CLAIM TO FAME: Doing their bit to raise relief funds for tsunami victims
THE world has come together to lend a helping hand to probably the century’s worst natural disaster, one that hit more than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa.
There are almost 150,000 dead, thousands still missing and countless losing their loved ones and homes. With rescue operations almost over, providing relief to the survivors has been taken up on an unprecedented scale. Countries, world and aid organizations, and individuals are making and collecting donations for the task and the celebrities around the world are also moved into action.
Sandra Bullock is one of Tinseltown’s leading donators to the tsunami relief fund. She donated $1 million to the American Red Cross and this is the second time that the lady has made a million dollar donation — the first followed the September 11 tragedy. Steven Spielberg gave $1.5 million to three charities, while Leonardo DiCaprio, who filmed The Beach on the now-ravaged Thai island of Phi Phi, donated an undisclosed amount to Unicef, and set up a link on his web site for others to donate. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $3 million and Amazon.com said it raised more than $3.5 million in online donations.
Singers Boy George and Sir Cliff Richard hope to help raise two million pounds after recording a charity single. However, in the show business things are always done in a big way so planning is on, to hold a massive Live Aid-style concert in Wales where singers from both side of the Atlantic will be participating.
A celebrity-driven event was held in China over the last weekend and it raised more than $6.2 million, according to reports. Movie star Jackie Chan donated $64,282 and actor Chow Yun-Fat gave $25,600 for the relief of the victims.
The stars of Bollywood too are also coming to the help of the victims of the disaster that hit their coastal region. Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherji and Karan Johar chipped in Rs1.15 crore to the PM’s Relief Fund, while Aishwarya Rai donated Rs500,000 and filmmaker Subhash Ghai gave Rs2.5 million. Vivek Oberoi has adopted the tsunami-hit village of Thevanampatinam in Tamil Nadu and is providing help to the victims there.
In our land of the pure, many have been galvanized into action as well. All kinds of organizations are collecting donations and relief material of all shapes and kinds. So committed they are to the tsunami cause that collection camps have been set up on almost all the major intersections of the city. The usual road signals, that are always a hangout for beggars, have been taken over by overzealous men with donation boxes. These new characters look hardly different from the professionals who knocked on windows with outstretched hands. One can’t help but wonder if the money that goes into the box will ever find its way to the tsunami victims or into the pockets of the collectors? With so much money involved and the victims so far away, what percentage of the donations really reaches the victims, is anyone’s guess. As important as it is to lend a helping hand in easing the sufferings of the devastated, equally important is the need to keep a check on those who are handling these charities. — Ambreen Arshad
NAME: Celebrities of the world
