Major Events > Mega Mela > Ashadhi Beej Charity Mega Mela
Welcome to the main event of the year. Perhaps
the decade or even the century. The following pages will inform you about the
event in more
details Please select the charities if you wish to know about them.
During Navratri Festival last year, a very generous member who has in the past and including last year, made large anonymous donations, came forward with an offer to make an even larger donation (a five figure sum), if the Society was to organise a function on a much larger scale. Needless to say this offer started the committee thinking about what type, when, where, how large etc.
Up came an idea of an outdoor event with all the usual activities like fun fair,
stage, marquee etc. Perhaps even not only for our community, but for community
at large and other communities. In line with the Society's objective to raise
money for charities, this function will be organised for the benefit of one
or more charities; these would be nominated by the committee in due course.
At the following general meeting (our Diwali function) the idea was put to our members, it was received with a certain amount of caution, but none the less with a great deal of enthusiasm. As time went on various issues were debated and decisions made, and slowly but surely the form of the function began to take shape.
To date a number of meetings, not just committee, but with our volunteers, with organisations that are affiliated to SKLPC UK (Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community, United Kingdom) and with other organisation we enjoy a close relationship with, such as Limbachia Gnati Mandal, where we have performed our nataks and exchanged music groups during Navratri Festivals, and Hindu Council Brent, where we have had a member in the executive committee for many years. Our representatives have held important posts in the committee as Social Secretary, General Secretary, and recently as Vice Chairperson.
The story so far, to coin a phrase:-
The Function will be officially called "
ASHADHI BEEJ CHARITY MEGA MELA".
It will take place on 2nd July 2000, which as it happens, coincides with Ashadhi
Beej this year.
Three charities have been nominated:- (Please CLICK on the charity if you would
like to know more)
Area of first two charities work is obvious from their names. The third is involved with giving guidance, support and advice to people who are HIV positive and their families. Not only this but, we all know that prevention is much better than a cure, they also get involved with Aids awareness programmes in schools. All three charities will be playing a very active role during the Mela. It is our intention to make visiting public fully aware of what above blood disorder are and how they effect not only individual's lives, but also of their immediate families. Our community is very ignorant, when it comes to understanding what these conditions are and how they effect individuals. Particularly in the case of HIV. It is our endeavour to give as much information to as many people as possible on the day about all three conditions.
Licence to hold this event has been applied for. We have not yet heard one way or another. We expect to hear on 21/3/00. If a licence is not granted we will register our protest.
This event will have an international theme. It
is our intention to involve as many different cultures of the world as we can
establish contact with, and make it the highlight of the event.
On facts and figures front, it is our intention to raise all costs of this event,
some £26,000 (twenty six thousand pounds) so that we can donate the total
amount raised 30,000 (thirty thousand pounds)
From Presidents points of view, I do not deny the fact that the task before us is of a magnitude that we have not tackled before, but the team I have, consisting of not only committee members but volunteers as well, are all hard working and well experienced in this kind of work through other Societies that already organise events of similar magnitude.
Above is a brief information on latest progress of the Mela organisation. We will update this page on a regular basis, to keep you updated of the progress in organisation of this event.
If you require further information on any of the above, or about our Society in general, please do not hesitate to drop me a line on rvbhudia@cutchcultural.org
Ravji V Bhudia
15/03/00