400 children is run by RC Mysore West Association of RC Mysore West. Text and picture by Rasheeda Bhagat
I found these children at the Rotary Mysore West School in Mysuru seated on the floor not because they do not have comfortable classrooms with benches and desks, but because it was a cool summer morning. The early morning showers had brought down the temperature and the teacher had brought out the children under the shade of this tree on a Saturday to tell them a story. This school with over
12 Rassin signs off from an “incredible year of service”
President Rassin sums up his presidential year at the Convention’s closing session
18 Huge need to replicate TEACH in Africa
Senior Rotary leaders speak about the success of the Literacy programme in India at a breakout session in Hamburg.
22 OBIT: Sudarshan Agarwal
Senior leaders pay a glowing tribute to PRID Sudarshan Agarwal.
32 A prelude to Centenary Celebrations in Kolkata
An account of a lively curtain raiser in Kolkata on Rotary India’s centennial celebrations.
36 Rotary partners to save infants with birth defects
RC Madras North project does corrective surgeries for congenital abnormalities in newborns’ spines and brains.
46 RC Mysore celebrates Platinum Jubilee
Down memory lane as RC Mysore celebrates its 75th birthday.
60 Sattriya— the dance of the monks
Read about this traditional dance form of Assam.
68 On a solo trip across Pondicherry
Travel along with the author and explore the town’s interesting spots. 46 22
On the cover: A stunning German breakdance performance on the opening day of the Hamburg Convention. Picture by Rasheeda Bhagat.
LETTERS
RI gets an inspirational leader in Maloney
Themaiden message from President Mark Maloney is mind-blowing. His words, ‘In Rotary, none of us is in an island’ conveys a million-dollar message. In order to achieve our goals, we should continue to speak and discuss matters of relevance and importance vigorously without fear or favour. We also have to develop good interpersonal relations and instill specific skills across the Rotary hierarchy.
The invocation we read out in all the meetings has to be put in practice, more effectively and diligently. Our leaders have to be trained at every opportunity, as competent people do not remain competent forever, as practices, technology, systems and procedures keep changing.
Dr NRUK Kartha RC Trivandrum Suburban — RID 3211
Thoughtful messages, articles
Congrats and best wishes to RI President Mark Maloney and his new team. Johns Hopkins University’s report about the volunteer service hours put in by Rotarians around the world is astonishing and we can be proud of this statistic.
Message from RID Bharat Pandya is meaningful. He says Rotary grows with family and not at its expense. Also, Rotarians have to act with love and
TheRI President’s speech is inspiring and thoughtprovoking. His views on Rotaractors, polio eradication and most importantly, the need to adopt high ethical standards by Rotarians are most welcome.
Aarti Thacker RC Poona — RID 3131
Maloney is correct; Rotary is a wonderful experience through which we can connect to different parts of India and the rest of the world through projects and fellowship.
Iamhaving led from the front a number of community and service projects. Best wishes to him.
Babar Khan, RC Narowal Pakistan — RID 3272
Santanu Ku Pani
RC Balasore — RID 3262
President of Rotary Club of Narowal, RID 3272, Pakistan. I read online in the June issue the interview with President Mark. He he is one of the best leaders at RI,
integrity. Glad that we are celebrating Rotary’s 100 years in India this year.
Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty’s lifeenhancing experience in the Rotary’s group study exchange programme is worth reading.
PRIP Barry Rassin’s remarks about Rotary and the need to make it stronger and that for the first time, six women will serve on the RI Board in 2020–21, are all welcome. The pictures of the convention are superb.
I believe that Maloney’s theme and the inspiration behind it is what Rotary needs. We are losing more members than we gain. We need the flexibility and alternatives to the rigid club cultures and dying clubs. We need to make our clubs family places and less expensive to young professionals and women. May be, $1 a week to TRF could be an additional support strategy. Thank you President Maloney for this brilliant interview.
Frank Kofi Owusu Debrah RC Sunyani Central Ghana — RID 9102
Articles such as Karnataka Rotarians on a mission to green the Earth, Mapuca Rotary holds Robotic Arm camp, Word games are good medicine and The Mind-Body connection in exercise are interesting and useful. Club activities are well covered in Club Matters
The Editorial team is doing a great job.
Philip Mulappone M T RC Trivandrum Suburban —RID 3211
Thirty-five years back when I became
President of the Youth Wing of Lion’s International, my first Presidential note was No Man is an Island. And now in the July issue, our President Maloney writes his first message titled No one is an island This statement is derived from a sermon by the 17th century English author John Dunne who said no one is self-sufficient as everyone relies on others. Truly, Rotary connects the world.
Piyush Doshi RC Belur — RID 3291
Service-oriented
RI Directors
Every month without fail I read Rasheeda Bhagat’s Editor’s Note
The single emerging remark from the interviews of RI Directors, Bharat Pandya and Kamal Sanghvi is that they took up their posts not as ‘positions of power’ but responsibility. This clearly amplifies that we have chosen two great serviceminded leaders.
Paramesh Dev Choudhury
RC Gauhati South — RID 3240
The revelations by RIDs Bharat Pandya and Kamal Sanghvi about their responsibilities are interesting. Your observation in the editorial Sending Sundara to school is important. The Ashram Shala episode and sending Sundara to school through the efforts of Rotarians and Inner Wheel members will help eradicate illiteracy. The Happy School system of RILM needs to be acclaimed by Rotarians.
Arun Kumar Dash RC Baripada — RID 3262
Good reportage, pictures from Hamburg
TheEditor’s Note by Rasheeda Bhagat has
LETTERS
given a good overview of the Hamburg Convention with beautiful pictures of Rotary’s top leadership and PRIP Barry Rassin’s compliments to the South Asian Rotarians for their great service projects, membership growth and TRF contribution.
Rassin praised the hard work of PRIP Rajendra and Usha Saboo for their medical missions in the service of Rotary.
It is pleasing to note that for the first time, six women will find a place on the RI Board in 2020–21 and the right emphasis is being given to a greater role by Rotaractors in shaping the future of Rotary.
The article on RIPN Holger Knaack reflects the ethics of Rotary. Following the stepping down of PRID Sushil Gupta on health grounds, Knaack admits it was a “bittersweet moment” for him when he was chosen as the replacement. But Gupta encouraged him to take up the role and wished him all the best. This is the real magic of Rotary.
Naveen R Garg
RC Sunam — RID 3090
A salute to PRID Basker
Abig salute and hearty thanks to PRID
C Basker who completed his term as RI Director in June. We wish him higher positions in RI. Now we have two RIDs in Pandya and Sanghvi; we are happy to welcome such experienced Rotarians as our leaders. RI President Nominee Holger Knaack has rightly stressed on increasing women’s membership. In India we are below the RI average in this aspect and we have to strive harder to induct more women into our Rotary clubs.
The demise of Kris Chitale is sad news for Rotarians in India. He has put in dedicated service for over five decades in Rotary and such Rotarians are rare to find nowadays. I offer my condolences to the bereaved family.
I wholeheartedly appreciate all the Rotarians involved in the Kuyil Kuppam project (RC Madras Central) which is building 64 concrete houses for Irulas in this village. Along with the new houses, they also provide a gas stove, fridge, wet grinder, mixer, TV set, kitchen utensils, mattresses and electrical gadgets, which is praiseworthy. The dairy farm planned at the
village will improve their income opportunities.
S Muniandi, RC Dindigul Fort — RID 3000
The article RID 3190 honours corporate partnerships (June issue) turns the spotlight on a wonderful initiative by the Rotary Club of Jeevanbimanagar which has organised the event for the second consecutive year. This event spreads awareness on the good work being done both by Rotary and corporates who support these projects through their CSR initiatives.
Paritosh Segal, Co-founder Sahyog Foundation
Great to see Rotary News in Tamil.
As I am not a Rotarian, I don’t know from when the monthly magazine is being published in Tamil, but I am pleased to see this in our mother tongue. Moreover as a reader, I have gone through all the articles and all are very nicely written and compiled. The content is worth reading. And the credit should go to you as an Editor. Keep rocking like this in future too.
Arunachalam Vetrivel
We welcome your feedback. Write to the Editor: rotarynews@rosaonline.org; rushbhagat@gmail.com Click on Rotary News Plus in our website www.rotarynewsonline.org to read about more Rotary projects.
Let’s grow Rotary
Dear fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary,
During 2019–20, I am encouraging Rotarians and Rotaractors to grow Rotary. We must grow our service, we must grow the impact of our projects, but, most importantly, we must grow our membership so that we can achieve more.
Let us try a new approach to membership, one that is more organised and strategic. I am asking every club to form an active membership committee consisting of people of different backgrounds who will look methodically at the leadership of the community.
Your club’s membership committee will then apply Rotary’s classification system — designed to ensure that the range of professions in your community is well represented — to identify potential leaders with the skill, the talent, and the character that will strengthen your club. If your club’s membership committee is unsure how to proceed, look to the club
membership committee checklist on Rotary.org for clearly defined steps to organising its work. How else will we connect to grow Rotary? We will also form new types of clubs — either independent clubs or satellite clubs — with different meeting experiences and engaging service opportunities, not just where there is no Rotary, but also where Rotary is already thriving. No Rotary club in the world can possibly serve all segments of its community. Therefore, we must organise new clubs to engage the community leaders who cannot connect with our existing clubs.
Growing Rotary is all about taking the connections that make our organisation unique in the world and strengthening and multiplying them. Let us commit ourselves to growing Rotary and to welcoming the next diverse generation of women and men as Rotary Connects the World .
Mark Daniel Maloney President, Rotary International
The good he did won’t be interred with his bones…
It was with grief and a deep sense of loss that the Rotary world in India digested the news of former Governor of Uttarakhand and Past RI Director Sudarshan Agarwal’s demise. That he will be missed could be seen from the outpouring of grief and reminiscences on the social media. But as Past RI President Rajendra Saboo notes in his obit published in this issue, it will be the girls of the Him Jyoti School, who will miss him the most. He had set up this school in Dehradun to provide world-class quality education totally free of cost to underprivileged girls from the Garhwal Himalayas and its surroundings. At the crematorium in Delhi, Saboo says, he did not see a single dry eye. But he was most struck by the 30–40 girls from Him Jyoti present there. “Each girl was sobbing as if their patriarch had gone. To them, Sudarshan Agarwal was their parent — everything.”
The gentle, soft-spoken, ever-smiling and extremely courteous Agarwal was a Trustee of the Rotary News Trust, which brings out this magazine. Had I not known his background, I would have never imaged that he was once a Governor of the Indian States of Uttarakhand and Sikkim, Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha and a member of the National Human Rights Commission, a rank and status equal to a Supreme Court Judge. He wore all this so lightly. As PRIPs Kalyan Banerjee and K R Ravindran point out in their tributes, he was extremely generous in his giving and a genial host. He called himself a “professional beggar” and had no hesitation in passing the hat around, most often to his close friends, to raise
funds for a cause such as the Him Jyoti School. Visit the campus if you can, and interact with the girls from humble backgrounds who have been totally transformed after getting an education here which is much more than mere book knowledge… this school gives them grooming, excellent communication skills, self-confidence and above all, self-esteem. Yes, Agarwal will be missed by generatons of students.
So what is it that makes some people so zealous, passionate and sometimes even crazed, to work for causes that can bring transformational changes in other people’s lives? What was it that pushed immediate past president of RC Bangalore Orchards D Ravishankar to donate to the TRF ` 100 crore, which constitutes 85 per cent of his wealth? Or the great philanthropists of the world and India… the Gates, Warren Buffet, Azim Premji, Rajashree Birla, the Tatas, and the like, to divert a chunk of their wealth to do good in the world? Ravishankar readily accepts invitations from the Rotary world to speak at Rotary events so that someone or the other will be inspired by his gesture to give something substantial too. This is a thought that begs our attention and introspection…
As we bid farewell to Agarwal, I’d beg to differ with the great bard Shakespeare … Mark Antony says in his great speech “Friends, Romans, countrymen,” at Julius Caesar’s funeral: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
The good that Agarwal did will live on in the hearts of the girls who pass through Him Jyoti and countless others he helped.
Rasheeda Bhagat
Governors Council
RI Dist 2981 DG N Manimaran
RI Dist 2982 DG Natesan A K
RI Dist 3000 DG Dr A Zameer Pasha
RI Dist 3011 DG Suresh Bhasin
RI Dist 3012 DG Deepak Gupta
RI Dist 3020 DG M Veerabhadra Reddy
RI Dist 3030 DG Rajendra Madhukar Bhamre
RI Dist 3040 DG Dhiran Datta
RI Dist 3053 DG Harish Kumar Gaur
RI Dist 3054 DG Bina Ashish Desai
RI Dist 3060 DG Anish Shah
RI Dist 3070 DG Sunil Nagpal
RI Dist 3080 DG Jitendra Dhingra
RI Dist 3090 DG Rajeev Garg
RI Dist 3100 DG Hari Gupta
RI Dist 3110 DG Kishor Katru
RI Dist 3120 DG Sanjay Agrawal
RI Dist 3131 DG Ravee Dhotre
RI Dist 3132 DG Suhas Laxmanrao Vaidya
RI Dist 3141 DG Harjit Singh Talwar
RI Dist 3142 DG Dr Mohan Chandavarkar
RI Dist 3150 DG Pandi Sivannarayana Rao
RI Dist 3160 DG Nayan S Patil
RI Dist 3170 DG Dr Girish R Masurkar
RI Dist 3181 DG Joseph Mathew
RI Dist 3182 DG Ramesh B N
RI Dist 3190 DG Dr Sameer Hariani
RI Dist 3201 DG R Madhav Chandran
RI Dist 3202 DG A Karthikeyan
RI Dist 3211 DG Shirish Kesavan
RI Dist 3212 DG S Sheik Saleem
RI Dist 3231 DG Sridar Balaraman
RI Dist 3232 DG G Chandramohan
RI Dist 3240 DG Dr Debasish Das
RI Dist 3250 DG Gopal Khemka
RI Dist 3261 DG Ranjeet S Saini
RI Dist 3262 DG Debasish Mishra
Message from
OhRI Dist 3291 DG Ajay Agarwal One-to-One
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no! Not again. I can almost hear you say. Not another article on membership. Haven’t we read / heard it all before? But let me ask you a question on the biggest issue facing Rotary in the next decade. I’ve heard the same question over 30 years since I joined Rotary and the answer has been Membership. Membership is not just about numbers; this growth is the momentum of our organisation. It increases our human resources, develops leaders and when we attract and retain members it’s a great testimonial to the value of Rotary membership.
So why does this issue come up again and again? Maybe because we haven’t done as much as we should have or should be doing. August is Membership and New Club Development Month, a time to do a little more to keep the Rotary wheel turning. I ask you to think of someone you know who is a Rotarian in deed and action, and tell that person about Rotary. The secret of Membership Growth lies in one word — Ask. Don’t be disheartened by a ‘No’. Don’t wait for someone else to do the asking. Begin now and with yourself. There is an old saying “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is Now.” It applies perfectly to Membership. Today is the best time to introduce a friend to Rotary.
Retention is of prime importance; and the best time to ensure it is when a potential member is identified. The best way to retain is by engaging and involving members by focusing on their talent, not just their time. Instead of asking members to give their time, ask them to lend their talent to your Rotary club. Make it a personalised approach. We talk a lot about quality or quantity. To my mind quality means — quality induction, quality fellowship, quality assimilation, taking quality care of the family which will result in assimilation and retention. We need a quantity of quality in our clubs. And of course there is a lot of potential, many unserved areas in our zones where new clubs are needed.
Membership is the future of Rotary and that is in your hands. Let us begin the change. Change the trend, bring a friend, retain that friend. Enjoy Rotary, Enjoy yourself.
Dr Bharat Pandya
RI Director, Zones 4 and 7
RI Directors
Growth is the only constant
Our mantra for 2019–20 is Grow Rotary. So let’s allow our members to choose their own experience; a full-on engagement; or, specially for younger members, what best suits them.
Let’s attract new members and ensure loyalty by providing personalised opportunities and focusing on multi-generation outreach. Let’s not limit our target to only the Millennials. What about GenX, and Baby Boomers. The youngest of these are now in their 50s, and part of the workforce. But it’s important to nurture a relationship with every age group in Rotary.
Strategies to attract these groups:
Baby boomers respond better to traditional techniques, may not understand social media marketing and tend to respond to phone conversations and faceto-face meetings. To reach them, create live, in-person events with opportunities to network and mingle.
Generation X is more rules-oriented and appreciates an accepted set of engagement rules. They love humour. Focus on building a relationship through human interactions, via live events and emails.
Millennials appreciate the Internet and build authentic relationships through social media. They trust reviews, love
supporting a cause and live on their smartphones. For them, create content that looks great on smaller screens. Offer sharable digital experiences.
Gen Z and Rotaractors are the masters of social media, lured to video mediums such as Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. Like the Millennials, they are mobile-first, and expect content with a mobile viewing experience. Gen Z has short attention spans and places a premium on getting information quickly and easily. Focus on providing innovative and intuitive tech experiences.
New trends to attract new members: YouTube has been around for over a decade but less than 9 per cent use it. It still has over a billion or a third of Internet users. Your target members should be here; and you as well. Those who prefer Facebook to YouTube should know a video on social media generates 1,200 per cent more shares. People enjoy video because it’s snackable, easy to consume, and visually-engaging. Create videos of your activities and post them on YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Start incorporating these trends now to remain competitive with other organisations, improve your member satisfaction and reduce churn.
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Rassin signs off from an “incredible year of service”
Rasheeda Bhagat
RI President (2018–19) Barry Rassin with Paul Mushako, Charter President, RAC Nakivale, Uganda.
Summing up an “incredible year” at the closing session of the Hamburg Convention,
RI President Barry Rassin talked about “the amazing people” he had met during the year and began with Rotaractors.
Giving the example of The Beatles, an English rock band, he reminded the delegates that the four of them had “accomplished quite a bit before their 31 st birthday. But compare them to Mozart, who wrote his first symphony at eight. Or to Joan of Arc, who led the French troops into battle at 17.”
To those who thought that all this happened long ago, he reminded them that “Bill Gates founded Microsoft at 24. Steve Jobs co-founded Apple at 21. Mark Zuckerberg and friends created Facebook at the age of 20.”
So when it came to changing the world, it wasn’t age that mattered but “the size of your dreams. We’ve become so used to telling young people to be practical, think about your future, and look to us as role models.” Instead, elders should be asking the young to nurture their dreams, grow them and dream even bigger. “There is no such thing as the impossible dream for Rotarians.”
Rassin said it had been a great experience for him to meet Rotaractors who had great dreams for a better world; and “that should inspire us, because we are living in their world, and they understand the challenges of this age better than we do, and what it will take to overcome them. These amazing young people make me excited about the future of Rotary.”
This year, 1,000 Rotaract clubs were added; and the youngsters were doing great work. In Turkey, Rotaractors had visited and played games
with the children in a hospital for 107 Wednesdays in a row, were mentoring new students at their university and teaching them leadership skills. Then there was the inspiring tale of Paul Mushaho (who addressed one of the sessions), a refugee, who had fled to Uganda following violence in his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, two years earlier. He had managed an unbelievable feat in starting a Rotaract club that was thriving in a refugee camp. “If he can do this, imagine how many new clubs can spring up in your communities, in response to today’s challenges?”
In the Dominican Republic, a Rotaractor was recycling plastic refuse and making jewellery to sell to tourists; his biggest challenge was “that he might run out of plastic refuse!” The RI President was most happy to note the special affinity that Rotaractors had for environmental projects.
He and Esther had the opportunity to see inspiring projects being done by Rotarians around the world. In Paranaque City, Philippines, the Rotarians were transforming a community by providing homes for the homeless who lived by the river, moving them, and cleaning up the place.
In India, the WASH in Schools programme is bringing fresh water and sanitation to so many schools. “In the process, they are changing behaviour not only in the schools regarding hygiene, but also at home.”
In Puerto Rico, Rotary was bringing together young people from different communities through drama. In Colombia, they were giving stuffed animals that sick children in hospitals could hug. In Ethiopia, Rotary clubs had got Interactors, Rotaractors, and
Indian doctors’ service in Africa praised
Whiledescribing the various “incredible projects that Rotarians were doing around the world”, RI President Barry Rassin had special praise for the recent Indian VTT in Madagascar, where he himself had volunteered.
In this particular mission, “a team of 19 surgeons from India, under the leadership of PRIP Raja Saboo, performed 3,500 procedures
Rotarians to work together on club projects. And in Haiti, which is close to his heart and where he had worked extensively following the earthquake, the “pink jeep” project of Rotarians had helped midwives to reach out to expectant mothers in the remotest parts of the country.
In Brazil, club members had worked with fellow Rotarians from Japan on a global grant project that dramatically increased the capacity of an overstretched neonatal intensive care unit. “New incubators, monitors, and other equipment have enabled
in the eight days they were there and trained 12 local surgeons to continue what they had started. They transformed that community.”
He had felt “privileged to watch them work and assist, where I could, to get patients moved quickly. Every Rotarian should experience this and be there when children wake up and open their eyes, smile, and say thank you,” he added.
the local hospital to save many more babies’ lives each year.”
In conclusion, Rassin said that during his year as President, he had met with 35 heads of State. “All of them want to work with Rotary and two asked for written MoUs with us. This kind of respect around the world isn’t due to me, or even the office of President. It comes from you, your connections, your reputation in your home countries. That’s what opens doors everywhere.”
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
President Rassin with PRIP Rajendra Saboo (centre) at Madagascar with the Indian VTT.
TRF collection soars to Trustee Chair $331.9 million by May end:
Rasheeda Bhagat
When her close childhood friend Suzie mysteriously disappeared from her life, “I kept asking my mother if I could play with Suzie and where she went. One day, my mother — with tears in her eyes — told me that Suzie had a disease called polio and we wouldn’t ever play again.”
Trustee Chair Brenda Cressey was explaining at the Hamburg Convention her personal association with the scourge of polio, and said that she hadn’t thought about Suzie for many years until asked to join Rotary in 1989, and learning its commitment to end polio around the world. “Suddenly, my heart was five years old and I was playing hopscotch with Suzie. And I knew immediately that I needed to join Rotary to help ensure that no
little girl or boy would ever be stricken with polio again.”
Ending polio would remain Rotary’s first priority, Cressey reiterated as she shared TRF highlights for the past year. The implementation of a new grant model had brought in “astounding results — three times as many global grants under the new model! Even more impressive, we brought new rigour to our grant assessments — making sure that they meet local needs, are sustainable, and create lasting improvements. Let’s keep up this incredible momentum,” she said.
Urging Rotarians to contribute generously to the Foundation, she said this year the world had been struck with terrible fires, cyclones, floods, and droughts; “the Trustees listened to you and established the Rotary Disaster Response Fund. This is a new grant to help you respond quickly, effectively and efficiently.”
TRF Trustee Chair Brenda Cressey speaking at a session of the Rotary Convention.
This year (2018–19), TRF has raised $331.9 million, Cressey said and urged Rotarians to “consider making a year-end contribution to TRF; your gift to the Annual Fund changes lives today, and your gift to the Endowment Fund ensures our future.” RI and TRF have a goal of $2.025 billion, “and once it is fully funded, the investment earnings will provide about $100 million annually to Rotarians for life-changing service projects.”
Cressey next shared her personal experience of the immense joy and relief that TRF projects bring to the beneficiaries. Several years ago, she joined a Rotary mission trip to Panama, where over 100 Rotarians, Rotaractors, etc were working on several service projects, one being that of providing wheelchairs to the physically-challenged. There she saw
a teenage boy entering the room carrying on his back what seemed a heavy backpack. But it wasn’t a backpack; it was his grandfather who had no legs. He placed the old man on a chair; a Rotarian gently moved him onto his brand-new red wheelchair. “You could see immediately that it was Christmas morning for this elderly man. He lifted his arms and praised the Lord with tears streaming down his face. Then, he flashed us all a big, toothless smile and continued to thank us. No one in the room had a dry eye.” While the grandfather suddenly started making big circles in the centre of the room, at the back of the room the teenager had tears streaming down his face.
“I realised that we had not transformed only the elderly man’s life, we had changed the life of everyone around him, including the boy who had spent many hours carrying his grandfather wherever he needed to go.” He could now go to school and also see his grandfather’s dignity and independence, she added.
“That one experience made me realise the power and impact of every donation made to TRF; your gifts give people hope. They give people dignity and they give people a chance to improve their communities.”
Polio of course remained a commitment and this year the Gates Foundation had made another commitment for $100 million, if the Rotarians raised $50 million to secure that 2-to-1 match for ending polio. This August, Nigeria was on track to be declared polio-free; Pakistan and Afghanistan remained a challenge but the incredible PolioPlus infrastructure and resources Rotary had put around the world had been used to stem an Ebola outbreak and was now being used to help curb measles outbreaks. “Our polio campaign has been an amazing gift to the world. Now, let’s finish the job,” she concluded.
Rotary, the knight in shining armour
Rasheeda Bhagat
An interesting plenary session at the Hamburg Convention pertained to how just being a member of a Rotary club had helped Rotarians out of sticky situations and often completely transformed their lives.
At a session moderated by Tom Thorfinnson, Chief Strategy Officer, RI, PRIP K R Ravindran reiterated “I am what I am today because of Rotary.”
He said that he ran “a reasonably large business with 700 employees, so why then do I spend so much time away from my business, is the question I am often asked by my friends. Does it not have financial repercussions? It’s a good question, but the answer is very simple. I am what I am only because of Rotary.”
He recalled that very early in his life “circumstances forced me to venture into my own business. In a small garage-like space, with borrowed money and a trusting investor, I set up a company which produced packaging for tea bags.” But as often happens in start-up businesses, he too found himself financially strapped after three years. “I went from bank to bank looking for financial support, but all of them wanted additional security which I did not have.”
At the 13th bank, he ran into a friend from his Rotary club — RC Colombo. “I asked him whether he would introduce me to the credit manager.” They started chatting about other things but
Past RI President K R Ravindran addresses a session. Rotary Chief Strategy Officer Tom Thorfinnson (L) and Kimberly Kasana, past president of RC Kampala Maisha, Uganda (R) are also seen.
Rasheeda Bhagat
the nervous Ravindran gently brought the subject back to the credit he needed. “My friend casually pulled out some papers and said I should fill them up and bring them back as soon as I could. I looked at the papers and asked what is this? He said I have authorised your credit. The credit limits you need are within my powers to grant. You don’t need to see my credit manager!”
Incredulously Ravindran picked up the papers, thanked the Rotarian, stopped the man as he walked away and asked him hesitantly about the security that every bank demanded. “He smiled and responded: You are a member of my Rotary club, aren’t you? I trust you; now go along and build your business.”
In the next five years Ravindran’s company went on to become “one of the biggest customers of that bank and a major producer of tea bag packaging in the world. Only because someone trusted me because I was a Rotarian. Now you know what I mean when I say I am what I am only because of Rotary.”
Thorfinnson himself related the story of his helplessness when he received a distressed call from his daughter Ashley who lives 400 miles away in Minnesota — he now lives in Evanston — that her basement had been flooded; a snowy winter had been followed by a quick spring thaw and a
lot of rainfall. Her husband Chris was far away in London and the water was gushing through to the upper level. The “helpless father” couldn’t do much being 400 miles away. “That evening I tried to help by calling several contractors specialising in water problems. None of them even returned my call.”
He couldn’t sleep the whole night and the next morning he called his friend Tod from his Rotary club (RC Elden Prairie Noon). They had become good friends while travelling to Haiti on a water project. “Tod’s a retired contractor in the excavation business and maybe he would be able to help, I thought. He said don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. Within an hour he was at my daughter’s house with a commercial pump he had picked up from his son who had taken over his business. Tod spent eight hours straight that day pumping out the basement and then water from the backyard. Next day, Chris returned from London and both Ashley and Chris couldn’t stop talking about Tod and Rotary!”
AI am what I am today because of Rotary.
K R Ravindran Past RI President
nother moving story of the session came from Kimberly Kasana, Charter President of the Rotary Club of Kampala Maisha, RI District 9211. A few years ago, she and her daughter Tania decided to go to Rome for a Christmas vacation; “it was her first trip overseas and we were very excited.” On arrival, while joining the immigration queue, she couldn’t find their passports. “I looked terrified and Tania kept asking, ‘Mom what is wrong’.” Moving out of the queue, she frantically searched for the missing passports, realising that at their last stop at Dubai — they were travelling by Emirates — after passport control, as they sat in the boarding area she had kept the passports near the hand luggage and must have lost them there,
There are so many dimensions to the fellowship that Rotary
needing only their boarding passes to get onto the flight. In a corner, she saw people who were seeking asylum, “and I thought who will actually believe we really lost our passports. Every minute felt like an hour. Eventually a gentleman walked up to us… and I thought this must be the person in charge of deportation.”
But then magic happened, said Kimberly, “when he addressed me as a Rotarian. At the sound of the word Rotary, I felt like we were home,” she said amidst thunderous applause.
This “knight in shining armour invited us into his office. Despite the difference in language, we managed to communicate. He helped me retrace my steps in Dubai and recall where I could have lost my passport. He then called Emirates and followed up calling different people for several hours until they located our passports.”
Although the two had to spend a night at the Rome airport, “he ensured we were comfortable and the next day our passports arrived and we had a memorable Christmas.”
Added Thorfinnson, “There are so many dimensions to the fellowship that Rotary offers us, connecting us to other Rotarians through business service or otherwise, both globally and at personal levels, enabling the forming of lifelong friendships.”
Huge need to replicate TEACH in Africa
Rasheeda Bhagat
In a short period of five to six years since Rotarians took on the mission to make India literate, “amazing progress” has been made. “We have trained over 47,000 teachers and this has impacted over seven million students. Realising that e-learning is the engine driver of the whole programme, we have used technology to change the methodology of teaching in our schools; e-learning has been introduced in 15,000 schools and we want to increase this number in the next three years to 100,000 schools,” PRID Shekhar Mehta,
who is the Chairman of the Rotary India Literacy Mission, told at a breakaway session at the Hamburg Convention.
Giving a background of the Literacy programme, he said that when Kalyan Banerjee was RI President and “I was on the Board of Directors, we took up a mission for total literacy in South Asia and first did a proper needs assessment.” India’s literacy rate was 74 per cent, there was a lack of trained teachers in schools, poor retention and large number of dropouts from schools due to lack of proper teaching and a huge number of adult illiterates, many of them women.
Enumerating the huge advantages of making a country literate, Mehta said, “Literacy, as we all understand, leads to lesser conflict, reduces
crime, spreads peace, eradicates poverty, promotes better hygiene and sanitation, and enhances cultural diversity. It promotes democracy and increases self-esteem. After a thorough needs assessment, we met politicians, bureaucrats, people engaged with right to education NGOs and others working at the grassroots.”
After meeting several stakeholders and identifying the shortfalls, which also included dilapidated school buildings, poor toilet facilities and lack of infrastructure such as benches and desks and learning material, “we decided that our schools would have to be made healthy places for both teaching and learning, there should be a holistic programme for literacy which took care of the child, teacher and the environment which was the school itself, and hence the concept of Happy Schools, and the acronym TEACH were born,” he said.
RID Bharat Pandya addresses a breakout session on Literacy. Seated on the dais: RID Kamal Sanghvi, PRID Shekhar Mehta, PDGs Nancy Barbee, Faiz Kidwai and Geeta Manek.
It was decided to recognise and reward good teachers through a programme called the Nation Builder Award, and under this over 20,000 teachers have been recognised. Several State governments had requested partnerships and said that henceforth the certificates should also include the government logo.
The e-learning programme had been taken up on a large scale and this had caught the imagination of both the Central Education Ministry and several governments who had asked for partnerships and these have been formed with the governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, etc. “Both the ministers and the bureaucrats are on board and together we want to work to ensure that every school in India has an e-learning facility in the next five years.”
While the adult literacy component of TEACH was being taken care of, where again governments were partnering with Rotary, the biggest problem was sending back to school children of beggars, school workers and children who had no homes and hence lived on streets. “Sending such children back to school is a herculean task. Because of the efforts of Rotarians and our partners, we’ve sent more than 35,000 such children back to school.”
There is an old saying that the best ornament for a girl is not a necklace or a gold earring but good education.
RI Director Bharat Pandya
Also, added Mehta, converting a school into a Happy School is “an amazing experience. Where toilets are inadequate or lacking, we build them, where children are sitting on floors, we give them benches, and provide libraries where there are none. We’ve managed to do over 2,500 Happy Schools costing $6 million and impacting over 400,000 children. Now the programme has become so big that governments, NGOs and corporates are willing to partner with us. Thanks to our success in polio, corporates are also ready to fund us,” he added.
Importance of educating girls
Addressing the session, RI Director Bharat Pandya, who has been involved in the Literacy project as the Chief Trainer, said Rotarians associated with this project were disturbed when they saw such a huge gap in literacy levels in men and women. “This gap was truly huge and alarming. There is an old saying that the best ornament for a girl is not a necklace or a gold earring but good education. That inspired us to take up this programme and ensure a girl has as much opportunity for an education as a male child.”
working together. By forging partnerships, Rotary can do better, more impactful work, reaching a wider audience.”
The perfect example of this was Rotary’s polio work in partnership with various agencies. Governments of the world or WHO could not have come so close to eradicating polio if they had worked by themselves. “Similarly, Rotary and Rotarians couldn’t have done it by ourselves… but by working together we are this close to eradicating polio. That is the power and impact of partnerships.”
Pandya added that one of the major reasons for the success of the TEACH programme and the numbers that PRID Mehta had quoted was the partnerships it had struck with government, other NGOs, etc, with the “first partnership being of course with Rotarians and Rotary clubs, and putting Literacy officers at all levels — clubs, districts and zones.”
Early in the programme it was realised that a proper structured training programme was very essential and this was done again at the zones, district and club levels. The ultimate goal of the literacy project is to ensure that “every nook and corner of South Asia — India,
Quoting another saying he said “when spider webs unite, they can stop a lion. These words bring into sharp focus the importance of
Literacy, as we all understand, leads to lesser conflict, reduces crime, spreads peace, eradicates poverty, promotes better hygiene and sanitation and enhances cultural diversity.
PRID Shekhar Mehta
Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan is made literate,” he added.
A precious partnership with an American district
PDG Nancy Barbee, from RID 7730, US, who is involved with the TEACH project, recalled how 20 years ago, when she travelled to India, she met RI Director Kamal Sanghvi from RC Dhanbad. “He and the other Rotarians took me to many projects they were doing such as polio corrective surgeries and skilling of women.” Hooked by the work these Rotarians were doing in India, she became a regular visitor and on one visit met Shekhar Mehta and since then “we have partnered in many global grants to improve the lives of those in need not only in India but also in the US. Shekhar knew that literacy was my passion and I soon got involved in setting up a library. It was heartwarming to see how much our efforts were appreciated by the community,” she said. Soon her district governor got involved and “we pledged to convert 10 schools into Happy Schools. I am proud to announce that seven of those have now been completed! It’s hard to imagine that people in the US are creating Happy Schools halfway around the world. But education is the key to success and
every child deserves a quality education and I believe peace is possible through education.”
Nancy added that since this year Rotary celebrates its 100th year in India, “we are committed to doing as many global grants as possible. India is in my heart and I believe the TEACH project is the answer to making India literate and it can be replicated in all South Asian countries. We want to replicate it in as many countries in Africa as possible.”
Her district has already got a global grant for a TEACH project in Nairobi, she added.
Building a girls college in Pakistan Complimenting PRIP Banerjee and PRID Mehta for including Pakistan in the Rotary South Asia Society for Cooperation and Development, PDG Faiz Kidwai, from RID 3271, Pakistan, said India being the bigger country had taken the lead, moved fast, and Mehta had taken the project to where it was today. “Rotarians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal were present in most think tank meetings where community needs assessment had shown the similarities between all the South Asian countries.”
We have suffered a lot, particularly when it comes to education. Over two decades hundreds of schools were destroyed and over 600,000 children became school-less in the northern part of Pakistan.
PDG Faiz Kidwai
of many girls who were forced to discontinue their education due to cultural barriers. Now there are 1,200 girls at this college.”
It’s hard to imagine that people in the US are creating Happy Schools halfway around the world. But education is the key to success and every child deserves a quality education.
PDG Nancy Barbee
He gave an account of the work done by the Pakistan Literacy Mission and said that in the last two decades Pakistan had faced “many challenges and we have suffered a lot, particularly when it comes to education. Hundreds of schools were destroyed and over 600,000 children became school-less in the northern part of Pakistan. Working with the government was another challenge. “But our Rotarians and Rotaractors converted these challenges into opportunities and the first ever girls college has been built by us in the North. We partnered with the local administration to fulfil the dreams
PDG Geeta Manek from RID 9212, Kenya, stressed the need for implementing the Literacy programme in African countries and said many a participant in the breakout session was interested in replicating this programme in his/her country. “We all know that education is an equaliser, brings peace and is crucial for Africa, and there is a huge need for literacy in sub-Saharan Africa.” Every African country has its own challenges, but through proper partnerships and hard work, these could be overcome. Digitisation of education and e-learning could bring a huge change in the African countries, she added.
In his introductory comments, RI Director Kamal Sanghvi said former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said literacy was “the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman or child can realise his or her whole potential. And Noble Laureate Malala Yousafzai has said education is neither western nor eastern. Education is education.”
Picture by Rasheeda Bhagat
Ni hao, Rotarians!
WLet’s be a little more generous
e have some very good news that I want to discuss with you. The number of Rotary global grant requests is exploding. Rotarians are seeing the amazing impact of our grants, and they want to harness the power of global grants to take on ambitious projects.
One crucial aspect of our global grants is the emphasis on sustainability when planning a project. When we come together to tackle an issue, we do not just drop off a cheque and leave. We change lives. We bring sustainable solutions. The growth in the number of applications for global grants shows Rotarians’ dedication to service. But to fund more global grants, we need to keep The Rotary Foundation growing.
We have to also consider how best to support Rotarians’ desire to provide relief in the face of disasters. Through our disaster response programme, clubs can get grants from a new fund when a disaster strikes — but only if you fund it. We can help our fellow Rotarians rebuild quickly, but we need you to step up.
And we are so close to ending polio forever. All of us have done great things in our lives. But the donation that funds those final drops that rid the world of polio forever will be the greatest.
There is a saying, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” So open your heart and give to your Foundation. It may be the most important thing that you ever do.
Donate today, then drop by my Facebook page and tell everyone just how good giving made you feel. Let’s connect and change the world together.
Message from TRF Trustee
Let’s build our Polio Fund
My Fellow Rotarians
During2018–19, contributions to our Foundation set an all-time record of $21 million and we have retained our No 2 position in the world. More important, RIDs 3190 and 3141 are No 1 and 2 respectively among all districts in the world. I compliment the leadership of these two districts and thank our magnanimous donors.
For 2019–20, challenging TRF targets have been set; I request you to please contribute to any of TRF’s Funds, as each is equally important. Contributions to the Annual Fund ensure that half comes back to the district as DDF and the other half goes to the World Fund.
The World Fund is critical as it provides much needed funding for humanitarian projects, scholarships, VTTs, etc. This must grow robustly and hence contributions to the Annual Fund are important.
We are on the verge of ridding the world of polio. Our efforts have been supported by the Gates Foundation and Rotary’s annual target of $50 million is matched by the Gates Foundation with $100 million. Any let up in Rotary’s Polio Fund collections could prove disastrous.
But in early June 2019, we were short of Rotary’s Polio Fund target, but made the $50 million goal after many personal phone calls. We got $1 million from Rajashree Birla, $2.2 million from an estate and another $1 million from an anonymous donor. These may not come in 2019–20. So, we need each district to earmark at least 20 per cent DDF and each club to give at least $1,500. Let’s eradicate polio.
The Endowment Fund continues to grow and I am confident that it will attract many large contributions in the current year also. Let’s begin early; well begun is half done. As Anne Frank said, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”
Gary C K Huang Foundation Trustee Chair
Gulam A Vahanvaty Trustee, The Rotary Foundation
OBIT: Sudarshan Agarwal
The Legend
Rajendra Saboo
What a man he was! Was he a bureaucrat, jurist, administrator, philanthropist, doer, beggar, visionary or a missionary? When I was at the Lodi Crematorium in Delhi to bid him farewell, I did not see a single dry eye. Death at 88 is not unusual, but perhaps about 30–40 young girls from Him Jyoti School who had come all the way from Dehradun did not realise this. Each girl was sobbing as if their patriarch had gone. To them, Sudarshan Agarwal was their parent — everything.
It was in 1974 that I met Sudarshan who was President of RC Delhi. Delhi and Chandigarh were in the same district then. That was the start of my journey with him.
Sudarshan became Governor for the year 1978–79, a distinguished class as I could see, as I was then the International Assembly Discussion Leader. The group was fortunate to have one of Rotary’s icons as President — Sir Clem Renouf. Sudarshan became RI Director in 1987–89 and was a member of the RI Constitution and Byelaws Committee in 1991–94.
He excelled in any field he chose, but his focus was not the Rotary ladder. Be it Rotary programmes or any cause he undertook, he would execute passionately, and ardently as a mission.
It was the time when the Rotary world was fully committed to the PolioPlus programme and Sudarshan wholeheartedly embraced polio eradication. He was then Secretary General of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament; India was not making much progress on the polio front. He used his contacts with seniors in the Govt of India as well as Parliament and prompted some members in the Rajya Sabha to raise questions on “why there is lethargy in the
polio eradication programme”. This resulted in the Prime Minister, who also held the Health portfolio, to give an assurance that a new strategy was being formed. Around that time, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister of the Delhi Government, was contemplating the NID (National Immunisation Day) strategy. Sudarshan met him, and they joined together, which meant Rotary and the Delhi government joining together. This was the beginning of the NID procedure for the whole country.
From L: Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, PRID O P Vaish, PRID Sudarshan Agarwal and PRIP Rajendra Saboo.
Sudarshan can truly be called one of the pioneers of polio-free India.
Retiring from Rajya Sabha as Secretary General, he was appointed to the National Human Rights Commission as a member, a rank and status equal to a Supreme Court Judge. Following completion of his tenure, he took up the cause of building the Rotary Blood Bank in Delhi which was inaugurated in March 2002. This blood bank till today is regarded as the best in the country, and stands as a monumental example of his tenacity to serve humanity, while enhancing Rotary’s image.
Sudarshan’s creativity struck a peak with vision, mission and action on Jan 7, 2003, while he was traveling on a train with his wife Usha and friends from Delhi to Dehradun
to take over as Governor of the State of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand). He shared his vision with his friends on the train, and with me, as I arrived in Dehradun from Chandigarh. He wanted to announce a corpus of `25 lakh, income from which would be spent for scholarships for talented students, especially girls from Uttaranchal, for higher technical studies. He collected `25 lakh from his friends, each contributing `1 lakh. And announced this after the oath taking ceremony, committing himself to the State. Thus was born the Him Jyoti Institution for education, and today it is worth about `40 crore. This school has 280 girls from extremely poor families, producing 35 bright students every year, many of them reaching the highest level of education and professional competence. Indeed, it is transformation from crude raw material like coal to diamonds. In addition, a vocational training centre takes up 100 students from economically marginalised families and provides different skills through a six-month course. All of them get employed or become entrepreneurs. These institutions were like a divine call to him, and showed the man in action.
Sudarshan used to call himself a professional beggar. Whatever service he took up, he had the genius to raise the funds to execute it. Yes, money was important as a resource but the legacy he believed in was character and faith. He was one of the founding trustees of “ Service to Humanity Trust” and through it motivated and recognised those who fought against corruption. Anna Hazare was one of the first to be thus recognised, and at a time when he was not that well-known.
The late Past RI Director was addicted to Rotary’s “Four-Way-Test” and he once told me that as Governor of Uttaranchal, when he had to decide on a petition for mercy from death sentence, he used the Four-Way-Test to take a decision and made the recommendation to the State Government. He would quote the Four-WayTest and Rotary’s philosophy in his addresses or messages on Independence or Republic Day.
This super human being had traits of a normal human, and one of his passion was shopping when he travelled. Once we were together in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and he persuaded me to go with him to the market. What would he buy, I wondered! Lo and behold, he bought sets of crockery! But he was afraid of his wife Usha as she would always tell him that there was no space in the house. When we returned to Delhi, I heard him tell his driver to keep the packed crockery in the car, and not tell Bibiji (Usha), and the next morning he would take it to office. Most of the time, he would give away as gifts what he had bought. Giving was his habit and he used to say, “Give more in order to get more.”
Well-known playwright and journalist Douglas William Jerrold had said, “He was so benevolent, merciful that, in his mistaken passion, he would hold an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain.” This fits so well for Sudarshan’s nature and culture.
That giant of a man has left a legacy of benevolence, completion, helpfulness and goodness with Usha, his son Rajiv and daughter Ritu and the rest of his family, his friends and the society he lived in. The sobbing girls of Him Jyoti School and generations like them seeking education there would not be left alone. The Legend lives on.
The writer is a past RI President
Agarwal
Agarwal’s legacy will live on OBIT: Sudarshan
Rasheeda Bhagat
Soon after I joined Rotary News as an editor in 2014, I got a letter written on an elegant letterhead from Past RI Director Sudarshan Agarwal. The style of writing, its courteous tone and tenor struck me and that letter made a statement about the writer. Being new to Rotary itself, having covered the odd Rotary Club of Madras meetings in Chennai some four decades earlier as a cub reporter at the Indian Express, I asked my team members who he was. With reverence and awe, a colleague informed me that he was a former Governor of Uttarakhand, a former Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha and a very well-connected and powerful man. And one of the seniormost past directors of Rotary in India.
long queue and had good darshan,” she recalled gratefully.
In that letter Agarwal requested me to visit the Him Jyoti School in Dehradun that he had set up for girls from extremely poor families, mainly in the hilly region of Uttarakhand. I did so after a month, clubbing the visit conveniently with the one to see the remarkable work done by Rotary under the leadership of PRID Y P Das in rebuilding the devastated schools in the Garhwal Himalayas following the floods in the region the previous year.
I always found him to be soft-spoken, kind and courteous, friendly and with a great sense of humour. That he will be sorely missed by the Rotary fraternity in India can be gauged from the spontaneous tributes that are pouring out on social media and have come from senior Rotary leaders.
A great team builder
most past directors of in India.
“When we went to Kedarnath for darshan once, we asked for his help and he made such excellent arrangements for us. We did not have to wait in the
Spending a day at Him Jyoti, which is a residential school and interacting with the students, I was blown away. Watching them deliver their dialogue in English in a flawless accent and clipped tones while enacting a scene from a Shakespeare play, I wondered at the transformation these children from a humble background had undergone thanks to the vision and benevolence of a single man. The girls sang and danced for me, talked to me, had lunch with me… all this with the confidence that comes only from self-confidence that great education gives you.
Over the last few years I met Agarwal, who as a past RI Director, was one of the Trustees of the Rotary News Trust that brings out this magazine, and at various Rotary events such as Zone Institutes and Literacy summits.
Says Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee, “Almost everybody talks about his being very well-connected and his great influence as he had been a Governor of Uttaranchal and Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha. He created
PRIP K R Ravindran receiving a cheque from PRID Agarwal for post-tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka.
PRID Agarwal with (from L) former Indian Prime Minister I K Gujral, PRID O P Vaish, PRIP Wilf Wilkinson, former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, PRIP Kalyan Banerjee and PRID Ashok Mahajan at the S Asia Goodwill Summit held in Delhi.
the Delhi blood bank from virtually nothing and ran it very well. People say he had influence so he could get support from various people and that helped. But the important thing is that he used his influence and that support all the time for good causes.”
While the blood bank was one of his major achievements, the second one was the Him Jyoti School, that gave girls from poor and disadvantaged families “a totally different kind of life; a life of relative prosperity and that which brought about a complete change in their standing in their community. It was something unique and it worked very well.”
He adds, “Sudarshan had a great gift for attracting and selecting the right people to form the teams for whatever he had started. The important thing is that once he had selected them, he would support them thoroughly and mentor them as well… he was a great and successful team builder.”
PRIP K R Ravindran recalls that he met Agarwal for the first time at
the Philadelphia Convention when he was his club’s president. “Seeing Vanathy in a silk saree, he possibly thought we were from India and got talking to us. When we told him we were from Sri Lanka he promptly invited us to his suite for a reception he was hosting in the evening.”
A genial host
Once Ravindran became a DG, he got to know Agarwal better, “enjoyed his friendship, stayed in his home and basked in his hospitality. Sudarshan and Usha Agarwal were genial hosts. The first thing that occurred to you when you met him was his extravagant charm, intense generosity and a big-hearted view of leadership.”
“After the Chandigarh Institute, when I was a PDG, he invited me with all my Sri Lankan past governors to come over to Nainital to the Raj Bhavan to spend two days with him and Usha. It certainly was an experience of a lifetime for us to be hosted by the Governor of a State and
the master of a Scottish Castle in the Kumaon hills. What Sudarshan did not tell us was that the place would be freezing cold in December! But that did not deter us from having one of the finest holidays in a manor the British had built for their rulers. He took me in his Governor’s helicopter to visit some of the schools he was supporting in the State.”
Banerjee endorses this view on Agarwal’s genial and warm hospitality, whether in his chamber in the Rajya Sabha or his home in Delhi, and says he wore his position and authority lightly. As the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha he was very respected by the MPs cutting through political parties and he was a very gracious host. “If you went to Parliament at any time, he would welcome you warmly. Even if he was not in his room, his people would make you sit, give you tea till he came. And he would chat with you like he would do with any Rotarian anywhere else. He would not behave like a Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha.
Even when we went to his home, either at his official residence in Pandara Road or his own home later, the first thing he would do was to get you a cup of tea himself, and something to eat. He and Usha were great hosts.”
Describing Agarwal’s generosity as “legendary”, Ravindran says he was “quick to give personally, quick to take up varied issues and quick to empathise with and support a completely unrelated community cause someone brought to him.” After the 2004 tsunami which had ravaged Sri Lanka, he spontaneously announced a donation “of a million rupees from the podium at the Colombo Institute. He had even come prepared with a cheque as a surprise to us.”
A gem of a person
Paying a tribute to Agarwal, Past RI Director Sushil Gupta says “he was not only a great Rotarian but a great human being. I had known him for more than 40 years and he had been a great support to me in my Rotary journey. He was a gem of a person; ever-smiling, ever-ready to serve and always full of creative ideas. The Rotary Blood Bank in Delhi and the Him Jyoti School in Dehradun are a testimony of his great
contribution for the welfare of society and the downtrodden. His passing away is a big loss to entire humanity.”
Pointing out his rare ability to differentiate friendship from key issues, Ravindran recalls how in 2009, when the RI Board, on which he was a Director, admonished all the past officers of Agarwal’s district, including himself, “he naturally held me responsible for that unhappy situation.” Later, Ravindran called on him as “I thought it my duty to meet him personally, even though I knew he’d be extremely upset with me.”
A tongue lashing!
Sudarshan received Ravindran at the car most warmly and courteously and “then in the privacy of his office, castigated me unmercifully. It was a tonguelashing I have never had in my life! But with Sudarshan being who he was, I listened without uttering a word in defence. I’d even say I almost enjoyed it because it was just like being hauled over the coals in my school days by my father, over something I may have done.”
But soon he was back to his old self, “treating me with immense affection. He also agreed that under the circumstances, the events that had transpired were necessary.”
As RI President, he rarely visited personal projects of individuals, but made an exception for the Him Jyoti school that Agarwal had set up “brickby-brick, column-by-column. The students are daughters of dhobis, ayahs, farm labourers, bookbinders, rickshaw pullers. They put on for me a scene from Shakespeare. These girls who came with no English were playacting Shakespeare, and so beautifully; what an incredible spectacle it was!”
But the biggest thrill, Ravindran adds, “was watching Sudarshan’s face — the pride and affection that only a father can show for his children. This astonishing school was a creation of his vision. He was brave enough to think different; bold enough to believe he would build something successful and talented enough to do it. Yes, Sudarshan will be missed, but his soul will live on and every child who passes out of that school will forever be stamped by his spirit. What a legacy!”
I could see that legacy lives on when at his intallation, RID 3012 DG Deepak Gupta announced his dream to build a residential school for 300 poor students modelled on Him Jyoti built by Agarwal. “It will cost `40 crore but I will become like Sudarshan Agarwal, who used to call himself a professional beggar. I will knock on every door to realise my dream for such a school in our district.”
Ravindran adds that over 2,000 years ago Sophocles wrote “one must wait till evening to see how splendid the day has been.” If Sudarshan could look back, he would indeed say: “The day has been splendid.”
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
PRID Sushil Gupta with PRID Agarwal.
A Rotarian bags Service Award from RI President
Team Rotary News
Rtn R Srinivasan receives a plaque from DG Zameer Pasha, IPDG R V N Kannan, Sarala Kannan and DGE A L Chokkalingam.
Following the recommendation of DG R V N Kannan (2018–19), Rtn R Srinivasan was presented with the RI’s Avenues of Service Award for his contributions to RID 3000 over the last four decades.
An attractive plaque along with a special Rotary pin was given to Srinivasan by Kannan on behalf of RI President Barry Rassin (2018–19) at a special event in Madurai in the presence of DG Dr A Zameer Pasha, DGE A L Chokkalingam
Aand other Rotary leaders of the district.
Srinivasan joined RC Madurai West in 1977–78 and then became a charter member of RC Madurai Midtown in 1980–81. During his long tenure, he had served in various capacities including club president, district secretary, district conference secretary, and GSE leader to Osaka, Japan, among others. As a senior executive of the TVS group of companies, Srinivasan is currently advisor to TVS Srichakra, a tyre manufacturing firm in Madurai. The award plaque says, “through compassionate enthusiasm and commitment to service, he represents the best that Rotary has to offer to community.” In his message, Rassin (2018–19) says the award was presented to Srinivasan for his “outstanding efforts in each of the Avenues of Service.”
Enhancing school infrastructure in Kolkata
s part of its WinS project, RC Chandannagar, RID 3291, in association with the Central GST and Central Excise department, has constructed toilet blocks at Aravinda Vidyapith, a school in Bhadreswar in Hooghly district.
Income Tax Commissioner Devendra Nagvenkar inaugurated the new water and sanitation facility at the school.
E-learning kits being presented to school authorities.
The Rotarians provided e-learning kits in two other schools, namely, Dr Sital Prasad Ghosh Adarsh HS School and Indumati Girls High School, to enhance classroom education for students. The club extends financial assistance to needy persons on a regular basis with ` 5,000 for purchase of books and uniforms for their school going children.
A Rotaractor rocks the Hamburg Convention
Rasheeda Bhagat
RI President Barry Rassin, Esther and DRR
Chris Wells, at a Rotaract Conference in the UK last year, with RIBI Rotaract Liaison Jim Davies (L) and RID Brian Stoyel (R).
For justifiable reasons, one of the highlights of the Hamburg Convention was celebrating youth leadership and exploring the energy, passion and dynamism of youth to make the world a better place, in the process, bringing down the average age of Rotarians.
So when RI President Barry Rassin invited Chris Wells, the founding past president of the Rotaract Club of Market Harborough, England, and the present DRR of RI District 1070, to make a presentation at a plenary session at Hamburg, “this was easily among the top scariest things” he had ever done, including sky diving, said Wells. But at the same time, it was also a dream come true for him to address such a distinguished assembly of Rotarians.
Once the palpitations had abated, he did “what most people do; and that is to turn to the Internet.” But when the Net threw up all kinds of irrelevant stuff — including a lot of material on “The Lord of the Rings, I went to the Internet of people.”
The person he turned to for help for his keynote address was Jim Davies from RC Market Harborough, presently RIBI Rotaract Liaison, who was in the first place responsible for Wells joining Rotaract in 2015.
Striking a poignant note in an address filled with a lot of jumping and darting across the dais, hooting, laughter
A generation empowered by the Net, yet lonely
Striking a serious note in his address packed with fun and laughter, RID 1070 DRR Chris Wells told the Hamburg Convention delegates that though at the beginning of his talk he had referred to his feeling alone and lost after completing his education as “angst, what I actually had was depression. I had all of the things you hear about depression... food had lost its taste, music its joy and the world its colour and it was really scary. I felt like I was losing myself. This is far too common for a lot of people in their 20s. It is ironic that in an age of such open and wide communication, there
are increasing reports about people feeling isolated. And at tricky times like these it is very difficult to find reasons to keep going or find people to reach out to.”
Quoting a recent study, Wells said that loneliness was linked to many life setbacks for Millennials who were suffering from this social isolation. It was an irony that despite “being young, successful and busy, a generation empowered by the Internet was plagued by loneliness,” it said.
Wells made it clear that “Rotary isn’t there to cure depression and people suffering from it should not feel shy to reach out to get medical and professional help. It can be so
dangerous if left unattended. But for me Rotaract really filled in some of those dark and empty spaces inside me.”
He added that he felt most fortunate that Rotary and Rotaract embraced him and “I am here today. It’s amazing. Imagine there are so many people across the world waiting for something like Rotary and Rotaract to give their life direction and make such a difference.”
(When he isn’t Rotaracting, Chris works for the non-profit Go Make A Difference which shares and develops effective thinking tools to under 25.)
Rasheeda Bhagat
and fun, Wells said that in 2015, he was in a situation quite common for a lot of people in their 20s. He had graduated and had a media degree but he was feeling a bit lost and wondering about life and its very purpose. He had got an education, and then would come work, followed by taxes and then death. “Fortunately, a colleague noticed my angst and introduced me to a Rotarian (Jim Davies). I met him and asked him what does Rotary actually do? Eventually we decided to form a Rotaract club together even though I wasn’t sure what one actually was!”
Wells said that in 2015, District 1070 had only “12 Rotaractors across three clubs in a district that’s about 9,000 sq km. Back in the 1990s there were thousands of Rotaractors in that district and now there were only 12.”
Though this was the situation in many parts of England, the new club “started acquiring members by just grabbing friends, and telling them you’re one of us now! Even though
we didn’t know exactly what we were doing, we met up anyway…”
Now of course he knows the answer to that question on what Rotary does: “Dogoodery, of course,” he beams!
Once the club had started, slowly magic happened; they “started doing stuff, lots of stuff, such as tinned food collection, quizzes, fundraising events, etc.” Other clubs started forming across the district and they all started growing. “We were doing great stuff for good causes and naturally we
were having fun while doing it. That I believe is the core of what the Rotary collective does.”
The crux of Wells’ message was that his Rotaract club achieved a lot because “we were working along with Rotarians; we were in constant communication, were totally involved and moving towards the common goal of dogoodery!”
While the Rotarians helped the Rotaractors in overcoming many hiccups along the way in formulating and executing their projects, and of course answering all their “non-Googleable questions”, there was help flowing in the reverse direction too. The Rotaractors helped those Rotarians who were not as well-versed in technology; taught them how to use the social media for advertising and to open up new doors of communication. “We realised that it is this ability to work and develop together in total fellowship that can make this dogoodery much better!”
A prelude to Centenary Celebrations in Kolkata
Jaishree
Ihave been to double installations before. This is the first time I am attending triple installations,” said PRIP Kalyan Banerjee who was in Kolkata after attending the installation of the DG of his home district, RID 3060, and was all set to attend his home club RC Vapi’s president installation the next day. The Rotarians in the hall burst into laughter when he said, “when I get invited by Shekhar, like everyone else, I too respond like mice to the Pied Piper” adding that, “moreover I cannot resist the invite to my
‘home town.’” Kolkata was where he grew up. The occasion was the installation of President Vinod Mahipal of RC Calcutta Mahanagar; DG Ajay Agarwal and RI Director Kamal Sanghvi. The event, anchored by PRID Shekhar Mehta, was a prelude to the Centenary Celebrations of Rotary in India and RC Calcutta, RID 3291, was the first club to be chartered in the country 100 years ago.
To Mahipal and his spouse Jothi, Banerjee said, “You are leading a club with a great history. Do what you must to make it very special.”
Recalling his leadership as Chair of The Rotary Foundation in its 100th year in 2016–17, he said, “That year we made it very special with India as the second highest country in
When Basker got up to give his seat, I realised the enormity of the tag — Rotary International Director — and went numb for a second.
Kamal Sanghvi RI Director
Rendezvous with the Sanghvis
AlivelyQ&A session with Sanghvi and Sonal was anchored by Mehta and Rashi which brought the RI director’s sense of humour to the fore and was interspersed with some words straight from the heart.
To a question on how she felt on this occasion, Sonal said, “I am proud of him and I promise to walk along with him.”
Describe your journey in Rotary, was Mehta’s poser to Sanghvi. His reply: “My journey is all about friendship and doing good in the world. It is all about pyaar, mohobbat aur ishq. Many of them have travelled from across the country
today just for an hour’s programme. That’s what is Rotary. I am honoured.”
Talking about some of his special moments in Rotary, he recalled the South Asia Literacy Summit held in Hyderabad. “It gave me an opportunity to work with 200 past governors, another 100 Rotarians on the committee for nearly six months. The resolve I saw in all of them can never be forgotten.”
“Kamal, what inspires you?” asked Mehta, to which he quickly pointed to Banerjee and said, “Kalyanda is the god of Rotary.”
Talking about his maiden visit to the Board Room at Evanston, Sanghvi said, “I was overwhelmed when I had to go through some 200-odd pages of resolutions, enactments and policy decisions. That’s when it struck me that I still do not know anything about Rotary. So many reactions for the same topic from different parts of the world. The point of view of a Japanese delegate varies from that of a South African.”
Outgoing Director C Basker performed a change-over ceremony for the two incoming directors — Sanghvi and Bharat Pandya — at Evanston last month. “When Basker got up to give his seat, I realised the enormity of the tag — Rotary International Director — and went numb for a second.” That was the moment he realised the great responsibility he and Pandya had on their shoulders “with this coveted assignment.”
When Mehta asked the couple to list Rotary, work and family on the basis of priority, Sanghvi said, “I believe in family-work-Rotary,” to which Sonal quickly intervened: “It is Rotary-RotaryRotary for him.” And Sanghvi’s banter: “It is Baroda-Baroda-Baroda for her.”
Katrina Kaif is his favourite star and Sholay his favourite movie. As Mehta went around asking Rotarians’ opinion about the new Director, here are a few one-liners from them: Sanghvi is a good boxer and he makes friends easily.
TRF giving. This year marks Rotary India’s centenary year and we must make it memorable.” He called for all the districts, “no matter how big or how small they are, to do a centennial project this year, even as the commemoration will be flagged off in RID 3291. We can make the year more outstanding if we can raise our TRF contribution significantly.”
A mega celebration is being planned to honour the milestone in the presence of RI President Mark Maloney. Banerjee and PRIP Rajendra Saboo are the Advisors for the celebrations programme.
Banerjee highlighted the Johns Hopkins University’s research that said that Rotarians world over are clocking in 45 million hours of voluntary work and if a value can be set to it, it will be around $850
IPDG Mukul Sinha installs incoming DG Ajay Agarwal in the presence of (from L) Sonal Sanghvi, Rakhi Sinha, Mamta Agarwal, RID Kamal Sanghvi, DGE Sudip Mukherjee and incoming president of RC Calcutta Mahanagar Vinod Mahipal.
million. Drawing similarities to Sanghvi, he observed, “Apart from our heads that seem similar, here I am a Bengali settled in Gujarat while you are a Gujarati settled near Bengal. I speak the language of your Chief Minister and Kamal speaks the language of our Prime Minister.”
Sanghvi had served as trainer for incoming governors at the International Assembly for two consecutive years, starting from the year when he was RI President. “That’s a rare privilege. Neither Raja Saboo nor I have got a second year for training at the Assembly.”
Talking about stewardship issues and court cases he said, “We make RI spend more money than any other country on petty legal matters. I wish we all remember the words of our founder Paul Harris who had described Rotary as ‘one world’”.
Amidst loud cheers and applause, Banerjee continued, “I don’t see any reason why Rotary cannot have an Indian president to follow President Holger Knaack in 2021–22. Yes, we do have a right candidate available and ready and the only thing that the Nominating Committee has to do
I don’t see any reason why Rotary cannot have an Indian president to follow President Holger Knaack in 2021–22.
Kalyan Banerjee
Past RI President
is to do its job when it meets in the third week of August. And when that happens…” after a pause he added, “notice I did not say ‘if’ — we can celebrate the centenary of Indian Rotary on a higher note.”
Thanking Banerjee for his presence, Sanghvi said, “One rarely gets an opportunity to start his new assignment in the presence of the person he admires the most, the one whom he tries to emulate and on whose footsteps he wishes to walk in and that is Kalyanda.” Apart from Mehta and Rashi, his other staunch supporters were PDGs Vivek Kumar, Sanjay Khemka, DG Gopal Khemka and DGE Rajan Gandotra.
He called upon the club presidents and secretaries of RID 3291 and Indian Rotary at large to do more meaningful and sustainable projects and give more to TRF. “Let’s make this special year unique. Let’s write a new history for the next 100 years. Staying in your safety zone will not get you anything. Take a journey through uncharted territories and make our world a better place with every step you take and every hand you reach out to.”
It was clearly a surprise for the Sanghvis when Rashi Mehta brought into the auditorium, Sanghvi’s mother and brother-in-law, who then performed the traditional arti for the couple. Earlier in the day, the 34 clubs and Rotaractors of the district conducted a series of health camps at various locations to mark the beginning of the new Rotary year. Thirty-three camps examined 8,000 people, said DG Ajay Agarwal and called upon his team of club presidents and secretaries to “expand the horizon of your dreams and targets and do your best to make this centenary year very special.”
Pictures by Jaishree
From L: PRID Shekhar Mehta, PRIP Kalyan Banerjee, RID Kamal Sanghvi and Sonal at the Utsav event in Kolkata.
Rotary partners to save infants with birth defects
Kiran Zehra
Viviksha, an 11-monthold baby girl from Vellore in a pretty white dress with red and blue flowers and a million-dollar smile, is a delightful sight. Until her mother shows you the scar on the baby’s back you cannot tell that she has braved a lifesaving spine
surgery. She, along with five other infants, was felicitated at the launch of Project Thalirgal, a joint initiative by RC Madras North, RI District 3232, TRF, Tamil Nadu Government and Kauvery Hospital, Chennai, to provide free corrective surgeries for congenital abnormalities in the spine and brain of newborns.
TRF Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty, appreciated the club’s effort “in partnering with the government and successfully performing free surgeries on 39 babies with support from the hospital.” He appealed to the Rotarians to give liberally to the Foundation as it funds “our service projects — projects that eradicate polio, promote peace,
From left: Sathish P, DGE S Muthu Palaniappan, M Ambalavanan, Suchitra Sagar, IPDG Babu Peram, Aravindan Selvaraj, Ganapathi M, Project Chairman Dr Balamurali, Dr Vijaya Baskar - Tamil Nadu Health Minister, TRF Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty, PDG Olivannan G, Venkatesh N, DG G Chandramohan and DGN J Sridhar.
From left: Sathish P, DGE S Muthu Paalaaniappa p n, , M Ambalavanan, Suchitra Saga g r, IPD P G Babu Ar A avvindaan Se S lv lvarrajj, , Ga G napa p thhi M Proje j ct Ch Chai a rmman n Dr r Bala l murali, Dr Vijayya Baskar - Tam a il Nadu Health h Minis i t teerr, TRRF F T Trrusustteee Gu G l laam m Va V ha hanvvataty, y, PDDG Olivavannnnan a G, Ven e katesh N, G Chaanddraamo m han and DG D N J Sr S iddhhaar. r
Give liberally to the Foundation as it funds our service projects — projects that eradicate polio, promote peace, and develop communities.
These smiling children are proof that your money is
Gulam Vahanvaty TRF Trustee
and develop communities. These smiling children are proof that your money is making a difference.”
Dr G Balamurali, senior consultant and neurosurgeon at the Kauvery Hospital, who is leading this project, says one in 1,000 newborns could suffer from spine and brain deformities. Such children suffer from poor IQ and disability and could become wheelchair-bound later on. “There are challenges in the treatment of babies with brain deformities. But it is reassuring to know that newborns with this defect are getting quality care thanks to TRF and the State government.”
He adds, “For parents with infants in the ICU, the doctors and nursing staff often become their family members as they work earnestly to save the life of their children.”
As the cackle of 8-month-old Riyan resonates through the room, spreading smiles and cheer all around, fighting back her tears Riyan’s mother says, “we heard him cry restlessly for months; but now this cackle is music to our ears.”
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Dr Vijaya Baskar, who was the chief guest, appreciated Rotary’s role in “helping the underprivileged families and giving a new lease of life to babies with congenital abnormalities. I congratulate and thank all the Rotarians in this room who made this possible.”
PDG G Olivannan, who was instrumental in bringing the international partners — Linda (District 6060, USA), Dushan Soza (Distict 3220, Sri Lanka), James Roxlo (District 6780, USA) and Rick Creasy President of RC Bradley Sunrise, Cleveland — urged the Rotarians to ensure that this medical project continues “so that we can save as many babies as possible.”
Besides paediatric surgeries, Project Thalirgal , costing ` 34 lakh, will be educating and training professionals to detect brain and spine birth defects in the foetus at an early stage of pregnancy and create awareness among pregnant women on preventing congenital birth defects.
Pictures: Kiran Zehra
Baby Riyan and his parents at the felicitation.
Chennai gets a Bone Bank
Jaishree
We are familiar with eye bank and a blood bank. But a bone bank is fairly new to most of us. Tamil Nadu gets its first sophisticated bone bank, thanks to RC Madras Central, RID 3232, who have recently inaugurated the facility at the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. It is the third such facility in India, the other two being at the Tata Cancer Institute, Mumbai, and M S Ramaiah Medical College in Bengaluru, where bones of living donors are preserved.
“We could potentially be the first bone bank to harvest bones from brain-dead donors. This will help in increasing the quantity and quality of
bones available,” said Orthopaedic Oncologist Dr K Chandrakumar, who will head the bone bank.
The facility will preserve bones harvested from brain-dead patients to use them for treating patients affected by bone cancer or accident victims whose bones have been damaged.
RID Kamal Sanghvi who inaugurated the facility recently lauded the club for “the much-needed service” and added that he would “very much like to have it replicated in all other parts of the country. It is indeed a wonderful gift and a huge boon for cancer patients.”
The bone bank, named Rotary Madras Central Prahlad Rai Saraogi
Bone Bank, was made possible with the support of global grant involving Rotary Clubs of Cataraqui Kingston, Nipigon, Kampala North, Sunrise Kampala and TRF.
Talking about the genesis of the project, Vinod Saraogi said that the idea was conceived in 2016 when the then president Dr Manoj Rajan and S R Balakrishnan had a discussion with Dr V Shanta, the Chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Hospital. With the cost of equipment working out to $100,000 Saraogi came forward to contribute a Term Gift of $30,000 from his family trust, while the then DG Natarajan Nagoji offered a sum from the DDF and the matching
RID Kamal Sanghvi (second from L) inaugurates the bone bank in the presence of IPP R Saranyan, PRID P T Prabhakar, IPDG Babu Peram, Vinod Saraogi, Orthopaedic Oncologist Dr K Chandrakumar, PDG Abirami Ramanathan and Dr Manoj Rajan.
amount came from the international partners and TRF. The hospital provided space for the bone bank and treatment will be extended free for needy patients. Dr Chandrakumar has undergone training in Singapore and S Korea to handle operations of the bone bank, said Saraogi.
The process
Just as in organ donation, bones of brain-dead persons are harvested and refrigerated after sterilisation using gamma irradiation. The treated bones are called allograft bones. These bones are used to substitute cancer or tumour-affected bones as a natural and permanent solution. Presently such patients are treated with metal prosthesis after the affected bone is cut. The entire process would cost a minimum Rs 1.5 lakh and the process has to be repeated after about 15 years. But the allograft bone fitment is a permanent solution
It will be a good idea to replicate the bone bank concept in all other parts of the country. It is indeed a wonderful gift and a huge boon for cancer patients.
Kamal Sanghvi RI Director
and is five times less expensive, said Saraogi.
These bones are used in spine, hip and knee surgeries and to treat malignant, benign and maxillofacial lesions too. The Cancer Institute has applied for licence with the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Government of Tamil Nadu, to harvest bones from brain-dead donors in the facility, and has signed an MoU with the Indira
Rotary constructs check dams in Nashik
Team Rotary News
Rotary Club of Nashik, RID 3030, has constructed two check dams — Shivshet Jalbandh in Ambe village; and Shriram Jalbandh in Shivshet village, both in the Peth taluk. The dams have a combined storage capacity of 1.1 crore litres of water.
When the Rotarians learnt about the severe water shortage in these villages, they worked on a war-footing. “Following our
Board’s approval for a check dam in Ambe village, we pitched for CSR funds from Mahindra and Mahindra through our club member who is an executive there,” said Shrinandan Bhalerao, Director, Village Adoption Project (2018–19).
An MoU was signed with the corporate and the dam was constructed during August last year. “The villagers were delighted to see the check dam filled to
Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam for sterilisation. The bones will have a shelf life of three to five years depending on whether they are freeze-dried or deep frozen. The bone bank will benefit at least 40 to 50 patients every year at the Cancer Institute, said Saraogi.
PRID P T Prabhakar, IPDG Babu Peram, then Club President R Saranyan, past governors and the club members were present at the event. Hemanth Raj, Vice-chairman, Cancer Institute said that he was very happy and thanked Rotary for installing the facility. “It is a milestone indeed. Now we are better equipped to treat our patients effectively,” he said, adding that the bone transplant will be provided free for the needy.
The Rotary project enjoyed wide media coverage, thanks to the efforts of the district’s Public Image Associate Chairman Sreehari Abhilash, a member of RC United Chennai.
the brim after the monsoon,” said Bhalerao.
The club soon got a request for another such facility at Shivshet village. This time Indian Valves came forward to pool in their funds to build a check dam there.
With these new facilities, water scarcity has been totally eliminated in the
two hamlets. More importantly, the cropping pattern in the villages will undergo a major change as “now the farmers can sow two crops by using water from the check dams instead of depending on just a single yield,” said Bhalerao. This major change will increase their income, thus reducing their migration to cities.
A mega surgery camp at Firozabad
V Muthukumaran
A10-day ‘Rotaplast’ medical camp was conducted at the Unity Hospital in Firozabad with support from RCs Agra Tajmahal, Firozabad, Agra North and Shikohabad, RID 3110. A team of 21-member foreign mission led by Medical Director Karla Werninghaus and Mission Director Brian Walker including paramedics headed by nurse Maryann Mckenzie and volunteers conducted the corrective surgeries.
“Nearly 99 per cent of the 218 patients who were diagnosed were rural people who don’t have access to proper healthcare. During the camp, 63 surgeries were performed on 55 patients and it included major burns and skin grafting too,” said Rahul Wadhwa, the camp’s chairman. The medical mission included two plastic surgeons (Gary Salomon and Mark Fisher); two anaesthesiologists; two paediatricians; and a six-member paramedics, besides seven Rotary volunteers, mostly from the US.
Expressing his thanks to Unity Hospital Senior Director Dr Ravi Pachauri and his team for providing all facilities for the Rotaplast camp,
Rotaplast Project Chair Rahul Wadhwa (last row, right) along with the Medical Mission team from the US. Also seen are Medical Director Karla Werninghaus (left, second row) and Mission Director Brian L Walker (left, third row).
Wadhwa said, “they provided us three operation theatres, pre-operative and post-operative ICUs with 30 beds including 27-member team of technical assistants, OT and nursing staff.”
Mamta, mother of 12-year-old Khushi, was overjoyed after the burnt face of her daughter was restored to its original look. They have come from a village 50 km from Firozabad and
“we are grateful to Rotary for doing this graft surgery free of cost.” The surgery would have cost them `5–7 lakh at a private hospital which “we can’t afford at all as we are very poor and living a marginalised life.”
Patients at the post-operative ward.
The project was coordinated by DG Arun Jain, Rtn Divya Wadhwa from RC Agra Tajmahal and PDG Laxmi Kant Bansal from RC Firozabad. For months preceding the mega health initiative, the clubs ran publicity campaigns through Facebook and WhatsApp to reach out to the public. Over 100 hoardings and banners were put up at different locations across Agra, Firozabad, Shikohabad and 70 other villages. Screening camps were organised at various places to identify people needing surgery.
District Magistrate Selva Kumari, CMO Firozabad Dr S K Dixit, Rtn D V Sharma and PDG Naresh Sood have been other pillars of support for the camp, said Wadhwa.
Memories from
RI President Barry Rassin and Esther with their family and friends.
Selfie time: RIDs Bharat Pandya, Kamal Sanghvi and Sonal.
Hamburg
Dr Pia Skarabis-Querfeld speaks about Medizin Hilft, the organisation she founded to provide medical care for refugees.
PRID Ashok Mahajan, PRIP Frank Devlyn and PRID Y P Das.
RID C Basker and Mala at the Convention.
A Rotary Youth Exchange student represents India at the Flag Ceremony.
Above: A breakdance performance during the opening ceremony; Left: RID C Basker in conversation with incoming RIDs Bharat Pandya and Kamal Sanghvi. Mala is also seen in the picture; Below: RI President Rassin with PRID Y P Das at the golf course.
Pictures by Rasheeda Bhagat and special arrangement
RC Mysore celebrates platinum jubilee
Rasheeda Bhagat
As you are celebrating your 75th year, or your platinum jubilee, I request you to take up a special platinum jubilee project, which should be a big, extended project. Your club members can decide what it will be, and you need not finish it this very year. Since you are strong in both healthcare and literacy areas, you could consider a Jubilee project in either of these two areas,” Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee said, while participating in Rotary Club of Mysore’s 75th year celebrations.
He said that when the club was chartered on July 5, 1944, it became among the first 10 Rotary clubs in India (This is the senior most club of RI District 3181, earlier 3180). “You had probably not anticipated your longevity just as I had not anticipated as a 2-year-old boy in 1944 that I would be sharing your Platinum anniversary happiness at the age of 77!”
Great service projects
Complimenting the club for the great service projects it had undertaken during
75 years of its existence, and more important, sustained them and expanded on them over the decades, he said that while reading about the club’s projects before coming to Mysuru, he was struck by the many initiatives RC Mysore had taken in the field of education and health.
“I remember laying the foundation stone for the Rotary Integrated School and you now have a full-fledged regular school and activity centre there for children with autism and dyslexia.”
That school was being expanded and Banerjee was happy to visit the
PRIP Kalyan Banerjee launches the celebrations with (from L) AG S Raghavendra, S Ramachandra Raje Urs, G S Sumeeth, PDGs P Rohinath, M Lakshmi Narayan, DG Joseph Mathew, Club President Chetan Viswanath and Secretary Ravishankar.
school and lay the foundation stone for the Rotary Mysore Platinum Jubilee Block earlier that day.
PDG M Lakshmi Narayan, who is a member of RC Mysore, said this new block coming at the Rotary Mysore Integrated School, which has been working for long years to integrate children with autism and dyslexia into classes with normal children is estimated to cost about `60 lakh and will have 10 classrooms for children with autism and learning disabilities. Currently classrooms for these
children are provided at the existing school premises.
PRIP Banerjee also inaugurated the platinum jubilee block of Rotary Mysore Artificial Limb Centre and interacted with the beneficiaries who had received limbs from this Rotary Centre. This centre was set up in 1998 to meet the needs of poor, orthopaedically-handicapped persons as there was a total absence of a facility in Mysuru that offered limbs free of cost to the needy. It has so far manufactured and donated 9,200 prosthetic
limbs through 426 limb distribution camps.
After visiting these projects in the morning, Banerjee said at the felicitations event: “Truly, your work is absolutely outstanding… worthy of a club of your vintage and traditions. And I once again request you to start a good platinum jubilee project during this year.”
Ensure total literacy in your district
Banerjee said Indian Rotarians are now deeply engaged in making India totally literate by joining hands with the government. “In fact, it is the government which has asked Rotary to support it just as we had done to help it to eradicate polio from our country. ‘Rotary, you have made India polio-free. Now help us to make India fully literate,’ is what the Union HRD Minister told us. Yes, vaccines protect our children’s lives; literacy educates our children and prepares them for their future lives, in a bigger, better way.”
He said RC Mysore should ensure that “at least every child in the Mysore revenue district is literate. Go and meet parents and their children, go to village schools and ensure they have teachers, classrooms and toilets for girl students. Maybe you could provide a laptop or IT facility to every school in the district, as they are doing in Maharashtra and Gujarat. You could indeed do so much. Do these ideas excite you? If they do, then that’s the way to go in this special year.”
Step up your TRF giving
The past RI President said that he had also done his homework on the club’s history in contributing to TRF and had found that its total giving to TRF in the past 75 years stood at $298,547, and its average annual giving to TRF had been around $12,000 to 13,000 annually. The members should examine his
Rasheeda Bhagat
Club President Chetan Viswanath, PDGs Lakshmi Narayan, Rohinath and R Guru (R); Below: The Rotary Mysore Library.
proposal on making a “special gift to our TRF this year. What you give is up to you. Maybe `75,000 per member or $75 per person, to mark this year. The amount is less important than your gesture.”
The club had done one global grant project on literacy at the Rotary Mysore School worth $48,000. “The time has now come to expand on it. Look at more schools, and more children. And maybe in this special year, your club could give your district your first AKS member, just as an increasing number
of Rotarians from India are doing today. And from what I have seen of your generosity, I know you can do it easily and again and again.”
Also, he suggested, the club should take advantage of its presence in a techsavvy city like Mysuru, and help to bring e-learning to students in schools that did not have computer education. Also, as they celebrated their 75th year, “all of Rotary is celebrating Rotary’s 100th year in India. Rotary first came to Kolkata in 1919. And our joy will overflow if next month, India gets its
Above: Children working on computers at the Ideal Jawa Rotary School; Right: PRIP Banerjee holds a boy as he walks at the Rotary Mysore Artificial Limb Centre. Also present: DG Mathew,
PRIP Banerjee interacts with students at the Rotary Integrated School.
fourth RI President chosen by the Nominating Committee. Won’t that be something to pray for as two well-known Rotarians from India have put in their names for selection? Unfortunately, we have missed out on PRID Sushil Gupta from Delhi who had been chosen president but had to step down for health reasons. So we are all hoping we will get another president from India.”
Greeting all the past governors from the city and the district — such as Vasudeva Murthy, “who is now 94, but as fit as always, B M Chengappa, H S Shivanna, G K Balakrishnan, Ravi Appaji who is doing a fantastic job in building homes for flood victims, R Guru, who is an institution by himself in this district, Lakshmi Narayan, who came all the way to Bombay for inviting me even though I told him there was no need for it, and Rohinath,” Banerjee urged the club members to invite him when they celebrate the club’s 100th birthday. “Call me and I’ll come because I will only be 102 years old then!”
RC Mysore’s history
Welcoming the participants at the grand event, PDG Lakshmi Narayan gave an overview of the club’s 75 years. Rotary Club of Bangalore had sponsored this club in 1944. “A V Anantharaman, who was a member of RC
Bangalore, invited the elite of Mysore in those days to form a Rotary club and this was done on March 7, 1944. But we got charter on July 5, that’s why we are celebrating in July.”
This club, he said, had been serving the needs of the community right from Day 1, with one of its first projects being setting up a children’s library. “Our library was the second to be set up in 1955, after RC Calcutta, the first Rotary club in India, had set up a library in that city.”
But the club’s most ambitious project in those days, said PDG Narayan, was to set up a Rotary school — the Ideal Jawa Rotary School. “A couple, PDG Farrokh Irani, who was, I should say, a Rotarian by birth, and Sheila Irani, who were both passionately interested in educating children, joined hands with the Rotary Charitable Trust and started this wonderful Rotary school in Mysuru, which till today has educated 50,000-plus children.” Many of them were today occupying important positions across the world. Recently the school had celebrated its golden jubilee.
In 1997, thanks to the initiative taken up by PDG R Guru, the Rotary Mysore Artificial Limbs Centre was started and it has done yeoman service to the community. Next came a blood bank and then a second
school, the Rotary Integrated School, “which is not like just any other school. We thought we should pick up children who are autistic and train them and once they were ready, they were integrated into regular schools. We have both the training centre for special children as well as a regular school.”
While the new block would accommodate 10 to 12 of these special
children, “we also have a plan to train teachers who can identify such children, because in many schools when children make slow progress the teachers don’t understand that these children have a learning disability. So training teachers to identify such children will serve a crucial need. PRIP Banerjee said that for this centre he will donate `1 lakh.”
Genesis of the Integrated School
Giving a history of the Integrated School and the need for it, PDG Guru explained that though Mysuru has a population close to a million, it lacks a dedicated facility for education of children with challenges such as autism and other learning disabilities, though there are assessment and counselling centres in the city. This was what spurred Rotary Mysore to ideate a school catering to children with such disabilities.
“We wanted to create conditions to properly train and support such children so that they can be integrated with children in a regular school.”
The place chosen was Dattagalli, a new extension of Mysuru that is on the outskirts and surrounded by villages. Rotary Mysore through its Charitable Trust spent `1.72 crore collected through donations from institutions and members of the club.
District 3181 DG Joseph Mathew congratulated RC Mysore for the “wonderful and exemplary work” it had done over the decades. “Yours is not just a club; it’s an institution from which other clubs can learn many things, whether it is protocol, conducting meetings in an orderly way or doing service projects.”
He was happy to announce that till now he had managed to get 19 Major Donors from the District; “I spoke to one of your club members, Amir Vagh to become the 20th one and he readily agreed.” Vagh is a Level - 2 Major Donor, having already contributed $10,000 to TRF.
PDG P Rohinath also congratulated the club for its exemplary service projects, particularly the Rotary school which had been in existence for 50 years and the artificial limbs centre.
Club President Chetan Viswanath pledged to uphold the best of traditions in community service and fellowship set by the successive past presidents of RC Mysore over the decades and urged the members to work hard to continue serving the community.
Rasheeda Bhagat
PRIP Banerjee and Binota being felicitated by PDG Guru and his wife Sulochana.
Breakfast for schoolchildren
Team Rotary News
The breakfast scheme that we introduced in a school has attracted 30 more students there,” smiles M Balamurugan, member of RC Pearlcity Tuticorin, RID 3212.
A chance discovery that a majority of students skip breakfast made the club adopt this project two years ago. Back then, the club had conducted a blood donation camp for students in a college campus. When the nurses said that only those who had had breakfast were eligible to donate blood, “we were shocked to see that of the 40 students who had come forward to donate blood, 20 had not taken breakfast.” They were allowed to donate blood after they were served breakfast.
The club then set off to conduct similar survey on school students in the locality. And the study threw up another alarming statistic — nearly two-thirds of them came to school with an empty stomach. The reasons being poverty or both the parents were off to work at daybreak so much so they did not have the time to prepare a decent breakfast for the children. “They came to school with great anticipation,
looking forward to the noon-meal being served there. This was an eyeopener and we worked out a scheme to provide breakfast for all 45 students at the S A V Primary School in the town,” says Balamurugan. Thanks to the morning meal, 30 more students have enrolled in the school in these two years.
The club is now looking for partners to extend the project to other schools. The four Rotary clubs in the town are contributing from time to time either
cash or in kind. It costs about `1,000 to provide a day’s breakfast. “While one club member sponsors gas cylinders, a restaurant gives half-cooked pooris that we fry at our end and serve twice a week. This is the dish the children love the best,” he smiles. On other days it is idli, Pongal or a rice-mix.
“It is said that one has to have breakfast like a king, but we are happy to provide a meal that means a lot to the children and the look on their faces says it all,” he sums up.
New President for ITHF
PDG Aswini Kar, RID 3262, takes over as President of RI’s Travel and Hosting Fellowship (ITHF) for 2019–21. He succeeds Shela Hart of the USA. The Fellowship, recognised by RI in 1989, has 1,200 members across 60 countries. Kar, a member of RC Bhubaneswar
Meadows, is probably the first Indian to serve the post. He plans to promote the Fellowship, increase the membership and add more countries by appointing coordinators in various districts. ITHF is also promoting a Preconvention cruise in Hawaii during end-May 2020.
A government school gets a facelift
Kiran Zehra
There are 110 students studying in the Government School of Dhamane, a village 60 km from Pune. “Most of the working days we did not have electricity, there was no running water and if it rains, we sent the children back home because the roofs leaked and we were afraid it would fall. The school was totally nonfunctional,” says Amar Kedari, a teacher in the school.
RC Pune Sports City, RID 3131, renovated this school recently, in
association with clubs from RID 1100, UK, RC Pune Riverside and TRF. “We want the children to have a good ambience that will inspire them to come to school and learn,” says Sandesh Savant, President of RC Pune Sports City.
The global grant project helped to repair the classrooms and the roofs, and provided a compound wall with a new entrance to the school. It brought electricity and water supply to the school. Separate toilets for boys
and girls, a handwash station and a UV-filtered drinking water facility have also been installed. The Rotary Distance Education System along with a library has been set up. There is a separate room for music classes, the school ground has been leveled and music, play, and sports equipment are in place now.
Children enthusiastically practice dance and drama inside the campus.
A pedagogical teacher’s training programme has
been implemented for five teachers and the principal has introduced improved standards for academic performances and extracurricular activities.
“From asking me ‘Volleyball? Woh kya hai?’ to winning competitions at Statelevel, the students have come a long way,” says Kedari. Recently the school stood second among 406 schools in a district-level English Language Enrichment Programme. Archana, a Class 6 student who
Students welcome Rotarians to their newly upgraded school.
participated in the drama event at the enrichment programme, says, “I love to dance and act and for the first time I won a prize because I could practice at school.” For Roshan, a Class 5 student, “the benches and ceiling fans are the best part of the new school. I can sit on the bench and will not sweat anymore.”
For the first time in 61 years since the school has been set up its students have excelled in the State Scholarship
Examinations. Akanksha Vikas Kolekar who scored 240 marks out of 300 in the exam along with
Sakshi Tanaji Barwekar (226 marks out of 300) and Vanshika Sharad Kolekar (210 marks out
of 300) will each receive financial assistance of `1,500 annually for three years, a certificate of excellence and a bicycle. Beaming with pride Kedari says “the attendance has gone up and our ‘not-so-famous school’ is beginning to get recognition at the State-level. All this was possible because of Rotary.”
Savant says that the club will work with the school to ensure sustainability of the project.
Mammography van to detect breast cancer in rural UP
Team Rotary News
IPDG Subhash Jain hands over the keys of the Mammography van to P K Gupta, Vice Chancellor, Sharda University, in the presence of then Club President Naman Jain, Secretary Umang Gupta and other dignitaries.
RCDelhi Monarch, RI District 3012, launched Project Arogya to spread awareness about breast cancer and has donated a mammography van to conduct breast cancer screening in the rural regions of UP and Haryana.
The van was handed over to Sharda Hospital, Greater Noida by IPDG Subhash Jain in the presence of P K Gupta, Chancellor, Sharda University; Dr Sanjeev Dalvi, Director of Health Services, State of Goa; the then Club
President Naman Jain and Secretary Umang Gupta.
The project, costing $102,037, was funded through a global grant with TRF and RC Kathmandu, RID 3292, as international partners.
Sanitation solutions in Lebanon
Anne Ford
they can generate income from these solutions,” Marti says.
The idea for the entrepreneurship project stemmed from a seminar Marti attended as a new Rotarian in 2016, during which he learned about The Rotary Foundation’s commitment to water, sanitation, and hygiene programmes. He immediately thought of CEWAS, an organisation he was familiar with through his work in business development.
Highin the mountains of Lebanon, one of the country’s most precious resources is cached: water, in the form of fresh snow.
“We have a lot of water, even though we are in the Middle East,” says Nazih Ghattas, a member of Rotary Club of Baabda, Lebanon, RID 2452. In that regard, he says, “we are the richest country in the whole area.”
Yet thousands of feet below those white-capped peaks, Lebanon’s residents, including more than one million Syrian refugees, struggle to find clean water to drink or bathe in.
The runoff from the mountains flows into decaying pipelines,
sewage-choked wells, and rivers thick with pollution. People who drink the water, or swim in it, often end up with stomach or skin ailments that keep them from school or work.
And while clean water can be purchased from private sources, it doesn’t come cheap: The average family in Beirut spends up to 15 per cent of its monthly income on water.
“There are huge hills of waste outside Beirut,” says André Marti, a member of Rotary Club of Willisau, Switzerland, RID 1980. “And what is even worse, all the wastewater from industry is going into the rivers, and people
take water out of the rivers for irrigation, for agriculture. So in the end, all those contaminants are in the food.”
Ghattas, Marti, and other Rotarians are working to improve Lebanon’s water situation in cooperation with the Swiss nonprofit CEWAS (short for International Centre for Water Management Services), which links sustainable water, sanitation, and resource management with business development. They are encouraging and supporting the country’s entrepreneurs: “People are more committed to providing long-term solutions when
The Rotary clubs of Lebanon were already focused on water projects. In 2013, District 2452 Governor Jamil Mouawad and other district leaders launched a multiyear water project, involving all of Lebanon’s Rotary clubs, that will provide water tanks and filters to every school in the country.
Another problem Lebanon faces is high unemployment. Creating opportunities while improving access to clean water seemed like a perfect project for Rotary and CEWAS to work together. But they needed to persuade enough potential entrepreneurs to focus on water and sanitation.
“We do not have a lot of entrepreneurs in this field, because it does not generate quick money,” Ghattas says. In addition, he notes that many people are more interested in developing
Lebanon’s beaches are littered with plastic and other waste dumped into the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
businesses for the whole Middle East. “This would be very local.”
In other words, the Rotarians needed to prime the pump.
So RC Willisau partnered with CEWAS and the Lebanese Rotary clubs of Baabda, Saida, and Tripoli Cosmopolis on a $233,000 project to recruit, train, and support local entrepreneurs as they developed innovative water and sanitation business ideas. Funded by contributions from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, RC Willisau, RID 2452, CEWAS and its partners, and a Rotary Foundation global grant, the project kicked off in February 2018.
To recruit participants, CEWAS held workshops throughout the country at which would-be entrepreneurs presented and discussed ideas for addressing the national water crisis.
“They worked for a day on these ideas, and then at the end, experts chose some of
Workers gather refuse at a cleanup event led by Plastic Beach.
them for the main programme,” Marti explains. “The intention was to find 15 startups, and they had many more than that.”
From March through July, the participants took classes on entrepreneurship, and from August through November, they received individual coaching with local business experts.
The experts who provided the group education and individual coaching were a mix of Rotarians and CEWAS partners. “How this country works, how they have to negotiate with authorities and navigate politics to move forward with their projects — this
is the important expertise that Rotary members can provide,” Marti says. “They got the water expertise and sustainable resource management expertise from CEWAS.” Crucially, the Lebanese Rotary clubs provided connections to banks and other financial institutions willing to make loans to new entrepreneurs.
In November, six of the project participants were chosen to present their ideas in Beirut before a jury of water and business experts, including Marti, as well as local media and an audience of several hundred Rotarians and others. The winners — Ralph and Georgio Diab of Plastic Beach, a plastics recycling business — received $5,000 to support their enterprise. Plastic Beach, which designed and built a portable plastic shredder that fits in a van, collects plastic waste from small businesses such as restaurants for a monthly fee. Shredding waste on location makes transporting it more cost-efficient. The company also provides job
opportunities by organising beach cleanups.
And the entrepreneurial training project isn’t over. “The intention is to have an annual programme,” Marti says, with funding from private sponsorships and Swiss development agencies.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Rotarians’ project to install water tanks and filters is evolving. “We will finish distribution to all the schools in 2019 and have started with another phase of the project: awareness,” says Ahmad Husseini, a member of RC TripoliMaarad who has been closely involved with the project since its inception. “We’re training the teachers about water and sanitation and hygiene inside their schools. Next year we will start with water filtration in prisons.”
This is how Rotarians are bringing clean water to Lebanon: steadily, patiently, knowing that even a tiny stream will eventually become a great river.
The company’s shredder turns plastic bottles into a more compact form, which can be recycled more efficiently.
Restoring eyesight for Gambian children
M V Ravikumar
Geoffrey Hunwicks (Geoff), a 68-year-old British living in the Gambia, in West Africa, has been working with differently-abled children since 2002. For over two years Geoff has been suffering from a peculiar eye problem. Diagnosed as ‘lower lid Spastic entropion of left eye’, it is a medical condition where the eyelash was growing inward, irritating the eye. On an advice from Sanyi Sergo, Regional Eyecare Coordinator for One Sight, he visited the only major eye hospital in Gambia, the Shiekh Zayed Regional Eyecare Centre (SZRECC) at Kalifung. The doctors there could only trim the eye lashes as an immediate solution, and this was done on a regular basis for nearly two years.
Geoff got a lasting solution when Indian ophthalmologists visited Gambia on a surgical mission in April. He was operated upon by Dr Milind Bhide, a senior ophthalmologist from
Hyderabad, who was part of the mission.
Dr K V Ravishankar, a Vitreous-Retina specialist and member of Rotary Bangalore D 3190 EClub, led the mission to Gambia. He has visited several African countries and Bangladesh on 21 such surgical missions. The country, with a population of over two million, has just three ophthalmologists, two of them being Nigerians. Since the time SZRECC was established
in 2008, the Ministry of Health Services has been requesting Dr Ravishankar, who is the Director, Usha Kiran Eye Hospital, Mysuru, to help them with treating children suffering from complicated eye disorders.
Two senior ophthalmologists, Dr Ravishankar and Dr Milind Bhide; an anaesthetist Dr K R Vasantha Kumar, who are part of the mission, and I spearhead the Avoidable Blindness Projects in
RID 3190. During the six days of stay, the team performed 39 surgeries in 36 patients, of which 29 were children. Two children and an adult were operated on both eyes. We raised $20,000 to meet the cost of travel, accomodation, food, local conveyance, cost of surgical consumables, IOLs and other miscellaneous expenses. Rotary Clubs of Ivory City Mysuru, Mysuru Central and Mysuru Midtown of RID 3181, Bangalore D
The Indian medical team with beneficiaries at the Gambia, Africa.
3190 E Club, Cubbonpark and Koramangala of RID 3190, India, Rotary Senhora-da-hora, RID 1970, Portugal and three clubs of Banjul, RID 9101, West Africa were the main contributors. Combat Blindness International, a US-based NGO, has been a constant supporter of eyecare projects in Africa. The Consul General
of India in the Gambia Ram Mohan facilitated the local support and the Indian entrepreneurs in the country actively participated in this mission to help poor Gambian children.
During our first visit in 2017, the three Rotary clubs in Gambia put together had 76 members. Inspired by Rotary’s
humanitarian activities and the impact of our surgical missions in restoring eyesight on little children, more Rotarians are participating in the project and the membership has increased to 120 Rotarians in the Gambia, with an addition of two more clubs.
When we were all set to board our flight to India,
Ram Mohan said that the Indian medical team brought brightness not only to the young patients but also to their families and to the people of Gambia, more particularly to the Indian community and Gambian Rotary.
The writer is member of RC Bangalore Koramangala, RID 3190.
Rotary-CSR Awards in Pune
Team Rotary News
RID 3131 recently came up with a unique idea to enhance Rotary’s visibility in the society by organising the Rotary-CSR Awards. The Times of India and Economic Times partnered with the district to bring out this novel concept.
An exhaustive film showcasing Rotary’s various service projects was screened for the CSR heads, MDs and CEOs of corporate houses. It provided a platform for the corporates to know more about Rotary, particularly its Literacy and WinS programmes. “This event helped us open up discussions with
corporate heads to invest their CSR funds in our humanitarian projects and the exposure is sure to build trust and confidence for them to partner with Rotary,” RC Pune Central President (2018–19) Ravi Kapoor.
Four categories of awards— manufacturing, IT, Non-IT and startups—were given. A six-member jury comprising Mahesh Zagade, former Principal Secretary, Govt of Maharashtra; Pradeep Bhargava, President, Maratha Chamber of Commerce; Dr Nitin Karmalkar, Vice Chancellor, Savitribai Phule University; Vinod Shah, Chairman
Janseva Foundation, Arvind Sethi, Managing Partner, Ernst and Young (Pune) and Ritu Chhabria, Managing Trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation; chose the winners in each category. A special recognition award was given to Adar Poonawalla for his Clean City Initiative.
TRF Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty, Sanjay Parmar, Manager (TRF) and Bhawna Verma, Manager (CSR) from RISAO were present at the event which was presided over by Member of Parliament Girish Bapat and Jayant Rastogi, Global CEO of the NGO Magic Bus.
TRF Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty (seated third from R) and IPDG Shailesh Palekar (seated, centre) with representatives of corporate houses and award winners.
It is believed that the origin of theatre art in India was the work of God. Brahma, the creator, was asked to give mankind a fifth Veda, which, unlike the four earlier Vedas in Sanskrit, would be easily understood by everyone. Brahma created the Natya Veda with the assistance of other gods and taught the mythic sage Bharatha who recorded his teachings in the Natya Sastra. It became the foundational treatise of all classical forms of theatre and dance in India and is probably the world’s largest and most comprehensive art manual. There are eight classical dance forms in India based on the Natya Sastra. Sattriya, originating from Assam, was officially recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as the eighth classical dance form only in the beginning of the 21st century although it was performed exclusively by male monks in the
the dance of the monks Sattriya
Seetha Ratnakar
The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie.
— Agnes de Mille
Vaishnavaite monasteries known as Sattra for many centuries. The monks or bhokots, as they were referred, used to describe the legends of Krishna from the Bhagavatha Purana in a dance-drama format as part of their daily rituals. Mahapurush Simanta Sankaradeva brought this dance to the mainstream in the 15th century by systematising it using ancient texts and introducing drama and expressive dance (nritta and nritya) to express devotion to Krishna. Sattriya gained popularity through the Vaishnava Bhakti movement and evolved as a classical art over the last five centuries. It is now performed by both men and women who are not necessarily members of the satras (the religious institutions). The dancers have diversified the repertoire by including Saivaite themes and also exploring beyond mythology.
The dance
Sattriya is traditionally performed before a copy of the Bhagavata Purana placed in the Manikut or eastern corner of the dance hall known as namghar and not in front of any idol. There are many styles like the sutradhara or sutra-bhangi, character specific bhangi, prabesh, nritya and jhumura. The sutradhara presents the spiritual values of Vaishnavism in a complete classical format of nritta, nritya and natya, with a commentary in the local language for the audience’s comprehension. Ankiya nat is a sub-genre consisting of one-act plays that feature a ballad, dance and drama which are usually performed in the dance community halls of the monasteries. The themes generally relate to Krishna and Radha and also other manifestations of Vishnu in different avatars. Many of the dancedramas that are popular even today were written and composed by the Assamese poet-saint Sankaradeva and his principal disciple Madhavadeva
during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Sangita Ratnakara of Shankaradeva complements his Bhakti Ratnakara, which traces the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga and Vedanta themes and also includes ethical values like non-violence and truth which provide a theological foundation to Sattriya. Shankaradeva appealed to the leaders of Hindu monasteries to compose at least one play during their tenure as he believed that religious values and the joys of life were closely interlinked with performance arts.
The Sattriya repertoire (marg) integrates two styles, one masculine known as Paurashik bhangi that is energetic with leaps and jumps and the feminine or Stri bhangi, which includes graceful movements. Like all major classical Indian dance forms, Sattriya includes nritta (pure dance), nritya (expressive dance) and natya (dramatic play). The nritta performance is abstract, rhythmic movement where the emphasis
is on technical virtuosity. In nritya the performance expands to include storytelling through gestures, body movements and facial expressions. The natya is a play, typically a group performance, but can be performed as a solo where the dancer uses standardised body movements to indicate different characters in the story. The basic dance unit of Sattriya is called a Mati akhara. While describing the abhinaya or facial expressions in Sattriya: the Redefining of a Tradition, Arshiya Sethi, scholar and arts manager says, the distinctive Sattriya abhinaya defies elitist leanings by depicting activities like fighting, eating, slaying, killing etc which were frowned upon by the Sanskrit texts.
Costume
The Sattriya costume reflects the ethnicity of the Assamese. Male dancers wear dhoti, chadar and the paguri (turban) and the woman dancer wears
a ghuri, chadar and kanchi (waist cloth). They are made from white or unbleached raw silk with colours such as red, blue and yellow used for specific dances and characters. Velvet and satin were used earlier but when the dance moved from the satras to the stage, the design and materials changed. Nowadays, pat, a silk derived from mulberry plant and the golden-hued Muga silk produced in Assam are mostly used. The female dancers use bright coloured handwoven material with intricate local motifs representing the flora and fauna of the region. The costumes of Ankiya naat are colourful and characterspecific and beautifully decorated turbans and crowns made by the local artisans are also used.
The dress of Krishna nritya and Nadubhangi nritya is yellow and blue to denote Lord Krishna. The Sutradhar Nritya also has a specific white costume with a special turban. A unique feature of this dance form is the use of mukha (masks) to depict demons and special characters. The art of mask-making is an integral part of Sattriya culture. Traditional Assamese jewellery made in unique Kesa Sun or raw gold is used for ornamentation. Artists wear Kopali on the forehead, different type of neck pieces in different shapes like golpata, dhulbiri (musical instrument dhol), bena (crescent), jethipata (lizard), dugdugi (leaf), senpata (eagle), and dhansira (rice grain) with matching ear rings and bracelets called muthi kharu and gam kharu. The female dancers adorn themselves with a red bindi on the forehead and white flowers in the hair.
Sattriya Nritya is accompanied by musical compositions called borgeet which are based on classical ragas. A key musical accompaniment is the Khol which is an asymmetrical drum quite different from the rest of India. The special shape and material used
such as clay, wood, leather, rice dough, iron filings and rope straps produce a high pitch on the right side (daina), and a deep bass sound on the left (bewa). The other accompaniments are the flute and more recently, the violin and harmonium. In addition, they include various types of talas or cymbals (Manjira, Bhortal, Bihutal, Patital, Khutital) to infuse religious fervour.
Indira P P Bora is a pioneer dancer who has contributed significantly to the recognition and patronage of Sattriya. She learned the dance under Rosheswar Saikia Barbayan, Ghana Kant Bora and Pradip Chaliha. She has trained many dancers in Sattriya since 1982, including her daughter Dr Menaka P P Bora at her institution, ‘Kalabhumi’, in Guwahati. Menaka is continuing in her mother’s footsteps and taking giant strides to further
garner worldwide recognition for this dance.
The classical dances of India have survived for so many centuries and passed on for generations. They remain relevant even today as they are perpetually evolving. Shah Azad Rizvi rightly said, “Dance is the timeless interpretation of life. It is as appealing when performed for the gods in religious places as for audiences on international metropolitan stages.” As American dancer Merce Cunningham said, “You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.”
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
Artist Krishnakshi Kashyap performs the Sattriya dance.
Agovernment school in Dharwad was the first recipient of the newly-created Rotary WinS Award of RID 3170. The award, instituted by PDG Ganesh Bhat and his family, constitutes a cash prize of `10,000, a trophy and certificate.
Siddalingayya Hiremath, Additional Commissioner, Department of Public Instructions, presented the award to the school at the charter nite celebrations of RC Dharwad Central.
IPDG Ravikiran Kulkarni pointed out that “besides ushering in behavioural change in the society, the award will enhance Rotary’s public image and broadcast its endeavours in working for healthy and clean communities.”
PDG Bhat, a member of Rotary India WinS Recognition Committee, highlighted the criteria for the award. It is in line with the requirements of the
Convention Countdown
Rotary WinS Award for schools
Team Rotary News
IPDG Ravikiran Kulkarni and Additional Commissioner Siddalingayya Hiremath present the award to the school principal in the presence of PDG Ganesh Bhat, Vidya Bhat, President Uttam Kinange, Secretary Uday Bande and students of the school.
Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar, and includes gender-specific, clean toilets, group handwash facilities, effective MHM plan and an active school management committee along a children’s cabinet.
Honolulu museums
Hank Sartin
In Honolulu, you will find natural beauty, adventure, and relaxation. The Hawaiian capital, which will host the 2020 Rotary International Convention from June
6–10, is also home to fascinating museums. So as you make plans to hit the beach or experience a luau , be sure to visit a few of these institutions.
This year 884 schools had competed for the award. As for this award-winning school, enquiries for admission have doubled, thanks to Rotary and the recognition, said its Principal Sridevi Laddimath.
Learn about the history of the Hawaiian Islands at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (pictured, bishopmuseum. org ), which boasts the world’s largest collection of Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens.
View Hawaiian art, along with Japanese woodblock prints and European and American prints and drawings, at the Honolulu Museum of Art (honolulumuseum.org).
Tour the Iolani Palace (iolanipalace.org), which was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom
of Hawaii and contains a collection of artifacts ranging from glassware to military insignia.
Remember those who sacrificed their lives in war and reflect on Rotary’s commitment to peacebuilding at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial (nps.gov/valr) and the USS Arizona Memorial. Plan your visit and reserve your tickets before you leave for Hawaii (limited walk-in tickets are also available).
Register at riconvention.org by by December 15.
Literacy and WinS are his focus
Rajeev Garg
Brick manufacturer, RC Sirsa, RID 3090
He was a Rotaractor from 1987 to 1993 and then became a Rotarian. “I love Rotary and the magic it does in transforming people is just magnificent,” says Rajeev Garg. His best memories are those during his tenure as club president.
Garg wants to focus on literacy and WinS projects to make the people of his region, comprising parts of Haryana, the Punjab and Rajasthan, empowered and prosperous. “Women are the backbone of a country while children are its future. So I have always felt that we have to concentrate on the growth of these two segments for any country to progress. I will concentrate on their education first,” he says.
He is looking forward to work with global grant support and wants to use the “huge amount of accumulated DDF” for sustainable projects that “will carry Rotary’s name far and wide.” He plans to set up a dialysis centre in the district and organise several cancer screening camps too.
As for membership growth, he aims to achieve five per cent increase and work towards sustaining the interest of members of the six new clubs formed last year. As it is a rural region, women are reluctant to join Rotary, he says.
Garg hopes to raise $80,000 for TRF and he has been following up on this target with club members during his visits for installation of officers.
Meet your Governors
Jaishree
Rotary is his life
Suhas Laxmanrao Vaidya
Landscape artist, RC Aurangabad Elite, RID 3132
He hails from a family of social workers; his father is a freedom-fighter. Suhas Vaidya is an avid collector of Rotaryrelated souvenirs and is proud of his ‘Rotary Library’. He says he is indebted to Rotary for two reasons: His Rotarian friends bailed him out from bankruptcy a few years ago for which he is very grateful. “I can never ever forget them,” he says. The second occasion was when a Rotary doctor who was working in a medical camp nearby saved his life in 2007 when he had virtually collapsed. “My life is for Rotary because Rotary saved my life that day,” he says solemnly.
Eye care is his priority
Dr Girish Masurkar
Ophthalmologist, RC Bagalkot, RID 3170
HAs a farmer, he knows the impact of environmental degradation and water woes faced by people. So “my priority is to address these issues on an urgent basis.” Programmes for women’s empowerment and promoting inner peace in individuals, especially the youth, are also on his agenda.
His aim is to enhance the district membership by five per cent but also concentrate on retention of existing members. And for TRF, he is planning to raise $300,000.
e joined Rotary in 1993 and is happy to have served as club president during RI’s 100 th year and now a governor when Rotary India is celebrating its centenial. Dr Girish Masurkar has fond memories of providing borewells in schools in Bagalkot during his presidential year and working on matching grant projects that addressed Avoidable Blindness.
He is roping in corporate support to treat 10,000 people suffering from cataract and treat another 5,000 with other eye disorders. He is keen on promoting friendship exchange programmes to six countries during his tenure.
Masurkar is happy that his district is doing well in membership though he is
working on “plugging the issues of members losing interest in Rotary in some places.” His is one of the vast districts extending from Bagalkot to Dapoli and he wants to visit each club regularly to pep up the club members. The Rotaract clubs are also very active in the district, he says, adding that he has invited Rotaractors for his district conference. “I am encouraging Rotaractors for dual membership by extending concessions for their Rotary membership.”
As for TRF, he says that with the district contributing an average $1 million in the past three years, “I am on a race to do it.” However, he is encouraging every member to contribute what they can for TRF and has lined up 15 Major Donors, three of them second-level Major Donors.
Working on water-related projects
Nayan Patil
Educationist, RC Davangere South, RID 3160
He was nicknamed ‘Rotary Boy’ when he used to help in compiling the bulletin of RC Davangere Midtown where his father was a member in 1978. Nayan Patil was a Rotaractor during 1989–91. “When my father passed away in 2000, I was waiting to be invited as a member of the club. But that didn’t happen.” Finally he joined his club in 2004. He enjoys the district conferences the most as they give him opportunities to strengthen existing friendships and make new friends.
His focus is on executing projects on e-learning and Happy Schools with global grants and distribute bicycles, sewing machines etc for the needy through the DDF. Patil is working with a crowd-funding agency
A big no for small clubs
Dr Mohan Chandavarkar
Gynaecologist, RC Thane North, RID 3142
He is a Rotarian since 1986. Dr Mohan Chandavarkar cherishes memories of how his team helped the people of Latur with a truckload of emergency medicines during the earthquake in 1993. “Six of us were there on the road for four days, treating people for various accidents. That my profession was of help to people in some way gave me the utmost satisfaction,” he says. Another incident, he recalls, is of financial assistance he extended through his club to save a child in urgent need of a cardiac surgery.
Chandavarkar is of the view that the district governor’s office must assist clubs in doing projects fit for the local communities and should not thrust signature projects for the entire district to follow. Likewise, he has grouped service projects into clusters. Ten clubs get together to execute any of the clusters they choose. He is urging ‘first ladies’ — the wives of club presidents — to get together and execute few activities. He has enlisted the support of some NGOs to help in building infrastructure in schools, including environment-related projects, worth `5.3 crore.
to provide waterwheel carts in rural belts and is also keen to provide RO plants and check dams in various places as a majority of the region is drought-prone.
He wants to increase the district membership by 10 per cent and activate idle clubs. Though the district has two all-women clubs, he is urging these clubs to accept male members too and the other clubs to invite women members. “I am encouraging spouses of Rotarians to join Rotary. Shika, my wife, is a member of my club and she is a big supporter of Rotary,” he says.
The DG hopes to raise $367,000 for TRF and is working on inducting an AKS member.
On membership, he aims for a 20 per cent growth. He is not for ‘all-women’ clubs, he says. He wants women to be part of general Rotary clubs and “that will promote healthy growth of the clubs.” He is against promoting small clubs. “I want at least 20 members to charter a club.”
Although his target for TRF contribution is $500,000, he believes in “not promising the sky and not even making it to the treetop. I believe in action more than the words.”
The governor refers to a conversation he had with RI President Mark Maloney when he was in Mumbai last year. “He was suffering from jetlag, yet posing for photographs. I asked him how he could do that and his reply is something I quote wherever I go. He said, ‘I signed up for this. This is my job.’ You could be a leader, but you cannot complain about the amount of work and issues you have to face.”
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
From RI South Asia Office desk
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In RY 2018–19, the Foundation has received $1.64 million CSR funds in different areas of focus from 24 corporate partners. Since the beginning of CSR pilot project in India in October 2016, TRF has cumulatively received $3 million from 46 corporate partners for CSR projects. We request all the districts to work along with district leadership and District CSR Chairs for CSR funds solicitation from the corporates and implement global grants projects in your district.
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In April, the Trustees approved changes (effective July 1, 2019) to the areas of focus to offer greater clarity on global grant eligibility criteria, additional project types, and activities that focus on the environment. The Trustees kept the existing six areas but adjusted three names (noted with an asterisk) to better reflect the types of projects that Rotary members are carrying out. The updated area names are:
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On a solo trip across Pondicherry
Kiran Zehra
Can I take a photo?” I ask a gypsy man Ranga selling bead necklaces on the Promenade Beach in Pondicherry. Pat comes his response: “How much you give me?”
In awe over his ‘English’ response I smile and say “I buy a necklace from you. Ok?” And then he is all set to face the camera.
He has been selling necklaces “made by my daughter and wife at home,” for two years now. A turquoise bead necklace hung around my neck — proof that the bargain was fulfilled. I enquire him for a good coffee place. Pointing to a street, he says, “Go straight 500 metres, then take left. You get very good coffee at the small coffee shop there. No AC. Ok?” “Ok”
Perks of listening to a total stranger — a good coffee at `13.
While it may seem intimidating at first, travelling alone is a rewarding experience; it pushes you out of your comfort zone and stretches you in ways that companion travel won’t.
With a modest budget, an exotic island such as Bali was definitely off the cards. So, Pondicherry (152 km from Chennai), a town down the highway, worked just fine for a solo trip. A budget friendly Airbnb home (`2,670 for two nights) at Auroville — an experimental worship township, near Pondicherry — looked exactly like the pictures put up on the website. The Auroville beach was at a walkable distance and the main town easily accessible through local bus or autorickshaw.
Auroville
Everything about this place is intriguing. Home to over 2,000 people — writers,
artists, doctors, engineers, chefs, farmers and students from more than forty countries, living in a lush green campus — it has no pucca roads or urban buildings, no churches, temples or mosques, not even a police station! You can see sunlight filter through the green canopy as you walk through a mud track to reach the Matrimandir also known as the ‘soul of the city’. The entire green patch is a result of years of meticulous afforestation — three million trees occupy 1,250 acres of land. It is quite impossible for one to see all of Auroville in a day. Indulge in conversation with a resident and you come to know that it is a selfsustaining community, driven by its own economy. Owned by the Auroville Foundation, over 150 incomegenerating units like Maroma, a handicraft manufacturing unit, Auroville
The Matrimandir in Auroville.
Handmade Paper Factory and Auroville Bakery contribute at least a third of their profits to the Foundation. More than a dozen restaurants earn money for the Foundation from 3,000-odd daily visitors.
White town
My host, Rekha recommended a Heritage Walk Tour organised by the Pondicherry Tourism Department at White Town, a former French quarter, that has a number of great monuments and brilliant pieces of architecture. “A great way to explore the architectural beauty of the region at nominal charges. All you’d need is a hat and a bottle of water,” she says, dropping me at the main town in her mini truck post a lunch of eggs and Maggie noodles.
Yuvaraj, the tour guide and a fascinating storyteller, walk me through the bougainvillea-lined streets in laid out grids, with parallel streets cutting across each other at right angles. “This is exactly how it is in the French cities and one could not be at fault if they thought they were in Montpellier or Bordeaux,” he says.
Every ‘Rue’ (street in French) is lined with elegant colonial mansions in mustard,
A graffiti on one of the walls.
grey and pink. While roaming through the French quarters, travellers can see plenty of quirky urban graffiti on the walls or on an old scooter and in the most unusual places. The walk covers the French neighbourhood — the Dupleix Statue, Old Court building, statue of Jeanne d’Arc, a French military barrack, the Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), French Town Hall, Old French Library turned into a government office, Goubert’s statue, Roman Rolland Library, Old Lighthouse, Asia’s tallest Gandhi statue, and wrapping up with a coffee at Le Café at the old port office.
Some of the cafes in White Town not only serve great food, but also have gorgeous Instagram-worthy interiors. Most of them serve Ratatouille,
Gypsyman Ranga posing for the camera.
gazpacho (soup), fondant au chocolat (French chocolate cake) and Lasagna, a must-try at Pondicherry, and the Gelato in a waffle cone from Gelateria Montecatini Terme is worth a kill. The pricing is easy on the pocket. You could also sit in the balcony in one of the many sea-facing hotels and sip on a Breezer or drink a beer while enjoying the sea breeze and an amazing view of the Bay of Bengal.
The coastline is stunning and each beach in Pondicherry has something different to offer. Also known as Plage Paradiso, the Paradise beach is accessible through a ferry ride from the Chunnambar boathouse for `300. A range of activities such as kayaking, jet skiing to banana boating are lined up here. Or you could walk on the sunkissed shore, watch the waves, collect seashells or just curl up with your favourite novel.
Looking for mementos to take home for friends and family? Stop by Jawaharlal Nehru Street for open street shopping or Rue Duplex which has shops selling interesting earthenware and handmade lanterns. The Cotton House at Heritage Town has great outfits at unbelievable prices. The Auroville Boutique on Matrimandir Road also has a good collection of handicrafts. The store has trays made from real leaves, naturally processed jams, scented candles, perfumes and handmade stationery.
It is a magical world out there. Travelling solo? You still don’t feel alone or lost. It is one of those experiences where you can love your own company. I, for one, got back rejuvenated and refreshed, eagerly awaiting for the next weekend to explore yet another treasure trove that our neighbourhood has to offer.
Pictures by Kiran Zehra
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
Old books give us new life
Sandhya Rao
The joy of browsing in secondhand bookstores is indescribable.
Whatever the weather — wet or dry or cold or hot — this is the season for long reads. In the last 10 days, I’ve had the good fortune of visiting two topnotch bookstores in San Francisco, both of which stock new as well as used books. One is Dog Eared on Valencia Street in hip Mission, and the other is Green Apple on Clement Street, sort of across a fabulous eating place called Burma Superstar (go for their samosa soup). Dog Eared is across Udipi Palace which serves supersoft idlis.
At Dog Eared I picked up a discounted edition of In Other Words, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri’s book written originally in Italian. I had seen it in a local bookstore in Chennai, but hadn’t even flipped through its pages owing to some kind of snobbery. Her Interpreter of Maladies is a brilliant collection of short stories, as also Unaccustomed Earth. But they are written in
as Howard Norman has written in The Washington Post, an “evocative, unpretentious, astute account of a writing life.”
English whereas this one — In Altre Parole, in Italian — seemed to be more in the nature of an experiment. Had to be excessive and indulgent was my uninformed verdict and so the book remained ignored. How ignorant that was I realised when I finally started reading it. First of all, it’s a bilingual edition. Secondly, it is about language and relationship with language. Many of us have grown up in the shade of the colonial umbrella and who, practically all their lives, have had to deal with being ‘Englished’ and distanced from their own mother tongues or languages. Jhumpa’s (this is her ‘dak’ or pet name; she’s actually Nilanjana Sudeshna!) exercises with learning to read and write in a language she fell in love with and all the consequences of such a love affair make perfect sense. And of course, she writes exquisitely — at least the English translation is ‘essensual’ Jhumpa; I can’t speak for the Italian! It is,
I had seen What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund two years ago at another fascinating store, again the old and new kind, in Berkeley, called Moe’s Books. This time I bought it. Mendelsund is the associate art director at Alfred A Knopf (publishers). “The story of reading,” he writes, “is a remembered story. When we read, we are immersed. And the more we are immersed, the less we are able, in the moment, to bring our analytic minds to bear upon the experience in which we are absorbed. Thus, when we discuss the feeling of reading we are really talking about the memory of having read.”
“…this memory of reading is a false memory,” he claims. The story called reading, he reminds us, “is a story of pictures, and of picturing” and he sets about trying to show us how through a highly visual exploration of the theme in this elegantly produced black and white production.
There was also a 16th birthday present waiting to be bought: What better than a book? Dog Eared gave me what I think is perfect for a child of Indian parentage born and brought up in the US: Mira Jacob’s Good Talk, a graphic memoir in conversations often with her sixyear-old about race and colour and choices and being different. Ironic, funny, perceptive, insightful, straight from the shoulder, the book holds the promise of resonance that I hope my niece will find comforting.
It appears that a 25-year-old called Richard Savoy founded Green Apple Books in 1967 after a stint with the army. He possessed a decent stock of books, comics and National Geographics and with that he opened the store. One of the oldest bookstores of its kind in SF, Green Apple is regularly voted the best bookstore in the Bay Area, having grown considerably in size and stocks.
winner. Look elsewhere and you find it has been voted best book on many fora, including Publishers Weekly and Washington Post. Again, this is a writer I haven’t read: a prominent Israeli author, Yehoshua lives in Haifa and writes in Hebrew.
The story is about the unidentified victim of a suicide bombing and the effort, prompted by guilt on the part of those concerned, to find out who she is and give her a decent burial. This passage from Washington Post Book World says it all: “While the novel is always aware of the sorrows of modern Israel, it soars of wry wise far above the battered landscape …
I didn’t even have to go inside the store — except to pay — to pick up three potentially luscious reads. Standing out on the pavement in brilliant sunshine that cut through the nip in the air, I perused the rows of used books and pounced upon The Language of Secrets by Ausma Zehanat Khan. Set in Canada and featuring a detective called Esa Khattak, the mystery awaits my eager attention. Zehanat Khan has a PhD in international human rights law and was Editor-in-chief of Muslim Girl, the first magazine targeting young Muslim women. At $1.98, it seems to be a steal, as also the other two books I bought, at the same price apiece.
The sticker on A Woman in Jerusalem by A B Yehoshua says it’s a Los Angeles Times Book Prizes
The result is a small masterpiece, a compact, strange work of Chekovian grace, grief, wit and compassion.”
Already, in the first few pages, you experience the wry wit conveyed felicitously in Hillel Halkin’s translation.
The third book from Green Apple is Trail of Crumbs, a coming of age memoir by Kim Sunée who was abandoned in a Korean marketplace, adopted, and raised in New Orleans. Her life becomes even more dramatic and it is only in the kitchen that she gets in touch with her inner self. There’s something about books, about food that is humanising in a unique way: think Baking Cakes in Kigali, The Settler’s Cookbook, Chocolat, Peaches for Father Francis, Julia and Julia, The Hundred-Foot Journey… it’s a long list. The quote from writer Flannery O’Connor prefacing the memoir is particularly appropriate for this book about displacement: “Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. In yourself right now is all the place you’ve got.” It’s a good one for life, really.
Just like all the place used books have is on the shelves of stores such as Dog Eared, Moe’s and Green Apple. Or Blossom Book House on Church Street in Bengaluru, a precious go-to for anybody who loves books. You will never be disappointed, you will never leave empty-handed, you will always be filled with the anticipation of a satisfying read. How can I forget Half Price Books, also in Berkeley, which yielded a wonderful book about mothers and daughters called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd?
Perhaps all bookstores should also carry used books. May be good for the stores. Besides, readers inevitably reach a point when they’re forced to clear out their bookshelves. Even hoarders. Space is constantly under pressure. The best place we could send our well-loved friends is to a bookshop where they will be nurtured until someone comes along to care for them all over again. And for that to happen, we need to keep our books in good shape, unmarked, dusted clean and neatly-thumbed. The columnist is a children’s writer and senior journalist.
Designed
by Krishnapratheesh S
RC Ulundurpet — RID 2982
A mega eye screening camp was organised at Kalamaruthur village in association with Arvind Eye Hospital, Puducherry. Over 200 people were examined, of which 60 were identified for cataract procedure.
RC Chandrapur — RID 3030
An eye camp was held at Tadoba wildlife sanctuary for the guides and forest vehicle drivers. Sixty people were examined by a panel of doctors and five were identified for cataract operation.
Club
RC Pondicherry Central — RID 2981
The club donated new desks and benches to the science laboratory of St Anne’s Governmentaided School in the city at a cost of `1 lakh.
RC Jaipur Bapu Nagar — RID 3054
Three MoUs were signed by IPDG Neeraj Sogani and corporate institutions at a CSR seminar. PDGs Ajay Kala, Ramesh Agrawal, Ratnesh Kashyap and corporate leaders gave presentations on how to rope in enterprises to fund community projects.
Matters
RC Surat — RID 3060
Over 150 school bags made out of torn or discarded jeans were given to students of Ponsara Primary School. The project was conceived by Rtn Rupal Damani and was supported by the club members and their friends.
RC Amritsar North — RID 3070
Rotarians distributed dry rations to 20 needy families under their ongoing project Annapurna Day . The women beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to Rotary for this thoughtful gesture.
RC Panvel Elite — RID 3131
Clothes, footwear and food grains were donated in a special camp at a hamlet, 25 km from Pen village. This project enhanced the public image of Rotary in nearby villages. A number of Rotarians took part in the camp.
RC Dombivli East — RID 3142
IPDG Ashes Ganguly inaugurated Dombivli Olympics for schoolchildren. Team events and athletics were also held along with indoor games like chess and carrom for the participants.
RC Dharmavaram Midtown — RID 3160
An eye operation camp was held at a Zilla Parishad school in Chennekotha Palli in which 150 patients were screened for cataract and other eye-related issues. This ongoing project has benefitted 638 people so far.
RC Kushalnagar — RID 3181
IPDG Rohinath P inaugurated a washroom station at a government primary school in Boikeri. The facility was sponsored by RC Bangalore Southwest, Microland Bangalore and Vasavi Clubs International. The project cost `3.10 lakh.
RC Koteshwara — RID 3182
DG Abhinandan Shetty handed over the keys of a newly-constructed house to a poor and needy family. The house was built at a cost of `3.15 lakh.
RC Koothatukulam — RID 3201
IPDG A V Pathy handed over the keys of a new house constructed by the club for an underprivileged family affected by the recent floods under Rotary’s Project Hope in the presence of legislator Anoop Jacob.
Club
RC Tellicherry — RID 3202
IPDG E K Ummer gifted a water purifier and six steel chairs to an old-age home during his club visit. Rtn Dr Jose also donated `10,000 to this home. The total project cost `30,000.
RC Trivandrum Suburban — RID 3211
An orthopaedically-challenged boy was presented with a Chenda instrument which he practises for livelihood. Rtn Dr Fasil Marecar gifted the instrument to the boy during the installation of new office-bearers under Club President B Sushir.
Matters
RC Courtallam — RID 3212
IPDG K Rajagopalan presented a cheque for `3 lakh to District Collector Shilpa Prabhakar for the clean-up of the Chitra River. He was accompanied by Rotary District General Secretary C Vaiyali Muthiah and Chitra River Clean-up Project Coordinator Prof Sakthinathan on the occasion.
RC Vellore Midtown — RID 3231
Sports kits and furniture such as chairs, lockers and tables worth `50,000 were given to a government middle school at Kalarpalayam, a village adopted by the club.
RC Madras Southwest — RID 3232
A dialysis machine costing ` 7 lakh was donated to Khivraj Chordia Memorial Dialysis Centre in the city, in appreciation of their service they are doing to the poor families.
RC Bokaro Midtown Couples — RID 3250
A mortuary van ‘Muktidham Vahini’ was dedicated for the service of residents. DG Gopal Khemka and DGE Rajan Gandotra inaugurated the facility in the presence of Club President Sajan Kapoor.
RID 3261
A 10-member team of Rotarians and their spouses visited RID 6540, Indiana, US, on a 15-day Friendship Exchange tour. RFE Chair Dawn Harvey and IPDG Lisa Waterman took care of their stay with four hosts at different places.
by V Muthukumaran
Designed by L Gunasekaran
Compiled
From anxiety to ecstasy
Bharat and Shalan Savur
Anxiety is the opposite of ecstasy. Anxious people are not striving for peace, they are unconsciously striving for ecstasy. Anxiety and ecstasy have the same pitch and intensity, only the quality differs. Anxiety makes you restless, you cannot sit, you are always tense, you continually pace up and down, worry and fear. Ecstasy blows out all tension and that restless energy becomes one cohesive, glad force and you dance.
What are we normally anxious about? Losing our parents, siblings, spouse, friends, money, possessions, prestige, whatever skills and talents we have, and, of course, life itself. Anxiety is lost ecstasy. We’ve forgotten the ecstasy of being. And being is having nothing. We’ve forgotten what it is to have nothing. How it keeps us free. How it makes us dance. How it makes us ecstatic.
A monkey in the living room
Years ago, we visited a friend in Dharamshala, a picturesque town in Himachal Pradesh. She lived in a big cottage. She went into the kitchen to make tea, while we sat in her large living room. Suddenly a monkey strode in briskly through the open door, picked up a bunch of bananas and exited as briskly. As he left, he looked at us. There was neither fear nor hostility in his eyes, just an intelligent awareness of our presence. We were dumbstruck by the swift smoothness of the operation.
We wondered why our friend left the door open when a monkey could just walk in and steal something and walk out. As we looked around the large living room, comprehension crept in. Our friend had kept it simple. There were no knick knacks, there was only a sofa set, a coffee table bearing a heavy bowl which held the bananas, that’s all. It was charming in its bare simplicity. And it was this very simplicity that enabled her to keep the door open and let the wind flow
freely into her home. When the monkey walked in, he just picked up his bananas and left. There was nothing else there to hold him or tempt him. It was an excellent arrangement.
The mind is our living room. When we don’t fill it with analysis, speculation, gossip, criticism, jealousy and such knick knacks, but keep it simple and as bare as possible with just the furniture of acceptance and a bowl filled with an offering of love, we can always keep its door open without any fear or anxiety of being robbed. A simpler life enables us to transform anxiety into ecstasy.
Choose solitude
So, the first step to a calmer mind is to become aware, become conscious that your own energy is misused in anxiety. Knowing makes you more careful, more watchful. Where is this energy being wasted? Like you switch off the fans and lights when you’re not in the room, allow your ego to exit your mind and switch off your criticisms and complaints. When you turn off your criticisms, there is stillness, when you turn off your complaints, there is silence.
Have very few appointments each day; I’d even say have no appointments if you can run your life without them. The reason is simple. When you meet many people daily, you absorb their problems as well. Also, when you interact daily, you are tempted to complain and criticise to them and then about them to somebody else and, thus, increase your anxiety levels. Whereas, when you are alone in your mind’s living room, you go about peacefully doing your work. Being in solitude also gives you the space to just sit and become conscious that it is your energy contained in anxiety. To realise this important ownership fact is key to a possible turnaround. It’s like finding out that someone is using your electricity to power their business. And just as your power bills are ludicrously high, so are your health bills — for blood pressure, stroke, indigestion, the persistent irritable bowel syndrome and so on.
From war to love
By refraining from being negative, you can transform war into peace, a threatening environment into a non-threatening one. Continue on this peaceful path and soon you will transform the non-threatening environment into something even better — a loving environment. When you were unconscious, the negatives, imbalances, perversions of the mind ruled you. Now that you are conscious, this nonsense disappears.
One more negative offshoot of anxiety is seeing lack where there’s abundance (a millionaire feeling he’s a pauper), a void where there’s fullness. It’s a very unpleasant way to live in fretful pessimism, a simmering distrust, a blurring sense of victimhood — it’s stressful for family and friends as well.
Being conscious means being fully present, fully aware of what we are thinking and doing. This helps us not to get drawn into reacting or being overwhelmed by other people’s politics of prejudices and negativity. If we go to a restaurant and are served stale, recycled food, do we like it? We return it and say, “Hey, serve me fresh food.” Similarly, why rehash the past in our mind at all? Return it to oblivion where it belongs. Serve yourself fresh thoughts. Tell yourself calmly, patiently, repeatedly, “It is over. Let it go.” Be thankful it is finished. Infuse fresh food for thought. Cook up warmth, cook up kindness for yourself, for all the people who are working so hard to make a living, to make a life. Follow these practices daily to attain emotional equilibrium: Discipline your emotions, the tendency to criticise, blame or complain.
When you are alone, watch your inner dialogues. Keep them pleasant and peaceful.
When with people, watch your speech. Speak softly, sweetly, slowly. At other times, stay silent and listen non-judgmentally. When in any kind of dilemma or trouble, restrain your emotions. Don’t allow a state of war to set in, rather, remember: all things will pass and maintain inner stability. Know you have various options to deal peacefully with the situation. And, finally, when things do go your way, when people compliment you, bless you, display love and affection towards you, please don’t allow your ego to cynically dismiss these wonderful gifts of life. Accept them with grace. Let your brain — with its neuroplasticity — accept the new patterns in your relationships. Let your mind accept this wider reality. As a wise person gently explained, “When you see your life as just your family and your work, it’s like seeing it in a glass of water, then even one rock falling into it displaces almost all the water. It feels huge. When you see your life as a lake, that one rock causes a small splash. You can deal with it. See your world as large, make it a lake, make it an ocean.”
Let your heart expand with gratitude in the new larger reality by seeing people as fellow-travellers instead of as enemies and frenemies. Allow joy to shine out of your eyes, actions and your being. Stay in this state without a single thought in your mind. See the silence dance. This, dear friends, is ecstasy.
The writers are authors of Fitness for Life and Simply Spiritual – You Are Naturally Divine and teachers of the Fitness for Life programme.
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
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On the racks
Becoming
Author : Michelle Obama
Publisher : Viking
Pages : 426; ` 999
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her. She talks about her childhood on the South side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it. Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations — and whose story inspires us to do the same.
The sugar impact diet
Author : J J Virgin
Publisher : Hachette India
Pages : 344; `499
Thisbook describes how foods contain different types of sugars that have unique effects in your body. J J Virgin explains the role of sugar metabolism in weight loss. Foods with a high sugar impact cause weight gain, fatigue and inflammation. Low sugar impact foods promote fat burning and sustained energy. The diet claims if you switch foods with a high sugar impact for those with a low sugar impact you can lose up to 10 pounds in 2 weeks. It identifies the most damaging types of sugars that you may be eating every day without realising it. Virgin promises her programme will help you cut sugar out of your diet — without the cravings and the crashes. Her plan, she says, will also lead to high energy levels, better focus, less bloat and will reverse chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Oh, and for those of you who diet to fit into skinny jeans, Virgin says followers will “look and feel younger almost overnight.”
Fear of Lions
Author : Amita Kanekar
Publisher : Hachette India
Pages : 336; `399
Settwelve years into the rule of the austere Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, Amita Kanekar’s intricately woven and powerful novel tells the story of an unlikely rebellion that almost brought imperial Dilli to its knees. Two young Mughal nobles, Shamsher and his sister Zeenat, leave Shahjahanabad for a trip down the royal Ajmer highway to the market town of Narnaul. The reluctant Shamsher is on a secret mission for his father; an excited Zeenat on one of her own. Their journey takes them through the shattered landscape of a recently crushed mutiny. This revolt was rumoured to have been led by a witch inspired by the Bhakti saint Kabir; her militant followers, many of them women, called themselves Satnami: those whose name was truth. The rebels were finally defeated, but the questions remained: Where had they come from and what did they want? Who really was Kabir, the acid-tongued weaver-poet of Banaras? How could Bhakti, the cult of passionate devotion, inspire violence?
Compiled by Kiran Zehra Designed by Krishnapratheesh S
Half-read books
TCA Srinivasa Raghavan
Many people ask me if they should write a book. By all means, I tell them but be warned, it is an exercise in futility if you are looking for glory and fame. I know because between 1975 and 1980 I worked in a large British publishing house. It was an eye-opening experience. Until then I had been a wide-eyed innocent, thinking like everyone else, that books were special. It soon became clear that they were just like another bar of soap or packet of biscuits. Produce, price and sell. That’s all.
Anyway, after 30 years I forgot my own advice and wrote not one but four books. I waited anxiously for the reviews. Three were not reviewed at all but one was by several publications. It was then that I realised that I need not have written 90,000 words. Around 10,000 would have done because it seemed that people read only about a tenth of a non-fiction book. Flip, skip, and
I need not have written 90,000 words. Around 10,000 would have done because people read only about a tenth of a non-fiction book.
dip is the guiding principle. Most reviewers do this and write a review. But what is truly infuriating is that even then they don’t write about what is in that 10th but what is missing in the whole book.
I then asked a friend who buys six or seven books a month: why do you pay several hundred rupees for a book to consume only a tiny portion of it? I mean, would you buy a large masala dosa or a bottle of scotch and leave it only half eaten or drunk and that on a regular basis? I told him people don’t walk out of a movie after 30 minutes or listen only to the first five minutes of a 30-minute CD. Once you have paid, I said, you want full value. So what is it about books? Why do people think it is perfectly all right to waste the money which they have spent on them? Indeed, I know of people who buy a book but don’t even open it for months, if ever. He told me, as only an old friend can, don’t be an ass.
So I asked an economist friend. He said a book has a peculiar characteristic: it is both a perishable and durable thing simultaneously and that this confuses its economics hugely. In the hands of the publisher and the bookseller, it is perishable because once sold, just like a fruit or a vegetable it will not be taken back. But in the hands of the buyer it is a durable because it can sit on the shelf even for a hundred years, read
My books fell to half price within seven days. Believe me, it really shows you your place.
or unread. He added that since the publisher and the bookseller treat it exactly like a fruit or a vegetable, they prefer not to carry stocks for too long. They dump it on customers who can throw it away or keep it for a hundred years because it doesn’t spoil.
Next I asked a female friend who is an inveterate bargain hunter. She laughed at me and said the trick is to wait for the discounts. This is easy these days because discounts can begin within two weeks of a book being published. If you buy online, the discounting begins on day one. She was right: my books fell to half price within seven days. Believe me, it really shows you your place.
But that explanation inadvertently provided the explanation to the original question about why people leave books unread or half read or quarter read after paying so much: if you have paid less than the cover price you can afford to read only a tiny portion of the book — or not at all if the discount was large enough.
In Brief
Organ donor by default
The Netherlands has passed a law making every adult a potential organ donor unless he explicitly ‘opts out’. The law will come into force from 2020 and it aims to fix a shortage of organ donors in the country. Two mailers will be sent to persons above 18 years of age, seeking their consent for organ donation. Non-respondents will automatically be considered organ donors. The status can be amended anytime. Donors can also choose which organs to donate.
Donkeys become zebras
We all know the phrase ‘a wolf in a sheep’s clothing’. But how about donkeys dressed as zebras? Two donkeys were painted with black and white stripes to resemble zebras for a safari-themed wedding reception in a Spanish beach town. The pictures went viral and the act was heavily condemned for using the animals for ‘tourist exploitation’. A zoo in Egypt was taken to task earlier for a similar stunt.
Sinkhole gobbles up a Rolls Royce
This bizarre incident happened in Harbin City in China when a Rolls Royce was waiting at a traffic signal for a green light. As soon as car started moving, the road caved in and the Rolls Royce began to slowly sink into the hole. The driver however leapt out of the window but the car went down and was later pulled out, bruised and battered.
Happiness Hour in Delhi schools
The first 50 minutes of each school day will be the Happiness Hour for students of Classes 1 to 8 in government schools in Delhi. The Directorate of Schools says this step was taken to bring in positivity and creativity in children. Students get to perform fine arts or paint or do any creative act that will build up their happiness quotient.
Squats for tickets
Concerned about citizens’ obesity, countries such as Mexico and Russia are wooing people to be weight-conscious. The governments have introduced a scheme where one can get a free rail ticket in return for squats. Moscow has installed ‘health stops’ in Metro stations where an electric meter counts the number of squats an individual performs. Performing 10 squats earns a rail ticket in Mexico, while in Moscow, a ticket requires 30 squats. Some stations are equipped with clinics to address obesity.
Regn. No. TN/CCN/360/2018-2020
Licensed to post WPP No.TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-431/2018-2020
Total number of pages in this monthly issue, including cover, 84. Price: `35
Registered with Registrar of News Papers for India 3880/57 Rotary News Published on 1st of every month
