I can't remember the last time I ran 10 miles. Do you ? To be honest, I never ran 10 miles. But, I have a friend, Raju, who can run 10 miles. In fact, he is going to attempt 26.2 miles this weekend to raise funds for the victims of the Kashmir earthquake. In his own words :

Hi people,

It has been raining all day and night here in Washington DC. The weather channel throws up this picture of a perfect storm on the screen and I am reminded of the movie. I love rain, so I took a walk in the rain....the temperature - a chilly 45 F. That is chilly. My mind instantly shifted gears and thoughts of the thousands of people left homeless in Jammu and Kashmir sprung up. As I rushed back to my heated apartment, my realization was complete - they dont even have a place to stay forget the heated part. In AID we have been collecting funds and sending it to our partners in India. And what we have been sending has been really insufficient. Yes, we are a small organization - but that doesnt take anything away from the fact that there are thousands in distress, whom we can help. Without a roof on their heads and not much to eat, surviving rain in DC itself is tough - forget the cold and harsh climes of Jammu and Kashmir winters.

I, a grad student in Univ of Maryland, as you know - a couple of months back could never even imagine that I could run a mile non-stop. I ran for fun with a bunch of AID, ASHA and AIMS volunteers as they prepared for the marathon. Simultaneously I did volunteer working on the earthquake. But today, the thoughts are different. I need to get out there and highlight the plight of these people. I dont want these survivors to be left out! Not in this kind of weather!

I got a chance to run the marathon - this sunday, a full 26.2 miles and I will run to highlight the plight of these survivors in Jammu and Kashmir. In less than two weeks, winter will set in. Mountains in J&K will start getting their snow showers. The race is on to provide some comfortable accomodation and food and warm clothing.

The race is on, the clock is ticking. The hope that one more family can get sheltered from the fast approaching frigid winters with another stride I take will be enough to energize me (more than a few bottles of Powerade/Gatorade) on Sunday. But I need your support to make that hope a reality - every bit of your support will provide warmth to a shivering family.

In American Poet Robert Frost's words...

"The wood was lovely, dark and deep,
but I had promises to keep
miles to go before I sleep,
miles to go before I sleep."

Please pass this along - we need more than moral support. We need to help our brothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir rebuild their lives!

Thanks,
Raju
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Reach out to our brothers and sisters in J&K
https://www.aidindia.org/aidadmin/aux/RandRinKashmir2005Donate.jsp

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Updates from J&K: http://aidindia.org/new/content/blogsection/24/140/

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