Sewa Sandesh 122: October 8, 2009

From Editor’s Desk
Every natural calamity takes its toll on human and animal life. Every occasion, relief is provided by the voluntary organizations as well as the concerned governments which is an expression of charity as well as oneness. In recent days, the Aila cyclone in Bengal, the floods in Bihar earlier and again floods in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have done the damage and the society has responded in some way. Preventive measures towards limiting the damage & devastation are most essential now. On the other hand, the rehabilitation has also to be altered to suit the needs of the devastated families and the region for a longer period. Reconstructing the houses is one part which falls short by almost every means apart from providing the roof for the family.
The principle of Confucius sounds quite logical in such cases. He says, “Give a fish to a person and he would eat it all the day. Teach him how to catch fish, and he will be happy all his life.” We think this policy would be more beneficial for the flood affected families in the said states and this is how the rehabilitation policy is being planned.
Your help in this direction is to go a long way.

Relief Work Gathers Momentum In Flood Affected Areas of Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka
The spirit and determination of Sewa Volunteers have been proved once again when they responded swiftly to help the needy before anybody including government could reach flood affected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Despite the non availability of resources and funds, they stood against all odds to serve the flood affected people in these disastrous times.
Sewa Volunteers initiated the process of bringing together and collaborating with various NGOs and individual philanthropists to use the resources properly.
First Phase of Relief Operations:
They started distributing food packets brought by their fellow volunteers from the neighboring villages and Districts. They supplied food packets to over one lakh families in three districts of Andhra Pradesh for first 3 days reaching the interior rural areas of Kurnool and Mahaboob Nagar. Since the connectivity to Kurnool has been cut off, material is being brought in from Anantapur, Kadapa, Nellore and Raichur of Karnataka
Sewa Volunteers started the relief camps in Kurnool town in Saraswati Sishu Mandir and G Pulla Reddy Engineering College. Supplied thousands of food and water Packets to the Kurnool town from here.
Volunteers from Adoni cleaned the Mantralaya temple and cleared the dead bodies of cows of Goshala and other animals.
In Hindupur, they are running 5 food preparation and collection centres to support needy people immediately.
In Anantapur, Sewa Volunteers started a food collection centre with an intention of sending 10,000 food packets. With an overwhelming response from the people of Anantapur, the centre could prepare 50,000 packets and other material worth 5 lakhs sent for the needy in Kurnool district.
In Dronachalam(Dhone), they sent 50,000 food packets and 1 lac water packets for Karnool.
Volunteers from Nandikotkur rushed to the villages which went under the water and rescued 45 families and brought them to the safety and provided them food and other necessary items.
In Gadwal, A relief Camp is being conducted at TTD Kalyana Mandapam. Food packets are being supplied to 200 Villages.
In Hyderabad, 2000 volunteers are going around and collecting the funds, food and material which needed for flood affected people. Two collection centres have been set-up at state office of RSS and Keshav Memorial School. Every Day 4 truck loads of food material, 2 truck loads of other immediate necessities are being supplied to flood affected areas.
Sri Raghavulu, All India Secreatary VHP, visited affected areas and met the volunteers involved in the work in Karnool.
Sri T V Deshmukh , State President of RSS and State Organizing Secretary of Seva Bharati Sri Vidwan Reddy also visited Gadwal relief Camp and met the volunteers working in Mahaboob Nagar.
Second Phase of Relief Work :
After conducting a survey in the affected areas of Mahaboob Nagar District it was found that 58 Villages were badly destroyed and 16,000 families of several other villages were devastated. The immediate requirement of these families is to settle them down to their daily chores. Hence, Sewa Volunteers are planning for supplying the life supporting kits to 5000 families which will enable them to start off their living. Each Kit will consist of Kitchen utensils, food grains and material of daily use.
In Karnool District, since 250-300 villages were still under water the survey has not yet been completed. As far as Karnool Town is concerned it is slowly returning to normalcy. Around Karnool Town, 29 villages have been severely affected.
Sewa Bharati, Sewa International and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are planning to undertake similar steps to supply daily life supporting kits to the affected people to start their daily routine once they get the final statistics.
Third Phase of Relief :
Sewa Organisations including Sewa Bharati, Sewa International and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have already initiated planning for rehabilitating devastated people and reconstruction of destroyed villages. In this process, they are making coordinated effort with many other voluntary, social, cultural and spiritual organizations.

Some Organizations currently working with them in Flood Relief and Rehabilitation process are as follows:
- Vande Mataram Foundation
- Gayatri Pariwar
- Help for Needy
- Sanskriti Foundation
- Bharat Vikas Parishad

from the neighboring villages and Districts. They supplied food packets to over one lakh families in three districts of Andhra Pradesh for first 3 days reaching the interior rural areas of Kurnool and Mahaboob Nagar. Since the connectivity to Kurnool has been cut off, material is being brought in from Anantapur, Kadapa, Nellore and Raichur of Karnataka
Sewa Volunteers started the relief camps in Kurnool town in Saraswati Sishu Mandir and G Pulla Reddy Engineering College. Supplied thousands of food and water Packets to the Kurnool town from here.
Volunteers from Adoni cleaned the Mantralaya temple and cleared the dead bodies of cows of Goshala and other animals.
In Hindupur, they are running 5 food preparation and collection centres to support needy people immediately.
In Anantapur, Sewa Volunteers started a food collection centre with an intention of sending 10,000 food packets. With an overwhelming response from the people of Anantapur, the centre could prepare 50,000 packets and other material worth 5 lakhs sent for the needy in Kurnool district.
In Dronachalam(Dhone), they sent 50,000 food packets and 1 lac water packets for Karnool.
Volunteers from Nandikotkur rushed to the villages which went under the water and rescued 45 families and brought them to the safety and provided them food and other necessary items.
In Gadwal, A relief Camp is being conducted at TTD Kalyana Mandapam. Food packets are being supplied to 200 Villages.
In Hyderabad, 2000 volunteers are going around and collecting the funds, food and material which needed for flood affected people. Two collection centres have been set-up at state office of RSS and Keshav Memorial School. Every Day 4 truck loads of food material, 2 truck loads of other immediate necessities are being supplied to flood affected areas.
Sri Raghavulu, All India Secreatary VHP, visited affected areas and met the volunteers involved in the work in Karnool.
Sri T V Deshmukh , State President of RSS and State Organizing Secretary of Seva Bharati Sri Vidwan Reddy also visited Gadwal relief Camp and met the volunteers working in Mahaboob Nagar.
Second Phase of Relief Work :
After conducting a survey in the affected areas of Mahaboob Nagar District it was found that 58 Villages were badly destroyed and 16,000 families of several other villages were devastated. The immediate requirement of these families is to settle them down to their daily chores. Hence, Sewa Volunteers are planning for supplying the life supporting kits to 5000 families which will enable them to start off their living. Each Kit will consist of Kitchen utensils, food grains and material of daily use.



In Karnool District, since 250-300 villages were still under water the survey has not yet been completed. As far as Karnool Town is concerned it is slowly returning to normalcy. Around Karnool Town, 29 villages have been severely affected.
Sewa Bharati, Sewa International and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are planning to undertake similar steps to supply daily life supporting kits to the affected people to start their daily routine once they get the final statistics.
Third Phase of Relief :
Sewa Organisations including Sewa Bharati, Sewa International and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have already initiated planning for rehabilitating devastated people and reconstruction of destroyed villages. In this process, they are making coordinated effort with many other voluntary, social, cultural and spiritual organizations.
Some Organizations currently working with them in Flood Relief and Rehabilitation process are as follows:
- Vande Mataram Foundation
- Gayatri Pariwar
- Help for Needy
- Sanskriti Foundation
- Bharat Vikas Parishad

In Karnataka:

Raichur District: Raichur and Manvi Taluks are the worst affected in the recent floods caused by Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers. Volunteers of Sewa Bharati, Sewa International, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other partner organisations started the relief work since 3rd October 2009. On 3rd Oct. 6000 food packets were prepared and handed over to Govt. machinery to be supplied through the helicopter to the people stranded in the floods. On 4th Oct. another 6000 food packets were distributed to the people of 3 villages who were camping at Ganadal Village. 5th Oct onwards Releif Camps were started at Chickmanchali, Nadugaddemalakapur, Tungabhadra Villages which are on the Banks of river Tungabhadra. This initiative gathered support from all the communities and organizations of Raichur. Around 50 Sewa Volunteers are involved in this work.

Bagalkot District: 40 Villages of Hungund and Badami taluks are worst affected due to the flooding of Malaprabha River. Houses are collapsed due to heavy rains all over the District. Releif work like Food Distribution, Medical facilities was started in several villages by Sewa Volunteers. On 3rd Oct.about 30000 Rotis (chapattis) were collected in Bagalkot and distributed in 6 affected villages. On 5th and 6th Oct. Volunteers and college students started relief work in 28 villages. Food distribution & survey work have also been untaken.

Belgaum District: The heavy rain in the Belgaum district had caused immense loss of not only property but also of lives. Sewa Volunteers collected Rs. 1.5 lakh cash, food grains, plastic sheets and other necessary things and sent them to the affected areas in Ramdurg and Savdatti talukas.

Gadag District: Releif work was started on 4th Oct.in Holealur, Nargund, Mundargi,Magadi,and Vaasan. Food was prepared and distributed to 2600 people daily for 3days.In Magadi village Sewa Volunteers repaired the damaged road between Gojanur & Akkigonda village.

Keshav Seva Kendra, Delhi: A Unique Street Children Project
Seva Bharati initiated the first centre of Street Children Project in eastern Delhi at the Kalandar Colony in Dilshad Garden area. This Kalandar colony has population of 6000 people; including daily wage-laborers, rikshaw-pullers, rag-pickers, beggars, and many other struggling everyday for mere survival. Children above six years – living in these conditions – often join their parents in earning bread for the family. Some children dressed like monkeys and jokers dance at the traffic signals, some polish shoes, some pick rags, some beg at bus depots and railway stations. Parents too are either working or searching for work. They cannot pay any attention to the children. Children remain deprived not only of education, but of Sanskar (values) and affection.
Seva Bharati centre named as ‘Keshav Seva Kendra’ had little response in beginning. It was due to sustained Sampark (interaction) and efforts of Karyakartas, that children started coming to the centre. The centre offered primary education as well as some vocational education. The children after passing a year or two of primary education at the centre were admitted to Government schools, and the centre continued to offer vocational education in the evenings. Making of chalks and candles was the first training given. Later on, electric wiring, weaving of Jute bags, making toys, block printing, drawing – were also taught to children.

The karyakartas continued to meet the parents of these children regularly. This generated meaningful support of the parents to children’s education – though this meant loss of income in the family. The entire families often come together at the Keshav Seva Kendra to celebrate festivals. Karyakartas are invited to weddings and other celebrations in the families. To quote itinerant utensil-seller Heera, “No one in my caste has ever been to school. It was only because of repeated visits of Seva Bharati Karyakartas to our home that my children are now going to school”.
Keshav Seva Kendra has received a state award from Delhi Chief Minister Sheela Dixit during the Gandhi Mela.
Seva Bharati is currently running six centres for the Street Children Project. Five Hundred and Forty one children are getting education and sanskar at these centres. Fourteen full-time workers are working in this project. Eighty seven children have completed vocational education, and 27 have started earning. Fifty homeless children have been re-united with their lost families. Three centres are being run without any government grant, while the other three are being run on grants by the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Keshav Seva Kendra has maximum children, who were rag-pickers, shoe-polishers, beggars, snake-charmers, and drummers.
Gokalpuri Kendra has children of nomadic blacksmiths (Godiya Lohar) living on footpath. The Kunj-Bihari Kendra in Jhandewala has children of beggars. Lalbath Kendra has wage-labourer children, while Khichdipur centre has children from nomadic families.

Sewa International - FLOOD APPEAL 2009
For Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
This is a never – before – seen situation. Both the states, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are witnessing the worst flood due to incessant rains since the 1st of October 2009. Thousands have been rendered homeless and over 40,000 homes have been damaged alone in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. More than 250 deaths have been reported so far in the two states. The hapless victims of this catastrophe are in dire need of helping hand and will have to begin their lives from scratch when the flood waters recede.
The worst affected districts of Andhra Pradesh are Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Krishna and Guntur and in Karnataka the affected districts are Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Koppal, Bagalkot and Bellary. The volunteers of Sewa International and Sewa Bharati have responded immediately. The first and foremost task is evacuation of the people from the flooded areas and bringing them to safer locations and then distribution of food through mass feeding camps at various locations. A team of Doctors too has been deployed to take care of the health issues of the flood victims.
The most urgent help includes shelter and access to clean water, food, emergency medical supplies and basic household items. Volunteers of Sewa Bharati, Sewa International and other partner organisations in respective districts are engaged in providing immediate relief with the locally raised available resources. Plans for launching rehabilitation of the flood victims will be considered once the rescue and relief ends.

There is an urgent need to provide relief to the suffering millions. Whilst the Governments of the two states are making their own efforts in rescuing people and providing relief, the magnitude of devastation is such that additional aid and resources are required urgently to help in the relief efforts.
SEWA INTERNATIONAL, Bharat appeals the benevolent to help these unfortunate victims. Your support will help reduce the sufferings of these people in the flood affected states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, living in the remote areas. Sewa International will help the flood victims to bring back life to normal.
“WAKE UP TO THE CALL OF THE SUFFERING MILLIONS
SHARE YOUR MITE TO HELP THE MAROONED PEOPLE”
For further information please contact:
Telephone: +91-11- 23232850, 23684445, Fax: +91 11 2351 7722
Email: sewainternationaldelhi@gmail.com, Website: www.sewainternational.org
NOTE: Bank Details for Transfer will be given on demand
Please send your generous donations to:
SEWA INTERNATIONAL
49, Deendayal Upadhyay Marg; New Delhi – 110 002

EARTHQUAKE ROCKS BHUTAN
APPEAL FOR RELIEF – Oct, 2009
A strong 6.1 –magnitude earthquake struck the remote Himalayan Kingdom of BHUTAN on September 21, 2009 killing at least ten people and devastating the lives of million by damaging houses, monasteries, schools, property, agriculture holdings etc. Even three people of Indian origin too have been reported dead in the eastern district of Samdrup Jongkhar.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Mongar, 125 kilometers north of Guwahati and 180 kilometers east of Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. The four worst affected districts are Balfai, Thebong, Damoitsi and Gong Thung. Major death and damage have been reported from the remote Bhutan.
SEWA INTERNATIONAL wishes to reach to the victims of the earthquake and provide them with the desired relief and assist them in bringing life to normal. We will seek support of the temple establishments, monasteries and the Tibetan government in exile to Bhutan in reaching to the remote parts of Bhutan which have badly been devastated. There is an urgent need to provide relief to the suffering millions. SEWA INTERNATIONAL, Bharat, (a registered organization with FCRA facility) appeals whole heartedly the benevolent to help these unfortunate victims. Your support will help reduce the sufferings of these people in the earthquake affected Bhutan.

“Of all the righteous acts, help rendered to those needing it, is the most righteous.”

For further information please contact:
Telephone: +91-11- 23232850, 23684445
Fax: +91 11 2351 7722
Email: sewainternationaldelhi@gmail.com
Website: http://www.sewainternational.org/

Please send your generous donations to:
SEWA INTERNATIONAL
49, Deendayal Upadhyay Marg; New Delhi – 110 002
NEED YOUR SUPPORT URGENTLY

Sewa International honours Anandiben

Shrimati Anandiben Mafatlal Patel-a long standing member of Gujarat Assembly-is a Cabinet Minister of Revenue, Disaster Management, Roads & Buildings, Capital Project and Women and Child Welfare departments of Gujarat State. Besides being Gold medallist during student life, she has also many special achievements and honours to her credit in her political career. She has been bestowed upon with many gallantry awards e.g. saving the lives of two girls of Mohinaba Girls’ School from drowning at Navagam reservoir in Narmada, Winner of Charumati Yoddha Award, etc.
Arjun Lal Sharma, Vice Chairman of Sewa International UK had the privilege of meeting her when she was on a short visit to UK. He presented her the Sewa International’s achievement and information pack at a public gathering in Leicester on September 12, 2009 .

Titbits:
1. Karuppayi (85), of Lingawadi village in Dindukkal district (Tamilnadu, Bharat) sells peanuts around the Court and Hospital premises in Madurai. It is her livelihood. She had sustained injuries when a government bus hit her. That was in 1996. She was awarded a compensation of Rs 9,000 by the 4th Additional Sub Court in 1997 in a case seeking compensation. But the amount failed to reach Karuppayi. Meanwhile, Veerammal, Karuppayi's daughter-in- law, committed self immolation and died. Karuppayi's son too committed suicide, in dejection. That left the three children of the couple orphaned. Undaunted, Karuppayi continued to sell peanuts to eke out a living and to support her orphaned grandchildren (2 girls and a boy). The pathetic condition of the octogenerian and her untiring legal battle were reported in the Press. Justice P. Murugesan, a High Court Judge who read the news item, ordered the Secretary, Madurai Legal Aid cell and Sub Judge Venkatachlam to expedite payment of the compensation to the old woman. Two advocates, Muthukumar and Panneerselvam, too, were appointed for this purpose. The two held a talk with the government transport authorities represented by Govindasamy, regional transport manager (legal section), who in turn took up the mater with officials in Chennai and deposited a cheque for Rs. 9,000 with the Court. The information was conveyed to Karuppayi who was spotted at the Hospital premises selling peanuts.
2. An Indian student has been recognised by the prestigious LANCET journal for her essay "Pens and Needles", which stressed the importance of equipping poor people with tools. A Ph.D student of medical anthropology, Bianca Brijnath, has been declared as one of eight winners worldwide of the "Young Voices in the Research for Health" essay competition. She has been invited to the Global Forum for Health Research to be held in Havana, Cuba. The 27-year-old' s essay "Pens and Needles" stressed the importance of equipping poor people with tools, such as pens and needles for their health and intellectual journeys, according to a university release. It was selected from 415 submissions and will be published in November by the LANCET.
—(From Panchaamritam)
3. Sandeep Bachhe has an autorickshaw in Mumbai. It has a television set tuned to good old Doordarshan -- which incidentally is celebrating 50 years of transmission in India. Then there is also a board with the day's price of gold, silver, dollar, pound and the yen.
Behind the driver's seat hangs another chart with phone numbers of hospitals, theatres, hotels and airlines. You can also pick up the day's papers and a couple of magazines in the rack behind him. 'Do not spit,' another notice admonishes you. There are pictures of Gods from all major religions. "All are welcome," he says with a smile.
Of course, you can't have it all, even Bacche's wonder auto has some limitations -- 'No toilet available,' says another sign and Sandeep, 35, explains, "Some college girls got in and told me, 'You have everything where is the toilet?' and so I put this sign up."
The signboards continue, and there is one that says, 'Donate for old people' with his mobile number below. Sandeep gives whatever he can spare to an old age home. He also collects money from like minded auto drivers to distribute notebooks among slum children.
He points out four other auto drivers who had each given Rs 500 to distribute books to needy children.
Sandeep also gives free rides of up to Rs 50 to people who are blind and gives a 25 per cent discount to the physically challenged. He gets a physically disabled customer about once a month. —(By A. Ganesh Nadar)

“Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion can not compare with an ant filled with the love of God.” — Guru Nanak.