Letter from Bhikkhu Nagasena

Dear Sis. Siew Hua and Mei Joon,

It is very nice and happy to know that MIMC Malaysian Desk has created its own email address. I on behalf of all the members, staff, and students would like to thanks both Sis Siew Hua and Mei Joon who have been working hard .

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The friendship between Malaysian Buddhist and MIMC had started when Ven. Sanghasena visited Malaysian first time in 1990s. During that time he met Mr Charlie Chia who been friend and supporter of MIMC since then. During the period, he has been leading many Malaysian devotees to show the activities of MIMC as well as the beauty nature of Ladakh. All the people who have visited so far went back with happily and satisfactorily. Everyone appreciates Ven. Sanghasena's works and give lots of inspiration to him as well as the members and staff of the organization.

Water Project
In 2006, Mr Charlie Chia led a group of people from Malaysia to Ladakh for pilgrimage as well as adventurous trip. In the group a very kind, compassionate, and philanthropic lady from Malaysia named Mdm. Ramona Lai was together. She agreed to support one of the most serious and long-standing needs at the campus - the Water Project.

Mdm. Ramona has very generously sponsored a very systematic and huge project to pump groundwater and distribute it across the entire campus. There are two bore wells fitted with pumps which draw a capacity of 15 Liters of water per second. Beside this, there is a reservoir of a capacity of one lac (100 thousand) gallon and Diesel Gen. Set of 100 KV to run the pumps.

Solar Water Heating Project
Irrespective of whether you visit Ladakh in summer or winter, you will soon learn the truth of the old Ladakhi saying; 'your feet can get frostbite while your head gets sunstroke'.

The suns rays fall hard and strong in Ladakh, irrespective of the season. Tapping into this obvious source of energy has helped Mahabodhi Devachan cope with a very erratic supply of main grid electricity. All of the computers in the administration block and the internet café, as well as the essential lighting in the hostels, are now connected to solar power.

By the winter of 2008, the use of solar power has been further extended to enable all the residents of Mahbodhi Devachan to have access to hot water during the freezing winter months. The improvements include 'winter proofing' the existing cold water system, to prevent it from freezing during the harshest winter months. This has proved to be a great blessing for all living at Mahabodhi Devachan, for they now enjoy the benefits of hot water throughout the winter.

All this has been made possible with the kind and generous support of our Malaysian friends, especially Mdm. Ramona Lai and Mr. Charlie Chia Lui Meng. They have very compassionately financed the solar water heating systems at various wings, including the Mahabodhi Girls Hostel, Boys Hostel, Phandey-ling Nunnery, and Jetavana Monastery, Old Aged Home, Hostel for Visually Impaired Children and the Hospital. Seven systems, totaling capacity 10,000 LPD solar water heating systems have been installed at the Devachan Campus.

We are extremely grateful to Mr. Lee, who has been here since May, and has been vigorously working on every detail of the implementation - Thank you so much Mr. Lee for your concern and your much-needed help and assistance, without which the whole project would not have materialized in such a systematic and organised way.

Our long cherished dream of a green Devachan will soon come to fruition, and we hope to have many agriculture and allied projects taking place on the campus in the years to come.

All the projects running very well despite of the fact that temperature has fallen down to -20 Degree Celsius. In such a chilling winter, the both water and Solar Water heater systems are working very well.

We all the staff, students and staff are looking forward to strengthen friendship between MIMC and members of MIMC Malaysian Desk.

With regards
Ven Nagasena