Category Archives: Activism

Nov8

Hands Across the Border Award for My Himachal

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Hands Across the Border Award for My Himachal

Project Concern International (www.projectconcern.org) honored My Himachal and Payson R. Stevens with PCI’s Hands Across the Border award for 2010.

Thirty-five NGOs were on the 2010 Founders’ Honor Roll for demonstrating their commitment to lead positive social change around the world. A benefit dinner for PCI’s 50th Anniversary was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on November 6, 2010.

The event also gave Honor Roll members of the NGOs a chance to discuss their work.

Stevens spoke with Dr. Kwaku Yeboah, PCI Vice President for HIV/AIDS Programming Development, about issues of AIDs in rural communities.

He also met with V.S. Gurumani, PCI India Country Director, to discuss PCI programs in India and My Himachal’s Water Recharge Project in the Upper Seraj Valley.

My Himachal and Stevens were also given this award in 2008.

Stevens also was invited to participate in the Social Entrepreneurship Forum on October 7, 2010 at the University of California, San Diego sponsored by Askhoka Innovators for the Public, Qualcomm, and The Gem Foundation.

The half-day event gave students from the San Diego area an opportunity to work together with business and social entrepreneurs from many sectors and fields of work. 50 students joined 50 social entrepreneurs and 50 business leaders at the Forum, to discuss innovation across traditional boundaries.

Students from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University (SDSU), the University of San Diego (USD), and local high-schools participated.

Jun26

To cross a mountain

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To cross a mountain

In the Upper Seraj Valley, culture intertwines with traditions and life is dominated by hundreds of deities nestled in the serene lap of the Himalayas. Only a person who has travelled into the interiors of the Himalayan region can comprehend what life here has to offer. I’ve been privileged to work as an intern with My Himachal under Mr. Payson Stevens and it has sparked a change in the way I perceive my life and witnessed firsthand how compassion and dedication can lead to a fruitful existence.

Life is but a travel…a journey towards enlightenment as per Buddhist philosophy…my work began in Shimla where I took on the role of a photojournalist sating my passion for photography and honing my writing skills at the same time. 10 days later, I shifted base to a remote village called Jibhi in the Upper Seraj Valley, Kullu District; situated at a height of around 6000 feet, mountains collapse in on this small village encompassing it on all sides livened by friendly and inviting people; atithi devo bhava still exists! I began working under Mr. Payson’s guidance…first documenting, data basing and photographing a rural health camp organized by My Himachal which saw us and a team of doctors from Jibhi CHAI trek to remote villages in dire need of healthcare.

Hospitals here are few and far apart and healthcare, especially among kids is neglected. Interacting with the kids at the schools was a memorable experience…the reality here is a stark contrast to the lives we live…a 5*5 feet room houses 50 kids and a primary school of 200 students has just two teachers. Toilets aren’t available and hence the students are forced to defecate in the open…add to this an inadequate diet and some having to walk around 8 km a day to and fro school…I reminisce about my own childhood…hard but no comparison…their happy and bumbling faces gave no inkling of the problems they face and the smiles turned into grins as I shot them…it was like capturing sunshine without the ghastly flare…

There is a chronic water shortage in these areas. Due to global warming, the sources have dried up and rainfall and snowfall has become sparse. Government supplied pipes are rendered useless due to empty sources and the villagers have to rely on more traditional sources of water such as baudi’s which is a ground water system. My major task during the internship was to visit villages with shortages and interview a group of villagers, survey and photograph the landscape and vegetation so as to establish the ground realities of the water situation there and estimate the topography of the area to simplify the planning and construction process. I did extensive research on ground water recharging, planning and techniques for future reference as well. I visited a total of 15 villages along with the field manager of MH, Mr. Padam Singh often trekking up rough trails to reach villages isolated from civilization …an alternate world of sort…no roads connect them…mobile signals are rendered lifeless…what’s enlivened though are the skies…beautiful stretches of blue on mountainous backdrops with mists swirling in an out of your vision and the true aroma of a rural Indian village.

Life here is self sustained with little need for outside interference or modernity…in fact modernity only helps killing the essence of such a life…what needs development though is the healthcare and education facilities which My Himachal is trying to address. In addition to these projects, I worked on a rural tourism initiative, visiting home-stays and hotels…surveying the properties and photographing them to be put up on the RTNE website.

The entire internship has been a magnanimous learning experience and I’ve been extremely fortunate to work under Mr. Payson who I’ve learnt a lot from. Working on editing a PSA was fun and has helped my understanding and appreciation of editing which has helped me decide my career path in the future…

The eye does not see…it’s the brain that feeds the blind spot…different people perceive things differently…my eyes have been sensitized and the whites have separated from the blacks…I see clearer…Today’s the day and age of social networking…yet cities are unsocial, crowded, polluted and very impersonal. Discos, parties, intoxicants-all a sham…billions of people mere consumers controlled by a handful of families. One person can’t make a difference to the world…let’s not be naive about that…you can however work within your own community…if every village is self sufficient with a bustling economy…there’s no need for the globe to become an urban metallic mesh…

Oh, how easy it is to write…but to feel strongly enough for a cause to put it to practice is a diverging road with hallucinations hindering your sight…I’ve found my path during my short stay at MH…I can only hope others find theirs as well…!

I’ve crossed mountains…literally and figuratively…the Everest of my mind lies conquered and as Micheal Vince once said “Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by its breathtaking moments”

Photograph and quote of leader: “The reality of rural India is an enormous contrast to the privileged life that students at SIMC experience. It’s heartening to have students come and work with us and have their horizons broadened.”

Jun3

Nutrition, water access hurting children healthcare in Outer Seraj Valley – My Himachal

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Nutrition, water access hurting children healthcare in Outer Seraj Valley – My Himachal

Outer Seraj Valley, Kullu: Mal-nutrition coupled with limited access to clean water was telling upon the health of many children in interior Seraj Valley of Kullu; something that a medical camp held in the last week of May and supported by My Himachal found out.

Dr Susan Passah, from Jibhi CHAI hospital who was conducting the 6th yearly Rural Health Mela said, “Of the about 500 children examined during the health camp, many of them were lacking proper nutrition.”

Common diseases that were noticed in the children were worm infection, tonsillitis, dental caries, gastroenteritis and eczema,” said the doctor.

Due to lack of access to clean water, most of them showed symptoms of worms infection and de-worming medicines were handed to all children who got themselves examined at the Mela, she added.

Besides conducting physical examinations of the children and other patient, the doctors and My Himachal volunteers conducted dental and eye check up at the four day camp.

Health supplements to those needing it most were distributed and awareness about health and hygiene was imparted to the villagers.

The doctors from Jibhi CHAI had support from My Himachal volunteers in conducting the 6th Rural Health Mela from 24th – 27th May at four remote villages in Outer Seraj Valley of Kullu

Saroj, of Teel village, who had brought her two children for a health check up complained, “there is water shortage in the village as the government supply scheme did run dry three months back.”

“Men and mostly womenfolk from the village have to walk almost 3 Kms to fetch water daily. This task alone not only consumes a lot of our time but water carried home has to be used very sparingly, she said.

Payson Stevens, founding and advisory board member, My Himachal who was present at the Health Mela said: “The advent of global warming variability in the higher villages, with apparent chronic water shortages and the concomitant impact on child healthcare will only add to the problems in these remote areas.”

“Our work for the last five years has hopefully helped in some small way but the looming issues are still enormous challenges for rural areas, and especially for children,” he said.

In all children of four villages – Teel, Mohini, Pedcha and Garaho in interior Seraj Valley of Kullu were examined by health teams who had to trek long distances uphill to reach these mountain people living in a countryside where motorable roads are still to reach them.


As part of health awareness, Kalajatha – a group enacting street plays with folk songs, spread the message about health issues, water issues and impact of human activities on climate change.

The actors also engaged the children in an interactive session educating them about the food pyramid and what essentially needed to part of their daily diet.

Photo credits: Mayank Susngi

Nov17

My Himachal’s Dr. Des Kashyap brings music and name of state on US Radio

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My Himachal’s Dr. Des Kashyap brings music and name of state on US Radio

desChapel Hill, Carrboro, North Carolina, USA: Dr. Des Kashyap a scientist at University of North Carolina and general secretary of My Himachal was invited for a radio show called “Jazz Incognito” on a local radio station 103.5 FM, WCON. This show invites talent that could play and sing Jazz songs that are inspiring examples of improvisation and innovation. North Indian music especially Himachali music is one good example where improvisation plays a significant role. As Himachali music is all about imaginative improvisation right from the world to go, this was a good opportunity to present Himachali folk music for the first time on American radio.

This was one of a life time opportunity where I got a chance to promote Himachal and explain to the world how beautiful my state of Himachal is how peaceful we are and how much we love music and how much importance music hold in our lives explains Dr. Kashyap. This show was aired on Sunday November 16th 2008. It was for the first time ever that you could hear pahadi songs playing on radio on American soil. In an hour long show, he started with explaining the difference in singing style and music tastes between North and South part of India. He played couple of his music compositions and pahadi songs like “Parliyan dhara mor jo bole”, hatu ri teere and chandaniyan rattan ra nazara from his upcoming pahadi song album that he is currently working on.

Dr. Kashyap also took this opportunity to promote the non-government organization “My Himachal”. He took a couple of minutes to explain what kind of activities this organization was involved in. He also requested the donors to come forward and help the cause of My Himachal in whatever way they could.

I don’t think this has happened before and will ever happen again. The experience was incredible and I felt so proud of myself to be part of this historic event says Dr. Kashyap.

Sep11

My Himachal HOPE scholarships-Your participation required

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My Himachal HOPE scholarships-Your participation required

Dear Valued Member,

Greetings from My Himachal team. As most you know that this year once again, My Himachal sponsored Health Mela in association with medical staff and doctors of the Jibhi CHAI project (part of Lady Willingdon Hospital (LWH), Manali), local villagers and volunteers in the Upper Banjar Valley for the 4th year in a row successfully.

This year My Himachal has extended its efforts to provide scholarships to deserving students in Himachal under program “My Himachal Hope scholarships“. As this was our first year of scholarship program, we tried our level best to get the word across to all parts of Himachal with the help of media, friends and family. As a result we received around 205 applications for school level scholarships from various parts of Himachal. As this was our first year we could not expect better response than this. My Himachal team comprising of Mr. Anil Chandel, Mr. Vinay Jamwal and Mr. Anuj Butail developed a model to select most deserving applicants based on merit using marks obtained by the applicant in the lower class, participation in extra-curricular/community/social service activities, Family Income during last financial year, family size, BPL/IRDP family status and other factors that affect the means available to an applicant to continue their education in the current class.[/lang_en] Read the rest of this entry →

Jun14

My Himachal HOPE Scholarships 2008

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My Himachal HOPE Scholarships 2008

My Himachal Scholarships Committee announces HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils’ Education) Scholarships to help deserving bona fide Himachali students (up to 10+2 level) pay for tuition fees, books and school uniforms for the academic year 2008-2009 on Merit-cum-Means basis.

Form and Further Details: Hindi Version English Version

My Himachal members and subscribers residing in Himachal, are urged to download & print copies of these forms, visit their local schools and make representations to the respective school principals and contacts to encourage them to make as many copies of these and distribute them amongst the students who may wish to apply for the scholarship this year.

My Himachal members residing outside Himachal, can send these forms to their relatives and contacts in Himachal to help us reach out to students who may need financial assistance for education.

My Himachal will also announce scholarships for degree/diploma and post-graduate level bona fide Himachali students in August 2008. Stay tuned !!! Read the rest of this entry →

May23

My Himachal Update – May 2008

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My Himachal Update – May 2008

View Online Print version

Dear Friends,

Please find attached our May 2008 Update. This update is to keep all our members and subscribers informed about our recent accomplishments and on-going activities. Please feel free to forward the online update version via email to your friends, family and acquaintances. If you would like to share this update in print, we have also attached a printable version of the same.

As our activities continue to grow every year, we need your support now more than ever. Every little contribution from you is important and makes a difference in what we can do for the people of our Himachal Pradesh. Your membership dues, donations and contributions go a long way in encouraging and enabling us, to achieve higher goals in service of our mission. Read the rest of this entry →

Sep16

Friends remember Hitender Thakur

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Friends remember Hitender Thakur

dsc_0182.JPGHarrisburg, PA: On Saturday, friends of a Harrisburg murder victim remembered the young life lost. They also called for the arrest of his killer.

Hitender Thakur was shot dead in May 2006. He was robbed while working as a convenience store clerk in Harrisburg. Thakur was just 23-years-old and a student at HACC. On Saturday, friends gathered at Susquehanna Township’s Veterans Park. That is where Thakur played his favorite sport, Cricket. Attendees dedicated a special bench there to Thakur’s memory and also played Cricket in memory of Thakur. More than a year later, there are no arrests yet in the case.

dsc_0178.JPGporus.JPG

Friend and event organizer Porus Irani had tears in eyes while saying, “It’s just getting frustrating, that’s all it is. Because it’s been over a year and we thought it would be quick. But it just seems like nothing’s going on because we don’t hear about it on the news or hear about it on the radio or anything and it’s just getting frustrating.” Friends are trying to raise money for a reward fund, hoping it will help catch the killer.

May3

Update on My Himachal Sponsored Health Worker Programme

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Update on My Himachal Sponsored Health Worker Programme

Our vision at Jibhi CHAI has always been to be a seed of transformation by moving responsibility for health and community development to villagers themselves and simultaneously giving skills and vision to fulfill those responsibilities. The health workers we trained with help from My Himachal are now seeing patients in their villages which moves the programme into a new phase that makes those dreams seem attainable.

Since the graduation six weeks ago Jeph and Padam have visited all of our health workers in their villages (sometimes with Kantha and Kaaren). We have enjoyed exploring our own hills by bicycle, motorbike and on foot with a backpack of medicines and doing clinics in schools, houses, outside shops and even street corners. We also meet key people (e.g. school teachers, pradhans, anganwadi teachers.) Typically the health worker herself sees patients and Jeph reviews, helps and gives advice. Padam registers patients and runs the pharmacy. Registration (10 rupees/ patient) goes to the health worker while LWH takes the cost of the medicines. Now we have issued the medical kits (donated by NZ high commission, Delhi) health workers can dispense their own medicines. Running viable businesses as well as doing important health work makes it sustainable for them.

imgp1344.JPGVillage clinics give us an opportunity to better understand each health worker’s context and the major medical and other problems that they face and is an ideal context for one-to-one patient based teaching. For health workers it is an opportunity to practice medical skills in their own context and also to gain credibility by working alongside a doctor in front of their own villagers. Perhaps most important for all of us is relationship building that comes from sharing lunch after the clinic, meeting health workers’ families and staying in their houses. I have hugely enjoyed sharing meals and staying with high and low caste families. This week Tara, our health worker from the nearest village came with us to join the Sainj health workers at their clinic. Co-operation between health workers, especially cutting across caste, is hugely exciting to me. Other by products are identification of serious chronic patients and appropriate referral (some to Jibhi surgical camps), increased interaction with the public hospital, Banjaar (our health workers may even become government DOTS providers), and increased interaction between our team and local communities.

imgp1248.JPG imgp1287.JPGimgp1152.JPGimgp1134.JPGAs well as village clinics we have a training day here in Jibhi once every two weeks to increase the skills of our workers and to share ideas and problems. Also every Saturday we have two or three women join us for our weekly OPD clinics. These are good opportunities for teaching but even more I like the non- medical time. Over tea, lunch and sometimes with health workers staying here we are building a two way relationship.

Padam and I feel that we’ve taken another step along a journey. Not only are we now cycling and walking around our beautiful hills and eating fantastic local food with village women but also we are able to sit down at the end of our day and actually see increased skills and responsibility in local hands. There is a long way to go but the journey is fun!