Back in Dec’09 it was 25 years since the Union Carbide plant accident took place.

In December 1984 India saw the beginning of the worst industrial disaster in history. It has come to be known as the Hiroshima of the chemical industry. 40 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate gas, used in the manufacture of the pesticide Sevin, spewed from the plant into the surrounding areas.

8-10,000 people died within the first 72 hours and another 15,000 people have died as a result of their exposure to the gas. Another 120,000 have chronic medical conditions that require constant healthcare.
The death toll stands at 25,000+

The following footage from the You Tube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/BhopalMedicalAppeal is unbelievably graphic in terms of showing:

1. Still no clean-up?!
2. The extent of damage is vast and water is still contaminated, getting into the food chain.
3. The fact that people can still walk about and enter the plant complex

Please see the videos below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Indra Sinha, who was Booker-nominated for his book on the Bhopal disaster, explains in the following article why the gas leak that killed 20,000 people 25 years ago – and continues to create health problems for countless more. The pictures in the article are also haunting.

In addition, the following video, you can see the need for more health resources and the appalling fact that you can see the contaminated soil that is still present.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The sad news is that people are still suffering.

What is so so sad is the fact that as we enter the 26th year of the tragedy, those who have the power to help appear to be not!?  Maybe public pressure can help. I certainly missed this news item. Does this mean that what we do not see can not move us? Do we forget because the public eye facilitated by the media is blind?

Or, on a positive note now that we know that people are still suffering, we can reach out and help.

Recently, over a thousand party revellers turned out to a party in an abandoned building in London, all on the whim of a Facebook invitation. It is a pity that we do not exercise our disgust and demand for justice using such tools!

The Bhopal Medical Appeal funds the Sambhavna Clinic. Sambhavna is the only place that offers free treatment to anybody affected by the toxic gas or the toxic water.  This Medical Appeal offers free health care and hope to the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak disaster and those suffering from the present day water poisoning.  Find out more at: http://www.bhopal.org

A few weeks back I noticed on my Facebook a note for help.
Since then a new Facebook group has been published from the same people who noticed people sleeping rough in graveyards and open bins in West London Southall. The request for help outlined the outrage that in this day and age in what many perceive to be a prosperous country, as compared to an international context, people should be denied basic human rights.

Over the last few days the temperatures in the UK are consistently sub-zero.

As our boilers work on over-drive I urge you to watch the video footage featured on the Facebook group page featuring those effected and brave enough to come forward. Their predicament will surely haunt you and stress the urgent call for action.

The first question I ask is why issue of the homeless is not being addressed by our politicians or those that have facilities that could aid?

Here are some facts:

1. Up to 75 people are involved in sleeping rough – this is a rough audit
2. The vast majority have drug issues
3. Scabies is rife.
4. Showers, fresh clothes & rooms for rent are required
5. The situation will worsen with more homeless expected.
6. Medical support & drugs are required to address specific health issues.

What has happened to date ?

1. Some Sikh Temples have taken the initiative and offered help.
2. Sikh Temples have continued to feed those suffering
3. A drugs and rehabilitation organisation are desperately seeking more support
4. £1000 has been collected from voluntary donations but more is desperately needed.

In addition, last week two satellite based programmes issued a broadcast to highlight their plight. However, there is confusion regarding who these people are! It appears that the issue of Immigrant student visas is clouding the issue.

Yes, many of the 75 may comprise of overseas students

NB There are some deeper issues here.

• Southall in West London in recent years has become a dominant UK player in street drugs and crime.
• Is it not the duty of the Police to take ownership?
• Politicians are talking about the expected new arrivals (new students) over the coming months. Are they linking a possible fate?
• What about UK colleges offering questionable places with some educational establishments under investigation?
• There needs to be a campaign (video and audio) to educate those considering coming to the UK about the reality of the UK economy and their expectations for their associated visa. There are issues for those who wish to go back, especially if unscrupulous ‘overseas agents’ have run off with their money or those who will return to face hardship on another street, i.e: another country, same situation!
• Many have have sold-up their properties or land to seek a better life in the UK.

An opportunity for Interfaith charity work:

In terms of immediate solutions. I have said this at one of the meetings. An audit of the 75+ homeless needs to take place. If some of the 75 are penniless students what can we do as a community to provide them with basic care. Local Sikh Gurdwaras, Hindu Temples, Muslim Mosques and Christian Churches have an opportunity to join forces in the spirit of interfaith and community cohesion to solve a problem on their doorsteps.

• This means raising funds and setting-up a temporary housing area.
• An assessment centre should be established to help the 75+, documenting through an appraisal and action plan with associated forms for support established for each affected.
• If drug dependency is an issue, then let us bring this issue into the public domain to raise more funds and get those with medical skills involved.

The issue should not be clouded by political ambition or suggesting that a signal or precedent is established if you help someone – after all we are all human and we need to take the attitude of self-less service for immediate help. We must also be strong enough to use existing agencies or set-up a new infrastructure & knowledge base of preventative strategies.

Over the last few weeks the press have really ‘gone to town’, pardon the pun (!) over how the retail sector is suffering, especially with pre-Christmas sales attempting to get consumers to spend their money.

I was at the BBC today to record a short 5 part series called Pause for Thought – Sorry name drop! I couldn’t help myself so I dropped into both the Nike Store and Top Shop just around the corner from BBC Western house on Oxford street.

As an excuse to test my new portable HD camera I  took a bit of footage of the crowds.

Oxford Street, London Sales

At the best of times it difficult to walk down Oxford Street. Today was no exception, it was packed! Are these people looking for a bargin, tourists or buying on credit?

Top shop was packed and the new running section in Nike Town on the first floor were selling Nike Elite Pro +4′s at £85 each!

I wonder if the credit crunch makes people work harder to take advantage of sales or is this all just another marketing ploy to get ‘footfall’?

Economists are telling us that 2009 is going to be difficult. The doom and gloom pundits are talking down the stock market, real estate (some reports suggest a 30% drop in current house prices by the end of 2009) and job prospects. There seems to be very little in the way of positive suggestions, for example: working on projects where communities local and international who are on the poverty line can be assisted through regeneration initiatives. It also seems to me that the worlds money and international markets are locked into trade agreements that exclude selective countries and the flow of goods.

When I played back some of these videos a few times you could see that people were on the hunt for their best deals. Although we make decisions on the high street in reality the import of products, their hyped profits, the middle men that often exploit developing countries and poor government policies all contribute to the apathy of the situation.

Maybe if we spoke more about working towards deals for the greater good, the wider community and those who we cannot see but deep down know that they need our help, we could ask our employers and governments to spend our money more wisely…

Will Obama help us see the light and offer something new?
2009 could be an interesting year but it is up to us to drive forward change rather than hear about it and feel good about the words!

If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Children with Leukemia (CWL). Together we successfully raised £25,000.

This year we have chosen the same charity again. This year the ride takes place from 19th-20th July 2008. As a reminder, the ride is organised by SACA (Sikh Arts and Culture Association).

This is a community ride that also shows that collectively we can perform good in society and be humble about it too! The other good thing about this ride is that is demonstrates what I tend to hark on about – People from different backgrounds coming together for a common cause – focusing on self-less service – together with an opportunity to train and  test their stamina (NB Health disclaimers are given).

This year we managed to configure the site with a link to www.justgiving.com – (NB My sponsorship page is at: http://www.justgiving.com/saviarora – your kind donations/sponsorship would be greatly appreciated). This is a brilliant way to collect online sponsorship for any charity. Once the charity is registered it takes just a few moments for individuals to create their own pages, set targets and gain encouragement / momentum!

Moving away from I to We.

It is also interesting that National Rail is using the following marketing strap line: ‘you take the journey with you’. Orange has just unveiled ‘I am’ as their new strap line which will replace ‘the future is bright, the future is orange’. The latter line was introduced by ad agency WCRS for Orange in 1994 to launch the mobile phone brand into the UK market. The ’I Am Everyman’ television commercial suggests a number of messages. Some online marketing publications have suggested that this brand change has cost Orange a few million to complete. Someone suggested £10M?

I wonder if the 21st century has increasingly become – A world for the ‘I’ generation, for example: I pod and MySpace. Yet, the irony is, that for each of these components to operate one has to interact with others?

Mohammad Ali, the famous boxer once gave one of the most powerful and shortest lectures in Oxford. He simply announced, ‘Me, We’.

When I looked through some of the other events featured on Justgiving it gave me a reassurance that there are so many good causes and people prepared to help.

In a world where the word ‘I’ is increasingly becoming prevalent it is good to know that there are people who want to share and harmonise. I only wish that some commercial /giant multi-nationals companies and governments could do more.

Both of these have a common thread: Youth and working for a common cause. In the case of IFYT, the aim is interesting – Encouraging greater understanding for each other’s religion. For SACA – Sikh Arts and Cultural Association, it is to encourage greater community cohesion through working for a selected children’s charity.

Essentially, the the term Service can be applied but it is important to consider it from a humble perspective. NB The reason why I’m talking about it is not to publicise my activities but to highlight others who give up their time to work in a self-less manner. I’ve often said that the true celebrities are those unsung heroes who work tirelessly, for example, in villages where children are amazed at the sight of shoes.

On Friday night I attended a cultural evening organised by AFP – The Asian Foundation for Philanthropy. This UK-based charity was established in November 2004 to support British Asians (a term that they use – I prefer British Brown!) Diaspora who want to make a difference to social and economic development in India. They use their extensive networks in both the UK and India to provide means for both individuals and businesses who wish to contribute towards social change in India.  They aim to ‘identify projects and organisations which seek to empower local people and encourage them to see creative solutions which will be sustainable and contribute to development over the long term.’ I noticed that the charities they work with are ‘local’ in nature, often finding it difficult to attract the international support that they need.

I’ve written in the past about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of multi-nationals missing a great opportunity to develop people, for example through involvement with charitable initiatives. AFP provides a great opportunity for an increasingly affluent community to get involved. This is not to imply that the rich club do not today. I’m just talking from my personal experience with involvement with SACA over the years. For example, gaining sponsors for the annual bike ride is always a challenge. Often questions on budget allocation, payback and market worth of being associated with a cause are raised. Not as a barrier but as a discussion point. Many of the sponsors for the ride are consistent and reliable and the organisation is certainly grateful for their continued support.

Maybe part of the problem is that apart from Gift Aid there is little incentive for commercial organisations to give-up their talent. Instead, people who care enough will do it anyway.

Yet, the irony is that many of today’s issues are based on commercial decisions and international trade rules.

Today, the G8 commence another exciting summit. With talk of rising oil prices and rising food prices will there be a consideration for being creative. For those who already live on the border line of life, recession will impact them harder. Greater tax breaks for organisations, both developing, mature and willing to invest in development projects could be a way to encourage greater world unity and harmonisation. Else the predicted downturn could escalate into a spiral of depression where corporate leaders may become protective of their funds rather than innovative to deliver real change.

If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Children with Leukemia (CWL). This year we have chosen the same charity again. In addition, there is a new web site to support the ride:
http://www.charitybikeride.com. Here, you can register for special guides for training, collecting sponsorship and generally getting fit! This year the ride takes place from 19th-20th July 2008.

This is a community ride that also shows that collectively we can perform good in society & be humble about it too!

If you did it last year (brilliant!) or are new to the ride, come and join again this year on our 19th ride to raise money for this year’s charity: Children with Leukemia.

Application forms are now available and we strongly recommend you apply early.Just as important, it is essential that you start training now.

A fast track (one day option) application is also available this year.

They say that ‘you take the journey with you’. We suggest that you make the journey of your life worthwhile by helping others.

We look forward to receiving your application form .

As a reminder, the ride is organised by SACA (Sikh Arts and Culture Association). The ride was initially developed by the British Organisation of Sikh Students and was later transferred after a few years to SACA.

Over the last 18 years over £135,000 has been raised for children’s charities, for example, Contact a family, Ealing Hospitals ‘Playground in the Sky’, Wolverhampton Hospital’s Children’s ward, NSPCC, SCOPE, deBra, Dr Barnados, Whizzkids and CWL. Over the years thousands of people have taken part.

Like last year there aims to be a huge party in the park at the finish line. It is a nice way to say Thanks to the supportive families and organisers that have sponsored the ride. Medals are also presented together with many musicians that give up their time to raise further funds.

Once all the collections are in, competitors for the most money raised through sponsorship are awarded and the charity is presented with a cheque for the total amount raised.

If you would like to take part in the ride, please feel free to drop me an email or simply head for the ride website at: http://www.charitybikeride.com/ It would also be great to hear from companies as this event is a fantastic opportunity for corporate responsibility! Remember, apathy is too easy it is time to rise and ride to help others!

One of the amazing things I’ve noticed is how people can come together to help each other.
If these attributes are true what is stopping us from eradicating poverty?

In many ways our lives are fuelled by the need to survive and progress. However, the environment that exists in rich countries does not help matters, for example: a poor work-life balance, stresses of having to perform for corporates, the mobile phone and the rush to get results amongst sometimes brutal corporate competitiveness. All these factors make us forget that we were once innocent children who could befriend anyone and have no ego in the way.

One way to make the world a better place has to be to use the existing channels of communication to highlight the plight of poorer nations.
I still believe that although there is a dark element to the Internet, it still has the power to harness good, for example:

• More on-line campaigns through tools such as Facebook
• A continuous flow of emails to ensure that those that have power can see that we put them there and they work for us!
• Bringing the themes of poverty into the mainstream in terms of encouraging the press to uncover stories
• Being positive and optimistic

With regard to the latter point, communicating positive stories in the media about how certain campaigns have worked.
We hear so much negativity, is it not time to communicate the issues and suggest that hope is possible.

The video from Leona Lewis supports the Sport Relief campaign. We need to stop poverty – The attempt to make it history must have a target date for its eradication. Notice at the end of the video with the kids smiling – That is what we need to remember can be achieved if we believe in the mission to drive the agenda rather than just be passengers of life.

The Sport Relief 2008: Zambia Food Appeal from the BBC is also an interesting video…

Much loved actor and current King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins took time out of his busy schedule to meet fundraisers, including 96 year old Fauja Singh, after they completed the annual Birmingham to London bike ride in aid of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.

The presentation took place on Sunday 27 January at the Wyke Green Golf Club, Isleworth, where the star was presented with a cheque for £25,368.44 from SACA, the organisers behind the event.

SACA also took the opportunity to announce that, further to the success of last year’s event, they have nominated CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA to be the beneficiary of the event for a second year running.  Deputy CEO of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA Peter Reynolds said “We are honoured to be the nominated charity for a second year. It is a privilege to be associated with SACA again and we look forward to another successful event”.

Over 250 cyclists covered over 130 miles in July last year, enduring unseasonably adverse weather conditions throughout. Fauja Singh (aged 96), who currently holds eight different UK, European and world running records in the men over 90 age category, ran in a relay, with a team of ten other runners, along the same route as the cyclists, to show their support for the riders

Biggins beat eleven celebrities to be crowned King of the Jungle in November last year, on ITV’s Primetime show ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Talking from the event he said “Well the bush tucker trials really pale into insignificance compared to the lengths these wonderful supporters have gone to in order to raise vital funds for a wonderful cause.  The money raised will be used to fight the UK’s most common childhood cancer and is much needed, so all I can say is a huge thank you”.

Esther Lay, from SACA said “We’re delighting to able to donate £25,000 to such a worthy cause.  I would like to thank each and every rider, whose dedication and support has resulted in a fantastic contribution to CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA and look forward to working with them again in 2008”.

The Annual Birmingham to London Charity Bike Ride is one of the most challenging rides organized in the UK.  The event has been held each year since 1989, when a group of 14 aspiring youths decided to establish a challenge that could help both local and national children’s charities. They considered a number of sporting events that would test both their determination and personal fitness. They also considered the key element of working as a team and supporting each other.

Each year SACA choose a children’s charity to benefit from the event.  CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the sole beneficiary of the 2007 event.  To date the ride has raised over £135,000 for children’s charities.

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is Britain’s leading national charity dedicated exclusively to the conquest of childhood leukaemia through pioneering research, new treatment and support of leukaemic children and their families.