Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls, Hyderabad

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"A laugh, to be joyous, must flow from a joyous heart, for without kindness, there can be no true joy."

~ Thomas Carlyle

{Updated} - Click here to read all the posts written on Vaidehi Ashram.

Finally the moment is here. The Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram about which I have been talking from past few days begins today. :-)

How does this Fund Drive work and How to donate for the cause?

1. Click on Chip-in button below. (It will take a few seconds to load.)

1 raffle ticket = 10$

2. Contribute: Via Paypal or credit. You can donate any amount. Each $10 donation will give you one raffle ticket towards a raffle prize of your choice.

For Example, a donation of $20 will fetch you 2 raffle tickets which can be used to choose on any of the raffle prizes. Scroll down to view all of them in an table format. You can use all your raffle tickets on one prize (in turn increasing the chances in the lucky draw) or on different prizes.

3. Once the donation process is completed, please forward your payment confirmation message to info(dot)siri(at)gmail.com, clearly specifying which raffle prize(s) you are interested in. Within 24 hours, your name and contributed amount will be added to the 'Fund Drive Supporters List' at the very end of this post. If you want to stay anonymous, please let me know in advance. For any correspondence/questions/queries, use the comment section or the email address mentioned.

To donate in Rupees:

1 raffle ticket = 500Rupees.

Please send an email to info(dot)siri(at)gmail.com for the bank account details where you can do a direct deposit and participate in the Fund Drive.

The event will close on 25th February and winners will be announced on 27th February via a randow drawing by the Ashram kids. :-)

What are the raffle prizes being sponsored?

Thanks to the amazing support from my blogger friends, you have 40+ raffle prizes to choose from, depending on where you live. All the raffle prizes are listed below in a table format for easy reference. For a more pictorial description of each of them - Click here.

The following raffle prizes make great gifts, and each item will be sent to the winner neatly packed and shipping expenses paid.

Please note that each one of these prizes can be chosen by multiple donors. A lucky dip will be conducted with the names associated and a winner will be chosen by the Ashram kids.

Code Name	Sponsor	Raffle Prize Description	Shipping
RF1	Siri of Cooking With Siri	Samsung Hero Music E1232B (Titanium Silver)	India
RF2	Madhuri of  Cook-curry Nook	4 slots for her Chocolate Nirvana Workshop in J P Nagar, Bangalore	India
RF3	Arundati Rao of Escapades	10 Boxes, one of each lucky winner (1 dozen each) of Home-made Chocolate Truffles	India
RF4	Anu of Love & Lentils	Rs.2000 Gift Voucher to the restaurants at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad	India
RF5	Madhuri of  Cook-curry Nook	A Box of 12 Assorted Cupcakes - for 10 lucky winners	India
RF6	Jigyasa and Pratibha of Pritya Books	Signed copy of Sukham Ayu	India
RF7	Preethi of Krya	A goodie bag which has great organic products such - organic millets, organic jams, pickles, soaps, and Krya (India's only organic detergent). these are directly sourced from farmers who grow/make them.	India
RF8	Chandana of Indian Cuisine	Ice Creams & Frozen Dessets by Tarla Dalal and 101 ways to prepare Curries by Aroona Reejhsinghani	India
RF9	Dershana of The Footloose Chef	Kitchen Library Eat Lite (Set Of 5 Books) by Sanjeev Kapoor	India
RF10	My Mom	A gift hamper which has items such as candles, flowers, necklaces etc, hand-made by the Ashram kids.	India
RF11	Sailaja (My little Sister)	Apple iPod shuffle 4th Generation 2 GB (Orange)	India
RU1	Siri of Cooking With Siri	Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens - perfect for food photography	US
RU2	Monica Bhide	Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen	US
RU3	Kavita of Tasty Touch	Gift basket with Wine and Cheese, For non-wine lovers - Chocolate/Coffee and Tea basket	US
RU4	DK of Chef In You	Amazon Kindle e-reader	US
RU5	Sig of Live To Eat	Wüsthof® Gourmet Hollow-Edge Santoku Knife - 7" (OR) Wüsthof® Gourmet Chef’s Knife, depending on winner's choice	US
RU6	Sangeeta of Musical's Kitchen	Gift Sets from The Body Shop - 2 lucky winners	US
RU7	Nupur of One Hot Stove	Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker +Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer	US
RU8	Prerna of Indian Simmer	Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Nicole S. Young + one professional quality print of any of her photographs (winner's choice).	US
RU9	Smitha of Smitha's Spicy Flavors	Babycakes Pop Maker: CP-94LV - Purple	US
RU10	Nags of Edible Garden	Oriental gift hamper containing chopsticks, customized wall hangings, and spices.	India/US
RU11	Divya of Dil Se..	Rachael Ray's Whistling Tea Kettle(Available colors: Blue, Red, Orange) winner can choose their choice of color.	US
RU12	Sridevi of Sreelu's Tasty Travels	Cuisinart GR-1 Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press	US
RU13	Usha of My Spicy Kitchen	The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks	US
RU14	Usha of My Spicy Kitchen	Polder KSC-310-28 Easy Read Digital Glass Top Scale, Silver	US
RU15	Swati of Chatkor	Atlas Pasta Machine	US
RU16	Swati of Chatkor	EatSmart Precision Pro - Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale w/ Extra Large LCD and 11 Lb. Capacity	US
RU17	Sakshi of Cracked Chronicles	Lilly Bloom Cross Body Handbag. This gorgeous and ultra-cute bag is very creatively made using recycled material.	US
RU18	Sangeeta of Musical's Kitchen	Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy by Ammini Ramachandran	US
RU19	Sangeeta of Musical's Kitchen	Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country by Suvir Saran	US
RU20	Champa of Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen	4 slots of Weekend Baking Classes (6 hours) at her Philadelphia home	US (Philadelphia)
RU21	Vardhini of Zesty Palette	Magic Bullet MBR-1701 17-Piece Express Mixing Set	US
RU22	Padma Fashions	Beautiful Jewellery Set from Padma Fashions	US
RE1	Finla of My Kitchen Treasures	The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovitz	Europe/US
RE2	Padmaja of Spicy Andhra	Chasseur Cast Iron Fondue with Forks, Meringue Satin	UK
RE3	Padmaja of Spicy Andhra	Philips Imageo LED Rechargeable Candle Lights, White	UK
RW1	Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook	An Assortment of Props for Tabletop Food photography	Worldwide
RW2	Harini of Tongue Ticklers	Two professional prints for two lucky winners (of winner's choice) from her beautiful photo gallery	Worldwide
RW3	Shruthi of Yummy 4 Tummy	Simple Indian by Atul Kochhar	Worldwide
RW4	RV of Food for 7 Stages of Life	$50 Amazon card	Worldwide
RW5	Valli of Cooking 4 all Seasons	The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: Recipes, History, and Trivia for Everything Between Sliced Bread by Susan Russo	Worldwide
RW6	Simona of Briciole	Handmade Journal where the paper on the covers is decorated using suminagashi, an ancient Japanese marbling technique. Dimensions: 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.	Worldwide
RW7	Sonia of Seven Spice	660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer	Worldwide

All the winners will be notified via Email. The winners have to provide and confirm their shipping addresses. The prize sponsors will then send the gifts directly to the winners. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for the prizes to reach you. 

How can Y.O.U help the cause?

1. Through Monetary Contributions to the Fund Drive. These little girls at the Ashram are in need of all our love and support. Please refer the above section - "How does this Fund Drive work and How to donate for the cause?" for more information.


[Updated on February 14th 2012] - Many have inquired about costs involved in sponsoring education, food etc for the Ashram girls. I visited them again and gathered the below information about various projects currently happening. Please send them an email at vaidehisevasamithi@gmail.com or call +91-40-24075544 (or) +91 9032152105 to discuss regarding the project you wish to sponsor. If you need any other help from my side in terms of coordination, please let me know. I will be more than happy to do it.

1. Adopt a girl for one year (Includes clothing, food, education and other necessities)    [20,000/- Rupees]

2. Vidyanidhi (Education costs a girl for one year)                                                            [5,000/- Rupees]

3. Mangala Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses commemorating any auspicious occasion every year)                                                                                                                [20,000/- Rupees]

4. Smrithi Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses in remembrance of your beloved every year)                                                                                                                             [20,000/- Rupees]

5. Kishori Vikas Yojana Nidhi (Expenditure to run one Centre of Development Project for Adolescent Girls for one month)                                                                                                           [1000/- Rupees]

6. Vaidehi Mahila Vikasa Samithi (One month expenditure to train Unemployed Youth & Women. Also includes cost for food and shelter)                                                                                [10,000/- Rupees]

7. To sponsor a meal for all the Ashram girls:                                                                [2,000/- Rupees]


2. Spread the word.

"I love sharing my story. It's endlessly healing." ~ Ben Vereen

Share about this Fund Drive wherever possible - On your blogs, Facebook, Twitter (with hashtag #vaidehiashram) etc. Let your friends and family know about it. Please feel free to use any images and information posted in the Ashram posts below, to make your voice heard. Any help in any form in making this event a success is very much appreciated. :-)

First Visit to Vaidehi Ashram 
Second Visit to Vaidehi Ashram

Click the "Copy" button on the corresponding widget and paste it on your blog sidebars so that your readers can participate as well. For more widgets with different colours, widths and platforms - Click here.

Fund Drive Supporters List

Note to Contributors: Within 24 hours, if you don't find your name in the below list or regarding any discrepancy with the details mentioned against your name, please do write to me or leave a comment.  Thanks and Apologies in advance. :-)

[Update] - Scroll down the spreadsheet below for the new "Raffle Ticket Board" which has statistics about no. of raffle tickets used on each of the raffle prizes.

Sharing is Caring. Let's us all come together and lend a helping hand to these little girls.

Let them know that We All Care for their bright future..

Read : what fellow bloggers are saying about this Fund Drive.

DK - Giveaway - For a Cause that Matters
Harini - Fund drive for ‘Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls’ with Siri
Nags - Supporting the Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Desitute Girls, Hyderabad
Preethi of Krya - Republic Day Raffle
Smitha - Here is what she got to say about the Fund Drive and her raffle prize(s)
Simona - Announcing a Special Fund Drive with Raffle
Sreelu - Giveaway & Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls, Hyderabad
Chandana - Supporting the Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls, Hyderabad
Vardhini - Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram (Hyderabad) - Organized by Siri
Kavita - Make a difference in their tiny worlds!!
Divya - Giveaway - Supporting the fund drive for Vaidehi Ashram of destitute girls
Richa - ....And a Fundraiser for Vaidehi Ashram
Sonia - A plea for support the Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls, Hyderabad, India
Vani - An Appeal
La - Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls, Hyderabad
Jaya - For the price of two lattes
Srivalli - Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram
Sruti - Fund Drive For Vaidehi Ashram of Destitute Girls
Sig - A Call for Action
Usha - Raffle Prize & a Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram for Destitute Girls in Hyderabad
RV - You can make a difference: A fund drive for destitute girls in Vaidehi Ashram, India
Nupur - Talking about the Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram
Dershana - Giveaway for a valid Cause
Madhuri - Go the Distance! Make a Difference
Arundati - Hearts in the Right Place and an Appeal for Help
Pallavi - A chance to make a difference

[Updated on February 14th 2012] - Many have inquired about costs involved in sponsoring education, food etc for the Ashram girls. I visited them again and gathered the below information about various projects currently happening. Please send them an email at vaidehisevasamithi@gmail.com or call at +91-40-24075544 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +91-40-24075544      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or +91 9032152105 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +91 9032152105      end_of_the_skype_highlighting to discuss regarding the project you wish to sponsor. If you need any other help from my side in terms of coordination, please let me know. I will be more than happy to do it.

1. Adopt a girl for one year (Includes clothing, food, education and other necessities)    Rs 20,000/-

2. Vidyanidhi (Education costs a girl for one year)                                                           Rs 5,000/-

3. Mangala Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses commemorating any auspicious occasion every year)                                                                                                        Rs 20,000/

4. Smrithi Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses in remembrance of your beloved every year)                                                                                                                                Rs 20,000/-

5. Kishori Vikas Yojana Nidhi (Expenditure to run one Centre of Development Project for Adolescent Girls for one month)                                                                                                          Rs 1000/-

6. Vaidehi Mahila Vikasa Samithi (One month expenditure to train Unemployed Youth & Women. Also includes cost for food and shelter)                                                                              Rs 10,000/-

7. To sponsor a meal for all the Ashram girls:                                                                   Rs 2,000

The money raised through this fund-drive on Cooking With Siri will go directly to the Vaidehi Ashram, Hyderabad. All the transactions, payments, distribution process will be properly accounted for and details of the expenditure will soon be published on this blog. All donations are exempted from I.T Under 80-G and accorded permission under FCRA.

Thank You.

My Second Visit to Vaidehi Ashram..

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I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true 
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you? 

If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I know you instinctively, knew it all along.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. Love you lots.

~ Author Unknown.

Today is my dad's 55th birthday and after many many years, I got an opportunity to spend the day with my parents. My mom made all his favorite dishes and in the evening we paid a visit to Vaidehi Ashram and gave about 3 Kg of Palak Pakodi as snacks for the little kiddos. :-)

Here are some photographs I clicked while I was there..

This quote is from Ashram's office

L-R: Vasavi, Sivasri, Bhuvaneshwari and Samatha on my lap

Children enjoying the snacks..

Her caretaker tells me, Vasavi is one shy girl who rarely comes near strangers..Hope we become friends one day . ;-)

this little girl was so curious what I was upto.  

On the very right is my uncle (my mom's eldest brother) who came with me to the Ashram today..

Kids ready for some play time!

[Updated on February 14th 2012] - Many have inquired about costs involved in sponsoring education, food etc for the Ashram girls. I visited them again and gathered the below information about various projects currently happening. Please send them an email at vaidehisevasamithi@gmail.com or call at +91-40-24075544 or +91 9032152105 to discuss regarding the project you wish to sponsor. If you need any other help from my side in terms of coordination, please let me know. I will be more than happy to do it.

More details on the Fund Drive for the Ashram Girls - Click here.

1. Adopt a girl for one year (Includes clothing, food, education and other necessities)    Rs 20,000/-

2. Vidyanidhi (Education costs a girl for one year)                                                           Rs 5,000/-

3. Mangala Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses commemorating any auspicious occasion every year)                                                                                                        Rs 20,000/

4. Smrithi Nidhi (One time deposit to cover a day's food expenses in remembrance of your beloved every year)                                                                                                                                Rs 20,000/-

5. Kishori Vikas Yojana Nidhi (Expenditure to run one Centre of Development Project for Adolescent Girls for one month)                                                                                                          Rs 1000/-

6. Vaidehi Mahila Vikasa Samithi (One month expenditure to train Unemployed Youth & Women. Also includes cost for food and shelter)                                                                              Rs 10,000/-

7. To sponsor a meal for all the Ashram girls:                                                                   Rs 2,000



The money raised through this fund-drive on Cooking With Siri will go directly to the Vaidehi Ashram, Hyderabad. All the transactions, payments, distribution process will be properly accounted for and details of the expenditure will soon be published on this blog. All donations are exempted from I.T Under 80-G and accorded permission under FCRA.


Click here to read all the posts written on Vaidehi Ashram.

until next time,

Weekend Breakfast: Lemon Sevai (Lemon Flavoured Rice Noodles)

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This was never supposed to be a proper recipe post for the blog (hence only one photograph). I thought of posting it on my photo blog as I hardly published any (apart from some book reviews) since my Project 365 2011 ended. But, I was so happy with my first attempt that I HAD to write something about it here. :-)

During our many phone conversations, I mentioned to my SIL that I never made sevai, so sent me a packet to try. Today, being a Saturday with some extra time on-hand for a leisurely breakfast, I made lemon flavoured sevai, which turned our super tasty. It is very light on the appetite and quick to prepare.

 
Idiyappam or String Hoopers is a culinary speciality of many parts of southern India (especially Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) and Sri Lanka as well.. Some of my Mallu friends say, it is a common sight to serve these white noodle clusters on a large platter along with side dishes including spiced lentils, kuzhambus and curried meats.

Today am gonna go just basic - boiled sevai with tampering of tadka and fresh lemon juice. Y.U.M!

Ingredients:

3 cups of loosely packed ready made sevai
water
salt
few drops of oil
juice of 1 lemon

For Tadka

2 tsp oil
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
1 green chilli, slit and chopped finely
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste
few curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Bring to boil sufficient water in a big pan. Add few drops of oil (so the sevai don't stick to each other) and little salt. Once its boiling, add the uncooked sevai to it. With spoon, make sure all the sevai is in the water. Cook for just 4-5 minutes. Drain the water in a sieve or a colander and loosely separate the strands.

2. In a wok, heat oil and add chana dal, urad dal, asafoetida and mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter, add green chillies and curry leaves. Add the cooked sevai to it. Season with turmeric and salt. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice. Gently toss around so that everything is mixed in properly. I used my fingertips to mix.

Serve.

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I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~ G.K. Chesterton

I am super excited to let you all know that we have 25 (and counting) amazing raffle prizes for the upcoming Fund Drive (starting on January 26th). Yipeeeeee!

[Update] Remember I announced two giveaways for 2011 holiday season. Nisha won the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy Of Cooking. Read her post and get the recipe for Herbed Strawberry Lemonade/Limeade. :-)

Cya all soon,