Connect With Loved

14 Austin South Asian | June 2021 How To Connect With Loved Ones In 2021

In a pandemic year marked by distance, loss and virtual stand-ins, Americans have become more intentional about connecting with family and friends.

Here are a few ways technology can help you show you care in 2021.

• Applying modern twists on old traditions: It’s no surprise that some of the traditional ways we share sentiments and make memories are getting exciting new twists.

For example, the innovative new greeting card company, Hello Video, is offering an easy, high-tech way to share special sentiments with family and friends, near or far.

Whether you are wishing your parents a happy anniversary, or just want to tell someone how much you miss them, here’s how it works:

1. Visit hellovideocard.com and browse cards by holiday and occasion. 4. Provide the recipient’s name and mailing address. Hello Video will send the card via the mail.

5. When the card arrives, recipients

2. Select a card and add a personalized message and photo.

3. Record and upload a video. can simply place their smartphone over the center of the card’s right interior panel to play the video. Combining the best of both stationery and personalized video to give you a new way to send greetings, share moments, and create memories, Hello Video offers cards for major holidays, birthdays, as well as “just because” and “thinking of you” sentiments.

This innovative technology captures priceless moments and memories to create a shared experience.

All cards are $9.99 (which includes shipping and handling), plus tax.

• Collaborating on music selections: You don’t need to be in the same room or even on the same continent to experience the joy of listening to music together.

Streaming music services are allowing friends to create collaborative playlists that can be enjoyed any time. • Sharing a taste of home: At a time when travel options have been limited, long-distance food delivery is making it possible to share the delicious tastes of your city or region with loved ones residing far away.

From New York City bagels to Texas barbecue, sharing a food connection can help you feel physically close, even when you’re apart.

As the vaccine rolls out nationwide and restrictions continue to lift, you might be starting to plan for more in-person visits and travel soon.

However, one thing is certain, the innovative technologies and services you came to rely on during the pandemic are going to continue to help you thoughtfully and creatively connect with loved ones near and far. (StatePoint)

EKAL Foundation’s Offensive Against The Pandemic In Rural India

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There was a reason too for this apathy towards the rural community. Last year, the villages had fared quite well in arresting the spread of corona, by and large, and the majority of folks there had remained immune to it.

As India entered well into Yr.2021, the situation changed. According to Bajrang Bagra, the CEO of ‘Ekal Abhiyan’ (federation of all ‘Ekal’ organizations), “the serious aspect of the pandemic, this time around, is that it has struck even in the countryside where, unfortunately, the medical infrastructure and facilities are not as strong as they are in the urban areas”.

In rural India, ‘Ekal’ (as ‘Abhiyan’ is popularly known) has the most wide-spread network of volunteers and collaborators in the deepest corners of villages. It has firm presence and unwavering support in over 100,000 villages. That’s why Ekal has undertaken a comprehensive well-coordinated offensive against the pandemic, with support from its allied organizations.

Last year, Ekal’s successful initiative against covid was based on

self-monitoring, self-reliance, education and cooperative-exchanges. It included a wide-spread awareness campaign about the hygiene, social distancing, food distribution, mask-making and restrictive movements. direct-action roadmap, but also, has started a proactive counter campaign against the misinformation about the vaccine, the danger posed by covid and voodoo-treatments.

With extensive reach well beyond its footings, Ekal has mobilized tens of thousands of its school teachers for this information campaign. ‘Ekal-Arogya (Health Foundation)’ has established 24-hr Telehealth lifeline (# 011 41236457) for professional medical counselling. According to Ramesh Shah, Ekal Global Coordinator and an advisor to Ekal-USA, ‘Board of Directors’, “currently more than 350 ‘National Medico Organization (NMO)’ Doctors in India and some in U.S. are manning the helpline every day”. In addition to various empowering projects for the economic sustainance of the village folks, Ekal has earmarked one million dollars just for covid relief.

It is converting its 29 ‘Gramotthan Research Ctrs’ and ‘Integrated Village Development Ctrs’ into corona isolation camps, fully equipped with Oxygen concentrators, PPE kits, Oximeters and basic medicines. After making provision for hundreds of beds it is dispensing Ayurvedic, Homoeopathic and Allopathic medicines as deemed necessary. According to Arun Gupta, Chairman of Ekal-USA ‘Board of Directors’, “Ekal has lost many volunteers to Covid and so Ekal has created an endowment fund to the tune of $500,000 - $1Million, as an assistance to their families.

It is supplying 15,000 Oximeters and infrared thermometers to its ‘Arogya Sevikas’ (healthcare workers). It has created resident facilities for thousands of its city volunteers, throughout its reach. Ekal intends to extend emergency medical services to 5 million people. It is running vaccination Centers in collaboration with the local govt. These efforts are being spear-headed by Dr. Mukul Bhatia in India and Dr. Rakesh Gupta in U.S., with support from numerous healthcare specialists. ing alongside various organization like ‘Sewa International’, ‘AAPI’, ‘Seva Bharati’, ‘Mission Oxygen’ and few others. It is assisting many humanitarian groups who have collected funds for Indian pandemic but have no proper distribution network to dispense them. Ekal is appealing nationally and internationally to its donor-base to contribute to its various relief-work packages.

As of now four donor-packages have been floated – Diagnostic Kits $50/village; Telehealth Lifeline $500/30 villages; Supporting Covid Ctr $5000/Ctr; and Supporting Covid Victim $5,000/Family. Ekal’s youth groups are also very active in creating awareness and raising funds for this unprecedented fight against the pandemic. One example - Arnav Enaganti from Michigan has taken an initiative to raise funds for Oximeter, PPE Kits and Oxygen concentrators. Come what may, Ekal is confident that with everyone’s help, we can defeat this deadly virus, once and for all. Please support this noble cause and donate generously at www. ekal.org