The Uttarakhand Tragedy

Dear Friends,

Disasters like these tell us that nature can do anything and anywhere to the mankind but for our stupid reasons we just don’t understand this and never ever bother to think about it as.

Sarthak Prayas is taking a small step to do whatever possible the way we did at the time of Gujarat Earthquake for the victims of recent Tragedy that happened in Uttarakhand. To help the ones in need there and to provide them with basic medical need and the basic food requirement we are organizing a camp at Sarthak Prayas office in Punjabi Bagh.

You can donate things like mineral water bottles, biscuit packs, basic medicines, candles, blankets, rusks, new utensils and other basic requirements…

You can come and deposit above mentioned things at our office in Punjabi Bagh. You can also support the drive by donating for the drive in cash/cheque which would help us transport the things collected to the required destination.

Lets join hands in helping people who have lost their loved ones, their earning source and help them fight in their difficult time.

Please feel free to contact us for any further clarifications you make have.

Please quote separately that the donation is specifically for 'Uttarakhand Tragedy Donation' to allow us maintaining a separate account for this to ensure complete transperancy.

Warm Regards,

Harsh Arora | Sarthak Prayas
An NGO working for Voluntary Blood Donation Promotion, Thallasemia & HIV/AIDS Awareness, Child Education, Old Age Welfare & Environment Education and Awareness.

38 (Basement) Road No. 52 | Punjabi Bagh West | New Delhi 110026. India.
Ph: +91-11-45650560 | +91 93103 11354 | Visit www.sarthakprayas.org

Blog: http://harshsarthakprayas.blogspot.com/ Follow us on http://twitter.com/SARTHAKPRAYAS

Be our Friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sarthakprayas

Swine Flu And Exams

An outbreak of swine flu is a cause of concern any time of year, but when it coincides with exam time, the situation begs for more attention. That is why schools in the city are taking extra precautions to protect students.
While some schools have sent out circulars urging parents to keep their children at home in case they develop flu-like symptoms, others have instructed teachers to keep a close watch on the health of students.

According to official data, though the numbers are rising, not more than 30% of the swine flu-positive cases need hospitalisation as the virus strain is mild.
The city reported 60 new cases on Wednesday, taking the total number of affected persons this year to 570. Eleven people have died of the disease so far this year. The city reported 60 new cases of influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) on Wednesday, taking the total number of persons affected with the disease so far to 570. Eleven persons have already succumbed to the viral infection this year. Of them, 10 died in February alone.
The Delhi government’s health department, however, maintains that the virus strain is mild and is like any other seasonal influenza. There is no need to panic if one has tested positive for swine flu as the numbers may be rising but only about 30 per cent of the positive cases need hospitalisation.
“One has to be careful about the symptoms, especially if the person already has a history of chest infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, etc. Diabetics and those undergoing treatment for chronic diseases such as cancer must also see a doctor as soon as the symptoms appear,” said a senior health official in the Delhi government’s health department.
There are no differentiating symptoms of swine flu; the person having swine flu also has sore throat, body ache, runny nose, etc. However, the symptoms are likely to be more severe in case of swine flu than what one sees in seasonal influenza.
Health experts have urged people to maintain proper hygiene to avoid catching the infection. Wash your hands frequently, especially before or after eating; do not touch your mouth, nose and eyes frequently; cover nose and mouth with a disposable handkerchief while sneezing and avoid crowded areas and contact with people showing flu-like symptoms.
“Those who required hospitalisation were serious cases with previous history of upper respiratory tract infection. In most cases, the condition got aggravated as they did not pay heed to the symptoms and kept delaying seeing a doctor,” said the official

India Tax Saving Challenge 2013

Dear Friends,

Sarthak Prayas is back in India Tax Saving Challenge 2013. It is pretty much similar to India Giving Challenge. We are continuing with the same objective of Remedial Centre for urban slums of Delhi/NCR. The target is to setup 14 centres to cover 9 district of Delhi and one centre each in all five NCRs with 40 students in each centre. Covering 560 children to help them in their Education, Life and Soft Skills, Hygiene and Nutrition.

Please support us with as much as you can as your impact can be doubled with GiveIndia’s matching grant. So come forward and be a part of this initiative and involve yourself not only with financial contribution but also with your time and ideas too to serve the causes in more effective way.

This year the prizes are as follows :

Matching
Grant
Limit By Funds Raised
NGO 1 5,00,000
NGO 2 3,50,000
NGO 3 2,50,000
NGO 4 1,50,000
NGO 5 1,00,000
NGO 6 1,00,000
NGO 7 50,000
NGO 8 50,000
NGO 9 25,000
NGO 10 25,000
Total 16,00,000

Needless to say that you will receive the tax benefit of 80G for your donation in India but you can always motivate your friends and relatives abroad to contribute to this challenge to support our cause. It is the best way to introduce them to Sarthak Prayas if you are satisfied with your relationship with us.

Please click on the following page to access the challenge page and support.

http://www.giveindia.org/iGive-sarthakprayasitsc2013

For any clarification or more information about the challenge and our programs, feel free to contact at harsharora@sarthakprayas.org or +91 93103 11354.

Warm Regards,
Harsh Arora | Sarthak Prayas
An NGO working for Voluntary Blood Donation Promotion, Thallasemia & HIV/AIDS Awareness, Child Education, Old Age Welfare & Environment Education and Awareness.
38 (Basement) Road No. 52 | Punjabi Bagh West | New Delhi 110026. India.
Ph: +91-11-45650560 | +91 93103 11354 | Visit www.sarthakprayas.org
Blog: http://harshsarthakprayas.blogspot.com/ Follow us on http://twitter.com/SARTHAKPRAYAS
Be our Friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sarthakprayas

The Magic Of Thoughts

The magic of thought

Come to think of it: Our bland neutral world and the magic of a thought! A happy eye sees the stars as shining lamps of a celebrating sky but a sad one knows them as the scars of burning pains in the heart of firmament.
Just like the concept of God, life is formless, colourless, tasteless and neutral like boiled penne or vermicelli. In the same manner that pasta becomes red pasta on adding tomato or becomes white pasta on adding white sauce and cheese, life also changes its taste at the hands of its chefs – we the living beings. We are our own chefs and we can either spice it up or boil it down to suit our taste buds. The way we look at our lives is just an endless play of our thoughts and moods.
We all get our photographs taken; and with the help of latest technology, we alter them to our own desirability. If we want a picture to look antique, we use the antique frame. If we want it to appear bright, we highlight it with colours. We control things as per our wishes. When we are happy, even the trees seem to be dancing; and on the other hand, when we are sad, all that we focus on are stray dogs barking.
Adding that extra touch to our feelings, passionate thought, make our normal days worthwhile; and withdrawing the same makes us feel that life is a burden. Our moods are but states of our minds, which can be controlled and directed. We are the masters of our own lives. We can shape it, reshape it or do whatever we want to do with it. We choose the way we want to be and, therefore, the best we can do is to become aware of how powerful we are and work towards getting the best out of each day that comes our way.
Ht inner voice 19 Jan 13

National Youth Day

Today is National youth day.
National Youth Day is celebrated in India on 12 January on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. In 1984, the Government of India declared and decided to observe the birthday of Swami Vivekananda (12 January, according to the English calendar) as a National Youth Day every year from 1985 onwards. To quote from the Government of India's communication, 'it was felt that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth.
Enjoy Life....!

Law of Karma vs God

Countless instances come before us when people link their faith in God to some magic-like happenings in their lives. Not only this, we come across many such situations when people in deep distress mumble before God, “If you are really there, then save my …”
Prayer is alright but why should we put to test God’s power and existence; and who are we to test Him, especially after having accepted Him as the creator of this universe?
And we also hear of cases of miraculous escapes and turned from being atheists to believers in God. Do we need to expect God to create miracles to bring the realisation in all the atheists that He really exists?
Recently I read the autobiography of a holy man who at one time was a pilot and nonbeliever in God. But, in a plane crash, he survived while his companions were killed. This incident changed him from an atheist to a believer.
It is a flawed perception of God. Questions like why God chose to save the pilot and not others, can lead to a set of flawed conclusions. First, God is not kind to those who accept his existence but is kind to them who do not accept his existence. Second, God wants to prove his existence to those who don’t believe in him with his miracle-like act.
Death or an escape from death is the part of law of Karma and it has nothing to do with God’s existence. The fact is that the creation of this universe and the creation of living creatures are great examples of His greatness and existence. Look at the wonder of the myriad suns, moons and other countless heavenly bodies.
Even the best machines designed by man develop snags; but all that He has designed have remained flawless. The longest day and the longest night come exactly after a year and a leap year never gives a miss.
Thus, we should not link the law of Karma with His existence.
Ht inner voice 11 Jan 13

Reality of Forcasts

Reality of forecasts

Come New Year and horoscopes are grabbed. One may or may not be a believer, but I am yet to see a person who does not check about his/her future.
I too was keen to know what the stars had for me in the next one year. It was quite interesting to go through such predictions. And I always tend to hope that the good things as predicted do happen and the not-so-good things don’t happen!
One forecast said 2013 will come as a highly satisfying year. Yoga and meditation will give immense gratification. I don’t know whether these things are going to happen because my New Year resolutions have nothing to do with these predictions.
The year will also come with ‘greatly unusual situations’ that will throw opportunities to be grabbed; and in each of these situations, there will be “new learning experiences”.
New learning experiences! Quite fascinating? I wonder what could come up as “new learning experiences” in the days ahead. One can’t conjecture but one can always hope, as I do, that the coming months may come with solutions to the hitherto-unfulfilled goals that have remained a bit too hazy.
Another ‘source’ says I am set to be a footloose, traveling and experiencing the wonders of nature within and outside the country. This seems to be a bit closer to my wishful desires and is indeed one of the New Year resolutions that have remained unfulfilled for quite sometime now.
Many of you may say one need not be serious about such “starry predictions”. Yes, I will go with you, but if one gets serious on the possibility of such happenings happening, and starts working hard towards their realisation, what is the harm?
I would like to take you to E M Foster, “Failure or success seems to have been allotted to men by their stars. But they retain the power of wriggling, of fighting with their star or against it; and in the whole universe the only really interesting movement is this wriggle.”
Ht inner voice 08 Jan 13