Newsletter October 2007

Dr. Rakesh Popli, Nuclear Scientist & one of Ekal's Visionaries, passed away on September 15, 2007

Dr. Rakesh Popli (a USA-returned nuclear scientist) and one of Ekal's Visionaries, passed away on September 15, 2007 at 10.00 PM. He was a patient of blood cancer since last some of years. Dr. Rakesh Popli was a Msc. Phd.(Phil) and Ex. Prof. of Perdu University, USA. Later he joined BIT, Mesra, Ranchi as a professior. He was a very learned person and an educationist. He was nominated on the committee on merit. 

He and his wife Rama Popli (a child education expert) had refined the concept of One Teacher School (OTS) or Ekal Vidyalaya amongst the tribes of Gumla (125 km away from Ranchi (Jharkhand), Chhatisgarh. Dr. Rakesh Popli has rendered the service to Ekal by writing the syllabus book for `One Teacher Schools’ free of cost and he had never received a single penny from the organization.

Ekal Family feels a great distress by the untimely death of Dr. Rakesh Popli and pray to Almighty God that may He trascend his great soul to more higher planes and alleviate the pain of his family members!

His brief Biography:
He was born in 1952 in India. He was a brilliant boy, it proved when he broke the 10 years old record in the marks in the examination of 10th Class. He was honored with the prize by instantaneous Central Education Minister of India. He went to USA for higher education and did Ph D. in Nuclear Physics during 1974-1981 from Perdu University, USA. After returning from USA, he joined IIT Kanpur as an Assistant Professor in Nuclear Physics. After this service, he joined BIT Mesra, Ranchi (Jharkhand) as a professor in Applied Physics Department & Vikas Bharti Bishunpur. He served there during 1984-1988. He had been serving the Tribal people of Jharkhand untiringly for a long time not forgetting the intellectual contribution to Ekal Movement. He himself had designed and developed the syllabus of Ekal Vidyalaya, apart from it he had authored 10 books and would write article in around 10 newspapers of Jharkhand. Today, the richness of Ekal Vidyalaya is the product of Dr. Rakesh Popli's arduous effort and super vision.

 

Diamond Merchants Meet held in New York on 17th September, 2007

To let the Diamond Merchants of New York know of the Ekal movement, on the 17th Sept 2007, a very successful meeting was held at the Utsav Banquets in Manhattan, New York. Jitu bhai Bhansali, a diamond merchant and Working President of the Mumbai FTS had been planning for the last 4 months to have this presentation. Around 20 diamond merchants attended the meet. The Ekal presentation was done by EVFI President Shri Vijay Maroo. The gathering was also addressed by Ekal Global Chairman Shri Basant Taryal, Dr Sridhar of Ekal – New York, Jitu bhai and others. Around 200 schools donation was collected on that day and the diamond group promised for further help. More important was that we could get inroads in a new community.

 

EVF USA's Annual General Meeting held in Orlando from 21-23 September 2007

A team of 17 Ekalites from India attended the USA National Meet which included the EVFI President Shri Vijay Maroo. At this Convention Shri Subhash Gupta of Houston took over as the President of the EVF of USA from Shri Chandresh Saraiya. 

Following are the snapshots of the meet:

Group Photo:
 

 

EVF USA's new office at Houston inaugurated by Nitish Bharadwaj, popular as Lord Krishna of Mahabharat TV Serial

With the grace of God and good wishes from all Ekal National Office has moved to a larger office space. On Saturday, September 8, 2007, the legendary Actor Nitish Bharadwaj, known for portrayal of Krishna in Indian TV serial Mahabharata and Bollywood Film Star, inaugurated EKAL national office. We were fortunate to have Nitish Ji in Houston on very special day “Ekadashi day” to make the opening day even more blessed day. Many EKAL members joined the opening ceremony and had the opportunity to visit with Nitish Ji.

Our new address is:
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA
12503 Exchange Dr.
Suite 518
Sugar Land, TX 77477
Ph. 281-240-0631

 

Ekal Vidyalaya news in New England, USA Newspaper

Following is an Ekal Vidyalaya article "Educating India's Children", which was printed in a New England news paper. It is the only & most popular Indian newspaper serving the region's Indo - American Community in New England area.

Educating India’s Children
Fundraiser to be held Sept. 22 at Natick High
By DAVID MORAN 

NEWPORT, R.I. — The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation ascribes to a simple, yet largely inspiring, motto: If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him.

These are the words of Swami Vivekananda, the influential Hindu spiritual leader whose teachings have in many ways informed much of the foundations mandate.

Ekal Vidyalaya is a non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas, that aims to eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2011 and bring education to many of the countrys poorest communities by initiating, supporting, and establishing a series of innovative one-teacher schools known as Ekal Vidyalayas throughout the country. To raise money for this effort, the foundation plans to hold a fundraiser at Natick High School, in Natick, Mass., in September.
Despite India’s many social and economic advances over the past 60 years since attaining independence, more than two out of every five of the nation’s citizens are illiterate. And when the statistics focus on tribal and rural sections of India, they get even worse: less than 30 percent of the population of an average Indian village is able to read or write, according to the foundation, which officially registered as a charitable trust in 1999.

The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is working to improve these literacy rates. As of June, the organization has established more than 23,100 one-teacher schools in rural sections of India, helping to educate roughly 695,670 of the nation’s children.

But Ekal Vidyalaya’s goals extend beyond literacy, and strive to educate students on such issues as health, adolescent development, and personal hygiene. The foundation also works to establish lasting relationships with members of local communities to ensure that the oneteacher schools become self-reliant and autonomous within seven years.

The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation aims to bring non-formalized education into village or rural settings in India, where it has never been before, says Ram Nehra, vice president of Ekal Vidyalaya. “When I say non-formalized I literally mean that: Most of the time, in these oneteacher schools, classes are held under a tree. There will be one teacher to about 30 to 40 children ages four to 15, so in a lot of ways its very simple and basic, but, at the same time, it is providing a great service. It’s a classroom without a roof or walls.”

A retired pharmacist who was born in Kenya but educated in India, Nehra, has been volunteering for Ekal Vidyalaya for the last six years.

“This is the purpose of my life,” says Nehra, 73, a resident of Rhode Island. “I feel that I am blessed to be doing this work. I firmly believe that it is the responsibility of every human being to impart education, otherwise the uneducated become a burden on their community, on their country, on the whole world.”