CHICAGO: For a noble cause, members of Indian community have never lagged behind in extending their support and this was once again in evidence when Ekal Vidyala Foundation held a fundraiser Saturday, April 6 at Glen Bard North High School in Carol Stream.
Members of the community flocked to the school in large numbers to be part of Swar Sanjeevani 2013 and extend support to a very worthy cause – “the Gift of Education” for the underprivileged children of rural and tribal villages of India.
The start was with lighting of lamp which was done in the presence of Dr Ashutosh Gupta , renowned Nephrologist, Dr Mahendra Patel and Hansa Patel along with Chicago chapter president Dr Hasmukh Shah and Jyotsana Shah. Harish Doshi emceed the event gracefully and introduced Dr Hasmukh Shah, a highly respected physician practicing in Sterling Dr Shah recalled the statement made by Swami Vivekananda that if a child can’t go to school, then a teacher should go to the child.
“His dream has now taken shape with over 46,000 schools from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Somnath to Assam. We are fortunate to celebrate his 150th birthday this year by making his dream and vision come true as Vidya Dan is the greatest of all Dans”. Chicago Chapter is a proud sponsor of Ekal National Conference to be held in September, he said.
Shree Gurusamy, a Social Worker who actively works with the immigrant families and seniors of Chicago, made an appeal for donation. She spoke about Ekal Movement’s phenomenal success that has led to economic development of India. Ekal Chicago chapter collected $18200 at this charity music concert to benefit over 300 schools in India.
The cultural event that followed was a mesmerizing affair with 900 plus members of the audience totally submerged by the mellifluous voice of Sanjeevani and her musicians. Kamlesh Shah thanked all patrons, donors and supporters for their year after year continuous donation towards Ekal’s initiatives.
With the kind of momentum ‘Ekal’ has gathered in recent years, and over 4,000 selfless volunteers joining hands, the future of establishing 100,000 schools in remote rural areas of India is definitely not a distant dream, he said
Each year ‘Ekal-USA collects around $4 Millions (40 lakh Dollars or 20 crore Rupees) through their fund-raising concerts. In the last few years, “Ekal” has received numerous prestigious Awards and Grants, including ‘Best NGO’, for its transparency of operation and outstanding administration.
The Ekal movement is the largest, grassroots, non-governmental education movement in India, operating in over 46,966 villages and educating over 1,335,078 children in rural India. The goal is to reach 100,000 villages by year 2015.
Harish Rao & Asian Media USA
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