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Indian community awaits Clinton's visit

Somnath Chivukula

Nearly a month after the Silicon Valley fundraiser at which Bill Clinton showed his enthusiasm and promised support for the earthquake-stricken areas of Gujarat, the former President will be among a group of businesspeople and doctors who will visit India next week to assess the damage.

"This visit will launch the India Foundation," a spokesperson for the American India Foundation said. Clinton will be in India from April 1 to 10.

At a New York fundraiser in late February, Clinton helped launch the AIF, which has been raising money for the quake victims. He also serves on its board.

The AIF has set a $ 100 million as its goal for relief to the Indian state, where more than 30,000 people died and a million people have been rendered homeless after the January 26 quake.

The India Foundation will be a spin-off of AIF, the spokesperson said. It will primarily be used by other countries to assist Gujarat, he added.

Clinton's 10-day trip will also allow NGOs such as Calcutta's Missionaries of Charity to evaluate and see how the United Community Appeal could work with it in rebuilding Gujarat.

This will be Clinton's first visit to India since his historic journey last March. The UCA is the umbrella organization for almost 40 San Francisco Bay Area organizations that assist the Gujarat earthquake relief effort. Its goal is to raise $ 25 million for the quake victims.

Among the organizations who are part of UCA are The IndUS Entrepreneurs, BAPS-Care International and Federation of Indian Associations.

Accompanying Clinton on the journey to India are numerous businesspeople from the East and West coasts. Kailash Joshi, TiE president; Lata Krishnan, who heads the UCA effort; angel investor Paul Gupta and TiE administrator Raj Desai represent TiE. A team of 16 doctors from Stanford University will be part of the 30-strong group.

"These doctors are mostly surgeons who will perform critical operations," the AIF spokesperson said. "They will have $ 250,000 worth of medical equipment to donate to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad."

The significance of the visiting doctors cannot be underestimated, the spokesperson said. Many of them will allow local doctors to observe and assist during surgery.

The UCA has raised more than $ 15 million in medical equipment, donations and pledges, according to Desai. Almost $ 2 million was raised at the Silicon Valley event that featured rapper M C Hammer, actress-activist Shabana Azmi and writer Dr Deepak Chopra.

With the buzz around the visit, BAPS-Care volunteer Harshad Shah says he will take a wait-and-watch approach on the progress of Clinton's efforts. "He has shown the willingness to help and that's good," Shah said. "But I still want to see what he does and his plans. His intentions are genuine since he promised Prime Minister Vajpayee that he would help."

BAPS-Care has adopted 10 villages in Gujarat where 2,000 homes will be built. Six villages have already had their ground-breaking ceremonies, Shah said. The organization will also help build a hospital with modern facilities in Bhuj, the epicenter of the quake.

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