Dear Charlie.
Sorry for the delay in my response. But we had a major protest rally yesterday here in NYC near the UN building attended by Nepalis from across the country, from as far away as Wisconsin. (September 16 Protest Rally) And for the few days before that we had some major visitors in town, the Deputy Prime Minister who got arrested when the king did what he did on 2/1, a former Prime Minister, a right hand man and a key advisor to the king, and the Speaker of the dissoved House. I got to meet three of them, which was plenty of homework. I did not make the progress I intended to make, but at least something might have got started, at least I got a firmer window into their mindsets. (Bharat Mohan Adhikari Is In Town, Wish Me Luck, Mahabharat Or Soap Opera, Sharad Chandra Shaha Is A Dazzling Person) I have believed there has to be a holistic approach to peace making. And hence my forays.
But coming back to your letter. Immediately after I read it, I felt it was a great response you gave, plenty to work on.
Where will the money go? The money will go to the seven party coalition leading the democracy movement as long as they agree to transparent, online book-keeping. The SGD Chief Financial Officer and I will work closely at all stages. And since all decisions will be reached to in a transparent manner, individuals and organizations will be welcome to participate in all the ensuing discussions online. It will be open source.
But the money part is secondary. The moral support that can be extended can go further than the monetary support, although logistical support helps. Frankly, I dream of a peaceful version of the Pentagon, a large, networked group of democracy activists constantly coming up with new tools that can be put to use in democracy movements, country after country after country. The size and quality of the individuals in the network and the sophistication of the network will compound the impact of the limited amounts of money involved. Ideas for protestors can be floated around. Maybe there are ever creatives ways of protesting. Perhaps some tools work better than others. There has to be a democracy contagion.
Imagine SGD having branches in all 50 states, and then SGD members calling up their Senators and Representatives in a coordinated fashion. And those elected officials responding. If they were to speak in unison, that might mean so much.
Another, perhaps more important, possible tool is helping those in Nepal who brave the police out in the streets feel there is a large global crowd that keeps intimate knowledge of what they are going through and extends moral support to them. Things like that. Such gestures might fall in the priceless category.
Nepal has to be seen a human laboratory for spreading democracy first in the South Asia region and then in the larger Global South. Tools we might bring to use to positively devastating effects in Nepal could be put to reuse elsewhere, and that is a big part of the idea.
"(Y)ou would have to lead the campaign and fundraise. SGD could provide you with advice and the use of our pending 501(c)(3) non-profit status (which will significantly help fundraising in the US). SGD's Chief Financial Officer will also keep track of funds raised in a transparent manner."
This is great. This is empowering. Let's do it both ways. Let's tap into the existing SGD chapters across the country, and I will also put my efforts into expanding the SGD into as yet untouched colleges and universities in the 50 states, with my primary focus on the later. So the impact is two-fold: the SGD ends up with many more chapters, and Nepal gains a much-needed element of focus.
"Have you had any previous experience in organization-building, fundraising, and/or recruiting?"
I was active with the student government at my college. Please google my name and check out the resume page.
"What kind of timeline/activities do you see for this fundraising?"
I expect the movement to succeed over the course of the next few months. That is Plan A. But I am also open to improvising a Plan B. This is to be one decisive winter, I feel.
In sum, I would like Nepal to be the Ukraine for 2005.
I look forward to working closely with you and the SGD.
All the best.
Paramendra.
Dear Charlie
Email To Charlie Szrom
Email From Charlie Szrom
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 12:40:20 -0500
From: "Charlie Szrom"
To: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Re: Dear Charlie