Dear NvT,

I am writing this letter after a long interval of about ten years. Hope you remember the Bombay Sarvodaya Friendship Centre.

You and your organisation had been one of our Centre's many supporters and sympathisers in the initial stages of it development.

I must acknowledge with gratefulness that the support sent regularly by many peace, nonviolence and social change groups such as IFOR, FOR, War Resisters' groups was the foundation on which the creation of this small and modest peace and nonviolence networking centre has depended.

Then in 1985/86, once we shifted to the newly purchased flats at Kajupada-Kurla, we sent out a letter of communication/report informing our contributors and sympathisers how the centre was created and our plans of running it in the years to come in a self-supporting manner depending as much as possible on the contributions of those who made use of the facilities, with a request to donors to discontinue their financial support. We, of course, asked for their continued moral and material support (books, films, videos, posters).

I am happy to say that for the last ten years we did carry on in this way without resorting to major fund-raising.

In these years we have been able to provide support to hundreds of peace and nonviolence and social change activists from Asia, Europe and the South and North Americas and the groups that came every year from Germany. Our contacts have widened and we have seen changes occurring within the persons themselves after their visits to slums and the abattoir in Bombay where the nv action goes on against the slaughter of bullocks. Their meetings with womenfolk here have helped them understand how traditional our society is in some ways and how open and modern in other ways. The rural visits of groups and individuals, visits to the big dam being built on Narmada would tell a story of how the Indian government (be it of any colour/ideology) adopts the western model of development which is absolutely not suitable to Indian conditions. Even, the staying of some days at the centre itself which is located in a rather poor and industrial/labour area is a great source of self-education for sensitive visitors.

The group visits from Germany continue even now. So also the individual visits.

Just a year before, we have added a semi-rural based centre at Rajpipla at Bharuch district of Gujarat state.

There, we have a fairly big house and it serves as a meeting point for the Gandhian constructive workers and workers of rural organisations active on the issues of sustainable development and appropriate technology.

A project to study the role of hazardous industries and how they pollute the air, water, land and rivers is undertaken by the young activists in the district and village to village visits are being made to convince the village-councils of the dangers of such acts of socially unconscious industries. Slowly they are becoming aware and passing resolutions in their councils against such industries.

A documentation/dissemination is also going on for several months now and we hope that it will grow and activists will receive good support from the data being collected there.

Till today, we were able to run the centre in a self-reliant way on a shoe-string budget providing modest facilities.

But now we have to appeal to our friends and sister organisations for financial support as the prices have been rising for all these years and just a week before there has been a sudden rise in the petroleum prices which in reality means that all other prices will go up. There is already a strike by auto-rickshaw-drivers and taxi drivers (the rise has been that of 25%).

In these circumstances, our new budget will be as follows:

Society contribution 4,000

Municipal taxes 15,000

Travelling in & out of Bombay 7,000

Auditor's fees 3,000

Electricity charges 5,000

Miscellaneous expenses 7,000

Equipping Rajpipla Centre 15,000

Taxes, electricity (Rajpipla ) 5,000

Telephones, Postage 15,000

Unforeseen expenses 5,000

81,000

Assuming that we would receive a sum of Rs. 25,000 to 30,000 a year, we would still fall short by about Rs. 50,000.

As we plan to raise funds for the next only three years, we come to a consolidated figure of Rs. 1,50,000/-.

Up to now, Mrs. Hansa and Daniel Mazgaonkar are giving their time and energies without any assistance from paid worker. At some stage we might require such help. But we have decided that at least till such time we are capable of managing the affairs of the centre independently, we shall do so.

In this way, the amount of Rs. 1,50,000 is the barest minimum that we need to raise, so that we could continue the work unhindered.

Dear sister-organisation and friends, you have known us for a long time. Some of the people of your organisations and friends have visited us several times. You have deep sympathy for what is happening in the Gandhian/Sarvodaya Movements and wish her well.

We wish to appeal to you to continue your support once again.

May we urge to contribute a small sum of $100.00 only as a token of your support to our work ? This would go a long way in meeting the extremely urgent requirements of the Centre.

Please note that you should not mail cash money in an envelop. It will never reach us. Ordinary cheques take a long time to realise.

If you have a system of Banker's cheque (we call it here: Bank Demand Draft) please draw it in favour of: 'Bombay Sarvodoya Friendship Centre'

If you want to transfer the amount via Bank directly, our Bank Account No. is:

Name: Bombay Sarvodyay Friendship Centre, Account No. 8316, State Bank of India, Seqaram Lalwani Rd, Mulund West, Bombay 400 080.

With regards from both of us

In Peace and Friendship,

Hansa and Daniel Mazgaonkar

Bombay Sarvodaya Friendship Centre

Friendship Bldg, Kajupada Pipe Line Road, Bombay 400 072; Tel: 851 3660