New Year celebrations with the elders

Indian Development Foundation organised a New year celebration with the elders on 31st Dec. 2010 at Assisi Bhavan (oldage home) at Goregaon (E), Mumbai. IDF team distributed sweets, gifts, blankets and towels to all the elders and sought blessings. It was a great day for IDF to share joy and happiness at Assisi Bhavan.

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IDF welcomes 2011 with a difference

Indian Development Foundation organised New Year Celebrations with leprosy patients at Vimala Dermatological Centre, Versova, Mumbai on 29th December 2010. Citizens from different walks of life participated in the programme and shared joy with the inmates and children of the Centre.

Vimala Centre with its festive festoons and glittering lamps gave rare moments of joy to patients and children as they were all set to welcome 2011. The entire Centre was transformed into a fairyland as the jubilant Mumbaikars strolled into participate in the gala event.

Mr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, CEO, Wockhardt Foundation in his address gave seven values for everyone to observe for a sober and saner life. Speakers wished the patients and children best of luck for the New Year 2011.

Vimala children clad in their very best gave the festive season an added colour. They looked so beautiful and grand as they were garlanded by Guests of Honour - Mr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala followed by Rotarian Sana Rupani, Lion M. R. Varghese, Mr. D. P. Agarwal, Mrs. Rekha Bajaj, Mr Anil Shivdasan, Mrs. Sangeetha Shetty.

Dr. A.R.K.Pillai, founder President, IDF spoke on the spirit of citizens reach-out programme. Young ambassadors who spoke at the gathering included S. Karthick, Keshav Poduval, Tishti Humane and Sahil Rupani.

Flowers, cakes, sweets, biscuits and eatables, T shirts, Towels and medicines gifted by various Corporate and Samaritans were distributed to the patients and children. Santaclaus went around wishing everyone especially the children.

Sr. Bertilla led the Vimala Centre team as the patients trooped into witness this grand event of the year. “It's really a happy time for the leprosy patients and children of the centre and we are grateful to the citizens who turn out in good number to greet the people here”, said Rev. Sr. Bertilla Capra, Director of Vimala Centre.

Important personalities, social workers, heads of educational institutions, senior citizens, teachers, members of Bangur Nagar Laughter Club, students from SVKM Law College, Christ College, Atharva College of Engineering, Thakur College of Engineering, ITM Business School and Podar International School and Mumbai University Volunteers took active part in the event and shared happiness among leprosy patients and children.

Parle Products donated Parle-G biscuits, Royal Fashions donated Towels and Wockhardt Foundation donated T.Shirts and Protinex for the inmates and the children.

Grand Music sessions rent the air as everyone sat glued to their seats lost in sheer enjoyment. Mr Anil Shivadasan and his talented artists gave an excellent musical evening. Vinod Seshadri of K for Kishor Kumar sang his usual numbers and earned applause. Mr. Ramnath, IDF Volunteer gave a couple of popular songs. Mrs. Revathy Sridhar gave the invocation song which set the environment in good shape.

The children and the audience danced with joy as the programme proceeded. The festive event had the Jai Ho to linger the happy feeling.

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For more pictures click ALBUM

Benevolence at Blue Hills

Indian Development Foundation in collaboration with Nilgiris Leprosy Eradication Scheme (NILES), Puthiya Puyal Trust and Coonoor Grace Ministries organized a Citizens Reach-out programme on 28th Dec. 2010 at CSI Jubilee Parish Hall, Coonoor, Nilgiris Dist. Tamil Nadu.

The special invitees presented sweets, blankets and dress to the leprosy-affected persons in the NILES project area. Blankets were sponsored by Mahindra Finance as part of their social responsibility initiative.

IDF News in THE HINDU

‘Gift blankets, spread warmth'

“Everybody can become a Santa by donating a blanket,” says Narayan B. Iyer, CEO and national coordinator of the Indian Development Foundation (IDF). For the last seven winters, IDF has been helping leprosy-affected persons survive the cold through their blanket distribution programmes. “Leprosy patients constitute the bottom most rung in the hierarchy of privilege,” he explains.
With a target of covering 1,500 people before the end of this winter, activists of the IDF are in a tearing hurry. The collection is on in full swing, says Mr. Iyer, adding that as many as 700 blankets were collected by December 20. Exuding hope that they will reach their target very soon, he says that Mahindra and Mahindra Finance have pledged another 400 blankets. Talking about the donors, Mr. Iyer said people come forward naturally if they are aware of the programme and added that there has been a better response from individuals than from the corporate sector. “To make things simpler, we have tied up with Khadi Bhandar in all the cities that our programme covers. So we get blankets at a fixed rate of Rs. 250 each,” he said.
Interested donors can visit: http://www.idf.org.in/

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/25/stories/2010122550850200.htm

courtesy : The Hindu, 25/12/2010

For photos of blanket distribution click link
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IDF Salutes Schoolteam

Indian Development Foundation expresses sincere gratitude to all the schoolteams for supporting IDF's leprosy/ TB and education programmes.
Mr. K. Sathyamurthy, Asst.Development Executive, IDF did the honors for various social supporting schools during Dec. 2010.

Srimathi Lakshmi Ammal Memorial Hr. Sec. School, Chrompet, Chennai.

The schoolteam comprising Mr. G. Venkatachalapathy (Secretary), Mrs. Banu Umesh (Montesseri Directress) and Mrs. B. Sarojini (Principal) received IDF Certificate of Appreciation

St. Don Bosco Matric School, Chrompet, Chennai.

Ms. Alice Philo (Principal) and Mr. Daniel (Deputy Correpondent) receives IDF Certificate of Appreciation.

Sivanthi Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Kuranthur, Chennai.

Mrs. Malar (Principal) receiving IDF Certificate of Appreciation. The Vice Principal looks on.

Bishop Corrie Anglo Indian HSS, George Town, Chennai.
Mrs. Christina Lilly Prisilla ( Headmistress) and Mr. Soloman (Teacher) receives IDF Certificate of Appreciation.

IDF Greetings

For the sake of warmth

While we affluent people snuggle up in our blankets as soon as winter season steps in, a large portion of our population is left to shiver in the cold. The winter of 2010 looked to be heading in the same direction had the Indian Development Foundation (IDF) not been woken up to the plight of the poor.

For complete news click :
http://www.mangaloremithr.com/news/story.aspx?News-ID=9858

Hope on the Horizon - A review

Hope on the Horizon - A Review by Shishir Rao

Every love story is fundamentally different from any other. `Hope on the Horizon' is just another love story, the love an individual harbors for his fellow humans. This book follows Dr. A. R. K Pillai through his lifetime and documents the events which led him to dedicate himself tothe welfare of those who lacked the privileges we take for granted. The genre of this piece of literature is purely subaltern, since it chronicles the life of a servant who served and to this day continues to serve society.

The author, Dr. Sudarshan by way of this book has shown us that the great struggles Charles Dickens and Mark Twain write about in their fictious accounts, can actually take place in real life. While following the skeletal framework of the classics, the book makes us peep intothe life of an ambitious young boy from an obscure village in Allepy district, called Mavelikara.The fact that the boy was poverty striken, rebellious and with a burning desire to achieve, makes him fit with tremendous fluidity into the familiar jigsaw.

The fairy tale does come true, the book is rich with pictures of the who’s who of film industry, sporting world, politics, religion and the like. What makes these pictures even more special, is that they were clicked not when our protagonist was gunning for glory, but when he had surrendered himself to stop the regress our society had come under the spell of.

Dr. Pillai as of this crucial moment in history; is an octogenarian and has been working for the people for more than four decades. Eventually culminating in the form of his brain child, Indian Leprosy Foundation (ILEF), later to be known as Indian Development Foundation (IDF). His dedication and passion have been instrumental in motivating a lot of people around him, thebook aims to do the same on a much broader scale. With a foreword by Dr. Swaminathan; thefather of the green revolution, the book awakens a sedate mind and pushes its reader to self discovery.

`Hope on the Horizon' - Life and Times of Dr.A.R.K. Pillai - 210 pages (HB) - Rs.400/= - proceeds goes to health, education and rural development projects of IDF. To place order contact idfhopeonthehorizon@gmail.com

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Shishir Rao, intern at IDF from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune

Jothi Vallalar School

Mr. S. Sreeram, Zonal Officer, IDF presenting IDF Social Action Award to Mrs. Saraswathy, Correspondent of Jothi Vallalar Hr. Sec. School, Kalapet, Puducherry for excellent participation in health awareness and resource mobilisation programmes. Teacher Ms. S. Vasugi looks on.