Welcome from the Founder/President Dr. Vinod Prakash

The IDRF Story reflecting the philosophy, rationale, operations, accomplishments and future aspirations which can be fulfilled through your compassionate spirit, volunteerism, and magnanimous donations.

India – our motherland or the land of our heritage has made remarkable progress despite enormous odds in various fields including agriculture, industry, trade and technology. The values bequeathed to us by our ancient civilization and the educational opportunities accessible to us in modern India have enabled us to be among the most academically accomplished, professionally successful and financially well-off community in America.

But Indian peoples` aspirations symbolized by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) at the midnight-hour of 15th August 1947 - "the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunities", still remain to be pursued with dedication and renewed vigor. As Indian-Americans, we are uniquely blessed to help realize the dream of Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand and other founders of Modern India. Yes, if we have the will to discharge this solemn obligation, we can do it, as illustrated by our quest for serving the underprivileged in India.

Like most other immigrants from India in 1960s, we (I along with my wife) came to USA for studies and settled here. As a typical Indian couple, we kept close contacts with our family and friends, but we went a step further – emotionally, rationally and spiritually – in connecting us with India.

Emotionally, we consider USA to be our adopted land for living, and action (Karmabhoomi), but India to be our motherland (Matribhoomi) or the land of our ancestors and the sacred land (Punyabhoomi). Of course, we feel immensely obliged towards both these great lands.

Rationally, we consider ourselves to be privileged persons who had an opportunity to receive education in India. For instance, while millions of children were and still are deprived of education in India, I was privileged to have there my college education that enabled me to study at MIT, work at the World Bank and get settled here. But should we consider that whatever we are today is all due to our own efforts and family support? The answer is a resounding: NO.

The Indian society in particular and people around the ever-shrinking globe in general, have certainly contributed to our success. Hence, we must feel indebted to them and look for opportunities to pay back. It is this feeling of duty (Kartavyanishtha) that motivated me, first to actively search community-based, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India, and then to extend our helping hand to them. What are these NGOs? These are the NGOs that are engaged in creating additional (and also better) educational facilities especially for the underprivileged people who would have been otherwise deprived; thereby strengthening the foundation of a vibrant, democratic, secular, socially-conscious and affluent India.

Spiritually, I had reflection at my life’s mission and intimate dialogue within ME. Should I be self-centered and connect only with my family in USA/India? Will the resulting material prosperity, name and fame lead us to realize the contentment in life (Atmasantushthi)? Or, should we be enchanted by the all-powerful material affluence? Fortunately, we had the wisdom to distinguish between the pleasures of life experienced through material wealth, and the happiness realized through selfless service (Niswarth Seva). Ultimately, the quest for serving the underprivileged blessed us. Actually, each one of us is capable of succeeding in this regard. We feel with all humility and submission (Samarpan) to God that the life is worth living if we have made a difference in the life of helpless (Nissahay) without expecting anything in return except happiness (Aanand).

While this dialogue was going on, in retrospect, we feel that there was a divine guidance during the 1987 World Bank reorganization, when I took a conscious decision to retire and establish a charitable organization called India Development & Relief Fund, Inc. (IDRF). Since its inception in 1987, IDRF is run as an all-volunteer, tax-exempt, public charity under IRS Code 501 (c) (3) with very low overhead. IDRF has been instrumental in the realization of happiness among its numerous volunteers and thousands of contributors by offering the share and care opportunities.

IDRF has indeed succeeded in fulfilling the dream of an Indian-American to establish a high school in his village. We had started the school to serve the children of his village (UP). As the word spread about the ´quality of education´ there, children from as many as 15 villages started coming in. In the absence of motor-able roads, an old tractor trolley had to be deployed for their transportation, which was later replaced by a school bus.

IDRF has been supporting since inception a residential senior higher secondary school (around Delhi) for boys from the economically weak and socially backward segments of the society. The school now imparts education to 300 boys belonging to 20 states. It has excelled our best expectations both in academic results (CBSE, 10th and 12th grades) and sports competitions.

IDRF has financed 30 mobile medical clinics/ambulances in 15 states serving mostly their rural/tribal areas but also the urban slums. We had witnessed the dire need for medical facilities when we saw a decade ago four persons walking miles and miles to a clinic while carrying a sick patient on a cot! A mobile medical clinic serves thousands of patients who would have been otherwise deprived of the medical care.

IDRF is also supporting many one-teacher schools (Ekal Vidyalayas), each providing non-formal education for 3-4 hours daily to 20-35 children at an annual cost of only 5 (yes, only dollar a day for the entire school!). These children receive education in their mother tongue on arithmetic, civics, history, personal hygiene, and community service etc.

IDRF supports women’s self-empowerment through their education at residential schools, and vocational training centers in horticulture, tailoring, computers and office management. IDRF also supports orphanages, dorms, rehabilitation of children/adults with disabilities (blindness, deafness). In brief, IDRF supports a wide spectrum of developmental projects throughout India, which are managed at the grassroots level by the people with a commitment to serve the society. Thus, contributions to IDRF are used for developing self-reliance among its beneficiaries, irrespective of any consideration of caste, sect, religion or region.

While the long-term development and self-empowerment of the needy and downtrodden remains our focus, we have to chip in as and when Indian people are devastated by natural calamities or national tragedies. Due to excellent track record established by IDRF in USA and our partner NGOs in India, the Indian-American community expects us to take a lead in all such situations. Such an expectation and cooperation is the pillar of our strength.

When the Latur region of Maharashtra was struck with a major earthquake in 1993, IDRF volunteers worked day and night for the fundraising. I had visited the devastated site and also the completely reconstructed village, where most of our funds were used. Its project manager (a retired civil engineer) stayed for 15 months continuously at the site just under a tin shed without any honorarium. What did he get in return? Nothing but self-satisfaction (Atmasantushthi)!

Whether it was the Kargil Crisis or Orissa’s Super Cyclone (1999), the Gujarat Earthquake (2001) or Tsunami (2004), IDRF has been a forerunner among Indian-American community organizations. For instance, on January 26, 2001 when the entire nation was enthusiastically getting ready for the Republic Day celebrations, Gujarat was struck with an unprecedented devastating earthquake. IDRF volunteers and well-wishers worked tirelessly for months, and succeeded in raising around .0 million. Subsequent to the rescue/relief operations, IDRF supported the reconstruction/rehabilitation/development projects of 18 grassroots NGOs. Besides my wife and I, several IDRF volunteers also visited the project sites. IDRF’s 20 minute VCD is available.

IDRF’s role in motivating the Indian-American community for selfless service towards the needy and helpless in India has been much more than what is illustrated above. Actually, IDRF has been a pace setter in several other respects as well. For instance, 13 years ago when we issued the invitation for our older son’s wedding, we requested the invitees that instead of receiving the wedding gifts in a traditional way, we would like to accept checks for IDRF only. We repeated this unconventional request at the wedding of our younger son also. By now, more than 16 families have followed this noble path of sharing their joy with the needy and poor, avoided wastage of material goods and helped save the environment as well. Both my wife and I respectively celebrated our 60th and grandchildren’s birthdays in a similar way. Many other families are now following this lead at their wedding anniversaries, birthday parties, and farewell to life, etc. Charity begins at home!

My wife and I have been visiting India virtually every year to gain first hand knowledge about the functioning of grassroots NGOs. We are humbled to admit that such visits are indeed a ‘pilgrimage’ for us. What else could be more rewarding than visiting the service (seva) projects, meeting the dedicated workers and seeing a glow in the eyes of children who are the beneficiaries of our donors’ philanthropy!

IDRF’s motto: ‘Service to Humanity is Service to God’ has thus become my passion and life-long mission. But all this would not have been possible without the unstinting support of my family, and other volunteers who continue to work selflessly overtime on the top of their normal full-time jobs and family responsibilities. No words can adequately express my immense gratitude for IDRF’s donors in USA and the beneficiary NGOs in India. Thus, together we have succeeded in raising so far 20 million dollars from thousands of generous contributors in USA towards the realization of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s repeated exhortation to the people of Indian origin for attaining a developed India by 2020!

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“The poor, the illiterate, the ignorant, the afflicted--let these be your God. Know that service to these alone is the highest religion.”

-- Swami Vivekananda

“Religion is the service of the helpless. God manifests Himself to us in the form of the helpless and the stricken.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi