Volunteers needed to walk for Alzheimer's Disease

One of the biggest health awareness events in the entire US is the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. Organised by the Alzheimers Association this national event brings together family, friends, caregivers and concerned community members and motivates them to make a difference to the world. First organised in 1989, the Memory Walk has helped raise over $200 million in cash which has been used to aid individuals and families battling Alzheimer's disease.

This year the event is expected to attract over 200,000 people from across the country. To ensure the success of this walk the association needs new leaders, captains and volunteers to participate in the event.

What is Alzheimers disease and why is it so important to help people afflicted by it? Alzheimer’s disease afflicts nerve cells in certain areas of the brain and becomes progressively worse leading to the degeneration of the brain. People afflicted by the disease often appear completely normal but will suffer internally. The symptoms of the Alzheimers include gradual reduction in abilities such as judgement, reasoning, speaking and cognitive.



In the US the Alzheimer's Association conducts the annual Memory Walk® with the sole aim of raising awareness about the disease and funds to help people afflicted with the disease. Patients are helped by providing care, support and research. The association invites volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's. The volunteers can help in organising and conducting the walk which are held in over 600 communities.

The Memory walks are usually about 2-3 miles and held on a weekend during fall. Now is the right time to sign up with the Alzheimer's Association and join forces to fight the deadly disease. Make a difference to this world by teaming up with Alzheimer's Association.

Biker Memories

It has been 8 months since I sat astride a motorcycle and felt the raw power at the end of my palm. Being a biker-by-birth, to be without riding motorcycles for such a long time is something like not living. But then circumstances are such that I have not been able to ride a motorcycle. Do I miss riding my bike, weaving in and out of choc-a-bloc Bangalore traffic? Honking incessently? Riding out on the open but dangerous highways in India? You bet I do and now all that I have are memories of those days when I would take off without a thought or care out into the wilderness to explore the teeming countryside of India.

Now in America, I feel claustrophobic driving a car. Though the roads, speeds and relative comforts are much greater in this country, I miss India and sometimes I wonder if I will ever get back to my country? And after experiencing so much different scenario, like driving on the right side of the road I wonder if I will be able to drive on Indian roads again? Initially adapting to American roads and traffic rules was difficult and now I am comfortable in this scenario and I wonder if I will be able to fit into the chaos and disorder that prevails on Indian roads.

I don't know I will find out only if and when I return to my motherland. Till then all I can do is to remember and feel nostalgic.

Hindu Unity Day

The last two days (July 19 & 20) were celebrated as Hindu Unity Day at Dallas. Organised by the Sanatana Dharma Foundation, the event was held at the DFW Hindu Mandir, Irving, Texas. The first day's events featured talks about the Rama Sethu Agitation, which took place in India amidst high political drama and finally saved the rock bridge built by Lord Rama across the Palk Strait. One of the main speakers politician-economist Dr. Subramanyan Swamy presented conclusive evidence about the Hindu heritage of India and how Rama Sethu is important to preserve the unity of our country. Dr. Swamy has written a book about the Rama Sethu issue compiling various archaeological, geological and historical evidences to prove that there was indeed a bridge built several thousand years ago.

The other speaker Dr. S. Kalyanraman has been doing tremendous amount of work as the chairman of the Sarasvathi River Center in India. His work in proving that Sarasvathi river existed and that is where the original Hindu civilisation/ Sanatana Dharma thrived and provided knowledge to the rest of the world is taking the academia by a storm. But it will take some more time before academics, especially the communist-ideologues from India will recognise it. These people are hell bent on accepting the now-dead Aryan Invasion theory which was propagated by the Englishmen to make us Indians feel inferior. But now thanks to the work of people like Dr. Kalyanaraman, ancient truths are coming out and soon we will be able to prove that India or more apropriately Bharat was indeed the cradle of civilisation and the place of origin of several advanced scientific knowledge.

Today's deliberations were more for the really committed Hindus and people who were concerned about the threats our religion is facing from within and also from external forces. Today's panelists included Dr. S. Kalyanaraman (mentioned above) and Dr. Raghavendra Prasad, a Dallas-based geriatric care professional. The sessions discussed the threats faced by Hinduism from the two of the largest religions, Christianity and Islam. The missionaries of both are hell bent upon decimating and killing our religion. It was interesting to note that each presenter didn't just make passionate statements but gave conclusive evidence in the form of numbers, statistics, quotes from research papers and other evidences which are accepted by the "Worldly wise academics and sceptics".

But one surprising thing I noticed at the sessions on both days. The participants were predominantly, at least 95%, older and born-in-India people. There were hardly anybody who were second generation Indians or American born Indians. This is really a matter of concern, this means that the youth of today, the teenagers are just not interested in Hinduism or Hindu Unity or anything like that. If these people born in America are not interested in Hinduism it is not completely their fault, a major portion of the fault lies with their parents who haven't educated them properly or instilled in them the love for their religion and respect for India.

Anyway to bring these youth towards Hinduism will be another programme or campaign and I am sure it will be far more difficult than fighting against proselytisation or war against terrorism.