Rural India Learning Journey Conference
In December 2007, 24 Indian Americans embarked upon a Rural India Learning Journey trip which proved to be inspiring -- and exciting -- in terms of what we, Americans, can do to work with India's dynamic NGOs and the rural folks, to ensure that Bharat, as distinguished from India, can catch up and run.
The group has decided to convene an "India Rural Development ACTION PROGRAM Conference" in Chicago on the weekend of May 3rd and 4th, 2008. All Americans interested in the development of rural India, including of course, Indian Americans, are invited to participate in this unique week-end ACTION-ORIENTED Conference.
To see the Agenda and learn how to register, click Conference Agenda.
If you wish to read the report of our December 2007 Rural Learning Journey, visit Learning Journey Report
posted by US-India Friendship | 12:41 PM
10 Comments:
Congratulations!!
And thanks for setting up this blog to share responses to your e-mails/newsletters.
I plan to read your report: Our December 2007 Rural Learning Journey
Congratulations and thanks for construcitng and inviting me for constructive comments and sujjestions into the two-way dialog between the people of India and America the two largest democracies on the earth.
The problems posed by poverty and health concerns in urban and rural India as well as that of America are identical or similar and require concentrated approach.
Looks like first to leave comment. Great place. Glad to be here.
KMGuru
Don Ram Narayanan,
Just wanted to thank you for the tremendous effort made by you over the years, in keeping all of us on top and well informed about the pressing issues facing India.
Very Humbly Yours,
Naresh Mansukhani
Dear Dr. Narayanan
Thank you for your efforts. I think this will go a long way in bringing the Indians in this country as also the world together to think together and forge out strategies to attain sustainable development in India, not just in the cities, but even at the grass-root level.
The present development programs being implemented seem to be urban-focused with the governments missing out on the importance and the imperative need for rural development on a war-footing. Prosperity, development and a desirable quality of life must reach the common man in the villages of India to achieve sustainable development and all-round progress.
I am hoping that your efforts will provide an important platform for people to help achieve that goal.
All the best.
SHOMIK CHAUDHURI
i salute you for your dedication to your place of birth: "maatru devo bhava" gorli harish
Congratulations. Ram, you know, I have been admiring your leadership for a long time. Your productivity is unbelievable. Ram, anyone who reads your clippings can become a scholar on indo us relations.
Your accomplishments speak for itself. Your active participation in New Delhi seminar and initiative in pioting a visit to villages project are highly commendable.
Ram, I am glad you have opened another channel of communication to network. 17,000 is a huge number and I am sure this can be multiplied easily.
Ven Parameswaran, 35 stonehouse road, scarsdale, n.y.10583
vpwaren@aol.com
I am posting this press release recently issued by the organization World War II Families for Recovery of the Missing, which is working with the Indian and American Governments to expedite the recovery of the remains of missing World War II American soldiers from Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern Indian states. This is a humanitarian cause that I believe both the American and Indian peoples can support without reservation.
World War II Families for Recovery of the Missing (WWRM)
www.wwiimissing.com
Press Release: February 7, 2008
Subject: Indo-US agreement on MIA recovery
Washington, DC: There are still 79,000 Americans missing from World War II. Of these, approximately 430 Americans are still missing from the China-Burma-India Theatre. Active searches in India concluded with the closure of the Barrackpore and Kalaikunda Cemeteries as the remains were concentrated to the Punchbowl on Oahu, HI and the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. This repatriation of remains was concluded in January 1948. The last active searches in the India-Burma Zone were conducted in the summer of 1949. In August 1974 an Indian Army Patrol was dispatched to a US aircraft crash site reported by a hunter in Northeast India. These remains were transferred to a CILHI (Central Identification Lab - Hawaii) team in August 1977. It was not until recent lobbying by private citizens from the families of the US Army Air Force B-24 "Hot as Hell" crew that this issue was brought to the attention of the Government.
A meeting was held in Washington DC on January 13 and January 14, 2008 between Indian Defense Secretary Vijay Singh and US Under Secretary for Defense (Policy) Ambassador Eric Edelman. Multiple confirmed crash sites in northeastern India were discussed and an agreement was reached that will bring closure to the families of the missing crewmen.
"We are treating this as a humanitarian gesture and we have no objections to the US teams coming into the Northeast", Indian Defense Ministry officials told the publication India Today.
According to India Today, "The missions were cleared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (India) which overruled reservations expressed by Intelligence bureau (India). " There are still some details to be worked out between the US and India. "A team of US specialists led by Rear Admiral Donna L. Crisp, Commander, JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) is to meet with Indian Defense Ministry Officials in March to discuss specific plans for further investigation and recovery operations. India IAF helicopters out of Assam have already begun preliminary work in identifying crash sites and helipads for the operations which are slated to begin between April and May of this year."
For more on this story please see the following published articles:
Sandeep Unnithan, "Ghosts of War", India Today, February 1, 2008
Nina Bernstein, "Still Trying to Bring Their Fallen Heroes Home", New York Times, February 3, 2008
Contact information:
Lisa Phillips
President, World War II Families for Return of the Missing
PO Box 804
Windham, ME 04062
lphillips5@fairpoint.net
(207) 939-2051
Ram N,
This is awesome. You are just so full of wonderful ideas.
To those of you thinking of joining the 'Rural India learning Journey' (RILJ): it is an excellent opportunity to learn the ropes. I was looking for something like this for years, and accidently tripped on it when I read Ram's invitaion to join. It's a journey where there's no looking back.
Asha
I am very happy we have a blogspot for this important topic. I shall try to see if I or my sister can make it up to the conference in Chicago in May. It is a very good conference with the right speakers.
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