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WORLD  Gujarat Relief Urgently Needed BY FRANK MORALES INDIA, Feb 4 (VNN) — Hare Krsna, As the world is now aware, one of the most devastating earthquakes in world history has hit the South Asian sub-continent on Friday, January 26th. The epicenter of this deadly quake - 7.9 on the richter scale - was in the western Indian state of Gujarat. At the latest count, approximately 20,000 people have been killed, with many thousands more injured and missing. The damage is easily in the multimillions of dollars. A world-wide appeal for donations and assistance has been issued by many charitable and relief organizations in order to help alleviate some of the incalculable suffering that has occurred. The need is immediate. The need is urgent. 90% of the population of Gujarat is Vaisnava. As fellow followers of the culture and religion of Vaisnava Dharma, our brothers and sisters in Gujarat, and throughout the entire affected region in India, need our immediate help. Vaisnava Dharma is a religion that teaches the invaluable importance of compassion, service and love. Now is the time to live our religion's highest ideals by sharing what we have and doing what we can to help our fellow Vaisnavas in this terrible time of need. Below is an appeal for funds by one of the best and most effective Indian relief organizations on the scene. I personally endorse the appeal and urge you to please donate as much as you can to this relief effort. Please forward this appeal to as many people as you can. Thank you. Jaya Sri Rama, Frank Morales, M.A. International Sanatana Dharma Society http://www.dharmacentral.com INDIA DEVELOPMENT & RELIEF FUND, INC. [Tax-Exempt Organization under U.S. Internal Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(3): ID 52-1555563] Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2001 (Prepared by Beth Kulkarni and reviewed by National President Dr. Vinod Prakash) One of the worst earthquakes in recorded history has hit Gujarat state, India. More than 15,000 people are feared to have died and hundreds more have been injured. It is thought that the city of Ahmedabad has suffered the highest number of deaths. Property damage is estimated to be in the millions of dollars. India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) has released $20,000 for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of this natural disaster. It, as all funds that are raised by the organization, will be sent to well-established, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with outstanding reputations for humanitarian service and fiscal responsibility. IDRF, an established non-profit organization in the United States, is administered by volunteers with no honorarium or overhead. It channels 100% of the contributions to voluntary NGOs that have a proven track record of accountability and dedication. Because of the working relationships with many NGOs in India, specific organizations that will best utilize the funds will be quickly identified. IDRF maintains bank accounts both in India as well as in the USA which allows for a quick transfer of funds to the selected organizations. During the past decade, IDRF has raised $5.8 million in support of various charitable organizations in India, including $300,000 for the 1993 Latur (Maharashtra) earthquake victims, $315,000 for 1999 Kargil victims and more than $550,000 for Orissa super-cyclone victims. Besides accepting individual, corporate and organizational donations by check, IDRF is eligible to receive corporate-matching gift funds. Donors working for firms that have such a program are encouraged to take advantage of it to increase the funds available to help the victims of this huge national disaster. Gifts of appreciated stocks can also be donated, making it possible to give generously without incurring the capital gain taxes. Donations to IDRF are tax-exempt in United States. Checks can be made payable to "IDRF" and mailed to: IDRF, 4807 Phebe Ave., Fremont, CA 94555-2502 In the memo, please mention "Gujarat Earthquake". Additional information is available at the organization's website, http://www.idrf.org, or by emailing idrf@aol.com. Volunteers in the various parts of the United States: West: Chetan Gandhi (562) 921-4912 chetangandhi@yahoo.com Shyam Gokulgandhi (510) 794-5088 idrf@aol.com Mid West: Srinarayan Chandak (309) 662-8353 chandak1@aol.com Vijay Pallod (281) 568-4995 pallod@aol.com East: Garima Shrivastava (770) 394-5031 vijayshrivastava@hotmail.com Abhay Belambe (781) 641-1593 abelambe@hotmail.com _____________________________________ Frank Morales, M.A. Director, Dharma Central http://www.dharmacentral.com (608) 288-0266 fmorales@dharmacentral.com Satyam Eva Jayate - "Truth Alone Prevails"  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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