Cover Story/Interview

Cover Story / Interview “Ek Chamach Kam, Chaar Kadam Aage: Let us focus on health and fitness this year”

GAURISH DHOND speaks to HARSHVARDHAN BHATKULY about his plans for Rotary District 3170 as District Governor, and explains the various initiatives of Rotary International

Tell us about the signature projects that you wish to undertake as Rotary District Governor 3170?

The main advantage that we have for the Rotary Clubs in India is that we have an Indian who is heading Rotary International (Rtn Shekhar Mehta). He is only the 4th Indian in Rotary’s 116-year history to lead the global organization. Mehta is a grassroot Rotarian, having been part of the Rotary movement for so many years; and he knows the ins and outs of the Indian economy and the States in our country. The priority this year is to empower women and to help the girl child.

Although Rtn Mehta is a global leader, he has a plan to make India completely literate by 2025. Rotary International has been working with the Government of India to take this mission forward, so that people directly benefit from it. Goa being a small State, we have the infrastructure and wherewithal to roll out this program, thus making us well poised as far as education is concerned. But there are bigger States like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where they need educational infrastructure to make a difference.

Rotary Clubs, across the nation, have also been a major contributor towards the PM Relief Fund to fight the covid-19 pandemic. The Clubs have collected almost Rs.150 crores by way of individual collections; and equipment and infrastructure worth another Rs.150 crores was donated by various Rotary Clubs all over India.

Rotary International has also helped with the polio eradication programme, one of our signature global campaigns, that has almost wiped out the polio virus from the face of the earth.

Moving ahead, we see diabetes as a major health concern in India; and we have started a campaign called “Ek Chamach Kam, Chaar Kadam Aage” which is India specific. It translates to one spoon less of salt, one spoon less of sugar, one spoon less of oil and a walk of four kilometres every day. We have just started this initiative and it will go on for the full year.

How do you plan to use the Rotary theme for this year to make a difference?

‘Serve to Change Lives’ is the Rotary theme for this year and as District Governor of Rotary District 3170, I would rather focus on saving lives. This means I would like to see improvement in the healthcare system, preferably in Government hospitals. I have already discussed with the Presidents of Rotary Clubs in our District that we would like to have many global grants projects. Wherever facilities are inadequate or do not exist, we can provide these hospitals and healthcare centres with equipment. I would also like to have more ambulances which are fully equipped for all emergencies, one of which is in the pipeline at Kumta (Karnataka). These ambulances are fully

equipped with material worth Rs.40 lakhs, for all kinds of emergency situations. Kumta to Karwar is a 40-kilometre stretch which does not have any facilities for medical emergencies and this project of an ambulance has already been approved. The second project approved is for Goa Medical College, to enhance the infrastructure at the ICU. Almost $80,000 worth of project has been approved by The Rotary Foundation and all this is done by our Clubs in Goa – by the end of July everything will materialize on this front.

My focus would also be on two-wheeler ambulances which are usually the first respondents to an accident or emergency, given that they would reach faster in any remote area. Such ambulances would have riders trained in first aid. We are trying to involve all our Club Presidents in getting such motorcycles across the Rotary District.

Another area that we plan to focus on is the environment. Water harvesting in government buildings, schools, and buildings belonging to Rotarians are some of the places where we would like to begin with this project. Planting as many fruitbearing trees as possible is another focus area. We are planning to plant at least one lakh fruit-bearing trees in our Rotary District. Much as that is our target, we plan to plant at least fifty thousand trees by the end of September 2021.

We also plan to concentrate on renewable sources of energy like solar panels. We are working with the government in this regard, and I feel that Rotary Clubs can help in providing this kind of energy to schools and public spaces. I want each Club in my District to give such kind of solar units to Government-run schools.

A project which we have already rolled out is the ‘Happy School’, where we are going to focus more on teacher’s training. We have online training for teachers with their curriculum, with the programme being done by the best available resources. I will also emphasize the need for blood banks and blood donation drives and in our continued focus on the health sector, I would like to emphasize on setting up more blood banks in our Rotary District. I have observed in Sindhudurg, Kudal (Maharashtra), that we need blood banks in these areas, and we are trying to do that on a priority basis. I have requested Rotarians all over the District to have at least three blood donation camps in a year.

Elaborate on the womenspecific schemes that you plan to roll out in Rotary District 3170.

We are planning selfdefence courses called ‘Nirbhaya’, for girl students from 8th till 12th standard. These are the children who need to protect themselves, given that this is a crucial age for a girl child. An educational scholarship for girls is another scheme that we have on our list. I would not like to see a single girl child drop out of school because of financial issues. I have requested all my Club Presidents to identify and adopt at least one school each, where the entire school will be taken care of by their Rotary Club. These schools have to become ‘Happy Schools’ where a child looks forward to go to everyday. Playgrounds and classrooms must be done up, a good library, a computer laboratory, separate toilet blocks for boys and girls, all these basics have to be provided by the Club adopting them. They need to have book banks; water supply must be taken care of, along with illumination and furniture requirements. I want our Clubs to do all this and most importantly focus on the education of the girl child and women empowerment is something that I want our Rotary Clubs to be known for.

How has your journey in Rotary been, leading up to being one of the few Goans to become a Rotary District Governor?

In the year 2000, I was invited by my good friend Dinesh Sinari to join Rotary Club of Panaji. I was inducted formally on the Charter Day of the Club in January at the hands of the then District Governor Rtn. Mahendra Mutha. Rtn. Parag Sardessai was the President of the Club. I joined Rotary after completing my term at the Round Table. At that time, I never imagined that I would someday become a District Governor; but one must be geared up and get ready to take on various responsibilities and opportunities that

Rotary International President Rtn. Shekhar Mehta flanked by Gaurish and Pratima Dhond

come your way. From the day that I joined the Club, I gave myself to the cause and motto of the Rotary movement – ‘Service Above Self’.

There is a lot of healthy competition in Rotary for the coveted District Governor’s post. We have had only six of us so far who have been District Governors from Goa and I am the seventh. But now I can see that more and more Rotarians are getting ready to take up leadership positions, which is a good sign. We are on the verge of creating history as Rotary International wants to recognise the most model dictrict amongst all the districts, and they want me to add another two new districts.

As someone who has known you personally, you are naturally wired to serve people. How has that helped you to become a better Rotarian?

I had started to dabble in social activities right up from my higher secondary days. I was the General Secretary in the Higher Secondary as well as the College level. Along with Pratima, my wife – we both were awarded the ‘Best Outgoing Students’ at Dempo College of Commerce & Economics in 1984, the year that we both graduated. Later, people began inviting me to join various organisations and that helped me do more social work and reach out to people. We started the Round Table Chapter in Panjim in 1993; and set in motion the first ambulance project. There were no ambulances in Panjim at that time and Goa Medical College had just shifted to Bambolim. People felt the need for an ambulance; and once we had one, we were able to save plenty of lives. Our service didn’t end at dropping the patient to the hospital. We used to make sure that the patient was treated well, provided with medicines, even if it meant going to the pharmacy personally, and even spend from my own pocket. I have driven the ambulance personally on many occasions.

There are plenty of incidents that I can narrate, but one has stuck in my mind. In 2007, I was constructing my house in Miramar, and I would go there to supervise and help at the site. Once when coming back to Panjim, we noticed a crowd outside Bal Bhavan with plenty of onlookers. I went to see what the commotion was about and saw a young man lying in a pool of blood. There was a concrete mixing machine truck there against which his bike had collided, throwing him off. Everyone assumed that he was dead, but thanks to my first aid training I found a pulse on him. I took the help of two onlookers and put the man in my Wagon R and rushed him to GMC, Bambolim. On the way, I called up GMC and told them that I was getting a patient who was critically injured. He was rushed in as soon as we reached the hospital and was soon put on oxygen and drips. Four doctors continuously attended the man and he had to undergo multiple surgeries in a span of a month and a half. One day, a lady and a young man came to meet me who I did not recognize. It was the same young man along with his mother who came to thank me for saving his life. Another case was in Porvorim when I was returing back from a function with my family, in the night. A man was lying unconscious on the road in a hit-and-run case with no one bothering about him. I left my wife and small children there on the road and rushed the man to GMC and managed to help save his life, too. All this has to come from within. If I see an accident on the road, I instinctively step out to take the injured to the hospital.

You have also been spearheading the International Red Cross Society, Goa. How has that helped you as a Rotarian? I have been a member of the Indian Red Cross Society for the last 30 years and I was elected as a Managing Committee member almost 20 years back. Later, I became the Vice Chairman and a few years later became the first Chairman to be elected by the Red Cross in Goa. For the last four terms, I have been the Chairman and have had the opportunity to serve on the National Board for three years. I am thankful to former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat who gave us around Rs.25 lakhs to upgrade the Red Cross head office on 18 June Road, Panaji, which was in a dilapidated condition. We need to raise around 30 lakhs a year to pay salaries and other expenses. We have a dedicated team of people who have been assisting us and we have done significant work during the pandemic. We have distributed around 3000 boxes of food and we had Rotarians as our volunteers. We distributed masks made by self help groups and we managed to get oxygen cylinders which we donated to GMC

Team Leader of Rotary Group Study Exchange Team from Rotary Int’l District 3170 to Rotary Int’l District 5650; Eastern Nebraska & Southwestern Iowa, USA (May 2012) and needy people on a returnable basis. Again, through Rotary we bought oxygen concentrators. We were fortunate to get around 102 concentrators from Germany and Singapore through Red Cross and ten ventilators. Five were given to the pediatric department at GMC. The concentrators are of 10 litres, fitted with a dual mechanism, so that two people can use it at the same time. We are trying to create a bank where anybody can take an oxygen concentrator, free of cost on a returnable basis and return it when they don’t require it anymore. Here again, we took the support of the Rotary Clubs in Goa.

What about increasing membership and attracting people to the Rotary movement?

Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta has given us a mantra. “Each one, bring one, do more and grow more.” He has given us a target where every District Governor does his best to increase membership. We have around 15 board members. I have requested my board members to bring in at least one member or any of their family members to the Rotary. When we add new members, we get new ideas, more hands on board, more revenues and more opportunities to serve the people. That’s the whole idea of increasing membership.

There is an imminent threat of the third wave of the pandemic, and a number of people including health care experts and governments, have been talking about it. What is the action plan of the Rotary to prepare for the third wave?

Rotary Clubs have always been at the forefront when it comes to serving people. Our Clubs, across the District, have been doing commendable service when the second wave of the pandemic hit us.

Members from various Clubs in Goa stepped up in aid of the covid patients to provide them food, medical assistance and other help.

When the paucity of beds at GMC made patients sleep on the floor, stretchers and even wheelchairs, I have witnessed Rotarians who have helped in putting up urgent health infrastructure at GMC, like fowler beds, at breakneck speed, so that covid patients could sleep on proper beds.

The super specialty ward in the new complex at GMC received immense support from Rotarians.

Similarly, many Clubs began adding more beds, plus a lot of oxygen concentrators which our Clubs managed to get from their resources spread across the country and even internationally. Now, with the talk of the third wave, we are working to strengthen the pediatric department at Goa Medical College. Initially GMC had a problem with the oxygen flow, but now they have installed a central line for bigger oxygen tanks which have helped them tremendously. On a personal level, I have done my best to help during the second wave. We need to do a lot more collectively, given that we have a massive group of Rotarians in our 3170 District. If each one of us can do a little bit, we can contribute immensely to the society.

active participant in many social organisations in Goa, you have a certain depth of understanding of how society can tackle certain issues. What is your message to Rotarians as well as society, as these are unprecedented and challenging times that no one had planned for?

These are tough and challenging times for India and the world. After Covid, we need to come out of these hard days. We have seen that plenty of families have just been wiped out by this virus and we all need to bounce back again. In our country and especially our District 3170, where we have so many Rotarians, I am sure many have suffered losses and we need to rise up again. We need to come up as a society and accept these challenges. If as a Rotarian, you can help somebody please do your bit. One does not need to go out of their way to help, even the smallest bit of support counts – if one can help save a life, help a child in education, donate food where there is need; or put a smile on someone’s face, I feel that you have done your bit