Vote of thanks by Benjamin Paul Kaila
Delivered at on February 24, 2007  at Nizamabad, AP, India
Delivered by Ms Sravani Kaila and Master Pratheek Adidela

Dear Ambedkar Scholars, their parents, chief guest collector of Nizamabad Mr ISS Naresh, Kalaprapurna Dr Chinnaiah, honorary dignitaries, and other guests in the this historic event,
 
Jai Bheem!
I am Benjamin Paul Kaila. My family and I are sending compliments to you all from United States of America. Though I am not physically present here, my heart is with you all now.
 
Scholars, I congratulate you all for receiving this year’s Ambedkar scholarship. Feel proud of yourself as you have got it due to your hard work. Hard work is the key to success. You can get many more awards and recognitions if you continue the same path proving that you are the heirs of Dr Ambedkar’s legacy. English is another key to open the doors of success all around the world. So, please put extra efforts to learn English. Buy books like “Word power made easy” to increase your English vocabulary. Make good books your companions to see the world intelligently and face it confidently. Read English if you understand it or not as “Practice makes perfect”. Choose right heroes, not cinema actors or cricketers. People like Dr Ambedkar should be your hero to transform your life for better. Remember that this is a starting of our long term relationship. So, write or email us whenever you find time and respond to all our letters. We are planning several other things for you to help you in your future education. We want you to reach the top in life and become inspirational to the younger generation.
 
Parents, I thank you all for helping your children to study well. Please continue to help them.
 
I thank our chief guest and collector of Nizamabad Mr ISS Naresh for accepting our invitation and gracing this event.
 
I thank Kalaprapurna Dr Chinnaiah for his services to Ambedkarite movement. It is an honor for us to felicitate him in this function. In fact, I am the product of his book on Dr Ambedkar. I read his book when I was 26 and living an ignorant life. After that, my life is different. So, scholars, remember that you have a very powerful book in your hands and please read it and give it others to read.
 
I thank collector of Adilabad Mr R Subba Rao, Nazamabad MP Mr Madhu Yaskhi Goud, BSP president Mr Surya Prakash, BAMCEF president Ms Manisha R Bangar, Dr Madhukar Babu, Mr Madhusekhar and other honorary guests for gracing this event despite their busy schedules. I also thank Mr Shyam Tagade, IAS, for coming all the way from Nagpur to participate in this event.
 
I thank all donors (I can not name them all) from all over globe for their trust in me and in the project. They handed over their hard earned money with goodwill. Most of them know me only through my emails.
 
I am immensely thankful to NRI brothers Mr Rayadas Manthena and Mr Buchanna Gajula for conducting this function in Nizamabad. I appreciate them for putting their time, soul, money, and energy to make it a grand success.
 
I thank brothers Mr Devdas Adidela, Mr PVV Rao, and my brother Mr Luke Anand Paul for helping me in this project for the past 3 years. Without their help what can I do sitting in United States? They are the pillars of this project and I thank them for their support.
 
I thank Prof Shiva Shankar of Madras Mathematical Institute, the brain behind SKA scholarships. A majority of the sponsors of these scholarships are his friends.
 
I thank Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA) for helping us to identify students for SKA scholarships. I also thank Educated Chamber, India, and its founder Dr Jawahar Nessan for helping us to identify the students from Tamilnadu.
 
I thank journalist brothers Mr Shivam Viz and Mr Chandrabhan Prasad for writing about our project in the media and help us known to a wider audience.
 
In a short period of time we will have a brand new website, thanks to Ms Mina Kumar, USA. She is also a significant contributor and a great supporter of our project.
 
Recently, we have started two new projects in Guntur district. One is the micro-loan project to help Dalit woman to start small businesses and the other is Oral History recording of Dalits. I thank my brother-in-law Rev Sundara Rao for helping me in these projects.
 
I thank all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event a grand success.
 
Last but not least, I thank Mr Ramakrishna Bhupathi, US for his help to the project as a treasurer this year.
 
There are many more who contributed for the success of our project. I thank them all.
 
At the end, Ambedkar Scholarships has a come a long way from 2003 with just 2 scholarships to 71 scholarships this year. But the need is so great and the help is so little. With the help of intelligentsia, people in power, volunteers, well-to-dos, corporations etc, we are confident that we can make this project an all India phenomenon helping the children of most discriminated and vulnerable sections of India - Dalits. Their progress is India’s progress. India can not ignore 16% of its population while trying to become a global power. We, the well-to-dos among them, have a greater responsibility to help them, encourage them, and tell them that they are inferior to none. We should make our children realize that being a Dalit is not a shame but “DALIT IS DIGNITY”. So, please help us to make our dream come true. We accept any help from anyone.
 
Please visit our website www.ambedkarscholarship.org for further details or write to us at ambedkarscholarship@yahoo.com for questions and suggestions.
 
With warm regards
Benjamin Paul Kaila, USA