Bihari techies unite to help motherland

http://www.ndtv.com/ndtvfuture/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080064125&ch=633563133234615000

Bihar's tragedy has become the nation's sorrow. This is a calamity that has claimed countless lives. But sitting hundreds of miles away is a group of people who are using technology to bring the world to Bihar's help.They are the techies from the state. These techies have become a solid online taskforce that's in touch with the ground realities of their home state. They are raising money to buy things that Bihar's flood-hit millions actually need. "We got requirement from the ground situation for baby food. People are happy that my money has gone to buy baby food for a hungry child," said Sarvesh Upadhyay, an IT professional.And because there are no geographical borders in cyberspace, their word on the web is reaching out to the world."There was this American guy who mailed us on our website, saying 'I am devastated by this disaster. Tell me how can I help?'" another techie Divyanshu Verma said.In fact, the technological edge that the cool Biharis have has helped them reach out to donors in newer and newer ways."There is Internet on the mobile. We are working out ways so that by just sending an SMS, a little sum is deducted by service providers like Bharti and Airtel who then divert the money to the Chief Minister's relief fund or the Prime Minister's relief fund," said Naveen, an IT professional from Bihar.These techies from Bihar, spread across different countries, have managed to raise lakhs of rupees in cash, putting out the day-to-day transactions transparently on their blogs and sites.This is a heartwarming indicator of how technology can be a tool in times of tragedy.