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Newsletter Jan 2002
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Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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From AIS Board of Directors
The founding members appreciate unprecedented and overwhelming response on the AIS website - on the Guest Book and by emails to us. We have over 5300 hits on the website in a period of five months and a very large number of messages in the Guest Book. We are grateful for this response. Regretfully, we have been unable to reply to some of the questions raised on the Guest Book, since we do not get email address from you. Please be sure to indicate your Email address in your comments to us. Apart from commenting on the Guest Book, please feel free to send us also an Email at [email protected]. May we once again request visitors on the Guest Book to refrain from entering controversial remarks. Please feel free to send such remarks or any other messages at our email address. We assure you that we will consider every message fully and respond to all your questions and suggestions. Book distribution: This program will continue. Originally, we had felt that we shall be sending books to about a 1000 libraries, subject to availability of funds received from our donors and members. Keeping however before us the pressing suggestions of many, we have come to the conclusion that no such limitation needs to be observed. Thus Library-Distribution will be an on-going program and there will be no limit on the number of books, depending of course on the donations and funds we receive. The task of distribution is laborious and time consuming. We had requested your help to recommend to us libraries to which books should be sent. The response was not too great and consisted largely of general suggestions. The burden mainly of selecting right libraries, therefore, fell on founding members. Naturally, this involves some correspondence on our part with Libraries, taking into account also the importance of the library, its membership and accessibility, the population it serves, proximity of people from the Indian sub-continent and such other factors. Schedule of Book - Distribution: We hope by mid February, the total of Libraries to be supplied will be about 200. We are expecting another shipment of books in order to continue our distribution. We expect that by this year-end the bulk of the original quota of 1,000 copies will have been supplied; and from then on, the program will still run on a continuing basis, subject to, as has already been clarified, on the availability of funds from donors and membership-fees. Membership: We request all of you to please join AIS and be its members. The fee is only US $25 per person for lifetime membership. AIS needs donations for the support of this mission and program. You are aware that AIS does not permit advertisements on its web site. Nor does it, in any form or manner, permit itself to be used for commercial publicity. It is not allied with any Government or a political, communal party or, for that matter, with any party whatsoever. It can therefore rely only on its membership for financial support in order to fulfill its social, cultural and educational program.
The Indus Kit for Schools: AIS is approaching boards of educational institutes for schools in the USA. We need their concurrence that they will include the Indus & Saraswati Civilization program along with the other civilizations of the world. This program is mainly for children ages 6 to 14 years old. The kit will consist of Indus Civilization replicas with description, videotapes, and catalogs of Indus Civilization in pictures and explanations. IRS Exemption: AIS is pleased to inform you that IRS has approved AIS as a tax exempt body, under section (501)a of internal revenue code. AIS will be treated as publicly supported organization. AIS Chapters: We see from our Guest Book that some (Sindhis and persons from the Indian Sub-Continent) in Hong Kong, Canada, Bombay and London have indicated their interest to start Chapter of AIS in their country. AIS will be delighted to discuss such operation. Please send us email with your proposals or suggestions ([email protected]). Visits to Hong Kong & India: The founding members Lakshmi and Dial V. Gidwani and Neena and Prem S. Balani visited Hong Kong, Bombay and Pune, on personal visit and met Sindhis and people from the Indian sub-continent about the mission of AIS. Mr. Hari Harilela of Hong Kong and members of the community showed great interest in AIS functions and purpose. Mr. Hari Harilela, as is well known, is deeply committed to supporting the culture of Sindh and the Indian sub-continent and we expect his advice and look forward to his supporting the mission of AIS. In Mumbai (Bombay), Mr. Jhamatmal Wadhwani (President: Vivekanand Education Society) appreciated the mission of AIS and offered us every support. Mr.Jhamatmal is an eminent personality and well known worldwide for his extensive social work. His advice and counsel will always be valuable to AIS. Vivekanand education society was founded in the year 1962 under the inspired leadership of late Shri Hashu Advani. It is matter of considerable pride and gratification that the society with its excellent track record has grown from strength and has opened several Educational Institutions right from Creche to post graduation in Management studies. Today, the society has campus of seven buildings in Chembur and Kurla, which is catering to over 12000 students. We had also the opportunity of meeting some outstanding personalities. Mr. Hiro Tulsiani of Lagos, Mr. H.B. Chanrai of Nigeria and Mr. Kartar Lalvani of London. These are well known personalities in the Sindhi World for their good work in the cause of the community. There was appreciation from them of our mission and as we move on with our projects, we hope to receive from them advice and support. Indus Exhibition: We propose to hold Indus Exhibition in the USA similar to one organized in Japan. You may like to see the link at www.Sindhulgoy.org (Indus Exhibition in Japan). We are approaching Art Institutes and T. V network to sponsor the exhibition. We welcome any suggestions, recommendations and provide us with contacts if any.
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