification and distribution kits and generators have already arrived
in India,
envisaged to help at least 8,000-10,000 families, and so has a
seven-member disaster
response team that will quickly assess
the situation and send its requirements to Washington for additional
assistance
and more supplies.

USAID said it was also working with the non-governmental organization
(NGO) CARE
and had already begun distributing 100 metric tons of food aid on
Saturday that
was already in India when the earthquake struck and was making
arrangements to
rush several more hundred metric tons of food aid, which consists of
ready-to-eat
rations that could meet half of the energy requirements of about 4,000
families
for a period of up to 20 days.

A spokesman for the Fairfax Country Search and Rescue team, which is
considered
one of the best in the world and works with sniffer dogs, said they
stood ready
to fly out to India as soon as New Delhi took it up on the offer they
had made
immediately after the disaster struck.

Meanwhile, all the area temples were packed to capacity on Sunday with
devotees
and worshippers offering special prayers and setting up special
committees to channel the spontaneous ontributions people were making
to help
in the relief efforts.

Community organizations in the area had also set up special accounts
and Web
sites to channel the spontaneous outpouring of financial contributions
and were
working in concert with the Indian Embassy to expeditiously get these
funds across
so that they could be put into maximum use.

The Washington Post, which continued to report on the earthquake and
featured
it prominently on page one for the second day running, carried a list
of relief
organizations and NGOs that were assisting in the relief efforts with
details
on how to contribute.

Specialty organizations like the American Association of Physicians of
Indian
Origin (AAPI) also was mobilizing its members. Dr. Navin Shah, past
president
of AAPI and the chairman of the AAPI-Hinduja Hospitals collaborative
venture
on developing trauma units, said he had been in contact with Hinduja
chairman
S.P.Hinduja in New Delhi and that the Hinduja Hospital was dispatching
immediately
from Mumbai to Bhuj a team of doctors recently trained by
AAPI-sponsored American
trauma specialists.

This US team is being led by Dr. P. Balasubramanium, a trauma surgeon
at the
University of California, Los Angeles. Balasubramanium, according to
Shah, would
be leaving Monday with a top-flight six-member mobile surgical unit to
assist
the medical units, both Indian and international, that were already on
the ground
in the acutely affected areas where emergency surgery
was required. (India Abroad News Service)