By Lori Harrison, The Messenger Staff Writer
Reprinted with permission from The Messenger, Madisonville, Ky.
Ganesh Kalembur lives half a world away from his native India, but the tsunami-devastated land and its people are in his heart. Now, he is reaching out to help — along with friends and co-workers in Hopkins County.
"It was chaos, because they weren't prepared for it," he said. "The government and nobody was prepared when it happened. They were panicking, basically. It was a full moon, so the waves are usually high. They thought it was just a big wave coming."
Kalembur is from Chennai, a city of more than 12 million people on the Indian coast that was hit by the tsunami.
"My sisters live there, and they're OK," he said. "I don't know about my friends."
Kalembur, project leader for information systems at Trover Foundation, has lived in the United States since 1987. The past few years, he has been involved with rural rejuvenation efforts sponsored by the Isha Foundation. After the tsunami hit, the nonprofit foundation sent out an e-mail requesting donations to help the victims.
Kalembur responded by asking his employer, Trover Foundation CEO Bobby Dampier, for a donation. The company pledged to match up to $5,000 of funds raised here.
That triggered a local fund-raising effort, starting Thursday morning, said Dr. Satish Shah, who's also a native of India.
By that afternoon, $5,600 had been raised. When the match is included, the total reaches $10,600.
"It's devastating as we see news coming in every day," Shah said. "For this kind of good cause, people will come forward to contribute and make it happen. We are thankful."
Shah is from Ahmadebed, a city located on the opposite coast that was unaffected by the tsunami.
"Our goal was very simple," he said. "How we can benefit people over there. The need is very simple, in the medicine, the clean water, the clothing, the food."
Local residents, many of whom work in the medical field, looked into sending medicines but decided cash would be more beneficial.
The Dec. 26 tsunami killed up to 150,000 people in 12 countries. Hardest hit were Indonesia, where the death toll has reached 94,000, and Sri Lanka, where more than 46,000 died.
India, where the death toll has nearly reached 10,000, reports the third highest number of casualties. The country has one-third the land area of the United States, with four times the population.
"This disaster, in terms of property damage and economic damage, it may not be as bad as a hurricane hitting Florida," Shah said. "But as far as the casualties, it will be much worse."
The local fund-raising effort will continue, he said.
The money will be send to the Isha Foundation, a nonprofit group based in India and the United States that works to advance physical, mental and spiritual health through public education, social outreach and yoga programs worldwide.
The organization offers food, shelter and counseling to victims and provides medical care through its seven Mobile Health Clinics.
"We want to send it somewhere where all of this money is being used for the relief effort," Shah said.
All Trover Foundation employees have been notified by e-mail that donations may be made through the Web site, www.ishafoundation.org or taken to the Merle Mahr Cancer Center, according to Marketing Director Jayne Barton.
Hopkinsville physicians and the Cultural Society of India, an organization in the tri-state, have also been contacted, Shah said.
The fund-raising effort is reminiscent of the response four years ago when an earthquake hit India, killing more than 40,000 people, he said.
"During the earthquake, we raised about $7,000 or so from here, $35,000 in Owensboro, and $15,000 to $17,000 in Evansville," Shah said. "At that time, we even got response from the children. ... These are children saving their pocket money and bringing it in."
The children's donation totaled just $107, he said, but he was touched that they wanted to help.
"The gesture, that's what's important," Shah said. "That's what counts."
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