You Are Not Forgotten - Summer 2002

Summary

You Are Not Forgotten was a volunteer effort to offer healing for children psycho-emotionally traumatized by the violence that started in February 2002 in Gujurat, India. Due to continued violence during our scheduled trip, we were unable to safely travel to our destination of the Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujurat. As a result, from June to August 2002, we remained in Mumbai and worked instead with blind and disabled children at the Happy Home and School for the Blind, offering hands-on therapies and educational support. For details of our work, read our report. The funds we raised in the prior months were distributed to several families in need.

Background

In late February 2002, an ethnic-cleansing of Muslims began at the hands of Hindu-fundamentalists in the state of Gujurat in northwest India, centered in Ahmedabad - ironically the birthplace of the great Mahatma Gandhi who championed the Indian independence movement f as well as the idea of a unified India where all castes and creeds would live in harmony. Violence continued through March and to a lesser extent for several months thereafter until international pressure on India forced the Gujurat state government to finally restore order.

Fundraising

Volunteers gathered to hold two concert-fundraisers in May 2002, at a cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico and at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia. At our local Alexandria concert, the following performers - representing a variety of musical traditions as well as spiritual traditions of the world - volunteered their time, energy and hearts for an evening of inspired music:

Dr. Rajwant Singh, Bhai Gurdarshan Singh and Sawinder Singh - Sikh sacred music
Stefan Waligur, songs of peace and justice
Gerard Moreno and company, Flamenco
Lida Saeedian, Persian Classical Music vocals

Classical Indian Music:

Shubha Sankaran, surbahar
Khansahib Brian Q. Silver, sitar
Mohan Shyam Sharma, pakhawaj