E-Summit converges for E’quake relief

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“I have lost 32 very good friends in the quake tragedy. And one of the finest craftsmen from Bhuj, Ismail Rana, was one of them,” a grim Nasscom President Dewang Mehta told Mumbai Newsline. “Thankfully, there was no loss to any IT company in the state,” he said.

Barely a month before the earthquake, Mehta had visited the Ranas at their Bhuj house, which is today in shambles. “Being a Gujarati, from a small place called Anand, I just cannot express my anguish on seeing what the state has been reduced to now,” he commented, while recalling the last delicious `khichdi’ he had savoured at his friend’s place.

Mehta has already set up a transit orphanage in Gujarat for children who lost their parents in the quake, and now plans to put up an art exhibition of several works of his late friend Ismail Rana for a charitable cause.

“Nearly 75 kids are currently housed in the orphanage which we plan to expand, and we have also opened 16 relief camps in Gujarat,” he further informed.

The Nasscom president added that the Nasscom event, beginning tomorrow, would feature a "Wall of Hope", where visitors could write messages to victims and pledge aid. “We have already got commitment to the tune of Rs 5 crore and we expect to raise about Rs 25 crore from the four-day IT event,” he told this newspaper.

“At least 150 companies have e-mailed me since the tragedy took place and I expect a very good response from the infotech industry,” Mehta said. “Many companies have already sent funds directly to the Prime Minister’s relief funds while others are doing it through Nasscom .. we are looking at adopting a village to re-build the lives of many people,” Mehta said.

“In fact, it’s better to use the word partnering instead of adopting as many villagers are sensitive to the word `adoption’, Mehta added.

Many IT geeks have already come forward and are idiscussing with Nasscom on how to go ahead.The companies who have already pledged funds are: Seattle-based software giant, Microsoft Corp which said that the company and its employees will raise an estimated Rs 1.84 crore for victims of the earthquake.

The technology shares led, Nasdaq Stock Exchange and Hughes Software Systems have sponsored a fund-raising dinner for quake victims during the conference.

Digital Partners, a non-profit group aiding South Asia and comprising of many former Microsoft employees, will also contribute towards the fund, which is to be handed over to aid agency care. Telecommunications equipment firm Nortel Networks last week announced $100,000 in aid for quake victims. In all there are 806 IT companies registered with Nasscom.

“I don’t think that a progressive state like Gujarat can be put down by a quake for long. Within two months, I am sure Gujarat will be back on its feet,” concluded Mehta on a hopeful note.