Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Humpybong State School children with Garvin Brown






17- 21st September 2008 Peace Wall




Friends


Mahatma Gandhi Awareness Peace walk which was organised by Mahatma Gandhi Awareness, Gold Coast, Queens Land , Australia ended successfully on 21st September at the City hall Brisbane , Australia .. Thanks to octogenarian Garvin Brown, the Australian Gandhi for his untiring effort in organising such an event in Australia . The main objective of the walk was to create an Awareness on Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of peace and nonviolence and his love for the poor and the underprivileged.
The walk started on 17Th of Sept’08 from Caboolture , Australia and ended at the City Hall, Brisbane on 21st Sept’08, the international Day of Peace. We three from India ( Jayanta Barman, Uttam Teron and Biju Borbaruah), representing the Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), were fortunate to be the part of the walkers.. It was in the Apex park, Caboolture where the walk got started at 9am in the morning and proceeded along the Deception Bay Road . There was interaction with the students and teachers of Morayfield State School ,. where we had a stopover for about one hour. Garvin Brown in his speech highlighted the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and spoke about the schools for underprivileged children in India . The next day it was the Sand Gate High School where we entered. for a brief period. The students of the school joined us in the walk through the street. It was a memorable event where the Australian students carrying the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi marched through the streets of Australia . The walk finally ended on 21st Sept at the City hall Brisbane . where about 50 people gathered to listen to Garvin Brown and the Walkers from India . The works of Uttam and Biju in India inspired many in Australia.and as the meeting ended with a speech from Jayanta, commitments were made for future ties with Australia .
Staging of walk through the streets of Australia was possible due to the hard work of Richard Cowley, convener for International Day of Peace. We thankfully acknowledge the donation of A$ 150 from Richard towards the schools for underprivileged children in the North East India. We are thankful to the Australian people for their warm hospitality and support to our cause Here we would like to mention Mr Leon Gregg and Mrs Gweneth Gregg who were kind enough to host our overnight stay at Moorooka before starting of the walk. We are also thankful to the African women’s organisation for inviting us to a dinner in a restaurant run by Eritrean women where many distinguished personalities were present.. They also made some fund raising for Uttam and Biju.
The Gujrati Association in Brisbane organised a felicitation programme for us.Mr Anil G Bakrania was kind enough to introduce us to the members of the Association.and obliged us with a grand party offering Lunch.. Garvin, myself and Biju addressed the gathering of about 60 people. We are thankful to all the members of the association for their noble gesture and the fund they have raised for the underprivileged children of N E India.
During our stay in Australia we met some families belonging to the North East India who came forward with helping hands.. Mr and Mrs Jeetu Das of Gold Coast was one such family who have joined the walk in Brisbane and took care of our journey, food and transport.
On 25th of Sept we made a trip to Sydney on an invitation from Mr & Mrs Kamalesh Goswami of Sydney who were kind enough to host our stay.. Kamalesh had organised a get together of the Assamese residents in Sydney where we could present a picture of the works undertaken for the welfare of the underprivileged children of the North East India. An amount of Au$520 was raised for us which we thankfully acknowledged. We are thankful to Smt Sikha Chowdhary, Programs Manager for Ethnic Child care, Family and Community Services, Australia , who took keen interest on the works of Uttam and Biju and promised future networks. . We were pleased to meet about 20 Assamese families of Sydney including Dr &Mrs Prakash Sarma who are the senior most Assamese resident of Sydney .
Finally we want express our deep sense of gratitude to Mr and Mrs Garvin Brown of Queens Land, for their untiring effort to do some thing for the poor and the under privileged. We look forward for more and more cooperation and support in future from all quarters to make the journey for the welfare of the underprivileged.
Thanking you,
Regards

Jayanta Barman
Executive Vice President,
Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS)
24, A.K. Azad road, Rehabari, Guwahati-781008, INDIA
Ph- 91-361-2544385®.
91-94351-46880 ( M)
91-361-2510837 ( Fax)
e-mail : jayantbarman@yahoo.co.in

Link

http://friendsofassam.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=111

Garvin with school children


Before Peace Walk programme on 17th September 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

M K Gandhi


Mahatma Gandhi with children


Noakhali



The above photo is one I have carried in my wallet for over 30 years itshows Gandhi when he visited Noakhali in 1946 to ease communal riots. Gandhisaid "I don't know what I can do but I know that I must do something, withme it case of do or die.

Garvin Brown

Monday, July 21, 2008

M K Gandhi


CONTACT

Australia
Garvin Brown
Mahatma Gandhi Awareness
3/6 12th Avenue
Palm Beach
Queensland,
Australia
email: garvin@onthenet.com.au


India
Dhaval Vyas
" Vrundavan Kutir".B No. 2
Pankaj Society, Fatehnagar,
PaldiAhmedabad-380007,
Gujarat,
India
Tel: +91-9824042983
email: dhavalvyas@hotmail.com


Pravin Patel
Gandhi Feri
A-4, Parul Flats
Behind Umiya Vijay Society
Satellite Road,
Ahmedabad-380015
Gujarat,
India
Tel:079-26763531
+91-9879636731
email: pravinpatel@yahoo.co.inpravin@sac.isro.gov.in




Biju Barabaruah
Founder & Managing Trustee
Asha Darshan
Tamulpur,
District : Baksha,
Assam-781367,
India
Tel: +91-9435198652
email: darshan_asha@yahoo.com




Jayanta Barman
24, A.K. Azad Road
Rehabari,
Guwahati-781008,
Assam,
India
Tel:+91-9435146880
email: jayantbarman@yahoo.co.in




Uttam Teron
Parijat Academy
Pamohi, P.O. Garchuk, Guwahati-781035,
Assam,
India
Tel: +91-9864041711
email: parijatacademy03@yahoo.com










Thursday, July 17, 2008

letter from Pravin Patel to Garvin Brown


Dear Garvin Brown

You want to get e-mail address of Sajidbhai Painter but he is poor man. I don’t think he is using computer. I read this news from our local news paper. I will get his address from news reporter and I will request him to put his work on website.

Yesterday early morning I met one another painter in the way of my Gandhi Feri route who is like Sajidbhai. This painter is very poor and he is painting advertising work on road and road side wall for small business men. I forgotten his name but he has also done one large cotton painting on road side wall like Sajidbhai Painter on last 2nd October, 2007 , birthday of Gandhiji near full size statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Income tax circle, Ashram road, Ahmedabad. On last 2nd October, 2007 when I was moving on my bicycle in the early morning in my Gandhi Feri route he had invited me to see his painting. On that day so many media people and politicians had visited his painting place to see his painting.

Yesterday he told me that one politician had also offered me to buy my Gandhiji’s painting but I refused to sell my painting. I advised this painter that you are poor man and you need money and you are getting big amount for selling this Gandhiji’s painting; you should have to sell it. He told me that “No...No... Gandhiji is not for selling, I like to keep my painting in my house for memory”. He has also planned to do another large painting on Gandhiji’s life on coming 2nd October, 2008 near Vastrapur Lake in Ahmedabad. Gandhiji is till now in poor people’s hearts.

I am also feeling good for my Gandhi Feri activity because day by day people are giving me more and more love, congratulation and support and demanding CDs of Gandhiji's favorite bhajans. People are also giving me money and that money I am using for getting biscuits for poor children.

Regards

Pravin Patel

painting on Gandhiji’s life


Sajidbhai is 43 years old and he came to Ahmedabad before month back for his children’s education. Before that he was living in Kapdvanj, a small village of Gujarat . He did his education in his village and he was interested in Gandhiji’s philosophy and works since childhood. Sajidbhai has no regular income source but he likes to paint regularly and get some amount from it.
He got some amount from one Gandhian and he started to paint on Gandhiji’s life. He thinks that our youth and children are not reading Gandhiji’s book. For that he started to paint Gandhiji’s life on cotton cloth. So that they can understand Gandhiji’s life very easily seeing this large painting. One of U.K. ’s private company offered Sajidbhai a big amount to buy his painting on Gandhiji. But Sajidbhai doesn’t want to sell his painting out of India .

Sajidbhai believes in Gandhijis’s principle of truth and non-violence very strongly.






Tuesday, July 15, 2008

PEACE WALK CABOOLTURE TO BRISBANE

MAHATMA GANDHI AWARENESS
FINAL DETAIL RE PEACE WALK CABOOLTURE TO BRISBANE
SEPTEMBER 17TH TO SEPTEMBER 21ST
UNITED NATIONS PEACE DAY

Travel to Caboolture by train.

First Day
Start Caboolture Queensland at Lions International Park in Morayfield Road
Short distance from start ….stop at Morayfield Primary School to interact with students and distribute books on Mahatma Gandhi
Continue walking to Burpengary 7.3k’s
Deception Bay Road turnoff over Bruce H/Way total 11.9 k’s
Continue down Deception Bay Road and turn left into Anzac Road which leads to Redcliffe total 20.1 k’s
(I will rest somewhere along Deception Bay Road for the night)

End First Day. Total distance walked first day 20.1k’s


Second Day
Continue walking to Redcliffe along Anzac Road distance 7.4 k’s
Turn right along beachfront in Redcliffe towards Woody Point
Stop at Humpybong State School to interact with students and distribute books on Mahatma Gandhi
Continue walking thru Woody Point and on to Clontarf total 16.9k’s
To arrange with Brisbane Times newspaper short stop to interact and hopefully listen to short display by children from local Schools
Over Hornibrook H/ Way Bridge towards Sandgate

End Second Day Total distance walked around 20 k’s


Third Day
Continue walking on to Sandgate 10.6 k’s
Passed Deagon Race Track and on towards Nudgee College 6.2 k’s

End Second Day Total distance walked around 16.8k’s

Fourth Day
Nudgee College area towards Brisbane
Turn off at Northgate along Toombul Road to Hendra Race Track 4.8 k’s
Thru Hamilton to Breakfast Creek 7.8 k’s

End Fourth Day Total distance walked 12.6 k’s

Fifth Day
Breakfast Creek to Brisbane City Hall 3.8 k’s

Total distance walked around 73 k’s

children and women




for the children with the children






World Children to Children




Letter from Jayanta Barman to Garvin Brown

Dear Garvin During your visit to Guwahati this year, I had proposed to start a. website in the name of Mahatma Gandhi Awareness. You will be pleased to know that I have already taken up the project and the work is on. Now 'Mahatma Gandhi Awareness' will have a Global presence in the web.Now I need your help.As you are the chair person of the organisation, you may kindly furnish the names of all the people to be associated with MGA and their addresses. I propose that Head quarter will be at Goldcoast, AU,and other centres will be at Guwahati, Ahmedabad and other places. I also request all the freinds in Australia, Ahmedabad and North East India to put forward sugessions for building up the proposed web site Thanking you,RegardsJayanta

Gandhi's Favourite Bhajan

Bharati my friendI am hopeful of a positive response. I have a CD of Gandhi's favouriteBhajans one of which we sang a lot while I was in India "Raghupati RaghavaRaja Ram" Do you have this CD. How many books on Experiments with Truthwould I be able to get. I will give you my address when you tell me theprice. I want nothing for Free. The Minister for Police is also the Premier of Queensland (Chief Minister)

PEACE WALK

Roushini thank you for your kind offer of assistance for the Peace Walk.

I have problems with organization from the Bundaberg end so I have decided to start at Caboolture.
Start date to be Wednesday September 17th, time to be decided after discussion with you. I will travel up to where you live in Morayfield to talk to you on various things. I am sending to you some photos taken by Uttam Teron of Parijat Academy of Walks in Assam showing the children with placards about Gandhi. I want to involve children as much as possible because it is children we are trying to help. I would also like to visit Schools if possible in all areas that I will be walking thru. It is important to have something to get the media involved at the start in Caboolture and along the walk route. It would be lovely if school children were able to walk a small way with me, say 3 or 4 k’s. I will also be having as my walking song “Raghupati Raghave Raja Ram” so it would be great to have that sung at the start. I have a current Blue Card. There is a possibility that there may be people coming from Assam to walk with me in this event.

I can come up to have a talk with you on this at your convenience.

Sincerely

Garvin

Photo Gallery






















MAHATMA GANDHI AWARENESS PEACE WALK SEPTEMBER 2008




The basis of my walk is Gandhi's reply to a Christian missionary whoasked what he could do for the people who were suffering in povertyand Gandhi's reply which went straight to the core."We must step down from our pedestals and go and live with the peoplewho are suffering and experience their hardships and their sorrows"I intend therefore to walk the whole distance with that in mind. Thestatistics tell us that half the world…nearly 3 billion… live on lessthan $2 per day. I have even seen figures which suggest that thefigure is only $1 per day, but I will settle for $2 per day. Thismeans that all I can spend is $10 for the five days of walking andthis is my estimate of expenses.Accomodation nil I will take a sleeping bag and sleeplike the homelessWater nil Australia is a 1st worldcountry and Tap Water is pureFood :Biscuits (Parle) $3Dates $4Fruit $3TOTAL $10For me the possible hardship is NOTHING compared with the suffering ofthe millions and millions of people who are, and have always beencondemned to a life of abject poverty and virtual slavery.My hope is that I can enter the hearts and minds and conscience ofpeople to be able to make them feel as I do and react as I am reacting.It is necessary for the world to embrace Gandhi's message for therealization of PEACE.Garvin Brown - http://us.mc338.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=garvin%40onthenet.com.auMahatma Gandhi Awareness




Gandhian visits State to promote cause of underprivileged children

Gandhian visits State to promote cause of underprivileged childrenAssamNet - Guwahati , Assam , IndiaGUWAHATI, March 30 - International Member of Friends of Assam & SevenSisters (FASS), Garvin Brown, a 79-year-old Gandhian from Queensland ,Australia , met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on March 24 at hisoffice and requested him to support the cause of underprivileged children.Garvin had visited Assam to create awareness for promotion ofeducation for underprivileged children and world peace. He recentlytook part in a charity walk in Guwahati to collect funds forunderprivileged children.During his interaction with the Chief Minister, Brown requested himfor a plot of land for Parijat Academy , a school for underprivilegedchildren at Pamohi, Garchuk, Guwahati. Garvin informed the ChiefMinister that he was planning a students' exchange programme toAustralia from schools of underprivileged children, namely Prajnalayaof Titabor and Parijat Academy of Garchuk , Guwahati.Brown was accompanied by Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS)secretary general Bidyananda Barkakoty and vice-president JayantaBarman. Brown had participated in another charity walk in Titabor. Inboth the places there was an overwhelming response from the public andmany noted Gandhians and senior citizens took part in the walk.Brown, an ardent follower of the Gandhian principles, has organised aMahatma Gandhi awareness day in Gold Coast , Australia , participated inthe 75th anniversary of the Dandi Yatra in India and runs anorganisation called Mahatma Gandhi Awareness at Queensland , Australia .Brown's visit was a great boost to several schools for underprivilegedin Pamohi, Titabor, Nongpoh and Tamulpur. His presence motivatedhundreds of villagers in Garbhanga (on the city outskirts nearAssam-Meghalaya border) who incidentally have not yet seen basicamenities such as electricity, clean drinking water, school, medicalfacility, etc.Besides bringing many FASS volunteers unitedly into selfless actions,the trip of Brown also started a new Gandhi consciousness in the NorthEast, as many old Gandhians came out in big numbers to join thegeneral charity walks both in Guwahati and Titabor.Brown's visit to the North East has finally come to an end. He tookpains to travel to the distant places of Assam and the North Eastwhich include Tamulpur, Kumrikata, Jorhat, Titabor, Nongpoh, Shillong,Garbhanga, etc., and spread the message of peace.(The Assam Tribune,Monday, March 31, 2008

Letter from Balamurali Balaji to Garvin Brown

Dear Garvin,

It is very great from your part to undertake a "Peace Walk" in Queensland to spread the message of Gandhi and for the purpose of the Christian missionary. Though you had conducted many such walks and marches and more experienced in adopting Gandhian principles at the core, I hope this one would surely meant for a purpose and bring peace and success in all aspects.

Your efforts and hardships, however been dubbed as smaller, for the sake of Peace and Justice is highly commendable. As you had to written, you would just need $10 to spend 5 days in a strange place with strange people, motivating them to the RIGHT messages. But, the lessons and realization of those messages would worth more than that. In fact, it could change the face and future of many people longing for right directions to lead the better life.

People like me are still waiting for such divine causes and opportunities as the "Service to the Public to is Service to God".

I sincerely express my gratitude and support for this peace walk.

Regards
BB
---------------------------------------
Balamurali Balaji (Microsoft MVP (ASP.NET, Visual C# & Device Application Development)
CIT-GPNPhomepage:http://h1.ripway.com/bbmurali_2000
Profile:https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/balamurali.balaji
The most practical, the most dignified way of going on in the world is to take people at their word when you have no positive reason to the contrary.- Mahatma Gandhi

Letter from Richard Cowley to Garvin Brown

Hello Garvin
I'm meeting with my 2IC in the morning, she is just back from international travel too. I know she has a number of events planned as well, so we need to tie in with each other on progress.
We are very grateful, if a little daunted, at your proposal, and rest assured there will be a significant reception for you on your arrival. We we will also be promoting what you are doing through our soon-to-be enormous media and cultural databases.
That database will include also include every Queensland School , and we are in the process of setting up a meeting with the education department where your walk will be mentioned.
What you are doing, what you have done, is no small feat, and we look forward to working with you to highlight this extraordinary effort.
Peace!
Richard

PEACE WALK CABOOLTURE TO BRISBANE, September, 2008

MAHATMA GANDHI AWARENESS
FINAL DETAIL RE PEACE WALK CABOOLTURE TO BRISBANE
SEPTEMBER 17TH TO SEPTEMBER 21ST
UNITED NATIONS PEACE DAY

Travel to Caboolture by train.

First Day
Start Caboolture Queensland at Lions International Park in Morayfield Road
Short distance from start ….stop at Morayfield Primary School to interact with students and distribute books on Mahatma Gandhi
Continue walking to Burpengary 7.3k’s
Deception Bay Road turnoff over Bruce H/Way total 11.9 k’s
Continue down Deception Bay Road and turn left into Anzac Road which leads to Redcliffe total 20.1 k’s
(I will rest somewhere along Deception Bay Road for the night)

End First Day. Total distance walked first day 20.1k’s


Second Day
Continue walking to Redcliffe along Anzac Road distance 7.4 k’s
Turn right along beachfront in Redcliffe towards Woody Point
Stop at Humpybong State School to interact with students and distribute books on Mahatma Gandhi
Continue walking thru Woody Point and on to Clontarf total 16.9k’s
To arrange with Brisbane Times newspaper short stop to interact and hopefully listen to short display by children from local Schools
Over Hornibrook H/ Way Bridge towards Sandgate

End Second Day Total distance walked around 20 k’s


Third Day
Continue walking on to Sandgate 10.6 k’s
Passed Deagon Race Track and on towards Nudgee College 6.2 k’s

End Second Day Total distance walked around 16.8k’s

Fourth Day
Nudgee College area towards Brisbane
Turn off at Northgate along Toombul Road to Hendra Race Track 4.8 k’s
Thru Hamilton to Breakfast Creek 7.8 k’s

End Fourth Day Total distance walked 12.6 k’s

Fifth Day
Breakfast Creek to Brisbane City Hall 3.8 k’s

Total distance walked around 73 k’s

GARVIN BROWN during visit Assam India

Garvin Brown at Kasturba Gandhi Ashram, Assam, India
Garvin Brown at Parijat Academy
Pravin Patel & Gravin Brown at Pravin house
at Ahmedabad
Garvin Brown , Jayanta Barman and FASS member
Garvin Brown with Uttam's father and mother