Oct 2012 - The Golden Orange

OCTOBER 2012

R. I. President : Rtn. Sakuji Tanaka

VOCATIONAL VISIT

NEW GUEST EDITOR PAGE

District Governor : Rtn. Sanjay Meshram

BLOOD DONATION CAMPS

Club President : Rtn. Atul Shah

MATCHING GRANT UPDATE

WORKSHOPS

SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOLARSHIPS

NEW GENERATIONS MONTH th

On 6 September, in the first half of the Business Meeting of the Club, scholarships worth Rs.81,400/- were distributed to 52 children from Ramkrishna Mission, Sevanand Vidyalaya Mahadula, Vivekananda Convent, Pandhurna, Government Excellence School, Pandhurna and 4 physically challenged children. The scholarships were mostly out of the earnings from the various corpuses donated by Ms. Piroja Eduljee, Mrs and Mr.Tirath Ram Aggarwal, Rtn Neeru Kapai, PP Chandru Shahani, Ashok Mokha, Dr.Rajesh and Tushar Singhvi and PP Akhtar Parvez Maimoon.

Donors Mrs and Mr. Tirath Aggarwal, PDG Vishwas, Ms. Namita Singhvi and Nisreen Maimoon were present on the occasion and helped give away the scholarships. Scholarships were also given away by Bobby uncle, PP Shabbir Shakir, Amita Behal and IPP Tauby.

The “Smiling Faces” presented a happy picture as they accepted their scholarships from the donors.

-SANDIP DHODAPKAR

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Stop Prezz.....

Dear Rotary Families, Pause! Pause so far as festivities our concerned...never heard this word so far as our Club's programs / activities are concerned.

Just when one member of the Board feels it is time to take a break someone else gets into action. The beauty about our Board members is that there are clear cut demarcations as far as planning is concerned, but no such thing when it comes to execution!!

Our Mega project of Nirmalya Collection was one such example where some stalwarts of our Club who untiringly have been standing for this cause of not polluting our lakes for last 7 years were there once again. Not to forget couple of members of our young brigade who took up the mantle of planning and execution, going beyond their “job description”. Kudos to you!

New Generations month was seriously

pursued by the 4 Way Test and Vocational Committees. 4 Way Test boards were put up on 30+ school buses and a visit to Candico, confectionary manufacturers was organised, where the tiny tots not only got to see the manufacturing process of toffees, bubble gums etc but were given complete freedom by the Management and staff of Candico to LOOT !! Yes it was a LOOT, where we adults too gradually dropped our guards and joined in.

The Vocational Committees seem to be warming up for the Vocational month. Our Club feels proud of our young Rotaractors from various colleges who came in big numbers to be part of the Nirmalya Collection project, emphasising their commitment to Mother Nature.

To all the young members of our Club, if you regret not being able to attend a B School then get on “Board” of our Club...it is a lesson in

Management, right from HR, to Admin, to Finance, to Event Management...the list is endless, which no B school will be able to give you so comprehensively !!

Cheers!

Atul Shah

Hear Me Out.....

Keep in touch......

Empathy not Sympathy!!!!

“How are you?”

“Good!”

That is the standard reply to a standard opening. What does the “good” really signify?

Nothing! The person may be having many problems, personal or professional or health or maybe all of these. Then why do people show that all is well?

The analysis is 'simply complicated'. Probably because, nobody gives that as a premeditated answer. It just comes out. Not because a person wants to hide his problems. Also, not because he is trying to forget his problems and talking about it will refresh the wounds. Then why so?

For this we will have to take the conversation forward on a different pitch.

“How are you?”

“Bad” “What happened?”

“Well……..my family……………my work……………my health…………..”

The other person has already lost you. Maybe because he has problems of his own and is least interested in yours. As a result, the response is that of sympathy. And sympathy is something nobody needs. What one needs is empathy. And empathy entails understanding people, maybe without even being told. Empathy entails reaching out to people to give a helping hand.

Empathy entails being beside someone when they need you.

Sympathy is lip service. Empathy is action and therefore God's service.

In our service projects, when we just give off material things even to those who need it, it's sympathy. When we take the time and effort to understand their need , show them that we care, with clear intentions of following up their problems all the way, it's empathy!!!!!

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....

The Four Way Test in Motion Nirmalaya collection at Ganesh Visarjan The water reservoir at Girad constructed under Matching Grant is filled to capacity A big turnout at the Vocational Visit

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GUEST EDITOR Khushnoor Chugh

As I take on the mantle of Guest Editor, a flurry of thoughts/ideas cross my mind. What should I write about? My Rotary journey which started in 1979? NO! Or, my many stints as Editor GO? NO! How would today's tech savvy generation of Rotarians be interested in knowing how we did our job as Editors?

Finally, I narrow down on writing about Interact – which has always been my focus of interest.

Organising Interact Clubs has been and remains one of the most rewarding experiences for me. I am sure, those who are seriously involved with this “youth wing “of Rotary will agree with me.

With the membership of our club rising by leaps and bounds, one wonders how much our 'baby' Rotarians know about Interact.

Being a Guest Editor is just the right opportunity to do the good deed.

The very first Interact Club was founded in 1962 in Melbourne, Florida, USA. The first Interact Club in India was formed in Tanjore in the same year. Interact stands for INTERNATIONAL ACTION.' International' because Interact exists all over the world.

'Action ' because Interactors are doers.

Most importantly, the first Interact Club that our club formed was in April 1997 at Bishop Cotton School followed by Sevanand School in December of the same year. Gradually, the number rose to the current count of 25.

Believe me, it is not an easy task to get an Interact Club started in any school. A lot of perseverance and persistence goes into explaining the benefits of this youth organizations before finally installing a Club.

Rotary International has its norms which need to be followed to the T and not taken lightly.

Each Club formed is given a CHARTER by Rotary International once all the formalities are fulfilled.

Interact is a service and social club for young people of 12 to 18 years. These clubs are self governing and self-supporting, giving members a chance to develop a range of leadership skills while learning the value of team work. World-wide, Interactors interact

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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 Khushnoor is a name synonymous with the GO. She has been the Editor recently, not so recently and once upon a time.

Another field that she has made a sizeable contribution to is Interact.

with other young people and adults through joint projects, leadership training events and conferences on youth issues. They discover exciting opportunities to be their best selves and have the time of their lives. In other words, they have SERIOUS FUN. Why serious fun? See our Interactors at the annual District Interact Meet and you'll know what I mean. The Interactors develop a network of friendships and learn the importance of leadership skills and personal integrity. They learn to be alert, observant and helpful. They learn to respect others and understand the value of individual responsibility and hard work. All these qualities go a long way to make a difference to this world.

As for a bit about the District Interact Meet.

One has to see to believe how the Interactors mingle amongst themselves! They are on a high even as they start the day at dawn and go

S U O I R E S F UN on till late night. The groups are a mix from different Interact Clubs and this gives them a chance to learn from each other and work together. Their duties are assigned and they honestly go about their tasks; whether it's maintaining cleanliness and discipline or catering. Come the last day of the meet and these Interactors are a sad lot. They don't want to get back into their routines. As for the Rotarians and Rt. Anns involved in the Meet,

they too are transported back to their own childhood.

For us adults, it's refreshing to be in the midst of Interactors. They inspire fresh ideas. They have tender, absorbing minds; fresh faces and ready hands to take up small jobs. They are, to top it all, enthusiastic. They are at the right place at the right time! They have Rotarians and their teachers to guide them as they go about their projects .Rotarians serve as resources to Interactors who will become tomorrow's parents, professionals and leaders. To top it all, these Interactors will make good Rotaractors and Rotarians in future.

I will not bore you further with long winding historical facts and figures but share a project with you which I know for sure happened.

Sanjiv and I were in Mexico last June when we saw ROTARY IN ACTION. If it wasn't for our curiosity in anything Rotary, we would have just passed it off.

As we were checking in at a resort in Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico, we saw scores of youngsters and adults alighting from four coaches. Their red, yellow, green and blue fluorescent T-shirts brightened the desert landscape. As they came nearer, we noticed an interesting message printed at the back of their T- shirts. It read –CAUTION – ROTARY AT WORK !

That aroused our curiosity and I walked up to one of them and learnt that they had driven all the way from Salt Lake City in Utah, USA to build homes. At that point that's all that we could gather. But my journalist's 'nose for news' asked for more!

Back home, I rummaged the Net to see if I could find anything about this project. Sure I did! And, this is what this group of about 240 –Rotarians, Interactors and Rotaractors was all about --- What I read about this amazing group and the service they render was so interesting that I couldn't help sharing it with GO readers.

It all started about 9 years ago when a good Samaritan,, then living in Mesa, Arizona founded an organization called Families Helping Families with an objective to build a home for a needy family in Puerto Peñasco which he loved so much. He found a real estate attorney and his wife who recruited their friends from Utah. The couples got hooked on the goodness of the project and it became an annual affair with them recruiting more families to donate the time and money to come down and build a house. Each year at Christmas time they all recruited families to come to Rocky Point and build a house for a family they had found and qualified.

Three years ago, they met up with the Utah Rotary Club leaders who got excited about the possibility of recruiting their youth service groups, Rotary Interact and Rotaract Clubs to get involved. Together they set up a separate project date for the summer to accommodate the school schedule of the Rotary Youth volunteers.

“The first summer 20 kids raised enough money to pay for their trip and donate towards the expense of building a home. The second year the number of young service-oriented Rotarians totaled 70 motivated participants.

By this year, the third year of the program, through mostly word of mouth among the youth organizations the number of youngsters more than doubled to 180, plus group leaders, chaperons and parents for a total of 240 people.”

“The group, ranging in age from 13 to 20, arrived on Sunday the th 10 of June. That was when we discovered this bunch of enthusiasts. The blog informs that, the very next day, they got started on the miraculous job of completing three 1,000 square foot homes, including the roofs, window and interior framing by the following Thursday— that's four days! They all diligently worked non-stop throughout the long hot day, proving their commitment to the Rotary slogan, “Service Above Self”.

“What you need to know about this very special group of young people is that their commitment to the project went far beyond the time and hard work of building three homes in those four days down here in Rocky Point.

Each of the kids started much earlier raising their own money, nearly $1,000 each to pay for not only the trip down, food and lodging, but also the cost of each house they built. They sold oranges, mowed lawns, held garage sales and performed many other creative jobs to raise the money and participate in this project. That is true commitment, dedication and action toward fellow human beings in need. It is also an inspiring attribute that says a lot for our younger generation.” This is KHARI KAMAI in the true sense of the term.

Their efforts were not confined to building the three homes in a seemingly impossible four day span. One g r o u p , e a c h d a y, accompanied the Rotarians and served six morning and afternoon class sessions in three di ffer e nt bui l d i ng s providing supplies and

cultural exchange programs for the schools.

The group distributed $5,000 in school supplies as well as 600 pairs of shoes.

When I read all this, it reminded me of our Bhamragarh project – but with a difference!

And that is, they all pay their own expenses for every trip. Three cheers to them!!

We so often collect books and clothes for distribution to the distraught and needy. Why not just make donation boxes and install them in colleges and schools where we have Interact and Rotaract Clubs? So neat and much less cumbersome!! No more running around when a calamity strikes!!

Our Interactors help sell Rakhis made by children from orphanages. While they can continue to do that, they can themselves make articles from recycled paper and raise funds.

That will teach them the value of hard earned money.

Alike many Interact Clubs it is most important to take a hands-on approach to community service - as in, hands on a paint brush, a hamme, needle and thread, sewing machine.

One reads about Interactors across the world painting orphanages, mending used clothing to fit the needy,painting cartoons on the walls of a children's hospital, raising funds through baby-sitting, car washes and gift -wrapping.

Some have even helped talented street children to produce artwork which they auctioned off to help other homeless children.

Of course, Interactors contribute a great deal towards Rotary's Polio Plus to support immunisation efforts.

With constraints of space screaming “HALT “, I will have to end but not before stressing that INTERACT IS SERIOUS FUN. Go for it !!!

-Khushnoor S.Chugh

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LETTERATI

- Letters To The Editor BEST LETTER

Dear Shabbir, September 2012 issue of The Golden Orange is one issue, I would like to keep with me for a long time. It was so good that I made all my office colleagues read it. 'You are what you are' by Bobby Uncle really moved me. It made me miss and think about my parents who live in other city.

The article was so good that it feels that you are reading a piece straight from 'Readers Digest'.

Editorial piece 'Madness!!' written by you is also an article of the same class. I also feel that only crazy people can really make a difference and change the world. We really need to be a bit mad and crazy at times.

Sohrab was at his fiery best in 'Rings of Fire', something which comes to him naturally :-) KIDZZZONE was fantastic as well. Piece on 'Rainy Season' by Tanmay Paranjape was reaaaaaly cute, whereas his father Parag also did OK with his 'Money Money' column ;-) -Sachin Palewar Dear Editor, In the Guest Editor pages Anita has somehow overlooked the fact that our very own member Ashwin Mankeshwar has held the post of Treasurer in Vidarbha Cricket Association, which has not been mentioned in the many paragraphs dedicated to the body. May I use this platform to inform our readers that this is a creditable achievement and thus needs to be acknowledged?

-Sohrab Kanga Dear Vishwas, I received three copies of The Golden Orange today and can never thank you enough for remembering us. The Golden Orange is undoubtedly the most attractive and informative Monthly Magazine of any Rotary Club in the world and I thank you for finding a space for our club in such a prestigious publication. I will hand over a copy of this wonderful magazine to PDG Deepa Wellingham (RC of Santa Ynez Valley, Californea, USA, our international sponsor partner in 3H 66532)) and her team when they come to Kolkata on their routine annual visit in December. I will catch up with you regarding our project later.

Thank you again and sincere regards, Yours warmly, -Jayanta, PP Jayanta Chatterjee, Rotary Club of Calcutta Metropolitan, RID 3291

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Dear Vishwas, From many club magazines I receive I try to go through the “Golden Orange�. At times I miss out on them because of my travels but I was fortunate to go through the July issue recently. This magazine remains pending for my review even when I am not quite up-to-date in my mail or browse through the printed material.

You have referred to the Mission Rwanda. I deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness not because my name has been referred but because of the significance of the medical missions we take to Africa . This was a special because what we saw opened our eyes and we are now preparing for a major single specialty medical mission. This is on the demand of the Health Minister of the country for plastic surgeons who could bring about corrective surgery upon victims of the genocide who cannot come out because of the totally mutilated faces. Some even fear that seeing them there might be a reaction amongst the people who are now on a reconciliation mode.

Let me once again thank you for bringing the story of Rotary Service Beyond Borders.

Warm regards, -Raja Saboo Past R.I. President Dear GO Editor, This is my first ever letter to you, hence I would like to begin by congratulating you on the success of the Golden Orange.

The magazine is a balanced combination of entertainment and important issues. It gives us a glimpse of various projects undertaken by the members of the club and also reminds us about social issues of our society which need our attention. The Guest Editor and kidzzzone is a welcome addition.

However, my main motive to right this letter is to point out a blunder in one of your articles...This is the article written by Beena Mathews, which mentions that the workshop was organised for the rotractors of management college of GH Raisoni, however the heading mentions the name as Sadabai Raisoni College...As a Rotract Committee Chairperson, I would like to let you know that we have rotract clubs in both the branches of GH Raisoni college but this particular workshop was organised by us for Rotract club of GH Raisoni College of Management Aspire, Madhavnagari.

Hope the mistake will be noted ...Thank you regards, RCC Sapna Kaswa Vastani

There will be a best letter prize every month.

So keep writing.

Also mail your photograph along with your letter.

Dear Shabbir, Incredibly interesting articles in this month's issue add super value to the G.O; every contributor has covered their given column so lucidly that its impossible to keep the magazine away without reading every page !!

This letter is specially directed towards Sohrab's article "Rings of Fire" Dimaag Kharab which highlights the plight of Sports in India. I absolutely agree with his observations and the conclusion that "Indians win in spite of the system and not because of it !!" So kudos to our competitors !! Having said that I'd like to know from Sohrab whom does he imply in the "we" in his problems (last 2 sentences) ?? I think the onus lies on us. "We" with such a big platform (as in a 300 strong influential club) have yet not taken any step towards finding, nurturing, encouraging, honing talent in such "sportspeople" as enlisted by Sohrab. Actually its a thought provoking write up and let's not wake up again in 2016 but let's make a start on it now; exploring all our contacts and committees including interact clubs, rotaract clubs, slum development and RCC committees and committees working with under privileged schools...First and most important let's Begin by changing mindsets of parents and schools to not focus only on Academics and give due support to sports too...Then someday "WE" all WILL look together in the right places.!!

-Jerestin.

Dear Rtn Shabbir I am very happy to receive G O while referring through I found excellent design, Good editing with informative of club activity. Really your efforts are appreciable. Keep it up. .

Rtn Hanifkhan President, Rotary club of Bhusaval tapti vally.

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BUSINESS MEETING

6 SEPTEMBER

The fractured Treasurer Business Meeting was held on 6th Sept 2012 at “Udyog Bhawan”. President Atul Shah called the meeting to order. He welcomed the members, wished all our teacher members on Teacher's day and requested for Half a minute silent prayer for the departed soul of Dr. Nirmal Jaiswal's Mother.

As Sept is new Generations month, Scholarships were distributed to the school students of Sevanand, Pandhurna, R K Mission along with to 4 physically challenged students. The scholarships were distributed

by PDG Vishwas, Mrs. Namita Singhi mother of Rajesh & Tushar Singhi, Mr. & Mrs Tirath Raj Agrawal parent of Reeta Agrawal, and Nisreen Maimoon. The same is co-ordinated by chairperson Sandip Dhodapkar.

The intact Board Awa r d s wer e Ann ou nc e d fo r be s t chairpersons for Interact Committee Renu Thapar, Namita Sharma, Shalini Naidu, Sonal Ajmera, Purvi Thakar, for Surgical camps committee Dr. Nandu Kolwadkar, for Fellowship committee Rahul Choudhary and Anushka Kale. Award for Best Letter went to Beena Mathew, for Crossword to Neeru Bhatia, for Kids corner to Zenia Rana & Priyanka Sutaria and winner of Ladies Committee Lucky draw was Sonia Khurana.

Short term IYE student Sarah shared her India experience and thanked Rotary Club of Nagpur for care and hospitality.

After these the Business meeting was commenced formally. Hon. Sec. Shabbar Shakir read the minutes of last Business Meeting held on 16th Aug. House unanimously

BACK TOKISCHOOL SAAWAN BAHAR.......

Veenita more speak….

And who says golden days don't come back.

This month's Ladies Meet “back to school “ was a time of nostalgia. And yes, the attendance was in plenty. All came with the same zeal as young school girls dressed accordingly in white kurtas and blue jeans.

The session started with Veenita Pasari introducing the theme of the day followed by On Thursday, 13th September 2012, Dr.Yugul Raylu shared his thoughts with the learned Rotarians on "Parenting the Teenagers".

Identity crisis, discord and peer pressure are the major problems faced by the growing daughters and sons in a household. "Up to the age of 8 yrs of the child the bonding between the couple themselves, and the child and the parents is very strong" he added. Social networking is indeed a major challenge faced by us today. It can only be sorted out by keeping the lines of communication open and

LADIES MEETING

A packed ladies hall!

Sonal Signhvi's fun interactive session of remembering the experiences of school. And then so many events, incidents and episodes came tumbling out from the attendees with roars of laughter following.

After this followed the jigsaw puzzle round where each member was given a puzzle where they had to find 20 names of children's

“PARENTING THE TEENAGERS"

confirmed the minutes. President announced the Birthday & Anniversary greetings to members. He also announced that the snacks were sponsored by Bread and Beyond, a venture of our Rt. Ann. Keshmira Mankeshwar.

Treasurer's Announcements were made by Alok Goenka. Jt. Sec. Mahendra Kamath informed about upcoming Programme by Prof Dr.Yugal Rayalu. President informed the members about postponement of program by Shri Rahul Bajaj. Rotary Information read by Monal Malji. Announcements regarding Interact Workshops and Rotaract Installation were made by Director Sandeep Pathak.

Information about District Event made by Vice President Bharat Goenka. President informed about important Board Decision taken on 3rd Sept. Release of Golden Orange was made at the hands of Yatin Malji and editor PP Shabbir Shakir. Announcement about attendance Report & Distribution of 100% attendance Awards for the month of Aug 2012 were made

by Ashok Malani The meeting was adjourned with singing of National Anthem.

-Mahendra Kamath

movies. These five minutes were the only quiet period of the entire session.

And then came the quiz time headed by Durriya Akolawala. All the knowledge in history, geography and bollywood was revealed of the Rotary members. And the final icing on the cake was the free drawing round where each group had to draw on a particular topic In conclusion, with the load-shedding inside and the rains outside sans light sans mike and sans vision – the ladies had a rollicking time, returning to their homes with a vibrant smile -Durriya Akolawala

REGULAR MEETING

effective between the parents and the techno-savvy children. "The modern gadgets are a boon only when used with discrimination" - he opined while answering in the QA session.

The audience felt that the HOD- English Department, Dharampeth Science College was quite honest and forthright in sharing his experiences. Dr. Kanchan Naidu introduced the guest speaker and Madhavi Naidu proposed a formal vote of thanks.

-Sharad Bhave

7 Dr Yugul Raylu

REGULAR MEETING No man rules this land mass which is 45 times bigger than Europe, holds 70% of world's freshwater reserves, is home to the Penguins, mighty Whales and the elusive Weddell seals, has the secrets of the history of the world hidden in its bosom and which is protected by approximately 500 kms of frozen ocean. Antarctica or the south pole may not yet be a home to any man, no country can claim territorial rights over it, it's still inaccessible for tourists, but it is the dream laboratory for many academicians of the world.

Antarctica is a different landscape altogether, nothing like it exists anywhere else on this planet. Here, the ice is as old as 1000 years.

Here in a nearly undisturbed environment we can learn a lot about earth's past. It's also very important because 90% of world's ice is in Antarctica. If it were to melt, the damage and destruction it will create to mankind cannot be imagined.

Nagpur University's Kirtikumar Randive, assistant professor of geology (Sr), was one lucky person who got selected to participate in the 31st Indian Scientific Expedition to

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9 AUGUST- ATHE SPECIAL ONE EXPLORING ANTARTICA

Antarctica recently. The Rotary Club of Nagpur was fortunate to have Prof Randive share his unique experience with the club members. An interesting audio video presentation was made and Prof Randive elaborated that working in Antarctica exposes one to the different works which scientists from all over the world and also their way of work. Also, all the countries are bound by the Antarctic Treaty which decreed that no nation may stake claim in any part of Antarctica and that cooperation be achieved for international scientific development. It is a place of geopolitical significance where India has maintained a successful presence. India has permanent scientific stations in the Antarctic, manned year long in which scientific research is conducted.

The beauty and uniqueness of the continent was well presented through photographs. The harshness of the weather, the risks as difficulties of working in such hostile sub zero conditions was elaborated. Interesting great care has to be taken that the environment is not disturbed, which is why all their excreta had to be brought back to India. Solid waste was

Mr. Kirtikumar Randive burned and the ash is brought back, while all their urine was brought back in containers. This might sound dirty, but it is of utmost importance that Antarctica doesn't bear the brunt of human habitation.

An interesting weekly meeting well attended and enjoyed.

-Naushad Bhagwagar

'EFFECTIVE PARENTING' According to her, teenagers undergo many hormonal changes. This makes them react quickly and they don't like to listen to a NO. Their emotional brain is always trying to overcome the thinking brain. This is where patience helps. Patience, patience and more patience is the one of the biggest asset any parent can have to effectively deal with teenagers. The Dr Shubhada Khirwadkar role of responsive communication, makes an example of Shalini Naidu effective use of body language and the feeling that parents are hearing The last meeting of the month was on the interesting topic of 'Effective Parenting'. The them can do the trick. speaker was IPP Dr Shubhada Khirwadkar In case of frequent demands and tantrums from Rotary Club of Nagpur North Hills. Dr thrown by child, which parents feel is not Shubhada has been conducting workshops proper; the ideal response should be a firm NO for all the interactors of our club. She has without any long lectures. The stance too already done 20+ workshops with our interact should not be changed frequently, which can get child foot in the door for next demand. A clubs.

With the growth of nuclear families, parenting question was raised of a scenario where the has become a task in itself. Add to that highly mother is putting her foot down on a particular networked world, the child faces immense demand of child but the father or the challenges, pressures and temptations. In fact grandparents spoil the scene by allowing child it surprising that while we have formal to do exactly what mother was against. Dr education and training for every other stream Shubhada suggested that the proper course of subject except parenting. In this context the would be that parents and grand parents sit topic was very useful. With her vast together and inform/discuss that in case of any experience in this field Dr Shubhada touched issue, who should have the final word and upon almost all aspects of parenting others then will not interfere. This, she said can be done in consultation with elder child especially on parenting of teenagers.

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also. Rules that are made democratically are better followed than those that are imposed.

For this family meetings and discussions are very important.

Small kids, she said need care, nurturing and occasional cutting of weeds just like plants.

Imbibing good value system can cut these weeds. According to her, don't worry about children never listening to you. Worry instead, that they are always watching you. Small kids need touch and warm language. On the topic of different treatment to elder and younger child, she told that it is important to give certain privileges to elder. Involve them in decisionmaking, give them responsibility. When praising, praise both. Often say that you love them for what they are.

With growing nuclear family where both parents are working and are not able to give time, gilt pampering is increasing. To compensate time, parents are fulfilling all the wishes of child. This too is major concern and barrier for effective parenting. Parenting according to her is mix of love, trust, care and loads of patience. She urged new parents to learn these life skills and become better parents. Earlier IPP Tauby introduced Khirwadkar and Rtn Beena Mathew summed up and propsed vote of thanks.

-Parag Paranjpe

BY WONDERLAND SCHOOL

To mark the month of “Joy Of Giving” The Interact Club of Wonderland High School conducted a project by visiting St. Michael's School and donating a few things like left over pages from old copies, old clothes, old

cardigans and old shoes. Children from Std I to X participated whole-heartedly in this project and experienced the joy in donating things for underprivileged children. They realized the joy of sharing things, under the

INTERACT PROJECT project named as “Joy of giving”. The Interact Club members contributed their efforts by participating in social work. The president of Interact Club of St. Michael School expressed his gratitude by distributing sweets to the children. This project was supported by Rtn. Namita Sharma, Principal of St. Michael School, Fr Vincent Pinto, teacher incharge Himanshi Mulchandani and Suchti Roy from Wonderland High School. The project ended with a beautiful thought “The more you give the more you get”.

BY CENTRE POINT SCHOOL MEDICINE COLLECTION 2 Activity of Interactors was collection of medicines. Students of Centre Point School contributed unused medicines. Interactors went round from class to class collecting medicines. 2 cartons of medicines were recieved and sent to the Rotary Club of Nagpur for further distribution. nd

BY DINANATH SCHOOL Trekking Camp by Dinanath High School The Interact Club of Dinanath High School organized a trekking camp for their Interactors. Nearly 50 Interactors undertook this one day trip aimed at visiting historical locales and studying the flora and fauna there. The teacher incharge Mr Manoj Nichols lead the trip. President Atul, Secretary Shabbar and Interact Chair Sonal Ajmera were there to see of the group and encourage them for their efforts.

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WORKSHOPS

AT ST. MICHAEL'S HIGH SCHOOL

Life skills are tools to handle and face life boldly, happily and successfully.

They open the closed doors of our mind. In today's turbulent times and competitive world, life skills' training is especially important as it helps us to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life.

And to guide children a workshop on Life Skills' was organized at St. Michael's High school on 7th Sept. Mrs. Shubdha Khirwadkar, a renowned pediatrician and child psychologist guided the children. She explained the importance of effective communication, creative thinking, empathy, family values in life. She asked them to identify their negative personality traits and consequently improve themselves. She gave them tips to deal with various day to day problems to get on with life smoothly. Many children asked the problems they face like peer pressure, family

pressure, violence, bullying, dealing with emotions, etc...and Dr. Shubdha told them how to respond in such situation appropriately.

Interact teacher in charge Mrs. Himanshi Mulchandani and chairpersons Namita Sharma and Sonal Ajmera attended the session.

-Sonal Ajmera

AT CDS SCHOOL, DABHA Life skills are tools to handle and face life boldly, happily and successfully. They open the closed doors of our mind. In today's turbulent times and competitive world, life skills' training is especially important as it helps us to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life.

And to guide children a workshop on Life Skills' was organized at CDS school on 14th Sept. Mrs. Shubdha Khirwadkar, a renowned pediatrician and child psychologist guided the children. She explained the importance of effective communication, creative thinking, empathy, family values in life. She asked them to identify their negative personality traits and

consequently improve themselves. She gave them tips to deal with various day to day problems to get on with life smoothly. Many children asked the problems they face like peer pressure, family pressure, violence, bullying, dealing with emotions, etc...and Dr.

shubdha told them how to respond in such situation appropriately.

Interact teacher in charge Mr.Francis and chairpersons Namita Sharma and Shalini Naidu attended the session. -Sonal Ajmera

AT SANDIPANI SCHOOL

A workshop on Adolescence problem was organised at Sandipani School on 18th Sept,2012. Nearly 180 students of class Viii attended the session. Mrs Shubhda

Khirwadkar, a child psychologist and pediatrician and chairperson Namita Sharma were given a warm welcome by Interactors.

Adolescence is a time of many transitions for

both teens and their families. To ensure that teens and adults navigate these transitions successfully, it is important that they be given proper guidance and counseling.

Dr.Shubhda started the session with ANGER MANAGEMENT and covered topics like SELF ESTEEM AND SELF AWARNESS, COPING WITH EMOTIONS and ART TO SAY NO and NUTRITION. With the help of games and flash cards she made them play some games, in which children took part enthusiastically.

-Namita Sharma

AT TULI COLLEGE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT 'First Impression is the Best Impression' What more can be suitable for the students of Tuli College of Hotel Management who need to incorporate this skill being in the hospitality industry. Miss Rishita Agarwal, an Image Consultant had an impressive session with the students enlightening them on various aspects like building the right image, appropriate clothing, positive body language etc covering the art and science behind a good image as they step into their professional world. The Noon session from 2 to 4 turned out to be interestingly interactive with some of them wanting to learn more. So learning just started for them... This was a coordinated project of Rotaract (Jatin & Sapna) and youth service. Apart from the college coordinator Amrita, Beena Mathew, Sapna Vastani and Kirti were present on the occasion.

-Beena Mathew

AT NEW ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL

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A humbling experience- For the first time the Youth service committee had a project at an Interact school & that too for Rotary club of orange city. The 70 students of class 9 all seated on floor in the auditorium totally engrossed in the stories & audio visual of two topics was an amusing sight. The sessions conducted by Beena Mathew were Positive Attitude and Body Language. Children challenge and thereby train you to become better trainers, grabbing their attention being the most important. An enriching experience for the students as well as the trainer! President Pratibha Siriya, the principal and teachers of the school were present on the occasion. -Beena Mathew

AT ST. JOHN'S HIGH SCHOOL ADOLESCENCE AND IT'S PROBLEMS 'Teenage is a crazy age ' my teacher and parents used to say, but I couldn't understand that till the time I became a mother of two teenage children. Teenagers go through so many physical and emotional changes, which make them confused. A workshop on Adolescence problem was organized at St. John's High School on 4th Sept. Dr. Shubhda Khirwadkar, renowned psychologist and

pediatrician took an interactive session for the students of class IX. She guided how to handle peer pressure and how to build their confidence. Concentration is a major problem in this age and she taught them some easy techniques to improve that. Friends become an integral part of their life at this age, but they should know how to maintain a balance and how sometimes bad company can ruin some innocent minds. A box was kept in the school a

few days back, so that students can ask any question anonymously. All those queries were answered by Dr. Khirwadkar. Some queries put up by the children appeared to have a hint of suicidal tendencies, which were handled delicately and Dr Khirwadkar has given her number so that they can speak to her on such issues.

-Namita Sharma

AT WONDERLAND SCHOOL Parent – Child WORKSHOP ON EFFECTIVE PARENTING Someone has said that a child's mind is fitted with the strongest camera, everything they see or hear is recorded in their mind which is repeated in future. Hence it is of utmost importance that parents should be good role models for their children. To guide parents, a workshop on 'Effective Parenting' was organised at Wonderland School, on 15th of Sept. Dr.Shubhda Khirwadkar, renowned psychologist, guided the parents on how important it is to maintain a balance between love and discipline. She said that it is most essential that a child feels secure for the love of

their parent and on the other hand, discipline from their roots should be strong. It is not right to give in to all their demands, tantrums, eating habits etc. Behaviour and social ethics were told to parents. Many parents asked questions,

which were handled deftly by Dr.Khirwadkar.

School Principal Mrs Gurjeet Kaur, Namita Sharma, teachers and around 75 parents attended the session.

-Namita Sharma

AT DINANATH HIGH SCHOOL

Workshop on Life Skills at Dinanath High School Life skills are tools to handle and face life boldly,

happily and successfully. They open the closed doors of our mind. In today's turbulent times and competitive world, life skills' training is especially important as it helps us to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life. And to guide children a workshop on Life Skills was organized at Dinanath High school on 8th Sept. Mrs. Shubdha Khirwadkar, a renowned pediatrician and child psychologist guided the children. She explained the importance of effective communication, creative thinking, empathy, family values in life.

She asked them to identify their negative personality traits and consequently improve themselves. She gave them tips to deal with various day to day problems to get on with life smoothly. Many children asked the problems they face like peer pressure, family pressure, violence, bullying, dealing with emotions, etc...and Dr. Shubdha told them how to respond in such situation appropriately.

Interact teacher in charge Mr. Manoj Nichols, Smita Bhargava, Beena Mathews and Sonal Ajmera attended the session. -Sonal Ajmera

AT ST. URSULA'S HIGH SCHOOL Life skills are tools to handle and face life boldly, happily and successfully. They open the closed doors of our mind. In today's turbulent times and competitive world, life skills training is especially important as it helps us to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life. And to guide children a workshop on Life Skills was organized at St. Ursula's High school on 21st Sept. Mrs. Shubdha Khirwadkar,

a renowned pediatrician and child psychologist guided the children. She explained the importance of effective communication, creative thinking, empathy, family values in life.

She asked them to identify their negative personality traits and consequently improve themselves. She gave them tips to deal with various day to day problems to get on with life smoothly. Many children asked the problems

they face like peer pressure, family pressure, violence, bullying, dealing with emotions, etc...and Dr. Shubdha told them how to respond in such situation appropriately.

Interact teacher in charge Mrs.Reena Kumar and Dir. Sandeep Pathak, Smita Bhargava, and Sonal Ajmera attended the session.

-Sonal Ajmera

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GREEN CITY

“GROW PLANT AND GET PRIZES”

The children and the saplings…….both shall grow and make this world proud!!

Enthusiastic kids from Little Scholar's Public School, Bezonbagh, Nagpur gave 100 % Results by growing all 200 Neem Seeds to Saplings distributed amongst them by our Green City Committee.

On 21st September 2012 Prize distribution Program was held in the school premises wherein all kids who brought their Neem sapling were given a Gift Hamper.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

On the Dias President Atul Shah, Secretary Shabbar Shakir, Committee Members Rohan Thakar, Ritika Singhai, Richa Sethi, Anagha Jaiswal, School Principal Sau Harsha Patil and President of Parents Committee Mr. Harshwardhan Meshram were warmly welcomed with flowers.

The program started with a beautiful dance performance by two little girls who were

identical twins. President Atul Shah motivated all the children for their efforts and mentioned that we are here to collect saplings which are grown by you from small seeds and we'll plant them at appropriate places. In that way together we will help to make our city green and pollution free.

Most awaited thing… Gift Hampers were distributed to all the children, who seemed much satisfied getting a reward for their efforts.

Sau Varsha Ramteke did a commendable job by compering the program very effectively and Jyoti Lanjewar concluded by vote of thanks.

- Rohan Thakar

SEVA SADAN DURBAL MANASK MULANCHI SHALA

Sadhana Paliwal continues her good work….

A Work shop was arranged at Seva Sadan Around 10 participants attended the Durbal Manask Mulanchi Shala (MSS) for Workshop. inmates and caretakers. On the request of the Sadhana Paliwal conducted the workshop, management, they were taught an advanced while Shabbar Shakir, Shiv Rao, Geeta Rao course on Greeting Cards making. Various and Sharad Paliwal were present.

Styles of easy card making were taught to Mrs. Smita Chate, Principal and other office inmates and caretakers, like Worli etc. they bearers of the institution were also present and were also taught spraying with colours on the had appreciated the workshop. The base cards before painting using discarded participants made around 30 cards in the (used and empty perfume bottles). The workshop and are preparing more for the concept and process of manufacturing had coming festive season like Diwali. been well understood by the participants.

-Sadhana Paliwal

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SHORT FILM COMPETITION BRIEFING

Nimish Explains…..

On the 6th September an orientation cum briefing meeting was arranged for all Interact and Rotaract Clubs and their teachers in charge at Udyog Bhavan. This was well attended despite extremely strong rains that very afternoon. The introductions were made

by Rotarian Sandeep Pathak, Director and the briefing was made by Rotarian Nimish Sutaria.

The objective of this session was to introduce the attendees to the concept of the short film competition. Initially a short film 'Chicken a La Carte” which had won accolades at the Berlin Festival was screened. This was done for the benefit of the representatives of institutions where the same had not been screened earlier already.

Rotarian Nimish explained how RC of Nagpur was keen to spread the message of food shortage and instilling values amongst children and youth of all backgrounds, irrespective of cast, creed or religious / social denomination. The film screened was an outstanding example of how audio visual communication can convey / teach and instill the message of food wastage avoidance to children of all ages. It was conveyed to all present that CD's of the film if not already delivered – would be arranged for each institution so the same could be screened for the benefit of all students.

The primary motive of the film making competition was -

• To unleash the creativity in children • To encash on the availability of video filming options and easy access to computers whether at home or in the institutions • To fire their imagination, encourage them to work as a team, enable team building and leadership skills for a social cause • Most importantly, to enable youth and children to discover talent / skill as well as open up new career options such as story writing / scripting / dialogue writing / photography / editing / presentation / et al

The introductions over, the short film competition and its ground rules were explained with the help of a simple power point presentation covering all aspects of the competition including eligibility and basic rules, the Theme(s) which could be covered, the time lines for submission, How RC of

RAISONI COLLEGE, MADHAVNAGARI CAMPUS

Installation ceremony for Rotaract Club of Raisoni College, Madhavnagri campus was held on 15th September 2012. Vice President Bharat Goenka was the guest of honor. Other members of Rotary Club Nagpur present at the ceremony were Shabbar Shakir , Director Sandeep Pathak, Sapna Vastani and Amitabh Sharma. The programme started

INTERACT AND ROTARACT

…..the audience absorbs Nagpur aimed to run a R & R (Rewards & Recognition) programme across various categories, and also how it was aimed that the final product(s) would be put to practical use.

It was clearly elucidated that no specific theme was being insisted upon and any subject which had a social message to deliver would be accepted as a valid entry. The Competition was open to any student across the board and irrespective whether the institution was affiliated or sponsored by RC of Nagpur or not.

Nimish explained how all entries would be screened at various Rotary events and that a compilation would be made available to all institutions so they would be able to view and appreciate the efforts of all participants. In particular, it was stressed that the movies shortlisted would be made available to viewing through as many Rotary websites and social media options as possible. It was also indicated that the same could be also proposed to expanded into a Rotary district level competition, if possible using the good offices of the appropriate authority concerned.

The meeting concluded with a FAQ session, where queries were responded and clarified.

All the Interact and Rotaract chairpersons were present to promote the competition.

Large quantities of the promotional brochure were handed over to each school / college to encourage them to display in every classroom, to enable better publicity for the Competition.

-Nimish Sutaria

ROTARACT INSTALLATION

with the inauguration of 'Rotaract Pinup Board'.

Outgoing President Ishant called the meeting to order, followed by the the lighting of lamp by the dignitaries. Ishant presented the report of the activities carried out during his tenure and the he handed over the Gavel and Collar to Surojit Das. Bharat Goenka installed Surojit Das as the president.

Mrs. Sophia Ansari, Campus Coordinator of G.H.R.C. Madhav Nagri Campus guided students regarding the activities to be carried out. She reminded the students of their duties as Rotaract Members of Raisoni College.

Vice President Bharat Goenka addressed the students. He told them about the opportunities available to them as Rotractors and the function of the Rotary International. He also

focused on how service is important to us.

The ceremony ended with Hon. Sec. of Rotract Tina Mandal expressing gratitude to the guests and students and the singing of the National Anthem. The meeting was then adjourned at 12:00 pm.

-Sapna Kaswa Vastani

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BLOOD DONATION

NSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA17TH SEPT. 2012

The camp organized by ICAI was one filled with fun and merry making. Students of ICSI undergoing course at this professional institution were the major contributors to this camp and were ably assisted by their past brethrens. Venue for the camp, which began at 4.00 PM, was the conference hall of Hotel Peanuts, New Ramdaspeth.

The mood was jovial right from the beginning and a steady flow of young students ensured its sustenance. Students were seen pulling each others legs (not literally, though) and most of them were first time donors – a fact exemplified by the sight of a few girl students tightly closing their eyes in anticipation, even when the needle was nowhere is sight.

The camp, which was a huge success, was marked by the presence of Mr. Pradip Channe, Chairman of ICSI, Nagpur Chapter and Mr. Rohit Jain, Secretary, who were the men behind all the motivation to students for donating without fear. Other office bearers of Nagpur Chapter also

participated in the camp and t h o s e employed joined after 6 PM. The camp continued till about 7.00 PM with a blood count of a good 53 units (name of the venue notwithstanding). Rotarians attending included Pres. Atul Shah, Hon. Secy. Shabbar Shakir, Director Parag Paranjpe, Rtn. Prashant Rajurkar & Dr. Sheela Mundhada.

- Prashant Rajurkar RD

SMART DATA INC - 3

SEPT 2012

Smart Data Inc., an IT company associated with us for past one year conducted a blood donation camp. The camp started at 11am at their office at Chhapru Nagar Square. Mr Abhijit Shahi the center in charge at Nagpur branch organized the camp in meticulous manner.

President Atul, Secretary Shabbar, Rtn Ravi Wankhede, and Sunil Bhatia attended the camp. The camp collected an impressive 63 units of blood.

- Parag Paranjpe TH

ESMS SERVICES, BUTIBORI- 8 SEPT 2012 A blood donation camp was conducted at ESMS Securities, a units owned by our member Rtn Nitin Deveshwar on 8th September at their Butibori training Centre. The Centre where security personnel are trained saw the new batch of 25 young persons donating blood.

-Parag Paranjpe RD

TH

GANESH UTSAV MANDAL – 23 & 24 SEPTEMBER 2012

The festive atmosphere of Ganesh Festival is great occasion to do social service. Holding blood donation camp is one of the easiest of them. The club in association with Jeevan

14

Jyoti Blood Bank organized few camps at Ganesh Utsav Mandal during the week. The camps held at Sonegaon, Mhalgi Nagar and Rajiv Nagar collected an impressive 101 units

of blood units spread across 2 days -Parag Paranjpe

THE GIRAD UPDATE- A LETTER FROM OUR PARTNER

MATCHING GRANT PROJECT

Dear Dr.Manmohan Daga, We are happy to inform you that Mata Talab built with assistance of Rotary Club of Nagpur is now filled to its capacity. This means that this summer there will be no water shortage as the water tank has sufficient water to recharge all the surrounded wells.

Before construction of Mata Talab the areas around the structure use to get submerged and disconnected from rest of the Girad village. The village people thank Rotary Club

for the safety of their property and protection of cattle heads, attributable to construction of Mata Talab. Inspit of torrential rains the connecting Road is also in good condition.

The rains did not allow us to photograph the Mata Talab but today was a clear day and we could take some photographs (enclosed) .

Thanking you With kind regards Sincerely, -Dr. Vibha Gupta

HANDICAPPED SCHOOL SCREENING PROJECT

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The annual school screening program for the inmates of the Govt Handicapped School was held on the 17th Sept. 2012.

The team of specialists included Dr Pravin Mishra, Paediatrician; Dr Vivek Gadge & Rtn

Dr Anil Masand, Orthopaedicians; Dr Rizwan Haque, Dermatologist; Dr Zubair Kazi & Dr Shadab Hassan, Dentists; Dr Shaunak Mokadam, Ophthalmologist with Krunal & Sanjay, Optometrists. Rtn Dr Iqbal Khan & Dr Jerestine Watchmaker organised this project in collaboration with the In-Charge & Teachers of the school.

We screened about 60 students for different ailments. The needy children were given medicines and two children were advised corrective surgery.

The surgeries will be done by Dr Vivek Gadge

AT KRISHNA NAGAR SLUMS

CANCER AWARENESS AND HAZARDS OF TOBACCO AND GUTKHA CHEWING A talk on cancer awareness and health hazards of tobacco and gutkha chewing was organised for the residents of Krishnanagar slum on Tuesday 18th Sept at 3.00p.m.

The Slum development committee in association with Sadhana Trust Cancer Institute organized the talk. The counselors from the institute, Ms Ashwini Puranik, Ms Kavita Hazare and their team very ably explained the causes, preventive measures,

at JNMC, Sawangi free of cost. Those needing specialised treatment will be treated at the respective hospitals of the specialists.

-Dr Shaunak Mokadam

WORKSHOP ON HEALTH HAZARDS

regular self breast checkups for the occurrence of any lumps, secretions, size difference etc. The audiovisual slide show made lot of impact. Various stages of cancer were also shown on the screen. Women present were specially made aware of Cervix and Breast cancer. The camp was an effort to prepare them for a free Cancer Detection Camp that is being organised in early October.

The camp will include thorough checkup for all men, women and children, Pap smear and Mammography for women. Detection of any

positive case shall be taken care of at Sadhana Trust.

About forty-five women and children attended the talk. The project was made more interesting by keeping a 'Lucky Number Draw' with attractive prizes. The residents looked convinced to avail of the upcoming Cancer Detection Camp. Chairpersons Neerja Shukul, Kusum Pande, Pinky Batra and Ragini Sahu worked hard for the success of the project.

-Ragini Sahu

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THE FESTIVE MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE IN PICTURES

V O C ATI O N AL VISIT Sunday the 16th September 19, 2012 was historic. Historic because an unprecedented number of members and their families descended on the Candico factory, maker of popular confectionary products candies and bubble gums situated at MIDC, Hingna, Nagpur. Historic also, because the organizers had advance confirmation of attendance from almost 120 members on the previous day itself! Historic even more, because the eventual count of attendees was reportedly 135.

While it was expected that children would necessarily be enthralled and excited, it was amazing to see members and adults relive their childhood and gaze in awe at the mouthwatering sights and smells which can only be found in a confectionary factory. The management and staff welcomed the visit with open arms and split the visitors into 5 groups to make the visit more manageable so that maximum information and knowledge could be shared on the various manufacturing activities and their processes.

This was in vain, though, because it did not take much time for all hell to break loose in the various product sections. The Candico team could only look on in amazement, and the sheer energy with which everyone started filling their pockets, caps, hair –nets, bags, eventually even raiding the packing material to fill up on the goodies!! It was a wonderful sight but one which the Candico team took in their stride, not flinching even once when even there were chaotic looting (!!!) scenes in the various packing sections.

All credit to Treasurer Alok Goenka, whose connections with MrSanjeev Gupta ensured that we were given not just VIP treatment, but treated as if we owned the factory. Earlier in the morning, fabulous snacks were arranged by Rtn Rajesh Yadav at the assembly point in Ramdaspeth at Rtn Nimish Sutaria's residence. Each and every visitor was then treated to another round of snacks by the Candico management, and also given a huge jar full of goodies (apart from the loot!) as a return gift. PP Vijay Naidu proposed a formal vote of thanks before the party broke up, and particularly expressed the Club's gratitude to Mr Pankaj Agrawal (CEO) and Mr Sunil Amte (GM) as also Mr Gupta and other Candico staff for their wonderful hospitality and welcome of our members.

-Nimish Sutaria

16

17

THE FESTIVE MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE IN PICTURES

V O C ATI O N AL VISIT Sunday the 16th September 19, 2012 was historic. Historic because an unprecedented number of members and their families descended on the Candico factory, maker of popular confectionary products candies and bubble gums situated at MIDC, Hingna, Nagpur. Historic also, because the organizers had advance confirmation of attendance from almost 120 members on the previous day itself! Historic even more, because the eventual count of attendees was reportedly 135.

While it was expected that children would necessarily be enthralled and excited, it was amazing to see members and adults relive their childhood and gaze in awe at the mouthwatering sights and smells which can only be found in a confectionary factory. The management and staff welcomed the visit with open arms and split the visitors into 5 groups to make the visit more manageable so that maximum information and knowledge could be shared on the various manufacturing activities and their processes.

This was in vain, though, because it did not take much time for all hell to break loose in the various product sections. The Candico team could only look on in amazement, and the sheer energy with which everyone started filling their pockets, caps, hair –nets, bags, eventually even raiding the packing material to fill up on the goodies!! It was a wonderful sight but one which the Candico team took in their stride, not flinching even once when even there were chaotic looting (!!!) scenes in the various packing sections.

All credit to Treasurer Alok Goenka, whose connections with MrSanjeev Gupta ensured that we were given not just VIP treatment, but treated as if we owned the factory. Earlier in the morning, fabulous snacks were arranged by Rtn Rajesh Yadav at the assembly point in Ramdaspeth at Rtn Nimish Sutaria's residence. Each and every visitor was then treated to another round of snacks by the Candico management, and also given a huge jar full of goodies (apart from the loot!) as a return gift. PP Vijay Naidu proposed a formal vote of thanks before the party broke up, and particularly expressed the Club's gratitude to Mr Pankaj Agrawal (CEO) and Mr Sunil Amte (GM) as also Mr Gupta and other Candico staff for their wonderful hospitality and welcome of our members.

-Nimish Sutaria

16

17

HEALTH CHECK UP CAMP

A Medical checkup camp was organized at Antar Bharti School at Khamla. This school, which is run by retired defense personnel, has been selected by Nutrition and Childcare committee for Project Nutrition. The kids in the school are from nearby slums whose parents are working as either domestic help/ Rickshaw

WORKSHOPS

How to crack competitive English?

This was the topic of workshop held at Hislop College by Beena Mathew on 1st September for the students who were appearing for

AT ANTAR BHARTI SCHOOL, KHAMLA

pullers/ laborers etc.

The health check up camp stared at 9 am.

Doctors from Lata Mangeshkar Hospital performed general check up. Dr Archana Choudhary did the screening for skin diseases. Team from the hospital of Dr Shaunak Mokadam performed ophthalmic check up. Dr Harish Rathi and his team did the dental check up of all the kids. Though it was Ganesh Festival, more than 30 children were present.

Since parents of the children were not present during the camp, teachers and the chairpersons Divya Bhati, Sandhya Agrawal and Kiran Wankhede noted all those who needed follow up and special attention. They called the parents and informed the future course of action. Nails were cut and parents

were asked to pay special attention to the hygiene factor.

Special thanks to Director Dr Shaunak Mokadam for coordinating with doctors and arranging camp. Dr Ravi Wankhede, Dr Iqbal Khan and Parag Paranjpe were also present during the camp.

- Parag Paranjpe

AT HISLOP COLLEGE various exams like CAT, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS etc. The specially designed program was totally activity based allowing them to take on vocabulary mnemonics, comprehensive skills & extempore abilities, all to make them aware of the dynamics of the subject. The students after an interesting ice breaking session were divided into groups as per months by Sonal Singhee. The environment was totally charged & competitive. It will certainly help them to introspect their current standing for the competitive exams & work on their skills.

The movie “Chicken A La Carte” was shown to the Rotaractors before the workshop started.

The presence of Shibu Mathew, Jatin Sampat & Sapna Vastani apart from the college coordinator encouraged the students.

-Beena Mathew

AT YCCE

Enhance your Public Speaking skills & enrich your personality through it. A slogan every student wants to go for & definitely all the 157

18

students of Electronics & Tele Communication Department vouched for. On the 10 September a workshop on 'Public Speaking Skills & Body Language' was held in YCC OF ENG by Beena Mathew. The students thoroughly participated in all the activities specially the “Affirmation Chants” to overcome their stage fear & the Aao Quiz Karein sessions. Such workshops held for Life Skills helps them to face their demons & feel unfettered. The youth service committee would certainly render services to all the

interested colleges in the near future.

-Beena Mathew

AT SHREE SURYA GROUP

The Four Way Test in motion!!!

ROTARY'S FOUR WAY TEST IS 80 years OLD. BUT EVEN TODAY ITS RELEVANCE IS AS GREAT AS IT WAS AT ITS INCEPTION. A GROUP OF SPIRITED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ROTARIANS WERE AT SHREE SURYA IMPERAL AT 10.30 am FOR FORMAL INSTALLATION AND INAUGURATION OF THE FOUR WAY TEST BOARDS ON 31 SCHOOLBUSES, IN THE

FOUR WAY TEST BOARD

“If PDG Vishwas can, so can I” – Vinita PRESENCE OF SECRETARY SHABBAR SHAKIR, PRESIDENT ELECT PRASHANT KALE, DIRECTOR SHIVKUMAR RAO, CHAIRPERSONS VINITA CHATURVEDI & SHARAD PALIWAL, VIKRAM NAIDU, CHANDRU & MANJU SHAHANI, PP VIJAY NAIDU, YATIN MALJI, SUSHMA HEDDAO, SAMEER & PALLAVI JOSHI, Dr. ANANT & SHUBHADA GADE, SACHIN PALEWAR

AT THE HOME OF SUNANDA AND PDG DR. SATISH SULE Kabhi Khushi Khabhi Gam, Eis karaan jude hai sabh hum' khoobsurat lamhe dete hai koi naam ' chalo aaj manate hain' Rotary At Home' ki Shaam, 'wah ,wah wah ,wah'!

Well friends this was the shayarana theme of Take Rotary Home at Sunanda and Dr Satish Sule's residence. About 15 couples including the Hosts and our Prez attended the dinner on the 15th of September. The couples were requested to introduce each other in a poetic manner.

Beleive me friends, we realised each and every Rotarian has a hidden poet in them. Stalwarts in rotary-PDG Sule, Pres Atul, the new and not so new mingled with each other. Rotary information was given by the host PDG Dr Satish Sule. He laid emphasis on the Rotary theme of this year "Peace Through Service".

Thanks to the Rain Gods who let us enjoy the plush lawns wherin Vandana Agarwal made everyone involved in the games .Chocolates were distributed as gifts to the winners. After the fellowship and mouth watering snacks which went on right from the beginning everyone enjoyed the lovely food cooked by our lovely ladies. Food was ample and in good taste and variety.

A lot of effort goes in planning an evening of fun and masti. Umpteen phone calls have to be

and MAMTA JAISWAL. IT WAS A GREAT FEELING TO HAVE AN ENLIGHTENING TALK ABOUT THE FOUR WAY TEST FROM PDG. VISHWAS SAHASRABHOJANEE AND CONCLUDED BY VOTE OF THANKS. -Mamta Jaiswal

TAKE ROTARY HOME

Chairpersons Rakhi and Manju watch the beaming Sules

made to get the members and their dishes together. We thank the Sule family for being the perfect hosts and making everything available on time-Be it music or snacks or drinks. Vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Shaunak Mokadam.

Being a shayarana theme things had to be ended in the same manner –so we asked our new member Dhananjay Hedao to do the needful-

Pal Pal tarse uus pal ke liye Barso se bechain they eis pal ke liye Yeh pal aaya jaroor lekin kuch pal ke liye.

Socha eis pal ko zindagi ka sabse haseen pal banayege Par yeh pal ruka bhi toh kuch pal ke liye.

-Rakhi Bhatia, Manju Bhatia

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ENVIRONMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL

Anant Chaturdashi, the day of immersion of Ganesh Idols after the completion of 10 days long Ganesh Festival is hectic one for our Rotarians. Firstly they are busy with Ganesh Visarjan at their own homes and second but more importantly also due to mammoth task looming ahead for the collection of Nirmalya at Futala lake. Looking at the sincere efforts of Rotarians and the success of project, the NMC too spread this activity across all the lakes in

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NIRMALAYA COLLECTION

the city.

The task began at 2 pm. The first batch was of Rotaractors from different colleges. Here I must make a special mention of Rtn Jatin Sampat, who marshaled this enthusiastic young crowd exceptionally well. They were all over and in the initial hours they were outnumbering even devotees!! They were of great help in providing snacks and water to all the volunteers throughout.

Rotarians joined soon after and, as people started coming for Visarjan they got busy and busier with the task at hand. There was hardly any time to take break and the flow was unabated. 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' and the new versions of slogan were huge hit with Rotarians and that kept all of them motivated.

After a hectic work, finally at midnight Rotarians called it a day. It was however

immensely satisfying to see clean lake and people coming on their own to deposit Nirmalya. The wisdom from lord Ganesh and the effort of Rotarians has surely made a big impact over all these years. Special thanks to Rtn Dinesh Naidu and Rtn Ashish Mehadia who not only managed the show on that day impeccably but more importantly the day earlier when they coordinated with NMC and traffic police. Their experience and practical suggestion were the primary reason for smooth flow of traffic and efficient nirmalya collection.

A job well done and hope to see more members joining in next year. Have already sent the invitation. Remember? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ?

? ? ? ? ? ?.

-Parag Paranjpe

BHARAT PARIKH I was sidelined - Bharat Parikh

Pushpa and Bharat Parikh His friends in Rotary would describe him as a congenial man, who believes in standing by them through thick and thin. But, he’s also known as a man, who believes in saying it, like it is. That’s Rotarian Bharat Parikh for you, who’s been a pillar of strength to the organization, stoically throwing his weight behind club’s diverse social causes, and being a role model for many a young member, with

his 100 percent attendance! He joined the club in 1995, and since then, his dedication to the Rotary institution has remained unquestionable.

But deep within, Bharat is hurting. After some prodding, he opens up and shares his pain with us, to ease the hurt and move on…

There’s a general feeling that some of the senior Rotarians feel rather neglected…

Speaking for myself, I do feel that I was sidelined! I didn’t get my due! In 2001-2002, I was on the board, and for more than five years, I was the chairperson for various committees. And my work was appreciated by one and all! Blood donation committee came into focus for the first time in my tenure, wherein we collected 2000 bottles of blood.

But despite my hard work, I was ignored by the subsequent boards. I feel, the groupism played a role there!

What’s the biggest plus of our club?

I feel our club today, is a well-oiled machinery,

SPINACH SURPRISE Lets get into an “eggy “ mode this month. Last month, Danish and Shiraz wrote about the fetish “bawas” have for eggs and Naushad has, time and again, tossed out Spanish omelettes for us !

Indeed, with a few eggs at hand you can do so much.

For breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, you just have to crack the “ande ka funda “ to get your family lapping it all up ! I am sharing with you a couple of recipes which are really easy to make with guaranteed success. Try it and have an interesting addition to your family's menu. Give a fancy name and you will have kids loving their spinach and asking for more.

SPINACH SURPRISE 6 Eggs

1 ½ cups cooked macaroni 1 cup finely chopped spinach ½ cup cubed capsicums 1 cup shredded cheese Beat up eggs and stir in macaroni, spinach, capsicums and cheese.

Spread into a greased baking dish and bake until set – about 15 to 20 minutes.

P.S. You Could even add diced chicken, red and yellow capsicums to make the dish more interesting.

SUNNY BUNS 1 kg. tomatoes – stewed and chopped.

1 tblsp fresh basil 6 eggs

UNSUNG HEROES which can run smoothly without too much extra impetus. This is also the reason of the institution’s success. It’s a self-sufficient entity!

And where do we lack?

I think we should cut down on socializing part.

After all, it’s a service club and work hard and party harder is not a very apt slogan in this parlance. Moreover, I feel with so many youngsters joining the club, at times they think it’s all about club culture and entertainment.

The fact is that Rotary is a somber, serious institution, where norms and sanctity have to be maintained at all times.

Despite the negatives, what binds you still to the club?

The fact, that it is a healthy, clean service organisation, which is doing a lot of good for the society, keeps me tied to it. Commitment to social uplift is one factor, which bonds me to the club.

-Vinita Chaturvedi

MASTER CHEF 1 cup mozzarella cheese 4 buns, split and toasted ¼ cup chopped coriander Heat oven to 180 C Combine tomatoes and basil in a lightly greased baking dish. Make six depressions in the tomato mixture and crack one egg into each .Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until eggs are set. Top with cheese, bake for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve over halved buns and top with coriander.

Easy ! So, what are you waiting for ?? Go on, try !!!

-Khushnoor S.Chugh

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ROTARY & YOU(TH)

CONFESSIONS OF A SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT

By Anne Kjaer Riechert, a 2010-12 Rotary Peace Fellow, International Christian University, for social media week A while back, during my applied field experience in Silicon Valley as a Rotary Peace Fellow, I was having coffee with a computer scientist friend at Stanford. I had to rather embarrassingly confess to him; “I just don´t get Twitter!” Why would anyone want to follow my life and reflections 140 characters at a time?

My friend explained to me that while Facebook is for friends that are now strangers, Twitter is for strangers that should be your friends. And I finally realized the power of social media is not just in 'who you know already,' but in the connection between people who share an interest.

As we saw in the Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movements, one should not underestimate the power of crowds who share a common goal. Social media can be a cost effective and timely tool for Rotary to raise awareness, get people engaged and stay connected. Imagine the impact social media could have on Rotary if it was used as an alternative way to crowdsource money for

social projects. What if every club live streamed its meetings, so that members could participate even if they were away on business? What if more Rotarians used online platforms to share ideas and project experiences with other Rotarians around the world? Social media has great potential to reach young people and help ensure Rotary's future. The possibilities are tremendous.

But you can't lead if you have no followers. And social media is not the answer to everything. There comes a time for human interaction as well. The challenge, therefore, before Rotary and Rotarians is to learn how to use these tools to lead effectively in the digital age and to know when it is time to “switch off.”

-PP Vijay Naidu

COMMUNITY WELFARE

GANESH UTSAV AND PRIZE DISTRIBUTION AT SNEHANGAN

Ganesh Utsav was celebrated with great zeal and fervour by the inmates of Snehaangan-a school for physically challenged children managed by Matra Seva Sangh. The ten day festival brought out the hidden talenst of these children when they participated in the various competitions, like singing, drawing, handwriting and various races. On 29th

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Anne Kjaer Riechert, a 2010-12 Rotary Peace Fellow, is founder of “We Have a Dream,” an organization that helps children visualize their dreams through drawing or painting. She is a social media consultant.

September, the concluding day of ganesh festival, a musical evening was organised for the children followed by the prize distribution ceremony. All the prizes were sponsored by our club. President Atul Shah was the chief guest and other Rotarians like Shabbar Shakir, Dr.Pushpa Bhave, Neerja Shukul and chairpersons Vanita Shukul, Madhu Mriga and

Smita Chaubey were present to encourage these children. The school Pricipal Mrs Aparna Hedau, Mr Pandey and the school staff worked hard to make this event a big success. The function ended on a happy note as our president made a promise to the school that the club will donate a water cooler soon for the children.

-Smita Chaubey

DIRECTOR PARAG PARANJPE

UP CLOSE

Parag Paranjpe - such a musical name, father (late) was a surgeon & also had a they were locked up in something like Pied Piper. When I heard his degree in law. His mother is a qualified lawyer cupboards. Market wise, he sees name, I conjured up an image of a cheerful, who has now retired. Paranjpe was born and an upward movement eg, 2g scam will smiling man and was pleasantly surprised brought up in Chindwara (M.P.) and studied till when I met him. he's got a mischievous smile the 12th std there. For his graduation, he escalate shares of telecom companies, coal that goes up to naughty, dancing eyes. Like moved to Nagpur, as he was studying for CA blocks of steel unit & so on. the proverbial Pied Piper,( he does not lead also. He had a grand time studying or rather His initiation into Rotary was as a GSE team rats or kids, down the cliff) but he certainly lead bunking classes at GS college, but managed member to Sweden. The Rotary concept otherwise sensible people to part with their to sail through both degrees; he was a money and entrust it to him - he is a Financial qualified CA by 2002. He started a firm-'Think abroad is very different from India. There, Consultants" along with 3 partners, Ranjit they are more into travelling everywhere for Planner and Investment Advisor.

Another thing that suits his name is that he is a Dani and Amit Dani, in 2002 itself. The firm is huge projects, unlike India. P.P. got hooked on pampered kid-indulged as the only son by at present celebrating 10 yrs of blissful to that concept, but nevertheless, when he parents, pampered by his 3 elder, married existence. joined Rotary in India , he quickly adapted and sisters, and adored by wife Varsha who is also Now how can a firm be blissful, if anything? started enjoying all the activities our club Because they have a T.T. table in the office, a bubbly, laughing personality. undertakes. Only a 4 year Their falling in love was old -club age, Parag has like a "jab we met" held a post every year & is episode. Parag went to n o w on the board. buy a car at Seva Auto and Definitely a president in no staff was present that day. A pretty, charming or t h e m a k i n g should I say irresistible girl Varsha, though a homewas at the countermaker now, plans to take Varsha, who was doing up her passion for Warli her 3 months internship painting as soon as she after MBA. So happened the kissa of Wagon R pe can. Parag's passions are ek Varsha free!!! So all listening to music & every prospective bridegrooms, type of sport, a statement do maro a chakkar of Seva which Varsha choose to Auto. So now V & P are Mr acede only 50%, as he & Mrs Varsha Parag Paranjpe fof the past 8 yrs really doesn't do anything!

Parag and Varsha with sons Tanmay and Anish and have 2 lovely sons to But she is quick to add his show for it-Tanmay(6) and where all the partners have a a brain-storming plus point that he is a man of few words with Anish(3). Both are studying at Sandipani session, while playing T.T., before coming School. Varsha finds the days full, handling home-info courtesy, Varsha. Novel way to immense patience. He is also multi-lingual; he her boisterous boys(yes P.P. included) and discuss business strategies! Varsha says he is good at Marathi, Hindi & English. These doesn't really find the time to pursue her own comes home to her all relaxed & fresh. Calling qualities help him to get along well with people interests. His mother lives with them which all Rotary wives-this year don't donate, invest from different stratas in society. It also helps makes them a cozy little joint family. in a T.T. table for your spouse's office! him maaro news from 3 newspapers for his Better-half Varsha is from Katol, where she Parag's take on the scams being unearthed is column - News U can Use!!! did her graduation in science & MBA. She is a that all bad things are the harbinger of good perfect foil to Parag, has the same sunny things to come. Whew! gr888 optimism! After Given a chance to relive his life, would he live it temperament and bursst into the most the Harshad Mehta fiasco, a cleaning up differently. No Sirree he is laid back, content. delightful laughter at the slightest provocation- process started, good, favourable resolutions Something good always comes out from the mostly at digs at Parag. Their light banter is a were taken for the capital market, there was bad (seems to be his mantra). So why change more transparency in the general financial pleasure to watch :) today when you don't know from where P.P.comes from a highly educated family. His scenario. Well, he's missed the suicides as tomorrow comes!

-Jyoti Goenka

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TREASURE HUNT

Fall In L ine Committee Chairs, Fall in Line Thanks for the enthusiastic response to the two earlier treasure hunts. All correct entries were received from Prema Srinivas, Manju and Sunil Bhatia, Bhavana Kalra and Neeru Bhatia.This treasure hunt is the second in 'Committee Chairs' series!

We take pride in the fact that our club has great systems and traditions. Here, not just the Club President , but the entire Board of Directors and most of the Committee Chairpersons and members take the assignment seriously and excel in the given job. In our club with 326 members, we have 65 Committees and more than 180 chairpersons who carry out numerous projects with great enthusiasm, using talent and resources. No wonder, we end up dishing out more than 300 worthy projects year after year.

In the puzzle above, you have to search for surnames of 24 Rotarians who are our Club's Committee Chairpersons in this Rotary Year 2012-13. No Rocket Science this..... All that you have to do is to pick up your club file, refer the various Committees, get various surnames and start locating them in the Criss-

D A R B A H H C W A J W

L A W I L A P A V A V A

R J G A R A N A I H A T

A M H A T K G S S N L C

W E O E H R W I H I I H

A R L E A A D J A S I M

Cross, in a single straight line, in any possible direction....left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, slanting left to right, slanting right to left, slanting top to bottom or bottom to top. Simple! Isn't it? After spotting these 24 Committee Chairs, you will be left with 11 unused letters spread helter skelter.

Using all these, in proper order, build up the name, initials of father's name and surname of the founder of Rotary International.

Solve the puzzle, photocopy (don't destroy

L A D H L G A I R B R A

N E B R A I K S M H H K

A P L B N Q R A A O A E

G E R U T S A D L L B R

P A C H A T U R V E D I

U U P T A P M A S U L E

this lovely magazine) /email the all correct response to me at < vishwasdg3030@ yahoo.com >, and call on my cell no. 94221 06570 before 27th October, 2012. Lucky winner will be decided through draw of lots from all correct entries at the business meeting scheduled on 1st November 2012.

Everyone in the Rotary family of our club and District is eligible to contest.

Come on! Dimaag Chalao ....All the best!!!

-PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee

3,000 MILES FOR 3 MINUTES: A GLOBAL CALL TO END POLIO BY BILL GATES This week, I am heading from Seattle to New York to speak for 180 seconds. I will be talking at a United Nations meeting about the fight to eradicate polio. I am very passionate on the subject, and I usually prefer to discuss it for hours at a time. In this case, however, I am happy to stop at three minutes. Because the reason my time is short is that so many people are committed to eradication we can barely all squeeze into the program.

When the UN event on ending polio is one of the hottest tickets in town, you know you are witnessing an extraordinary moment of global solidarity. And the timing couldn't be better, because we're at a particularly critical juncture in the fight.

New polio cases are the lowest they've ever been and there are currently just three countries, down from 125 in 1988, where polio is still endemic: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. India has defeated polio and Angola has defeated it twice. We have never been this close.

In New York, the world's leaders will show how seriously they take this opportunity and pledge not to let it slip through our fingers.

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On Thursday, the presidents of all three endemic countries are scheduled to be in New York to talk about their personal commitment to wiping polio out of their countries. They'll also describe how they're holding leaders at all levels of their governments accountable for results.

The three presidents will be joined by representatives from many existing and newer donors to polio eradication: Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as Rotary International And by brand new donors: for example, the Islamic Development Bank, which is stepping up with contributions to support efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Also joining is the president of our partners FC Barcelona and the FC Barcelona Foundation, who with their partners Etisalat, a Middle East telecommunications company, will be working to engage a global movement in support of polio eradication.

This amazing group is coming to New York because UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon

has made it clear that ending polio is among his top five global health priorities.

Eradicating a disease is very hard to doâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;so hard that it's only been done once in the history of the world. But the world is coming together with the financial resources, the political commitment, and the innovation necessary to do something absolutely extraordinary, to protect every child everywhere from this preventable disease.

When we succeed, the disease will be gone, but the lessons we learned from this fight will remain. We will be able to build on them to vaccinate more children from more diseases and save millions more lives, to mobilize more countries to donate to global health, and to inspire more heads of state to put development at the top of their list of priorities.

That's a lot of impact, and that is why I am travelling 3,000 miles to say 300 words. _This is what _,_._,___ This is what Bill Gates said a day prior to going to New York for addressing UN General Assembly on Polio Eradication.

-PDG Vishwas Sahasrabhojanee

The question for this month is: The Indian political, business, bureaucratic, service and professional scene looks more and more like a full-fledged loot-maar bazaar scene than at any time in the past. Money matters, damn the means !! Honesty, decency, modesty, ethics, a sense of right or wrong all appear to be words from a distant past. What are the reasons for this state of affairs and who are the people responsible for it??

JYOTI GOENKA: At first, the rich or upper classes made money through sheer hard work, brains & business acumen (and inheritance!). People who made money immorally were shunned by genteel society & were generally looked down upon. So they had the money but no status. The 'old' rich had money but considered it distasteful to blatantly show off. With globalization emerged a new class, the 'nouveau riche'. These people started spending money recklessly and were treated like kings. Today, in a race to be one up not only on our neighbor, but our global neighbor, money is the end-the means don't matter! Once you loose your shame about how you are earning your money, you are shameless about how, where, when and how much you spend. The mantra today is – 'Have it, flaunt it'!

DR SANJAY MARWAH: Though this is a complex, multi-faceted issue, I feel that it is WE who are responsible for this sorry state of affairs. We tolerate apathy, we elect the government, we don't mind if someone has the desire to 'get-rich-quick-no-matter-what it-takes'--be it those in government, or the guy next door. In fact, the chap is called 'ambitious'! Perhaps ours is the greater crime---for not only being passive onlookers but adopting the "if you cannot beat them, join them" attitude. In short---it's WE who have lost our NATIONAL CHARACTER. If this is a WAKE UP CALL, let us hope it is not too late.

NIKUNJ DOSHI: It's a sad state of affairs, for sure! And it's very easy to point fingers at the politicians, the bureaucrats, business tycoons and technocrats for the current dilemma. But, where do they come from? They are, after all, the product of our own society and rise from our midst! The fact is that our moral values are touching an all-time low and our greed knows no bounds! From bigger cell phones and gadgets, to swankier cars to five star holidays and fatter bank balances, our desires are growing at mammoth speed! Till the time, we don't curb this monster of greed, no point sweating over its effects! So, we have to start the cleansing from within, to reach out to the rest of the social fabric.

KIRIT JOSHI: The pathetic scenario of Indian state is undisputable on every front. The lootmar approach of leaders has given wrong signals to the society where the corruption has now spread everywhere in society irrespective of government or private sectors.

The reasons for this condition are: * All the anti-corruption wings are under direct control of Government. Hence, ministers and politicians get an easy way to escape from the charges by pressurizing the Investigation agency. * Weak judiciary: Any nation where judiciary is strong and the actions are taken quickly has lesser problems. Take the example of Singapore, Gulf countries and even China too where corrupt leaders are either jailed of shot down! We need a strong judiciary which is out of the influence of politicians. * In India, Election is not state Funded.

Contesting and winning elections needs huge funding. This is one of the major reasons behind political corruption. * Democratic structure: What is the point in mobilizing billions of people for voting when half of them don't understand what kind of leadership the country needs? What we need is restructuring of democracy. The rulers in Delhi to be elected by educated class. The Gram panchayat & local level can be elected with uneducated ones also....so every citizen participates in election.

ARUN BHARGAVA: As per my knowledge 70,000 Lakh Crores of India is supposedly lying in Swiss Banks. It is all black money of politicians, criminals, bureaucrats and other government officials like Police, Revenue Department etc. The lower Judiciary are the most corrupted organs of the country! Justice is on sale in India -- you want justice -- you pay for it or be hanged even if you are innocent! It's time to say good bye to Bharat Mata if the present generation of youth continues to escape from reality, and moral responsibility of taking the lead.

X PRESS

SANDIP DHODAPKAR: On the contrary, the loot maar bazaar was always on! It's just that recently introduced measures such as egovernance, laws like RTI and an electronic media thriving on TRPs, have brought the dirt out into the public domain.

I have unfortunately to put the blame squarely at the feet of our founding fathers who, while choosing the correct path of democracy, ignored the basic need of simultaneously imbibing moral and social discipline among the citizens.

Leaders propagating such an approach were dubbed fascists and kept out from the political mainstream. So, what we have today is democracy combined with illiteracy (what a cocktail!!) with its definition having been conveniently misunderstood as the freedom to do anything – whether right or wrong, legal or illegal, moral or immoral. Add to that a system of governance where NOT working at all can get you to no harm.

Deodutta Dasture: India is said to be the largest Democracy in the world.

Having 1/6th of the World's population with very less area of 33,00,000 sq. km. Reasons for the lootmaar seem to me---Fraud in Democratic system.

Non performing Rulers. Rulers are pursuing their own individual agenda only.

Accountability is lacking in all high-ups, like politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats & professionals.

Non – punishment to the proven culprits.

Delay in Justice.

Corruption is accepted/absorbed in depth in the society.

(Readers may Xpress their view on this topic at jivsan17@yahoo.co.in)

- PP Dr Sanjiv Chugh

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TRAVEL BUG

ECUADOR AND THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Vindhya's Wishlist The second place on my wish list that I absolutely have to visit are Ecuador and the Galapagos islands. These are basically a group of 19 islands situated in the Pacific Ocean. They are around a 1,000 km in distance from the South American continent, and the surrounding marine reserve has been called a unique 'living museum and showcase of evolution'. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a treasure trove of marine species.

Seismic and volcanic activity are responsible for the formation of these islands. This combined with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life .

Most famous are the huge Iguanas, the giant tortoises ,mini penguins and the many types of finch – which according to an UN. report, is what inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835.!

Long stretches of shoreline are only slightly eroded, but in many places faulting and marine erosion have produced steep cliffs and lava, coral or shell sand beachesoastal vegetation occurs along beaches, salt-water lagoons and low, broken, boulder-strewn shores. Protected coves and lagoons are dominated by mangrove swamps.

Few places on Earth allow for such close contact with a dazzling array of wildlife as the Galapagos Islands. Words truly cannot describe the intense feeling of wonder experienced while exploring these oceanic islands where the birds and animals have little or no fear of humans.

The native mammalian fauna includes six species: Galápagos fur seal and Galápagos sea lion, Marine fauna includes several species of sharks, rays and Cetaceans. Green turtle and hawksbill

26

turtle are common in surrounding waters, with the former nesting on sandy beaches.

This would be the perfect holiday for wildlife enthusiasts, as it is quite a change from the usual game sanctuaries and wildlife reserves that one visits, and the animals that one normally sees.

(Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC) We begin our adventure with Ecuador.

The best route is to fly from Mumbai to Quito, spend a day or 2 there before taking a 5 day cruise to the Galapagos islands.

Quito, Ecuador's capital is located amid snowcapped Andean peaks, and has long been the starting point for travellors on their way to the country's most famous destination, the Galápagos Islands.

At 9,350 feet above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, Quito offers breathtaking vistas around nearly every corner. Its historic centre, is one of the largest in South America, with 40 colonial churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries and is a world heritage site.

-Vindhya Sanjana

INDIAN ELECTIONS Sometimes in our frustration with the bureaucracy and corruption in India we forget what a truly amazing place India is!

Here is what the New York Times has to say on the Indian Elections It is truly the greatest show on Earth, an ode to a diverse and democratic ethos, where 700 million + of humanity vote, providing their small part in directing their ancient civilization into the future. It is no less impressive when done in a neighborhood which includes destabilizing and violent Pakistan, China, and Burma.

Its challenges are immense, more so probably than anywhere else, particularly in development and fending off terrorism -- but considering these challenges and its neighbors, it is even more astounding that the most diverse nation on Earth, with hundreds of

languages, all religions and cultures, is not only surviving, but thriving.

The nation where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism were born, which is the second largest Muslim nation on Earth; where Christianity has existed for 2000 years; where the oldest Jewish synagogues and Jewish communities have resided since the Romans burnt their 2nd temple; where the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile reside; where the Zoroastrians from Persia have thrived since being thrown out of their ancient homeland; where Armenians and Syrians and many others have to come live; where the Paris-based OECD said was the largest economy on Earth for 1500 of the last 2000 years, including the 2nd largest, only 200 years ago; where 3 Muslim Presidents have been elected, where a Sikh is Prime Minister and the head of the ruling party a Catholic

HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY A BAWA ?

BAWA JOKES - enjoy!

Bawaji Perfectionist!

A Blind Parsi Man enters a Bar, orders a drink and yells,"Hey, you all, want to hear a great Sardarji joke ?" In a deep husky voice the man next to him says: "Before you tell that joke, Bawaji, I think it is fair, given that you are blind, that you know five things about this bar.

The Bartender, Daru Singh is a Sardar, the Bouncer Thoko Singh is a Sardar, I'm Santa Singh,6 feet tall, weigh 260 lbs -- a Sardar with a black belt in Martial Arts, the fourth man sitting next to me is Banta Singh, a Sardar, who is a professional weight-lifter & the fifth man to your right is Dara Singh, also a Sardar and a World Champion wrestler. Now think about it. Do you still want to tell that joke?"

The Bawaji thinks for a second, shakes his head & declares, "No chance! Who's going to explain it 5 times over?

Don't mess with a Bawa Two men were sitting down for a break in their soon to be opened new store in a residential area in Mumbai. As yet, the store wasn't ready, with only a few shelves set up.

One said to the other, ' This locality is full of Parsees, and I bet any minute some curious Bawaji is going to walk by, put his face to the window and ask what we're selling.’

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when, sure enough, a curious Parsee walked to the window, had a peek, and in his typical

Parsee accent asked 'Arre bawa, what are you selling here'.

One of the men sitting there replied sarcastically, 'We're selling idiots.’

Without skipping a beat, the Parsee Bawa said, 'You are doing well for a new business . . .

Only two left!’

One….Two….Three…learning to count Bawa Style One Parsi - Statue at Oval Two Parsis - Dolly and Polly of Mocambo Cafe Three Parsis - A noisy threesome playing cards at Elphinstone Club Four Parsis - A snooty lot at NCPA for a musical evening Five Parsis - Off to Udwada Six Parsis - snoring after Dhansak, and Kawabs on easy chairs at the Ripon Club.

Seven Parsis - half the Sr. Counsel in Bombay High Court Eight Parsis - Dadar Parsi Colony cycling competition Nine Parsis - Most likely one of them being led to the vultures Ten Parsis - half of the Medical Elite of Bombay Eleven Parsis - shareholders' meeting of Tata Sons Twelve Parsis - all the statues on the sofas at Willingdon Club.

An aeroplane is flying over the United states at night. The pilot says 'Ladies and Gentlemen,

BOBBY'S BUBBLES Italian woman, where the President is also a woman, succeeding a Muslim President who as a rocket scientist is a hero in the nation; where a booming economy is lifting 40 million out of poverty each year and is expected to have the majority of its population in the middle class already, equal to the entire US population, by 2025; where its optimism and vibrancy is manifested in its movies, arts, economic growth, and voting, despite all the incredible challenges and hardships; where all the great powers are vying for influence, as it itself finds its place in the world.

Where all of this is happening, is India, and as greater than 1/10th of humanity gets ready to vote, it is an inspiration to the entire World.

— V Mitchell, New York, NY -By Bobby Srinivas

GIMI MORE the plane is losing altitude and all the baggage must be thrown out.'

A little later the pilot says 'we're still losing altitude, we must throw anything out that is in the cabin'. Despite more things being thrown out the plane *continues* its descent.

Pilot: 'Still going down – we must throw out some people '.

There's a big gasp from the passengers!

Pilot: But to make this fair passengers will be thrown out in alphabetical order….So A….any Africans on board?' No one moves.

Pilot: 'B…any Blacks on board ?' No one moves; Pilot: 'C..any Caribbean's / Chinese on board?

Still no one moves.

Little Parsi Boy :- (asking his dad) 'Dad….what are we?'

Dad: 'Tonight son, remember we are Zorastrians' BEING A BAWA CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. The Wise BAWA A PARSI was asked “at your ripe old age: “ What's preferable? Parkinsons or Alzheimer's?”

The wise Bawa answered : “Definitely Parkinsons, Better to spill half a peg of scotch than to forget where you kept the bottle !!”

CHEERS !!

-PP Shiraz Gimi

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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 ;-)

CREATIVE WORKS IN F O C U S : P R I YA N K A SUTARIA Daughter of Nimish & Sharmilla Sutaria I am 17 years old, and a realist. I have views on everything, and conform to nothing. Yet, I am a daughter, a student, and a writer. I study Humanities at Center Point School, and hope that someday in the future I will be the director of a creativity company. Other ambitions include travelling the world backpack style, becoming a teacher, studying to be an archeologist, and entering the Guinness Book of World Records for being the foremost source of knowledge on the Golden Years of Hollywood.

Reading poetry (Robert Frost being my favorite) and spending hours on Wikipedia, learning about any and every field under the sun, happen to be my two favourite pastimes. Others include crime fiction novels, trolling, old Hindi film and new English music, singing in the rain, and spending time with my friends. I have an aversion to mobile phones. Most of my poetry is morbid, or at the very least, serious; and my prose, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.

My favorite subjects are History and English. I also have a Facebook blog, where you can read, subscribe and comment on my writing, https://www.facebook.com/WhenAPigSqueals Here's a sample of my work: Tremors Those who have not witnessed Mother Nature's fury; Don't know what the judge decides; Dependent on a jury.

That shock; that silent moment; A shaking is proclaimed, A rumble from earth's underbelly; For a time, mankind is lamed.

Risings fall, paths are cracked; Lives are torn apart by the reaper; As existence shreds; harrow spreads, holes are severed deeper.

But, it was you who hurt and scarred mother; You who stole from her; she alone mourned.

Heralded it was to begin with and so you must know, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

MY ROLY- POLY GANESHA DRISHTI SHARMA Daughter of Ajay & Namita Sharma Dukh harata -- the one who destroys all sorrow : Sukh karata -- the one who ushers in happiness : Vigna harata -the one who destroys all evil and all obstacles Who else can it be but the roly-poly, plump, potbellied God, Ganesha?

This son of the gods, Shiva and Gauri, is a favourite with mankind, which is why his festival, Ganesh Charurthi, is celebrated with great joy all over India .Every year I used to go to Reema aunty's place to celebrate this festival. This year we got opportunity to welcome God at our place. We decided to celebrate in eco-friendly way, so we bought clay idol from Rotary stall.

This intelligent God is known for his weakness for sweets and, so we all catered to his sweet tooth. I love every bit of the time Ganesha is at our home. I look at Ganesha as a friend, a guide, Someone who brings peace, serenity and happiness to ours, and every home. Most of the times, I don't even feel like asking Him for anything. Just His presence is joy enough.Saying bye to him will be tough for me but mother says it is important to do visarjan "Ganpati bapa, mouriya! Pudcha varshi, laukar ya!" Hail Lord Ganesha, please return soon next year as we all adore our cute God a lot.

I LOVE SPORTS – YOHAAN GIMI Son of Parheez & Jasmine Gimi Hi! I'm Yohaan Gimi. I'm 9 years old & I love to play cricket.

I go for net practice on the ground, where my coach makes me exercise & gives us catch practice, batting practice & fielding practice.

I was the youngest player last year at the parsee tournament where we played against teams from other cities & I made many friends there. Normally after our cricket practice - we go to Coffee House for breakfast with my friends & my grand papa.

My friends & I have formed a small club in our building & all children get together & play lots of games .

I like Boxing & my Sir, Vinod Sir is a Gold medal Boxing champion who teaches me to defend myself.

I like arm wrestling and have won for 3 years in the parsee sports. I also like to play badminton & am learning how to play volley ball. In my free time I like to watch Science Channel & Discovery channel & cartoons.

I am also on the aeromodelling team in school & I love to fly the model planes.

I like Rotary because they organize visits to factories - like Dinshaws & Candico.

When I grow up I want to become a Scientist.

THE ROTARY VOCATIONAL TRIP TO THE CHOLATE FACTORY – ZENIA RANA Daughter of Mehernosh & Nilofer Rana Ahh! Chocolates Chocolates Everywhere! It was a bright sunny Sunday morning and here we go to the World's most Amazing Place!

'The Candico chocolate Factory. That sounds Yumm..!! We all were instructed to assemble at Nimish uncle's place where waited for us the mouth watering breakfast Poha, samosa And Jalebiii ! After munching all the goodies, we got into our cars and were off to the factory. As we reached and stepped out of the car the aroma of chocolate made us more excited and eager to just get in.! There comes my favourite part as I saw the chocolate falling down in a tub I just wished to dig my fingers in. All the kiddos kept grabbing all the chocolates, bubble gums etc etc along the way which were falling off their already full pockets!

LOL! All the adults too behaved like kids and filled their pockets and purses with their choice of Flavours! After we came out, we were given some refreshments and Atul uncle gave a vote of Thanks to the people of the factory. Last but not the least we all were given big pet jars of Candies to take back home! It was an Amazing Experience to watch all the chocolates being made..!!! I enjoyed it to the core and wish to Visit Again.

EASY DIY IDEAS :

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EASY DIY IDEAS : NO MORE STRETCHING TILL THE NEAREST TABLE!

REINDEER FOOTPRINTS … EASY ENOUGH TO TRY

EASY TO MAKE BOOKMARKS!!

-Mamta Kanga

THE TOOTHPASTE WARS

DIMAAG KHARAB

Quick! Name India's best selling toothpaste. Hint : It doesn't taste anything like toothpaste and is jet black in colour. Another hint : It is sold by the ton, not in grams. Last hint : It may not make your teeth shine, but it can make your wallet positively glow! It can make the authorities blind till such time as the common man simply loses it and demands retribution. And you are right ..... it is Coalgate! The haute couture of scams.

It is not funny, the amount of Zeros being added with each new scam in India.

From the Bofors Scam in the 80's which was worth a mere Rs. 64 Crore to the most recent mining scam which is estimated to be a whopping Rs. 1,86,000 Crore, India has surely come a long way. Whoever said India is a poor country? Just the recent spate of scams unearthed is enough to put any selfrespecting, first-world superpower to shame.

So what do the scamsters do with so much money? They spread it around.

Seriously. It is actually good for the economy. If you do not believe me consider these facts. They hire accountants to handle their ill-gotten fortune to try and legitimise the sums. They throw lavish parties which gives employment to caterers and waiters, revenue to hotels, liquor companies, travel agents & event managers. They bring out the dormant creativity in fashion designers with outrageous costumes (yes, costumes...garish enough to send stage magicians into premature retirement). They hire PR and advertising people to show the world how their business is based on values, fundamentals and integrity. They do their bit for worldwide recession by purchasing personal aircrafts and supercars from companies which otherwise would have been floundering for want of customers. They make offices and homes fit for kings, thus giving much needed impetus to the construction and real estate sectors. They buy sports teams and organise tournaments for the benefit of talented athletes. They forge friendships and associations with the powers-that-be to ensure that governance is not sacrificed for want of finance.

They stand staunchly behind whichever political party is in power to ensure that future oriented policies are proposed and implemented for the benefit of the common man. These are not mere mortals. They are visionaries ... we just don't know it yet!

And in such a scenario what do the authorities do? They lie in wait till meteorsized craters spring up all over the place due to the mining and plan foolproof strategies to bring the perpetrators to justice. They give advance warning to these prominent figures before raiding their premises so that they get to the bottom of things by preparing them to keep documents and figures ready for their perusal. They wait till the media blows things out of proportion before presenting the real picture their dynamic and quick intervention has unearthed. They leave no stone unturned (pun intended) to ensure that justice prevails.

We must also look at the benefit these visionary scamsters bring to society for they walk among us. They open our minds to new vistas in enterprise. They regale us with stories of their exploits, thus enhancing our world-view. They make parties happen with their flamboyance and magnetic presence. They make us cringe with shame for our achievements are so meagre as compared to theirs.

Until the next scam then. Ciao!

P.S. : I am definitely shifting to Pepsodent.

- Sohrab Kanga

NIRMALAYA COLLECTION

BY ROTARY CLUB OF MIHAN TOWN

NEWS YOU CAN USE 1)The first e-mail was sent over the internet in 1972. The first commercial text message was sent in December 1992.

Today, the number of text messages sent & received every day, exceeds the total population of planet.

2)It took just 4 years for the Internet to reach a market audience of 50 million. The radio took 38 years, while the television took 13 years.

3)A full moon is nine times brighter than a half moon 4)"Canada" is an Indian word meaning "Big Village".

5)"The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English 6)Predictions are that by 2049, a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species 7)During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food. That's the weight of about 6 elephants.

8)Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. This is largely due to the fact that a majority of the machines and tools we use on a daily basis are designed for those who are right handed, making them somewhat dangerous for lefties to use and resulting in thousands of accidents and deaths each year.

- Girish Deodhar

Dr.Rita Bhargava , recently presented the paper at International Congress of Dietetics-2012 held at Sydney from 5th to 8th september 2012. The title was " Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome and Impact of Medical Nutrition Therapy on Metabolic Syndrome amongst Type 2 Diabetic Population inCentral India".

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MONEY MONEY

BIRTHDAYS 15 OCT. to 14 NOV. Amitabh Sinha Dhanjay Hedaoo Pramod Kolkute Prem Gupta Jayshree Chandarana Padma Mahant Ashish Kalode Vanita Shukul Rohan N. Thakar Kirit Joshi Ajay Sancheti Dr. Archana Patel Jaya Mulani Capt. Ashok Narang Rajeev Chhabra Dr. Namrata Rathod Dr. Prashant Choudhary Dr. Archana Jaiswal Arun Khobargade Shalini Naidu Monica Bhagwagar Farzana Haque Dr. Shaunak Mokadam Neeta Singh Neeru Bhatia Manish Bhati Pravesh Malhotra Beena Mathew Anil Bhatia

16 16 17 17 17 17 17 19 20 21 22 22 22 23 23 24 24 24 24 25 26 26 26 27 28 28 29 30 30

Ashok Malani N O VEMBER Zarine Rana Sameer Agrawal Sangeeta Agrawal Ritu Nahar Ashok Hansles Mohan Anand Pratiik Salve Alka Goenka Dr. Aarti Anand Manmohan Sharma Sudhir Puranik Rajan Bhatia Timmy Bawa Ram Parsodkar Rishi Kapoor Viji Murali Anjali Thakur Neeru Kapai Shalini Gupta Sanjay Sahu Vinay Thakur Renu Arora Reena Seth Varsha Mansukhani Meera Kulkarni Mohammed Master Shashank Pandey

15 OCT. to 14 NOV. ANNIVERSARIES Dr. Deepa & Pramod Jamwal 17.10.2012 Akhtar Parvez & Sabina Maimoon 23.10.2012 Hemant & Kalpana Chandurkar 26.10.2012 N O VEMBER Amiruddin & Ayun Malak 03.11.2012 Dr. Nandu & Supriya kolwadkar 05.11.2012

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Dr. Dipak & Shwetali Deshmukh 07.11.2012 Nilufer & Mehernosh Rana 14.11.2012

Investment Tips 31 01 01 01 02 03 04 04 04 08 08 09 09 09 09 09 09 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 14 15 15

LORD GANESHA'S BLESSINGS While we bid adieu to beloved god Ganesh, he left behind 21 modaks as Prasad for financial freedom. Here they are; 1. Start with a prayer: Sir John Templeton says if you start with a prayer, it gives clarity of thought and fewer investment mistakes.

2. Start early and save regularly: Hare and tortoise story works here as well. Its important to start early but equally important to have regularity, patience and conviction in investments.

3. Reduce expenses: The most difficult 'prasad' to digest!! Just thinkâ&#x20AC;Śwhat is easy? Reducing Rs 10,000 monthly expense or earning Rs 10,000 extra every month? Especially if there are lot of discretionary expenses. Just consider this, you need to invest Rs 10Lakhs at 10% to earn that extra Rs 10k per month.

4. Proper homework and expert's advice: The primary reason for haphazard investment is lack of planning. Get an expert's advice for better control over investments.

5. Assess financial advisor's experience and expertise: Judge the advisor on all counts. Be it professional qualification in that subject, competency, reference checks and experience.

6. Health Insurance: You are many more times at risk of getting ill than life threat.

Health insurance is insurance of your investment. In the absence of which, in case of medical emergency, one may need to liquidate investments.

7. Life Insurance: Buy life insurance for the sake of insurance not investment.

Period.

8. Don't ignore inflation: The silent and the giant killer. Remember what is left after paying taxes and inflation is the real income. Focus on that.

9. Be an investor, not a trader: It helps your broker definitely not sure about investor. You don't have to hit every ball that comes your way. Let people also applause 'well left' 10. Don't be a victim of herd mentality: Standing out from the crowd will help as far as stock market investing is concerned. Think properly, do thorough study and invest for long term.

11. Know thyself: Knowing investment objective, capacity to take risk are far more important than knowledge of Euro economy, QE2 QE3, RBI policy. Ignore noise, focus on important issues.

12. Diversification: Don't put all eggs in one basket. Diversify to reduce risk. Returns will come.

13. Pay premium for transparency: High returns - opaque investment products are always lucrative. Try to understand its working. If there is no convincing answer, stay away from them.

14. Obsession with tax benefit: Just because a particular investment gives tax breaks doesn't make it 'the' investment product of choice. If it suits your requirement that's important. Tax break is bonus.

15. Avoid big mistakes: Greed and fear drive financial markets. Never get into the extremes.

16. Watch TV for entertainment: Idiot box is for entertainment. Watch business channel with that angle. Life will be fun, investments will be prudent.

17. Fear / aversion to particular asset class: Just because there was one bad experience with a particular asset class doesn't make that investment option untouchable.

18. Leveraged investment â&#x20AC;&#x201C;A strict no. It always looks very attractive but at the same time one of the primary reasons for investors going broke.

19. Equity is for long term, debt is for short term: Follow this simple formula.

20. Don't discount 8th wonder of the world: It's not for nothing that Albert Einstein talked about compounding as one of the wonders of the world. It needs time.

The best drinks are always matured for a long time and acquire that amazing taste. So is the case with investments.

21. Review: Make it a habit of reviewing your portfolio in the present-day context.

Requirements may change, asset allocation may need tweaking. Spend some time every year with your financial advisor to review the goals and portfolio in the changed context.

I hope coming year will be full of health, wealth and happiness. Happy Investing.

-Parag Paranjpe

BEST CHAIRPERSONS AWARDS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST

Purvi Thakar, Renu Thapar, Shalini Naidu, Namita Sharma and Sonal Ajmera for Interact

The GO release by Yatin Malji

NEW MEMBER INDUCTIONS

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