December 2013
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH EXCHANGE International Youth Exchange is a very important part of The Rotary International, as it is all about, The New Generation – the YOUTH. Investing in youth is undoubtedly the best investment. And probably that is the reason that this program has grown, not only in size (the number of Out bounds & Inbounds) but also in concept. Today we have variations in the program what with the New Generation, The long Term & The Short Term programs. Placements are also coming in from USA, All over Europe, UK, Australia, and Brazil. Attending the orientation meet on Thursday the 21st instant widened my knowledge extensively on the subject. When my son, Aashish had gone in 1993, it was just a simple exchange. One academic year between the
age of 15 & 18 years. Now that is termed as 'the long term exchange'. From just one candidate from our club then, today we had a total of 30 candidates. This itself speaks for the popularity of the program. Of course a lot of credit for this goes to Mamta Jaiswal & Gita Rao the chairpersons, (whose convincing powers cannot be questioned) under the dynamic leadership of Director in charge, Anmol Badjate. The panel for the orientation consisted of stalwarts in the field. Current District Chair – Rajendra Singh Khurana, Past District Chairs – Sushil Sharma, Sudhir Bhiwapurkar, Vijay Naidu and Pooja Khatri, who have been associated with this program for a number of years. Subjects discussed were, All about Rotary, All about IYE, The Do's
MEDICAL CAMP
Wow!! What a weekend we had. Service to society, long & pleasant drive, jungle safari all clubbed together. This was our visit to Uthavali, near Dharni, Melghat at Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital. This project is brainchild of Dr Ashish Sathav (physician) & his ophthalmologist wife Dr Kavita Sathav. This was my second visit to this hospital. They have started this project from a small hut with zeal & determination to serve the tribals. We started for Melghat on Saturday 16th Nov. This is also, as you might know a future ambitious project of our club. We reached Uthavali at
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& the Don'ts & of course The Financial Obligations. The parents of the prospective candidates had a lot of questions, ably answered by the panel. All in ll it was an Interesting & Informative session. - Manju Shahani
MELGHAT SURGICAL CAMP about 8 pm after having a relaxing break at Paratwada. Dr Sathav and his team accorded us a warm welcome. The scene there reminded us of Bhamragarh. Poor tribals, in bare minimum clothing, were waiting in the campus around bonfire. After working out on the O.T. List & next day strategy, we relaxed in PWD guesthouse. Next day we were in O.T at 8.30 am and operated continuously. We finished the list of 20 major & minor surgeries by 2 pm. Dr Mridula Bapat from Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital, Khapri, Dr Chandak from Amravati, were the Anesthetists. The presence of Australian doctors and nurses also made our job easy. Dr Indrajeet Mulik and Rtn Amitabh Sharma were also there to help us. The arrangements in OT were quite systematic. Removal of large tumor of almost 2 kg by Dr Hazara needs special mention. We were given warm fare well by Dr Sathav. Dr Sathav told us that when he was in
NUTRITION AND CHILD CARE Nutrition and Child Care committee celebrated Deepavali festival with tiny tots of Antar Bharti Ashram School on 30th October 2013. All guests were welcomed by applying KUMKUM and diya and arati. Beautiful rangoli was also decorated, by which children can know the importance of our Indian culture and our religious customs. The Tiny Tots sang a beautiful welcome song in their NANHENANHE words. Many articles and mud crafts prepared by children were displayed in a small exhibition. Rtn Shailaja Pingle elaborated the significance of Deepavali. Director Sanjay
ORIENTATION PROGRAM
seventh standard he was influenced by Gandhian ideology and since then he had decided to serve the tribals, as he believed that India lives in its villages. We then visited Kholkhas guesthouse, which is situated at a very scenic location. We had a jungle safari at Simmadoh. Dr Rajesh Singhvi inquired about every possible trek around the Simmadoh. Next time if any Rotarian has any plans to do trekking around Chikhaldara, Dr Singhvi can be the best guide & if you want to have drive through thick jungle where you can see tigers on the road early morning (as told by one of the forest officer), Dr Hazra is the best person to be along with you! In all it was a memorable weekend with sense of satisfaction of serving the tribals, thanks to Rotary. The driving skills & energy of Dr S Hazara were proven all through the journey & was another highlight of the trip. - Dr Rajesh Singhania
DIPAWALI CELEBRATIONS
Sethi gave blessings to all present there asked to enjoy Diwali and Diwali vacations. Mrs. Manik Lonkar friend of Shailaja Pingle sponsored plastic toys, Mithai and chocolates. School incharge Tai also spoke on the occasion. Present on the occasion were Chairperson Gogi Singh Bhasin, Rtn Ann Ritu Naha, Kirti Jain, Anita Jain, Rakhi Bhatia, Neerja Shukul, Trustee of Antar Bharti Ashram Mr Hastak and school staff. - Shailaja Pingle
President’s Message "Engage Rotary Change Lives" Theme of the RI President Ron Burton for 201314 is the essence of Rotary and couldn't have been more crisp and appropriate in underlining the philosophy. It has been observed that more we engage in Rotary with the pure intention of service and fellowship the closer we get to the divine experience of eternal bliss and happiness. At every step one finds new facet of human behavior not always in tune with your expectations but a little more insight in the reason for it being so diminishes the prejudices and fills one's heart with love and affection. The close encounter with the every section of society during medical camps, charitable projects, Interact and Rotaract programs and fellowships enriches the soul with the feeling of compassion. It radically changes the attitude towards the world around. One starts realizing the positive role one can play in the lives of those in need for spreading the happiness and also surely understands futility and dangers in nurturing the malice, grievances and prejudices, which only take one away from the real treasure of happiness and containment. By installing Probus Club for the senior citizens, effort has been made to be a source for rejuvenating their interest in life and instilling a feeling of being wanted. Not only by their loved ones but also by the society. Various programs during November were planned to achieve the maximum participation of Rotarians and hope to make the charter month of December more happening and refreshing by allowing humor to take the centre stage. Let us all engage and get entrenched in the Rotary spirit to change lives. Our team wishes all Rotarians happy winters and prosperous New Year. Yours in Rotary, -Prashant Kale
STAY CONNECTED Bouquets and brickbats most welcome. Sincerely request you to share your comments, criticism, appreciation and ideas. This will help us make this publication more insightful and interesting. Needless to say the best ones will have Dinshaw's guy knocking on your door. Do write in to parag@thinkconsultants.net
CREDITS Director: Sohrab Kanga Chairperson: PP Shabbir Shakir Editor: Parag Paranjpe Processing: Eskay's Scanner Designing: Gurushree Graphics Printing: Shabbir Shakir Paper: Courtesy BILT
FRONT PAGE Rajdeep Sardesai addressing public meet Interactors generating funds for the underprevilaged children Kids had a great time during District Interact Meet Visiting Members of Family Exchange from Mauritious during Diwali fellowship
Thinking Otherwise The fourth Pillar Last month we had a fantastic program of Rajdeep Sardesai titled Rajdeep's Prophecy. With elections in next few months, it generated lot of interest amongst our members and citizens of city alike. Post his program I happened to go through some of his tweets. Obviously he was happy to see the tremendous response and tweeted 'never though I could attract 1000+ audience to listen to me'. Surprise!! Given that viewership of his daily program must be in millions!! Often described as conscious keeper, the forth pillar of democracy has evolved over the last couple of decades. Editors and columnist whom people used to judge only through their written words are now 'visible' and are also being 'heard'. From being newsreader to commentator to analyst to celebrity, the evolution has been remarkable. These celebrity media persons have their own fan following. Come 9 pm and entire nation especially men wants to watch Arnab asking poor souls from different background that “nation is asking you a question�. I sometimes wonder, one day Mother India would herself appear in the show and tell Arnab that she never asked so many question which he claims she is asking!! The lines between print and TV media too has shrunk and many of the columnists who were there earlier only in print are now regular in TV studio. With advent of Internet, social media has emerged. This to me is truly democratic since a common man is truly empowered here. He decides what to watch, read or hear. He can contribute (facebook update, tweet, citizen journalist etc.) It sometimes though is very harsh and unforgiving. Trolling them, forcing people to apologies in some cases, and at worst ensuring that 'offender' is out from social media facebook or twitter altogether. The justice is instant. No Vakil, no appeal, no daleel. And as Rajdeep would agree, could be a game changer in coming elections!! Parag Paranjpe.
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TRAINING FOR OUTBOUND IYE STUDENTS PP Rtn Dr Suresh Chari from Rotary Club of Nagpur Orange City conducted special training programme for IYE outbound Students. He is an experienced trainer in Grooming, personality development & leadership skills. Students were enlightened on topics like Interview skills, manners & etiquettes, team & confidence building, There will be a best letter prize every month. motivation, extensive training on public So keep writing. speaking, general knowledge & awareness etc. Also mail your photograph along with your letter. They were also guided about the history & operations of Rotary Worldwide. Overall it was a great learning experience for the children. This program certainly helped students in realizing immense potential & provided a great platform to express .- Mamta Jaiswal
VIVEKANAND MEDICAL MISSION
The 4th Multi-specialty Diagnostic Camp was jointly organised by The Rotary Club of Nagpur and Swami Vivekanand Medical Mission (SVMM) Hospital, Khapri on 24.11.13 at Deoligujar, near Butibori. We started for the campsite after a very delicious breakfast at the residence of Dr Rajesh Singhania. The club trio of Manish Bhati, Parag Paranjpe and Dinesh Naidu were first to reach the Campsite to start the proceedings. A school in Deoligujar was converted to a makeshift "hospital “! Deoligujar is a small hamlet of about 700 people, with few more small villages nearby. There is no qualified doctor in this area. Besides people from SVMM Hospital, our own Rtn Madan Pandey and Rtn Yatin Mal looked after the registration desk. The patients were directed to respective doctors by host of
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Rotary volunteers consisting of Directors Rtn Sanjay Sethi , Rtn. Dr. Prashant Choudhary, Rtn. Jatin Sampat, Rtn. Manjot Singh Kahai and Rtn. Gogi Singh Bhasin. President and First Lady were seen taking special interest in the well being of patients. Secretary Sunil was busy in coordinating with different agencies for smooth running of camp. President elect Rtn Bharat Goenka was engrossed in intense discussion about future of these camps with the hierarchy of SVMM Hospital. A battery of doctors were in action including Dr (Mrs) B Taori (Obst & Gynaec.), Dr (Mrs) A Jaiswal (Pediatrics), Dr Shivani Bidaye and Dr Prashant Chaudhary (Ophthalmologist), Dr R Haque (Dermatologist), Dr Pooja Poddar (Dentist) and Dr Rajesh Singhvi (Surgeon) . Non Rotarian doctors who gave there services
were Dr Alankar Ramteke (Orthopedics) and Dr S Reddy (ENT). About 125 patients belonging to a very low socioeconomic group attended the camp for various illnesses. They were seen and proper advice was given. Basic medicines were distributed. For secondary treatment they were asked to go to SVMMH, Khapri. Bikers of Rotary Adventure Group (RAG) visited the campsite to encourage the team! Parheez Gimi, Naushad Bhagwagar, Aeyjaz Akolawala, Raj Shah, Sudhir Bhiwapurkar, Litesh Thakkar on their bikes were a RAGE on those rural roads. Tasty food was served at about 1 PM and we dispersed at about 2 PM, as very satisfied souls. After all 'The Team' had made 125 odd people in this non-descript village a little more happy! - Dr Rajesh Singhvi
7th NOVEMBER
The 4th Business Meeting of this Rotary year was held on Thursday 7th November 2013 at Udyog Bhavan at 6pm. Many members attended the meeting. President Prashant Kale welcomed all the members and greeted all the members & spouses who celebrated
their Birthdays & Anniversaries during that week. Hon. Secretary Rtn. Sunil Bhatia read the minutes of previous Business meeting and the house approved the same. Forth coming project Announcement were made by PP Vijay Naidu, Akash Agrawal, Girish Deodhar & Dr.Prashant Chaudhari. President requested the house for accepting the changes in proposed amendments, but it was still kept pending for short of required attendance. President informed that this year our Annual Hemalkasa Surgical camp stands cancelled due to construction activity going on in the Prakalp. President invited applications for the Board 2014-15. Golden Orange quiz winner
INVESTMENTS BY VINITA BAHRI The Ladies Committee meet o n 'INVESTMENTS ' by Rtn Ann Vinita Bahri was very informative. This meeting was just after the Diwali festivities so the Anns present were wanting to know more about saving and
investments after splurging their money during the festive season. Vinita is not only pretty; she is a gal whom we can easily term as Beauty with Brains'. She patiently answered all the queries of the ladies present and also advised them how to save and invest their monies-even Kitty Money. So guys don't question your wives, as now they have learnt how to invest wisely. In future you can trust them on money matters. Shalini Naidu welcomed speaker and Namita Sharma
21st NOVEMBER
The weekly meeting saw a record turnout with more than 130 members present for the meeting. President greeted members on their birthdays and anniversary. Guest Mr Nikhil Mundle gave information on 'Ekal Vidyalaya',
a unique school in far-flung villages across India. We at Club are associated with them for a long time. Dr Sameer Jahagirdar informed about the first cadaver skin transplant of the city performed by him. This is an important step towards the skin bank that our club wishes to establish in the city. Few important decisions that were pending due to lack of quorum were passed. The decision to challenge the DGNC result by PP Chandru Shahani was whole-heartedly approved by the house along with certain changes in the byelaws. Director Sanjay Sethi, Rakhi Bhatia
BUSINESS MEETING
for October was Rtn. Nakul Malani. PP Ganesh Joshi & PP Shabbir Shakir released golden Orange for the month of November. Meeting was adjourned after singing of National Anthem. - Sunil Bhatia
LADIES COMMITTEE
proposed the vote of thanks. Namita Sharma was also the lucky lady for the monthly draw sponsored by Bharti Gidwani. - Shalini Naidu
REGULAR MEETING
and Girish Deodhar did projects announcement for upcoming week. Meeting was adjourned after the national anthem. - Team GO
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REGULAR MEETING Why some people react differently to same situation? Why some people are extrovert and some introverts? Can modern science explain the intriguing aspect of human mind? All this and other such features of mind were discussed in Thursday meeting of 28th November. The speaker was member of our club Rtn Dr Sameer Paltewar. The meeting began with regular announcements about the upcoming project. Rtn Shiraz Doongaji who is actively involved in spreading awareness about organ donation specially eye donation informed about the committee work. Family member of P K Jain, Meenu Verma and Dinesh Chabra who passed away recently donated their eyes. Dr Hazra who introduced Dr Paltewar spoke about his brilliant academic track record and exceptional surgical skills. True to its reputation, Dr Paltewar explained this complex topic in very simple words. The
INTERACT ACTIVITY On 24th October about 8-10 Interactors along with Shuba Sarma and Kishor Sir visited Navjeevan Sanstha at Godhani. Navjeevan Sanstha is a School run by the Wilkinson Trust for slum children. The Interactors were first introduced to the nursery children with whom the Interactors Sang and danced. They were amazed at the children's confidence. Next they interacted with a group of dancers from
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BRAIN CONNECT – MYSTERIES OF BRAIN AND MIND neuroscience, over past few centuries has undergone rapid changes. From the time when Aristotle thought of heart as the centre of intellect to present time when US President Barrack Obama committing US $ 300 million every year for brain research and technology, neuroscience has come a long way. Last 10 years; he said has seen more research and knowledge about brain than last 100 years. Over the last few centuries though the brain size has shrunk from being a 1500 cubic centimeter to 1350 cubic centimeter, the IQ has increased. In computer parlance, with every passing decade chips are getting smaller size while its holding large amount of information. During his talk he explained various behavioral pattern which till now were beyond comprehension. Meditation for example, we all know helps in keeping us calm, results in better decision making and
awareness. This according to him can now be explained with the help of newer technologies and advancement in neurosciences. We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. But there is reason to it. Out of 5 sensory organs, visual takes the largest part of human brain. So even though we might think that we are reading text, brain effectively treats it as small picture and recognizes it. Recongnising such a large number of 'pictures' automatically reduces the 'processing power' of brain. For the very same reason, he says it is best to avoid multi tasking. Through a wonderful presentation he depicted right and left brain and its functions. These functional aspects can be cultivated through practice. The talk generated lot of questions that were answered by Dr Sameer. Dr Vivek Harkare proposed a vote of thanks.
VISIT TO NAVJEEVAN SANSTHA the school. After watching a few dances put up by these students Interactors also joined them and were happy Interacting with these students. Mrs Anita Patel Secretary of the Trust showed the Interactors round the school. Interactors donated about 250 booklets made out of unused paper from old books. These were donated by students of Centre Point School and made by Interactors
in their spare time. 7 cartons of storybooks were also donated to their library. Interactors collected these books by having a book donation drive earlier in August and September. All students of Centre Point School Contributed to this. This was a memorable visit for Interactors who promised to come again and interact with students of Navjeevan Sanstha. - Shubha Sarma
VISIT TO SNEHANCHAL rd
On 23 Oct 14 members of Interact Club along with their Teacher in charge Shuba Sarma visited Snehanchal. Snehanchal is a hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. There were 7 patients in the wards. Some seriously ill. Some ill but could move about. The Interactors went around the wards and saw the patients. Some of them were so moved by the suffering of the patients that there were
INTERACT ACTIVITY
tears in their eyes. They were in conversation with a lady who talked and kept them laughing. The Interactors donated 50 handmade small quilt's made out of old sarees and bed sheets. These were donated by Interactors. Sr. Bhavana was pleased with these quilts which would be very useful for the patients of Snehanchal. The interactors wanted to visit again and celebrate Diwali with these patients.
DIWALI CELEBRATION AT GOVT GIRLS HOSTEL Every year Interactors look forward to celebrating Diwali with the girls at Govt Girls Hostel. On 28th Oct about 15 Interactors along with Sanjay Sir, Art Teacher and Shuba Sarma visited Govt Girls Hostel. As soon as they reached the hostel they found the girls had already assembled in the hall. The lantern, which was contributed by Interactors, was soon put up. The Interactors introduced
themselves and got to know the girls. They then distributed Diyas, Mehandi cones, Rangoli powder to the girls. Sweets were later distributed and 2 big lovely cards made by the Interactors were presented to the girls wishing them a Happy Diwali. Interactors enjoyed when the girls applied Mehandi for them. A satisfying celebration with all smiles on their faces. This was a Diwali with no crackers.
DIWALI LAMP SALE
Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Different people celebrate Diwali in their own unique way; similarly Centre Point School has its own tradition to follow. The approaching festival of Diwali invited a diya
sale by the officials of Sandnya Samwardhan Sanstha in the school premises. The diya sale was organised on 25, 26, 28 & 29 of October. The diyas were beautifully made and crafted by differently abled children. The range varied from Rs 20 to Rs. 250. It was a beautiful sight to see such colourful Diyas that attracted a lot of students who contributed in some way to help the differently abled. The response to the diya was wonderful and the organisation made a profit of Rs 5000 that will be used in the welfare of the children. A festival of Diwali is an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, but a certain mix of a good deed make it special for all. In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lays the significance of the victory of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our
VISIT TO ANTAR BHARTI ASHRAM nd
On 22 November 2013 members of Rotract club of Sadabai Raisoni went to Antar Bharti Ashram to help the under privilaged children. It is said that the best help you can give to a child is not monetary help, but a chance to study. This was well demonstrated by Sadabai girls. The children were given the gift of knowledge. Even though the children had their regular
classes in the Ashram, the members of this club lend thier helping hand by mentoring the students. Teaching them in a more interactive and fun loving ways. They made use of fun learning activites and displayed pictures which helps to learn things easily and quickly. They had an interactive and questioning where children were given chocolates for every right answer. They interacted with the
homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope. From darkness into light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. With those beliefs in heart, Students of Centre Point School keep the spirit of Diwali alive every year. - Suranjana Roy
ROTARACT ACTIVITY children of the age group of 2 to 3 years by playing with them. The club was not in action due to the preponed examinations but they started thier activites by visiting Antar Bharti. They promised to visit Ashram every week and teach the students. The members experienced the joy of sharing and giving by this simple gesture. - Ateeba Zoya
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DISTRICT INTERACT MEET
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The morning of 30th October was welcomed with chirpy radiant faces of 172 interactors all awaiting eagerly outside St. URSULA SCHOOL to board the buses that would take them to JAIN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL for three days of fun learning. With great eagerness the children reached the premises of the school. Here they were allotted their respective rooms and their house colorsCrusaders (Red), Warriors (Green), Knights (Blue) and Sun risers (Yellow) and were fed with a hearty breakfast. Then came the formal introduction with the opening address by Rt. Ann. Sonal Singhvi, a short note by President Prashant Kale and very strict but hilarious instructions by the chairperson Rtn. Tushar Singhvi. The first session of the day was the ice breaking session by PP Rtn. Dhiren Dutta .An enterprising person and an active member of Rotary, he belongs to RID-3040 and stationed at Bhopal. He paired up the children and made them play the trust fall game. He made children realize the importance of believing others and sometimes letting oneself go. After lunch the children were actively occupied with the collage activity. The topic given was 'Motivate Your Thought Process'. And the outcome was like WOW! Children are the creators of most unexpected things from the least resources. Every collage was a lesson in its own. Indeed it appalled all us Rotarians and Rtn. Dhiren Dutta. And then came the activities that set the ball rolling. Sports, sports and more sports. Clothes were quickly changed, sports gears were out and suddenly each and every Interactor seemed to be filled with liveliness. The field and grounds were roaring with cheering sounds from the spectators. From one end came the sound of “Kabbadi Kabbadi� and from the other came the yells and shouts of participants in football and volleyball. Reactions were abounding, from laughter to banter from anger to bonding; the atmosphere was electrifying. Comes the evening tea with snacks followed by the session 'Team Spirit And Coordination. Its importance in the real world'. Night came but much was left to be done. After a sumptuous meal the children prepared for a tableau. The topic was a scene from any mythology. Again the children showed their talents and their attachment to the Indian roots. They depicted various scenes from 'Mahabharata Draupadi Cheerharan' to 'Ramayana's Sita Swayamvar' to 'Krishna and
30th OCTOBER TO 1st NOVEMBER
Radha reveling in the Brindavan and left the viewers awestruck. Rtn. Manju Shahni was the judge for the event. And then came the much awaited session..DANCE. It started with Garba and soon it turned into a DJ party. You should see the feet of these young ones move. Even the slightest hesitation among them seemed to dissolve with their movements to the dulcet music. So much was their zeal and enthusiasm that we literally had to push them to their respective beds. The morning was one that started with a bang! Yes a loud musical body shaking bang! The Zumba teacher Pavan Sir, a certified reebok trainer, made sure that all the sleepy heads were wide awake and it was thrilling to see 172 interactors moving to the music beats. With a heady start and warm breakfast, the participants were ready for the day. The first session was extempore conducted by our very own gifted Rt. Ann Madhavi Naidu. Topics like 'should parents check our sms'or 'what five things you would carry to a lonely island,' or 'do parents realize how difficult it is to be a child these days' kept the children glued to their seats. Ideas poured out and linguistic skills were given a free flow. The judges for the event were PP Rtn Vijay Naidu and Rtn Ann Durriya Akolawala. Then came two very significant sessions; the management game conducted by Ranjit Dani and the First aid tips by Dr. Jitesh and Dr. Saurabh Barde. Very devotedly the children absorbed all the knowledge that they were receiving. After lunch, the children had a brainstorming quiz session conducted by Rt. Ann. Durriya Akolawala. Questions were asked from various topics ranging from history to geography and science to general knowledge. The audio video rounds had the children totally captivated. Chocolates were distributed to all the brainy ones in the audience, which helped to get more participation. Afternoon was all outdoor games and competitions. Finals for football, volleyball and Kabbadi were played and winners were decided. The human pyramids by the children were a once in a lifetime view. But the tug of war where each and every student put in their entire strength to pull the rope and make their house win was the pinnacle of fun. Once sports were done the mentors took over and started the preparation for the cultural programme. The icing on the cake was the cultural night. Sonal Singhvi
added color to it with her witty compeering and timely anecdotes. It started with a sensuous belle dance by two young girls and then there was no looking back. The dance of each house was mesmerizing, from leg shaking 'lungi dance' to breath taking 'Disco Diwane'. The plays were replete with timely humor and drama and had a social message for all. And the group songs were music to the ears. The quality and standard of the performances were reflected in the loud applause by the awe struck audience. Indeed, these young children are a bag full of surprises. Who could have even guessed that within two hours they could come up with such amazing and breath taking performances? Hats off to all the mentors who made this happen. Also thanks to the eminent panel of judges comprising of Pres. Elect Bharat Goenka and Rtn Manjot Singh Kahai and Kapil Bahari. The momentum built up by the cultural night continued thereafter. Came in the DJ with his enthralling music and the children were lost in their own sweet dancing world. The Rotarians, the Rotaractors and students all mingled together to enjoy the night moving to the beat of the music. Next morning began with Zumba again. It was followed by the award ceremony with the knights emerging as winners. Suranjana Roy was awarded the Miss district interact meet and Vinamra Goyal won the Mr district interact meet. Chairperson Rtn. Aeyjaz Akolawala gave a vote of thanks and the children were settled into the buses again and were safely sent back to St. Ursula school grounds where their parents expected them. Sometimes it is very difficult to measure the success of any program. For the district interact meet the hugs and handshakes and the shedding of tears by few interactors who didn't want to go back said it all. Kudos to the Director Rtn. Jatin Sampat and the chairpersons; Aeyjaz Akolawala, Tushar Singhvi and Mamta Kanga who spent days and nights preparing for this meet. And most importantly a 'big thank you' to the benevolent principal of Jain International school Ms. Anmol Badjatia who gave her 100% contribution in this meet. Thanks Rtn. Namita and Rtn Sushma for your help. A big thank you to all the Rotarians and Rotaractors of Rotaract Club of Hislop College who took out time and came to help. It was indeed heartwarming. - Durriya Akolawala
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CENTER POINT SCHOOL, WARDHMAN NAGAR
BLOOD DONATION
The feeling of saving someone's life is known to be the most breathtaking feeling in the world. We can save lives by practising by many trouble-free methods and, blood donation is one of them. To a great extent, donating blood is regarded as a gift of life since giving blood to other people, often save their lives. Every healthy individual must donate his/her blood as it helps in saving someone's life and also, is
beneficial for their own health. The interacters of Centre Point School, Wardhaman Nagar, tried to do their bit towards the society as they took a small step to serve the humanity. They organized a blood donation camp in the school premises on 20th of November, which started at 8 am. The blood donation camp was organized through Jeevan Jyoti Blood Bank, which was very sincere in its work. The interacters welcomed the doctors of the blood bank and assisted them to establish their equipments and chairs, apparently, with the feeling of being honoured. They encouraged many adults to donate their valuable blood for the needy, and to hand out the humankind. The response received by the Blood Bank was remarkable as 61 adults came up to donate their blood. The people were weighed and their sample of blood was tested.
PROBUS CLUB Tomorrow's Vision for Active Retirees. It gives me immense pride to inform all of you through this report that our club has a satellite club to its credit, first in entire district 3030. The idea of launching this kind of a club was when in a small get together that the senior citizen committee organized on the 4th of August for our parents, we got kind gestures from our own parents that it is not just lunches and dinners that they would be interested in, rather they would like to work for any social cause. They were keen to work for the society now after their liabilities are all over. They believe: ”RETIRE FROM WORK NOT FROM LIFE” Thus started the PROBUS CLUB first of its kind in India. It derives from two words –PROfessional and
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BUSiness. The first Probus meeting was held on 30th of November, last Saturday of the month at Udyog Bhawan from 4:30 pm -6:00 pm with a registration of 30 members. My active chairperson: Rtn Neeru Bhatia worked day in and out calling people and explaining the concept and thus having registrations done. 4.30-5.00 pm they had fellowship followed by meeting. Out of the 30 registered members 25 members were present. President Prashant Kale conducted the meeting. PP Dr Goverdhan was the guest of honour. PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee guided the members through the whole idea of PROBUS that was followed by a power point presentation. Director Rakhi Bhatia explained probable
After it, every person who proved to be healthy was allowed to donate blood. 300ml of blood was taken up from every adult and the people were, in turn, rewarded with snacks and drinks. The blood will be used for the treatment of innocent children suffering from Thallassemia. The camp went up till 4 in the afternoon and the flow of the citizens did not stop. The Interacters finally helped the doctors to end their work. They really experienced the thrilling feeling of helping the charity after the camp. Thus the Interacters took a little step for the gain of the society and experienced the feeling of being honoured after their good work. Each and every citizen of the world must show righteous deeds for the benefit of the society and donate his/her blood regularly. -Suranjana Roy, Interact Club Center Point School.
SENIOR CITIZEN COMMITTEE activities to the new members as to what kind of activities they shall be having in the club throughout the year. This was followed by the introduction of members amongst themselves .The parents took immense pleasure in announcing the professions they've held in their young times and gave a descriptive note .The Probus board was selected by our PP Gulab Mahant and PP Rajan Bhatia .The Probus Treasurer, The Probus secretary, The Probus President Shall be finalized in the consequent meeting. Rtn Ann Padma Mahant gave the Vote of thanks with the announcement of next meeting on 28th December at Udyog Bhawan, which shall be a New Year gathering. - Rakhi Bhatia
RAJDEEP'S PROPHECY The hall at Sai Sabhagruh at Shankar Nagar was full to capacity. Nagpurians – from collegians to seniors – had all started streaming in from 4.30 pm onwards. The event was the address of media icon Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN fame, organized by Rotary Club of Nagpur. The Topic – “ELECTIONS 2014 – RAJDEEP'S PROPHECY.” A full house welcomed Rajdeep Sardesai with a thundering applause as he entered. Then the hall fell silent as everyone waited patiently to hear the television personality; addressing them directly from the stage and not through the television screen. Speaking extensively in Hindi, with a smattering of English, Rajdeep started his talk by saying that what he would talk about was NOT the Rajdeep Prophecy. Politics being an ever-changing canvas, it was difficult to prophesy anything. However, he took the audience through the rigmarole of Indian
politics. Taking us back to 1984, when the Government got a majority he said, since then India has not had a decisive verdict. What has changed since then, he questioned. Answering the question himself, he said that today, India is like a broken mirror. Indian elections are 28 elections. Since 1980, when regional leaders came up, we have had no mass base leaders. The big 'netas' and big parties of earlier times have become hollow from within. Talking about the media, Rajdeep said that the media today is like a wild animal. You cannot control it. It is the biggest revolution of our times. It is a new instrument of power. The younger generation today is impatient. They are not interested in listening to who did what in the past. Citing examples of Rahul Gandhi's speeches, Rajdeep said that the youth wants to know, 'what will you do for ME?” Adding a funny twist to his talk, Rajdeep questioned the audience who the two election
PUBLIC MEETING agents of Modi are. Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi was the answer that had the audience in splits. Before concluding his address, Rajdeep surmised that our country is facing a leadership deficit. While Modi is the forerunner, there is a question mark on his success. To lead he will have to win over UP and Bihar. In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party is a popular candidate for the Chief Minister's post. After the speech the audience flooded Rajdeep with questions, which he patiently answered in Marathi, Hindi and English. Earlier, President Prashant Kale welcomed the Speaker and PDG Dr. Satish Sule introduced him. Girish Deodhar, Director, Programmes welcomed him with a bouquet. Akash Agarwal, Chairperson, conducted the proceedings. Khushnoor Chugh, Advisor, proposed a vote of thanks. The evening concluded with the National Anthem. -Khushnoor Chugh
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INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EXCHANGE Return from Ile Maurice! When we, the RCN Delegation, visited the beautiful island nation Mauritius earlier this year in April at the invitation of Rotary Club of Curepipe, I had written a story likening the entire trip from concept to fruition, which was akin to a wonderful saga a la Rajashree Productions! Once again, I have the privilege to report on the return trip, which comprised members from Mauritius for their return trip, at the invitation of RCN, hence, the title of this report. There were some changes in the cast, in this, the sequel (as in any sequel!) Cast (India) – Vilas & Neeta Kale, Alok & Anula Goenka, Shabbir & Jumana Shakir, Nimish & Sharmila Sutaria, Naushad & Tauby Bhagwagar, Rajeev & Abha Chaudhary, Behram & Archana Patel, and Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee. Also playing a strong supporting role were Atul and Shefali Shah, Sunil Bhatia and Prashant Kale with additional inputs from Anmol Badjatia, Manjot Kahai. Cast (Mauritius) – Jeet & Sadhna Manbauhal, Shyam and Nista Mohadeb, Dev & Lata Hassamal, Esmail & Yasmin Patel, and Reshad and Leyla Netoo. As in all sequels, some characters continued with new additions, but some sadly could not continue! After hectic and (often) heated discussions initiated and spearheaded by Vilas Kale spread across several sessions, the production schedule was eventually finalized. Day 1 (12th November 2013) Arrival was at Nagpur airport was late afternoon on 16th November followed by dinner at Gondwana Club, where Sharmila and Nimish made arrangements. The visiting delegation was received by RCN hosts as also IPP Atul and President Prashant Kale, Secretary Sunil Bhatia. The exception was Lata and Dev Hassamal who had actually arrived a few days earlier and had even completed a jungle expedition before the arrival of the rest, courtesy Naushad and Tauby! Day 2 (13th November 2013) Breakfast at respective hosts was followed up with fabric shopping and a visit to Jumana's boutique (for ladies) and Raymond's (for men). Lunch had been arranged at the historic Chitnavis Wada courtesy Neeta and Vilas Kale. Traditional Maharashtrian sit down lunch was followed by a paan making session chaired by Vilas and Tauby. After a brief rest, all gathered for a visit to Kasturchand Park,
RETURN FROM ILE MAURICE!
where the National Cultural Festival hosted by SECZCC featuring the widest array of culture, arts, crafts and foods possible perhaps in one location – a veritable feast even for an Indian. The guests were awestruck. All credit to Rajiv Chaudhary for ensuring VIP treatment courtesy IPS Ravinder Singhal. Direct transfer to Wakeshwar on Wardha Road, where Atul and Shefali in coordination with Vilas and Neeta Kale had arranged for a Maharashtrian Cultural show which included traditional gondhal and lavani danceas. Dinner was again Maharashtrian food with a difference courtesy Vakils Catering. th Day 3 (14 November 2013) Early start to the day followed by all guests getting dropped off at Vilas and Neeta Kale's residence from where Alok and Rajiv took them for a day trip to Paonar, Wardha and Sewagram. Lunch was arranged at Bajaj Bhawan courtesy Alok and Anula. On return, they had just enough time to take a short break before rushing to the Club meeting at Udyog Bhawan. The agenda for the Regular meeting of the Club included introductions of the visiting delegation and a brief talk and presentation on Rotary Club of Curepipe activities by Jeet. Each couple was presented gifts by President Prashant Kale. The visiting delegation assured our club of continuing the IFE programme for years to come. Our Club and the head of the visiting Delegation shared ideas of becoming sister clubs and pushing for matching grant projects. Post Udyog Bhawan, the visitors and hosts as also several Rotarians assembled at Tauby and Naushad's home for a musical evening. While the spirits rose on one side, those present were treated to some fine music and songs courtesy Pankaj Singh (Keyboardist) and group. One by one, locals from RCN as well as the visiting delegation (who are major Hindi film and song aficionados) got together to sing popular songs. It was a great evening full of fun and dance, which included informal lessons in Sega dance.
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Day 4 (15th November 2013) Official business day finally! The delegation was escorted to MSS where RCN has dedicated its matching grant project comprising of the NICU. Dr Manmohan Daga gave a tour and history of the project, followed by some statistics by the MSS doctors on how hundreds of children had benefited from the NICU already since its dedication. After this visit, the entire delegation was taken to visit Lata Mangeshkar Research Foundation where Rtn Ann Dr Archana Patel introduced them to the entire team engaged in research on lead poisoning, especially amongst infants, which leads to various ailments in later age. She proposed that Rotary and all Rotarians should engage in propagating controls and virtual elimination of lead from paints as there was none or almost no current regulatory mechanism in India and many parts of the world, much as Rotary has worked for prevention and eradication of the polio scourge. Lunch was at individual homes that day. In the evening, many visited the Cultural event once again at KP Grounds to indulge in some shopping. Back home, it was time for the Club's much anticipated Diwali Fellowship - A journey through 100 years of Indian Cinema presented tongue-in-cheek using dialogue, dance and skits by our own members and spouses. Day 5 (16th November 2013) Departure from Nagpur was early in the morning. All the members of the delegation were seen off by the respective hosts. Clearly the visitors and the hosts had been overwhelmed yet again and repeated the deep connect with each other must be continued…. A job well done by the host Club, in a manner befitting and appropriate hopefully, considering the red carpet rolled out for the RCN at Mauritius. Watch out for date and details for 'Return to Mauritius'…. the third in the series. -Nimish Sutaria
CAFE LOUNGE RESTAURANT
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport Nagpur.
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" Vilas Kale speaking on 100 years of Indian Cinema"
The Silent Era
Aayega aayega aanewala...
Hawa mein udta jaaye laal dupatta mal mal ka
Patli kamar hai tirchi nazar hai
Dayya re dayya chadgayo paapi bichua
Sainyya dil mein aana re
Pyar kiya to darna kya... anarkali disco chali
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Zara nazron se kehdo ji nishana chuk na jaaye
Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche
Jhootha hai tera vaada
Mera piya gaya rangoon...
Dekha ek khwab to yeh silsile hue
Hawan karenge
Jawani jaaneman
Mein to raste se jaa raha tha
Woh ladki hai kahan
Jab hum jawaan honge
Nimbuda nimbuda nimbuda
Tumse milke dil ka jo haal kya karen
Comperes Prateek Salve and Arti Anand with the many “avtars� of Sandeep Dhodapkar
A Musical Journey. 100 Years of Indian Cinema
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All the Rajni fans ... dont miss the chance
Rajesh Yadav the script writer with Hon. secy Sunil Bhatia
The fantastic audience
President Prashant Kale with some of our prize winners in the best dressed category
More than 60 enthusiastic participants If our Rotary Club ever gave up its main purpose of community services, we have a second line of activity ready... Our cultural productions are getting better and better and reaching professional levels... this was amply proved at a beautiful function on Friday,15th of November at Palacio Hall, Hotel Centre Point, where a huge team of our club... Madhavi Naidu, Rajesh Yadav, Anita Chitaley, Poonam Sethi, Manju Bhatia, Sohrab Kanga, Dinesh Naidu, Aeyjaz Akolawala, Reema Sial, Monica Bhagwagar, and Behram Patel got together to put up a show for us and the visiting Mauritian guests.. as this year coincides with 100 years of Indian Cinema, the theme
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was “BOLLYWOOD THROUGH THE AGES”. The show kicked off with an audio/ visual presentation by Vilas Kale, which lead us through many years of Indian Cinema with interesting anecdotes. The main show was a visual treat with dancers depicting songs right from the time of silent movies, with all the grace of black and white, to the current time of the jhatak matak and masala. More than 60 participants from our club shook a leg, the usual suspects ie – Shilpa Agarwal, Sunita Salve, Vinita Pasari, Shriya mokadum, Raj Shah, Akash Agarwal, Mahendra Kamat were ofcourse as good as
always, but also refreshing were the many new faces like Gogi Bhasin, Litesh Thakker, Dipti Pandhi, Shantala Bole, Sonal Singhvi and many veterans among them... the Kale's, Shahani's and Chitaley's, all looked beautiful, dressed in fantastic costumes, danced to roar's of approval from the very enthusiastic crowd. The show was made funny by anchors – Prateek Salve, Aarti Anand and Sandeep Dhodapkar. Madhavi, who put the show together, is the new Deepa Mehta of the club. With this show, she has put the club on “FIRE”. Now can WATER be far behind ???? - Rukshad Bhagwagar
THE FASCINATING JOURNEY OF FIGHT AGAINST POLIO IN INDIA Our foundation began working in India a decade ago, at a time when many feared that the country would become a flash point for HIV/AIDS. Since then, we have expanded into other areas, including vaccines, family planning and agricultural development. In all of this work, Melinda and I have seen many examples of India's poor making dramatic contributions. But nowhere has this power been demonstrated more clearly than in the fight to end polio. Indeed, India's accomplishment in eradicating polio is the most impressive global health success I've ever seen. I first began traveling to India in the 1980s, drawn by a fascination with this ancient country that cherishes its history and harbors great ambitions for the future. My interest was professional as well as personal. Microsoft was expanding, our need for talent was growing, and I was attracted to the vitality and ingenuity of the Indian people. A few years later, several colleagues and I were flying into Bangalore. As we made our final approach, I looked out the window and saw an area of densely packed, tiny, dilapidated homes stretching out for miles. At that moment, one of my Indian companions declared proudly, "We have no slums in Bangalore." Whether out of denial or innocence, my colleague didn't see the "other" India. I don't mean to single him out. It can be easy to turn our eyes away from the poor. But if we do, we miss seeing a society's full potential. When Melinda and I started our foundation's work in India, we began to meet people from the areas we'd been flying over. They had little education and poor health, and lived in slums or poor rural areas—the kind of people many experts had told us were holding India back. But our experience suggests the opposite: What some call a weakness can be a source of great strength. In 1988, when there were approximately 350,000 new polio cases a year and the disease was crippling children in 125 countries, the World Health Assembly set the goal of eliminating polio world-wide. Progress came quickly. By 1994, the Americas were polio-free. Soon we saw the last case in China, the last case in the Pacific, the last case in Europe. By the year 2000, the number of polio cases had dropped by 99%. But the task of ending polio was not 99% done. The remaining cases were concentrated in fewer countries, and India was one of the last nations left. This was no surprise. India's urban centers are among the world's most
densely populated. Its rural communities are dispersed across a vast and often inaccessible terrain. The country suffers from poor sanitation. Its 1.2 billion citizens are highly mobile and give birth to 27 million new Indians every year. Experts predicted that polio would be eliminated in every other country before it was eliminated in India. But India surprised them all: The country has now been polio-free for more than two years. India's success offers a script for winning some of the world's most difficult battles in every area of human welfare. The key has been the participation of the humblest, most vulnerable members of the Indian population. To be successful, any campaign this big has to include a clear goal, a comprehensive plan and precise measurements of progress. But the anti polio campaign in India took a crucial extra step: It enlisted the support of the full sweep of Indian society, including health workers, ordinary citizens and some of the poorest people in the most impoverished regions of the country. The heart of the plan was a simple and inspiring mission: to find the children. To defeat polio, it is essential to achieve up to 95% vaccination coverage in afflicted areas. There is no way to measure whether you're meeting that mark unless you know how many children there are, where they are and whether they've been vaccinated. India responded to this challenge with an army of more than 2 million vaccinators, who canvassed every village, hamlet and slum. Vaccinators took the best maps they had and made them better. They walked miles every day and worked late into the night. They found children in the poorest areas of Uttar Pradesh and in the remote Kosi River area of Bihar—an area with no electricity that is often flooded and unreachable by roads. They found the sons and daughters of migrant workers in bus stations and train stations, accompanying their families on their way to find work. When Melinda and I visited India in March 2011, two months after the last case of polio was identified, we traveled to a brick kiln whose workers labored long hours at low wages and lived in mud huts. We met a young mother and asked if her children had been vaccinated. She ducked into her hut, retrieved a bag that held all her possessions, and rummaged
FROM RI
around the bottom of it until she proudly produced an immunization card listing the names of all her children and showing that each had received the polio vaccine—not just once, but several times. We were amazed. Wherever India's vaccinators have gone, they've had help from local residents. In one Kolkata slum, a group of schoolchildren who call themselves the Daredevils have been relentless in this effort. Their community had never had house numbers, so the children assigned numbers. Using donated cellphones connected to global positioning satellites, they created a digital map, marking each house where children hadn't been vaccinated. The fight to end polio is not over, not even in India, and new polio cases in the Horn of Africa and Syria underscore the importance of eradicating polio everywhere. Still, if the world maintains its funding and commitment, we can eradicate the disease globally within six years. The accomplishments of India's vaccinators and children and politicians will not end when polio ends in their country. Now that they have found India's children, they can bring them and their families other vaccines, clean water, education, advice on maternal and child health, and support for agriculture—all the things that people need to live healthy and productive lives. Years ago, on that day we were landing in Bangalore, I didn't know nearly as much about India as I do now. I saw India's obvious talent and energy, but, like my colleague, I missed its hidden strength—the rich, the powerful and the poor working together toward a common goal. —Mr. Gates is the co-founder and chairman of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This essay is adapted from his contribution to "Reimagining India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia's Next Superpower," edited by McKinsey & Company.
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THE ROTARY FOUNDATION INVESTMENT OVERVIEW
TRF NEWS It is interesting to know about The Rotary Foundation's (TRF) investment programs, including the investment policy statements, investment manager and performance information, and historical information about asset allocations and spending policies. The Rotary Foundation has three primary investment portfolios: (1) The Annual Programs Fund (APF) is comprised of both long- and short-term portfolios. The long-term portfolio consists of accumulated contributions and investment earnings. For investment purposes, there are separate funds for Programs and the Operating Reserve. The short-term portfolio consists of unrestricted and restricted cash and provides the necessary liquidity to fund programs and operating expenses. The purpose of the Operating Reserve Fund is to provide adequate funds to support the Foundation's operating expenses in the event that current year investment earnings are inadequate. This fund was established on 30 June 2010. The target level for this reserve is
three years of fund development and general and administrative expenses (approximately $70 million) and will be funded over the next several years. (2) The Permanent Fund (PF) is the Foundation's endowment. (3) The PolioPlus Fund is a low-risk fixed income portfolio whose objective is to preserve principal and to generate a level of income consistent with the preservation of principal and prudent assumption of risk. The APF and PF maintain diversified portfolios through investment pools. These vehicles operate in a manner similar to mutual funds where the APF and PF purchase units in accordance with their asset allocation policies. In addition, TRF maintains a life income program, consisting of charitable trusts, a gift annuity fund, and a pooled income fund, to enable donors to make gifts to the Foundation and receive income for a period of time. TRF also maintains a Donor Advised Fund that provides donors the ability to make grant recommendations to Foundation programs and other approved charities. There
are several associate foundations located around the world; Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK, to assist Rotarians in conducting their good works globally. To assist staff and the Foundation's external advisors in managing these assets, the Trustees have developed Investment Policy Statements (IPS) for the various funds. These documents outline the guidelines and responsibilities for overseeing and managing the Foundation's investments and provide direction on asset allocation, performance objectives, and control procedures. TRF retains an investment consultant, NEPC, to assist in the monitoring of investment managers and to provide quarterly investment reports. NEPC also assists Rotary in investment manager searches as it maintains an extensive database of prospective investment managers and meets with hundreds of investment managers each year. All assets are custodied at BNY Mellon, Rotary's custodian bank since October 2005.
MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BOMBAY It was a lucky day for me indeed. I was in Mumbai on work and as I was planning my Tuesday, pleasantly enough, I was asked by a dear friend Ekta Shah whether I would be interested in attending their regular meeting that afternoon!!! I jumped out of my bed, quickly checked my appointments, and to be honest, I wanted to push myself and rush towards SoBo and experience what very few privileged ones have had so far. As I rearranged my schedule, I realized how keen I was to visit the Rotary Club of Bombay, not because it is one of the most prestigious clubs this side of the world, not only because of its membership but its meeting venue!!! "Tuesday 1.30pm, The Ball Room, Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba". Add to it, it was the 5th anniversary of the deadly 26/11 attacks, so imagine what was rushing through my mind. I was thanking Ekta, who is Anula Goenka's sister-in-law, and she got back saying that their President has welcomed me to their meeting. It was my destiny that took me to the meeting. As I entered the lobby of the Taj, memories of the 26/11 filled my heart with emotion. Silently, I said a prayer in memory of the lost lives, and made my way towards the Ball Room. Walked up the famous staircase leading to the venue, which now looked resplendent in its colourful decor. One couldn't miss the statue of Mr J N Tata, the beautiful flowers and the royal feel the entire set up
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gave. I signed in as a visiting Rotarian and Ekta very kindly introduced me to the President Nirav Shah. Promptly he shot at me saying, "your club is larger than our club, and we want to catch up", which brought a smile to my face!!! They were 321 member-strong, and as I found out later, 106 out of those attended the meeting, which says it all. After a pleasant buffet lunch, the meeting was called to order sharp at 1.30pm, with the singing of the National Anthem. A one-minute silent prayer was observed as a mark of respect to those who perished during the savage 26/11 attacks. Mr Vinod Shetty, winner of the Rotary Social Service Award, was the speaker. Three new members were inducted that afternoon, and each of them offered to join a committee to serve, from their area of expertise. These new members also donated substantial sums to various projects, which I thought was unique. President in a lighter vein remarked that the "visiting Rotarian Naidu's club is larger than our club" which made me feel a few inches taller... The guest speaker Mr Vinod Shetty spoke about his organization's hard work in Dharavi slums, their rehabilitation, and about the rock band "Dharavi Rocks" which has become a big hit. A generous donation was handed over to Mr Shetty as a mark of appreciation of their efforts. President Nirav Shah conducted the meeting smoothly and in a professional manner. Members present
were the cream of Mumbai society, all achievers in their own right. The atmosphere was friendly and business-like, and the service ideals were refreshed in one's mind thereby reinforcing the commitment of the Rotarians, to work for humanitarian projects. There are many similarities between our two clubs, and it is encouraging to see the synergy among members to achieve greater goals in service. I thanked the President for welcoming me, and as I made my way out, couldn't miss the beautiful view of the Arabian Sea, the busy harbor, and top of all, the famous "Gateway of India". - Vijay Naidu
KYC AND BEYOND I am trying to put our Heritage in correct perspective in the simplest way possible. We all have seen innumerable number of photographs and have visited the heritage structures many times. This series tries to educate you and go a step beyond the glitzy images by discussing in detail each typology and it's architectural character. In the previous edition we discussed the overall perspective of Bhonsala architecture and broad classification and also learnt in detail the constituents of a Wada. Today we shall continue our learning and discuss another typology. Last week I got a call from our very own Dr. Ravi Wankhede who shared a very interesting piece of information about the Sitabuldi Fort. According to him King George gave audience to Nagpurians at the fort during his visit to the Bhonsala Empire and also conferred probably the only Knighthood outside the empire on Sir Bezon ji, after whom Bezonbagh is named. This was unique he says as this was the only time a Knighthood was conferred on a foreign land. The place was commemorated with a plaque but as is so typical of the callousness and uncaring attitude of us all it is almost lost to encroachment or forgotten somewhere in the precincts. Thank you Dr. Wankhede. I hope more of you come forward and share with our readers interesting information that you may have. This propelled me to write about FORTS of the Bhonsala Empire. Architecture of a FORT: Fort essentially is a defensive establishment against vagaries of nature, fellow human beings or animals and predators. Since man became a social animal and started living in groups and history saw the evolution of a society, defense of this group became a primary concern. Be it just a fence of uprooted trees, bamboo bushes, cacti walls, mud walls, stone accumulated over one another to form a barricade, all were the antecedents of a formal fort. Fort was a more sophisticated version of all these with advanced protective systems. As communities multiplied and the complexities of social living increased, man needed protection not only for himself but for his cattle, food, farms, houses from wild animals, nature (floods, storms etc.) and attack from other communities. As man became more intelligent he started placing these forts on a hillock or where it wasn't available geographically started making man made hills to place his fort the highest point in the landscape. This was relevant and logical in the river valley civilizations as they basically were prone to extensive flooding almost throughout the year. An excellent example is our very own Mohenjodaro or Harappa. Thus arose a very distinctive architectural feature called the FORT. Types of FORTS: The classification of the forts is based on the their location and placement in the community and is as follows: 1. Small “Gadhi� Forts: Usually a protected
house with high walls a Gadh or a Gadhi is also a mud fort found in most villages. Because of its construction technique not many have survived. 2. Land Forts: Usually built on flat piece of land and surrounded by a moat which was a deep and broad ditch filled with water and deliberately infested with crocodiles to deter intruders, these forts were mostly modest in nature until the Moghuls made them into abodes of luxury. The surrounding wall was thick enough to facilitate a passage on top of it so that it can act as a carriageway for ammunition and carts. 3. Forest Forts: Usually established in dense forests where the thick forest acted as a natural safety shield, very little trace of these structures can be found today primarily because of the materials of construction were not long lasting. 4. Hill Forts: The most visibly distinctive category amongst all, Hill forts assumed great importance in the Maratha Empire led by the erstwhile Shivaji maharaj. These were complex structures all oriented to detect movement of the enemies and foil capturing attempts. Architectural character of a FORT: 1. Location/Site: Since forts played an important role in the safety and security of the kingdom and the protection of its subjects, the location played an important role. Care was taken that the fort's access was as difficult as possible, and visibility high. This was necessary as smoke, light and other signals were passed on to other forts or vice versa. Usually they were situated on the top of a hill or the highest point of the landscape. 2. Approach: After having located the forts he approach was made equally difficult. The Maratha forts were strategically located on rocky hills besides sea or rivers making the access difficult. Where such natural difficulty was not available, man-made efforts are clearly seen in increasing the degree of difficulty to access. 3. B a s t i o n s : T h e h i g h l y i d e n t i f i a b l e architectural element in a fort is a bastion. Usually made at regular intervals these essentially were built in stone and projects from the surrounding wall-that is the rampart of the fort. Bastion was almost all the time semi-circular in shape or some time octagonal. These were used to mount guns and acted as observation towers. Bastions were essentially a very important feature in the security of the fort. 4. Ramparts: The fortification wall was called the rampart and was usually as time passed made in stone. However mud walls and mortar was also used to make the ramparts of a fort. The material used was determined by the affluence, importance and strategic
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location of the fort and its king. The entrance gateways needed to enter the fort were usually a point of weakness from where pilferage could take place and these gateways were susceptible to breach. Hence the designers took great care to protect the openings or the entrance gateways and very interesting innovations and efforts are seen in the design of these. 5. Gates: As discussed above the gates were susceptible point of weakness and care was taken to design them for absolute security. Usually in the Maratha forts two gates are found although one can find multiple gateways as well. One gate to a fort was usually avoided. Gates were made in thick timber and protected by thicker metal plates and spikes. History tells us that elephants were used to crash and make a forcible entry in to the wooden gates. To foil this the wooden doors were fitted with sharp metal spikes to repel the elephants. Usually a pointed arch was used as an opening and characterized the Maratha fort. The entrance gates essentially had a seal or a logo of the king and the kingdom to proclaim it's right on the fort and breaching of the gate and entry of the enemy inside signaled the fall of the empire and conquering of the fort. Bhonsala Forts: Essentially a poor copy of the complexities of the forts of Shivaji and subsequent Maratha rulers, the Bhonsala forts nevertheless presented interesting architectural features and characters. The success of Shivaji Maharaj against the Mughals was mainly because of the complex planning and strategic locations of his forts and fort architecture took a new dimension under his rule. Raje Raghuji Bhonsale I in Nagpur was busy establishing his kingdom and was almost always occupied with unstable political conditions and had little time to establish new forts. However he and his successors did spend considerable efforts to establish few forts and consolidate existing ones. Few of the notable Bhonsala forts are: 1. Gawilgadh, 2. Deogad, 3. Chowragadh, 4. Manikdurg, 5. Narnala, 6. Gond fort, 7. Bhandara fort, 8. Ambagad, 9. Sitabuldi, 10. Chandrapur, 11. Bhawargadh, 12. Sawaligadh, 13. Dhamani, 14. Ramtek and few forts in Chhattisgarh, Hoshangabad and Sambalpur. Of the above SItabuldi fort retains our interest as this is presently occupied by the territorial army and is inaccessible to public except for a couple of days. This fort was interesting ahs it had no bastions and ramparts but was still called a fort, though a moat was made at the base of the hillock. The fort consists of two hills with an average height of each being 30-35 meters and is flat topped. Apart from the usual entrance gate and few structures, it also has small temples and Samadhis. - Habeeb Khan
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UPCOMING EVENTS
District Conference
CONTACT : Bharat Goenka 9823089067, Manju Shahani 9423102770
SYDNEY CALLING JUNE 2014
The Rotary International 2014 Convention will be held in Sydney at Sydney Olympic Park from Sunday 1st June to Wednesday 4th June 2014, the venue of “the best Olympics ever”. All plenary sessions will be held in AllPhones Arena, which is one of Sydney's most prestigious venues, attracting the entertainment industry's biggest events and spectacular functions.
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WHAT THE STARS FORETELL (RAHU-KALAM AND SOOLAM) How many of your readers have heard of, or know about Rahu Kalam and Soolam? These are astrological periods of time based on the position of planets and stars, real and imaginary! Astrological believers in most of South India swear by Rahu Kalam and Soolam. Astrology, to my mind, is sort of hogwash. A Southie often gets excited about Rahu Kalam. I do not know much about auspicious times of the day. But I certainly don't like this fellow Rahu. In the first place his very existence is contentious. As a shadow or a ghost, he takes away one and half hours every day of my time. This period called Rahu Kalam, comes staggered every day of the week, for one and half-hours from sunrise to sundown. My wife is a firm believer in the maleficent effects of Rahu Kalam. Recently, I had to undergo cataract surgery. The time fixed was 9 a.m. I was punctual and so was the surgeon. But my wife was having an agitated talk with the doctor. The surgeon talked about the weather and about progress
of science in Botswana and such inconsequential chatter. The surgery took place after 10.05 a.m. Later I learnt that on that day Rahu Kalam was between 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. My wife had apparently wangled with the surgeon to ensure that the surgery was well beyond 10 a.m.! Rahu had stolen one hour of the surgeon's precious time. Like Rahu Kalam, there is another fellow called Soolam. He prescribes on what dates you can travel to the north and the days to the south and so on. In the early 1940s, I was convalescing in a place called Virudhunagar, in South India, where my uncle (mama) was practicing as a physician. The late K. Kamraj Nadar, Congress heavy weight of yesteryears belonged to this place and my uncle was his physician. Virudhunagar in those days, sixty years ago was a small town, dry as dust with hardly any entertainment avenue. And I was young and in my teens. 30 miles north was Madurai City with many cinema houses, parks, libraries and amusement galore. On
RI THEMES Each January, as Rotary district governorselect convene at the International Assembly for training and fellowship, they can be certain of two things: a lot of take-home reading and
BOBBY'S BUBBLES occasions when I was allowed a trip to Madurai by train or bus, I would with great enthusiasm and Êlan prepare. But my aunt (maami), dear old lady, a kind and warmhearted individual was a firm believer in Soolam. Just when I was about to leave, Maami casually and firmly would announce that there should be no travel north on that day. Wednesday – vadakkai soolam, which means on Wednesdays no travel towards north possible. That was the end of my amusement in Madurai! This happened on more than one occasion. Sadistic I thought. So you can imagine my chagrin and disgust for Rahu Kalam and Soolam! Most newspapers and glossy magazines have a column What the Stars Foretell. To my mind Stars Foretell fiddlesticks! Astrology is hogwash and planets and heavenly bodies have little time for insignificant individuals on Mother Planet Earth! - Bobby Srinivas
ROTARY INFORMATION
the announcement of a new RI theme. The tradition of crafting a theme is credited to 1949-50 RI President Percy C. Hodgson, who outlined a list of four objectives for his term in office. Among them were the better application of the principles of vocational service and dedication to world understanding and peace through international service programs. Though Hodgson's 83-word proclamation ran substantially longer than today's shorter, punchier themes, Rotarians' desire to celebrate and support their president's annual program of service has remained the same. Other early themes include Rotary Is Hope in
Action (Joaquin Serratosa Cibils, 1953-54), Kindle the Spark Within (Nitish C. Laharry, 1962-63), and Good Will Begins with You (Ernst G. Breitholtz, 1971-72). In the decades that followed, RI presidents introduced theme logos, lapel pins, ties, and scarves. Theme ties were introduced in the 1990s, and are now given out yearly. Many have incorporated the theme for the year. In 1998-99 RI President James L. Lacy designed the first scarves showing the RI theme, Follow Your Rotary Dream. -PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee
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NEW MEMBER
ROHIT & MEENAKSHI SIAL
Younger brother to Gagan Sial, partner to Naushad Bhagwagar and friends with a number of Rotarians, Rohit enjoyed Rotary, knew about all the work that was being done, knew almost all Rotarians, attended most Rotary events but never felt the need to join, until --- his children told him to! Sounds strange but that was exactly what happened, his children used to participate in all Rotary fellowships & when we (at club level) decided, not to involve non member children, 14 year old Yashvardhan & 11 year old Vanshvardhan felt left out. They missed the camaraderie they shared during the practices & convinced their parents to join in. As we all know, these days not many parents can say 'No' to their kids, & Rohit & Meenakshi also conceded. Of course, they have always loved Rotary but would have ideally waited a couple of years! Rohit, a Nagpurian by birth, needs not much of an introduction, as he belongs to the renowned Sial family, who have their ties with the famous KAPOOR KLAN! With schooling at Bishop Cotton School, Rohit was barely 16 years, when he lost his dad. With not much choice, he had to join the family business of mining. Gagan was already into it and later on they took Naushad also as a partner. Mining, Limestone & Soapstone near Katni in Madhya Pradesh, Rohit managed a Commerce degree from Hislop College. Soon, in 1997, he got married to Meenakshi, a Delhite who had a Diploma in Tourism and had worked with United Airlines & Air France in an administrative capacity. Nagpur did not have much to offer her; she did have a stint at Flying Cats as branch head but was not very satisfied. So in 1999, both Reema & she decided to start Event Management. But with growing children & boys at that & a husband who was away almost half the month, Meenakshi had to take a back seat & she has started counseling on Aviation & Hospitality & Customer Service. Staying at home, she got into retrospection & realized she was quite spiritually inclined & has joined the 'Bharat Soka Gakkai'. An International Organization, which endeavors to bring about a Human Revolution by bringing a change WITHIN. Associated with the Buddhist Movement, the Sensei, or the master lives in Japan. Chanting is their mantra & it is Chanting that brings peace to them. Meenakshi loves to walk by herself, while Rohit loves to swim or play squash. An interesting couple, I am sure they'll climb the Rotary ladder fast, once they give it their total involvement. - Manju Shahani
SUSHMA & DHANANJAY HEDAOO She wanted to be a Doctor so took up science but got Typhoid just before the PMT exams. So Medicine was out. Bachelors in Science
came instead, followed by a Masters. Not happy with either, she did both a Bachelors as well as a Masters in Librarian Science & worked as the chief librarian in the Government Engineering College at Indore. Sat for the MPPSC exam & was selected! But instead of taking a posting with the Central Government, she GOT MARRIED. And it has been Nagpur & Dhananjay for her since then. She came to Nagpur to attend a cousins' wedding, little knowing that this is where her future was going to be. She met Dhananjay at the wedding & liked him; they met again & again & realized they were made for each other. Since they
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belong to the same community, there was no resistance from either of the families & in 1997 they tied the knot. Hardik came into their life a year later. But Sushma's love for studies wouldn't leave her; she did a course in Travel & Tourism from IATA. She also had a stint with the Nagpur Pratibha Jaycees for 2 years. She competed for the Mrs. Nagpur Contest as well as Mrs. Gladrags & was awarded Mrs Photogenic in the Mrs. Khoobsoorat Contest. All credit goes to hubby dear who encouraged her to do whatever & more. Harshad followed 6 years later. Today both the boys are doing extremely well at Jain International School in the 10th & 5th Grades. Dhananjay belongs to a family, originally based in Bhandara. His father was an MP & leads a retired life with one of his 4 sons, turn by turn. They have a Petrol Pump on the Chandrapur Road. Being in the same profession, it was Gogi Bhasin who knew them & suggested they join Rotary. Dhananjay, the fitness freak, is happy singing & playing the Casio & gyming. His work also keeps him busy. But Sushma who loves to meet people & do any kind of service jumped at the suggestion & was inducted during Atul Shah's tenure. As we all know, there has been no looking back for her since. She is always willing to do anything, anytime. Be it Interact, or a Service Project or dancing during the Fellowship, she is game for it all. By the way, she is learning Bollywood Dancing and is into Power Yoga as well. That friends, is SUSHMA HEDAOO! - Manju Shahani
WOMENS WHIRL There seems to be an ongoing love affair with pasta and spaghetti these days. Noodles are passé.Or so it seems .My little 10-month old grand- daughter too loves pasta! It is common knowledge that pasta is not really a healthy food; especially the one made with white flour. Choose whole wheat pasta to maximize the nutrition that pasta provides. Experiment with delicious ways to get more of whole grains, fibre and nutrients in your diet. Here's a recipe for you to try and, as they say on television, “mummy ka magic “will work wonders.
SOYA PASTA BAKE 150 grms pasta 100 grms soya granules (soaked in hot water) 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green capsicum 1 cup chopped tomatoes 2 cups shredded cheese 2 to 3 Tblsps oil 1 tsp. ginger paste Salt to taste Chilly powder to taste 1 packet cream of mushroom soup. Heat oil and cook onion till light brown. Add chopped tomatoes and ginger.Then add salt and chilly powder. Now add the chopped capsicums along with soaked and drained soya granules . Cover and cook till the soya granules have turned nice and brown.
In another vessel cook pasta as instructed on the pack. Take a baking dish and grease it with butter or oil. First put a layer of pasta and then a layer of the soya mix. In a bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup with a cup of boiling water and spread it over the soya layer. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Try it! Make your variations !! Add more veggies. Make it with mutton or chicken mince instead of soya. Watch your family lap it all up!
VINEGAR WONDERS Cleaning with vinegar is a safe and easy way to keep your house spotlessly clean. But only if the vinegar is not adulterated ! Shine coloured porcelain sinks by scouring them with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Rinse away soapy film on countertops with a solution of white distilled vinegar and water. To clean a scummy showerhead , pour ½ cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a plastic bag and tie it around the showerhead .Keep it for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water. Shine coins by soaking them for a couple of hours or overnight in a glass or bowl of undiluted white distilled vinegar.
Never use white distilled vinegar on marble. The acid can damage the surface. Clean hardened paint brushes by simmering them in a pot with white distilled vinegar . Soak them first for an hour before bringing the vinegar to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean. Spray white distilled vinegar on door knobs and then wipe them dry. Remove the smell of a dead mouse or rodent by wiping down the area with either white vinegar or bleach. Clean wood work and walls with a mixture of ¼ cup olive oil , ½ cup vinegar and 2 cups warm water .Wipe with a soft cloth. -Khushnoor S.Chugh
10 FOREVER It starts as a desire and grows into a need, A little ambition inside you begins to gather speed. The stuff you are made of strides forth, shining bright, Separating winner from loser, each day each night. Some call it destiny, some call it luck, Some just persevere, living by their pluck. Then comes a time in each life, when the need becomes a thirst, To win, to succeed at all cost, to always emerge first. That is the time in your life, when nothing remains the same, The world looks at you in different light for excellence is the name of the game I believe that another Sachin Tendulkar will never step onto a cricket pitch again. Ever. I believe that the game of cricket will never be the same again. Ever. I believe that you can take a man out of the game, but you can never take the game out of a man. The dignity with which you handled the pressure was like your straight drive past the bowler smooth and baffling. The poise with which you handled the adulation was like your back foot cover drive pleasing and worth emulating. The audacity with which you ignored the injuries and doubts was like your paddle-sweep cheeky and surprising. The memories you leave behind are like your uppercut off the back foot impossible to replicate. I bow to thee, O God of Cricket! -Sohrab Kanga
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ON THE BOARD When I first saw Anmol at the District Interact Meet 2012, she was dancing with the students to all the popular numbers on DJ nite, and she was pointed out to me as the principal of the host school. Her apparent camaraderie with all the students was amazing. And the subsequent interactions reinforced my impression. Here is a lady who not only commands respect as the principal of the Jain International school but who can also gel with all the students at their level. Meet Director – The Rotary Foundation Anmol Badjatia educationist, academician and clearly the woman in charge of the Badjatia residence. Born in Jabalpur, Anmol moved to Chandigarh while in Kindergarten. She studied in Chandigarh till Class 12. Anmol's father was in the army and they lived in the Cantt. Area. She remembers the army days with a lot of fondness. She has two siblings, an elder sister and a younger brother, both doctors and settled in the US currently. She was very academically inclined and a topper throughout. She not only excelled academically but also developed an interest in cooking at the tender age of 9. The love for cooking still stands and inspite of being a busy working woman has a hand in every dish coming out of her kitchen. She cooks every cuisine from Indian, Chinese, Italian, Greek, you name it. Well, lucky Badjatia men I must say!!!!! Post school, she joined MANIT (Maulana Azad National Institute of Te c h n o l o g y ) f o r E l e c t r o n i c s a n d Telecommunication Engineering in Bhopal. She not only excelled at academics but also joined Rotaract, where she met her husband, Sandeep. It was love at first meeting for Sandeep, two years her senior, who did not take long to decide that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with .The campus romance, bloomed and they tied the knot in 1989 in Bhilai. It is important to note here that Anmol, after topping the University in her Engineering exams, aced the GMAT and CAT exams and turned down offers from universities in the US and all the four IIMs A, B, C, L to get into matrimony. Post marriage, they spent five years in Bhilai, where Anmol worked with Sandeep in his unit for fabrication of wear resistant liners for bulk material handling. In 1991, their son Raunaq was born. In 1994, they moved to Nagpur to set up factory in
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DIRECTOR TRF-ANMOL BADJATIA Butibori and their second son Rahul was born in 1997. Anmol continued to help in the family business and she was spotted by the management of Ira International and offered the post of a Vice Principal. She served as Vice Principal from 2003-2005. She also enrolled for a B.ED course with IGNOU, topping the Entrance Examination for the same, and joined MSB Educational Institute from 2005-2010 as Vice Principal. She, currently as Principal of Jain International school, is very active in the CBSE Board and is also serving as the City Superintendent for scrutinising the evidence of assessment under their CCE implementation with 18 schools of the region reporting to her. Anmol, is the self confessed Imelda Marcos of Rotary
manages to keep the pounds off. During the banter with Anmol and Sandeep and it is difficult not to notice how proud Sandeep is of his wife and her achievements, while Anmol is modest to a fault. Raunaq is in the final year of Mechanical Engineering at the Delhi school of Engineering and plans to go abroad while Rahul is studying in Class 10 In Centre Point School. Raunaq recently represented India in the BAJA championship held at Alabama, USA where he raced ATV developed by him. Both of the boys have excelled academically, and why not, it runs in their genes!!! Sandeep credits Anmol for ensuring the boys' all round development and their strong values. She has been not only a strong disciplinarian but also their pillar of support. It is a well-known fact
and owns 500 pairs of footwear!! She is also very fond of collecting crystal and her drawing room bears testimony to the fact. She loves doing embroidery, which she picked up during school holidays from her mother. She is deeply influenced by her mother and still reacts to every situation how she thinks her mother would. She sings, is fond of painting, which adorn her beautiful home. She loves reading biographies.... Phew!! Both Anmol and Sandeep love travelling and take least 4 trips a year. From the interiors of India to the sophistication of Europe they have experienced it all. Despite her busy routine, Anmol finds time to work out at her self styled home gym and inspite of being a foodie
that '” A Family can only develop with a loving woman at its centre” Being inclined towards social service, Rotary was a natural progression for Anmol and Sandeep. During her tenure as Director, Anmol wishes to launch the following matching grants projects (a) treat juveniles with Type I diabetes and make it a sustainable project (b) establish a skin bank for burns victims. As John Quincy Adams has said 'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader''. Anmol is the perfect example of managing and excelling both at the work place and at the home. She is definitely the epitome of a ''complete woman''. - Hetal Sampat
GEEK SPEAK
HONEY…I GIFTED PC TO SON
I gifted a computer to my son Gaurav on his 9th birthday and tried to guide him on what all he can do with it. After a few months, I made an interesting observation – he obviously loves playing games and he does that often, but he has also developed genuine interest in doing other stuff with computer because he finds it equally exciting as well. This helped me realise that if kids are encouraged and taught to use computers productively, they won't be really using them only for thing s like gaming, social-networking (Facebook) and other things any parent won't like them doing. I thought this can help everybody having young kids or grand-kids at home so I am sharing a few tips from my experience here: Learning to Type - The first thing I told Gaurav was that he should know how to properly type using all his fingers from both hands and not just use 2 fingers to type. I told him to visit - www.typeonline.co.uk and take typing lessons there. It's a free website and very useful for anybody who wants to learn proper typing sitting at home. So after a month Gaurav was able to type properly and you know what kept him interested in doing it – Speed Test. Website offers a speed test to know your typing speed and Gaurav loved to regularly test himself and do better everyday. He is doing 25 WPM right now which I think is a pretty good start. DIY Projects – One day Gaurav asked me how he can learn juggling and I searched and showed him a video on Youtube which teaches juggling step-by-step. He tried doing that but lost interest after a few days. But he remembered how to use youtube after that. One day when I came home from office, he was making paper aeroplanes and other origami stuff watching their videos on Youtube. There are DIY (Do It Yourself) videos for practically anything on web and you can learn anything watching them. Recently I am trying to get him interested in a very good website dedicated to Kids DIY and it is called www.diy.org. This site is a community for children where they can learn to make various things like cardboard birdhouses, soda bottle safety glasses, duct tape wallets and toothbrush robots that scurry across a desk like alien life-forms. All these projects allow children to earn virtual badges, which will appear on the site. Kid's account is also linked with parent's account so that you can monitor your kid's activities on the website.
Learn Programming - What I love about programming is that even kids can learn and do it effectively, that's why we keep reading about so many 12-13 yr old programming wiz kids and now there are various websites which teach programming in very effective manner. Gaurav learned HTML, CSS and basic website development on www.codecademy.com which is a free website and teaches you programming like a game. You have to progress through various stages and while doing so you earn points and badges to show off on your profile. Contrary to what many of you think, programming can actually be quite fun. Check out video on www.code.org to see why rock stars and athletes are learning to program these days. I hope you find these suggestions useful and practical with kids in your homes. www.SachinPalewar.com
GUPSHUP • The months of October and November have taken away many from our Rotary Family. • Mother in law of Rtn. Mohinder Alag passed away in Hydrabad. • Padamshree Dr. Vikram Marwah, father of Rtn. Sanjay Marwah passed away on 6th Nov after a brief illness. • Mrs. Adarsh Chhabra, mother of Rtn. Dinesh Chabbra passed and Mrs. Shakuntala Jain, mother of L.K. Jain passed away. Both of them donated eyes. We salute the family members for this noble cause. • Mother of Rt. Ann Renu Micky Arora expired on 28th Nov. May the families get the strength to bear the loss. On the happy note, with the onset of winter comes weddings, parties and few notable achievements, here are some news from the club; 1.
Dr. Sunita Lawange, Consultant Pain Physician at Orange City Hospital and Research Institute and Director of Bliss Pain Management Centre Dhantoli, was invited as guest speaker at 26th International Conference organised by International Instradiscal Therapy Society. The conference was held in Seoul (South Korea). Congrats!!!
2.
Dr. Anant Gade has acquired LENSTAR LS 900 state of art optical biometer from Haag streit UK for outstanding optic measurement results for premium intra ocular lens in cataract surgery. This equipment is available at his clinic to fellow ophthalmologist friends. All the very best Doc.
3.
Rtn. Rachana Singh, Rtn. Dr Ravi Wankhede and Rt. Lord Vikash Khurana have been nominated by the Times Of India for the Nagpur Heroes Award...Good Luck!
4.
Khushnoor and Dr. Sanjiv Chugh are going to Cambodia.
5.
Tauby and Naushad will be visiting the USA.
6.
Sonia and Vikash Khurana celebrated the wedding of their daughter Sonakshi in October.
7.
Divya Dass and Shweta Singh, two lovely ladies of our club found their respective soul mates and are engaged.
Until next time Ciao... - Nilufer
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BIRTHDAYS 15 Dec. to 14 Jan. DECEMBER Hema Thaker Dr. Rajesh Singhania Rupali Kale Govind Daga Ashok Mrig Dr. Sudhir Bhiwapurkar Alka Agrawal Shilpa Jaitha Hina Agrawa Sarvesh Agrawal Girish Deodhar Punam Sahu Dr. Bharti Taori Geeta Rao Ritu Khurana Kusum Pandey R Ramakrishnan Vishal Bhatia Purvi R. Thakar Prabha Agrawal Priti R. Ramakrishnan Hemant Chandurkar Abha Choudhary Shilpi Bagdi Naresh Jaisinghanee Hema Kinkhede Pramesh Pandhi Giriraj Singhee Pooja Neb Hetal Sampat Shiraz Doongaji
15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 19 19 20 20 20 22 22 23 23 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28
Vaishali P. Rajurkar
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Sheetal Gupta
29
Renu Y. Singh
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JANUARY Deepika Malhotra
01
Mamta S. Kanga
02
Vaishali Jaiswal
02
Yashpal Seth
04
Mehru Bapuna
04
Rachana Singh
04
Gogi Singh Bhasin
05
Dr. Ravindra Deshmukh
05
Harbhajan Singh
05
Sati Khanna
06
Bhawna Kalra
06
Vinita Chaturvedi
06
Meena Verma
07
Farooq Haque
07
Kumar Kale
07
Pallavi Thakkar
08
Dr.Surajit Hazra
09
Anju Bansal
09
Rajesh Datar
09
Sunil Kakar
13
Dr. Anant Gade
14
Richa Sethi
14
Kirti Jain
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ANNIVERSARY 15 Dec. to 14 Jan. JANUARY
Manoj & Meenu Moryani
Jaiprakash & Vinita Khushlani 15 Sylvester & Beena Isaacs
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Ashwin & Keshmira Mankeshwar15 Gurjeet & Bhaskar Kaur
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Atul & Shefali Shah
15 Dr. Raju & Anne Wilkinson
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Kirit & Pallavi Thakkar
15 Dr. Jaspal & Indu Arneja
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Rukshad & Monica Bhagwagar 17 Shabbir & Amina Vali
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Sandeep & Anmol Badjatia
19 Sanjay & Smita Bhargava
Dr. Sameer & Smita Chaubey
19 DECEMBER
Pratiik & Sunita Salve
19 Rama & Priti Ramakrishnan
Dr. Rafat & Naheed Khan
20 Manjot Singh & Gurinder Kahai 05
Dr. Ruksana & Sharukh Master 20 Appu & Laxmi Wadhwani
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Bu-Vo-Qu (Business & Vocation Quiz) Before you decide to Google the answers, take the Rotary's four-way test. Honesty is the best policy. Give your brain some jolts. Let these questions deprive you of some sleep. Let the thinking begin. Rules: 1. Open to all the Rotarians and spouses of Rotary Clubs in Nagpur except DirectorVocational who will be the judge. 2. Mail your answers to quiz@rotaryclubofnagpur.org 3. Answers will be accepted only via e-mails. Latest by 28th December 2013. 4. Judge's decision will be final. BuVoQu - December 2013 1. Who is the first sportsman to receive the Bharat Ratna? 2. Mumbai based Lodha Developers recently bought the embassy building in London. Name the country whose embassy was housed in that building. 3. Who is the only tennis player (male/female) to achieve Calendar year Golden Slam? 4. Which Indian organisation has developed this distress alarm called NIRBHAYA? 5. AOL will shut down this popular music player software on December 20th? What's the name of this music player? 6. Who said, “if I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse “? 7. What was the original name of HTC, the mobile device manufacturer? 8. My life. My card is the tag line of which company? 9. Which mobile service (widely used in our club also) was started by former Yahoo execs Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009? It claims to be bigger than twitter today. 10. Which airline calls itself India's most democratic airline, because it has only one class of passengers?
11.Identify this company acquired by Tata Steel few years ago.
12. Identify this iconic detergent brand.
Answers to BuVoQu - November 2013
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
CMDs are women Dabhol, Ratnagiri Mobile and Aeroplanes UTI Bank Shahrukh Khan Lancet
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Luxor Vanilla Zuari Maria Sharapova Hermes Wagh Bakri
PRIZES SPONSORED BY
29 02 05
Pravesh & Deepika Malhotra
21 Rozina & Shamsuddin Rana
Dhiren & Aanchal Jeswani
21 Dr. Meenakshi & Ranjeet Narayan 08
06
Dr. Anant & Shubhada Gade
22 Jehangir & Dilshad Doongaji
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Dr. Indrajeet & Jayashree Mulik 22 Shiraz & Annahita Doongaji
10
Mohd. & Ruquaiya Vali
23 Praveen & Sudeshna Chourasia 11
Dr. Rizwan & Lubna Haq
24 Anjum & Abdul Husain
13
Vikas & Kirti Jain
25 Rajiv & Urvashi Yashroy
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FINANCIAL PLANNING MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Think House, Level I 260, Bajaj Nagar West High Court Road, Nagpur-440010 Ph. : 0712-2245600, 2245700 E-mail : info@thinkconsultants.net www.thinkconsultants.net
CLUB AWARDS, GREETINGS & RECOGNITION GREEN CITY
Nisreen Maimoom-Interact
Jumana Shakir-Interact
Rahul Kale-Programs
Shefali Shah-Greetings & Recoginition
Shailaja Pingle-Nutrition & Child Care
Gogi Bhasin-Nutrition & Child Care
Manish Sanghavi-Vocational News & Awards
Rajesh Singhavi- SVMM
Mamta Jaiswal-IYE
Tushar Singhavi-Dist. Interact Meet
Aeyjaz Akolawala-Dist. Interact Meet
Mamta Kanga-Dist. Interact Meet
Vinita Pasari-Ladies Committee
Rajiv Jhaveri-Four Way Test
Neerja Shukul-Slum & Women Upliftment
Shalini Naidu-Rotaract & Ladies Committee
Sapna Vastani- Rotaract
PP Ganesh Joshi Releasing Golden Orange
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