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Loving Faridibad

Aug 11th, 2010
by Julia Taylor.
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I love my city - LSDIn Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Programme, PP Singh of India, undertook a project to improve his home city of Faridibad with a venture titled “I Love My City”. He created an NGO that has taken on many projects cleaning the city and making it safer, and in the process has received attention from many local newspapers. This story from Faridibad City Plus, dated from Jly 3rd, tells a bit of the story.

It’s Your City, Keep it Clean

Faridibad residents put up an excellent example of fulfilling their duties towards their city when an NGO, “I Love My City,” Market Welfare Association, and RWA jointly took the initiative to clean one of the most popular but messy markets of Sector 15.

The venture was held on Sunday by almost 50 people where they themselves swept the market clean and shouted slogans like “Mera market kaisa ho, Mere ghar ke jaisa ho.” They talked to shopkeepers and vendors about how they were responsible for the upkeep of the market. They received a positive response from the locals when shopkeepers voluntarily started to clean the garbage near their shops  and promised to do the same.

PP Singh, the founder of the NGO, said “I ardently love Faridibad and it is every resident’s responsibility to take care of this city.”

Manohar Puniani, MWA president, said “It is actually our responsibility to keep the market neat and clean and today we have taken the first step.”

The NGO has been associated with many more welfare projects in the past where they undertook the construction of a road in Sector 23 and repaired potholes in Sector 28.

[Find out more by looking up I Love My City on Facebook.]

Project Identifies and Restores Neglected Indian Monuments

Jan 7th, 2010
by Julia Taylor.
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srinivas raoThe project created by Srinivasa Rao in his Landmark SELP programme to identify and restore neglected historic monuments in the Indian province of Karnataka (which includes Bangalore) has been recognized with a major feature article in The Bangalore Mirror.

Rao teamed with six other colleagues in the tech industry to work with him in pooling their time and money to restore dilapidated ancient monuments. His project, first titled “Unseen Karnataka”, began when he wrote about these monuments and the benefits it would bring society for them to be restored. But when he talked with his friends, they all decided that more than writing was called for. Rao relates that they decided that taking direct action was a once in a lifetime opportunity to contribute to their homeland.

temple - indiaThey worked with the Archaeological Survey of Indian, identifying different sites and spending their weekends investigating them. They visited twenty-five locations and began work at three of them. In doing so, they both educated local communities and tourists online about the different sites. In the months that followed, they worked with local citizens and college students to unearth a number of ancient temples.

The costs of excavation are of course very high. Go to the Unseen Karnataka website to get involved.

Fundraiser Aids Indian School

May 1st, 2009
by Julia Taylor.
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tessa-mills.jpg

Tessa Mills created a fundraising event to raise £1,000 for new classrooms at a Himalayan school. The event, which was her project in the self expression and leadership programme, actually raised £1,500 and the attention of the London Informer.

Chelsea Party for Indian Kids

by Ellie Dyer

A Chelsea resident has been inspired to throw a party to help build a new classroom at an Indian school, nestled in the foothills of the world’s largest mountains.

Tessa Mills, 56, is hosting an event at World’s End Studios, in Lots Road, tomorrow night to help children in the famous tea-growing district of Darjeeling.

She hopes to raise £1,000 for the 55 pupil English-speaking school, so it can extend its educational reach and improve the lives of youngsters, after a visit to the institute.

“It was truly amazing place, on the foothills of the Himalayas. But there was a huge contrast between the beauty and the simplicity of the classrooms”, said Tessa.

“Raising the money will means the school can continue.”

Tickets for the party cost £15 and it starts at 6pm. The ticket includes an Indian beer and entertainment.

It will be held at the World’s End Studio, 134 Lots Road, Chelsea.

Venkat Seeks to Quiet Bangalore

Nov 14th, 2008
by Julia Taylor.
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Bala Venkat of the metropolis of Bangalore, India, has come up with a novel idea to reduce the noise pollution of the city. His project in the Landmark Education SELP programme is to create a campaign against this by raising awareness, educating drivers about indiscriminate honking, and working with police and other officials. He has organized many volunteers and a co-director for his programme. The Times of India covered the Landmark Education project in their November 11 edition.

By BK Ganesh

BANGALORE: How often have you been stuck in a traffic jam and seen motorists making things worse by incessant honking? This, despite the knowledge that the jam is going to take long to ease, and the honking helps in no way whatsoever. The horns blare even in hospital or school zones.

In a battle against this unnecessary noise, two groups of youths will soon kick off a no-horn campaign that aims at creating awareness about noise pollution.

Techie Bala Venkat and his team have got together aound 500 volunteers for their campaign – called No Honk Please – that will be launched on November 25 by tagging stickers on vehicles and holding a road show. It will be flagged off from the Nokia office, where Bala works. He will first educate his colleagues about indiscriminate honking and its effects.

The increasing number of vehicles has made Bangalore one of the noisiest cities in the world. Various studies show that the decibel level of traffic is increasing by the day, and has crossed the maximum permissible limit (it’s 80 decibels on any road); sometimes it’s even louder than a jet taking off.

Employees of Astra Zeneca are also involved in a campaign against noise pollution. They conduct seminars and workshops and organized a road show on M G Road recently. A similar show will be held on November 15.

“Schoolchildren, BMTC and autorickshaw drivers will be educated on the use of horns. ENT experts will speak about the side effects of noise pollution. RTO and police officials will impart information on various rules to be followed,” said Naina Hegde, co-coordinator of the programme. Auto drivers will also be encouraged to use silencers. The team has 15 volunteers.

Besides warnings by the World Health Organization, the Supreme Court has also passed an order directing all state governments to initiate action against noise pollution. The Union ministry of environment had asked the states to forward an action taken report, compiling details on the measures initiated to curb the menace. “But the government had done nothing in this direction. Youths coming out voluntarily to create awareness is laudable,” says ENT specialist Sree Kumar.

Health Checkups for Seniors

Sep 3rd, 2008
by Julia Taylor.
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When Chetan KS took the landmark education self expression and leadership programme in Bangalore, India, he wanted to do something that provided for the health of seniors. And rather than have them visit a doctor or health practice, something that isn’t always convenient for seniors, he brought the doctors to them.

On August 16, he held a health camp for seniors at the Chisthu Seva Samaja ashram/old age home. There were more children in the Ashram, and they got health checkups too–More than 40 seniors and 80 children took part. Not only did the participants receive free checkups and medicine, but they also were served free fruits and dinner.

For Chetan KS, the highlight of the event was when all the seniors blessed and prayed for him, his friends and his family prior to their dinner together. The project was such a success that it received the attention of two local newspapers on August 18 – The Sanjevani and The Thina Sudar.

Landmark Education Self Expression and Leadership Program connects Salt Lake City to Northern India

Dec 10th, 2007
by Toby.
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In Northern India, in the State of Hamachel Pradesh, there is a discouraging state in the social affairs of the local people. This area remains to be one of the most backward regions of India with an average income of $200 dollars per year for most native residents. Outlying communities remain poor with little hope for government funding to improve their way of life.There are eight facilities in the district of Chamba that serve orphans, and battered or homeless women and their children. These facilities have extremely poor living conditions, broken windows, little or nonexistent sanitary facilities, no hot water, poor or no beds and bedding, lack of clothing, minimal kitchen facilities, little or non-existent educational resources and a lack of training or vocational programs to help the local people.

According to local government officials in Chamba, no outside humanitarian organizations had previously ever come to the aid of these people.

Youth Making a Difference (YMAD) is a project that was created Landmark Education Self Expression and Leadership Program. It is intended to make a difference in the lives of children in orphanages in Northern India and perhaps more importantly the American students who participate.

The above video was taken in the months leading up to the first YMAD visit to the State of Hamachel Pradesh. While this 2 week trip brought much needed supplies and contact to the various orphanages, it made an even bigger difference in the lives of the students who participated. You can get a sense of the difference that was made by viewing the second video below.

If you would like to know more about this project or would like to participate with Youth Making a Difference you can visit www.ymad.org if you would like to know more about Landmark Education, you can visit www.landmarkeducation.com.

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