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:
- PM CARES: focused on containment
and relief efforts against the Covid 19
outbreak in India
- 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.
- 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!
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