----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Association for India's Development (AID) and Stanford India Association
(SIA) invite you to a
talk by Michael
Mazgaonkar
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When: 4:30 pm, 29th July,
2001
Where: Gates 104, Stanford University, Palo
Alto
Michael Mazgaonkar and Swati Desai are social
and environmental activists who have been living and working in Juna Mozda, a
tribal village in the Bharuch district of Gujarat, since 1991.
In Mozda, they have been involved
in:
1.Soil and water conservation (watershed
management)
2.Organizing a women's co-operative
to
- Process organically grown
pigeon peas (tur, arhar) to make
dal
- Run a savings
program
- Run a small dairy of
indigenous breed cows
3.Primary health care on a small
scale
4.Training local youth to carry out the above activities
Michael and Swati are also two of the
founders of PSS, an organization fighting against environmental
pollution in the "golden" and "silver" corridor in Gujarat. The objectives
of PSS include
1. Creating awareness among people about
the environmental and health impacts of the toxic chemicals released by the
industries
2. Alerting people about policies that
are inimical to public interest
3. Interpreting scientific documents and
making them available to the affected community in the local
language
4. Linking with other organizations to
create a healthy and constructive debate on matters and policies affecting the
poor
5. Searching and experimenting alternatives
Michael is researching actively in the
areas of appropriate technology and renewable energy. He was one of key
participants in the pedal power project funded by AID. He is currently in
the U.S to attend a workshop on thermoacoustic refrigeration.
Michael and Swati were also actively
involved in the emergency relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in
Gujarat earlier this year. They are currently helping AID with the
rehabilitation efforts in the earthquake hit regions of Gujarat.
Michael's talk will be
tailored to the interests of the audience. Please make use of this
excellent opportunity and participate in what promises to be an interesting
discussion.
Directions:
-
From San Francisco or the SF Airport:
Take US 101 South to Embarcadero Rd West. Stay on Embarcadero for about 10
min. When you cross El Camino (major road), the road renames to Galvez Street.
Go two blocks and turn right on Campus Drive, and then turn left on Quarry
Road. The parking structure is just ahead. Walk in the same direction for one
block to the Gates Computer Science Building.
-
From San Jose: Take US 101 North to
Embarcadero Road West. Continue as above. Via El Camino Real (northbound) from
Mountain View direction: Turn left on Galvez Street. On your right at the same
intersection is Embarcadero
Road. Continue as above.
-
From SF & SJ via I-280. Take it to
Alpine Rd East. Go right onto Junipero Serra Blvd. Turn left onto Campus Drive
West. Turn right onto Roth Way. The parking structure is on your left and the
Gates Building is one block to your right.
-
By CalTrain (From San Francisco or San
Jose): Get off at University Ave. Station in Palo Alto. Form there you can
take the Marguerite Shuttle (red & white bus). Line "A" of the shuttle
goes by Hospital, stops right in from of the Gates Building, then stops right
in front of the Quad and then continues on. Line "B" goes up Galvez St. and
eventually stops at Via Ortega and Campus Drive; this is not quite as
convenient. Both lines run every 15 min. 6am to 8pm, Monday through Friday.
You can also walk from the train station; takes about 25 minutes. An
alternative CalTrain station is the California Ave. Station, served also by
Marguerite Shuttle Line "A."
Association
for India’s Development (AID)
is
a 501 (3)-(c) non-profit, charitable, volunteer organization that supports a
wide variety of social service and development projects addressing such problems
as literacy, health care, rural credit, vocational training, women's empowerment
and children's welfare.Visit:
http://www.aidsfbay.org
for more information about the AID chapter in the Bay
Area.
Stanford
India Association
is
a group of Indian graduate students on the Stanford University campus who have
come together to accomplish the following twin aims:
- Increase
awareness of India-related issues (cultural, social, etc.) on campus
- Stimulate
interaction between students of Indian origin on the one hand, and between
them and the wider Stanford community on the other.