By Prakash Narayan-
All India Movement (or AIM) for Seva, a registered non-profit organization, held their annual Donor Appreciation Gala on Saturday, September 7, at the Elizabeth Hangs Theater in Santa Clara Convention Center in California.
The concert featured excellent artists from India: Jayateerth Mevundi on vocal, Pravin Godkhindi on flute, Narendra Nayak on harmonium, Ishaan Ghosh on table, Sukhad Munde on pakhwaj and Suryakant Surve on side rhythm.
AIM for Seva was founded on the concept of building chatralaya, or free student homes, in close proximity to educational institutions in rural India. This enables underprivileged children access to high-quality education. Today, 94 chatralaya serve as homes for 3,500 children from grades 4 through 12 – thus providing them a nurturing environment, with academic support, and access to enriching activities.
AIM for Seva also has eight educational institutions that offer value-based curriculum for more than 5,000 students each year (from kindergarten through college). The institutions are designed to prepare the students for further education/employment. There is an additional focus on extracurricular activities including cultural validation, community spirit, and the concept of seva (or service). Students participate in daily yoga and in artistic endeavors.
AIM for Seva has the highest (4-star) rating from Charity Navigator for the seventh consecutive year. This implies that an independent organization has evaluated AIM for Seva and concluded that they are more likely to use their donations effectively. This provides donors with peace of mind that their contributions will have a positive impact.
In speaking with Raj Paripatyadar and Sushma Bhatia – both volunteers at AIM for Seva Bay Area, it was abundantly clear that all the volunteers are actively engaged in the 190+ projects focused on paving the way to a bright future for these underprivileged children. Rani Goel, a San Francisco Chapter coordinator, said that her goal is help more people realize the value of participating in this worthy cause. She was driven to bring very high-quality artists from India to bring people together for a meaningful cause. There are 26 chapters across the US that are dedicated to raising money and having an impact.
Volunteers at AIM for Seva, Bay Area
It was heartening to see youth volunteers actively participate in the event. In fact, one of the youth volunteers, a Senior from Evergreen High School, founded a startup, aionix, as an initiative to innovate and educate society with a focus to teach senior citizens and children. With the funds raised, he contributed $5,000 to AIM for Seva. This involvement of youth volunteers to empower disadvantaged students to not only break the cycle of poverty but also fosters a sense of purpose, empathy, and social responsibility in other youth volunteers. Through their efforts, these young volunteers contribute to building a more equitable society in India where education is accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic background.
Coming to the event itself, it started with an address by Vijay Kapoor, one of the coordinators of the San Francisco Chapter. He invited two volunteers to conduct the fund raise. The cost to transform the life of one child for one year is $500. With a goal to raise funds for 300 children (of which they already had commitments for 150 children), they started by seeking audience members willing to provide support for 20 children (or $10,000). Within a few minutes, four people provided the pledge. The final tally of pledges was for 214 children (for a total of $107,000).
The Hé Govind: An Ode to Krishna concert was an ethereal blend of soul-stirring vocals and divine bansuri. It was obvious that this team played together many times with the intricate melo-rhythmic improvisations that they performed. They began the concert with a song in Raag Brindavani Sarang. This was followed by a beautiful melody in the Raag Pahadi, Jamuna kinare mere gaon. Jayateerth Mevundi next sang a Purandara Dasa song Govinda ninna namave chanda in the Raag Chandrakauns. He sang a composition of Swami Dayananda Saraswati (founder of AIM for Seva) in the Raag Durga, Ramam Bhaje Shyamam. Pravin Godkhindi displayed a flute that he had designed that plays one octave below.
He went on to play a beautiful melody in the Raag Yaman. Jayateerth Mevundi[Above photo] is the disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Not surprisingly, he sang a song composed by the great maestro in the Raag Hindustani Bhairavi, Bhaje re muraliya bhaje. Given that the concert took place on Ganesh Chaturthi, the next song was an Abhang on Ganapati. He sang another Purandara Dasa composition next in the Raag Bibhas, Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma. This song too was originally sung by Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Surely, he was smiling from heaven at this melodious rendition. The concert concluded with another composition of Dayananda Saraswati in the Raag Desh, Bharata Desha Hitaya.
Overall, the evening was rewarding on many fronts. The Bay Area got to witness an excellent concert and the organization was able to exceed its goals for the funds to collect for a worthy cause. Those wanting to donate, you may click on this link: https://aimforsevabayarea.org/donate/
