India
Disaster
Relief for Northwestern India
Drilling Wells to Fight Drought
This year, the normal annual rainfall did not come to the State of Rajasthan in northwestern India. So local farmers could not till their land, and a severe famine broke out in the region. Upon hearing news of the drought, Supreme Master Ching Hai became very concerned about the well-being of Rajasthan's people. So in April She instructed members of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to render relief. Soon approximately forty fellow initiates from England, Singapore and Formosa arrived in Rajasthan to distribute provisions. The operation covered a vast area, and the relief team worked round the clock in temperatures as high as 54 C (129o F). The volunteers went to many towns and villages, including Pali, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Barmer where is severely affected by desertification. With help from the local Red Cross, Mahila Mandal Barmer Agor (MMBA) and state governors, the initiates distributed the relief materials to over ten thousand households by May 5. Each family received 20 kg of flour, 2 litre of soybean oil, 5 kg of pulses or other foodstuffs.
The drought-stricken region was extremely hot and badly in need of water. So Supreme Master Ching Haiagain contributed fifty water tanks, and drilled twenty one wells in the desert town of Barmer to relieve the drought. Well-drilling was expected to be completed by June 6.
A True Story
Living about 100 km from the historic fortress city of Jaisalmer, one visually-impaired drought victim sobbed as he told the relief team his story. He was old and could not see; the heat was unbearable but there was no water. So he prayed to God for enough food for his family. One day in early May, which happened to be Thanksgiving Day in the region, when he finally received his food from the Supreme Master Ching Hai relief team, he told the relief volunteers with great emotion: "God has heard my prayers!"
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Related news coverage and Master's enlightening discourse
are available for online viewing on Sun TV Program serial No. 41
of A
Journey through Aesthetic Realms