Trident Hotel Reopens, but How Do We Open Our Heart!

Today is Christmas. We opened the presents in the morning sitting near the Christmas tree and I have been thinking…., I have been thinking about the news I read yesterday about the Trident hotel reopening. It’s great news that the Mumbai attacks didn’t stop the hotel. But how about the people? How can we open our hearts to others, particularly those from different cultures, different religions and different races?

I don’t know about grown ups but I can only talk about my own experience. When a kid meets new friends they play and hang out together. They feel happy. If a kid looks different and he or she doesn’t fit in then they feel left out; usually the kid feels that the other kids are ignoring her and she is just a piece of air. Then the kid feels sad and angry. So I think ignoring someone is not good. We should reach out and talk. Then we may make new friends. That opens our heart and that sure feels good. So I hope we can open our hearts a little as we open the Mumbai hotels.

Helping Hands

So many people are joining hands. So far about 40 people have donated. We have raised about $50. A Maryland-based company also agreed to donate some money. So I think we have a budget of around $100. I would love to raise about $500. Please help spread the word and let us see if we can do it.

I also wanted to inform you that we have been communicating with Mr. Nishit Kumar, Head of Communication and Strategic Initiatives, CHILDLINE India Foundation in order to work out a plan to help the kids who suffered from this attack. We are discussing the plan in our Google group for KidsforMumbai. Please check out our group mailing list and join hands:

http://groups.google.com/group/kidsformumbai?pli=1

Thanks,

Priyanka

Losing Your Family...

I read this story last night. I wanted to share this with you. A 13 year old boy lost his parents in the Mumbai attack who is in the Mumbai JJ Hospital. He also lost his uncles and three cousins. I was thinking about how difficult it is to lose your family...makes me so sad....

"As the boy, 13, looks up from his Mumbai hospital bed, his adult brother rests his hand on the boy's forehead, almost shielding him from the pain he does not yet know -- much of his family was killed in Wednesday's terrorist attacks....."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/01/attacks.orphan/index.html

We also got responses from several people in Mumbai who are with different organizations that work with the kids of Mumbai. We are interacting with them and trying to develop a good plan to spend the funds we are raising. We need your help in spreading the word and raising funds.

--Priyanka

A Quick Update

Thought of giving you a quick update before I head out for the school bus. Here is a summary of things that are happening:

1. We contacted Bombay Community Public Trust. This is a Mumbai-based organization. I got a mail from Ms. Dinaz Parab of BCPT this morning. They are in the process of contacting the victims' families and identifying their needs. They will compile this information within the next few days. 

2. We have contacted the Taj and Oberoi hotels (thanks to Ms. Singh) and sought their input.

3. We are also in touch with several people from the schools in Mumbai regarding this.  Thanks to my Mr. Das and my Dad.

4. My Dad is also going to get in touch with several groups of folks from Mumbai. Thanks to Ms. Shankharupa for her e-mail.

I will keep you posted. Please let me know your thoughts. We created a mailing list to keep you informed about how this is shaping up. 

As always, thanks a lot for the help. Please spread the word and we will make a difference. We will not stop until every dollar we raise reaches the victims' family.

---Priyanka

Reaching the Victims

Ms. Singh, one of our contributors, came up with a great idea today. She had heard that a boy lost both his parents. His Mom passed away couple of months ago. His Dad was a security guard in one of the hotels and he was killed in the attack. Now he is living with his grandparents. If we can locate this kid then may be we can pay for part of his education. Of course, Moshe Holtzberg is another kid who became an orphan and it will be great to help him too! Many kids were also injured. I found some names from the lists posted online:


Abdul Sheikh Sohel (Age, 5)
Akshay Tanaji Supekar, (Age 11)
Devika Natwarlal Rotawan (Age 10)
Sanju Husain Ghorpade (Age 15)
Tejas Arjungi (Age 3)


Please let us know if you can find any information. We sure need help from people in Mumbai.
Thanks for all the help. So many of you joined the cause. We created a GoogleGroup Mailing list today so that we can continue to discuss this whenever we need to through e-mails.

Getting late; my mom is asking me to go to bed.

--Priyanka

No Matter Who You Are

Yesterday we had our first snow. We also set up the reindeer and the lights in the frontyard. While I was doing that I have been thinking about why the terrorists have done this. Why do people hate other people because of religion? I always like the Christmas time of the year. I like the Christmas carols and the decorations; I also like the Durga puja and Diwali. My Dad tells me that when he was a kid he had many Muslim friends in India and he used to go for the feast during Eid and many other festivals. I also have a friend in the school who is Muslim. I have many Jewish friends. We may do different things in different religions. But why do we need to hate each other because of that? Why can't we celebrate all of them? I wonder....What I'm saying here is that no matter who you are and how different we look, we all are same inside, right?

--Priyanka

What We Plan to Do with the Funds We Raise

I came back from school today and saw so many mails and postings. Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it. So far we have raised about $20. Hopefully we will raise more and make a difference. Here is what our current plan is. We plan to offer these:

1. Direct aid to the families and kids of the Mumbai victims. 

2. We can probably also donate to the Cama hospital for Women and Children at Mumbai.

We probably need help from people in Mumbai to make sure that the help reaches the right people. I searched the Internet for charity organizations that are active in Mumbai and found this link:

http://mumbainews.wordpress.com/2006/08/20/list-of-ngos-working-in-mumbai/

Do you have any suggestions? We really need your help in identifying the best way to spend the money we raise. My Dad told me to post a list of all the donations at our website. You can find it by following the link at the bottom of the web page. We will together raise the money and decide how to spend it based on everybody's input. If you have any suggestions then please send me an email  or post a note in the blog. Thank you! 

-- Priyanka

Babies "Made of Steel": A Story About Cama Hospital Attack

Here is an ineresting story I read today on the Internet. It is about the Cama Hospital which is only for women and children. While the terrorists were attacking some of the patients were hiding in small rooms. One interesting part was that while the fighting was going on there was a birth taking place. While the baby was taking his first breath, fighting was going on. The mother of the baby said "My child took his first breath amidst all the firing, but he did not make a sound; he didn't cry. When he grows up, I'll tell him, that he's made of steel,'' said Banu, from Mumbra. You can read more here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Panic-stricken_patients_walk_out_of_Cama_hospital/articleshow/3766744.cms

--Priyanka

World is Full of So Many Good People

I am so touched by all the support from my teachers, friends, neighbors, and family. I have no doubt that the world is full of so many good people. It sure can be a much better world. I love you all. Today, there were candle-light vigils in many places for remembering the victims. I saw many wonderful pictures. I will try to post some pictures in the website. I was going over the list of people who lost their life. Two young kids lost their life in the Taj hotel. Today, some people also suggested that we can help the Childrens' hospital that was attacked on November 26. I think that is a great idea! Some people also suggested including Google Ads in our website for raising additional funds that we can donate. Let me know what you think. --Priyanka

Humanity at Stake

The brutal terrorist attacks on 26/11/08 at Taj Mahal hotel, Hotel Oberoi, Nariman House-a popular spot for Israeli visitors, Café Leopoid, Vistoria Terimus and Cama& Alfless Hospital in Mumbai and the intensity of attack and its nature have made people of India and abroad to rethink as to how to combat terrorism unitedly. Terrorism has become major enemy of the world people.

In the multiple terrorist attacks of Mumbai 172 people including 31 foreigners died; 293 people injured; 9 terrorists killed and one terrorist captured alive.

The terrorists started action a little after 9 p.m. (ISD) on 26-11-2008(Wednesday) and it continued till 29-11-08(Saturday)

Nearly simultaneous attacks at all places were so intensive that the army, the navy and the air force were compelled to send their resources in Mumbai. Many families lost their near and dear ones in the fierce fighting.

Memory of the bereaved families lost their only earning members. Some of them may need same financial help. I appeal to the people of the world to extend their helping hand generously.

Victims of the Attack

Hi, researching on the attacks on Mumbai. In all 172 deaths and 293 injured and also 3 kids are dead. Also 9 terrorists were killed and 1 was captured. I am very sad and shocked, it's unbelievable. If you go to this link you'll be able to find the list of people who are dead or injured. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2008_Mumbai_attacks Information about this website: In this website it has some information about the attacks in Oberoi, Taj, The Jewish House, train stations and the hospital. It also has information about what exactly happened in the attacks or sometimes it lists what some people thought about the attacks. The website is wonderful for learning about what other people thought about the attacks and has useful information. If you find any useful links please post. Thank you. -- Priyanka