Promise of India Global Appeal

[Rasheed Ahmed]

Greetings of Peace.   If you have not already signed the petition as an individual or your organization is not yet a sponsor for this very important initiative, please formally do so now. Go to www.PromiseOfIndia.Org.   Also, forward this email to any Indian organization you know here or in India or anywhere overseas.   Rasheed Indian Muslim Council-USA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Friends,   I am writing to let you know about an important new global initiative for peace and communal harmony in India, Promise of India, which was launched in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, USA on October 4th, 2003, in celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's 134th birthday. The prime movers behind this unprecedented initiative were NRI organizations representing diverse interests--e.g. The IndUS entrepreneurs worldwide (TiE), GOPIO Chicagoland, etc., representing business and entrepreneurial interests; Asha for Education, Association for India�s Development (AID), Indians for Collective Action (ICA), American India Foundation (AIF), etc., representing grass roots development and education; and Coalition Against Communalism (CAC), Praja Net, etc., representing support for other Indian causes such as political transparency, peace and justice issues.    Promise of India (POI) starts out with a community appeal and a pledge to rededicate ourselves to a Democratic, Secular, Pluralistic, and United India, and hopes to garner the endorsements of thousands of Indians world-wide in the coming months, including support from prominent Indians from India and the Diaspora--since launch, over 60 secular and religious organizations from the U.S. and India have already endorsed the appeal. We hope to mark the initial phase of the initiative with a conference in Delhi on January 7-8, 2004, to be jointly hosted by NRIs and Indian organizations, highlighting the vital linkages between Peace and Development. As this conference happens to be just prior to the second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), we also hope to attract many of the PBD attendees who are interested in developmental issues. Following the conference, we hope to develop a long-term plan for ways in which Diaspora Indians could partner with Indian counterparts to address the various aspects of our appeal. We also hope to take the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Government of India to share our hopes and concerns.   I am writing to you at this time to seek your personal endorsement of the Promise of India Appeal, and to seek your support for our endeavors in the coming months. You may do so by visiting our web site at www.PromiseOfIndia.Org and clicking on Urgent Appeal. If you represent an organization, whether in India or overseas, we would welcome a formal endorsement of the POI Appeal from your organization.   It is our earnest hope that Promise of India can truly become a world-wide movement of Indians speaking up for enduring peace in our homeland and for prosperity for all. You can help us meet this objective by taking a moment to forward this e-mail to your friends, family and business colleagues.   Please do write to us if you have any thoughts or questions, as we at Promise of India await your support for this important cause.   Sincerely,   Raju Rajagopal  ([EMAIL PROTECTED] ) for the Promise of India Team A Global Community of Indians Rededicating Themselves to a Democratic, Secular, Pluralistic, and United India