[Fsf-friends]Fund raising for FSF-India

[Nagarjuna G.]

On Tue, 2004-05-25 at 02:53, Rakesh 'arky' Ambati wrote:
> --- Ramanraj K <ramanraj@md4.vsnl.net.in> wrote:
> > Frederick Noronha (FN) wrote:
> > 
> > >The only handicap was the 
> > >lack of hardware for demos at their office
> > premises, which they were very 
> > >generous to loan out to us without any charge for
> > our meetings held over 
> > >the past two to three years.
> > >  
> > >
> > Recently, the Hindu reported that the Dept. of
> > Atomic Energy made a 
> > grant of Rs. 3.5 crores to the Institute of
> > Mathematical Sciences, 
> > Chennai, out of which the Linux cluster that clocked
> > 1.382 teraflops was 
> > realised at the cost of only about Rs. 2.5 crores -
> > a fraction of what 
> > supercomputers of this pedigree would cost -
> > `saving' about Rs. 1 Crore. 
> >  Would it be possible to convince DAE or the others
> > involved in the 
> > project to share the remaining Rs. 1 Crore with
> > FSF-India, to provide 
> > adequate resources for purchasing hardware,
> > mirroring FSD from India, 
> > and support the various activities of FSF-India?
> > 
> 
>   yes,it would be a good idea.But irony of the whole
> issue is FSF-India doesn't even remotely come into the
> picture(from govt's point of view) when we talk about
> IT.
>     We have a new govt and a new ministry, why don't
> we lobby the new govt before they form a new IT
> policy. 
> 

we will and we should.  when the first news letter gets ready, we will
use that material to make brochure/introduction letters. It would be
better if we release the first issue with an article: what should be the
IT policy of the pro-people govt. or some such title.  Then we will
circulate to all the policy makers of all govts. and we will make
special efforts to take appointments to the policy makers and start the
process.  We need this process.  This document is necessary, let us
prepare this.  We are also to send one copy to the president's office. 

When we have the material ready, I will go and begin meeting people, on
my part, and I will request others to this too at various places.  We do
have contacts and will try to improve them also.  

Nagarjuna