What We Do
Bird’s Eye view of what we do
The primary area of activity would be, to be of service to any surviving Freedom Fighters, Defence Personnel (War Veterans, Martyrs), their families, Farmers’ and Teachers’ needs (to the extent we could cater).
Activities:
- Providing sanitation to poor farmers’ families, especially with adolescent girls – in association with Gramalya (www.gramalaya.in)
- Times of natural calamities: like the Chennai Floods in December 2015 (the worst in 100 years), also aided relief at Cuddalore. Those three weeks’ experience in December indicated how humanity responds in times of dire need and felt privileged that I could be the ‘Bridge’ for the contributions from several friends and family, totalling Rs.18+ lakh!
- Education / Skill development for the Children of the aforementioned classes of our society:
- One area of dire need is acknowledgement of the supreme sacrifice our brave hearts make, at least on their anniversaries, in print / social media, for two reasons – one, that their kin know we gratefully acknowledge their sacrifice for our peace and two, sows this thought in at least a small segment of the readers. As they say,
“A martyr truly dies, not when he is shot, but when he is forgotten.”
To this end, we have proudly borne the cost of such acknowledgements in English/Tamil dailies. Such as these:
FARMERS and CITIZENS FOR WATER BODIES : In December 2017, after a formal resolution, the Bridge Foundation has undertaken to participate in rejuvenation of our “Uyyakondan Aaru”, a 1000-year-old man-made (by King Raja Raja Chola-1) canal in Tiruchirapalli, to restore the purpose for which the canal was originally intended to – irrigate about 33,000 acres of land – thus helping our farmers.
A three-pronged approach is chosen:
- Awareness Drive – Making an interactive powerpoint presentation in schools and colleges to sensitise the next generation about the impending global water crisis and our way ahead, Social Media – Facebook,Whatsapp. Encouraging students address public and other students. Engaging local communities (along the Uyyakondan bank), in the cleanup work and incentivising positive work particularly, by the children. Special Postal Cover release was done by the Postal Department to commemorate the 50th Consecutive week of the Uyyakondan Cleanup.
- Bank Restoration — Following Cleanup of the banks, create activity on the banks which would deter pollution, allow public utility and involvement in maintenance of the ambience and greenery. A Jogging track and a children’s play were inaugurated on the 50th week of activity. Plantation work is done on a periodic basis.
- Cleansing Water — Make it a perennial source of water for irrigation (at least) by:
- Treating the water that enters the canal, and also
- Provide for effective rain water harvesting
- Cleaning the Channel Bed when the water flow is scarce., including Desilting when feasible
- Plantation which provides for biological cleansing and promotes aquatic life.
We are aware of the “journey of a thousand miles ahead” and have taken the “first step” of “being the change we want to see”, and will not stop. To see the change sooner or later is the choice we have now!