Telugu Society of America (TELSA)

Walkathon to Campaign for Masterplan Approach to Rural Change (M.A.R.Ch.) on May 24-25, 2008

Telugu Society of America (TELSA) is organizing a walkathon called "M.A.R.Ch.", to campaign for Masterplan Approach to Rural Change. The purpose of the walkathon is two fold:

1. To focus attention on the need to develop Indian villages and,
2. To develop villages according to well laid-out master plans.

The walkathon starts on May 24, 2008 at 8:00 AM at Pomona Valley Hospital, 1798 N Garey Avenue,, Pomona, CA 91767, (map) and will end at 5.00 PM on May 25th at Woodlands Restaurant, 11833 Artesia Blvd, Artesia, CA, 90701 (map). The walkathon covers about 30 miles. There will be a dinner meeting at the restaurant at the end of the walkathon. A video presentation called, ‘Gateway to a Better India: Re-imagining the Indian Village’ lasting sixty minutes will be screened at the meeting. The video presentation, a result of a two year study funded in part by TELSA, documents the present conditions in the village of Marikal in Andhra Pradesh, and presents a master plan for Marikal's future development. The screening will be followed by a discussion and a simple vegetarian dinner.

Up till now, rural development in India has been pursued in an ad hoc, disjointed, and band-aid approach, delivering the benefits to just a few at the top. The TELSA campaign aims to promote the need for India to develop its villages according to time-bound master plans drawn up for each village to truly reach the status of a developed country. Tracing a direct connection between urban problems of congestion, poor amenities, slum proliferation, crime, ill health, pollution, poverty etc., and rural decay and distress migrations, the campaign advocates ‘in-place’ development making it possible to revive ‘cradle to grave’ living conditions that once characterized these villages. It calls for the revival of villages as production centers, development of rural scale power generation, technological innovation, provision of urban comforts without urban maladies and as places for transition to, and sustenance of, a large middle class.

Participating in the Walkathon

The success of the campaign depends on active participation from the telugu community. You can participate in one of several ways:

• If you can, please register for the walkathon and walk all, or part of the distance. Registration is $20. You will get a TELSA T-shirt. (See map of the walk.)
• If you can not walk, consider sponsoring someone who will walk. The suggested pledge is $10 per mile, with a minimum of 5 miles. All donations to TELSA are tax-exempt. (Download the sponsorship form.)
• Attend the dinner meeting at the end of the walk. Tickets to the dinner meeting are $20 per person. Be sure to RSVP early, because the restaurant has limited seating.
• If you own a business, consider reserving a table for 10 people at the dinner meeting.
• Join the other walkers at the end of the walkathon as a way of showing your support for the campaign.

For more information, contact us by email: info AT telsainc Dot com.