SIS Newsletter on Coronavirus
13th April 2020
   

Dear SIS Patrons

We are all in the depths of despair brought upon us by coronavirus. And, as we move from Vikari Varsham to Sharvari varsham, our hope is that the darkest hour is behind us.

In our tradition, Panchanga sravanam on New Year day is considered auspicious. As there is no opportunity to visit a temple and listen to a Panchanga Patanam this year, we requested an eminent Vedic Scholar, Mahamahopadyaya Mullaivasal Dr Krishnamurthy Sastrigal, President Award Winner and former Principal of Madras Sanskrit College, to do a recording of Panchanga Patanam for our patrons. Please listen to this on 14th April, 2020. This sravanam itself is considered the equivalent of a Ganga-snanam and a simple way of seeking the blessings of the Navagrahas. Sastrigal’s message is a reassuring one.

Panchanga Patanam by Mullaivasal Dr Krishnamurthy Sastrigal: https://www.youtube.com/ynoJTD9_HHg

Hope has to be underpinned by efforts to combat the spread and impact of the virus. We are obviously taking all the necessary precautions. We also know that, deeply impacted though we are, millions have no jobs, no income and no food and therefore we are supporting, financially and otherwise, society’s and nations’ efforts. We also seek divine intervention, through prayers, directly or through countless temples in India and elsewhere. All these we should continue. We will strongly urge you also to look at the SIS appeal for funds for three causes, which we have identified among many good ones. Details are given below.

Start the year with a generous donation.

We wish all our patrons a happy Sarvari Varsham: indeed, our Asha is that things will definitely take a turn for the better.

Trustees

(SIS Tamil New Year celebrations usually start with a Panchanga Patanam by one of our esteemed members, Sri R Sivasankaran. While we have called off the event this year, we hope to revive this next year.)

We are in the middle of a global seismic event. The trade off in favour of life over livelihood has meant countries are shut down, leaving a miasma of despair especially for the poor. Sanatana Dharma teaches us to face such challenges with prayatna, follow expert advice on social distancing, etc., and support various causes, and, prartana and SIS would like to do our bit and have identified the following three causes to support:

  1. PM CARES: focused on containment and relief efforts against the Covid 19 outbreak in India
  2. Archakas in Villages: Many archakas, for a token payment of Rs 400 per month, light the lamps in temples in villages everyday: they will be given additionally Rs 1000 per month through Sri Pratyaksha Trust, Chennai, a charity eligible to receive foreign donations under Indian laws.
  3. The Front line NHS Staff: Help a group of doctors in the UK who organize lunch boxes for NHS front line staff, who are bearing the brunt of the work and trauma in dealing with such a mass of critical patients

In a modest way SIS is donating £ 2100, split 1/3rd to each of the above charities. Additionally, we seek your support. As SIS is a registered Charity qualifying for Gift Aid, if you are a basic rate tax payer in the UK, your £ 100 donation to SIS will enable us give £ 125 to charity. So, our appeal to you is:

  • In addition to all the charity donations you are already making, make a bank transfer to the Account of South Indian Society; Sort Code: 202937, Barclays Bank; Account No 50284645. Donate generously.
  • While making the remittance, in the remarks column please mention your name
  • If you want the money to go to a specific charity, please add 1, 2, or 3 to the name. If your name is Datha, and if you want to give the money to PM CARES, say, Datha 1; for Archakas, say, Datha 2; and, for NHS Front Line Staff, say, Datha 3. If you just say Datha, we will split the amount between the 3 causes.
  • Please send an email to SISnambalava@gmail.com, with details of bank transfer, your name, chosen charity, if any, and, most importantly, confirm if you are a UK tax payer, to enable us claim Gift Aid.

SIS Trustees

P.S. There is a Sanskrit saying: one in a hundred is a warrior; one in thousand a good pandit; one in a lakh a good pandit who can teach; and, may be, one in a million, a ‘datha’, or a good donor: may each of you be that datha!







This email was sent to *|EMAIL|*
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
*|LIST:ADDRESSLINE|*

*|REWARDS|*