In my two most recent posts, I shared a few of my perspectives on community with you. This week, I want to highlight a community that really matters to me: the Indian community.
I was born and raised in America, but my roots in Indian culture are still very strong. Even though I have spent no more than one cumulative year living in my ancestral motherland, I consider its natives ‘my people’.
Indian-American Ambivalence
As a first-generation Indian-American, I view ideas like safety and freedom with a dual lens. The American in me sees them as a basic human right, while the Indian in me sees them as a luxury. This ambivalent mindset makes India’s current state extremely difficult to process.
More Than Just Headlines
As I’m sure y’all have seen in the recent headlines, India is hurting. Today I want to highlight how these are more than just headlines. It is personal for me and a lot of people in the Indian community. Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve received daily calls informing me of yet another family member, friend, coworker, or acquaintance who has passed at the hands of coronavirus.
That’s why I want to leverage Stories by Shiv to raise awareness and funds for Covid relief in India this week. If you are looking to securely donate, my company is matching 100% of donations.
You can send me your donations on Venmo @shahshivani, and I will follow up with a receipt confirming submission.
Thank you,
Shiv
FYI: These dollars will be distributed evenly across the following organizations:
Charities Aid Foundation India: Implementing large scale humanitarian projects and mobilizing resources for frontline workers, doctors, nurses and other essential service providers.
GiveIndia: Providing a safety net to daily wage worker families by giving a minimum wage in cash directly to these families.
Goonj: Working with over 400 partner organisations to provide essentials to vulnerable communities during these tough times and to drive economic recovery.
United Way of Mumbai: Supporting local hospitals and civic bodies with medical supplies and protective equipment.
This is awesome, thank you for sharing this opportunity to double our impact! I’ve shared with a bunch of friends as well.