Lesson from Fund-raising campaign on campus - focus on the individual

Raising funds for flood victims in Pakistan is turning out to be quite an experience. Apart from fund-raising, we are also equally focused on raising awareness about this calamity. While more than 20 million people have impacted, and millions others impacted indirectly; through job-losses, the disaster is the biggest one that has hit Pakistan in this century.

On Friday evening, the South Asian Students Association organised its annual cultural show Udaan, where i got a chance to speak about "Syracuse Cares", the campaign we started. Basit Naeem, a graduate student from the LC Smith School of Engineering spoke with me - and we gave a brief overview of what we have done so far and what we intend to do in the near future.

I anticipated that we would collect a few hundred dollars in donations that evening, as most of the audience were students and my expectations in terms of cash donations were low.

As anticipated, we did collect a few hundred dollars. But the biggest discovery for me : Most of the money came from ONE individual. This is the second instance in which this has happened. According to Giving USA, a report compiled annually by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, figures on American philanthropy indicate the following:

# Americans gave more than $307.75 billion to their favorite causes despite the economic conditions in 2009. Total giving, when adjusted for inflation, was down 3.6 percent, the steepest decline since the Giving USA annual reports started in 1956. It’s important to keep in mind that despite the downturn, giving still totaled $307 billion.
# The greatest portion of charitable giving, $227.41 billion, was given by individuals or household donors. In 2009, gifts from individuals represented 75 percent of all contributed dollars, similar to 2008 figures

( http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraising_individuals_statistics.htm)

Lesson # 1 for me so far : Focus on the individual. Speak to each person and solicit attention, focus, money as well as concern. It usually pays off.

Crisis of Islamic Civilisation - Ali Al Allawi at Central European University

Turkey in Perspective - a panel discussion

One of the advantages of studying at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is that one has the opportunity to attend several events on campus. These can range from events related to Africa, Europe, Middle East, South Asia over and above the theme based ones that are organised almost on a daily basis. The one that I attended today happened to be titled "Turkey in perspective".

This panel brought to fore several issues related to modern turkey as well as took a historic look at some issues that continue to impact the politics as well as demographics of this rich country. When one thinks of Turkey, and especially if one has travelled to Istanbul or the touristy southern part, one remembers the Turkish Baths, kebabs and the mosques and it is easy to forget that the country was home to one of the mighty Ottoman empire. The only empire to which the British crown has ever paid taxes. The proof of this is in the Topkapi palace Museum in all its glory.

The panel was organised by the Turkish Cultural center, Syracuse University in association with the Middle Eastern Studies Program, with Dr. James Bennett, from Syracuse University as the Moderator,Dr. Yildiray Yildirim, Maxwell School of Syracuse University who spoke about the Global Economic Crises and Turkish Financial System,Dr. Mustafa Gokcek, Niagara University,Islam and Modernity in Turkey and Dr. Norman York, from Buffalo State College, who spoke about the Balkan Immigrations, Ottoman Empire, and Modern Turkey.

The issues addressed ranged from the Balkan immigration to the Turkish territories in late 19th century which made them a politically significant group and also altered the geo-political landscape of the region forever. The results of this migration continue to have an impact on modern Turkey both in terms of the ethnic mix of people as well as the relations between the Balkans and Turkey, when seen from a historical context.

Dr Yildiray yildirim gave an insighful talk on the global financial crisis and how it has not had much impact on Turkey, since the country went through a market correction in the real estate prices in early 2003, spurred by the European Union regulations for greater transparency and financial openness. This the speaker stressed was a blessing in disguise and also saved the country from being in a precarious position today. To identify 'important but not urgent' issues in the financial world is a work of art and one which one must pay close attention to, he added.

The question of Turkish identity and its ambitions to join the EU were also analysed with the panel pointing out that this has been a subject of discussions since the early 60s', with slow reforms taking place across various sectors: Human rights, democratisation, and greater women's rights. The issue of Turkey being a Muslim country came up with one of the speakers addressing this issue head on and focusing on the fact that the country is coming to terms with integrating with the west while maintaining its proud Islamic identity. The fact that sufism, which is considered a very tolerant version of Islam dominates the discourse in Turkey helps to do this, he added.

The discussion wrapped up with a quick analysis of relations with Greece and Armenia over contentious issues, land and the Armenian genocide respectively. Overall, a very interesting panel considering there were many views represented. I also got a good perspective of Turkey from various angles : Social, Historical as well as Financial. It did challenge me to alter my mental image of Turkey a bit, from one of a country which seems to be focused on entering the EU to one in which there is a lot of dynamism and energy and definitely a will to contribute to the world in all spheres.

Re-branding Indian nationalism

A few minutes ago, i discovered that the famous song " Mile sur mera tumhara", which i grew up watching on Doordarshan, the government owned TV station has been re-packaged. The remake stars the icons of modern day : Deepika padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Yesudas, Aamir Khan among others. I have embedded it here for those who want to have a look

What is going on here ? Is it another attempt at re-branding India, as the emerging 'super-power' ? Or an attempt to bring Indians together ( read all the bollywood stars from all religions, castes and denominations) in a show of unity ? perhaps a bit of both, with a ton of jingoism thrown in. It is also pertinent to mention that as i write this post, the Shahrukh Khan starrer, "My name is Khan" was released across cinemas last friday amidst much controversy. Apparently Mr.Khan has hurt many people by saying that Pakistani cricket players be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League. This is being seen as a very 'un-Indian' thing to do. The right-wing in India has very predictably jumped into the fray and attacked him with all its might. The fact that he is muslim helps their cause. The movie was not due to be released amidst threats from the Shiv-sena in Mumbai, but ultimately was released across the country. Ironically, the movie received much publicity as a result and many more people would want to see it now just to see if there is an element of controversy in it.

The story line itself sounds very cheesy and typical bollywood. From what i could gather watching the trailer, it is about a certain Rizwan Khan, a Muslim who falls in love with a girl in the US attempts to prove to the world that he is not a terrorist by trying to meet the president of the US. How banal and mis-placed can one get ? The saving grace seems to be some of the sound-tracks.

I am curious to see how the movie is received in India and abroad ? king khan is known for his power to drive up revenues of films just by his presence. It remains to be seen if he can draw in the crowds with such a jingoistic and in the face story-line.

Here is the older version of 'Mile sur mera tumhara'. Hope you tell the difference. No prize for guessing which one i like and why.




The older version