For the past week, my dinners have been a somber affair. Every day, we sit watching the news around dinner time, or sometimes after and I've been bombarded with all these images from Uttarakhand and the havoc nature has played there. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and if the lady in question is Mother Nature, well.... you were warned. (You could read some articles here)

There has been a lot of focus on how there are thousands of devotees stranded in remote places of worship that have been cut-off from all those civilised things we take for granted. However, I would like to point out that while these people have suffered quite a bit, they will still be rescued eventually (thanks to the fabulous efforts of the Indian naval and armed forces) and return home, albeit with many-a-scars. They have a home to return too... but, the people who called that place home have lost everything. The destruction is absolute and efforts to rebuild are going to take months, if not years. I ask you to imagine losing your house in a fire, then looking out the window and realizing that everything outside is destroyed. There is no running to stay with neighbours or relatives in the neighbourhood or friends because none of them have a home aswell. If they do, its probably underwater. Multiply that image by your worst nightmare and maybe you can imagine what the people here are going through.


This post is dedicated to the survivors. There is an amazing organization called 'Goonj' and they are working hard to assist the survivors with rehabilitation. You could send in money, clothes and other livelihood items.(There is a list of things they need on the website here) I don't ask you to make grand donations or empty your wardrobe to help out. My friend's brother says he's going to send half of the money he's saved. He's 7 years old. How much do we spend every day on things we don't need? I didn't  need to eat that second brownie, but I did anyway. Maybe you could skip it for a day and send the money to people who haven't got money to eat.

Here's a link to their website. www.goonj.org
You can also visit the Goonj offices and Drop centers nearest to your place to made donations or you could do that online aswell.(check the link below) Or you could send your contributions in the form of cheques or demand drafts drawn in the favor of the organisation. Please spread the message of their work and encourage your friends to do the same.

Find more information about it here.
Email  mail@goonj.org or
 Call 011- 41401216 / 011-26972351

Make an effort, show that you care. Kindness is repayed back ten-fold. That's what my mother used to say. I think that's true. I leave you with something I read once,
 "Be kind whenever possible.....it's always possible" --The Dalai Lama