Story
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/RI0Ua4JENjc">http://youtu.be/RI0Ua4JENjc</a></p>
<p>I have been associated with Manavata ever since I landed in the United Kingdom. The ideology that 'serving thy fellowmen is the purpose of life' appeals to me the most of all Manavata's ideals. Srinivas Chowdary the founder and my colleague at Manavata is embarking on a mega cycling journey from London to New Delhi to raise awareness on human values. The trip will take him through 13 countries, for 6000 miles and is expected to last around 100 days. As part of his ideal to leave a low carbon footprint Srini has never bought a car and always commuted on a bicycle. Even for him that has done several cycling expeditions before, this is the biggest challenge he has ever taken up. He starts on the 25th June from London and I will be there helping him and other volunteers undertake their journey safely. Please see www.cyclingforhumanity.com and www.manavata.org if you need further information. Help me raise funds for this noble event.</p>
<p><strong>Manavata</strong> was founded on 19 October 1991 by Srinivasa Chowdary Alluri, a social activist, in <a title="Lolla" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolla">Lolla</a>, a remote village in the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Godavari" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godavari">Godavari</a> belt of the <a title="Andhra Pradesh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</a> state in <a title="South India" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_India">South India</a>.</p>
<p>Sorrows, hunger, illness, premature death of children and the lack of direction to the young around him in rural India, motivated Srinivasa to ignite a movement that strove to eradicate these ills from the society. The Sanskrit - Hindu epic, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Bhagavad-Gita" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad-Gita">Bhagavad-Gita</a>, has had a great impact on his life and the teachings inspired him to tread the path of selfless service and to inculcate the philosophy into his life.</p>
<p>As of 2010, Manavata has more than 2500 volunteers all over the world and has helped in the lives of more than 10000 people. This is being built around successful and professional careers. 60% of Manavata volunteers are software professionals working in the <a class="mw-redirect" title="USA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA">USA</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="UK" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK">UK</a>, <a title="Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>, <a title="Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a> and <a title="India" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India">India</a>. The South Asian Tsunami in 2004 and the Gujarat Earthquake in 2001 were some of the most devastating disasters where Manavata members contributed in sweat and kind. You will not find widespread coverage of Manavata in the media because the volunteers believe in service without expecting publicity.</p>
<p>Manavata volunteers run <a title="Blood donation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_donation">blood donation</a> awareness programmes frequently and have tie-ups with several government blood banks to publish blood requirements on their website and obtain donors. The <a title="Charitable organization" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitable_organization">Charity</a> runs a poor/orphan children home in Lolla and has recently started a school in the campus.</p>
<p>Manavata is registered as a charity in India (Reg. No. 3417/01), the UK (Reg. No. 1120315) and USA (Reg. No. 000918874)</p>
<p>The activities <strong>Manavata</strong> is involved in are:</p>
<p>Blood donation and health camps, Yoga camps, Residential care for poor/orphan children (Manavata Ashram), Anti-smoking campaigns, Disaster management (to the victims of natural calamities), Self-employment and Educational programmes for rural youth & women, Youth counselling & guidance, Environmental campaigns (pollution control and tree plantation)</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p>
<p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>
<p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>