Washington: House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, Missouri Democrat, paid rich compliments to ASHA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing poverty in Delhi, as a model not only for India, but for the United States and the rest of the world

Gephardt was speaking at a fund-raiser organized here earlier this month to help ASHA in its humanitarian efforts to bring about a lasting change in the lives of nearly a quarter million shanty dwellers in Delhi.

ASHA, the Congressman said, is dedicated to eradicating slums in Delhi and hopefully throughout India He complimented Dr. Kiran Martin, a pediatrician and director of ASHA, for her single-minded dedication and commitment to removing poverty, by working in the slums of Delhi.

He said his wife was so impressed by her work that she decided to raise money for ASHA and its activities here in the U.S.

About $55,000 was raised at the fund-raiser, according to the organizers. Benefactors paid $5,000, hosts, $2,500 and sponsors, $1,000. Jane Gephardt presented a check to Martin near the end of the event.

Among those present at the fund-raiser were Ambassador Lalit Mansingh’s wife, Indira Mansingh, former Congressman Stephen Solarz and a host of leading members of the Indian-American community.

Several of them — including hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Bhupi Patel, director, News India-Times, Uma Sengupta, Democratic Party leader from Queens, New York — came from New York to attend the event.

Gephardt said that when he and his wife saw Martin’s project in India and what she had done, “It was very exciting to us because it is a model not only for India, but for the entire world and the United States. This problem of poverty has to be solved. It is the strongest challenge along with AID. Dr. Martin has pulled thousands of people out of poverty. This is exciting and we will urge the United States government to offer help in the project.”

The lawmaker also mentioned that Martin’s work had won recognition from the Government of India, which conferred on her the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian awards, earlier this year.

Gephardt praised ASHA and its band of devoted social workers for their efforts to provide a decent shelter and living to millions of people living below the poverty line. He said ASHA is bringing about real and lasting change in the lives of thousands of people by empowering them to improve their health and living conditions.

Gephardt also thanked those who had taken the trouble of attending the fund-raiser, and said it was a very special cause. He praised his wife Jane, who was the driving force behind the event. “One of the greatest worries... is how we can help people all over the world develop and get better conditions,” said Gephardt, while stressing yet again that fund-raising for ASHA was “a noble cause.”

At the outset, he asked the audience to give a big hand to Chatwal, who had offered to host the fund-raiser at his restaurant, Bombay Palace in Washington, D.C. Gephardt recalled his trip to India two years ago, during which he and other lawmakers, accompanying him, saw for the first time Martin’s efforts to improve life in the slums of Delhi. They were particularly impressed by the efforts of ASHA to aid women and children, he said.

Gephardt added: “They are wonderful Congressmen. I want you to know how proud I am of them. Whenever some one is in need they are there, whatever is the problem.” Some of the lawmakers who were in the Congressional delegation to India, were present at the fund-raiser and Gephardt took time off to introduce each one of them individually.

He mentioned that Rep. Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat, had visited India 18 times. Gephardt said: “I want Dr. Martin to know that he (McDermott) had probably done as much, if not more, in Congress in fighting against the scourge of poverty and AIDS all over the world.”

He also introduced Rep. Mike Thompson, California Democrat, who had arranged a fund-raiser for ASHA in Santa Clara, Calif., and Democratic Party Whip Nancy Pelosi, also from California, who, Gephardt added, has attained the second-highest position a woman has ever achieved in the history of the House of Representatives. “She has been a real friend of India. She is the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. She was earlier ranking member of the Foreign Operations Committee,” he said.

Martin made an emotional and articulate presentation of her work in the slums of Delhi. She took the guests present at the fund-raiser for a walk down memory lane from the time she started ASHA to date and paid rich tribute to “several marvelous people” without whose efforts she said her dream would not have been possible.

The slides she presented told the story of how the slum dwellers, with coaxing and encouragement from ASHA, were able to transform slums into decent living quarters.

The transformation was made possible by empowering the women and floating mahila mandals (womens’ groups). Once organized, they were able to obtain clean drinking water and sanitation services. They had also gained the confidence to face up to the slum mafia and slum lords, she added.

Martin singled out several organizations around the world like Tearfund of Britain and “wonderful people” in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., like Gephardt and his wife Jane, Mike Thompson and his wife Janet Thompson, Pelosi and a host of others for their help in raising funds for her cause.

The guests at the fund-raiser included Dr. Shambu Banik and his wife Pramila, Dr. Joydeb Roy and his wife Satya, Dr. Jayant Kalotra and his wife, Dr. Pradip Ganguly and others.