BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta,
GA: The Ekal Appreciation Dinner was held on Friday, December 7th at
the Impact Center in Global Mall. With over 170 supporters in
attendance, the event was meant to thank all the supporters who have
contributed over the years and also reach out to new and potential
donors.
Bharat Lok Shiksha Parishad, a constituent of the Ekal
Abhiyan, has received the S.R. Jindal 2012 Prize for Peace, Social
Harmony & Social Development. The prize money of Rupees one crore
is said to be used for running of Ekal Vidyalayas benefiting the
marginalized villages in remote India. Ekal's primary education,
healthcare, vocational and empowerment education is said to have
reached villages in 22 states, educating over 1.1 million children
through 39,769 schools.
Scrumptious food from Ashiana welcomed
guests for the evening. Entertainment began with Ganesha Stuti and the
traditional lighting of the lamp by the Guest of Honor, Arvind Sharma,
Senior P.R.O, Delta Airlines. An eloquent speaker, spontaneous in his
comments Arvind Sharma opened with the symbolic nature of the lighting
of the lamp and the trigger of the light. “Each one of us here has the
trigger; given the opportunity each of us can be empowered to trigger
and Ekal is empowering that trigger” he said. Speaking of Global Mall
as the pride and joy for Indians across the US, he said that it was
more than a shopping complex, a way to connect to our spiritual roots.
”. He emphasized the need for a strong spiritual foundation for every
successful endeavor. Following the lighting of the lamp, Ajay Upadhyaya
presented a short video on the life and dreams of an Ekal student. Ajay
introduced his video with the song, “Papa Kehte Hain”. Much
awaited segment of the evening, music by various artists including
Sargam entertained and reinforced the spirit of the foundation. Emcee,
Rachna Gupta nicely interleaved the songs with heart-felt appeals for
donations. Rachna urged donors,“The number of schools is 39,769 which
is about 200 short of 40,000 and we can hit that goal tonight”!
Atlanta’s resident artist, Monika Mittal graciously offered her hand
paintings as gifts to donors and within the next fifteen minutes, there
were several pledges. Ekal Board member, Mrs. Kusum Khurana recounted
her experience of visiting an Ekal school in Saharanpur District
(India), a fortnight before the event. Her first-hand account made a
big impact on all those gathered. One gentleman immediately came
forward to make a sponsorship, “I am from Saharanpur, here's my check”!
Uma Muralidhar's tremendous support and dance at the end really
enlivened the dance floor.
Donations came in various forms
- stage design by Sushma Patel of Fifth Season; food by Ashiana
Restaurant; contribution by Duggal Insurance; art by Monika Mittal and
Music Entertainment by Sargam’s founder-organizer, Navin Tyagi and
popular singers like Rekha Pallath, Pankaj Bhargava, Yash Warke and
Chandrika Narayan. SEWA & EKAL volunteers took care of the Pledge
table. Kavita Upadhayaya offered free baby sitting and Activities Desk
for children, while the adults enjoyed the music. Planet U lent its
support by donating net proceeds from the recent Bollywood Dhamka, to
support Ekals’ schools. Planet U Performing Arts chose Ekal Vidyalaya
as its charity of choice for 2012. Ekal is also inviting other
organizations to support Ekal Vidyalaya Movement.
Malla Reddy
and Ajay Upadhayaya have successfully made presentations on Ekal
operations to reach out for corporate sponsorships. Another initiative
coming up soon is an immersion style tour in rustic Almora District,
where participants can visit Ekal schools. For more information on
Ekal, you may visit www.ekal.org. All donors are encouraged to visit
Ekal Schools while in India.
Greater Atlanta community has
extended its warm support to the Ekal cause as was evident at the
Appreciation Dinner. Ekal’s next big musical event is in March 2013 by
Sanjeevani Bhelande, a well-known playback singer from India. This will
be another great opportunity to have fun and support a cause.
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