O JANUARY 2019
Happy New Year
MELGHAT SURGERY CAMP
CHARTER NIGHT CELEBRATIONS
DG CLUB ASSEMBLY
CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL
VOCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
WEEKLY MEETINGS
HEALTH CHECK UP CAMP
NEW MEMBERS’ INDUCTIONS
| R.I. President : Rtn. Barry Rassin | District Governor : Rtn. Rajiv Sharma | Club President : Rtn. Kapil Bahri | Established : 1944 | R.I. District 3030 | Club ID : 15587 |
President’s Message Dear Fellow Rotarians, It is that time of the year. When you realise that you had planned and resolved many ambitions almost the same time last year. Most of the times you don't even remember what they were. What you remember are those lovely moments of achievements and laughter and some of sorrow of parting. I hope you had more of the former than the latter this year. Some things we will always wish we could have done instead of waiting for the appropriate time to do.
fortunate ones there are some who will spread joy and happiness to not only those who matter to them but also to those who lack the strength and ability to dream of a happy tomorrow. Our successes will only be remembered by us but when we share and spread joy the fragrance lasts forever. We embark in the coming months on projects and activities which will improve the lives of many, unrelated to us, and the warmth of our deeds should keep us snug despite the chill of the weather. To each one reading this, I wish you and your families a healthy, prosperous, successful and memorable year ahead. May all your dreams be happy and may they all come true.
Rtn Kapil Bahri
Another year with another resolve and that is because we are fortunate, for we have the strength and the ability to look to a better tomorrow with hope and confidence. And among these
President 2018-19.
Editor’s Thoughts The new year has already bull dozed itself with all the expected stuff during this time. Whether or not we believe in, we automatically take stock of our lives and it just all happens so customarily. And then there are the usual.. resolutions that are not kept, ideas that are abandoned… I have realised that some plans may not work out, but the life we live on the side while making these grand plans, is what makes life absolutely interesting. At the onset I asked my daughter to get into some sort of exercise instead of running in her place. She's more like Hermione of Hogwarts, books and reading are her thing. So while I was nudging her I realised, anything you tell your kids, will at one point of time, be used for or against you. My husband who's joined a runners' group asked me to accompany him instead of just preaching to the kids. And I said it's better if I continue with my walk. Oh, the occasional walk! Though I also run. I've been running ever since I was a child... mostly off, than on!! but run I do. So chances were more that I'd run off! And he's never asked me to run again.
But yes it does tell us, time may also be running out. So in all the vastness of this new year, grab your moments of joy, spread happiness and make a difference in others' lives. That's the essence of Rotary and that's what truly matters in the long run!
-Rt. Ann. Sona Ajmera Please write to us at editor@rotaryclubofnagpur.org or whatsapp to 9822228050 / 9890037799.
Letter to the editor Dear Editor, I should have written this earlier, however it is a delight to have read what seemed to be the brand new GO. With the new layout, selected and printed matter it surpasses my expectation. My warm congratulations to you, and through you to all those who contribute to the wonderful final result every month. It's my pleasure and pride in reading the GO. Warm Wishes
-Rtn. Sunil Thapar
CREDITS Director : Rajeev Javery
Designing : Cyrus Watchmaker
Chairperson : Aniruddha Raich, Karishma Hansles
Prepress Processing : Eskay’s Scanners
Editors : Sona Ajmera & Jerestin Watchmaker
Printing : Shabbir Shakir
On The Cover : General Surgery Camp at Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital, Melghat TEAM GOLDEN ORANGE email : editor@rotaryclubofnagpur.org
Medical Services 2nd December
Melghat Surgical Camp The much awaited general surgery camp at Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital at Utavali. Melghat was conducted on 2nd December 2018. The team of Doctors that included Surgeons, Gynaecologist, ENT and Ophthalmic Surgeons, Anaesthesiologists and Pathologist started from Nagpur on Saturday 1 st December to reach the Hospital by night. On 2nd December after the Anaesthesiologists surveyed the OT and Equipment set up and gave due fitness for each patient, the team of Surgeons started the Surgical Camp. There were a total of 13 medical personnel who worked tirelessly through the day to successfully complete 15 Surgeries that included Congenital Hernias, Adult Hernias, Hydroceles, Thyroid Goitre, Keloid, Phimosis and Lymphadenopathy. Doctors who attended the camp were Dr.Raju Wilkinson, Dr. Divish Saxena, Dr. Madhukar Thakre, Dr. Shreyas Sonawane, Dr. Devansh Mishra, Dr. Avinash Kamble, Dr. Anup Wasankar, Dr. Achyut Kalamkar, Dr. Bhagyashree Thakre, Dr. Grishma Dhingra, Dr. Ravi Gurbani, Dr. Kalyani Surkar and Dr. Jerestin Watchmaker All the Medical Supplies needed for the camp were sponsored by Mahindra and Mahindra through their CSR Funds. RCN extends their gratitude for the same.
Dr. Jerestin Watchmaker Rtn since 2002; Editor GO 2018-19
TEAM “SURGICAL CAMP� IN THE NEW OPERATION THEATRE
Medical Services th
9 December Health Check up Camp at T S Wilkinson Memorial School A total of 202 students were examined by PP Rtn Dr. Sanjiv Chugh and newly inducted Rtn Dr. Ratan Luthra. Dr. Nilesh Andorikar treated skin ailments and Rtn Dr Rafat khan addressed their eyes' complaints. Few students needed refractive corrections and will be treated at his eye clinic free of cost. All students were given deworming medicine.
Dr. Rafat Khan Rtn since 2002; Director medical services 2018-19 DR. RATAN LUTHRA EXAMINES CHILDREN
HANDING OVER MEDICAL ITEMS TO MRS ANITA PATEL
CHILDREN PATIENTLY WAIT FOR PP DR.CHUGH TO CHECK THEM.
18th December Rotaract club of Sadabai Raisoni Women’s college arranged for a talk by Rt ann Dr. Grishma Dhingra on female hygiene at ZP Koradi school. They distributed 500 sanitary napkins to the girl students. Chairpersons present were Rtns Namita Sharma and Shweta Singh.
Team, GO RT ANN DR. GRISHMA DHINGRA ADDRESSES THE GIRLS
R’TERS WITH CHAIRPERSONS RTN NAMITA & RTN SHWETA
AV PRESENTATION BY DR. GRISHMA
Weekly Meetings 6th December : Annual Election Meeting An exciting business meeting as the new board of RCN 2019-20 was announced by incoming President Parag Paranjpe. Initially minutes of previous business meeting and of nominations committee meeting were read by Hon Secretary Nilufer and Prez Kapil respectively; followed by treasurer's report and project announcements. After the release of the Festive Golden Orange President Kapil handed over mike to Parag to introduce his board. The incoming board members are : President : Parag Paranjpe President Elect : Sandip Dhodapkar Vice President : Amitabh Sinha Hon Secretary : Namita Sharma Joint Secretary : Sonia Khurana Treasurer : Pritesh Tank Sergeant at Arms : Gogi Bhasin Directors : Parag Date Sandeep Vaid Dr. Shantanu Sengupta Ragini Sahu Ashok Mrig Manisha Agrawal Mamta Jaiswal Smita Bhargava IPP : Kapil Bahri The team was applauded and promised all support from members. Meeting was adjourned after singing of the National Anthem
11th December President Kapil called the meeting to order and after the customary greeting and project announcements; 8 new members were inducted in our Rotary family. Under Project Smiling Faces; 4 specially abled students were given scholarships from Late Khadija Maimoon Scholarship Fund worth Rs. 2500/- each and to students of Guru Gobind School by Alcobrew Pvt Ltd, Gwalior arranged through PP Rtn Aspi Bapuna. Total amount handed over was Rs 53,300.
Team GO
Weekly Meeting 20th December : Chak De India….. One thing that can stop billion Indians from doing their work and staring at their screens is when the Indian cricket team is on the field. On 20th of December we had the proud privilege and honour to have legendary cricket player & coach Mr. Chandrakant Pandit amongst us. Mr. Pandit was concurred with the prestigious “Vocational Excellence Award” by our club. President Rtn. Kapil Bahri, PP Rtn. Bharat Goenka and PP Rtn. Shiraz Gimi did the honors. During the event Rtn. Sandip Dhodapkar introduced Mr. Pandit as a cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper batsman for India with the National cap in 5 Tests and 38 ODIs. He has scored more than 8000 runs and 281 catches and 41 stumpings. He started playing cricket at the age of 14 years when he was discovered and coached by the legendary Dronacharya of Indian Cricket Mr. Ramakant Achrekar. He has won many accolades such as Best Junior Cricketer in Mumbai in 1978, Chhatrapati Shivaji Award by the Govt. of Maharashtra in 1983 and also BCCI Cricketer of the year in 1986. You can remove a cricketer out of the cricketing field but can't remove the love for cricket from a cricketers's heart. After retirement Mr. Pandit started Chandrakant Pandit Cricket Clinic in Mumbai for training budding cricketers. As a coach, he is a work-master and has got an eye and ability to make individuals work as a team. He was instrumental in achieving the Ranji Trophy Titles for Mumbai team as well as a maiden title for the little known Vidarbha Cricket Team. When asked why is he called Khadoos Mumbaikar, he jokingly said, that it's because he believes in and advices his players "to never give up and play to win." He shared quite interesting and hilarious anecdotes about legendary players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Cricket enthusiasts eagerly asked questions which Mr. Pandit happily replied to. Rtn Nitin Alshi and Mr. Pandit kept all of us enthralled throughout the session. The meeting was concluded with vote of thanks from Rtn. Mahendra Kamath and adjourned after singing of the National Anthem. Fatema Akolawala Rt ann since 2014
27th December President Kapil welcomed all Past Presidents and members for the meeting, two minutes silent prayer was observed. Rtns Nilufer and Vinita created a Christmas atmosphere by Carol singing.After the birthday and anniversary greetings, President Kapil announced next week’s program. Rtn Ragini Sahu introduced Guest speaker and celebrity Chef Vishnu Manohar.He was awarded Vocational Excellence award by the Club. He started his speech by acknowledging contribution of Rotary Clubs and Inner Wheel clubs in his early days of career. He comes from a family of Artists; his father being a very good painter and sculpturist and mother a good singer; he himself has graduated in fine arts. He started working as a decorator and caterer for various cultural events. Being a good observer and fast learner he acquired practical cooking skills by observing various vendors at work. (Pav bhaji wala,samosa wala ,etc.)Mr. Vishnu has done more than 4500 TV/Cooking shows in last 14 years. He shared some of funny experiences of various cooking shows and TV shoots. He interacted with enthusiastic RCN members giving tips on different types of cuisines, spices and different cooking methods practiced in various parts of our country. He also talked about his world records in cooking and recent achievements at Jalgaon where he made 1500 kg Baigan Bharta in Iron Kadhai weighing about 500 kg. Vote of thanks was proposed by Ritu Jaiswal and meeting was adjourned after singing of the National Anthem. Parag Date Rtn since 2014
DG Rajiv Sharma OCV 13th December : DG Club Assembly After a sumptuous breakfast the DG’s Club Assembly started at 9 am at Chitnavis Centre. President Kapil welcomed DG Rtn. Rajiv Sharma, AG Rtn. Sanjay Arora, Members of the Board, Committee Chairpersons, Rotarians and Rt.Anns. Hon Secretary Nilufer read out minutes of Club Assembly held on 23rd August 2018 which were approved by the house. For the first time the Club Assembly was done differently and reports of our Club’s major and popular projects being Membership under President Elect Parag Paranjpe; Walkathon, RI & District Events, Gorewada Forest Week and Scholarship under Vice President Sandip Dhodapkar; Hemalkasa - Non Medical, Club services under Jt. Sec Mohammed Master; Melghat and Hemalkasa Surgical Camps under director DG RAJIV SHARMA ADDRESSES THE CLUB Dr. Raju Wilkinson; Awarness & General Health Checkup Camps, Eyes Through Rotary under director Dr. Rafat Khan; MicroCredit, Nutrition, Community service, Udaan under Sergent At Arms Neerja Shukul; Interact, Diwali Fellowship and Charter Night, Nirmalaya under director Anjuli Minocha; Blood Donation, Rotaract, Nirmalaya under director Navneet Jain; International Youth Service, Monsoon Fellowship under director Rajiv Yashroy; Programs under director Akash Agrawal; Take Rotary Home under IPP Rina Sinha and Sports,The Golden Orange magazine and Public Image under Rajeev Javery and also future projects under each director were read by the respective directors or chairpersons. An interesting Power Point Presentation with photos was displayed along with the project reports. PP Atul Shah summed up the club assembly and highly appreciated the unsual and interesting way it was conducted in. He applauded the efforts of President Kapil and the board for their hard work. DG Rajiv Sharma congratulated all the members for the excellent work done and praised the Club for putting up a precedence for all the other clubs in the district to follow. DG Rajiv also gave valuable suggestions and also appreciated the directors for their excellent planning and execution of projects.He then interacted with the Interactors and Rotaractors who had gathered at Chitnavis Centre. After the Club Assembly the DG was taken to participate in the ongoing Nutrition project at Antar Bhartiya Shala. He distributed toys and nutritious milk and lunch to the children at the Shala. Next he unveiled the 4 Way Test Board at Bishop Cotton School. He also visited the Rotary office at Bishop Cotton School where official club records were shown to him and the OCV file was handed over to him. DG Rajiv was then taken to meet the Micro Credit beneficiaries at Adivasi slums, Byramji Town. He met with some of the women and interacted with them in their workplace. He highly praised the good work done by the committee and our Club. From there he proceeded for lunch with our past presidents and members.
CHAIRPERSONS AND DIRECTORS PRESENT REPORTS.
DG Rajiv Sharma OCV
IPP RINA SINHA HANDS OVER SCHOLARSHIP CHEQUE
DG WITH THE ROTARACTORS PRESENT
DG INTERACTS WITH INTERACTORS
DG INAUGURATED THE 4 WAY TEST BOARD AT BCS
PREZ AND DG INTERACT WITH CHILDREN AT ANTAR BHARTIYA SHALA
DISTRIBUTION OF SWEETS AND GOODIES BY THE DG.
ALL CHILDREN IN RAPT ATTENTION LISTENING TO RTN NAMITA
AT BCS ROTARY OFFICE GOING THROUGH, OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
Blood & Eye Donation Service 7th December Blood Donation Camp was held at HDFC bank, Fidvi tower, Sadar; team Blood donation and Lifeline Blood Bank worked tirelessly throughout the day resulting in collection of 712 units; a record in the history of RCN for a single day blood collection. Rtn Shiraz Doongaji donated for the 100 th time and was felicitated by President Kapil Bahri. In this quarter from October to December 2018; 12 units that include plasma units, packed cell volume and whole blood have been distributed free of charge. If there is a requisite for a free blood bag to needy persons please contact Director Rtn Navneet Jain.
SHIRAZ DOONGAJI AND RICKY UPPAL DONATING BLOOD
Eye Donation Gesture of Eye Donation of late Mr Khurshed Watchmaker was appreciated by presenting a memento to family members Mrs. Meheroo and Mr. Cyrus Watchmaker and Mrs. Roshan Patel by Rtn Shiraz Doongaji and Hon Secretary Nilufer Rana.
APPRECIATION OF GESTURE OF EYE DONATION
Charter Night Celebration The charter night of RCN is always a very exciting and memorable event. This year’s Charter Night celebrations, which took place on 13th December, 2018 were extra special as our club entered its 75th year! The venue was beautifully decorated and everything looked immaculate and festive. The meeting was called to order by President Rtn Kapil Bahri as he welcomed DG Rajiv Sharma and AG Sanjay Arora, Past Presidents and members of the club. Following week’s Programme was announced by Rtn. Sameer Agrawal. Cancer Awareness and Detection Camp announcement was made by Rtn Dr. Rafat Khan. With great pleasure, three new members were inducted by DG and all new members were called on stage and welcomed. All Past Presidents were recognised for their invaluable contributions to our club . It was conducted very articulately by Rt ann Nita Singh and Rt ann Urvashi Yashroy. President handed over the TRF cheque to DG Rajiv Sharma. Then came the pleasant task of Releasing of 75th year - Logo T-shirt by DG. The meeting was addressed by DG Rajiv Sharma. Vote of Thanks was given by Hon Secretary Nilufer Rana and meeting was adjourned after singing of the National Anthem. TRF CHEQUE HANDED OVER TO DG
Time now for masti and dhamaal !! The play, “Masti ki Pathshaala”, a spoof on the present political scenario of our country, started with a super energetic dance performance by the Rota kids. The play had a host of Rotarians dressed up as politicians, acting as teachers to a class of rowdy, trouble making students. The dance sequences were woven beautifully in between the hilarious, yet profound snippets of the show. The direction, acting, coordination and dance numbers left the audience in complete awe. The show ended with roars of laughter and applause. The audience then proceeded towards fellowship dinner. The unforgettable evening ended on a happy note, with a hope of even better bonding and camaraderie in future!
Rtn Manisha Kapoor Rtn since 2017.
RAJIV SHARMA MOTIVATES THE AUDIENCE
RCN 75 TH YEAR LOGO UNVEILED BY DG
“MASTI KI PASTHSHALA”
CHILDREN ENTHRALL THE AUDIENCE
Charter Night Celebration
NEW MEMBERS INDUCTED IN ROTARY FAMILY
GRACIOUS DIGNITARIES
PP ATUL SHAH IN HIS ELEMENT AS PM MODI
LADIES DOING THE GARBA
MAYA.. THE TOUGH ONE
ENTERTAINING ROTA KIDS
ROTARIANS & THEIR GRACEFUL SPOUSES
SHOCKED THAT THE SECURITY IS NOT FOR HIM!
Charter Night Celebration
ROWDY JAIN, SCARES THE MINISTER
RAHUL THE MASTER
SIT DOWN OR I SHALL CALL THE SECURITY
PAPPU CAN DEFINITELY DANCE
‘S’ALLU AT HIS BEST
DABANG ROTARIANS
AUDIENCE ENJOYING THE SHOW
ITS ALL TEAM WORK..!!
Community Service th
15 December : Christmas Carnival Rotarians always find a reason to celebrate humanity. Nutrition Committee decided to spread happiness in a festive mood by having a Pre Christmas Carnival for tiny tots of Antar Bhartiya School; accompanied with their mothers. The school was decorated inside out with red and white balloons ready to welcome our favorite Santa. Santa arrived at the venue and shook hands with the children and distributed sweets. Fun filled rides like merry go round and jumper was arranged and it was fun to watch the kids shouting and enjoying the rides. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed candy floss, popcorn and panipuri. The scenario was such that even the rotarians had to wait for half an hour in a queue to enjoy a plate of panipuri. Keeping WORK HARD ; ENJOY HARD winters into mind Rtn Hira Mulani and Rtn Rajan Mulani distributed blankets to the kids and staff members of the school. Gift hampers were also distributed which included cupcakes by PP Rtn Khushnoor, bananas by Rtn Sonia Khurana, fruits by Rtn Neerja Shukul, chocolates by Rtn Anjuli Minocha, biscuits by Rt Ann Reema Sial, handkerchiefs by Rt ann Mamta Kahai and lollipops by Rtn Timmy Bawa. Generous donation by our members brought smiles on their faces. Lunch which included puri,aloo, pulao was arranged by the school and tasty cholas brought by Neerja Shukul were enjoyed. Minute details were taken care of by the organizing team comprising of Rt Anns Archana Jain, Mamta Kahai, Kritika Chaudhary and PP Tauby Bhagwagar and our director Neerja Shukul. Seeing a big turnout of Rotarians at the carnival was overwhelming. We are full of gratitude to them. Being a part of such a wonderful project brings utmost satisfaction and kids are going to remember it for a long time. Sincere thanks to Rtn Namita Sharma, President Elect Rtn Parag Paranjpe, Vice President Rtn Sandip Dhodapkar, Rtns Ragini Sahu, Nilufer Rana, Rt anns Archana Javery, Vinita Bahri, Ruchi Uppal and Past Presidents Rtn Khushnoor Chugh and Rtn Bharat Goenka for being part of the celebrations. Mamta Kahai Rt ann since 2002
ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL
ALL SMILES SONIA
Scholarship Distribution Project Smiling Faces Project Smiling Faces; one of the Flagship projects of our club is functioning successfully since over a decade. The committee works by way of providing scholarships to needy students to prevent them from dropping out of education stream due to monetary disability. The committee headed by Director Rtn. Sandip Dhodapkar and Chairpersons Rtn. Rita Agarwal, Rtn. Deepa Jamwal, Rtn.Vipul Gupta, Rtn.Manish Bhati and myself Rt ann. Geeta Rao verifies the needy students with the help of educational institutions and the scholarship is given to the institution for their Annual Fees, books and other educational support which student is unable to pay for. The committee maintains a proper record of distribution and also keeps a track of the utilization of funds by the institutions. The Club has an earmarked corpus for scholarship, formed by Donatios made by our members and also well-wishers. The interest generated is distributed to Institutions/Students suggested by the Donors. Apart from this a donation of Rs.3000/- is collected from interested members and well-wishers which is distributed to various institutions which the committee verifies throughout the REGISTRATION TEAM AT WORK year. This year Rs .14000/- was given to needy stugents from two schools in Pandhurna under R.C.Singhvi Memorial Scholarship Fund. Rs. 10000/- was given to 4 specially abled students from two institutions in Nagpur under Smt. Khadija Maimoon Scholarship Fund. On 20th December The committee gave a Scholarship amount of Rs. 53,300/- to Shri Gurugobindsingh,Education Institution,against annual fees of 7 students . President Rtn. Kapil Bahri, Hon. Secretary Rtn. Nilufer Rana, Rtn. Lt.Col.Mrigendra Singh and Rt ann Geeta Rao were present at the school premises for the formalities of giving the scholarship amount. President Kapil and Rtn. Mrigendra Singh addressed the students and motivated them to work hard and study without stress of paying their fees. Their good words brought smiles on the faces of the students who were thankful for the support provided by Rotary Club of Nagpur. This institution is run by Ramgarhia Punjabi school committee. The President of the Trust Shri. Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Principal of school Mrs. Ranjeeta Majumdar and other officials were also present for the presentation of scholarship function.
Geeta Rao Rt ann since 2004;Chairperson Scholarship Committee 2018-19
Rotary Razzmatazz 1)
The Festive month began with the wedding announcement of Rotarian Dr. Jaspal and Indu Arneja's son Mohajit with Amritha Vinod. Congratulations to the young couple and delighted parents!! 2) Sengupta Hospital and Research Institute now gets final NABH accreditation. It was the first hospital in India to get pre-entry level NABH accreditation in 2014. Tremendous achievement. Congratulations! 3) IPP Rina Sinha was one of the jury members to select 'Nagpur Heroes' from The Times Of India last year as one of the leading educationist and we saw her quote in TOI, where she encouraged and appreciated the wonderful work the unsung heroes of Nagpur are doing in our Orange City! Kudos to Rina for this coveted honour! 4) Rtn. Bharti Gidwani got an opportunity to conduct a training session on stress management for Engineers working in PWD, other government and private companies and corporates at recently held 79th National Convention of IRC (Indian Road Congress). Proud of you Bharti. Keep up the good work. 5) Rt. Ann. Monica bhagwagar got appointed as the president of FLINT chapter of Nagpur Business international. More Power to you Monica!! 6) Aaron, grandson of PP Aspi and Mehru Bapuna and Darian, Grandson of Rtn. Abad and Viloo Bapuna were initiated into the Zorastrian faith at a grand Navjote Ceremony at Mumbai. Navjote Mubarak!! Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. Enjoy, stay blessed!
Rt ann Monica Bhagwagar, Rt ann Archana Javery
Rotary Flash Back
RCN regular meeting 1987 at Mount Hotel, Nagpur GSE Group leader John from Australia sharing an Australian trick to our charter member PRID Edul C. Eduljee sitting next to PP Sati Khanna. Photo credit : PP Sati Khanna
On The Board Rotary next only if we contribute to changing society -
Rtn. Mohammed Master He goes by the name Mohammed Archie on Facebook and his FB cover shows him cheering with a bunch of campers. With his positive work ethic and grit, he has taken his awardwinning pipes and fittings firm Wahid Trading Corporation to new heights. He is a great family man with a teacher wife, a psychotherapist daughter and a son working for an NGO. GO brings to you a question and answer session with Mohammed Master, Jt. Secretary of Rotary Club of Nagpur. Q. You have been an active Rotarian for many years, how do you see Rotary changing? It is getting better by the day. The present leadership is positive and has taken up some excellent projects. Q. How do you see the future? Going forward we need to drop some not-so-relevant projects. We have been continuing with some projects for more than 10 years. These projects have lost their relevance. We need to drop these or modify on the lines of “green city� to make these relevant. Rotary should take up only those projects that have a direct impact human life. Q. You are a fit man. How do we put Rotary on the fitness path? We should have an education slot on fitness in our weekly meeting. We should go to schools and colleges with a fitness programme. Children and youth are growing up on junk food. We should create diet awareness in Rotary, schools and colleges.
Q. What do you think of the on-going projects? Gorewada is a great project, so are micro credit and food donation to schools. We should replicate here the watershed project in Yavatmal and involve all Rotary clubs in the town. And, please stop distributing saplings. Q. How has Rotary changed you? Rotary has made me a better person. I adopted the systematic approach of Rotary in my life and learnt a lot from other illustrious members. How the President conducts himself/herself, how they go about their work. Rotarians such as Shilpa Agrawal, Tauby, Reena Sinha, Sati Khanna , Dr Sanjiv, Shabbir Shakir and Kapil Bahri, have inspired me to change my habits and become a better person. Q. Rotary next? Next is only if we contribute to changing society. Remember, awards do not matter. Social change should be the goal. Take up projects such as watershed in the city. We can become ambassadors of, for example, Swachcha Bharat, Swastha Bharat. Q. How does your family connect with Rotary as a whole? My entire family has been in social work for a long time and is used to the social way of life. My daughter Zohra is a Rotarian and father is also in social service. My family is so involved in Rotary that my wife questions if I do not attend the weekly Rotary meeting. Q. Is there any aspect of you that is not known to many? I am a certified HR trainer and have conducted around 500 seminars on soft skills across the country. The journey continues. Effective public speaking is my forte. I am an extrovert by compulsion. Otherwise, I like to be in my own space at home.
Aniruddha Raich Rtn since 2017
Know our New Members Rtn. Neeraja Karthik Young, enthusiastic, bold and a very well poised Chartered Accountant and our new member. I called her for an interview and she invited me over for a hot and spicy Sambhar-Rice treat. Well, Neeraja is happily married to Karthik Balakrishnan, who deals in Real Estate. His company is Pushkar Homes. They both make a lively couple as Karthik is a sports person and plays Badminton regularly. Neeraja is more inclined to reading and painting. They both love to travel. They are blessed with two lovely daughters, Rhea, twelve years old and Aditi, eight years old. Both the kids are studying in Centre Point School, Katol Road. Neeraja during her walks with our own Rotarian Aspi Bapuna was convinced to join Rotary so that she finds a good group of people as fellows to be friends and also render service to society with them. Karthik though a Rotary Anna leads a Rotarian's life. He loves making and maintaining friends and is ever ready to work and help any organisation (Government or Non-Government) in the upliftment of society. He believes strongly in field work and working in direct contact with the underprivileged. Always ready to help youngsters, who believe in the essence of Rotary.
Rtn Dr. Meena Mishra: Meena spent her childhood till IXth std in Akola and completed XIIth from Brijlal Biyani Science College scoring highest marks in Biology (96/100) in the Board. She joined MBBS in GMC Nagpur in 1987 and completed MBBS, MD(Microbiology) from there. She is now an Associate Professor in Microbiology at GMC, Nagpur. Her husband is late Mr. Rajeev Mishra. Meena's daughter Rishika is diagnosed with dyslexia but with her great efforts and will, she's doing her B.Sc. in Home Science. Meena is passionate about her work and loves to work for breast cancer awareness and training programs. Meena's interests are HRD training, reading, cooking and listening to ghazals. She has joined Rotary for fellowship and considers it a platform to serve the society. Meena loves the vibrant activities of the club. Meena says she joined Rotary because her best friend Jerry was Secretary at that time and it motivated her! Meena finds club atmosphere great and congenial and the quality of activities carried out is superb. Meena is enjoying being the member of the club!
Geeta Rao Rt ann since 2004;Chairperson Scholarship Committee 2018-19
Kidzz Corner Friends, let your child use this platform to showcase his creativity, thoughts, ideas and views on what ever they like to share with the adult world. We are available at urvashiyashroy@yahoo.com/9422114055
Cricket And Me Cricket is a religion in India and is the most precarious profession. My interest in cricket started when INDIA was playing against South Africa in 2011 World cup in Nagpur. A typical Nagpur crowd with tremendous hype and terrific enthusiasm made an 11 year old (me), extremely fascinated about the game. When I reached the stadium, the buzz of the crowd, air of patriotism, smell of freshly cut grass, flood lights and obviously the invincible & indomitable aura of the players made cricket run in my blood and from then on I started playing the 'King of Sports' in India called Cricket. For furtherance, there was one motivational figure in my life and that was my father, who used to teach me the basics, throw endless balls for practice and support me in every moment. That helped me in VCA U-13 matches, where I was the highest run scorer for two consecutive years. That performance was instrumental in getting me a berth in Vidarbha U-14 team and then I successively played in U-16 in the years 2015 and 2016. In 2016 we were All India Champions and I am proud to be part of it. Currently playing for Vidarbha U-19 and obviously facing a tough time in managing both sports and studies. But Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble acts as a beacon light in my life and motivates me to manage both cricket and academics. I hope one day my dreams of representing our country comes true, and I know it is possible only with toil and sweat. Achievements : 1) Highest individual scorer- 270* (Not out) in VCA tournament 2) 23 centuries to my name up till now which earned me name KE-TON in friend circle. 3) Received best batsman for two consecutive tournaments recently by the hands of the Indian batting legend -VVS Laxman. My Motivation : Compromise for your dream, but never compromise on your dream - Imran Khan -Ketan Alsi S/O Rucha & Nitin Alshi
Water an elixir of life Water is one of those integral natural resource without which earth would have been only a ball of rock and gas. It is truly a life-giving resource for us. Water plays a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem. 70% of the human body is made up of water and many of our life processes would be impossible without it. It has also helped in the establishment of major civilization. All the civilisation from Egyptians to the Harappan had rivers as their life sustaining resource. Thus, it is truly said that Egypt is the gift of Nile. Though 75% of the earth's surface is covered with water, only 1% is readily available for use. Despite the availability of freshwater is quite scarce, humans have been wasting it without thinking about the consequences it would create for us. Excessive use of groundwater is depleting the water table. We are not only wasting water, we are polluting it. It has become one of the major reasons of global warming. To lessen the scarcity of water, we can use techniques like rain water harvesting, polythene cover system, funnel system and drip irrigation. We should also take small steps towards water conservation and do the things possible. Water is truly an indispensable part of our lives and needs to be conserved. If we do not waste water, water scarcity during summer would be reduced. If we do not use water judiciously, soon a time will come when it will completely disappear. This will pose a threat to our race. -Prerikaa Luthra D/O Dr. Kavita & Dr. Ratan Luthra
Surbhi Jain Rt ann Since 2017
Travel’ure Dev Deepawali at Varanasi The oldest living city in the world- Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh also known as Banaras, is the ancient city of Kashi. Varanasi is one of the oldest living city in the world. A city of temples, 4000 and more years old. A treasure trove of Hindu belief and faith. This city of Gods along the banks of river Ganga has its own spiritual importance. It is a city with which you either fall in love or you absolutely scorn at. There is so much to experience here, that I am not using the word see. Because Varanasi is more about the feel. It is the city of famous Banarasi paan, the best of silk weaves, the most ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the city of 84 Ghats on the banks of river Ganga, Banaras Hindu University; the oldest university and the symbol of authenticity of this city and the various musical gharanas of Banaras which provides a strong base for Indian music. Also a heaven for foodies, Banaras is famous for the Blue Lassi, Sardar papad and pickles, Ram Bhandar ki kachoris and aloo-pooris, Dina chaat, Bati Choka and not to forget ‘mallaiyo’ the milk froth treat in kulhads! I with my husband and a group of interested friends came to Varanasi this year to attend the world famous Dev-Deepawali festival. This festival of lights is celebrated every year on the 15th day of Diwali, on Kartik Purnima. Though both Diwali and Dev-Deepawali are the festivals of lights but have different religious fervors. Diwali is celebrated on Kartik Amavasya, whereas Dev- Deepawali is celebrated on Kartik Purnima. According to Hindu mythology, Gods descend to the ghats of Varanasi to bathe in Ganga on this day. Therefore devotees take a holy dip in the river and this is called ‘Kartik Snaan’. This festival is also known as Tripurotsav, it marks the victory of Lord Shiva over the demon Tripurasur. Hence the name DevDeepawali or Diwali of Gods. The locals of Varanasi celebrate this festival with amazing enthusiasm and spiritual fervour. The city has 84 stepped Ghats along the river bank, which are lit by numerous earthen ghee lamps. The sight is breathtaking. Reading and listening is getting to know, but visiting and seeing is believing. Seems as though the whole city is ready to receive the Gods from heaven on earth. The city has ghats in a semicircular form. The best way to view is to book and hire a boat, which takes you around all the 84 ghats, known as ‘Assi Ghat’. Once you reach here, the view of each ghat which is decorated with innumerable lamps sends every viewer into a tizzy. Words fail to express the whole scene in front. Thousands of devotees from across the globe assemble at the ghats to experience the event. The enthusiasm and excitement fills the air and sends every individual present into a total bliss. Dev. Deepawali encompasses an elaborate set of traditional events that are followed religiously every year. Varanasi is known for the ‘Ganga Arti’ but during Dev. Deepawali, it is more spectacular than ever. The whole city looks stunning with all the lamps and floral decorations. If you are planning to visit Varanasi, then Kartik Purnima is the time. Make sure you plan ahead to witness this fest with your hotels and boat bookings. It’s once in the life time experience I must say.
Geeta Rao Rt ann since 2004;Chairperson Scholarship Committee 2018-19
Travel’ure Beautifully lit ghats of Banaras on Kartik Poornima : Dev Deepawali
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Vocation Tell-A-Tale It was around 23 years ago that on an impulse a friend of mine and me walked into an advertising agency for a job, without a clue as to what those blokes did for a living. We had just finished our Diploma in Marketing & Advertising and thought it would be an exciting break from a long student life. A career was the last thing on my mind and had someone told me Id be spending the rest of my life in this profession, Id have laughed at the persons face.
specialists try to work together (all the fist fights ignored for the moment) and produce something worthwhile which can make the client pay. And my job is to bring some kind of order to this madhouse, ensure clients continue to see magical stuff happening for their brands. I am the face of the agency for the client and the face of the client for the agency. It is my job to dig deep into the clients business; understand his product portfolio, analyze his competition, understand the consumers articulated and hidden drives in the category and then formulate a Brand & Communication Strategy that will garner greater market share for the clients brand.
But here I am, almost a quarter of a century later and almost a veteran in the profession. Advertising is one profession where no two days are alike, why am I even speaking about days even two hours arent alike. One moment you are trying to figure out how can you make a housewife buy more Chyawanprash and the next you could be working on communication triggers thatll tempt IT professionals working on leading-edge software to move to Nagpur from Bangalore. All of us are deluged by advertising, it is said that a normal human being is exposed to over a couple of thousand commercial messages every single day. Despite this overwhelming exposure to advertising theres tremendous ignorance as to what really happens in an advertising agency. It is a pretty chaotic and often frustrating place where a large number of whimsical and eccentric
This of course is just one side of the moon, the darker hidden side is to get the creative folks within the agency to internalize this strategy and produce some dazzling work within timelines. This is easier said than done, as most creative folks are extremely moody and no amount of pestering, cajoling or threatening works at times. The last bit is as difficult for us as any of you in any business and that is to ensure that the agency gets paid for all the torture its been through and to see that it survives another day to tell this story.
Nivedita Pendharkar Rtn Since 2013
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? ? ?? ? ? Set ?GO..! ? ?Get ? ? ? Get set GO ! Check this issue thoroughly and belly ?up to the friends? ? ?
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challenge to test how well you’ve read it ! Send your replies to editor@rotaryclubofnagpur.org or Whatsapp to 9822228050, 9890037799. Q 1. Where did DG Rajiv Sharma visit to meet the microcredit beneficiaries? Q 2. What is Mr. Chandrakant Pandit popularly called? Q 3. How many units of blood was collected this month? Q 4. What is our budding cricketer Rota-kid is fondly called by his
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Q 5. When is Dev Deepawali Celebrated? Winner is rewarded a tub of Dinshaws Ice Cream ! 2 winners will be chosen by picking of chits in the Business Meeting. We got correct answers for last month’s GO quiz from Avendra Chawla and Pushpa Parikh. Congratulations!
Service Above Self’ies Rtn. Shiraz Doongaji donating blood for the 100th time during the Blood Donation Camp held at HDFC Bank, Fidvi Tower. He was felicitated for the same by president Kapil Bahri. G o ’s a n n u a l p h o t o contest - Send us pictures that best convey the spirit of Rotary at editor@rotaryclubofnagp ur.org before 22nd of every month. We will be selecting one picture every month and at the end of the year the best of these pictures will be selected as the GO picture of the year !
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Dr. Jaishree Masand
17th Jan
Vivek Bhangade
26th Jan
Bina Jaiswal
18th Jan
Manjri Datar
31st Jan
Anita Sutaria
18th Jan
Priya Sahu
31st Jan
Bela Thapar
18th Jan
Pawaneet Singh
1st Feb
Mahendra Kamath
19th Jan
Dr.Kalpana Date
1st Feb
Shashi Thapar [E]
19th Jan
Rajesh Agrawal
2nd Feb
Kirit Joshi
21st Jan
Sandeep Goenka
2nd Feb
Nakul Malani [E]
21st Jan
Hiralal Mulani [E]
Laxmi Wadhwani
22nd Jan Mehernosh Rana
4th Feb 5th Feb
Jyoti Goenka
22nd Jan Nooruddin Rana
6th Feb
Rohit Sibal
22nd Jan Rajiv Bhargava
7th Feb
PP Aspi Bapuna [E]
23rd Jan Neena Parikh
9th Feb
Sunil Bhatia
23rd Jan
Neelam Kothari
9th Feb
Mayur Vyas
23rd Jan
Dr. Nirmal Jaiswal
11th Feb
Dr.Rajasi Sengupta
24th Jan
Nisha Agrawal
12th Feb
Vivek Bhangade
26th Jan
Amina Vali
13th Feb
Sarang Kale
27th Jan
Parheez Gimi
14th Feb
Fatema Shakir
27th Jan
Grishma Dhingra
14th Feb
Namita Sharma
29th Jan
Deodutta Dasture
15th Feb
Aspi Bapuna [E]
23rd Jan
Rajkumar Roy
15th Feb
Sunil Bhatia
23rd Jan
Deodutta Dasture
15th Feb
Ashok & Savita Mokha Shamsha & Hafeez Raiyani Rahul & Divya Sharma Surinderpal & Rajbir Singh Kanwarjit Singh & Aarti Anand Bhavika & Manoj Mirpuri Rajiv & Rita Bhargava Dr Smita & Dr Ravindra Deshmukh Bharat & Jyoti Goenka Ritu & Projot Jaiswal Vijayprakash & Asha Singhania Sanjiv & Kanupriya Agrawal Dr Ratan & Dr Kavita Luthra Tavinder Singh & Sonu Rawal Manmohan & Anita Sharma Gagan & Reema Sial Vishal & Alpa Agrawal Abad & Villo Bapuna Aspi & Mehru Bapuna Siddharth & Bhavna Khosla Parag & Varsha Paranjape Anupam & Mamta Rai Hargun & Rajni Sangtani Karishma & Aum Hansles Yusuf & Sakina Master Maninder & Baljit Saini
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16th JANUARY TO 15th FEBRUARY
Dr.Krishna & Ritika Bhojwani Mayur & Poonam Vyas Anand & Parul Garodia R. & Priti Ramakrishnan Girish & Gayatri Deodhar Kapil & Anita Sutaria Brijesh & Priya Sahu Rohit & Deepti Sibal Ajay & Savita Sancheti Atul & Minal Doshi Manish & Sonia Sibal Rajesh & Neeta Singhania Navneet & Archana Jain Prashant & Vaishali Rajurkar Vipul & Shalini Gupta Shabbir & Jumana Shakir Shaily & Sunil Gambhir Rohit & Meenakshai Sial Rahul & Ruchi Chaudhary Parag & Kalpana Date Ajayprakash & Alka Kanoria Kishore & Smita Sheth Deepak & Neena Chowdhary Sandeep & Preeti Vaid Dr Punit & Anupama Jandial
29th Jan 31st Jan 31st Jan 1st Feb 1st Feb 3rdFeb 3rdFeb 3rdFeb 5th Feb 5th Feb 5th Feb 5th Feb 9th Feb 9th Feb 10th Feb 10th Feb 11th Feb 12th Feb 12th Feb 12th Feb 12th Feb 14th Feb 15th Feb 15th Feb 15th Feb