California: All the major Indian American Gujarati associations came together under the umbrella of the ‘Gujarat Community of North America’ to help raise funds for the people in need in the US and India during these difficult times of Covid-19. On May 3, 2020, a two-hour long program titled “Karo-Na Daan,” organized by Pramod Mistry of Los Angeles and Amit Pathak from Connecticut, was telecast on TV-Asia and various other platforms.
During the program approximately $130,000 was donated by various organizations and personal donors across the US. A total of ten leading Gujarati artists participated in this program without charging any fees. The organizers thank Sairam Dave, who hosted the show and presented artists like Kirtidan Gadhvi, Atul Purohit, Osman Mir, Manan Desai, Kaajal Oza Vaidhya, Kairavi Buch, Geeta Rabari, Maya Deepak and Bhoomi Trivedi, who rendered famous Gujarati songs, bhajans and Jain Stavans.
The program served a two-fold purpose, said the organizers: providing free entertainment for the people from the world-famous Gujarati artists and fundraising for those in need. During the event, the chief minister of Gujarat congratulated the Gujarati Community of North America and acknowledged the efforts of Amit Pathak and Pramod Mistry for the success of the program, and many other Indian American community leaders like Dr. Dhaduk, Mahesh Wadher of JAINA, Jayesh Patel from AAHOA and others appealed to the viewers to donate generously.
Other major donors to the cause included: Bhikhu U Patel, GSSC president, $25,000; Mahesh Wadher, JAINA president, $25,000; Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj, $30,000; Dr. Ninna and Bharat Patel, $10,000; Deepak and Meena Patel, $11,000; Online donors $25,000; and Dr Jagdish and Harsha Patel $5,000.
The funds collected will be equally distributed amongst various charities to help needy people in Gujarat, as well as here in the US, namely: The Gujarat Chief Minister Relief Fund; Srimad Rajchandra Love and Care Foundation of Dharampur, Gujarat; the nonprofit Joy of Sharing in the US. The program was supported by various organizations across the US, including, Saurashtra Patel Culture Samaj, Shree Jalaram Mandir Chicago, JAINA and Gujarati Samaj of New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Washington, Los Angeles, Connecticut; and many more.
