Jan 12, 2005
Contact: manav@netseva.org ; 919-522-8089
Info : http://www.netseva.org
January 12,2005 marks the 142nd birth anniversary of the great Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda, who introduced Hinduism to the US by representing the tradition at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893.
On this day, HSC and the NetSEVA team would like to announce and request your participation in a special day of remembrance, prayer and seva for the victims of the tsunami disaster. The Tsunami Disaster Memorial Day will take place on Wednesday, January 26, 2005. We have selected this date for remembrance because it will mark one month since the devastating tsunami hit South and Southeast Asia. Secondly, January 26th also marks four years since the disastrous Gujarat earthquake in 2001. Lastly, January 26th is also the date of the Republic Day of India.
As you are probably aware, the disastrous tsunami has taken the lives of over 155,000 individuals so far and the death toll continues to rise daily. Thus, your participation in the January 26th memorial day is very much needed and will greatly benefit all those who have suffered from the devastating effects of the tsunami, by reminding everyone that the rehabilitation process will take longer than a month to complete.
All Hindu Students Council chapters have been requested to take part in the Memorial by organizing one or more of the following events across the US:
Praying collectively is a comforting experience and may serve as a way of coping with the disaster. In addition, victims of the tsunami need our prayers just as much as, if not more than, the financial aid.
Candle light vigils may be held in memory of those who lost their lives in the disastrous tsunami.
One of the most difficult aspects of the tsunami disaster is coming to an understanding of what role, if any, God played in the occurrence of the tragedy and how we as spiritual individuals can maintain our faith after the tsunami.
NetSEVA, HSC's National Service Project has been appealing everyone to donate to two of our partner organizations: AIM for Seva and International Association for Human Values (IAHV) through the online donation link provided on our website (or directly to these organizations). These organizations are directly involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts in India and some other South Asian countries.
NetSEVA is also eligible to receive your tax exampt donations and is considering taking up a longer term fundraising effort towards rehabilitation. More details of this will soon be available on our website. We hope that the memorial day event on January 26 is the first step towards that goal.
If you're not a member of an HSC chapter, please check with your local HSC chapter in the next week or so to find out in what way you can get involved. Please continue to monitor our website or join our announcement yahoogroups (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/netseva) for updates on Regional and Chapter events. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments or would like to help us, please mail us at info@netseva.org.
Sincerely,
National NetSEVA Team
www.netseva.org