January 20, 2006

Awards that thrill me

Two years ago, I was thrilled that a few things I wrote (e.g. this and this) resulted in a Technovators award for two young engineers from Kerala, Anil Kumar and CG Madhusoodanan. There are ways in which I am inspired every day by what I saw Anil and Madhu achieve.

This year, I'm just as thrilled that Dr Balaji Sampath and his AID Chennai team have got the Technovators award for grassroots technology. Especially after the tsunami, I have seen first hand the kind of work everyone at the AID Chennai chapter put in. This award, of course, is not for their post-tsunami efforts but for their ongoing work in the villages of Tamil Nadu. (There's a minor cottage industry in denigrating AID, but certainly my experience with them tells me what a tissue of lies it all is; and now this award is a slap in the face of that cottage industry).

Congratulations to all at Association for India's Development! Here's to greater heights, and I look forward to seeing you all again next time I get to Tamil Nadu.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Dilip, you've been tagged, hope you'll do this! tx

http://gaizabonts.blogspot.com/2006/01/no-comments.html

Anonymous said...

Dilip
It is nice to hear that this organization has won an award. Based on your reports, they seem to be good guys. But this report makes some disturbing claims. This clearly seems to imply that this orgaisation has a political agenda and is pursuing a agenda aligning with
- Communist org with a known history of thuggery and violence not unlike the Shiv Sena.
-- Following political agendas and aligning with an idiotic caricature like Sandeep Pandey.
Here is a document with the links:
http://www.aidindia.info/
Surely Aid needs to clear up these issues.

Maybe Balaji sampath needs to clear these issues.

Dilip D'Souza said...

Atul, do I thank you or curse you for tagging me, eh? OK, I'll give it a shot, but I'll need a little while.

Neela, I think AID has its detractors for various reasons. Other NGOs do too, I'm sure.

Nikhil, thanks for proving my point about detractors. I don't believe Balaji has to clear up anything.

Dilip D'Souza said...

Neela, I'm hardly indignant. I thanked Nikhil for pointing to what I didn't, the detractors; and then said just what you did -- that AID and Balaji have already clarified amply.

Anonymous said...

To borrow from slashdot, aidindia.info is run by an "anonymous coward". taking clue from the authors of the website, here is the whois information:

Registrant:
Domains by Proxy, Inc.

DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: AIDINDIA.INFO
Created on: 20-Feb-05
Expires on: 20-Feb-06
Last Updated on: 20-Feb-05

Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration AIDINDIA.INFO@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599

Technical Contact:
Private, Registration AIDINDIA.INFO@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599

Domain servers in listed order:
PARK5.SECURESERVER.NET
PARK6.SECURESERVER.NET

Anonymous said...

Hey don't blame that aidindia.info guy for exposing AID India and wanting to be anonymous.

Given AID's connection with DYFI and SFI and their history of sliting throats in colleges and universities to those who don't agree with them, would you dare to speak out about them in open? If yes, let me know, I have bridge to sell.

Oh Dilip, You right, Balaji has "clarified amply" - just like J B D'Souza who's "clarified amply" his position in Sri Krishna case helping his builder buddies right? How convenient ;)

Next time Dilip's in US, he'll probabily help out by holding that 'Allah destory India' placard as AID jeevan haathis were doing in San Fransisco last summer.

Another article Terror AID anyone?

AIDing & abetting communists (well should real be naxals)

Anonymous said...

When THE secular Rajiv Gandhi Foundation gave the best state award to Modi's Gujarat, did it thrill you or was it slap on your face?

Some seculars have said they felt as if they got screwed royally in their behind.

Tell us Dilip, was it the same for you?