Asha for Education is a secular organization dedicated to change in India by focusing on basic education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. Asha has supported more than 385 different child education projects spanning 24 states in India. Since inception, Asha has disbursed nearly $4,000,000 to projects. In 2002 alone, Asha chapters raised and disbursed more than $1,000,000 to over 200 projects. To learn more about Asha For Education and the the specific projects it undertakes, please visit: http://www.ashanet.org

You can help by contributing towards my fund raising. Every dollar you donate will help underpriviledged children. All donations are 100% tax deductible. (Tax Id 770 45 9884)

Why Asha?
Bringing hope through education. That is the motto of Asha for Education. 'Asha' means 'hope' in several Indian languages. Asha for Education brings hope to thousands of underprivileged children in India. A quarter of India’s 400 million children do not have access to basic education. Or to the opportunities that education brings. Opportunities that someone like me takes for granted. Asha for Education has a stellar record of getting the work done in the field of basic education. Do take the time to explore some of the ongoing Asha project work. Every project is a heartwarming story. Of hope.

Why me?
Nandita (my wife) and I have been involved with Asha in one way or the other during our stay both here at Atlanta and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has been involved with Asha's project coordination activities. I have done some fun stuff for a couple of Asha fundraising events. But marathon running?
If someone had walked up to me a couple of months ago and said that I would be running 13 miles in one go, my response would've been to get either of us checked into therapy. Don't get me wrong- I'm fairly fit and don't have a lot of extra fat- but the only time I usually run is when I'm running behind schedule (or public transportation). So what got me into Team Asha Marathon was something of a happy accident. In short, I had set out to be a water-stop volunteer at marathon training but ended up being a runner. If you want a lively evening swapping stories of life-changing moments (and this could be one of those) across the bar table, contact me.
Here are the links of some of my fellow runners

Donate
Asha for Education has consistently been rated among the top charities in USA (rated #1 last year on Chairty Navigator's 'Top 10 Slam-Dunk Charities' and 'Top 10 Charities Worth Watching' lists and #1 on this year's '4-Star Charities'). Due to the voluntary nature of its activities, a whopping 99% of funds accrued through donations goes to program work.
So what you, my dear prospective donor, are getting is solid value for your money. And also a contract with me. One that says that if I don't happen to finish the Atlanta half-marathon, you get every penny of your donation back.
Meanwhile, loosen your purse strings and spread the word among the people you know (or don't know, for that matter- every penny will go a long way). You may make your donation in one of these following ways:
1. Click on the Donate button at the top of this page and proceed to make a credit card donation,
2. Mail a check payable to Asha for Education to my address (that will be easier for me to keep track of donations) or to the address mentioned on the Asha donation page,
3. Send/give me cash,
4. Send me a PayPal payment at anil.s.nayak@gmail.com,
5. If you are my boss (Hi Mike) give me a salary raise and bonus- some of that money will find its way to Asha for Education :)
If you are a corporate worker, do check your company's donation matching program- you may end up doubling your donation right away! If you are my Oracle colleague, check out Oracle's Matching Gift Program and contact me if you have any issues navigating through the process.
Donate generously! You will feel good about it. I will too, ofcourse. And some child will have a smile with your name on it.

Contributors (updated daily!)
Rekha Santhanam, Jayashree Ranga, Senapathy Rajagopalan, Vaishnavi Sarathy, Tapan Khopkar, Prakriti & Dinesh Balachandran, Manoj Damle, Aarya, Priti & Amit Joshi, Mihir Mahajan, Richa & Sachin Raut, Pooja & Saurabh Lodha, Sunita Singh, Saraswati Yagnavajhala-Bharthipudi, Scott Pekarek, Minal & Mehul Shah, Tami Antonello, Bela & Vaibhav Donde, Rachna Jain, Shalaka & Vishal, Mike Pinter, Anne & Dan Arden, Senthil R., Oracle, Nayak & Madhavan families

Just in!
WE DID IT!! Every Team Asha Atlanta runner completed the marathon successfully. The unofficial results are out - I timed in at 2:22hrs. Rain, wind, sloshy shoes, feet blisters and unprecedented thigh cramps took their toll on my body and timing - but hey, who cares? It sure felt good to have us teammates encouraging each other past the finish line. I sign off here by thanking all of you for your support, both material and moral. Remember - this page will be up till the end of the year - so donations are still welcome! Will also upload some photos soon. Tata..