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Newsletter Aug 2002
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Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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From Narain V. Hingorani, AIS President
At the last Board meeting held on 28th April 2002, I was honored to be elected as President to hold the helm of American Institute of Sindhulogy, which was launched exactly two years ago to-date. Under the able leadership of Dial Gidwani (Founding President) and Prem Balani (Immediate past President) the ship has attained an even keel and is sailing smoothly along the chartered course of its mission of promoting awareness and understanding of Sindhu and Saraswati and associated Civilizations. My task has been made doubly easier to the extent that the AIS has already received the status of tax-free organization from the Internal Revenue Service of United States and that many important steps e.g. Book distribution, contacting UNESCO and other national and international organizations were initiated in the past two years. These activities have been described in our previous News Letters. This letter will concentrate on updating the progress made thus far; and identify and describe new efforts being undertaken by AIS in response to suggestions and recommendations of distinguished visitors to our web-site. Book Distribution The second shipment of "Return of the Aryans" was delayed in India due to late printing and was received by us only 7/15/2002 - two months later than the expected date. Arrangements for distribution of books are being made with renewed urgency. We expect to make available total 450 copies to libraries and 50 copies to opinion makers in government and media organizations by end of September 2002. Also, we plan to order additional 500 books and continue the program through 2003, for which we will need support of new membership and donations.
We may mention here that AIS has no office/administrative expenses. All twelve founding directors provide voluntary service and incur their own out of pocket sundry expenses. Every dollar received by AIS is allocated to the direct cost of achieving the objects of organization. AIS take this opportunity to give special thanks to Lachmi and Girdhari Khemani for their untiring assistance in distribution of books and Ram Advani for his relentless efforts for securing tax-free status. Guest Book Comments
During past three months our web-site has was visited more than 5000 times. There was also tremendous increase in the number in Guest Book comments which, came from far off places including India, Pakistan, Canada, France, Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia, Hawaii Japan and all corners of United States. We are heartened at the reach of our web site.
AIS expresses gratitude for constructive and encouraging comments from many professors and other distinguished visitors. These have given us immense impetus to pursue the goals of AIS with renewed zeal and greater urgency. Based on their recommendations, many more university libraries are being included in our Book distribution program. Efforts will be made to introduce AIS web page to the university faculty and obtain reciprocal linkage with their web sites.
In response to many requests urging us to introduce AIS and its mission to Indian embassies and consulates, we have written and provided "Return of the Aryans" to all the consulates in North America and plan to write to other Indian embassies. We also plan to address Indian ministries and news media in India and America to apprise them of AIS mission.
AIS will always look forward to increased involvement of learned professors, researchers, archeologists and our other distinguished visitors for their continued guidance and as a continuous source of new ideas. National and International Organizations
AIS is maintaining regular contacts with national and international organizations to advance awareness of Sindh-Saraswati and associated civilizations.
Besides our endeavors in communicating with UNESCO, Connecting Cultures, The Tokyo Museum and Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) mentioned in our earlier New Letters, AIS has established new contacts with American media including PBS. In June 2002, through personal contacts of Lakshmi and Dial Gidwani we introduced AIS, its mission and web-site to Dr. Bruce Z. Kraig (Professor Emeritus of History and Humanities at Roosevelt) and Janice I. Thompson (Director of Documentary studies and Assistant Professor of Television at S.I.U.). They are co-producers of HIDDEN INDIA: THE KERALA SPICE LANDS, one of the Hidden-Journeys series produced by them for national Public Broadcasting System, besides other programs for ABC and NBC etc. Hidden India www.hidden-journeys.com will be aired on channel eleven (PBS) on August 29 at 8: PM in Chicago area. After reading "Return of the Aryan" they have shown keen interest in Sindhu Civilization and expressed desire to produce a program "Hidden Civilization- Sindhu- Saraswati". They have also assured us of their help to secure a link for www.sindhulogy.org on PBS web site.
Kits for Schools/ Libraries:
Our director Hiro Mirchandani will establish contacts with School Boards and Library Systems that would be interested to exhibit and include Indus Valley Kits in their programs, formats of which will be mutually researched and developed. The Director of Archeological Department of Government of India has promised his assistance and full cooperation to arrange for the necessary Kit material. Indus Exhibition
We continue to keep our sights on the target date of arranging the INDUS EXHIBITION in the USA in the year 2005. The Indus Exhibition in Japan Conclusion and Appeal
The ship of American Institution of Sindhulogy, which was launched just two years ago, has made steady and gratifying progress in its mission. But it has a lot more waters to travel and many more shores to visit to meet all the objects it has set out to achieve. We shall face with fortitude any foul weather that comes in our way; and will keep sailing full speed in fair weather, never losing the sight of our cherished goal.
Your support and encouragement are like sunshine and tailwind, which are indeed helpful and reassuring but more important is the fuel, which is essential to keep the ship chugging along steadily. And that fuel is the financial support without which, in spite of the dedicated and unrelenting endeavors of the crew, the ship can get stuck in a sandbar or hit a rocky ledge. AIS, therefore, reiterates its appeal and urges you all to strengthen our efforts by joining AIS as its paying members. The *fee is just $25.00 per person for lifetime membership. AIS would also welcome *donations in support of our mission (* tax-exempt).
(Narain V. Hingorani)
PS:
Many visitors to the Guest Book have given me the title of a Dr. I thank you for the honor and beg to advise you that I am not a doctor neither of medicine nor of philosophy. I am just a seeker of truth collecting pebbles at the shores of vast ocean of knowledge.
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