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 <<CityNews Main Send Flowers to India!

 We invite associations, organizations and clubs from cities around the US to send in press releases accompanied with high resolution photos for publication in City News. Contributions may be sent to editor@NRIPulse.com.

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Atlanta

Ekal Vidyalaya Thanks Supporters At Appreciation Dinner 

Ekal

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”.

Ekal

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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