Please Give 40000 families a voice!

Hola People,

First, listen to this AWESOME trailer of ‘Mountain Echoes’

And now, I’ll come to the point!!

Villages/rural areas in India are hardly connected the way we are. There is no question of Internet/Google/Facebook. They live in a ‘media dark’ area.

One really strong medium of communication is RADIO. It changes the way people live. Local radio stations, in particular, address local needs, local information/entertainment/education/etc. and bring about social change in many ways.

Lots of rural communities are incredibly passionate about making Community Radio happen, but are strapped by funds and lack of technical know-how.

My college friend, Saritha Thomas – who has a strong background in Radio – has set up a NPO called People’s P.ow.er Collective, that will help rural/isolated communities build and run their own Community Radio station.

In 2013 they will be building a Community Radio station FROM SCRATCH in Uttarakhand.

We are fundraising for this project, and ANY contribution from you would be awesome!!!!

Even the littlest amount that you can spare would go a long way. You will be helping 150000 people find a ‘voice’ that would influence their lives in a great way.

So please, please do contribute. Even the tiniest amount would do.

To donate from India: visit our page on Wishberry

To donate from UK/other countries: visit our page on Buzzbnk

And please, help spread the word. If you are a blogger and are reading this, then would you consider helping by adding a Widget in your blog?

Thank you SO much, folks!!!

On making a difference

Year 2010 just began. And its nearly over too! Where do the days and years disappear? Days filled with insignificant, mundane chores! Days centred around our pretty selves!!

Perhaps, it is time to take some effort to ‘make a difference’ to those who really need help!

The Ojas Trust does precisely that. The Ojas is a Registered Educational and Charitable Trust.

Please do read their website to learn about all the fantastic work they are doing to help people who aren’t as fortunate.

A quick summary of their projects:

1. To mark its grand opening, The Ojas has adopted “Irular Colony”, near Ponneri, 75 kms from Chennai. The colony has about 1000 residents in 120 tiled and thatched huts. They don’t have access to drinking water and electricity. The Ojas is negotiating with the government to ensure that by end of project, the Colony has these two basic needs. Also, for Diwali 2010 – The Ojas is distributing new clothes to all the inmates along with Rice & Grains. The colony still needs lot of work …and we need you to help us with this! Please contact for more information – projects@theojastrust.org

2. The 12th Blood Donation Camp is scheduled to be held on Nov 14th, 2010 between 9.00 am and 12.30 pm at Aditya Ashwin Apts, Dr.Ranga Road, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004. Additionally, we will be serving food to all the donors and volunteers on this day.
3. In order to spread awareness, The Ojas is also inviting people to come forward to “Donate Eyes”. Forms are available with representatives. The duly filled forms can be returned to us, which will be in turn deposited at “C U Shah Eye Bank, Sankara Nethralaya”.  Interested people may please contact Priya at 98840 36200 or email her- priya@theojastrust.org

4. Another new endevour of The Ojas to increase environmental responsibility is planting 86 fruit bearing coconut trees in Magaral Village, Tamil Nadu.

5. Representatives of The Ojas have personally visited and surveyed 18 homes (including baby-care units, orphanages, old-age homes, etc.,) in and around Chennai. The sum total of the needs have been clearly listed below.

• 2 ton AC for a Baby Care Unit

• 20 Steel Single Cots for a Old-Age Home

• Fans & Tubelights (50 numbers)

• Huggies (Different Sizes)

• Grinders/Mixie/Washing Machine

• Bedsheets & Pillow Covers

• Mike with Amplifier & speakers

• Large sized Aluminium vessels for cooking purposes

• Pressure Cooker (20 ltr size)

• Steel plates and tumblers (Over 500)

• Wax for candle making (Over 200 kgs)

• Tea Powder (Over 100 kgs)

6. The Trust will also be distributing 250 “AkshayaPatra” Bags that contain Rice, grains, pulses, oil, toilet & sanitational needs etc that cost Rs.2000 per bag. Each of these 250 bags will be given to Irular Colony and inmates of Leprosy Village.
7. Rice, pulses and grains in bulk quantities purchased for these homes. The requirement for each home varies from 100 kgs of rice to 50 kgs of dhal, oil, sugar, etc…

I just received this email:

Our first Grama Seva (Village Project) happened on October 24th 2010 in the Irular Village near Ponneri, Chennai. The inhabitants of more than 800 people were each given new clothes and sweet & savories. Additionally, every family (120 families) were given 25 kilos of rice and the Akshayapatra Bags. The Ojas Trust also gave large amounts of used clothes and other usable household things (such as mixie, vessels, umbrellas, etc..etc…) to the villagers. Chairs, large sized cloth mats (to be used on the floor) were given to the school.

About 35 volunteers representing The Ojas reached the village at about 10.00 hrs. The crowd was waiting in anticipation for their goodies. The organised crowd who were given tokens came forward to receive their gifts. Our volunteers went along personally to place the bags of rice in their respective homes. The village roads were in bad shape owing to rain the previous evening. The place immediately needs proper sanitation and that would soon be the area of focus of The Trust.

We sang devotional songs at the end of the distribution, made photographs along with the villagers and bid them farewell promising to come back again with more concrete plans. The school needs PRIORITY attention. The flooring is almost absent and children are often bit by insects as they sit inside the school. The leaking roof adds to the agony.

Those of us who are interested in promising these people better sanitation and a better environment to study – please write to us at –projects@theojastrust.org

Here is a picture update of the project! Thanks to all of you who made this project a reality! We look forward to your continued support!

If any of you would like to volunteer your services (or money too), please email priya@theojastrust.org

If any of you would like to volunteer your services (or money too), please email priya@theojastrust.org

Priya happens to be my ‘schoolmate’, and I can completely vouch for her genuineness!!