Giri Ramgopal
November 14, 2009 at 3:09 am

Hi Tracy,

Found operation-shanti surfing the net. Really impressed by what you guys are doing and want to have a all-day multicultural festival at Luton University (UK) to raise money for your charity.

The university has agreed to pay for a 6K soundsystem and I am part of Love Music Hate Racism (a national pressure group which numbers M.I.A, Pete Doherty and Kaiser Chiefs amongst its members who have committed play for free in support) so am thinking of talking to major national bands such as Asian Dub Foundation, Chumbawamba (I got knocked down but I get up again) and other signed famous bands sympathetic to third world poverty.

I am thinking of making hand made T-shirts – there is an art collective in Luton who have agreed to be my free workforce

What i need is to know is there anyway to calculate the average life expectancy or mortality rates for street kids in India.

I was thinking of a slumdog millionaire theme for the T-shirt. With the three child actors and the slogan ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ with ‘alive in their twenties’ stamped over it. then sponser a child today and your charities logo on the back and Asian Dub Foundation logo on front (works like a band shirt). All proceed from the shirt (£5 – the shirt will come from local charity shops so are recyled second hand and raise money for worthy charities – but if you prefer i could purchase fair trade which maybe slightly more expensive) and the door money of £10 (all bands play for nothing so I don’t have overheads), and ethnic food sales, over 50% of students hail from Nigeria, Ghana, China, India, Pakhistahn, West Indies, Bangladesh, Poland, Hungary, Faroe Islands and virtually anywhere in the world, so i’m just getting the repective student society to make food at home and bring to the gig (so again shouldn’t have overheads) goes to operation shanti.

Drop me a line and i can attach preliminary designs for the tshirt so you can have clearer idea of what i am talking about. I am completely open to desgn or theme suggestions since you’re point of view in the field is a lot more pertinent keep up the awe inspiring work

Myself and the Uni’s vice-president, who apporached me about the festival and persuaded the university to cover all costs, hail from south India (I am not a student just a local promoter) so we will be happy to deseminate info about your charity to the south indian community in Luton (my father runs the local south indian school).

Much love and admiration

Giri