Dear Venkat Trust Supporters,
We all thought the Covid situation over the past 15 months in the UK and around the world was dreadful beyond words and couldn’t get any worse. But now sadly things have escalated in India to cataclysmic proportions. Like many of you, I’m sure, I’m finding it hard to watch the horrors that are unfolding by the hour.
Many of you have shown your concern in e-mails to me and asked about the situation in Kovalam. It’s not good – but it is better than in the north of the country.
During the previous wave of the disease, Covid cases in Kovalam could be counted on one hand. Now there are more than a hundred (it’s difficult to get a truly accurate figure as so many go unreported and this is probably a conservative estimate). Mercifully, so far there have been very few deaths – again, exact numbers not known. There are no private or Government hospital beds available in Kelambakkam, our nearest town, or Chennai, the multi-hospital “health capital of India”. Sick patients are getting out patient treatment in Kelambakkam and then go home – and pass on the infection to other people.
So far, Tamil Nadu doesn’t have a shortage of oxygen and, in fact, it’s helping its neighbouring state, Andhra Pradesh with supplies.
Endless rules and regulations have been imposed but the Government is not implementing total lockdown which, tough as it is, we know from experience to work. There was a lockdown on Sunday but not on Monday which seems to be a pointless exercise.
As far as the Trust is concerned, we have closed the office and JR, Ali and Aarthi are all working from home. JR and Ali are due their second jabs soon and Aarthi gets her first one on Saturday. I shall be relieved when they’re all double dosed. Large Venkat Trust banners have been posted around the village with Covid advice and stressing the importance of getting vaccinated. There is less resistance to having the jab since the situation worsened but now there’s a shortage of vaccine. Aarthi is holding a series of Zooms to impress upon students the importance of social distancing. Indians seem to be happy to wear masks but keeping a safe distance is just not happening.
Needless to say, all schools and colleges are closed. School pupils are attending Education TV run by the Government and college students are doing online classes. The Trust is running online English classes.
I am very reluctant to ask for more donations when you have all been so generous but if you were able to support us yet again, your help would be greatly appreciated. There are two areas where donations are particularly needed: JR advises me that we should now be distributing rice and other food to the most needy and more laptops for university students’ online classes are needed.. Thanks to the generous donations already received, we have been able to distribute 39 laptops but we still need another 20. While a laptop sounds like a luxury at such a time, it is in fact a necessity. As online tuition is destined to be the students’ lot for a long time to come, it is simply not feasible for them to continue their tuition on a mobile phone. Any amount you can give us for food or laptops would be very gratefully received:
Venkat Trust, sort code: 40-24-10, account no: 11349406 or through Virgin Money Giving on our website. Cheques should be sent to Venkat Trust, 12 Westbourne Gardens, Hove BN3 5PP.
I’ll be sending out another newsletter with the good news – and there is some – when this crisis has passed which let us all hope will be very soon.
Thank you for all your support and with best wishes,
Sylvia
Sylvia Holder
Founder Trustee
Venkat Trust
