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Orissa cyclone
relief effort [Below are some of the first reports to come in] Orissa cyclone relief effort On October 28 and 29, 1999, a cyclone swept
into the Indian state of Orissa, leaving unimaginable devastation in its
wake. It has been estimated that up to fifteen million people (out of
a total population of thirty-one million) were left homeless, and thousands
died. Orissa is primarily agricultural, and the cyclone hit at the peak
of the harvest. A local newspaper reports "lakhs [hundreds of thousands]
of head of cattle have been wiped out. Further, standing crop for miles
on end, almost ready for harvest, has been razed to the ground." What is less well-known is that Orissa is a major center for work in the Integral Yoga. Below is a first-hand account of the damage, and addresses where relief funds can be sent. Rebuilding the centers will probably take years, perhaps a decade. One center alone (Sri Aurobindo Srikshetra Trust) reports more than $700,000 in damage. A sadhika from Pondicherry writes: "The extent of the damage done to the Mother's work there in Orissa is unbelievable. It is just as if the hostile forces wanted to wipe out everything. Orissa, I have no doubt, is marching in front on our long way towards a divine life here on earth. One can only understand if one has seen it, and then one immediately knows why Mother said that Orissa people have a special subliminal opening to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. "You will see Mother's photo everywhere, there are schools and centers and study circles even in the remotest pockets. All in all there are about forty-seven relics centers, thousands of study circles, maybe more than one hundred and fifty schools… There is a yearly medical conference, engineering conference, women's conference. Everything over a few days with lectures and panel discussions in the light of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's message and in view of the practical work that needs to be done. Words cannot describe. It is as if another world has already started there. "More than half of all these centers and schools are situated within that devastated area. All the main centers like Cuttack (Matrubhavan), Bhuvaneshwar and Dalijora. Everything smashed. In Cuttack alone the damage done to only the stock of books and materials kept in their store is about Rs. 200,000 [$5,000]. this does not include the damage done to the buildings, which were under seven feet of water. The destruction in Dalijora was given as seventy-five percent." [A relative of a devotee in Pondicherry] gave the following account [from Rajpur village]: "There are no houses or trees as far as one can see. Except for two structures, everything is flattened. There are about seventy people living in one of the remaining houses. Daytime they leave the house to search in the mud for any belongings which might still be buried there. The sun is burning down after this rain with renewed fury. No shade anywhere. In the Relics Center, several hundred people are living and searching the mud during the unbearable daylight sun. The center is damaged, sunshades and parapets have collapsed, the compound wall has collapsed. People are getting relief rations, but are without hope. I saw people eating their food just next to a dead corpse which had come up from the surrounding waters. There is a sting in the air due to the decomposing bodies and carcasses around. No electricity, which will not come for months. Many villages can still not be reached unless you wade through water and crawl through fallen trees and conquer the mud all around. It is like a living hell." The report continues from Orissa: "As soon as possible we are going to document the damage done to the centers and schools. At the moment it is not very safe to go. Many relief trucks are being attacked by hungry and angry crowds, and there is great danger of epidemics. From many centers we have not got any news. We only know that many places do not exist anymore at all. Whole villages have disappeared. "Matrugram, one big farm from where the Ashram dining hall receives vegetables, is washed away completely… Money is needed in thousands and more, in order to truly make a difference. There will be international food supply, there will be grants and government housing funds, all kinds of social help will pour in (though that also will not reach everybody, since millions are affected), but there will be no help to rebuild the Mother's work. Here also funds are needed, lakhs and lakhs of Rs. [Rs.=Rupees. 100,000 rupees = approximately $3,300]. From where it will come?" Where to send money or supplies (within the United States) Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham (SASP) Auro Seva Trust, the sister organization for SASP in Pondicherry, is organizing a relief fund which will focus on the rebuilding of the centers and schools in Orissa. Anyone wanting to contribute to this effort can send the funds through SASP here in U.S. Donations may be sent to Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham, 2621 W. Hwy. 12, Lodi, CA 95242. Please specify that the money be earmarked for the Orissa Relief Fund. We are forwarding funds in regular installments to the Pondicherry trust for this work. (All donations sent this way are tax-deductible). You can call SASP at 209-339-1342 ext.5, if you have any questions. Please, generous donations are needed to help in this time of crisis for so many of Mother and Sri Aurobindo's children. (within India) Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch You are requested to kindly contribute generously to The Orissa Cyclone Relief Fund. Please send your checks in the name of Sri Aurobindo Education Society, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110016, INDIA. Receipts will be issued for each donation, which will be exempt from India Income Tax under 80 G. We assure you that all the money collected will go directly and without delay to the affected people. You can also send contributions of clothing-new and used, fit for immediate use. Also kitchen utensils.
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