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July 10, 1999
COLUMNISTS
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Could We Not Give More?
R S Shankar This August 15 when about 30,000 Indian Americans gather in New York for the Independence Day parade, they will be doing more than shouting "Bharat mata ki jai." They will be expected to offer donations to the soldiers who fought to drive out Muslim guerrillas into Pakistan. They will be asked to remember the soldiers who perished fighting for India. In fact, the participants in the parade would have already donated some money before the annual event, as the Federation of Indian Associations, the organizers of the parade, set up a fund about three weeks ago. Yash Paul Soi, FIA's newly-elected president, has not announced how much money has been collected, but he said the "response is amazing," and that even second and third generation Indian Americans are pitching in. Speaking about first generation immigrants, he said while many of them had become American citizens, they cannot afford to forget their roots. In Washington, Navtej Sarna, a spokesperson for the embassy, said Indian consulates and embassy has received spontaneous and continuous offer of help and remittances. And yet many in the community ask the question: Could the community have raised more money? "Every Indian organization, every Indian temple, every national convention of Indian organizations should have worked together and raised over $ 5 million," says livery cab driver Raminder Singh, who says he has donated over $ 300. "Five million dollars for a starter," he adds. "Our community could raise five times that amount. There are Indian movie producers, I believe, who raise $ 100 million to producer four Hollywood films in a year." Indian Americans would have spent over $ 3 million attending Bollywood live shows this summer; at least $ 5 million would have been spent on national convention of major Indian American associations. But the Kargil cause has reportedly received less than $ 1 million from NRIs in America. Some fund-raisers believe the amount could be far less. Even the Central Army Welfare Fund has received about $ 30,000, and the embassy in Washington about $ 15,000 in last 20 days. Could it be that the NRIs have sent money directly to India? Embassy officials in Washington believe that to be the case but no proof has been offered. Many people who have been networking with each other to create a heightened awareness about the Kargil situation do not think so. "We do not think twice about spending money on entertainment," says Kamla Bhatt, a Silicon Valley marketing professional. "But shouldn't we contribute immediately and substantially to help our soldiers?" Bhatt echoes the sentiments of many Oracle professionals who started collecting money for the jawans and then went on to organize the Golden Gate Bridge protest which drew over 2,000 people, According to him, while individuals have taken the initiative to raise money, Indian organizations "have not made a concerted effort to raise money or influence their elected legislators". But that could change. At the recent AAPI convention in Anaheim, the association of Indian doctors announced they would accept donations, medical supplies and clothes to be sent to the families of the jawans. And yet it is individuals, many of them far removed from millionaire NRIs, who are taking advertisements in Indian newspapers for donations to be sent to the Indian embassy or directly to India. There are many who are sending e-mail requests. The India Network Foundation, a small organization compared to the FIA or the Association of Indians in America, began an Internet appeal about four weeks ago. The June 30 deadline has been extended, says Professor K V Rao, because the war is continuing. Besides the target $ 100,000 has not reached. "We have received pledges amount to $ 57,992 (about 58 per cent of our goal)," he says. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, INF is eligible to receive matching gifts from many companies in the US. Visit its web page http://www.indnet.org or http://www.indianetwork.org or http://www.kvrao.org and click on Kargil Families. You can then complete the pledge form n the secure server. Or mail a check made payable to "India Network Foundation" send to: India Network Foundation, Kargil Families Fund, P.O. Box 556, Bowling Green, OH 43402. The Hindu Temple in Fremont has attracted a number of groups eager to help Kargil efforts: 3676 Delaware Drive, Fremont; (510) 490-9597.
The Indian embassy says checks and money orders drawn in favor of the National Defence Fund can be sent to any one of the following addresses:
National Defence Fund
Additionally, checks/money orders can also be sent to Army Welfare Fund. The checks/money order should be drawn in favor of Army Central Welfare Fund.
Deputy Director(CW-8)
To facilitate payment by NRI's in the US, ICICI Banking Corporation Limited has opened an account in New York. Contributors must instruct their banks with the following instructions:
Pay
Checks/money orders can also be sent to the Air Force Welfare Fund. The checks/money order should be drawn in favor of the Indian Air Force Central Welfare Fund. Indian Air Force Central Welfare Fund
For Non-Resident Indians: Contributors may remit their donations in Citibank NA,
For credit to
For further credit to Indian Air Force Central Welfare Fund
A P Kamath contributed to this story. Next story: Movie and Home Video Projections for India Features in Bitter $ 500 Million Disney Suit
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