May 2013 - The Golden Orange

MAY 2013

R. I. President : Rtn. Sakuji Tanaka

STAR INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EXCHANGE GAZING

District Governor : Rtn. Sanjay Meshram

GOLF TRAINING CAMP

DANCING STAR

Club President : Rtn. Atul Shah

BLOOD KIDZZZONE DONATION CAMPS

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Club donated 25 mattresses for the young inmates of Deaf and Dumb Residential School, Saoner on 13th March 2013. During the visit club members noticed that the computer lab which was well utilized by the children did not have proper computer tables.

The Community Welfare Committee promptly organised 7 computer tables. Members of the

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AT DEAF AND DUMB RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, SAONER

club visited the school On 14th April 2013 to handover the Computer tables to the school.

President Atul shah was greeted by President Samarth of the school who took the members around the school. President Atul shah and members present appreciated Mr samarath and his team for excellent work done for the children. And assured them to extend all

possible help in future.

Past president Gulab Mahant, Rajan Bhatia , Hon sec.Shabbar Shakir, ShefaliShah, Rajeev shukul were prominently present.

Chairpersons Vanita Shukul, Madhu Mrig and Smita Chaubey ensured that every thing was well organised .

Dir – Manish Bhati

Stop Prezz.....

Dear Rotary Families, Two more months to go?? That's the question everyone has started asking Two more months as a Prez, as a Rotarian life will go on!

Coming to think of it I never realised the transition from a fringe Rotarian or “Shefali's Husband” to Rotary President. I feel whatever responsibility one takes up, it has a lot to do with favourable conditions on your family and business front and finally one's desire to serve.

The journey so far has been wonderful, thanks to my Board members. It was all about being there for each other, it was about working in unison and most importantly not letting the pressure take the better of you. If there was a calming and dignified persona of Sandy (Sandeep Pathak) then there was dedication and commitment of Parag Paranjpe. If there was innovative thinker like Shivkumar Rao

then there was a Manjot Kahai with Midas touch! If there was Shaunak Mokadam who operated with dexterity then there was Manish Bhati – man for all seasons – Aladdin's Genie.

And finally who better than a gentle, balanced and cheerful, Nilufer Rana as Sergeant-atArms.

I feel blessed to have such a bunch of Board Members, revolving around you as in Galaxy, superbly sailing through sea of assignments…. Think of them and only their smiling faces will come to your minds, Right?

They are the ones who will carry forward our Club's rich legacy.Thank you guys for being there, you will hold a special place in my heart.

Will be there for you…always!

Coming back to 'fringe' Rotarians, yet another has just entered the mainstream last week.

Considered just as a brilliant techie, he has just

showcased another facet of his, that of Community Service with the super successful 'Dancing Stars' program. The 'fringe' Rotarians are moving…moving to the mainstream…watch out!

Cheers!

Atul Shah

Hear Me Out....

Keep in touch......

It's Getting Hot!!!!!!!

The temperature is rising and will continue to for the next few weeks. The season is, in a way the most “unhappenning” phase with lots of things happening………

Quite a few take off on holidays, some on multiple holidays. Quite a few to the oftbeaten destinations, some to exotic locales.

Some come back from a holiday and talk about it for the rest of the season. Some come back and are so secretive that they avoid any reference. Some come back but are unable to share anything because they have taken off on another.

There are weddings galore. At our relatives, friends and acquaintances…… Some we HAVE to attend, some we look forward to and some fall in both the categories. Dressing up becomes difficult because of the heat, but it does not matter. It never did! Local weddings stir up a lot of excitement. Outstation weddings are the uninvited's envy and invited's pride. Destination weddings continue to hog the limelight for the rest of the season.

Lots of parents are busy running around for the admissions of their child, mostly after a spate of entrance exams. The child takes the exam and the whole family frets over it. First there is commotion over the exams and then the entrance exams. There is confusion over admissions and finally the resettling. The parents have a horrid time and ensure that it is much worse for the child.

When so much is happening, why is it “unhappening”?

Because the mercury rises thanks to the weather and nothing else!!!!!!!

It's Hot!!!!!

Shabbir Shakir

shabbir.shakir66@yahoo.in

We invite expert comments, suggestions, criticism and commendations. This will help us know the pulse of readers and improve the publication. Please write in to shabbir.shakir66@yahoo.in

CREDITS Director : IPP Tauby Bhagwagar Chairperson : PP Dr. Sanjiv Chugh Editor : Shabbir Shakir Processing : Eskay’s Scanner Designing : Gurushree Graphics Printing : Shabbir Shakir Paper : Courtesy BILT

COVER up....

Members of Rotary Club of Nagpur and Rotary Club of Curepipe The Special Children at the Deaf and Dumb School, Saoner Dancing Star - A unique event in this Rotary Year calender

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GUEST EDITOR Madhavi Naidu

We shall have a Guest Editor every month at the GO. Here the GEs will give expression to their creativity by writing about what they will. Past Editors of the GO will be seen in this space one by one. The idea has come into being so that these two pages will have something refreshingly new to offer every month, steering clear of the year mould.

The GE of this month, Madhavi Naidu makes a comeback in this role.

Particularly because she has multiple and exciting ideas up her sleeve and loves skirting wiyh disaster, something good for the TRP of The GO....

They are often relegated to the background while their better halves hog the limelight for one full year. They hold the fort at home and in society, often playing multiple roles to ensure that their spouses dispense their Rotary duties without having to worry about daily nitty-gritties. Yes People! I am talking about our First Ladies. And as Guest Editor this month, I want to pose a question to them just to show you the stuff we women are made of. Being one among them I may not get to voice my opinion but I would like to reiterate that the year my husband was President, I realised that the role is not as glamorous and high-profile as it is made out to be. But you learn a lot of things, interact with lots of personalities and flower into your own. Here's to you Ladies!

The question for these ladies who have juggled career, Rotary and more is... “ Describe your year as Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Homemaker, Businesswoman/ Professional and First Lady.”

Shobha Daga - 1995-96 During his Presidentship I was not too involved in club matter to a large extent as both of us are professionals and someone had to hold the Hospital Front.

Though i was there for all fellowships and all projects. I was deeply involved with Medical projects specially Bhamragarh ( the project closest to my heart).

My mother in law was a great support to me at home front. My children were grown up and needed guidance more than coaxing.

The year gave me a great opportunity to make wonderful friends like you.

Jumana Shakir - 2008-09 My first priority when my husband became the President was to be beside him at all times. But being a woman, I realised that I had to keep a fine balance between him and my children. They needed the extra attention since their father was preoccupied and so did my parents in law, as their son was unable to discharge his duties towards them. But in course of time, they all became supportive and enjoyed his moment of glory.

In my boutique,thankfully,I could juggle my appointments with clients according to my convenience.There were times when I had to put in extra hours when trousseau deadlines were to be met, but thankfully, with my supportive sister Nisreen as my partner it wasn't much of a problem.

All in all, it was a great learning and fun filled experience. Moments which I will cherish for a

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lifetime.

Padma Mahant - 2005-06 No doubt Rotary has entered our family since 1993, but I was not involved as much in it.

His installation as President in the year 2005-06 was a matter of pride for the whole family and I planned to fully support my husband but unfortunately I was involved in looking after my family of four generations and my professional commitments and gave space to Gulab to fulfill his duties as President.

I really enjoyed the Rotary fellowships and late evening programs.

Thanks Madhavi, you made me to recollect my old memories.

Khushnoor Chugh - 2004-05 THAT ONE YEAR – 2004–2005 , was indeed an important year in our Rotary journey. Being the Centennial year of Rotary and having our very own Vishwas as the Centennial DG, made the year all the more interesting.

Having always been “Rotary-centric”, my dream was to see Sanjiv as President of this esteemed club. Thankfully for me, he too was drawn by the 'Rotary pull' and rose to be at the helm of Club affairs. Of course, being the First Lady was a good feeling but in no way did it make me feel different from other Rotary Anns. In fact, that was the year I got to know them better. However, as Madhavi rightly puts it , I did sometimes feel relegated to the background in spite of putting in as much or even greater effort. That said, one must admit that if one is shy of going to the fore front, then one has to be content to watch from the wings. I sincerely feel that it is up to the Seniors, Rotarians and Anns, to see that the First Lady gets her due place and respect.

Memorable experiences were aplenty. Initiating the now popular Walkathon as a major PR

exercise was a huge learning experience. Of course, as First Lady, I did pitch in whenever and wherever required .

Yet another enjoyable experience was when there was a role reversal and Archana Patel and I got to conduct one entire meeting while our spouses looked on. We did a great job, we were told. And, the change was also welcomed. A great feeling!

As a mother, there wasn't much to do as we were empty nesters by then. As a daughter and sister, I did my bit as there were no expectations. But yes, as homemaker and working person, there was a lot of juggling to do. Delegation of work and time management had to be perfect to be able to be here, there and everywhere ! And most important, my late afternoon nap had to be sacrificed which was my biggest remorse.

Other than that, it was a year the memories of which shall ever remain fresh in our minds.

Sabiha Maimoon - 2009-10 As a wife....A very trying period......being a patient punchbag at home and an ever smiling First lady in Rotary...It was all worth it though as it gave me a lot of good friends and introduced me to a whole new world of compassion, commitment and camaraderie.

As a mother of two teenagers it was chaotic initially but then I saw them grow up a little more and share my responsibilities in their own little way.

A daughter, sister and caretaker I hardly was during the year...but for their support the year would not have been what it was.

On the professional front.......a very difficult compromise which landed me in trouble many times.

So at the end , it was difficult to know whether the glamour attached here was really worth it?????????

The question I would like to pose to these lovely ladies might be a bit difficult to answer...

"What did you find the most astonishing in your year as First Lady, what impressed you the most and what disappointed you?

Kanak Bhargav - 2006-07 Rotary gave me a platform to interact with members and their family which helped me in developing a huge social network and I cherish being a part of it.I was also impressed by the way our rotary club works for the upliftment programs of our society and enjoyed being part of day to day rotary activities throughout the year. I never felt anything was disappointing.

Sonu Rawal - 2003-04 When bunty was asked to lead the club at a very short notice, suddenly both of us had to change gears. For me it was managing the family and attending all Rotary meetings and programs. It was a great experience attending all community service programs specially the pilgrimage to Bhamragarh. I was almost fainted in the makeshift operation theatre there. I was really overwhelmed by the participation of members in service projects.

What disappointed me was excessive spending on fellowship programs and a gradual change in character of membership from service oriented to partying type.

It was a great learning experience and I got to see society from a very different perspective.

This tricky question is for these ever smiling former first ladies...

"If you were President in place of your husband, what would you do differently?"

Bacchi Gimi - 1994-95 The year 1994-95 was the Golden Jubilee Year of our Club when Shiraz took over as President. It was a year filled with projects and activities and a very busy time especially for the President and Secretary.

If I had been President for that year I would have encouraged more participation at Projects by the Rotary Annes. Twenty years ago not many Annes came forward to attend and help at projects, so I would have delegated more responsibilities to them.

The Rotary Annes hosted such fabulous dinner meetings and graced the Thursday meetings so regularly that surely they would have been an asset and a great help if their abilities and talent was utilized at the projects as well. At the regular meetings though there was greater attendance by the Annes, looking back I would have changed to a more comfortable meeting place.

Manju Shahani - 2001-02 What astonished me and still does.... When you are IN the position you are flooded with 'Invites'. People/ Members befriend you and then.... Your term over, they look through you!

Not all though. You do make lifelong friendships and get to know sooooo many people who you wouldn't otherwise. And that was the best thing that happened to me. I love making friends. I got to know, better, not only people from our club but other clubs as well as other organizations where you are often invited.

What I didn't enjoy... is not about Rotary. It was the attitude of my husband. He takes things so seriously that to do them he just forgets that he has other commitments and there are other people in his life. So what I hated was taking a back seat. His board members and chairpersons were all more important.

Today.... I think he was right in a way but I was very unhappy then.

Mehru Bapuna - 1999- 2000 I really do not know where to begin. It was a year filled with so many wonderful moments. What astonished me the most during the year was the way Rotarians and Rt.anns would come together for projects, be it a mega project like Hemalkasa Surgical Camp, a simple tree plantation at an Interact school or preparing for The Charter Nite entertainment.

But what stood out the most was the time R.I. President Raja Saboo joined us at one of the NIDs at Daga Hospital and also at Untkhana for distributing calipers & wheel chairs to the In spite of the spartan venue of the Bishop Cotton School Hall, Rotarians and Annes looked forward to their Thursday meeting enjoyed the fellowship. Strong bonds of friendship were forged taking very literally and endorsing R.I. President Bill Huntley's theme for the year “Be a friend�

Sunanda Sule - 1991-92 I know he basked in glory and I played second fiddle but then the roots of marriage get stronger by raising one's own family in dignified way. He was raising Rotary family. I had to lead on our family front.

People know of 3 K's of women... kid, kitchen and knitting but forget the most important k factor of her- kindness.

As a President, I would also build strong Rotary family of our club by involving Rotary Anns and family members to create a feeling we the Rotary F a m i l y. I w i l l t a k e u p p r o g r a m o f EMPOWERMENT of women without over powering husband.

Prema Srinivas - 1961-62 Not really very different. The President and his Rotary Ann have to be complementary

children. The smile on the faces of those kids will remain with me always.

As for what disappointed me during the year I would have to say that the year ended all too soon !

Reeti Khanna - 1990-91 True to Sati's nature the year was very flamboyant. It was a year where fellowships were given equal importance along with service projects. And it turned out to be a fun filled year where everyone enjoyed working together. What astonished me is the number of projects and the number of Rotarians working towards making it a success. Nothing really disappointed me. It was a very satisfying year.

Neeru Bhatia - 1978-79 Rajan was President in 1978-79 and I as First Lady enjoyed and always stood by him. Being First Lady I could meet and interact with actor Madan Puri, Amjad Khan, Raj Babbar ,Nandu Natekar and the then Chief Justice of India Chandrachud. I attended a Plastic Surgery Camp where we were honored by the then Health Minister. In the District 314(3140) I could meet Senior Officials during conferences.

I enjoyed every moment and that is why I am still active in Rotary movement since last 40years.

As First Lady I could motivate many ladies to donate blood and it was rare thing in a city like Akola. I am proud to mention that all Governors official visits I used to host breakfast for almost 10 years. and each has a specific role in the leadership of the club. It is more than fifty years since we were the 'first couple' of our Club. We had stalwarts as Past Presidents who were constantly and benignly breathing down our necks to ensure that the tenure of the President had a smooth sailing. In fact they were a big support in many ways. A most rewarding year in our Rotary career.

Asha Joshi - 2010-11 I never thought, imagined or dreamt of becoming President... so never crystallised my ideas on the subject. Now since you have given the opportunity to pen my views, I reiterate that this would not change my perception or outlook about Rotary. Primary motto has always been meeting people, making and turning acquaintances into friends. Secondly, I feel talent and seniority are two different aspects and one is not captive or hostage to the other. Emphasis should be on better participation of dormant or new members in our activities especially the fellowship events.

For a club of our size its imperative that we regularly get fresh ideas and resources. Rest of the things would fall in line.

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LETTERATI

- Letters To The Editor

BEST LETTER

Dear Editor, Every month ... And month on month we eagerly look forward reading to our GO and The Editor's views especially since its by PP Rtn Shabbir Shakir ! Always so eloquent and knowing him as a dear friend "An Impulsive But Intelligent Wisecracker !" But this time his views betray and hint at a discrimination when he insists that the Mantra to a happy married couple' s success lies in Women watching TV serials and Men , the Intellectuals ; watching Arnab Goswami's "News Hour "debates !

If I am not mistaken the GO Readership is for Rotarians , Anns and all the educated ladies of our club as well ; who are as successful in their vocations as the Men , if not better ! What with coupled with the double responsibility of managing homes , looking after the children's education as well as parents n family members of the Men !!

Take any social gathering and you hear these Women engaged in word to word discussions within themselves or even with the Men on any current topic with equal elan ! We will of course , being not only the fairer sex but also fair in our ways , would not like to highlight the moronic discussions of these men circling around mundane topics like Cricket or Politics or Corporate affairs , which are represented equally through a Woman's Cricket Team ; the Sonia Gandhis - Sushma Swaraj's and Smriti Iranis (who also features in the News Hour Debates) and the Chanda Kochars n Indira Nooyis respectively !

And not far from home , our own First Lady President Rtn, Tauby Bhagwaghar was as successful if not better than the others and won all the possible awards too just like The Men in all spheres be it Vocation , Programs etc !

Hear me Out Guys ! Let's begin Equality At Home !!!! And knowing Shabbir I know he will retaliate by giving a bigger Wisecrack .. But ... JAANE BHI DO YAARON !

Rina Sinha

There will be a best letter prize every month.

So keep writing.

Also mail your photograph along with your letter.

Dear Rtn Atulbhai, Just received your colourful magazine “The Golden Orange� No.8 of February 2013 through courier which I found to be most interesting and informative excellently compiled and edited with colourful cover with glimpses of club events

by Rtn. PP Shabbir Shakir with following highlights for which my heartiest compliments and congratulations for an excellent job!

Congratulating you once again for the above excellent Bulletin and with best wishes for remaining year (12-13) and with warm personal regards to you and Ann: Shefaliben and Rotary Greetings to all your members from myself and Indumati, we remain, Your Friends, JAGMOHAN KATAKIA) PDG D: 3040 (94-95) Congratulations for the above excellent Bulletin!

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The Editor, Golden Orange A line to commend the 'editorial' message by editor Shabbir, in the April 2013 issue of the Golden Orange!

Transcending Rotary topics, its great to read comments on such down to earth news of the day.

Bobby Srinivas The Editor Golden Orange, Nagpur The purported discussion at our weekly meeting on 25 April, on the timings of our weekly meeting, to my mind seems to be like discussing Tweedledum and Tweedledee! It also resembles the oration in Dean Swift's Gulliver's Travels where there is a heated debate on whether the breakfast egg should be broken on the narrow or large side of the egg! Pardon, if this is a frivolous or flippant view!

Bobby Srinivas

110 NOT OUT!!!!!!

PDG Vishwas donating blood for the 110th time and still smiling.

Probably the reason behind the smile is this noble and selfless service!!!!

4TH APRIL President Atul presented the Club Flag to Chairperson of International Family Exchange Vilas Kale who will be heading the team of 15 Rotarians to Mauritius for the first ever Family Exchange program of our Club. Vilas Kale briefed the members about the Family exchange program to Mauritius. He also requested the members to register for a unique program on “Star Gazing” to be held Vilas receiving the Club Flag before the on 6th April.

Mauritius sojourn Information about Next week's Business Meeting was held on 4th Apr., 2013 Program was given by Joint Secretary at “Udyog Bhawan”. President Atul Shah called the meeting to order. He welcomed the Mahendra Kamath. Director Parag Paranjpe members and requested for Half a minute briefed the members about the upcoming silent prayer in memory of sad demise of late Blood Donation camp. Sachin Palewar informed the members about new initiative Praful Buty father of Shreekrishna Buty. taken up by our club i.e a Talent Hunt program President announced the Birthday & Anniversary greetings to members and for children from the Slums and NMC schools. that the 3rd Club thanked members who sponsored the snacks President informed the house th Assembly will be held on14 April and will be for the meeting.

Awar d s we re Ann ou nc e d fo r b es t tried out in a different format. He also informed chairpersons for Senior Citizens Committee to theth house that the PHF Dinner will be held on Anita Jain and Neeta Kale; for Event 26 April 2013.

Management Committee to Shweta Singh; for President Elect Prashant Kale informed the Fellowship Committee to Poonam Sethi; for members about the upcoming DTTS Eye Donation Committee to Shiraz Doongaji program. and Dr. Ravi Wankhede; For Blood Donation President informed the house about the Committee to Dr. Sheela Mundada and resignation letter forwarded by Ujwala Prashant Rajurkar. President congratulated Agashe and acceptance of the same.

PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee for donating President informed that the advance to the Blood for the 110th time. vendors for Matching Grant project of Matru Hon. Sec. Shabbar Shakir read the minutes of Seva Sangh had been paid and the last Business Meeting held on 7th March. equipments will be House confirmed the minutes. Treasurer's delivered by 1 st Announcements were made by Alok Goenka. week of May. He also informed that all 350 members have Award for Best paid half yearly dues.

Letter went to PDG Sports Committee Chairperson Pritesh Tank Jagmohan Kataria, informed the members about the for Crossword to upcoming Golf Coaching camp, especially Jerry Watchmaker being organized for the Members and their and the winner for lucky draw in families.

OBESITY MANAGEMENT The heat was scorching, the air hot and AC not working, but the vivacious and charming Dr Anuradha Ridhorkar made everyone forget the discomfort for 45 minutes with her excellent presentation. She is a well known gynaecologist running her own nursing home in Nagpur. She started by explaining about the working of the human body and the importance of basal metabolic rate for obesity management. She talked in detail about different exercises ranging from cardiovascular exercises, weight training and sports.

She stressed the importance of proper warmup and stretching to prevent injury. She

advised that a workout should be followed by yoga and pranayam. The ladies listened with attention to her interesting talk. Her presentation included humorous incidents and comments from her private practice that had everyone smiling.

In the session regarding diet, she talked about Indian diet being cereal based rather than vegetarian. She also busted some myths regarding sugar free food products, low fat food, fruits and fruit juices. She also explained about the differences in bone density between men and women and the role that hormones play in a

BUSINESS MEETING ladies committee meeting was Rt. Ann. Kirti Jain.

Release of Golden Orange was made at the hands of Vilas Kale and editor PP Shabbir Shakir.

President wanted to know from the house whether to continue with the new timings of meeting i.e 7pm to 8pm or not. After some discussions it was suggested by Vikram Naidu that the same can be continued for the summer months. President sought a confirmation for the same and the house agreed for this suggestion.

President Atul read the mail sent to the DG regarding the refund amount of 4 members who had not travelled to Bangkok. He informed the house that he was awaiting a reply on the same from DG's office.

Announcement about attendance Report & Distribution of 100% attendance Awards for the month of Feb 2013 were made by Yatin Malji.

Rotary information was presented by Rakhi Bhatia In any other matter Bharat Parikh wanted to know whether we will be continuing with the meeting in this same hall or will be moving to VIA hall during the summer months in view of the ineffective Air-conditioning. President Atul informed the house that new Air-conditioning systems were being installed by MIDC during the week.

The meeting was adjourned with singing of national anthem.

Mahendra Kamath

LADIES MEETING woman's life specially menopause. The ladies had plenty of queries and they were resolved by her. The ladies agreed that they got a lot of information about health and fitness and really enjoyed the presentation. Dr Shantala Bhole proposed the vote of thanks. The lucky draw was won by Mrs KirtiJain. Chairperson Sonal Singhwi helped organize the meeting. Shantala Bole

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REGULAR MEETING The Gen next is fortunate that Science & Medicine has progressed so much that, MAN today can even multiply the cells in our body by storing a few of them when a child is born.

These cells can then be used to cure various diseases for maybe 30 or 40 years.

STEM CELLS as they are called, can be stored in a Bank, in the form of the Umblical Cord, at child birth.

Stem Cells can also be acquired from the Bone Marrow or the Dental Pulp but till date, storing the Umblical cord is the best bet.

Seems uncanny that Man can intrude the Microscopic World inside our body and develop the body cells.

REGULAR MEETING

ENSURE A HEALTHY FUTURE FOR YOUR CHILD

Lot of research still needs to go into the subject to achieve the desired results but it seems like just a matter of time.

Meanwhile quite a few Banks have come up in most cities, where one can make their Medical Investments.

It is important however to know well that Bank... who the promoters are, their insurance plans, the agreement that you sign etc etc.

A very unusual and interesting subject indeed. The speaker also was a Rotarian. Dr. Jagmohan Chhabra from Jalgaon.

Prior to this talk, we had the usual

Project Announcements, Birthday & Anniversary Greetings and Mr. Mohan Gandhe of Centre Point College and Mr. Amit Arya (Social Worker) were Felicitated.

Manju Shahani

Dr. Jagmohan Chhabra

A MIXED BAG

Mr Vijay Raman ( retd IPS) He came –He spoke- He conquered! That was Mr Vijay Raman ( retd IPS) re-living the saga of Paan Singh Tomar for our members on the 18th of April. What for others may be a just a way to earn a living – he lived his role as a a guardian of the law to the hilt.

In a run up to the incident he revealed the challenges faced by a newcomer in reading the lay of the land- the infamous Chambal ki Ghati, infested by the likes of Phoolan Devi, Malkaan Singh, and Paan Singh gangs. At

INTERACT PROJECT

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The Joy of Giving was experienced by the Interactors of South Point School.

Anand Mela – An annual fete organised by South Point School Nagpur had a different look this year.

A lot of effort and thought process was put into by the Interactors who planned and set up a stall in the Anand mela. The idea was to make and sell mocktails to visiting parents and family members at the fete. The stall was named as Rotary Club of Nagpur stall. It was announced that the money generated from the sale of mocktails from the stall will go to service projects of Rotary Club of Nagpur.

The intentions were good, the cause was noble and so result was bound to be outstanding. By the end of evening, the students of interact committee were able to generate cash of Rs 11496.00 from the sale

play were also the caste equations, the psyche of the informers and the transformation of a simple villager into a Baghi. He is revolting against the lawlessness of a few and with no legal recourse in sight –he takes up the gun .

And so it was that in 1981 with a tip off from an informer – a force of 140 policemen encircled Ratiyon ka Pura. Eleven of these with Vijay Raman leading them, infiltrated the village,and in the crossfire that lasted

overnight Paan Singh was felled.

But a congratulatory call from Mr Madhavrao Scindia brought home the awareness of a weakness in our system.that needs to be addressed.

Mr Raman signed off with a promise to return to tell us about his record breaking drive around the earth in a Contessa which took him into the Guiness'book and Limca book of records!

Sheela Singhee

AT SOUTH POINT SCHOOL NAGPUR proceeds.

Interact President handed over the cheque to President Atul shah on 25th April 2013 at a function held at the school premises.

Interactors also enquired about the projects where this money can be utilized.

President congratulated them on their efforts and explained various avenues of services of our club, where the money generated can be used for the benefit of the society. He also promised that club shall take you along to the project where funds are going to be utilized.

Hon Sec Shabbar Shakir , Mrinalini Dasture, and the teacher incharge for interact committee

were present on the occasion.

Manish Bhati

PANEL DISCUSSION Panel discussion with a house of panelists have always been crowd pullers. The one on 25th of this month was no exception. Topic - Is Revamp required in weekly meetings?, Increase in Membership and Fall in attendence of Rtns as well as Rtn. Anns, How to increase attendence? Are weekly meetings important? Moderator was Dr. Sanjiv Chugh, the cross section representing experienced PP Manmohan Daga, PP Shabbir Shakir, Rtn. Jerestine Watchmaker, Rtn. Dinesh Naidu, Rtn. Kapil Bahri and Rtn Ann Neeta Singh.

Each panelist was from varied backgrounds and having a very distinct opinion.

It started with Jerestine, where she said that managing professional, household and rotary duties and obligations can be ablely managed by her cause she wanted to do so. If a person enjoys and wants to do certain things they would put in all of ones efforts in doing so. Dr. Daga was direct, saying that the change in club meeting timings didnt suit his professional obligations as a doctor. Neeta and Kapil were also of the same opinion.

Dinesh said there was need for major changes and that the change in timings suited traders and youngsters who were making the club vibriant. PP Shabbir said it made no difference to change the timings by half an hour and that the present time of 7-8 was better.

REGULAR MEETING

To deal with Fall in attendence and solutionsJerestine suggested the meetings should have interesting topics, better speakers, venue and interaction. Dr. Daga said there should be more individual one to one interaction, need to change the format of meetings, debates to be held on latest topics, give members a chance to voice their opinions, interactive games and attendence being affected due to diluting of laws by the RI. Neeta suggested there should be more incentives for members to attend and have more fun activities to invlove the Rt. Anns.

Dinesh aslo suggested that there should be more fun activities and meaningful topics and speakers. PP Shabbir said that the club should call people having star attraction, people of strata and have interactive sessions on issues which were contingious.

On Memebership increase and decline in a t t e n d e n c e D r. D a g a s a i d d u r i n g enlightenment of a new member, they should be told that cant come for meetings and projects then they should not join. Senior members should make efforts to acknowlege and talk to new members and make them feel comfortable. PP Shabir said mentoring was fine. Snacks should be paid for and if member not attending he should be charged for the snack as well!

There were lots of inputs from the audience, Rajiv Behal was of the opinion that due to addition of new members the scope of interacting with each one was difficult, which was not the case earlier. PP D.K Sahani said that the Club had gone under a sea of change.

Vikram Naidu suggested there should be one dinner meeting and that every member contributes in some way and hence should be evaluted differently.

President Atul summed it up saying weekly meetings are the heartthrob of the Club. It helps to know each other better, timings are debatable, sitting arrangement and venue should be better, panel discussions, better topics and 1 dinner meeting were good options. Vote of thanks was proposed by Rtn. Bharat Goenka.

Nilufer Rana

Moderator PP Dr Sanjiv Chugh

Panelists Kapil Bahri, Dr Jerestin Watchmaker, PP Dr Mannu Daga, PP Shabbir Shakir, Dinesh Naidu and Neeta Singh

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BLOOD DONATION If the objective of blood donation committee is to motivate new donors and maintain self-motivation levels of existing donors, the purpose is being served.

This was evident at camp held at Hotel Radisson Blu. The first camp of this Rotary year was held at the same hotel and management & staff were motivated enough to hold it once again. The camp began at 10am at hotel's training center.

The enthusiasm was evident. The only difference was that numbers were far high. The camp that concluded at 3 pm eventually collected magical figure of

HOTEL RADISSON BLU 20TH APRIL 101 units of blood. Training head Mr Nikhil Raje and GM Arun Arora did an excellent job of coordinating the camp. President Atul, Hon

Secretary Shabbar, Director Parag Paranjpe, Dr Ravi Wankhede were present during the camp.

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VIDARBHA COMPUTERS AND MEDIA DEALERS ASSOCIATION, BAJAJ NAGAR 6 APRIL Vidarbha Computers and Media Dealers Association (VCMDWA) the apex body of the IT traders and service providers, is a valued partner in our service projects. The association holds blood donation camp every year. The camp began at 10.30 AM at their Bajaj Nagar office. Due to strike on account of local body tax, the turnout of slow initially but picked up at later half of the day. The camp eventually collected a total of 30 units from its members and office bearers of the association.

IPP Tauby Bhagwagar, Vice President Bharat Goenka, Director Manish Bhati, Parag Paranjpe, Chairperson Rtn Dr Sheela Mundhada and GSE candidate from club Ms Chanda Sinhababu were present during the camp.

Parag Paranjpe

SOUTH POINT SCHOOL - 26TH APRIL 2013 The camp was organized at South Point School by the initiatives of Rtn Deodutt Dasture and Rtn Ann Mrinalini Dasture. The

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camp was held to coincide with the result day when parents come to collect and assess the progress of their wards. The camp which

began at 10 am collected 13 units of blood.

Parag Paranjpe

AT PARANJPE'S ANATHALAYA A Work shop was arranged at Paranjpe's Anathalaya for the inmates & caretakers on Monday the 15th May 2013 from 4 to 5 PM. They were taught various aspects & process to commercial production of Manufacturing News Paper bags & envelops and Decorative Carry Bags for marketing . The inmates will manufacture these items during Summer Vacations. They were demonstrated a faster process to manufacture these items reducing the time. The participants made these items in just 40 minutes during practice. This indicates that the concept & process of manufacturing had been well understood by the participants.

Around 20 participants attended the Workshop. Inmates had already started

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

selling their manufactured products to various Medicine shops in the vicinity.

Rt Ann Sadhana Paliwal had conducted the workshop & was helped by Rt Ann Asha Joshi, & Rt Sharad Paliwal. Club President Rt. Atul Shah, Dir. Rt. Shiv Rao had also graced the workshop by their presence.

Sadhana Paliwal

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INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EXCHANGE CAN I PLEASE CLEAN YOUR SUN-GLASSES ?

Apart from an overdose of Rotary and Rotarians, the sea and sugarcane there were other things I expected of Mauritius . Great weather and cool blue skies for one, Frenchspeaking, dark lusciously curved women for another, beaches, good seafood, calypso music, dancing, sun, some showers; speed boats and cruises... I had all these lovely images floating around in my mind as I got out of the airport into the car to drive to Cupipipe our home for the next few days .

As we got into our hosts Merceedes and turned on the radio, within my first few minutes on the island, I heard the following words: "Happy Birthday to Ravi Kishan ! ‌huh ‌. Amitabh Bachchan yes.. Sachin Tendulkar of course, SRK sure, but Ravi Kishan? Did anyone in India even know when Kishans birthday was? This was taking the Indian connection too far, I felt, and fearing a wave of lilting melodies in an horribly Bihari accent by one of my least favourite actors in Bollywood, quickly requested a switch of channels. Radio is a good way to prepare yourself for what's coming your way in any country. In Mauritius, for instance, most channels are a mix of Hindi, French, English and Creole, and the RJs talk a lot. (Tip: 90.8 FM seemed to play the best songs.) A reggae version of U2's 'One' came on, if you can imagine such a thing, and with rapt fascination I listened to Mauritian radio on the one-hour drive through lush sugarcane fields and wide open skies as we chit chatted with our host Lata Hassamal as we drove to her home .

Tauby & I were in Mauritius as part of a Rotary Family exchange program. 7 couples from our club at Nagpur were invited, hosted and thoroughly spoiled by our Rotarian hosts. We

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were welcomed into their homes and life's for the next four days. Our four days were packed with attending the local clubs projects, a club regular meeting, dinners, fellowship and of course time with the families we stayed with. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality of our fellow Rotarians who we all met for the very first time but left with a lifetime bond. Attention to the smallest details, care and fondness, affection and love we recived from our Rotarian hosts who we now look forward to visiting us in Nagpur probably in November to complete the exchange.

Long drives was another thing I hadn't expected from Mauritius. I'd imagined it to be too tiny for such pleasures, but driving through the sugarcane fields or tree-lined, or even better, sea-lined lovely winding roads is one of the bigger charms of the country. The Hassamals home was quite in the centre of the island and all the other coasts were under an hour away but you won't complain about these long drives; the scenery throughout is so utterly pretty that time dissolves into nothingness in front of it.

Mauritius is an island that emerged from the Indian Ocean less than 10 million years ago, and blossomed into a land of virgin forest and unique animal life. Besides the superb beaches that prove the main draw for most visitors, Mauritius possesses an astonishing repertoire of scenery, from dramatic waterfalls to languid meadows. And since man arrived here -just five centuries ago -it has become arguably the most multicultural small nation on earth. The best place to get an instant insight into this marvellous muddle of an island is the capital, Port Louis: founded by the Dutch, named after the French king, Louis XV, and yet a colonial base for the British. In the 21st century it is inhabited by Indians, Arabs, Africans and Chinese people, all of whom speak French.

The currency is neither the pound nor the euro but the Rupee, a reflection of the large number of people of Indian descent here.

We concluded our trip with three days at The Intercontinental Mauritus, a swanky resort close to the Grand Baie area. As soon as I got to the hotel, I made my way to the beach side with my book, for some alone-time before dinner. Viewed from the green strip of grass, the thick panel of turquoise water beyond the white sand shore looked almost impossibly bright. The sweetly perfumed frangipani and other flowers give the hotel a permanent scent, redolent of a burning Parisian Diptyque candle. I was slipping into a sweet afternoon nap when I realized someone was talking to me. "Can I please clean your sunglasses?" the cheerful voice said. An odd pick-up line, was the first thing that came to my mind. I looked up and found a beaming member of hotel staff flashing a little tube and a large friendly smile.

"Do they look that dirty?" I asked. "No but wait till I have used my magic sunglasses cleaner," she replied. Who could not hand over their glasses in front of such confidence? . We got talking and she told me how happy she was working and living in Mauritius , meeting lots of different people, learning new cultures and generally having a great time by the sea.

That's the clue to the warm happy friendly people of the island . People like her, people like our Rotarian hosts, like our friendly and helpful drivers, all this made our trip that little bit better by doing something disarming, and leaving us with a lasting memory of an amazing country small in size but big on spirit.

Naushad Bhagwagar

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EXCHANGE

ILE MAURICE !

Story idea – Rahul Kale and Sunil Hassamal Storyboard, Script, dialogues and screenplay – Vilas Kale / Jeet Manbauhal Costumes – Sharmila Sutaria and Shabbir Shakir Locations scouting – Anula Goenka and Nimish Sutaria Production Controller - Alok Goenka Auditor – Behram Patel Director / Asst Director – Vilas Kale /Anula Goenka /Jeet Manbauhal Cast (India) – Vilas & Neeta Kale, Alok & Anula Goenka, Shabbir & Jumana Shakir, Nimish & Sharmila Sutaria, Naushad & Tauby Bhagwagar, Rajeev & Abha Chaudhary, Behram & Archana Patel, and Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee.

Cast (Mauritius) – Jeet & Sadhna, Oodit & Veena, Jean Claude & Linda Tour, Hiren & Renuka, Suren & Sheela, Dev & Lata, Esmail & Yasmin, and Chandru.

The Story It was a casual mention of Rotary in a business discussion between Rahul Kale and his client Mr Hassamal, which eventually brought into contact our IFE chairman Vilas Kale and Jeet Manbauhal, IFE chairman of Rotary Club of Curepipe. After a prolonged exchange of mails and some telephone calls, the stage was finally set for a first in our Club's 68 year history. The first International Family Exchange plans were finally set in stone and announcements made inviting our members to confirm their willingness to not only travel but also to confirm their ability to host the incoming Rotarians in the second leg of the exchange.

The slots which were limited got filled almost instantly, with me and Sharmila put on hold ….. RAC in our rail booking terminology!

Eventually President Atul had to drop out due to personal reasons and we were finally on board. The discussions and meetings over snacks / dinner eventually led us to finalize the plans – what to wear, what to do, entertainment during the fellowships …..and excursions and sightseeing, etc.

Anula and I were researching on some of the things to do, sights to see and eventually

nominated as sightseeing leaders. At the same time we had no idea what the Mauritians were like, what they planned to do with us and for us. When eventually their mail with the schedule came in, we still had no clue on the sightseeing side of it, particularly. The call was taken that we would plan locally. After a couple of hits and misses, it came to Alok – the man for all seasons to establish contact with the agent in Mumbai and get us a deal. Contacts were taken for local help once we got there for the best deals on internal travel and excursions.

All apprehensions, both on how the India group would gel together, as also how our hosts would be, were rendered false. We worked very well as a team and our hosts took us into their homes, hearts and families leaving us bewildered. It never felt that we did not know them other than their photos, and the interaction could have been as good, or even better than the fellowship and camaraderie amongst our own Rotarians during our club functions! How the three days with them flew!

To compare may be inappropriate, but we were given the warmth and hospitality which even a baraati would be envious of.

A club of 39 visited by a delegation from a club of 350 was bound to intrigue their members, over half of whom were past presidents. There were firsts on their side as well, as one PP spoke in English for the first time when introducing himself in all of his 28 years in their Club. He was applauded and cheered by all his fellow members. Our team's traditional dressing in various ethnic styles won accolades, the presentation on our Club's activities and introduction of team members

by Shabbir and Vilas was very well received.

Visits to a couple of their projects left every member / spouse, Indian or Mauritian, in tears – even immediately bringing out a commitment from our Club / visitors to contribute monetarily towards the needs of the inmates of the Homes / Day care centers for specially abled. The last evening of fellowship at the Club poolside witnessed a musical and torso /hip contorting finale, when the Sega dancers attempted to teach the movements of their unique dance style.

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We were floored by their deep religious faith and customs which have endured the test of centuries and remains deeply embedded to date, much more than we can ever hope for.

Their love of Indian music and their enthusiasm was infectious and got everyone on their feet, and a short brief speech by PDG Vishwas drove the point home, when he explained that the lynchpin of the entire exchange was Paul Harris. He explained how it was Rotary which brought us together, and how it was destined that we were winding up the exchange (or formal part of it, anyway) on the birth anniversary of Paul Harris.

The remainder of the trip, we tried to maximize on adventures and excursions, water sports, sky diving, a Catamaran cruise and snorkeling over a coral reef, partying late at night and getting up early on succeeding days ready for yet some more activity.

The parting with some was very emotional, and without exception, it is on everyone's minds (our Rotarians) how and which way we can make them feel as much at home when their group comes over, perhaps in November this year. There were many who feel that this beginning should not be squandered and left as a one off exchange. Our Club with 350 members can perhaps even contemplate 3 or 4 such exchanges with different Clubs from different continents every year? Our Mauritian friends have made it clear that they would love to have a team visiting them every year and the period of home stay be even extended to 7 days!!

Hats off to Rtn Vilas Kale for the stupendous efforts and perseverance in making this exchange materialize and salutations to our hosts for their overwhelming welcome to rank unknown visitors, who when parted, were as if close relatives. To borrow an expression from Rtn Jeet, we say to the Rotary Club of Curepipe and their families, au revoir et ?à? bientot, good bye and see you soon, mes ami, c'est magnifique.

Await sequel, slated for release in November 2013 Nimish Sutaria

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INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EXCHANGE

In Pitcures

Club Meeting of Rotary Club of Curepipe

PROJECT VISIT

MASTI MANIA

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In Pitcures

ALL TOGETHER

MAGICAL MAURITIUS

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A unique project was taken up by the Club for the 1st time. It was attended by nearly 25 participants. The coaches Mrs Reena Singh & Mr Sanjay Singh of CIGA are avid golfers & are trained to coach amateur golfers like us. We were taken by the coach to the Air Force golf range for witnessing a proper game of golf. On the last day of the camp a fellowship tournament was organized by our coach Mr Sanjay Singh with participation from all the budding golfers. It was a amazing experience for all the participating members. I thank President Atul Shah & Rtn Ashwin Mankeshwar for giving us the opportunity to learn a amazing game of golf .

Pritesh Tank

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7

G O LF TRAI N I N G C A MP Day

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A unique project was taken up by the Club for the 1st time. It was attended by nearly 25 participants. The coaches Mrs Reena Singh & Mr Sanjay Singh of CIGA are avid golfers & are trained to coach amateur golfers like us. We were taken by the coach to the Air Force golf range for witnessing a proper game of golf. On the last day of the camp a fellowship tournament was organized by our coach Mr Sanjay Singh with participation from all the budding golfers. It was a amazing experience for all the participating members. I thank President Atul Shah & Rtn Ashwin Mankeshwar for giving us the opportunity to learn a amazing game of golf .

Pritesh Tank

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7

G O LF TRAI N I N G C A MP Day

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CLUB ASSEMBLY The Third Club Assembly held on 14th April'13 at Hotel Centre Point was with a difference!

President Atul as always in his 'haat ke style', wanted to have a Club Assembly wherein for the first time only the Past Presidents and the Board of Directors for the year 2012-13' interacted with each other for better understanding of the way in which the Club was working and how the systems could be improved for the better.

The topics covered were: 1. Membership- PP Shiraz Gimi and PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee 2. Attendance- PP Chandru Shahani and PP Sanjiv Chugh 3. Review Projects and Programs- PDG Dr. Satish Sule and PP Akhtar Maimoon

4. Fellowship- PP Rajan Bhatia and PP Sati Khanna 5. Level of Club Activities- PP Ganesh Joshi and IPP Tauby B. General Impressions were given by PP Shreeram Marawar ,PP Arun Bhargav and President Elect Prashant Kale.

Important issues were covered with inputs from all the other Past Presidents and was a learning experience for the Board of Directors. Informative, to the point, fantastic suggestions and solutions

were the highlight of this unique Club Assembly.Vote of thanks was proposed by Hon Secretary Shabbar Shakir.

Nilufer Rana

INNER WHEEL AND ROTARY · Inner wheel and Rotary are two different NGOs with commonality in service and fellowship objectives. · Rotary and Inner Wheel are that way independent by organization, but very much interdependent as far as Service objects are concerned and many projects are being done jointly, Polio Eradication is one. · By a specific condition in the constitution of Inner wheel, a member must essentially be a relation to a Rotary member, either close

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or distant relation, although many years ago, it used to be only the spouse. · Inner Wheel adopts the system of Rotary districts world over, even the numbering, but not necessarily, they adopt all changes. · The responsibilities and potions are pretty independent, their head quarters being in UK, and not much involved with US regimen. The nomenclature of various positions are quite unique and different than those in Rotary. · My personal observation: Inner Wheel

works sincerely, and without much politics, with a sincere aim of service, physically as well as emotionally, that goes with the gender acumen. · People in Rotary have tried to merge Inner wheel with Rotary in the name of "Partner in Service" like Rotaract, Interact, RCC, through COL but failed. · Inner Wheel organization is Rotary's strong "Service Partner". Please note the different wordings.

PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee

AMAZING STAR GAZING !!AMAZING STAR GAZING !!

On the night of 6th of April, after a hectic Saturday's work , We set out with kids in tow, with all the enthusiasm we could muster. Even the gods were with us, as the sky was clear and bright that night !

On reaching the venue : Bhonsala Military School, The first thing we saw were the 'telescopes', all ready to take us in to the magical world ! Next to the huge swimming pool of the school was a huge screen on which

we were shown the stars, the planets, their moons & the place they occupy in the galaxy.

With the help of a special software, the expert Astrologist enlightened us about the role these lighted bodies play in our horoscopes and lives! It felt as if the whole constellation was at our fingertips!!

Then was the time for the most awaited moment, watching through the Telescope -the mighty Jupiter and it moons!! And With that

OFFICE ASSISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM Home for aged and specially abled, Untkhana Welfare of specially abled and Vocational training committee jointly started a month long office assistant training program in association with Centre Point College. These special children are in no way inferior and a

small opportunity can open many doors for them. Office assistants are very much in demand that does not require too much of physical labour. By imparting this training to these children, the objective is to make them financially independent. The inaugural program was held at Untkhana on 15th April

began the race to visualise the maximum number of moons (some even surpassed the actual number!! ).The feeling was, literally ' out of this world '!

We ended this very well organised magical night on a musical note, by playing antakshari on songs related to the heavenly bodies and a yummy dinner !

Dr.Shivani .S .Bidaye ( Sule )

VOCATIONAL SERVICE 2013 at 5 PM. President Atul, Hon Secretary Shabbar Shakir, Directors Parag Paranjpe and Shiv Kumar Rao, Rtn Sharad Paliwal, Sadhana Paliwal and Asha Joshi attended it.

Mr Mohan Gandhe of Centre Point College was also present for the function.

Shivkumar Rao

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DANCING STAR When the objective is clear, conscious is clean and there is willingness to serve the society, the path becomes easy, the obstacles disappear and people from unexpected quarters join you to fulfill the dream. The story of this wonderful program is equally fascinating.

Bangkok & Pattaya are certainly not the places to think of a service project especially if you are there as a tourist. But when the occasion is Rotary International's annual convention, you get to see the bigger picture and the work that can be done by each individual to serve the society.

Rtn Sachin Palewar, then just over a year old in Rotary attended the convention and was extremely impressed with the kind of work Rotary does around the world. The trigger probably came a little later back in Nagpur when slum upliftment committee held a cultural program for the children from slums last June. A small girl was dancing on almost every song being played oblivious of the harsh weather (44-45 degree Celsius) outside and little comfort inside the hall. Her talent was amazing and the idea came to provide these kids a better platform to showcase it to world beyond the slums.

Thus began the difficult task of reaching to these children, convincing them to participate.

The club had been working with only 7 slums so far and in any case they would have come for the cultural program like earlier years.

Slum upliftment committee chairperson suggested that we reach to all Municipal Schools. The response from first two schools was encouraging. But the hurdle came when school authorities declined to co-operate unless they get orders from higher authorities!! Visiting government office, dealing with sarkari babus was far bigger obstacle then writing software code and writing mobile apps!! That hurdle too was

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crossed. The number swelled to 700 from 11 NMC schools and 7 slums. Looking at the overwhelming response and task involved, it was decided to close the registrations.

The objective however was not to have a regular cultural program and in any case program with 700 kids was impossible and would have defeated the purpose. It was clear that these kids should be able to harness their potential (in this case Dance) Around same time 'India's Got Talent' program was being aired on one entertainment channel. The winners were two kids from extremely poor financial background. One Mr Bivash Chowdhury of Kolkata at his dance school trained them. Rtn Manish Bhati on one of his business trips to Kolkata approached him. It took him 15 minutes to convince his secretary for a meeting. However the meeting with Mr Bivash was over in less than 3 minutes as he instantly agreed to join hands with our club & to come for the auditions and promised to train 10-15 bright children.

The most challenging task was auditioning 700 kids and short-listing 50-60 amongst them. Here many Rotarians and Anns came forward and helped in selection. The task was enormous. Reaching to schools and slums as per their convenience, lack of proper sitting arrangements, creating make shift dance area, arranging music at all locations, controlling over excited kids and teachers‌the list is long. The final list was curtailed to 81 students. Bivash confirmed 27th April for final auditions. On 25th rehearsal were arranged at the same venue so that children get accustomed to the setting and to sort out any bottlenecks if any.

The final day was all festivity. Contrary to previous experience kids came just on time dressed in different attires as per selected songs. Rtn Neerja Shukul with her wonderful oratory compered the show. The entire show

was flawless with no glitches through out the day. Judge Bivash with a keen eye and understanding of dance picked up finer nuances of each performance. The audience lauded each and every performance that was delivered with gusto. Few of the performances were simply astounding. Kids right from age group 5 to 16 danced to the tunes of Bollywood numbers both classical as well as popular, hiphop, remixes and Marathi songs. The final selection was difficult given the kind of performance delivered. Bivash could not resist and selected 20 kids as against originally promised 10-15.

Nilufer Rana, Dr Shantale Bhole, Divya Dass and Mamta Jaiswal ably managed registration desk. Breakfast was served prior to the event.

First lady Shefali Shah, Chairpersons Pinky Batra, Kusum Pandey, Ann Neeru Bhatia managed the lunch. Chairperson Ragini Sahu gave valuable inputs while Sonal Singhavi, Sapna Vastani, Sushma Hedaoo and Shefali Shah helped in initial screening of children.

Large number of Rotarians and Anns attended the program and lend their services. Director Manish Bhati and Parag Paranjpe, Rtn Dinesh Naidu, Sandeep Pathak and Shashank Pande helped in conducting program. Mr Vikas Patra and Ramesh Changani, friends of Sachin Palewar deserve special mention, who attended each and every audition. They gave valuable suggestions to the participants. Mr Durgesh from Palewar Techno Solutions used all his expertise in arranging songs both in initial rounds as well as for final auditions. Last but not the least the President and Secretary showed lot of faith and confidence in this novel idea and provided rock solid support.

The task is only half done. These 20 kids need to be trained by Bivash. That itself is a separate project and with the team efforts I'm sure it will be done.

Parag Paranjpe

DANCING STAR

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ROTARY & YOU(TH) Global leaders and philanthropists signaled their confidence in a new polio endgame strategy by pledging close to three-quarters of the plan's projected US$5.5 billion cost to eradicate polio within the next six years.

The new plan capitalizes on the best opportunity to eradicate polio, with the number of children paralyzed by this disease at the lowest level ever: just 223 cases in 2012 and only 22 so far this year.

Rotary members have been advocating for

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ROTARY ADVOCACY EFFORTS YIELD BIG REWARDS government support of the polio eradication program through meetings with world leaders and public awareness events to deliver financial commitments in support of the new end game strategy. By signing our petition and sharing your voice, you helped demonstrate to world leaders the wide-reaching global support for the push to end polio.

These advocacy efforts played a key role in global leaders announcing their confidence in the plan's ability to achieve a polio-free world by 2018 and their financial and political support for its implementation.

Bill Gates announced that his foundation would commit one-third of the total cost of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's budget over the plan's six-year implementation, for a total of $1.8 billion.

A new group of individual philanthropists announced their support for full implementation of the new plan with pledges totaling US$335 million, and donor governments renewed their commitment to ending polio. View a list of donors.

These pledges will help immunize more than one billion children, and bring the dream of a polio-free world closer to reality.

Read about Rotary members taking action worldwide to end polio on the Rotary website and learn about how you can join the fight.

NEWS YOU CAN USE 1) When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in Tokyo, Japan for the annual summit between the two countries, the hosts offered him a Jurokucha, which literally means 16 teas. A blend of leaves, grains and fruits, this tea is considered a health drink and it in a way symbolizes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's keenness to put the bilateral ties on a stronger and healthier footing in nuclear technology, economy and security matters.

2) Indians are shying away from buying cars.

High interest and regular hikes in fuel costs have dampened consumer sentiment, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) says. This is evident from the 6.7 per cent fall in car sales in the year ended March 31, the first time in a decade.

3) Mount Everest is not the highest mountain in the world? Don't Believe?

One way to measure a mountain is by measuring it from sea level. The second way is by measuring from base to peak. The third way is by measuring the distance from the centre of the earth to the peak of the mountain. “If you say that the 'tallest' means the greatest distance above sea level, that

would be the mountain you expect, Mount Everest at 8,850 (20,035 feet) meters above sea level. And if you define 'tallest' as the distance between the base and the top of a mountain, you get Mount Kea, at 10203 meters (33,746 feet) most of which is under the sea. But if you define 'tallest', as the farthest distance from the center of the earth, that would be Mount Chimborazo, in the Andes mountain ranges of Equator in South America with 6,267 meters (20,561 feet) above sea level.

4) Ice Hotel is one of the craziest structures made by man. It is a temporary structure made of snow and blocks of ice with metal framing by keeping the temperature factors constant. Ice hotels are located in different locations all over the globe. These Ice Hotels are re constructed every year for tourists who are interested in novelties and unusual environments. They are built of tones of raw ice, ice blocks and compressed snow. It is built every year in winters till springs when the ice begins to melt down. Currently there are only 4-5 countries where the ice hotels are constructed every year including Norway,

ABNASH KHURANA Our club ladies are more dedicated than men: Abnash Khurana He has that benign smile, which lights up his face and entire persona and you tend to instantly connect with him. That's what makes Rotarian Abnash Chander Khurana so popular with all the club members – young and old.

The man, who has been an integral part of the Rotary Club for more than 30 years, says: “I have chaired many committees and been a director twice. So, this club is one large, happy family for me.”

What then has kept him away from taking an active part in the committees past few years?

Abnash replies with a throaty chuckle: “Maybe it is the age or maybe I want to spend my life in a more laidback manner.”

Remind him that he and his elegant wife Indira are simply ageless, and Abnash says: “Actually, these days I have my own routine.

Mornings are dedicated to yoga and evenings are committed to piano lessons. That is why I can't give too much time to the projects, although I try to attend the Thursday meetings very regularly. Moreover, Indira is very busy at home and very actively involved in homely chores. But, we still try and balance the Rotary and personal life as far as possible.”

And what is that one thing about the club that he would like to change? “Our club is a complete wholesome package – with great projects, interesting meetings and amazing fellowship. So, it needs no change. In fact, I feel our youngsters are doing a great job and our lady members and Annes are even more dedicated than the men. It really makes me

Canada, Sweden, Finland and Romania.

5) Have u ever heard about LPG cylinder's expiry date? Do you know that there is an expiry date (physical life) for LPG cylinders?

Here is how we can check the expiry of LPG cylinders: On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically as follows A or B or C or D and some two digit number following this e.g. D06.

The alphabets stand for quarters A for Jan -March (First Qtr) B for Apr- June (Second Qtr) C for Jul - Sept(Third Qtr) D for Oct- December (Fourth Qtr The digits stand for the year till it is valid.

Hence D06 would mean December qtr of 2006. Expired cylinders are still available & used in the market. This cylinder should not be used and returned to the gas dealer.

Expired cylinders are not safe for use & may cause accidents.

Girish Deodhar

UNSUNG HEROES proud! In these past three decades, I have gained many friends. And this spirit of Rotary rules supreme in our club,” says he.

Vinita Chaturvedi

23

X PRESS

There has been a huge change in the style and functioning of Rotary in the last 15 years or so, probably due mostly to the purpose and intent of new members joining the Rotary movement.

This now reflects in the working of most clubs in that they have become more socially oriented than service oriented!! It may in part be due to the age and stage of life profile of new members whose focus obviously and understandably is more on their own family, business and self improvement issues than on social service and charity!! Some may be quite forthcoming and generous with funds but genuinely lack the time to get involved!! Some have spouses who more than make up for them!! These people are certainly assets. Then there are others who have no intention of getting involved financially or otherwise in club projects and are just content to be there!! Some others are there purely for networking reasons and having a blast!!

The question for you guys is: Is it time now for Rotary to re-set and re-align its aims and objectives to be in sync with these members and also continue to induct more of them? Or, alternately to be more stringent about admitting new members, if it wishes to maintain the same mix of service and fellowship and the same set of ideals? Should we allow things to continue to evolve in the same manner and risk becoming redundant over a period of time? Or, do we do something about it pro-actively in an effort to keep Rotary relevant and meaningful??

Pritesh Tank: As a matter of fact the style & working of any organization changes with the change in the Leadership; we just have to see that the new leader performs & works within the set framework. I think there also has to be a sufficient number of members on the other side of the table clapping for the hardworking lot! Sometimes the echo of those claps is the inspiration behind the good work done!

Looking at the magnitude of our exceptionally talented club, I think the combination of service oriented, financially generous but no time-wale, spouses-compensating ones, networking-ones & finally fellowship oriented members are all bound to be there! Being stringent about admitting the right type of members is also one very sensitive debate as Nagpur is too close circuit and connected society for each one of us! For the cause of Rotary there are very few members who would take the initiative & risk to black ball the wrong person getting admitted.

We just have to set the right ratio amongst these categories of members so that the risk of becoming redundant over a period of time does not arise. It is not that the new generation of Rotary is not willing to work hard for the service of society. I think our club & some other Rotary clubs of Nagpur I know are doing amazing service oriented projects & also it was not that the seniors were not enjoying frequent fellowships in those days …..!!

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Rita Aggarwal: What do you do when you hear so many seniors and office-bearers repeatedly tell you 'Just relax and enjoy Rotary, khao –pio and enjoy karo?' If that is what we are promoting, then let us be clear about it!! Rotary is based on the ideals of the 4-way test. THAT should be the guiding principle, which many times it is not!

New members are welcome and so are good projects!! What we need to do is discourage group-ism, politics and politicking! Rotary will always be relevant --- some clubs may not over time!!

Bharat Goenka: Sanji?v, you have answered most of your queries yourself. Now, if you want my opinion, well it's a proven fact that change is the essence of life and a norm of nature. As you rightly said we risk becoming redundant and at the same time will not attract the younger sect if we don't adapt to changing scenarios and lifestyles. But this should not be at the risk of compromising on the service aspect of the club. We Rotarians, over the years naturally form a bond and some sort of socialising is to be expected, as all work and no play makes one lose interest. A healthy mix of both aspects is necessary to foster homogeneity amongst members, but at the same time ensuring that fellowships do not take precedence over service.

ROTARY is a world renowned exemplary organisation which has proved its worth over and over again, and if we stop calling it a club and refer to it as an NGO which is not limited to boundaries of country and race, people who do not want to contribute in any manner whatsoever, will automatically get the idea and refrain from joining. We should be more judicious in the intake of new members and assess their worth to Rotary and not merely the fees & funds which they are contributing.

Sarang Upganlawar: Rotary, world over, is losing its primary motto of service, and it's already more into networking and fellowship.

However, re--setting and realigning of its aims and objectives will eventually kill the organization.

We are losing and will soon lose the status we gained for our service projects. And once we have lost it, we will eventually lose the people who joined us for the social status, eventually killing the organization.

Yup, it started because of the screening process involved. If we induct members based on their past service portfolio, then the picture would have been different. If we want it to be a service oriented organization, then the number of Rotarians dedicated to service should outnumber the Rotarians with other

aims. Obviously then, the measures of stringent criteria for admission, and minimum criteria of service for existing members will be a welcome move. It's quite difficult to implement it on a large scale, but the process has to be initiated and worked on diligently.

Pratik Salve: Rotary is renowned the world over for its contribution to society through the various services it provides. This is what makes one feel proud to be a Rotarian. Hence re-setting or re-aligning the aims and objectives of Rotary is out of the question. However our founding fathers emphasized the importance of both 'service' and 'fellowship' as the two pillars of Rotary. Good fellowship helps to facilitate bonding among members which leads to good team work. But club fellowships cannot be only about networking and having a blast.

Commitment to service through participation in club projects is essential for every member.

Some mechanism needs to be in place whereby membership can be terminated if members, after having been given adequate opportunity of involving themselves in club activities, still do not do so. As opined by many members in the Feb 13 X-press, maybe it's time to stop inducting new members. 350 is a big number to involve and coordinate.

Personally, I don't think, too many members can be categorized as “only there for networking or having a blast”. A couple of terminations will have the required salutary effect.

V i s h w a s Sahasrabhojanee: The questions you raised have been asked time and again specially since year 2000, but all along Rotary legacy has proved that it has an inherent strength to survive and grow, more so in the quarters where it was 'elitist' earlier. Change is the only thing that never changes! Rotary got started in 1905 and continues to be the world's biggest service organization in its 108th year. Over the years Rotary has seen systems, ideas, ideologies, geographies and icons change. From Monarchy to

Communism, Socialism, Perestroika, Glasnost, Democracies, liberalization, Globalization etc, Rotary has seen them all! It withstood two world wars, natural calamities & epidemics, witnessed several revolutions, weathered all storms and is standing tall. People like to call it solid like the 'Rock of Gibraltar'! I disagree because that rock is just rock solid while Rotary is dynamic. Rotary has molded itself according to changing times !Look at the inclusion of women as members... look at how we arrived on the verge of eradicating Polio....look at the new classification and attendance rules!!

In our club we have a wonderful spread of 358 member families who are a storehouse of talent, skills, enthusiasm and resources. We seniors in the club need to help each one of them showcase their talent. The debate on quality vs quantity, service mindedness vs fellowship interests has been eternal. We must not forget that in the late eighties, we used to have 90 members and just 25-30 projects in a year. Today, we have grown four folds but our activities have multiplied 12 times, and our contributions to TRF have grown 40 times! New members are equal contributors and custodians to Rotary's motto of 'Service above Self '. Rotary is a unique investment where the value of each share grows phenomenally with the rise in share holders! I have no doubt that the Rotary model will continue to be relevant till there is need of fellowship and service!

PP Dr. Sanjiv Chugh

TREASURE HUNT May born Rotarians & Anns, Fall in Line Thanks for the enthusiastic response to the earlier puzzles. All correct entries were received from Prema Srinivas, Manju Bhatia, Bhavana Kalra, Manju Shahani , Jerestine Watchmaker, Nakul Malani and Neeru Bhatia.

Now this treasure hunt is the Seventh in '......... month born Rotarians and Anns' series!

We take pride in the fact that our club has 358 members drawn from all age groups, communities, sects and representing different states, speaking different languages etc.

Indeed, RCN is a true reflection of India, a picture of Unity in diversity'! No wonder, all these young and old talented, knowledgeable and enthusiastic member families, who are leaders in their vocation dish out more than 300 project year after year and serve Rotary objectives. In our club, we work hard and play hard!

In the puzzle above, you have to search for surnames of at least 21Rotarians / Rotary Anns who were born in the month of May. No Rocket Science this..... All that you have to do is to pick up the Club Roster, turn to Page 188, get surnames of May born and start locating

TREASURE HUNT them in the A H E E L A W A R G A U puzzle. You will find the surnames M G V I N N G A M R P A falling in a single L L I R I A A G B Y straight line, in R U any possible A H A A E T R W A H R A direction....left to S V A A H N A A M S right, right to left, H C top to bottom, S U O J W S L G H O A H bottom to top, D A E A W D K I R R slanting left to H R right, slanting G A R V W A U A D A W O right to left, E A G A D G H R A Y slanting top to B G bottom or bottom E D R A H A A I A O H R to top. Simple !

R C M B A M H R R Y Isn't it? After O T spotting these J I V B A H R I S A C H M a y b o r n Rotarians/Anns, draw of lots from all correct entries at the first you will be left with 14 unused letters spread here and there! Using all these, in proper weekly meeting in June 2013. Everyone in the order and adding 9 letters A,N,G,E,L,I,V,E,S , Rotary family of our club and District is eligible build up the RI Theme for 2013-14. to contest.

Solve the puzzle, photocopy /email the all correct r e s p o n s e t o m e a t Come on! We look forward to new <vishwasdg3030@yahoo.com> and call on participants. Enjoy, and Good Luck !!! my cell no.94221 06570 before 25th April, PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee 2013. Lucky winner will be decided through

25

COUNCIL ON LEGISLATION CONCLUDES, APPROVES DUES INCREASE, UNLIMITED E-CLUBS Representatives concluded the 2013 Council on Legislation Friday, where they approved a US$1-a-year increase in per capita dues, removed limits on e-clubs, and changed the name of the Fifth Avenue of Service to Youth Service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been a pleasure for me to serve you as chair and work with you this week on the legislation before the 2013 Council on Legislation," Council Chair John Germ said. "You have come with energy and thoughtfulness, and you have represented your districts well.â&#x20AC;?

During the final day of deliberations Friday, the council rejected several resolutions that would have asked the RI Board of Directors to grant official recognition to programs that serve a range of different age groups, including EarlyAct, KidAct, and ElderAct. They approved resolutions asking the Board to consider allowing grandchildren of Rotarians to be eligible for Rotary Foundation programs, and to waive the rules for Rotary grants so that family member of Rotarians affected by a natural disaster would be eligible.

During the week, the delegates considered more than 170 pieces of legislation that addressed the policies that govern Rotary International and its member clubs. The council is held every three years.

The council approved a US$1-a-year increase in per capita dues that clubs pay to Rotary International, starting in 2014-15.

The increase was proposed by the RI Board based on a five-year financial forecast presented to the Board last week and shared with delegates on Sunday.

According to the forecast, if there were no dues increase, RI's deficit would grow to $9 million in 2018 and reduce the General Surplus Fund below the level required in the RI Bylaws.

With the dues increase, the deficit will fall to $5 million in 2018, according to the forecast, and the surplus fund will then stand at $88 million, above the mandated

26

level.

Supporters of the dues increase maintain that it will be sufficient to keep pace with inflation without necessitating cutbacks in service. Dues are the primary source of funding for Rotary's operations.

need to build up the next generation of Rotarians, but proponents of the name change argued on Wednesday that the word "youth" is more universally understood, both inside and outside Rotary, and clarifies the fact that these programs encourage Rotarians to empower youth.

The Council action raises Rotary clubs' annual per capita dues paid to RI to $54 in 2014-15, $55 in 2015-16, and $56 in 2016- * Approved allowing a district to have an unlimited number of e-clubs, removing a 17. Dues for 2013-14 are $53, and they previous restriction of two e-clubs per have increased $1 a year for the past three district.

E-clubs meet electronically, years. conduct service projects, and sometimes In other action during the week, also hold in-person meetings. delegates: * Approved a measure, aimed at increasing * Approved a measure creating the office of membership, that provides for satellite vice governor, who would fill in if the clubs, whose members meet at a governor becomes unable to serve. The different time and location from their vice governor would be selected by the parent club but who are also considered district's nominating committee from members of the parent club. among the district's past governors. * Approved a measure allowing * Increased the number of clubs that can participation in club projects to count take part in pilot projects to 1,000, up toward club attendance requirements. from the previous limit of 200. The RI The measure amends the Standard Board uses pilot projects, which last for Rotary Club Constitution to provide that a up to six years, to test new ideas, member must attend or make up at least methods, and organizational frameworks 50 percent of club regular meetings or for clubs. Pilot clubs that take part in engage in club projects for at least 12 these experiments are fully functioning hours in each half of the year, or a Rotary clubs that are exempt from some combination of both. requirements in the Standard Rotary Club Constitution.

* Removed the travel reimbursement policy from the RI Bylaws. This will enable the RI Board of Directors to develop a policy that is flexible, able to address emergency travel situations, and able to take advantage of costsaving opportunities.

* Approved a measure allowing Rotarians outside the United States and Canada to receive an electronic version of their official Rotary regional magazine, if one is available. Rotarians within the United States and Canada were allowed the option of receiving a digital version of The * Defeated two measures that would have Rotarian by the 2010 Council. allowed clubs to meet less frequently.

The delegates also rejected a measure * Approved changing the name of Rotary's that would have allowed a club to cancel Fifth Avenue of Service, currently called six regular meetings a year instead of New Generations, to Youth Service. The four, for holidays, the death of a club 2010 Council on Legislation approved m e m b e r, d i s a s t e r s , o r o t h e r this avenue of service for youth, which emergencies. joined Rotary's Four Avenues of Service (Club, Vocational, Community, and Source : Rotary International International). The name New PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee Generations was meant to reflect the

BON APPETITE When I was District Governor Nominee in 1971, there were only about 200 Rotary governors worldwide as against the more than 550 of now. At the international assembly in Lake Placid, NY, even breakfast was a sitdown meal. Seats were allotted with international representation. On the first three days, we were with French Rotarians and their wives. When I entered, a French Johnny welcomed me saying, Bon Appetite. I replied, Bobby Srinivas.

On the second day too, the same greetings were exchanged. I checked up with a FrenchAmerican director of Rotary International Marcel Corbat and he laughed aloud and said, bon appetite means have a good appetite, and the French way of greeting at a dining table!

On the third, I rushed up to be ahead of the

French Johnny. When he arrived, I said to him, bon appetite! He replied, Bobby Srinivas! Is this a language communication gap or humor?!

In the 1970s and 1980s Past Governors, attending international institutes held simultaneously with international assemblies, had the privilege of being invited for lunch with the RI President and also RI President Elect.

In the 1980 international institute at Boca Raton, Florida, I was member of the Findings Committee of the Institute. This got me one more free lunch! The group with President Jim Bomar had PDGs mostly from Latin America.

Introductions were in Spanish. Like Bengali, Spanish also turn 'a' to 'o'! Like Calcutta becoming Kolkata. When my turn came for self-introduction, I bent low and said, “Roberto Srinivaso from Indiano!” (Bobby is short for

“ENDANGERED SPECIES ?”

Some months back I came across a poster with a picture of a tiger and a caption that read “Save the Tiger”. I am sure you all must have seen the poster or at least heard about the concerns of the world about the diminishing population of tigers. But this poster was slightly different – below the caption “Save the Tiger” someone had written in bold print “Forget the Tiger save the Bawas”! How true. If statistics are to be believed by the year 2050 or there abouts the Bawa population will be

Robert). Everybody laughed.

Some actually came and spoke to me in Spanish. Not knowing what they said, I replied with a broad smile!

About the same time we had in India an Inner Wheel national president Saroj Lalwani (a Rajasthani, though her name sounded like a Sindhi) from Bhopal. She was a fantastic speaker quoting profusely from Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu literature. She was invited to an important Rotary meeting. She held the audience spellbound and totally captive with her oratorical skill! After the meeting some ladies came to her and started speaking in Sindhi. She smiled and did not (or could not) reply as she knew no Sindhi though her last name appeared that of a Sindhi!

Bobby Srinivas

GIMI MORE

down to dismal figures.

Tour Operators will make a killing offering conducted tours of Malabar Hill, Cumballa Hill & Pali Hill to see if they could spot the elusive Bawa sitting in his Sudra & lenga sipping cold beer and enjoying his Sunday Dhansak! not botheed about all the halaballoo.

On the other hand the tiger is more concerned about their diminishing numbers, as will be seen from the cartoon.

PP Shiraz Gimi

WATERMELON MARGARITA Nothing says summer like the juicy watermelon. So, celebrate the watermelon season with this sweet treat !!

WATERMELON MARGARITA In a pot, stir ½ cup water into ½ cup granulated sugar. Cook over low heat without stirring until sugar dissolves. Say, about ½ minute.

BOBBY'S BUBBLES

Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a blender , puree 4 cups watermelon chunks with the sugar water. Stir in 2 tblsps lime juice , 1 1/2 tsp lime zest and 12 drops red food coloring. Pour into a square pan and freeze covered.

To serve , dip rims of Margarita glasses into

MASTER CHEF water, shaking off excess ; dip into green decorating sugar.

With a fork scrape frozen mixture into flakes.

Spoon into glasses and serve immediately.

Serves 4 .

Khushnoor S.Chugh

27

KIDZZZONE Hey young friends…

This year we have decided to give you youngsters an opportunity to contribute to the Golden Orange through one whole page by you, for you, with lots of experiences, facts, trivia and entertainment sent by your friends. Since this is a monthly feature, I request more of you to contribute. Feel free to participate in this page. Share your talent, views, fun experience etc. I am just a call away.

Do contact me on 9923022299 or on mamtakanga @gmail.com or on facebook ;-)

A Tour Through North India Rebecca Richeimer This past month 17 Rotary Youth Exchange Students from six different countries came together for a three week tour of Northern India. Having gone on the south India tour in December and January we all knew what we were getting into. We knew just how exhausting and stressful it could get; everyday in a new city, sleeping in trains and buses, sometimes not getting a shower for a few days on end, never getting a moment alone. It can wear you down- a lot! And furthermore there's always a factor of unpredictability which really teaches you what the meaning of flexibility is all about. We had amazing highs and amazing lows. One day we were skiing in Manali having the time of our lives and the next we were in a small cramped bus with a flat tire parked in the middle of nowhere at 2 am. Another day we were riding camels in Jaisalmer and the next were waiting for five hours in a smelly train station until 3:30 am for our train to arrive. But as stressful and draining as it could be nobody regretted a moment of it. Those amazing moments we had like riding on top of a jeep in the desert, watching a beautiful puja from a boat in the Ganga in Varanasi, or seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time are simply irreplaceable. I think that every exchange student would agree with me in saying that all the anxiety and instability of 17 very different people essentially living together for three weeks is worth all of those surreal moments. The highs and the lows and the stress and the thrills have a way of bringing people together. There's nothing like bonding in a foreign country where everything is unfamiliar and new. I'll cherish every moment of our north tour (the good and the bad) because it not only allowed me to see a beautiful country but to create friendships that I'll keep for a life time.

CREATIVE WORKS IN FOCUS :Lubaina Maimoon Daughter of Rtn. Akhtar Parvez and Sabiha Maimoon Ansel Adams said,”There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”

I don't remember when I developed a passion for photography.

Maybe it was while experimenting with my friend's new SLR or maybe when I discovered the magic of Instagram. All I knew was I had to capture every instant and turn it into a memory. From clicking trees and playing with colors to capturing faces and silhouettes, I've realized that the one thing I love the most about photography is the freedom it gives me to preserve a memory the way I desire. To someone it may be an insignificant moment but for me that memory will be the way I choose to portray it through my lens. A smile here, a smirk there. Twinkling eyes and borrowed sorrows. All of them. Friends at a party, a bride at a wedding, the love of a parent, the mischief of a child, graffiti on a wall and more. I want to capture them all.

I am still an amateur and hope to enhance my skills to be able to not just click photographs but to create art along the way.

LITTLE HEARTS – GAURAV PALEWAR – MY CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS SON OF RTN. SACHIN AND VANDANA PALEWAR Hello everyone, I am Gaurav Palewar, I am 9 years old. Last Christmas holidays we went to Hyderabad.

We first packed our bags and went to my friend's house and had breakfast. We then sat in the car and set out for Hyderabad. During the journey we watched movies and slept for some time. Finally we reached Hyderabad and then entered Hitech City.

There we enjoyed our dinner in 'Mac D'. Next day, we went to the famous Salar Jung Museum. There we saw the Historical clock which was more than 300 years old. The second day, we went to Nehru Zoo. There we saw animals like Giraffe, Rhinosaures, White Tiger etc. The third day we went to snow world it was great fun playing snow with my friends( Reshal, Prisha, Tanamay, Anish & my lil sis Simone....).The last day, we went to Inorbit mall. It was a huge mall. After having lunch, we went for the show called “Dialogue in the Dark”. I was thrilled and excited to know about the show. It was a very different experience for me. After the show I came to know how difficult it is for blind people to live their daily life. Thank god for giving me eyes so I can look this beautiful world. The next day, we had our breakfast and left for Nagpur with lots of sweet memories. I hope my next Christmas holidays will also be lots of fun!

Gaurav Palewar

28 -Mamta Kanga

RED CITY

DIMAAG KHARAB

Those who called Nagpur an overgrown village with a laid-back lifestyle, its people going nowhere in a hurry and its pace considerably slower than Umesh Yadav's are now being forced to eat their words.

Orange City is rapidly taking strides in becoming a typical Indian metro, albeit for the wrong reasons. It now boasts of everything any selfrespecting metropolitan city has and sometimes more!

You name it and we have it. We have encroachments eating into public space like nobody's business. We have the most inefficient public transport system that, thanks to our over-efficient politicians, has been adjudged the best public transport system (makes me wonder what presentation they showed the judges, maybe the same can be sent to the Oscars committee). We have hospitals springing up cheek by jowl in already congested localities and this wins us the “City with Best Healthcare” tag (God forbid if an ambulance needs to reach its destination through a maze of narrow lanes and haphazard parking without having a bulldozer in front to clear its path). We have publications taking up obscure causes without having a proper blueprint to see them to completion. We have minorities and ethnic groups backed by local politicians sealing off arterial roads for processions on “important” days just because the majority community does it too.

Yet, in spite of all this, the most telling sign that Orange City has come of age is the blood shed on its streets every day. Whether it is road accidents with attendant apathy or “bhai” style shootings that are increasingly occupying the front pages, Nagpur now matches up to its bigger siblings in infamy. With ever-increasing anger, an inefficient policing system, inept municipal authorities, unconcerned neighbours and me-too lifestyle, Nagpur is fast going down the drain (or Nag Nullah, whichever you choose). Gone are the days when the city was defended fiercely by its inhabitants in instances of wrongdoing. Today we sense a general feeling of resignation and acceptance. Of standing by to be mere mute witnesses while anarchy rules. And thrives. Yet, Nagpur was somehow insulated from the worst crime against humanity – The rape of innocents. According to recent reports, even there Orange City is intent on proving itself first among equals.

So why this sudden spurt in crimes of all kinds? I would venture to think that crime was always around and is just of-late getting the exposure it deserves in the media. If that is not the case then it definitely has to be the sudden flaunting of wealth and luxury in our society. The weaker sections resent the success of the affluent. They feel they have been deprived of their rightful share of fortune and this manifests itself in hate crimes. Of course, the omnipresent friendly neighbourhood politician does not help matters by fanning the flames.

To top it all, like with every malady suffered by the city, authorities turn a blind eye as the situation gets worser by the day. First it happened with our roads. Then it happened with our water / electricity / public transport / playgrounds / real estate ... the list goes on. And now, it's happening with our way of life. Where will it end? Orange City has already become Red City.

Sohrab Kanga

LET’S GET PERSONAL Hi Friends, This sweltering Nagpur weather is getting from bad to worse.

To beat the heat, seven & a half couples (in Pres. Atul's words) went to Mauritius on a Family Exchange Program.

Vilas & Neeta Kale, Rajiv & Abha Chaudhary, Tauby & Naushad Bhagwagar, Shabbir & Jumana Shakkir, Behram & Kumi Patel, Alok & Anula Goenka, Nimish & Sharmila Sutaria and Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee.

They had a super week, with Rotarians in Mauritius.

Viju Naidu is in England.

Madhav & Hema Kinkhede visited Sweden.

Chandru Shahani went for a conference to Cyprus.

Deepa & Pramod Jamwal are off the US of A. Hargun & Rajni Sangtani to Canada.

The rest of us, not so lucky ones are bearing the heat, cooling ourselves in the pool or staying at home with ACs & Coolers on.

Fortunately the kids are through with exams and enjoying their leisure.

Treasurer Alok Goenka has found a new treasure , in his kids.

Both their kids have been selected for courses abroad.

Anvay shall be going to Berkley- California for a Diploma course, while Anvita is in Denmark doing textile designing.

I hope all our children shine in whatever they pursue.

The month of April has taken away many from our Rotary Family.

Heera Mulani, lost his wife Jesota.

Dhiren Jeswani lost his mother.

PP Sati Khanna lost his father.

May the families get the strength to bear the loss.

More in May. loves, Manju Shahani

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MONEY MONEY

BIRTHDAYS 15 MAY. to 14 JUN. MAY Tauby Bhagwagar Anjum Husain Dr. Abhijit Hazra Dr. Sanjiv Chugh Ruquaiya Vali Dr. Jaishree Masand Dr. Sanjay Marwah Sushil Agrawal Alefiah Master Priyadarshini Upganlawar Swati Agrawal Rahul Kale Parul Shah Simrat Uppal Urvashi Yashroy Vinita Bahri Anju Chokhani Shriya Mokadam Amiruddin Malak Babita Agrawal Sonu Rawal Om Prakash Bagdia Atul Shah Jasmine Gimi Sunita P. Salve Anmol Badjatia

15 15 16 17 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 23 25 25 26 26 28 29 30 30 30 30 30 31

JU N E Anil Singhal Vikram Naidu Annahita Doongaji Dr. Kanchan Naidu Rajiv Sahu Rohit Sial Vishal Jaiswal Dr. Mrunalini Dasture Vandana Agrawal Jugalkishor Agrawal Dr. Jayashree Mulik Suvarnarekha Chandurkar Parag Paranjpe Dr. Sameer Chaubey Shiraz Gimi Shailaja Pingle Mamta Mehadia Monal Malji Shabbir Shakir Smita Khan Supriya Kolwadkar Motashim Ahmed Alok Goenka Divya Dass

15 MAY. to 14 JUN. ANNIVERSARIES

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MAY G ula b & Pa dm a M a h a nt Dr. Ashok & Sunita La w a nge Satish & C h a ndra k a nta Rain a Abn ash C h a nder & Indira Khura n a Moh a mm ed & Alefia h M aster Bh arat & Ba bita Parekh Moiz & N afisa Ba nde Ali Pavn e et & N e eta Singh Atmik a & Rishi Ka poor Sh a hrukh & Parve en C assa d Arun & Ka n a k Bh arg ava U m esh & H e e n a Agra w al Dr. Sa m e er & Shiva ngi Ja h a gird ar D evendra & Va nd a n a Agra w al M a h esh & Vinita Agra w al JU N E Behra m & Arch a n a Patel Dr. Ajay & Anita Sood Kum ar & D e ep a Kale Pra mod & Pratibh a Kholkute Abdul & Zulekh a Parekh Sh ailaja & C h a ndrasekh ar Pingle Braje ndra Kum ar & Ush a Singh Shiraz & Bachi G imi Ashish & A arti Kalode Ra m & Smita Parsodk ar Vish al & Sw ati Agra w al Be en a & Shibu M ath ew

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PATIENCE INVESTING 01 01 03 03 04 04 05 05 05 06 06 07 08 08 09 09 10 11 12 12 13 13 14 14

All men's misery arises from his inability to sit quietly in a room. A statement, which can be derided by those who believe in 'work is worship'. The statement itself however does not promote laziness. Taken in the right spirit, it talks about an important virtue of patience. In this age of 'OH…YEAH….ABHI' (IPL theme this year) patience is indeed a rare commodity. Just to share two examples; When facebook launched 'Home” application for android phones recently, they were sure of the fact that each time person looks at the phone, FB will be the first thing any one would look at. Depending on whose research studies you rely upon (there are at least half a dozen of them) it was observed that on an average a person looks at his/her mobile phone for 100-150 times per day!! (Try observing yourself for a change, its probably true) FB is simple leveraging on impatience of mobile users!!

The second is excerpts from a talk delivered by one of the last few gentlemen's of cricket, Rahul Dravid, The Wall. He talked about patience. “My wife and I have built a new home with a lovely garden, which houses lovely bamboo trees. I got reading on the Chinese bamboo and learned that the tree takes 5 years 3 months to grow to its whole height of 80 feet. Yet, for the first 5 years, you only see a tiny green shoot, but in the next 90 days, it grows into a full-fledged tree. But in those first 60 months, it is growing its strong network of roots underground, to support the tree. In an era of instant gratification, we settle for shorter trees, but remember patience has its reward. These are your years of growing that strong network of roots but be sure when you finally achieve your success, people will call it “overnight success”. If only they knew of the Chinese bamboo!”

Patience also plays a vital role to succeed in Investments and equity investment in particular. Lets accept the fact that a typical Indian Investor is not exposed to equity investments. For 60-65 long years we have been accustomed to investment product that gave predictable, stable returns.

Returns that we can count on daily basis. Stocks were left to select few or persons with 'gambling' tendency. Equity culture used to pop-up only at the time of boom in the stock markets.

As equity investor one has to understand that we are buying an asset class that inherently has volatility entrenched in it. But over a long period (say 10 year and more) this asset class has the best chance of delivering returns that are superior to other asset classes. The only thing that is required is good study (no substitute for it) and patience. Checking stock prices 100-150 times a day won't serve any purpose except push us on a path that demands trading rather investing. It's akin to digging the soil and checking roots every day after watering the plants. Either it will stall growth or simply kill the plant.

Equity investment demands patience… to go through downside… to bear pessimism… to overcome euphoria. Setting up financial goal, assessing risk, allocating assets and focus on end result is far more superior strategy than reacting and trading on every 5-10% price movement of stock market. Stock prices on daily basis are simply reflection (or overreaction) of news about particular company. End of the day however it will replicate the profitability of the venture. The challenge is to ignore noises and focus on fundamentals.

It's not difficult. Start with looking at your mobile for only 50 times a day!!

Parag Paranjpe

BEST CHAIRPERSONS AWARDS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH

Neeta Kale and Anita Jain for Senior Citizens Committee and Poonam Sethi for Fellowship Committee

MAURITIAN MEMORIES

Welcome at the Airport

One island...all Mauritians

The Best Looking Caddie

The Hotel!!!!

A Bank Building

Picturesque

Vilas Kale releasing GO of April

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real one!!!

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