Pune exhibition to help Nepal quake victims

PUNE: A week-long photo-exhibition and lecture series was inaugurated here on Thursday in an attempt to raise funds for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal.
The exhibition displays photographs taken by surgeon and mountaineer Raghunath Godbole in the course of 25 treks and expeditions in the Himalayas over a 20 year period.
Jointly organized by the Maharashtra Times and the Himalayan Club, the event is free, but donations are being collected at the venue, the Raja Ravi Varma Art Gallery in Shivajinagar.The digital images will also be auctioned. and these proceeds will be used in aiding earthquake victims in Nepal.
The exhibition is open between 10am and 8pm.
The rehabilitation programme includes plans for rebuilding homes, schools and hostels for orphaned children. The Himalayan Club will also use the funds to reopen damaged trek routes and tea houses to create sustainable livelihood options for the local porters, guides and cooks in the area.
A lecture series has also been organized and eminent mountaineers, authors and trekkers will speak about peaks and treks in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Tibet. tnn
The Himalayan Club was an international body founded in India in 1928. The management of the club passed from British to Indian hands after independence. It seeks to encourage travel, trekking and exploration in the Himalayas as well as extend knowledge about the mountain range through science, art, literature and sport.