January 2015
THE GOLDEN ORANGE
R OTARY -TVindhya W EETS Sanjana Dear All, This column is aimed at allowing our members a platform in which to air their thoughts, grievances, and to basically have a voice. We will present a new topic every month and publish your responses with your photo, subject to space availability; which is at most 2 pages currently. Prizes will be awarded to three most pertinent responses. However, please let it be understood that we value ALL the tweets coming in. This is a democratic organization and we value every single sentiment or opinion that is sent to us. So
interact with us, tell us what you think, and let others too hear your voice! December saw acrimonious discussions and debate following the nominations for Board 2015-16. While the jury is yet out on the who, why and what questions, it was decided to set up a committee to study and recommend changes to byelaws felt necessary. Naturally, the committee would need inputs and suggestions, therefore the question for the coming month:“What is the ONE change you want our Club to make with regard to the Board
Selection process?” Please send in your tweets ASAP to vindhyasanjana@yahoo.com or SMS / Whatsapp or even call me on 9423103916 / 9890715526. Do remember that the tweets should not be more than 140 CHARACTERS or LETTERS, & NOT 140 WORDS. That's far too long!! On the other hand if you have a little More to say, then please- Don't hold back, Just say it! Awaiting your views. Remember - the idea is to be FREE, FRANK AND FEARLESS!! Happy Tweeting! Vindhya Sanjana
Last month, we asked you “Should our Club relook at archaic bye-laws and permit equal status to spouses in respect of attendance in business meetings, particularly when these very spouses champion our projects and activities as Chairpersons and participants?” nd
Winner 2 Prize
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Winner 1 Prize
I do not think that attendance in business meeting is a must for spouses as the Rotary members and office bearers are efficient in their decisions and chalking of activities and running the club. As it is a voluntary and non profit making organization, the participation of spouses in projects as Chairpersons or otherwise is more inclined for a social cause and satisfaction gained on rendering service to the society. However, an opportunity to the spouses can be considered for interaction through mail / correspondence for clarification from the Board Members. Rita Dhodapkar rd
Dear Vindhya, I don't think it necessary to change the bylaws for allowing spouse members to attend close meetings of the club. Let them be actively involved in the ladies committee meeting as well as the projects and continue giving their
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
Winner 3 Prize
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Definitely all Spouses of club members should be allowed to attend business meeting as many of lady spouse members are doing much more rotary work ( both in quantity & quality ) then most of the male members of our club ! And also nothing much happens in our business meeting apart from occasional fighting to have this clause of not allowing spouse members !!! Akash Agrawal RI does not permit treating anyone as an active member if he/she is not on RI's Semi Annual Report. But whether we allow spouses in our business meetings or not is not their lookout. However, only active members who are on RI's SAR will have voting right. Spouses are welcome at all our meetings ( including business meeting), but in such meetings their role will have to be be limited. Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee
It's been a man's world…so to say, for all practical purposes. Our clubs 'archaid byelaws' are no exceptions. As for attendance whether during regular or usiness meetings, let's leave it our better halves. If they can make it, it definitely makes the meeting complete. Unfortunately most spouses have commitments at home which are their prerogative. Its because of them, we are able to give a little more towards the clubs existence. Ravi Wankhede
unbiased suggestions to spouse for voicing their genuine concerns in close meetings. During 2013-14, best chairpersons awards were given only in the regular meetings in the presence of all the members so as to serve the very purpose of motivating others to perform and avoided their abrupt exit from the close meeting. Prashant Kale
What a right question... Club laws should be like that, that member n spouse should b watched atleast for two years, n then whoever is more active shud b given post, Otherwise, d one who works n keen to work is powerless n d one who is not so interested is wasting his powers. I am a biggest example for this, So i totally agree with vindhya s excellent idea.. Simple... No rules as per power n position, Give work who wants to work!!! Thus making it powerful club.. Veenita Pasari I suppose our Rotary Club has made a unique arrangement for our spouses to meet separately when we meet for our Business (Closed) Meeting......as far as giving spouses "equal status" is concerned, Club Assembly is the right platform and we are inviting
all Chairpersons.....so their voices and opinions are heard. Vijay Naidu A member is a member with full rights in any organization. A family member or a dependant can enjoy all the benefits but can not partake in policy or decision making for the organization. One of The benefits of being a family member is to enjoy the planning and execution of all the fun and bliss of fellowship and social service. This amalgamates the family towards a concept of Service before Self. Dr. Manmohan Daga Spouses in our Club enjoy equal status anyways! What's the point then in putting it in the bye laws? What will then be the difference between a member & a non member? Manju Shahani continued on page no.13
THURSDAY TH O U G HTS
Notorious November has given way to Dancing December. Wish you all a very Happy Christmas & a Happy New Year!! Though 'Sun N Sand' was 'Cold N Wet' but we thankfully bypassed the predicted rains & the Charter Nite celebration went off well. Our dynamic & innovative chairpersons put up a surprise item- they presented the felicitation of the Past Presidents in the form of an award function nite. It was a fabulous show, I noticed that the PP's were also enjoying
the rib-tickling humour for a changethough directed at them- all in good spirits. We were delighted by the presence of Mrs. Sharayu Deshmukh, wife of DG Dada Deshmukh, a very dignified, poised, self- assured lady, and who graciously acceded to our request to grace the occasion, despite being busy with the conference preparations & came to add 'chaar chand' to our Charter Nite. The other 3 'chands' were of course Dada himself, Assistant governor Dr Vinay Tule & his charming wife- Dr. Anjali. For Rotarians attending the District Conference is like an annual holiday, looked forward to due to the myriad events & fellowship. 'Parvani' at Nasik was a well organised affair, ambient weather, and for us the highlight was the performance put up by the IYE students, which was mesmerising, truly amazing. A thought passed my mind while watching these children go through the intricate Indian dance steps, that if the world was not divided by political or racial lines, there would be no word like ' foreigners '
in the dictionary- a world without boundaries which only Rotary can achieve. The DG's objective in organising the conference, is that all Rotarians gain an insight in the world of Rotary- it's ideas, ideology & importance in as much as its role in striving to the betterment of lives all over the world. The other objective is bonding with this huge Rotary family that you belong to. Jyoti & I were pleasantly surprised that the small group we were moving around with became, not friends, but family. We ring in the new year with all the major projects so party till the 2nd but come back renewed & recharged to reach greater heights in the year 2015. January will see the ophthalmic camp at Lok Biradari Prakalp, Hemalkasa. So, as I sign off, all that I wish is that Rotary tops your list of to-do resolutions for the New Year! Regards Bharat Goenka President
JUST SAYI N G ...
Historically, our caste system hinges on the so called tenets of purity and pollution, where the higher one's birth community, the cleaner or purer one is. Conversely, as one goes lower in the hierarchy, the dirtier or more impure one is. The caste system is not just about organizing society, it's also a deeply enshrined system of ideas. Cleanliness and dirt are then not just principles of hygiene but determinants of social status. Statistics tell us that out of 8000 towns and cities, modern India today has less than 270 with Sewage Treatment Plants. We have over 7 lakh manual scavengers and 1.3 million night soil carriers. More than 600 million Indians defecate in the open every day making us the world
capital of open defecation. Upper castes have over the millennia programmed themselves unable to clean their own waste because the socially inferior do it for them. Did we throw the baby out with the bath water? It would appear so, because by assigning the task of cleaning to the social pariah, cleanliness has become a pariah to our daily lives too. We clamour and complain about hygiene and the lack of it, but consider the toilet dirty; to be cleaned by those who do dirty work. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International and a Brahmin, emphatically says that the toilet is not a dirty place. Toilets are beautiful places (they ought to be, considering how much is spent in creating them in the modern city home) and they make us socially progressive citizens. Cutting back to the present, celebrities may brandish jhadoos on TV, but I suggest we go for the even bigger photoop while cleaning our own toilets at home – employing, arguably the fad of the
millennium – the Selfie! Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook need this PDA (Public Display of Action) more than PDA (Public Display of Affection). We not only need a jhadoo for the street, we need a jhadoo for our minds as well. A new year resolution, perhaps? Nimish Sutaria Editor
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Recently the Jhadoo has literally taken our lives by storm. What began as a campaign to clean up the corruption in our systems, morphed into an election symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party. It eventually got hijacked and was made into a national accessory of the khaas aadmi, courtesy PM Narendra Modi's Swachcha Bharat Campaign.
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LETTERS th
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9 Dec 2014 Dear Nimish, Greetings! I don't subscribe much to the idea of Rotary or any social service organization for that matter, having "been there, done that" more than two decades ago, so when I first chanced upon an issue of 'The Golden Orange', a couple of months ago, I tossed it away, disdainfully, no sooner had I picked it up. As it toppled away, almost in slow motion, it's pages fanning out, what immediately got my attention was your smiling mugshot on the very first page. Aha, thought I,
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19th Dec Dear Nimish, Rotary (and RCN) image outside our Club : I believe we are all members of a prestigious club and with good family backgrounds. Different types of projects, entertainment and fellowships are ingredients of our club activities. I feel most of the members who irrespective of whether it concerns them or not, make misinterpretations and negative assumptions which are not confirmed or practical. Our fellow ladies and rotarians participate in activities and dances for enjoyment and showcase their talents within our club since all are known people, then why are unpleasant remarks made by certain people of rotary. I feel instead of getting involved in negative gossip, our members should get influenced and introduce new projects, to motivate new members, rather than nonsense and irrelevant talk, because this talk creates tensions and unpleasantness in other social relationships. Before believing any negatives, one should check themselves whether they are perfect in all respect or not. I feel no one is perfect, so no one has right to make any negative remarks and gossip for anyone. If this situation persists, no new members will be introduced and no one will wish to join our club. It will start losing its image very soon. People need to think before speaking loosely. Our club is not for only entertainment but also for learning. It's my request to all, to maintain dignity and observe proper etiquette. Regards - Sushma Hedaoo
what was a guy like that doing in a Mag like this? A reflex mechanism made me grab the magazine and save it from biting the dust. I began scanning it, slowly at first, then with increasing severity; an array of familiar and fanciful names and faces emerged. Then it began to get more interesting. Blimey, thought I, this is no shot in the dark from our muggy smiler! The tweets and letters, precise and to the point, suggesting change - a great forum for people to express their views (and win prizes too!); important information on the work you do - well, necessary; the centrespread calendar - ingenious! (unlike the centre-spread most of us are used to, but just as effective a pin-up, nonetheless!); puzzles, book reviews, food, fashion,
technology (why no cinema and theatre?); all in all, a pleasurable read not only (I'm sure!) for your Rotary family and their respective families but also for wayfarers like me! A great job, well done, my friend! And may your mug runneth over! Best, always! - Vikash Khurana Thanks Vikash for the candid feedback! Undoubtedly my intention is to catch the interest of non-Rotarians as well. On non-coverage of movies or theatre…. well, you will discover something new in each issue since the subjects covered “In Short” are dynamic with different contributors… look out for surprises through the year! - Nimish
20th Dec 2014 Dear Nimish, I just Love the new GO! The fact that there are more pictures than write-ups makes them easy on the eye and gentler on our information-overloaded brains... despite giving full coverage to all the Rotary projects that are continuously being carried out... Less cluttered pages and larger fonts make the content easy to assimilate, the short articles make for quick, fun reads, and the variety of topics has actually turned it into a magazine that the entire family wants a piece of. You have turned into reality, that which you conceptualized right at the start, and for that you deserve a BIG thumbs-up!! Congratulations... Rock on! Vindhya Sanjana 24th Dec 2014 Dear Nimish, Your editorial made interesting reading, as always. A contentious issue that needs to be spoken about was brought up at the opportune time. Full marks to you on the text, but not on the context! The 'Clarion call for change' remains only a call if issues are not addressed with the directness that they deserve. A general sermon seldom evokes self introspection, simply because the general sermon, more often than not, applies to the other person/s and not to me........ Nevertheless, on the courage quotient, you stand tall. Cheers!!! Shabbir Shakir Dear Shabbir, Thanks for your observations. The mere acknowledgement that this is an issue is gratifying. Since I am not an investigative reporter, but an editor, I chose to observe that we need to wake up. Determining the flaws and fixing them is an onerous task, one which is easily escaped by thinking that the target is perhaps someone else. Every member, particularly seniors (you included) need to look within to discover that if something hurts the institution, the member cannot escape injury either. -Nimish
24th Dec 2014 Dear Nimish Many thanks for including me in the mailing list of your club bulletin. Initially I thought this was a GML and I refused to believe it's a Club Bulletin. I have never seen a Club coming out with such a good quality publication. It's a Role Model for others. You have ensured that every page is Readable and covers all aspects of Rotary. Keep up the Good Work. Regards IPDG Dr Deepak Shikarpur RID 3131 Pune
After a successful ophthalmic camp earlier in the same month, Medical committee was back in action at Yogiraj Hospital Ramtek on 29th & 30th Nov for a general surgical camp . After refreshing snacks the OT was started at 10 am. Everyone present including Rotarian surgeons, staff of Yogiraj & Orange City Hospital were full of enthusiasm. 38 cases were completed till 7 pm. In the evening, everyone had a great fellowship with the working team of Yogiraj Hospital. On Sunday morning many went for a trek to enjoy the scenic beauty of Ramtek Hills.
29th - 30th November
It being my first experience of trekking, but that three hour trek generated a lot of curiosity & desire for more. On Sunday we were able to complete the list by 2.30. Ten case of cataract were operated by Dr. Shivani Bidiye & Dr. Rupali Nimabalkar and 52 patients for Hernia, Hydrocele, Cyst, Lipoma, Thyroid etc.was operated by surgical team The joy on the faces of the poor patients and their relatives was moving and rejuvenating. We were back home with wonderful memories of nature & satisfaction of choosing a vocation which can make a difference to the life of
4th December The Business meeting of 4th December was called to order by the President and started with a half minute silent prayer followed by the 4 Way Test. Birthdays and anniversaries were announced and those present were given gifts. Attendance report was also read out. After the project and other announcements, minutes of previous meeting were read out by Manjot. The President read out a letter sent by some members in the context of the recent nominating committee meeting and the manner of
SUR G IC AL C A MP
others. Dr Rajesh Singhvi, Dr Raju Wilkinson, Dr Shobha Daga, Dr Mrs Daksha Mandhaniya, Dr Surjit Hazara, Dr Indrajeet Agrawal, Dr Nafeez Qureshi as also the presence of Surgeon Dr Rajiv Sonarkar, surgical & anesthetist residents from Lata Mangeskar Hospital made the job very easy. Other Rotarians present were Bharat Goenka, Manjot Kahai, Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee, Director Alok Goenka, Anula Goenka, Shiraz Doongaji -Dr Rajesh Singhania
BUSI N ESS MEETI N G
arriving at decisions thereof. The concerned members further asked for clarifications from the members of this committee present as well as the chair. After a lot of deliberations, it was felt that since there was shortage of time and it was important to present the Board 201516 as per the bye-laws the discussions were adjourned to 18th Dec to be continued as a business meeting. President elect 2015-16 Khushnoor Chugh presented her board for the coming year which was approved by the
house. President Bharat had to depart before the meeting agenda was over. The remaining agenda was taken up by Alok Goenka (VP) as officiating Chair. Responding to a budgeting query on RY L A h e c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e Chairpersons need not worry as the commitment made at the beginning of the year would be met, and should not be an impediment in carrying out any activity. The meeting concluded with the National Anthem. -Team GO
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
At Yogiraj Hospital, Ramtek
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LADIES C O M MITTEE The Ladies Brigade celebrated their "Ladies Day Out" with an excursion cum picnic at Kirti Jain' s farm. The Gulabi Gang sported smart and exclusive designed caps embossed with "Ladies Brigade" sponsored by Mr. Thutheja of Lords! A special bus sponsored by M/s Hansa Travels took the ladies singing and dancing on rhythms of dholak while relishing Nagpur Oranges and Hot Chips! A grand welcome comprising of traditional haldi Kumkum by village workers awaited! After a sumptuous breakfast of hot assorted pakodas, homemade moongdal halwa and jalebis, the ladies set off on an excursion in the beautiful agro farm laden with fruits and veggies! They had a gala time plucking fresh guavas, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, lauki etc with running commentary by Kirti and her staff. While lunch was being prepared, Nidhi Gandhi and Sonia Khurana ably supported by Sapna, Shilpa and others conducted various games bringing back childhood memories. A rustic spread of jhunka bhakar, puran poli, thecha etc was relished by all!
Ladies Day Out 6th December
Neeru Bhatia got her Probus members along to the picnic where they mingled and had great fun! After a full dose of games, gossip, intellectual discussions, Gana bajana over hot herbal tea, the ladies returned happy with their takeaway bags of farm fresh organic veggies and fruits.
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
CL OTHES D O N ATI O N
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A Day Dedicated To Childhood It was a special day for the students of Yugantar School when the rotractors of Tirpude college visited them and distributed gifts to the children. The school has around 130 children from class 5th to 10th. When the rotractors interacted with the children, they responded very positively and promised to keep their classrooms clean and neat. The children were then gifted with the gifts which mainly consisted of clothes and also some footwear. The happiness on the kids' faces was evident while they were receiving gifts. The scenario was of a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness, regret, excitement, etc. – happiness, for the children were very happy and excited on receiving gifts; sad, for the Rotarians who witnessed the
Rina Sinha proposed a vote of thanks to the sponsors, Vikas and Kirti Jain with a big cheer to her enthusiastic gang - Sonia Khurana, Archana Jhavery, Nidhi Gandhi, Kirti Jain and Jumana Shakir for the successful program. -Team GO
Tirpude College Rotaract 10th December
overwhelming emotions of the underprivileged children. The Principal Mr. Akshay Wahane and the faculty of the Yugantar School praised the Rotaractors of Tirpude College and were very supportive in making the event a grand success. Rotaractors visiting the school included Umme Salma Malik, Sigy Varghese, Payal Kale, Sambhav Jain, Riddhi Singh, Anurag Singh, Nidhi Saha, Kanhaiya Vishwakarma and others. -Team Rotaract
13th December
C HARTER N I G HT CELEBRATI O N S
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70 years in the service of the community --- that is definitely a stunning commitment !!! On the 13th of December, our Charter Night, we got together to celebrate just that. May God bless all those Rotarians who have been part of this glorious journey; some of those who have left us forever but their deeds and actions continue to guide us now, and will do so in the future. The Past Presidents of our Club have been instrumental in steering our grand old Club through almost three quarters of a century. For this very reason they are felicitated every year on this day. Nidhi Gandhi and Shilpa Agrawal did the honours in filmy awards nomination style. Rotarians and their families are ever willing to contribute to the Rotary Foundation and the new Paul Harris Fellows also received their pins and certificates this evening. Once the formal proceedings of the evening were done with... it was time for merry making. The lovely weather (despite the threat of rain gods), great ambience (at Sun and Sand) and fantastic music by Neil and Band -- true to the theme Rhythm and Raga, ensured that the evening went off well. The tempo of the tabla vied with the strings of the guitar, the tunes of the saxophone and flute with the beats of the drums and the amazing voices of the singers mesmerized the music lovers (yes... Nagpur does have immense talent). As they say 'if music be the food of love ... play on ...' It did make the evening relaxing and enjoyable for young and old alike. Kudos to Chairpersons Madhavi Naidu and Rajesh Yadav for a great effort. -Team GO
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D G CLUB ASSEMBLY
G O VER N O R’S VISIT On 13th Dec., there was a visit of District Governor Rtn Dada Deshmukh along with First Lady at ZP School Bokhara Village, a school adopted by Rotaractors of Tuli College. The Rotaractors reached there at 10:30 am and continued with their weekly project by teaching them Maths
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Bokhara Village (Tuli College Rotaract) 13th December
and English. District Governor arrived at 1 pm along with President Rtn. Bharat Goenka and Sec Rtn. Manjot Kahai. Medicines were given to the under nourished students by the district governor and bananas were also distributed. Director Namita Sharma was
DIA G N O STIC C A MP True to the spirit of our club “Party Hard & Work Hard”, even after the 70th charter night on the previous night, Rotarians were back to serve the society the very next morning at 8 am!. After having refreshing breakfast hosted by Akash &
13th December
instrumental in getting the medicines organised for the under nourished students, Rtn.Pranav Singhal, Rtn Anjuli Minocha, Rt Ann Chetna Singhal were also present. -Pranav Singhal
Topworth Urja & Metals 14th December
Shilpa, we left for the Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd, Umred road about 40 Km, for the diagnostic camp. We reached the factory situated in midst of the green hills at 10 am to a welcome by all the top officials. Elaborate arrange-ments were done for the camp with large pandal and private cabins for all specialties. After a brief inaugural ceremony, 398 patients were examined for various alignments and medicines were distributed free to all of them.11 cases were selected for ophthalmic surgeries and 5 for general surgery. These patients would be operated free at Nagpur. After a delicious lunch hosted by Topworth
the team got back home at 4.30 pm. The Medical Sevices team has conveyed thanks to Dr Raju Wilkinson, Dr Sadhashiv Bhole, Dr Shantala Bhole, Dr Rizwan Haq , Dr Shaunak Mokadam & staff of Dr Rajesh Singhania's hospital for their services -Team Medical Services
W ELFARE O F SPECIALLY ABLED C O M MITTEE
On a bright and cool Sunday morning, a Cricket match was organized at Bajaj Nagar Ground for the Visually impaired children. It was a T-10 match between the Amravati & Nagpur Teams. The enthusiasm of these children to play the match was worth watching, as well as inspiring to see their positive attitude towards life. They played with the ball which was specially designed with ghungroos inside. The match was a thriller & lasted till the last over, with Amravati the winner. All the players were rewarded with blankets. Trophies were given for various achievements. Snacks & lunch was served to all. This was a multi committee project jointly organized by Welfare of Specially Abled, Rotaract & Sports committees. Rotaractors of Hislop
College played a very significant role in the success of the tournament. Monal Malji, Namita Sharma along with Manish Agrawal, Sonia Khurana, Raj Shah, Hemant Jaitha, Amitabha Sharma & Parag Paranjape worked hard for this
Joint Effort By Seven Rotaract Clubs 15th December Over the years, traffic on our roads has increased many times but not much has done for safety of people on road. Bad roads and poor lighting add to the problem with the worst sufferer the people riding bicycles. They are hardly visible if the street lights are not working. Rotaractors took the initiative and undertook jointly Radium Sticker project. On 15th of December, rotaractors of seven colleges pasted 6,000 radium stickers on bicycles, cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws. They briefed people and students about importance of radium stickers. The locations where the activity was conducted were IGGMC : ST Bus stand and Baidyanath square; S.B Jain College of Engineering : Kalmeshwar,Yerla and Fatri village; Hislop
College : St. Michael, SFS,Dinanath and Hadas School; SRWC : GuruGovind Singh School, Tata Parsi and own college premises; Tuli College of Hotel Management: Center Point and Tidke School, Katol Road; Tulsi Ram Gaiikwad: Providence and Guru Govind Singh Schools; G.H. Raisoni : Tidke
project. Also present on the occasion were PP Chandru Shahani, Manju Shahani, Gouri Malji, Ritu Nahar, Pranav Singhal, Indrajeet Mulik, Sachin and Vandana Palewar as also staff of Hislop College. - Sonia Khurana
STICKATH O N School. It was a fun filled activity for the rotaractors, supported by our chairpersons Shalini Naidu, Manish Agrawal, Pranav Singhal and Raj Shah. -Team Rotaract
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14th December
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PAED O PATHSHALA & DE N TAL C HECKUP
V O C ATI O N AL TRAI N I N G A workshop was organised at Sitabuldi situated School for Mentally Retarded, Matruseva Sangh. The inmates and teachers were trained to make value added articles which they wanted to sell in
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The meeting was called to order with a silent prayer offered for the demise of Rtn. Sunil Bhatia’s father. The President condemned the attack and the brutal massacre of the kids of the school at Peshawar, Pakistan and the members present observed two minutes silence to mourn the same. The Four Way Test was read out. Members and spouses with birthdays and anniversaries falling between December 8 and December 20 were greeted. The audited accounts of the club were put up for approval of the members and approved, subject to a couple of rectifications. Rtn. Dinesh Naidu was felicitated for
17th December
MSS School of Mentally Challenged 17th December
their forthcoming Exhibition. They learned to make Chocolate Gift baskets, Napkin & tissue Paper holders etc. from Foam Sheets. Sadhana Paliwal conducted the workshop and was helped by Asha Joshi and Sarita Agrawal. Beena Mathew and Sharad Paliwal were also present. The workshop was much appreciated by the students and their teachers along with their Principal Mrs Chate. We want
W EEKLY MEETI N G
Wonderland School
such training to make the students self sufficient creatively and also discover their self-worth. - Sadhana Paliwal
Business Meeting Continued 18th December
being conferred The Times of India Nagpur Heroes Readers Choice Award. Felicitation pins were conferred upon members who have proposed new members to our Club. The chairpersons of the following committees were felicitated for their commendable work : 1.Annual Interact Meet 2.Interact 3. Ladies Committee 4. Programs 5. Greetings and Recognition 6. Take Rotary Home 7. Diwali Fellowship 8. Life Skills Workshop 9. Fellowship
during meetings 10. Surgical Camps 11. Blood Donation 12. Nutrition 13. Welfare of Specially abled The next weeks Programme was informed by the Chairperson – Rita
the same. One member also sought clarification on the Mentoring programme which did not take place as planned. Following discussions on the same, it was announced that the same would be held in January 2015 and with a revised structure. -Team GO
Christmas Celebration at Care Home Centre 23th December C o m m u n i t y We l f a r e C o m m i t t e e celebrated Christmas by sharing joy and happiness with about fourteen HIV positive children on 23rd December. These children are inmates of Care Home Center at Dabha, run by Mrs. Prabha Lodha, who is the care taker of these children.
C O M MU N ITY W ELFARE
The center provides all necessary medical and educational help to these children besides the shelter, food and daily requirements. The children, mostly abandoned by their parents, are between the age group of 6-18 years. The chair persons of Community Welfare
Committee, Neerja Shukul and Ragini Sahu distributed gifts, chocolates and food packets to the kids. Christmas carols were happily sung by the children. President Bharat Goenka and Director Gogi Bhasin were present and appreciated the noble project.
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Agrawal There were discussions on the Nomination Committee's working for Board 2015-16 and IPP Prashant was tasked to get the constitution committee into action on the basis for terms of reference to be decided, once facts were determined and the issues identified. Several members shared their views on
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DISTRICT C O N FERE N CE “PARVA N I”
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This year's Silver Jubilee District Conference “ PARVANI” was held from 20th to 21st December at NASHIK, the City of Temples, Godavari River, Grapes, Vineyards & so much more…. jointly hosted by Rotary Clubs of Nashik, under the tutelage of Chair Dr Ajit Bhamre. Governor Dada Deshmukh and First Lady Sharayu were proud hosts. The inaugural session was solemn, and Swami Atmashradhanandji from Ramakrishna Math inspired the Rotarians to work for the community while adhering to spirituality and universal brotherhood. RIPR PDG Gehan Siribaddana congratulated the Governor for organizing a wonderful Conference. RI Director-Elect Dr Manoj Desai spoke from his heart and pushed the Rotarians to strive for excellence, and complimented them for a peaceful DG nomination! The plenary sessions were interesting, each moderated by a PDG. Mrs Pallavi Amte (daughter in law of Shri Vikas Baba Amte), spoke passionately about Anandvan and it's essence; Industrialist Ram Bhogale of Nirlep fame spoke on entrepreneurship & Green challenge; Shri Prakash Pathak spoke on “Sakshar Bharat”; Mr Mark Balla came all the way from Australia and spoke on “Co-
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operation in Community Service” which was an eye-opener; Mr T S Madaan entertained the crowd and Shri Popatrao Pawar was powerful in his oratory on “Jal Chintan” while Shri Dhanraj Vanjari brought the house back to school while speaking about “New Generation's expectations” and got a standing ovation!!!!! All PDGs were felicitated at the hands of our Guest of Honour. It took us down memory lane and surely each PDG would have gone emotional remembering his year in office. The evening banquet was enjoyable with the “Kalyanji Anandji Nite” at the Jupiter
Hotel Gardens, which saw an attendance of more than 1500 delegates. They belted out foot tapping classics mixed with some recent popular ones. It was certainly an evening of bonding for the RCN contingent as we had occupied one big table. The second day was the crowning glory as it saw the unbelievable performance by the 9 IYE students as they recited Sanskrit Shlokas, Ganesh Vandana, dancing to temple songs as well as Bollywood numbers highlighting our rich Indian culture!!! It was a great achievement by the IYE Committee and specially Rtn.
-Nashik
Mamta & Manish Jaiswal for taking so much of effort. The concluding session had various items like few proposals to District bye-laws, incoming Governor Dr Nikhil Kibe's invitation to next year's “Anubhuti” Conference, and concluding remarks from RIPR Gehan and DG Dada. It finally concluded with a vote of thanks and singing of the National Anthem. Some of the contingent visited India's most famous Sula Vineyards. It was an amazing experience. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Wine tasting & the visit to factory. We all returned back on Monday 22nd morning with lot of sweet memories of Parvani. Rotarians who attended the conference were PDG Vishwas Saharabhojanee, PDG Dr. Satish Sule & Rt.Ann Dr Sunanda Sule, PP's Shriram Marawar, Sati Khanna, Vijay Naidu, Tauby Bhagwagar, Shabbir Shakir, Atul Shah, President Bharat Goenka, First Lady Jyoti Goenka, Rotarians Kapil Bahri, Parag Paranjape, Arati Kibe, Pratap Chandarana, Mamta Jaiswal, Sanjay Sethi, Jatin Sampat, Monal Malji, Manish Jaiswal, Rt.Ann's Mrinalini Marawar, Reeti Khanna, Vinita Bahri, Richa Sethi & Gouri Malji. -Gouri Malji / Vijay Naidu
25th December The 25th December meeting had a Christmas flavor. President Bharat welcomed everyone and extended birthdays and anniversary greetings to the members. Performance certificates were handed over to Rtn Sushma Hedaoo, Rtn Rakhi Bhatia and Rtn Hemant Jaitha. PP Vijay Naidu gave a brief insight on the District Conference held in Nasik and appealed for registrations for the next District Conference to be held in Mumbai. Parag Paranjape announced of the Inter Club Cricket Tournament to be held in January. The guest speaker for the evening was Mr. Piyush Kumar- Director, SCZCC, introduced by Rtn Rita Agrawal. His creativity and innovative ideas have changed the SCZCC into a hub of
W EEKLY MEETI N G
activities. Mr.Piyush hails from Haryana, has a doctorate in Music and has masters in Hindi and Sanskrit. He gave a brief on SCZCC and its mandate to encourage folk dance, craft, music and cuisine. It has grown from doing just 34 programs to 700 programs a year with SCZCC - NGO partnership programs and the Young Artist Scheme to help the younger generation to imbibe culture and learn organizational skills. Yoga classes and other musical recitals are held in the early hours of the day, as he feels 'Divine music joined with nature' gives immense joy and fulfillment. They also promote Lokyatra, aim at reviving Guru-Shishya parampara, workshops for folk, classical arts, mushairas, etc. towards which they have also started an online information site.
His life's philosophy is "Apne liye Jiye toe kya Jiye, Desh ke liye kuch kar Jaye!" The IYE students recited Sanskrit Shloks beautifully and all present applauded their efforts. The vote of thanks was proposed by Jyoti Goenka. The meeting was adjourned after the National Anthem. - Nilufer Rana
There is only 1 universal truth as far as RCN is concerned. It is the Chairpersons who actually plan and execute the activities in every sphere of service. We are happy to assign responsibility, expect‌ rather demand flawless execution, raise our hats and honour them when they achieve, but are shamelessly callous in shunning them at business meetings. Of course we have the little book which we brandish, unmindful that the little book and its even smaller fine print deserves change. I believe the question is moot. Member or spouse, male or female should have equal rights to be present AND to participate in any deliberations of any meeting of the Club. Nimish Sutaria All the chairpersons or committee members, whether
Annes or Annas --- If their work is acknowledged by the club through awards, citations and public recognition. I honestly don't think they mind or even care about being included in the business meeting. Yes, if their contributions went unrecognized, then sure, they would have cause for complaint‌ but as long as they are valued and rewarded...it really shouldn't matter one way or the other. Vindhya Sanjana Yes I definately vouch for it as most of our chairpersons are spouses n they are the ones who work hard for projects to be executed at ground level. Rita Bhargava They cannot be given equal status and exercise their voting rights unless they are full members. Jimmy Sanjana
Dear vindhya, In this era where we talk about women empowerment and all, it looks like a gimmick, there should not be any talk of giving equal status as this leads to Inequality itself. Specially in India where still women is looked down upon, should be allowed to vote for themselves whether they wanna be a part of the meets or not, instead of us dictating terms. Its a hypocrisy that the spouse does most of the projects but are not allowed for the meetings. Best Regards, Sandiip CS Vaid I think in business meetings it would be ... Too many cooks spoil the broth .... The spouses I Presume are happy doing what they r doing ... And need not be included in the business meetings Anula Goenka
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
continued from page no.2
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ROTARY CLUB OF NA GPUR C ALENDAR FRO M 1st JANUARY 2015 - 4th FEBRUARY 2015
Mon Rajendra Kumar Jaiswal
3
FEBRUARY
Tue Sudeshna Chourasia
4
FEBRUARY
Wed Dr. Anil Choudhari
1
Thu Deepika Malhotra
Hiralal Mulani
Vaibhav Jaiswal
BUSINESS MEETING
6 Gogi Singh Bhasin Dr. Ravindra Deshmukh Harbhajan Singh
7
8
12
13 Sunil Kakar
19
20
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
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Dr. Anant Gade Richa Sethi Kirti Jain Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh VSS Wardhapan Divas
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15
Rukshad Bhagwagar Ritu Agrawal Raj Shah Ladies Committee – Women of Substance – a vocational showcase WEEKLY MEETING
Bhupesh & Bhavna Kalra Sanjiv & Kanupriya Agrawal Sanjay & Punam Sahu Sandeep & Urwi Suri Sunil & Manju Sahni
28 Sarang P. Kale Fatema Shakir
29 Sushma Sharma
Rahul & Divya Sharma Ashok & Savita Mokha Shamsha & Hafeez Raiyani
24 Aspi Bapuna Sunil Bhatia
Neelesh & Alka Agrawal Dr. Ravi & Kiran Wankhede Vinod & Pranoti Parekh
Opthalmic camp at Hemalkasa
Shivkumar & Geeta Rao Rajesh & Gira Soni
25 Fellowship Cricket Match of our club at WCL Ground.
Vishal & Alpana Agrawal
Prakash & Jaishree Jain
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Pratap & Jayshree Chandarana Jagdish & Prabha Agrawal
Birthday
Kantilal Singhee Bina Jaiswal Bela Thapar Anita Sutaria Back to the Future – Mentoring Committee programme for young rotarians National Immunization Day - Pulse Polio
Opthalmic camp at Hemalkasa
Gagan & Reema Sial Bunty & Sonu Rawal Manmohan & Anita Sharma Habeeb & Smita Khan
Namita Sharma
All the events listed are on the basis of available information. While all care has been taken, errors and omissions, if any, are unintentional & may be excused. Please confirm details / schedules with the concerned organization for changes, if any – Ed.
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Renu Chopra Gunjan Deveshwar Akanksha Singhania
WEEKLY MEETING
Dr.Hargun & Rajni Sangtani Farooq & Farzana Haque
Praveen & Sudeshna Chourasia
Rajiv Behal Chitnavis Centre Traveller's Adda 6:30p.m. ‘Disha' Career Guidance Program CP CLub Music Director and Composer Amit Trivedi performing live TiE Nagpur Chapter TSS (TiE Stree Shakti) with Ms. Rita Agrawal Mohan & Aarti Anand Surinderpal & Rajbir Kaur Singh
Chitnavis Centre 16th to 18th “New Tints” An Art Exhibition at Rangayan Gallery
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Chitnavis Centre MUDRA Sitar solo by Dr. Uday Gupet 7:00p.m.
RYLA Jehangir & Dilshad Doongaji Shiraz & Annahita Doongaji
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Jyoti Goenka Laxmi Wadhwani
Rajiv & Rita Bhargava Bharat & Jyoti Goenka Bobby & Prema Srinivas
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16
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SCZCC : Brahmanaad RYLA Inter Club Cricket (finals)
Inter Club Cricket match with RC of Mihan Town
Akash & Shilpa Agrawal Ashish & Mamta Mehadia Vinita & Anil Bhatia
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Dr.Surajit Hazra Anju Bansal Rajesh Datar
WEEKLY MEETING
Nakul Malani Ranjeet Singh Khanduja
Vishal & Anagha Jaiswal Vivek Bhangde Sunanda Sahasrabhojanee Prakash Jain Daksha Mandhaniya Anupam & Mamta Rai Aspi & Mehru Bapuna Abad & Villoo Bapuna Dr.Nikunj & Darshana Pawar Renu & Sunil Chopra Parag & Varsha Paranjpe
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Archana Jain Pallavi Thakkar
TiE Nagpur Chapter Brief Idea about the Patents with Mr. Prashant Godbole with ED-Cell Partner VNIT Rajiv & Urvashi Yashroy
Sandeep Suri Gurmeet Singh Vij
Shashi Thapar Charudatt Joglekar Mahendra Kamath
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TiE Nagpur Chapter TIBPC (TiE International Business Plan Competition 2015) Regional level Quarter Final
Chitnavis Centre Film Screening – Etre Et Avoir (France) 7:00p.m.
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Anjum & Abdul Husain
Sun
Yashpal Seth Mehru Bapuna Rachana Singh
Vaishali Jaiswal
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Meena Verma Farooq Haque Kumar Kale Inter Club Cricket match with Nagpur Downtown
Rozina & Shamsuddin Rana
4
Sat
Rama & Priti Ramakrishnan
Sati Khanna Bhawna Kalra Vinita Chaturvedi
Manjot Singh & Gurinder Kahai Appu & Laxmi Wadhwani
3
Fri Mamta S. Kanga
Brijesh & Priya Sahu Kapil & Anita Sutaria
Prem & Sangeeta Grover
5
2
Anniversary
Manjiri R. Datar Priya Sahu Chitnavis Centre PARAMPARA 6:00p.m.
1
FEBRUARY
Pavneet Singh
Stagecraft Theatre Hindi Comedy-HORN OK PLEASE In aid of CAFE TiE Nagpur Chapter EOE (Evening of Entrepreneurship)
Stagecraft Theatre Hindi Comedy-HORN OK PLEASE In aid of CAFE
Anand & Parul Gadodia
Girish & Gayatri Deodhar
City Events
Meeting
Project
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
2
FEBRUARY
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MI N D IT ACROSS
DOWN
The Winners of each of these mind games will win a Tub of Dinshaw’s Ice Cream. In case of Multiple correct entries, lots would be drawn and winner declared.
SOLUTIONS DECEMBER PUZZLES CROSS WORD
December Winner
Dr Namrata Rathod SUDOKU
December Winner
Anil Sahasrabhojanee
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
NOTE PAD
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PS: Winners names were drawn by lot out of the correct entries received. Editor
-Hetal Sampat
YO U N G A C HIEVER
He joined his fathers business, Nagpur Chemicals (P) Limited – of setting up Chlorination plants for the Municipal Corporation till Rite Water was born. The Head office is in Nagpur and an office has been set up at Calcutta as well..their short term plan is to establish a presence pan India. Rite Water has recently raised investments from Samriddhi Fund which is envisaged by Government of UK's Department for International Development in association with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to provide capital to social enterprises which can deliver both financial and social returns in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and West Bengal. This funding will help Rite Water to scale up across India and reach 5000 habitations in next 5 years thereby providing access to safe water to more than 1 Mn rural people. Rite Water has recently been awarded the Indo-US Science and Technology award. They are also collaborating with the University of Lehigh, Pennsylvania, USA who has developed the nano material for water improvements and which will be manufactured by Rite Water in India for removal of arsenic and fluoride from water. The company is working in this space since 2009 and since then
has set up 200+ community water centres in water quality affected habitations across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. These water purification plants provide safe water to around 150,000 people on daily basis. Abhijeet Gaan was also featured amongst the 5 finalists of the Masterpreneur profiled by CNBC India. Whew !! So many achievements in a short span !! We wish Abhijeet All the Best for all his future endeavours and hope every Indian can have the basic facility of clean drinking water…Way to go Abhijeet !!
FR O N T PA G E
CREDITS
DG Visit to ZP School Bokhara
Director: Rina Sinha Chairperson: Nilufer Rana Editor: Nimish Sutaria Processing: Eskay's Scanner Designing: Gurushree Graphics Printing: Shabbir Shakir Paper: Courtesy BILT Coordination : Prashant Rajurkar Team Golden Orange
Cricket for Visually Impaired Diagnostic Camp at Topworth Paedopathshala at Wonderland School Ladies day Out
STAY CONNECTED We sincerely request you to share your comments about this issue. We look forward to your candid views which we will publish verbatim. Send in your responses to nimish.sutaria@gmail.com, You can also send your feedback by SMS or Whats app to +91 98231 07884
FOR COMPLETE SOLUTION OF YOUR DIAGNOSTIC NEEDS & HEALTH CHECK UP, NABL ACCREDITED
Dhruv Pathology Laboratory, Aditya Enclave, 3rd floor, Opposite Somalwar School,Nagpur-10, 0712-3265328
DIRECTOR DR. SHAILENDRA MUNDHADA
Dhruv Laboratories. J-11 Laxmi Nagar WHC Road, Nagpur. Ph: 3295328
For Complete solution in Blood Banking, NABH Accredited
JEEVAN JYOTI BLOOD BANK
JP Chambers, Madhav Nagar, Nagpur-10, Ph. : 0712-6640411, 2230876
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
THEY MADE IT !! Young Achievers – Abhijeet Gaan – CEO and Co-Founder – Rite Water Solutions (I) Pvt. Limited. A man on a mission....a mission to achieve clean drinking water in rural India. A visit to Dongargoan village in Taluka Village brought to light the plight of villagers affected by skeletal fluorosis due to excess fluoride content in the ground water. 70% of the population of the village was affected by dental fluorosis and bone deformity. Treatment of the ground water was required on an urgent basis. After studying research for treatment of this ground water, electrolysis was identified as the method for improvement. But this research was lab level. Abhijeet Gaan and his father Vinod Gaan undertook this research on a field level and thus was born Rite Water Solutions (I) Pvt. Limited....THE company for solutions to Rural water improvements. Born and raised in Nagpur, Abhijeet did his early schooling at Somalwar High School, Ramdaspeth followed by B.E. from BITS Pilani and then an MBA from S.P.Jain Mumbai. He did work for a while for a US Based IT company and then was recruited by Accenture Consulting. But he was always sure that he would either join his fathers business or start up on his own. Since he was advised that consulting would not add value to his skill to be an entrepreneur he gave up on the offer of Accenture Consulting.
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I N SH O RT
Mayrig by Henri Verneuil Last week I finally had the chance to see “Mayrig” (meaning mother), which I had taped on the MGM channel long back. A fitting description for the movie would be beautiful and touching. A French movie starring my all-time favourite Omar Sharif, the story is about the Armenian genocide of 1915 and the exodus from Armenia. This movie is a semi-autobiographical film written and directed by Henri Verneuil. The story revolves around a family who rebuilt their life in the South of France, following their escape from Armenia. The struggle of the family, their love and warmth for the child, and all the sacrifices made to educate the boy is well depicted, so is the happiness of being together. The movie was an eye opener, because we all know of the Jewish genocide, but have little or no knowledge of the Armenian one and the atrocities inflicted on them by the Ottomans. It is all the more relevant now, since 2015 is the centenary of this incident, which still fails to receive recognition officially, despite the death toll of over 1.5 million.
SKI N C ARE
-Dr Jaishree Masand
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
Skin Care in winter:
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TV SH O W S
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy TV - Madhavi Naidu series created for HBO, based on the book series 'A Song of Ice and Fire',by George R. R. Martin. It's the depiction of powerful families -- kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and honest men -- playing a deadly game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and to sit atop the 'Iron Throne'. The art direction, acting and incredible sets are breathtaking. It is one of most expensive shows on TV, filmed on 3 continents and in 6 countries. 2 languages Dothraki and Valyrian, were also created just for GoT. What's unusual is that no one stays a permanent hero or a villain...you just can't guess what happens next. One Warning though- be prepared for unnecessary nudity and violence. Its so popular world over that people have named their babies 'Arya' and 'Khaleesi' after the characters and terms like 'Stark Luck' are being used to describe people who have really bad luck. As for me it was an addiction...I 'binge-watched' it and can't wait for the 5th season to start...
The skin is a mirror of your health. It becomes dry in cold weather, especially if it's windy or when you drive, as moisture evaporates off the skin and oil glands produce less oil. Use a heavier moisturiser than you would otherwise use. Moisturise every morning and at night wash your face to remove makeup and pollutants and then apply moisturiser on the face, neck and whole body. Use sunscreen with SP Give your lips extra attention in order to avoid chapping. Vaseline or lip balm is protective. Hair too goes dry, weak and brittle with the cold, so select a shampoo with a conditioner and moisturiser. Try oiling hair
M O VIES - Neeta Kale
It remains the agenda of the Armenian Government to ensure that the Turkish Government acknowledges this genocide. It persists as a taboo subject in Turkey even today. A very sensitive and touching movie; don't miss a chance to see it. I recommend it highly. once a fortnight. Use warm water to wash hair. Avoid hot water and hair dryers. Excess heat causes dryness and later dermatitis. Eat a balanced diet , especially proteins. Plenty of water gives glow to skin, so drink enough water even if you are not thirsty and avoid too much coffee. Avoid using exfoliators, loofah, harsh brushes and pumice stone.
O N FARMI N G
-Kirti Jain
A vocation as old as the human race - now much derided for its association with farmer's suicides. How come the basic human need has come to such a pass that hardly anyone engages in it today? This is a complex question with no easy answer. Against the current, I ventured into farming some 5 years ago. One needs to be as methodical and technically knowledgeable as in any industrial activity. There are myriad issues that need to be understood and jelled together like water source, water and soil analysis, weather, land slopes, market study, storage and transport, market analysis etc. The tricky part is management of labour. In a rural context, labour is an entirely different ball-game. Eventually labour management and therefore its cost can make or break an agricultural venture. Unlike in an industry, farming deals with living beings plants and animals. Therefore the involvement of heart as much as head is essential. Personally, at the end of all herculean efforts put in, nothing can compare to the sight and feel of gleaming vegetables, luscious fruits and shiny grains that mother earth gifts a farmer!
Though block heels are in vogue at the moment, to say that only a particular style of shoe is in fashion, is basically only a half truth. The fact of the matter is that different outfits require different styles to complete the look. Therefore, despite what may be currently trending, there is always an occasion that requires all those
beauties tucked away in ones shoe racks. Sometimes it's the color, but very often it's the style. Red carpet appearances ideally require sparkly sky-high heels, cropped trousers look best with pumps and platforms, short skirts do well with gladiators or low heeled shoes or even high top sneakers, kaftans and flowing
drapes really rock with rhinestone studded flats, romantic dresses and saris need delicate sandals, garden parties scream for wedges, and edgy tailored silhouettes can make a huge statement with Lady Gaga type footwear! The basic mantra is: Find your niche and be ADVENTUROUS!!
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
SH O E FASHI ON -Vindhya Sanjana
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SMILI N G FA CES
-Hetal Sampat
Dr. Sachin Upalanchiwar – Recipient of scholarship funded by Scholarship Committee – Rotary Club of Nagpur Aim for the moon and reach the stars. He is an Ayurveda Doctor. A Post Graduate in Ayurveda Medicine and now an Assistant Professor in the reputed R.A Poddar Medical College (Ayurveda) Worli, Mumbai. He has done his Bachelors in Ayurveda Medicine in Nagpur and completed his MD from the famous Ayurveda Centre in Kottakkal, Kerala. An All India First Ranker in the All India Entrance examination for Post Graduation. Meet Dr. Sachin Upalanchiwar...clearly an inspiration for many... He grew up in Mukutban – A small village about 35 Kms from Wani in Taluka Zari Jamni. His father is a farmer and mother a homemaker. He studied in the village school till Class 10 and completed his 11th and 12th from the Baba Amte run - Anand Niketan College in Warora. He moved to Nagpur for his Graduation and stayed at Ramakrishna Mission for 2 years. He has fond memories of his time at the mission and feels that staying there has tremendously improved his quality of life and his approach to activities. In his words “There are some experiences that money can't buy and living in the math is one of them”. From daily chores, to his studies he has learnt all at the Math. He recalls that he needed a Dictionary costing about Rs.
700 for his studies and the only way to get money was to travel to his village and request his father to raise the sum. Neither the thought of spending 4 days travelling to the village (and consequently missing classes) and requesting his father for the money appealed to him. The then warden of the Hostel understood his dilemma and introduced him to Rotarians from our club. Consequently a scholarship of Rs. 1000 was arranged for this meritorious student. He was also invited by the Atreya Ayurveda Foundation to Moscow, Russia as a member of the Foundation to give a series of lectures/presentation. It was a pleasure talking with him telephonically. Here is a gentleman who has not only excelled professionally but is a confident and articulate communicator as well.....a long way from the small village he has grown up in. We are proud of you Dr. Sachin and sure that you will go places.
BRI N G I N G SMILES -Shivkumar Rao
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
December was the family month in Rotary. The dictionary meaning of family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children. The Rotary family is much wider with fellow members, spouses, children, Parents; Youth exchange students, Rotractors, Interactors, GSE team members and so on. However, there are a few people in the world who embrace completely unknown people and make them their family showering them with all the love, taking care of them, living with them and also experiencing sorrow when these outsiders leave this world. The GO Team spoke to 3 individuals whose contribution to humanity is indeed outstanding and has really changed the concept of family. We asked them about their activities, feelings, and difficulties and how the world supports them in this endeavor. Smt. Sampada Tumbde, Special Teacher at Dr. Sonutai Agnihotri Residential School for Deaf & Dumb – This school, in the building donated by Dr. Agnihotri, was setup
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in 1991 for the children from rural areas. Currently we have 40 children aged between 3 & 14. These children belong to the under privileged section and we try our best to improve their communication method so as to get them into the mainstream by the age of 12. These children are with us till class IV after which we normally shift them to Tilak Mahavidyala, Ramdaspeth so that they mix with normal children and get to lead a somewhat normal life. But a number of these children go back as free residential schools are not available. They are then exploited or lead a frustrated life and
We are eligible for government assistance of Rs 900/- per child per month, which is grossly inadequate to bring up a child. Even this small amount is not disbursed to us since the last 1-½ years. We are therefore dependent on Institutions like Rotary for assistance by way of cash or kind. Dr.Brother Shashikant - Vijaya Pariwar, Nursing Home for physically and mentally Disabled – An old man, in his eighties, his son and his family were not looking after not keeping good health. At one stage, his family rendered him homeless. Loneliness and medical problems were driving him to commit suicide. It is then that Brother Shashikant came in and took him to his house in Hudkeshwar called as Vijaya Parivar where he is looked after 24 hours. Running a 15-member old age home and making unknown individuals his family is Brother Shashikant as psychotherapist of geriatric conditions. Having been trained in nursing by Red Cross Society he is running this facility for the aged since 1996. I had always wanted to serve the destitute. When I completed my studies, I went to Baba Amte's ashram, but I returned disappointed. I wished to serve people but I was not offered a place there. In the last 19 years, I have treated and given a home to at 175 deprived patients. These patients had come to me in the most critical stage of their illness, and I have made them feel so much at home that they recovered significantly and stayed with me till the end. Any family who leaves its member with me has to pay a sum of Rs 12,000 as the monthly charge of the patient's food and medicine. Though it is difficult to manage expenses, I have continued despite all odds. It is necessary for me to charge those who can afford so that I can treat the less fortunate for free. Today, I have 14
patients who live with me. Most of them are senior citizens who are bedridden and can't do a thing on their own. Some have to be fed with a spoon. They can become impulsive at any time and so I have to be with them all round the clock. I have no schedule of my own. Night has not meant sleep to me for the last 19 years. I have no servants. My wife cooks for everyone. I feel satisfied because of I am of help to those whom no other helps. I don't belong to their creed or caste and yet, they are my family. I am here for them now, and I shall be there for their last rituals Ram Ingole, Secretary, Amrapali Utkarsh Sangh – Vimlashram Gharkul, Nagpur. At Vimlashram Gharkul-Nagpur, children of commercial sex workers (CSW) are given safe and secure asylum for rehabilitation including their stay, food, education and employability. It is not a mere centre of rehabilitation but it is a big model family with value education and fostering culture of India. At present we have 43 inmates from Nursery to College going both boys and girls. So far AUS could rehabilitate 10 inmates by completing their higher education with MSW, BE and got married and living with dignified life. Navin Desai Residential School, Panchgaon. Navin Desai Residential School, Panchgaon is a product of Vimlashram Gharkul. As a matter of social responsibility, the children of Vimlashram spotted the most vulnerable sector, the kids of poor stone quarry workers at Panchgaon 25 km far from Nagpur. Initially in 2005, started Sunday school for them under a tree, later in a tin shed and now it turned into a residential school with pucca building caring around 200 children both boys and girls studying from 1st to 7th Std.
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
many a times commit suicide.
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LET US F O R TO G O !
The Impressive excavation sites at Mansar -Sheela Singhee
We've all heard of Mohenjodaro of course, but don't see many of us headed there, so head out on NH 6 to Mansar instead and there you areHidimba Tekri comprising 5 sites spanning four dynasties, just 50 Kms from Nagpur! Declared a protected site in 1935, it took the chance discovery of a Shiva image in 1972 that blew the dust covers off. The excavations smack of past life regressions! There is evidence galore of the Mauryas and Sungas (300 BC-200 BC), the Satvahanas (200 BC-250AD) and last the Vakatakas (275550 AD). The five sites comprise a Shiva temple, a temple complex with shrines, remains of 4 out of original 12 Shivlings, and designated places for meditation and discourses. And then the show stopper - the palace complex of Pravarasena II of the Vakatakas. The building material for all these, except the Shivlings, is bricks. I have come away with memories of the scalloped fortifications, a narrow flight of steps with triangular slabs, caves that were 15 feet deep and a regal seat overlooking the lake below. The fact that excavation is still ongoing, with new discoveries being made every few months, adds to the mystique of the place. A "wholesome" excursion with Mansar kachoris for the foodies, a trek over the hills for the active, and darshan for the religious indeed make for a memorable half-day trip from Nagpur.
TRAVEL D O CTO R
JANUARY 2015 GOLDEN ORANGE
Dear Travel Doctor, Can you give me advise on finding the best airfares, both domestic and international? Ans. : With so many websites at our fingertips, it's easier than ever before to find great deals and the best airfares just sitting at home. Kayak.com (with its Android and IOS app) is a great tool that compares several websites for best fares and is equally reliable for domestic as well as international tickets. It even has a fare alert, and with fares changing frequently, it's very handy if you must travel on a particular flight which is showing an expensive fare. Another great tool is Skyscanner.net, especially good for Low Cost carriers. And then of course there's websites such as makemytrip.com, Expedia etc. Look around and compare. With most airlines now operating a pricing structure that is governed by demand generally speaking, short-haul flights tend to be most expensive in the mornings and evenings, especially on Mondays and Fridays as business travellers are more likely to taking connections where they can maximize their day. The case is somewhat different with long-haul flights, and flights departing early in the morning tend to be cheaper than day time or overnight flights. If planning a holiday, and you have flexible dates, it is best to book about 2-3 months in advance, avoid peak holiday periods and lookout for special deals that many airlines offer for advance purchase. You should always search for a range of dates to know what is the best fare you can expect. But it always pays to be careful with purchasing tickets in advance, be aware of the cancellation and date change penalties. Happy Travelling! Travel doctor Rahul Kale welcomes queries on travel related subjects. Write to him at kale.rahul@gmail.com
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Famous for its mangoes........yes we are talking about Ratnagiri..... the birth place of Lokmanya Tilak, located on the spectacular Konkan coast, it's a feast for the soul!
35 km north you reach a village named Tural. There, tucked away in the mountains, is rustic village called “Mamancha Ghar” aka Rustic Village Resort. Run by Shilpa and Nitin Karkare, they take pride in calling their ancestral property a “home stay”, with 6 mud cottages (with all the modcons though, especially the bathrooms!). Vegetable are o rg a n i c a l l y g r o w n a n d c o o k e d simplistically to make delicious meals. For a princely sum of 150 per person, eat all you want, but non veg has to be pre ordered. The place is totally eco friendly with no mobile signal towers, enabling us
TURAL RUSTIC VILLA G E
to enjoy the moment and the company too. After lunch one can drive to the natural hot water spring which is located next to a 400 year old Shivaji Mandir, 8 kms away. The hot springs are worshipped by the locals, who claim to never get any diseases if one bathes there !! The walk towards it is totally green and surrounded by hills. After this visit, you can proceed to the other end of the hill which is the backwaters of the sea. It is totally serene, surrounded by dense forests...calm and extremely scenic...a boat ride can be hitched as the locals will oblige with a small token amount given to them. When you return to “Mamancha Ghar” ....your appetite is whetted for more of the food and after dinner indulge in a long chat with the owners who don't seem to tire telling you stories galore.... The next morning one can go for a jungle walk with Ramu kaka....he takes us on the path which is almost like an amazon forest.....and suddenly you arrive on a flat land....tall grass...blue skies..Peacocks and Deer...no Shahrukh Khan popping up with his violin like in
DDLJ......the cow with the swiss bell is also missing.....simplicity.....breath of fresh air....everything is environment friendly..... a sojourn which leaves you with a message .....nature is bountiful only if you nurture it......
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-Anula Goenka
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IMPA CTI N G LIVES...
WALKATH O N
-PP Atul Shah
program Finance generation for our Club for other Humanitarian Projects Created an opportunity to partner with Corporate Sector and thereby involve them through their CSR funds - From a Project, Walkathon has become a “Brand” today. Last year the total budget for Walkathon was Rs.10 lacs, Revenue generation of Rs.15 lacs and a whopping Surplus of Rs.5 lacs! -
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Walkathon – the name creates a buzz within our Club as well as across Nagpur. This Mega project of our Club is scheduled in the month of February. It was conceived and started in the Rotary year 2004-5 as a major Public Relations exercise and to promote “Healthy way of Life”. Rotary International and our Club in particular have been engaged in Humanitarian services in every sphere of life. The need was to reach out and let the world know, so that more people get aware and involved in the same. Walkathon 2004-5 got an overwhelming response with over 1500 Nagpurians participating. Looking at the success, our Club decided to make it an annual feature since. The numbers kept increasing year on year and Rotary year 2013-14 saw 6000 Nagpurians participating!! Gains for our Club through this project have been multifold – - Tremendous visibility and a wonderful Public Relations
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Walkathon Revenue - Expenditure
The items that are collected are sent to about 21 states in India via GOONJ's network.
Ek Jodi Kapda Ek Jodi Kapda is an initiative taken by Goonj and Whirlpool. The central thought of this initiative is to get people of India to contribute by giving away their old clothes which lie in their closet and are never worn. The collection centers for this are located all across India and people can volunteer and set up a collection center where it is absent. One can contribute any piece of wearable clothing: it could be pair of jeans, t-shirts that do not fit anymore etc. You can also give school material; school bags, shoes, stationary, school uniforms, water bottles, toys, games, books, newspapers & one side used paper.
- Dinesh Naidu
Cloth For Work (CFW)
School to School (S2S) ‘School to School' is a unique solution to a problem faced by thousands of remote village schools, which lack infrastructure and basic facilities, critical for a child to have basic experience of schooling. GOONJ's School to School (S2S) initiative is addressing the educational needs of thousands of remote & resource starved village/ slum schools by channelizing under-utilised material of city's affluent schools. While connecting the two extreme ends of the society, it opens a space of interaction between the two as well. Without burdening anyone, 'School to School' makes channel cost-effective and easily replicable concept, evolved on the basis of prevalent practices in urban schools. The Process & Social Impact; The idea is to motivate urban school kids to contribute the material that they are not using anymore, as every year most children buy a new set of uniforms, copies, stationery, water bottles, shoes, lunch box etc. when they move on to the next class. The urban children, parents & school authorities are sensitized about the needs of their less fortunate counterparts; Materials like old books, uniforms, shoes, school bags, etc. are channelised to thousands of village children, motivating them towards learning. It is not given as charity, but as a reward after a regular monitoring on a series of behavior, attitude, and performance aspects.
The idea: When we talk of basic needs, we say food, cloth & shelter, but in the list of development subjects; from domestic violence to global warming, clothing is not listed as a subject. We think of clothes during disasters only. Why a basic need of entire human kind is treated as disaster relief material? Why do we treat Cloth as mere charitable object- to donate!! Goonj works on turning old material as a resource for hundreds of rural development activities. Communities have built huge bamboo bridges, dug up wells, have done bunding of acres of land, developed small irrigation canals, have built drainage systems, built village schools and have taken up massive exercises of repairing roads, developing water harvesting systems to cleaning up water bodies. All these works are done not by paying wages to people but by making them understand their own community power, using old material as a reward. GOONJ is using material from the cities as an entry point into people's lives. This is a work where not only the old underutilized material fills up the gaps of resources in development works but is also dignifying the act of Giving, now thousands of people don't get material as charity or donation but earn as reward in lieu of their work. Material is used as a tool here and not just as a commodity only; thus, nurturing village people's thought process, knowledge and empowering them to evolve innovative solutions around the local issues. On a macro level, GOONJ's work is also setting a precedent in terms of preventing massive material wastage from becoming an environment disaster. For more details log on to www.goonj.org
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Knowing Goonj.. Goonj is not only about making cheap sanitary napkins for underprivileged women in India, but it is: • The first to- Highlight clothing as a basic but unaddressed need which deserves a place on the development agenda. • The first to- Reposition discard of urban households as a development resource for villages, moving away from its age old stance as a charitable object. • One of the few- organizations in the world, constructively reviving and strengthening rural volunteerism, to solve its own problems, digging deep into the age old wisdom and knowledge base of the villages. The very effective and globally recognized programs of Goonj which can be emulated by our club:
SH O W C ASE
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FRESH ME N
New Members
-Manju Shahani
Ajay and Alka Kanoria
It was Music that brought them to our Club. About a decade back, Ajay joined the R C of Nagpur Ishanya at the invite of a friend. Both Alka and Ajay loved Rotary but the meeting and project timings were not convenient to them. Gradually their attendance decreased and finally after just a couple of years, they quit. Alka, who is a regular at a music class would meet Anagha Jaiswal, Nimish Sutaria, me and envied us our fellowships and our singing programs etc., so when Ajay mentioned that President Bharat had invited him, she was more than keen to be a part of the band wagon! Ajay, born and brought up in Nagpur is an ex student of SFS School, GS College and started to study for CA but early involvement in business kept him from completing it. He runs a Cutting Tools Unit, “EMKAY TOOLS”at MIDC, which was started by his father and has now come to him. Alka, also from Nagpur, did her early schooling at St. Joseph's Convent and then moved to Lucknow, as her dad worked there with the Birla Group, so it was La Martiniere and laler Loretto from where she did her BSc. in IT. She loves singing and is very keen on Medical Projects and other Community Service Projects. Ajay loves Photography and Gardening and would love to be a part of any Community Service. They have two daughters, Apoorvashree , 28 who is married and settled in Chennai while Anandita is 13 and in the Eighth grade at Centre Point School. Welcome Ajay and Alka! Welcome to the Rotary Fold.
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Sanjay and Neelam Kothari
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When a Marwari boy marries a Gujju girl, one would think it was a love marriage! Not so in this case though. It was a very regular, arranged marriage. He was from Nagpur and she from Sholapur. They saw one another and Cupid struck! It was Love at first sight. 25 years ago, Sanjay Kothari met Neelam and they decided to tie the nuptial knot. Sanjay was born at Kagaznagar, Sirpur. After early schooling he moved to Nagpur. He took up science and aspired to be a doctor, just one day at medical school and he knew that medicine was not his cup of tea. So Commerce it was from then on. A degree in Chartered Accountancy and a long private practice with wife Neelam and he was once again ready for a change. Leaving Neelam to manage the show, he moved on to Luxora Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. as CEO – ENSARA. He is all set to bring up a new township to the city of Nagpur. While dad Sanjay is bringing in a new concept in housing, son Dhawal at 24 has completed BBA from Mumbai and started a new restaurant Zuree Urban Kitchen which is already a favourite with many. Achal, the younger son, at 20 is in 3rd year Commerce and aspires to be a CA like his parents. They are very new to Rotary and need to explore a bit before they really get involved. Sanjay is fond of gardening and sketching while Neelam loves to read and watch movies. Welcome to the Rotary family, Sanjay and Neelam!
Charter Night Celebrations Continued from Page no. 7
BLOOD DONATION -16th December
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30 Units Collected At Tuli College of Hotel Management
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