“The earth, the air, the land, and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So, we have to handover to them at least as it was handed over to us.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Session-I: Water Action Ideas and Commitments

#WaterAction Idea towards becoming #NonViolence to our environment and ecosystem and becoming #TrusteesOfOurPlanet, which delivered by Arvind Vora, core-volunteer, Shanti Fund and Anuvrat Global Organization’s Main Rep. to the United Nations Department of Global Communications.

Background: UN 2023 Water Conference – Side Event (Outside-UN) W-175, titled, “What is your commitment to the #WaterActionDecade? Seven core #WaterAction ideas toward #WaterAwareness, #WaterConscience and #GameChangers”  successfully delivered as in a three-folded event by LMGlobal.Org in NYC on March 21, 2023. #UN2023WaterConference
The core purpose of the #W175 side event is to contribute toward #WaterAwareness & #WaterConscience concepts on the local, national, and global levels through promoting and engaging with diverse communities and multi-stakeholders with seven (7) core #WaterAction Ideas, which are: 1. #WaterForestryClimateChange #StopConstantForestFires #ForestryForGroundwater #StopClimateEngineering #StopDeforestation 2. #MilitaryAccountabilityOnWater #GameChanger 3. #GrayWaterIsAMust #GreenWater 4. #WasteProcessorForOurPlanet #StopPlasticPollution 5. #WaterForALL #WaterForLife #DevelopmentNotAgainstPeopleWill 6. #WaterForInspiration #WaterInArts #WaterInPoetry #WaterForPeace 7. #WaterAwareness #WaterConscience.

Distinguished guests and supporters of water conservation:

I am here on behalf of two partner organizations for today’s event:

ANUVIBHA an abbreviation of Anuvrat Vishwa Bharati – Anuvrat Global Organization. Anuvrat in Sanskrit means taking a small or basic vows embedded in Ahimsa or nonviolence and Shanti Fund which means to promote Shanti or peace.

Anu means small and Vrat means to take a vow. One is motivated to take small vows embedded in nonviolence to counter unrest, violence, hatred, fanatism, and conflicts and help to achieve peace.

Two historical notes: first, the Volunteers of Shanti Fund were invited by the Suffolk County Government in 1998 to have a Gandhi’s statue at the public space in Suffolk County Long Island. With funds only from the Indian Americans and only those living on Long Island, the life size statue sculpted by an American was unveiled on Gandhi’s birthday October2, 1999; second, the United Nations unanimously declared Gandhi’s Birthday in 2006 as International Day of Non-Violence and founder of ANUVIBHA Mr. Sohan Lal Gandhi (no relations with Mahatma Gandhi) was one of the first speakers invited to launch it at the UN General Assembly Building.

As a retired engineer I can go on and on with many finer details of scientific need to why “What is Your Commitment to the Water Actions Agenda” is very important if not an existential threat. With my luck, I am blessed to represent two organizations where I have gained finer details of how one can achieve balanced and happy life for themselves and help others to lead the same. As such my focus will be on lifestyle and messages of Gandhi.

Gandhi said, “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”. Greed induces possessiveness which induces violence.

Gandhi said, “The earth, the air, the land, and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So, we have to handover to them at least as it was handed over to us.” This means we are considered trustees. In fact, on February 23, 2023, less than a month ago, a special event was organized at the UN led by UN ambassador of India along with other ambassadors; titled “Gandhian Trusteeship” where I led the delegation of 20 people from Shanti Fund & ANUVIBHA. In fact, one line summary could be, “One World, One Family, One Future”.

Gandhi benefitted having his early life among Hindu-Jain environment prevailing at the time in Porbandar and Rajkot. He was a stickler for cleanliness with a strong belief that human mind, body, and surrounding must not be polluted. At his Ashrams, he would insist on everyone to clean toilets after they relieve themselves. His strongest trait was that he practiced what he preached.

Gandhi believed that basic material needs, and product should be produced by masses and not by mass productions. Needless for me to elaborate but mass productions entail destructions of environment not just water.

Let me end my five minutes or so, on my personal level commitments and lifestyle. I was born Jain and as a Jain do practice three important principles of Ahimsa(nonviolence), Anekantvada (respect for others point of views) and Aparigraha (limit ones needs). It is Aparigraha that is relevant in today’s presentation. I used to have one bucket of water while in India to bathe. Here instead of having bath in a big tub, I take shower and use as little water as possible and do not hesitate to skip a day, if I plan to be at home and busy catching up with work. For last several years, I am afflicted with dryness as such I keep a small water bottle with me and fill it up with regular water, though it may be argued if it is water conservation but, a small plastic been saved from polluting an environment.

Allow me to conclude by praising profusely Bircan for going out of her way and undertaking many projects beyond most individuals’ capacity for whom separation of time and place is not an obstruction. She is an inspiration to do above your best.

Arvind Vora at a side event on Tuesday March 21,2023 (from 6 to 9 PM) held at the Shelburne Sonesta Hotel located at 303 Lexington Avenue (corner of 37^th Street) NewYork NY 10016 as part of 2023 Water Conference at the UN Headquarters.

Arvind said a joke about river Ganges and washing of sins!!!

As to joke -here is what he said:

Before I introduce the last presenter Ms. Veena Shetty, I observed that all presentation water had very little humor and no jokes, so allow me to say one joke.

For multiple reasons, the mighty river Ganges, stretching from Himalayas to the other end of India, has been worshiped by people of India for hundreds of years. For many people, by dipping into Ganges washes away one’s sins. One of the believers goes to river Ganges and dutifully takes a dip into the water. Afterwards he was wondering what the river Ganges does with all these accumulated sins left by millions of people. So he went to river Ganges and asked what you do with these sins?
The river replied that all I do is travel to the ocean and leave it there. Then he went to the ocean and asked the same question and the ocean replied that after evaporation it goes to clouds. Then, he went to the clouds wondering what clouds had to say. The clouds said that I would come back in the form of rain to be in rivers like Ganges.

The Moral of the joke is, unlike dirt you can’t wash away your bad deeds with water.

* * *

Follow by the above joke, Mr. Arvind Vora invited Veena Shetty of India Center, who had committed to the Indian Consulate where Water Minister of Indian Government was making a presentation on water. The minister was leading a delegation for the UN Water Conference. Since both events were overlapping, Ms. Shetty came rushing to our event after the minister’s presentation.
Mr. Vora briefly mentioned that the art, music and dance are her passion and invited her to say few words in two minutes.
Ms. Shetty indicated that her organization promotes art, music, and dance by training students and inviting local artists for several events a year, primarily in New York City. She hoped to contribute more at the future water events through art and artists. She thanked organizers and presenters.

About Arvind Vora: Mr. Vora, being blessed with a good education, multiple talents and a desire to, always be meaningfully busy and active to help others has unparalleled contributions. Distillation of his 40+ years of community services can be summed up by being invited by three of the perhaps five most powerful offices: Pope Francis in 2015, Pope Benedict in 2008 as one of the ten to meet and greet, President of India Hon. Abdul Kalam at his official residence in 2005,and by President of the USA Hon. Bill Clinton for the Restoration of Religious  Freedom Act Bill signing ceremony at the White House in 1993. He has served as chairman and president of many organizations including Long Island Multi Faith Forum, Shanti Fund, etc. He has received many accolades , awards and recognitions for his volunteer and professional work.
He contributed his services to local, regional, national and international Jain institutions since early 1980’s. JAINA honored him with  its highest award of JAINA Ratna in 2003 at its biennial convention.
Arvind Vora is a retired engineer, and lives in Kings Park, New York with his wife ILA, a Social Worker. They have two grown children, daughter Anjali, computer scientist and son Aditya, psychiatrist.

Event Photographer: Ülkü Durmazer, Volunteer, LMGlobal.Org

What is your commitment to the #WaterActionDecade?
Flier PDF | Program with the Bios of the Speakers PDF

• Presented at the #UN2023WaterConference – Outside-UN Side Event W175, which organized and presented in #NYC on March 21, 2023 by LMGlobal.Org.

LMGlobalOrg, #LightMillenniumTV, #UN2023WaterConference, #WaterAction, #Nonviolence #SustDev, #SDG6, #SDG15, #UNDESA, #UNGA77, #UNPGA, #UNWithCivilSociety, #lightmillennium, Arvind Vora, Dr. Sohan Lal Gandhi, Shanti Fund, Anuvrat Global Organization,