Vol.64, Issue 9
Annual Subscription Rs.480
March 2014
ANZAC Bridge, Sydney.
Award Winning Luxury at the doorstep of a World Heritage Site
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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11 13 11 13 20 22 26
20
Editor’s Letter In My Thoughts President Pranab Mukherjee Receives Rotary’s Highest Award India Celebrates Victory over Polio Q & A with RIPE Gary C.K. Huang
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WHAT’S INSIDE
30
52
34 42 30 34 42 52 56 60
Schooling India for Tomorrow Pick of the Month Economics of Knowledge Flight of Fantasy Grooming Smart Children What Price Experience ?
60 56
Siga Marketing, 09381475767.
WHAT’S INSIDE
ADVISORY BOARD RID P.T. Prabhakar
RI Dist. 3230
PRIP Rajendra K. Saboo
RI Dist. 3080
PRIP Kalyan Banerjee
RI Dist. 3060
PRID Ashok Mahajan
RI Dist. 3140
PRID Yash Pal Das
RI Dist. 3080
PRID Shekhar Mehta
RI Dist. 3291
DG
Rabi Narayan Nanda
RI Dist. 3262
DG
Radhe Shyam Rathi
RI Dist. 3053
DG
Hari Krishna Chitipothu
RI Dist. 3150
Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
RI Dist. 3230
PDG R. Badri Prasad
RI Dist. 3190
PDG Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh
RI Dist. 3261
PDG Ramesh Aggarwal
RI Dist. 3010
COMMITTEES DG Vinod Bansal - Finance Committee DG Deepak Shikarpur - Editorial Committee
83 72 64 64 72 78 83
Pick of the Month Transcendence at Lepakshi A Rainbow on my Plate
What's Inside.indd 10
DG Anil Agarwal - Marketing Committee DG Mohan Mulherkar - Marketing Committee
ROTARY NEWS ROTARY SAMACHAR Editor Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
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Send all correspondence and subscriptions to ROTARY NEWS TRUST 3rd Floor, Dugar Towers, 34 Marshalls Road, Egmore, Chennai 600 008, India. Phone : 044 42145666 Fax : 044 28528818 e-mail : rotarynews@rosaonline.org
2/25/2014 6:49:36 PM
Relationships are more important than Ambitions
T
he conflict between holding a position and wanting to have a lasting relationship with others lies at the heart of your ambition to do anything to please yourself. Ambition drives people forward. Many times it involves steamrolling others who are not powerbrokers. Wanting to keep a relationship intact imposes limits, but can hold back people from doing something that is drastically wrong.
“Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem,” said Abraham Lincoln. This is the culture that Rotary aims to teach every member. That the lessons have not been learnt is obvious from the ever increasing incidents that one can see on how people like to berate other members in every medium. How does one measure his success in Rotary? By making more friends or by antagonising more people just to satisfy their ambition?
EDITOR’S LETTER
Researchers have said that ambition has a great effect on human happiness. Using longitudinal data, they say that the ambitious person can experience bouts of happiness but never lead a good life if they trample on others. They say that ambition is weakly connected with well-being and negatively associated with longevity. When asked about the connection between ambition and personal relationships, Kammeyer-Mueller from the University of Florida, said that while the more ambitious appeared to be happier, that their happiness could come at the expense of personal relationships. Do these ambitious people have worse relationships? Are they ethical and nice to the people around them? What would they do to get ahead? The study showed that people who attend religious services regularly are, thanks to the community element, more satisfied with their lives than those who do not. Their well-being was not linked to their religious beliefs or worshipping practices, but to the number of friends they had at church. People with ten or more friends at their religious services were about twice as satisfied with their lives, than people who had no friends there. Rotary has made tremendous progress over the years. However, in terms of membership growth it is still stagnant. For a long time many clubs have been consumed by rancorous arguments amongst members. Differences have shut down clubs and threaten the full faith and credit of Rotary. By subjugating ambition over the need to build relationships, I believe that the coming months can be a breakthrough year for Rotary for membership development. The question for everyone in every club is whether they are going to help or hinder this progress. You have to make this a year of action. What unites the people in Rotary is the profound belief that relationships are more important than ambition. Rotary does not stand still — and neither should you.
Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan MARCH 2014
ROTARY NEWS 11
Reactions L ETT E R S F R O M R EA D E R S
Accolades and more… I am a new Rotarian and I always felt shy in club meetings. But, all your Editorials which rightly focus on the problems of the club members and leaders gave me courage and motivated me. Now I feel as a true Rotarian ready to join hands with other Rotarians. Rtn. Govind Agrawal RC Raipur West RI District 3261 I am regular reader of Rotary News magazine. I thank you and your team for bringing out interesting articles every month, which are worth reading. The design of cover page, all the photos and also the print and paper quality are excellent. The Rotary News magazine is a prized possession in the hands of Rotarians and non-Rotarians. T. Susant RC Berhampur RI District 3262 Rotary News is excellent by all yardsticks of measurement of a monthly magazine. Both for a discerning reader and a general reader, of course mostly Rotarians, the magazine provides lot of materials of interest, use and motivation. Congrats to you as the Editor and also to your team members. Review of my book, ‘The Challenge of Public Relations’ done by Kiran Zehra is very well written. Rtn. (Prof.) C.K. Sardana RC Bhopal Midtown RI District 3040
I was very glad to read the culture article about the temple at Suchindram in Kanyakumari district which was very informative. Rtn. M.T. Philip RC Trivandrum Suburban RI District 3211 I enjoyed reading Editor’s Letter, ‘Fences around the mind’ in the January 2014 issue. As you rightly said, it is the mind which is responsible for everything. Your world is in your mind. If there is no mind no world. One has to understand the mind and use it intelligently for right thoughts and right actions. Thank you very much for the thought provoking letter. Rtn. K. Shivaram Alva RC Pondicherry RI District 2980 I am an ardent reader of Rotary News for the last half decade or so and I especially like your thought provoking editorials, for each piece has something to ponder over, to remember for months to come. So I call them not just editorials but master-pieces. To cap them all your January number, ‘Fences around the mind’ is simply superb. This great editorial is a New Year’s gift to Rotary News readers. Rtn. M.R.K. Murty RC Narasaraopet RI District 3150 January 2014 issue is in my hand and I could not proceed further till I read the Editor’s Letter,
‘Fences around the mind’ and grasped its meaning. It is really a sound advice and message. Thanks a lot for dishing out such a wonderful piece of work for all the Rotarians. Rtn. (Capt.) Ravi Mahajan RC Madras Esplanade RI District 3230 February 2014 issue of Rotary News is just amazing. I enjoyed reading every article. In your editorial, ‘Time to let go,’ I liked all the quotations and your candid way of linking to our Rotary’s 4-Way Test, which many of our members have almost forgotten. Your article, ‘Understanding’ is yet again a proof of your ability to put across the ideas in a subtle manner that it reaches the place you ‘want’ it to reach. Rtn. Nan Narayenen RC Madurai West RI District 3000 February 2014 issue of Rotary News is a wonderful piece of work with amazing contents. ‘Editor’s Letter’ as well as the article ‘Understanding’ with so many quotes of great personalities has been mind-blowing. It is not ease, but effort; not facility, but difficulty that makes achievers out of ordinary people. I compliment you and your staff for bringing out a world class quality magazine. Rtn. C.P. Gopinathan RC Wadakkanchery RI District 3201
The editor welcomes brief comments on the contents of the magazine, but reserves the right to edit submissions for style and length. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the R I leadership, nor do the editors take responsibility for errors of fact that may be expressed by the writers. Only letters that include a verifiable name, address and day and evening phone numbers can be considered for publication. Readers are our source of encouragement. Some of our esteemed patrons share their valuable feedback….
In My Thoughts
Dear Fellow Rotarians, Growing up in Duncan, Okla., USA, I took it for granted that everyone could read. In my own elementary school, not only were we expected to be reading by the age of seven or eight, we were expected to read upside down. We each took turns reading books to the entire class, and of course, if you want to read out loud to a group while you show them the pictures, you can’t do it the right way up. All the way through elementary school, we did that every week, until it didn’t really matter to us which way we were holding the book. I never thought too much about that skill at the time. But a few months ago, on a visit to a Rotary project in Decatur, Ala., I walked into a first-grade classroom and was aasked if I would read a book to a class of six-year-olds. Naturally, I was happy to oblige. I sat down, opened the book they had chosen, and started reading to about 30 little kids — upside down, just the way I did it back in second grade. In a sense, I was doing exactly what I’d learned to do more than half a century earlier. But as an adult, and especially as a Rotarian, I saw that experience in a different way. I was reading to a group of children who were well on their way to literacy themselves. We were sitting in their classroom, in a school where Rotarians came every week to read one-on-one with children who needed a little extra help. There wasn’t any question that every child in that room would grow up to be a literate adult. And all of them took that completely for granted — as they took it for granted that adults would care enough to read them a book while showing them the pictures, even if that meant reading upside down. We all know that millions of children all over the world aren’t that lucky. That’s why we make basic education and literacy a priority in our Rotary service. As we mark Literacy Month in Rotary, we remind ourselves what a gift we are giving when we help a child to read — whether it’s a child on the other side of the world or right in our own hometown.
Ron D. Burton President, Rotary International MARCH 2014
ROTARY NEWS 13
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My dear Partners in Service, The International Assembly was held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego, California during 12–18 January 2014. RI President-elect Gary C.K. Huang gave the Rotary world a wonderful theme, Light Up Rotary as his theme for 2014–15. Gary was inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius who said: “It is better to light a single candle, than to sit and curse the darkness.” “There are so many problems in the world, so many people who need help. Many people say, ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ So they sit there doing nothing. Meanwhile everything stays dark,” Gary told the 537 District Governors and their spouses and partners who were attending the 2014 International Assembly in San Diego, California. “The Rotary way is the Confucius way. The Rotary way is to light a candle. I light one, you light one, 1.2 million Rotarians light one. Together, we light up the world,” said Gary, who is a member of Rotary Club of Taipei in Taiwan. Gary urged club members to Light Up Rotary in the coming year by hosting a Rotary Day in their community and including local Rotaract and Interact members in their service projects. “How you Light Up Rotary is up to you,” Gary said. “You know where you are strong, you know what your community needs, and you know how you can help.” Gary also shared his membership development goals, including the need for more women and young adults and his goal to increase membership to a total of 1.3 million members. He asked Rotarians to invite their spouses, family members, and friends to join Rotary. All the DGEs and spouses from India, together with the two training leaders, put up a wonderful dance performance in the international evening. I will unhesitatingly say that our performance was one of the best, if not the best! Nalini and I also had the privilege of organising a South Asian Evening, which was attended by PRIPs Rajaji and Kalyanda, RI President Nominee K.R. Ravindran, Trustee Elect Sushilji, PRID John Blount, General Secretary John Hewko and other dignitaries. The DGEs from India made the evening most enjoyable with a session of Anthakshari. Emerson said, “What a man has is God’s gift to him, what he does with it is his gift to God.” In gifting polio vaccine to the children of the world, Rotarians have added an exciting new dimension to Rotary. The seeds of PolioPlus were sown in the Philippines in 1978. The then RI President, Rtn. Jim Bommar administered the first two drops of oral polio vaccine to a little child there. Since that small beginning, PolioPlus has grown to encompass and change many a country world-wide. Towards this end, Rotarians have worked hand in hand breaking cultural and geographical barriers. January 13, 2014 marked the completion of three years of no polio in India and the Government of India celebrated this achievement, on February 11, 2014 at a colourful function in New Delhi, which was attended by RI President Ron Burton and other senior leaders from India and USA. It was gratifying
to note that the President and Prime Minister of India and other dignitaries paid glowing tributes to Rotary for its contribution in eradication of polio in India. In the morning of February 11, I had the pleasure of accompanying RI President Ron Burton to Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the Rotary’s highest award, the ‘Award of Honour’ was presented to President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I would like to share with you the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi after he visited Britain. “I am not conscious of a single experience throughout my three months stay in England and Europe that made me feel that east is east and west is west. On the contrary, I am convinced more than ever that human nature is much the same, no matter under what clime it flourishes, and that if you approached people with trust and affection, you would have ten-fold trust and thousand-fold affection returned to you.” Our success in our global effort to eradicate polio is a perfect example of this! Rotary in India is planning our own polio summit on March 29 and 30, at New Delhi. RI President Elect Gary Huang, RI President Nominee K.R. Ravindran, Past RI Vice President John F. Germ (who will be Chair of International PolioPlus committee from July 1, 2014), as well as all Rotary senior leaders from India have confirmed their participation. Please mark these important dates in your calendar and please ensure that you are present on this great occasion when we will celebrate the certification of India as a polio free country by WHO on March 27, 2014. March is Literacy month and under the leadership of PRIP Kalyan Banerjee the India Literacy Committee is doing its best to make India Literate. The excellent Literacy Summit in New Delhi on December 14 was a good beginning to our war against illiteracy! Rotary is definitely the finest of many good organisations helping mankind throughout the world. Our goal of helping bring peace and better understanding is enhanced by thousands of volunteers and our commitment to alleviate hunger and poverty. There is no doubt that if Rotarians unite as we did in PolioPlus we can make a difference in other vital areas too. As small as a polio drop, as big as world peace The miracle of Rotary shall never cease! Yours in Rotary,
P.T. Prabhakar Director Rotary International (2013–15) MARCH 2014
ROTARY NEWS 15
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ยก
Chennai
ยก
Madurai
ยก
Bangalore
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Hyderabad
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Visakhapatnam
2/25/2014 3:03:26 PM
District Wise Contribution Totals to The Rotary Foundation as on January 31, 2014 (in US Dollars)
District Number
APF
2980 3000 3010 3020 3030 3040 3051 3052 3053 3060 3070 3080 3090 3100 3110 3120 3131 3132 3140 3150 3160 3170 3180 3190 3201 3202 3211 3212 3230 3240 3250 3261 3262 3291 India India Total
51,759 11,627 3,21,050 15,081 1,921 37,030 100 1,15,250 1,500 34,844 16,554 10,147 2,035 64,436 61,669 14,926 1,60,883 34,690 2,88,727 45,423 8,583 23,983 46,631 1,19,580 20,605 46,283 38,652 23,668 64,773 84,727 8,988 25,050 25,869 80,736
PolioPlus*
Other Restricted
3220
51,713
3271
42,343
3272
17,157
3281 3282
59,976 4,150
India 7,599 0 475 0 308 4,428 0 102 0 23,974 156 14,955 0 4,824 0 34,977 0 0 0 16,191 1,802 5,900 12,134 420 5,967 0 0 18,371 1,605 0 0 0 2,70,789 2,81,700 1,639 1,770 2,002 44,259 1,489 17,062 33 0 357 2,223 419 4,030 0 74,859 11,198 860 205 0 52,129 (250) 1,610 0 4,736 18,846 1,632 0 6,176 100 0 0 0 0 0 28,791 10,00,000 13,84,460 5,98,395 Sri Lanka 1,671 18,121 Pakistan 125 3,165 Pakistan & Afghanistan 200 2,519 Bangladesh 12,238 (4,869) 0 4,500
50,879 21,33,997 5,74,10,634
Nepal 50 11,580 13,98,744 6,33,411 1,94,45,124 71,45,688
3292 South Asia Total World Total
19,07,780
* Excludes Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Endowment Fund 7,277 0 51,316 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,041 2,033 13,500 77,558 0 50,000 705 24,764 0 0 1,000 408 41,474 155 1 0 8,500 0
Total Contributions
2,82,730
66,635 12,102 3,77,102 16,184 25,896 52,140 4,924 1,50,227 1,500 51,036 24,255 22,701 8,002 82,807 63,274 14,926 7,16,414 40,133 3,48,488 1,41,532 8,616 76,563 51,785 2,19,203 32,664 46,488 91,531 25,686 1,29,828 86,514 15,266 25,050 34,369 1,09,526 10,00,000 41,73,365
1,000
72,504
3,187
48,821
0
19,876
1,000 0
68,345 8,650
0 2,87,918 1,85,10,233
62,508 44,54,070 10,25,11,679
Source: RI South Asia Office
Bookmark Rotary Rotary Social Media www.rotary.org/socialnetworks
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W
hen it comes to publishing the Rotary News magazine, it is the invisible hands that make the difference between the first draft and the final proof. I say this with a sense of ‘editorial justice.’ The direst fear for the people working in a publishing house is the looming possibility of the printed word becoming irrelevant. As the editorial staff navigate the very frightening sea of information that is available, they tend to step back and ask themselves about their role in the magazine. Are
18 ROTARY NEWS MARCH 2014
they passive agents who simply transport news from the field to the readers or are they active agents who transform the news into a piece of art with their involvement? Curatorship of any information is enormously difficult. It is like safeguarding works of art in a museum. Laying out an article depends heavily on personal conditioning. Matters of taste and aesthetic preferences cannot be catalogued. This is where the sentinels of desk-top-publishing play the role that will ultimately matter in pleasing the reader.
In a frightening level of information overload what suffers is the inability to publish every information you receive. Everyone has the capacity to provide information from the districts all over India. But few do. So, the editorial staff liaise constantly to find the story behind every single line of email they get or from a photograph that is just stapled to the envelope. The regulatory mechanisms are in place for quality control and without this the publication will suffer. The responsibility of the editorial staff can be likened more as a guide and less as a gatekeeper.
The problem of choice of news is something that has been debated in great details every year. When you enter a giant store you can get numbed by seeing a staggering array of products colourfully packaged. The packages do not reflect the quality of the product inside. These are times when one wishes for the wisdom of a knowledgeable person and group discussions normally helps in sorting out the issues. Every magazine goes through a dynamic phase in its entire history. The possibilities and opportunities
available through the new technologies are mindboggling. Editorial staff are potent intermediaries who help the readers negotiate the world of content around them. The publishers always talk about the need and advantage of having good editors, not publicists. The editorial staff place the onus for content upon themselves and generate finer work. This is when the undiscovered beauty of the work these invisible hands do come to be seen. They take the readers very seriously and let them know that they will get the very best through the magazine.
The entire staff at the Rotary News office are the invisible hands who work and make the magazine reach the nook and corner of India and other places abroad. The invisible hands pick and choose, knead and reassemble information that makes all the difference between the first draft and the final proof. The medium of dissemination of information may change from the printed word to the digital. But the art of it will never change. Thank you.
Rtn. T. K. Balakrishnan
MARCH 2014
ROTARY NEWS 19
President Pranab Mukherjee Receives Rotary’s Highest Award
RI President Ron Burton presents Rotary’s Award of Honour to President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, in the presence of RI Director P.T. Prabhakar, PRIP Raja Saboo, PRIP Kalyan Banerjee, Trustee Elect Sushil Gupta, IPPC Chair Bob Scott and DG Vinod Bansal, RI District 3010.
F
ebruary 11, 2014 was a red letter day in the history of Rotary in India. Yes, this was the day, on which the Government of India not only celebrated three years of ‘No Polio’ in India but also paid rich tributes to the contribution of Rotary International in polio eradication. This was the day our RI President Ron Burton presented to President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Rotary’s highest award, ‘Award of Honour,’ a recognition for Heads of countries or governments who have rendered unique service to humanity and served the country and its people, upholding values reflected in Rotary’s motto ‘Service Above Self.’ It was a moment of great pride for all Rotarians of India. The award was presented at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi in a solemn ceremony. Rotary senior leaders PRIPs Raja Saboo and Kalyan Banerjee, Trustee Elect Sushil Gupta, IPPC Chair Bob Scott and DG Vinod Bansal, RI District 3010, were present.
20 ROTARY NEWS MARCH 2014
Presenting the award, RI President Ron Burton conveyed greetings and admiration of 1.2 million Rotarians of the world to Shri Mukherjee for the leadership he has provided and the country’s victory over polio. President Pranab Mukherjee thanked RI President Ron Burton for his sentiments and appreciated the work that the Rotary movement is doing for humanity worldwide and in India, especially its support for the eradication of polio. President Mukherjee also spent some time with the Rotary leaders discussing the concern about polio-virus getting into India from other polio endemic countries. It is relevant to mention here that, during the Rotary year 2013–14, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England has been the only other recipient of Rotary’s ‘Award of Honour’ so far. Rtn. P.T. Prabhakar, RI Director (2013–2015)
Adv_Kich Steel.indd Sec1:21
25-11-2013 18:09:14
POLIOPLUS
I
ndia celebrated victory over polio at a grand event hosted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in New Delhi on 11 February 2014. The event, held in Talkotara Indoor Stadium, New Delhi was a culmination of a month-long preparation, where the Ministry was rightly supported by Rotary India PolioPlus. Though a Government of India celebration, all partners pitched in with support and participation. Rotary leadership — India and global — was invited by the Ministry, while Rotarians from across the country attended as participants to the celebration. Rotary was honoured with the invite to RI President Ron D. Burton to address the huge gathering. RI Director P.T. Prabhakar, IPPC Chair Bob Scott, PRIPs Rajendra Saboo and Kalyan Banerjee, incoming Trustee PRID Sushil Gupta, PRIDs Shekhar Mehta, Y.P. Das, Panduranga Setty and Sudarshan Agarwal, INPPC Chair Deepak Kapur attended the event. RI
22 ROTARY NEWS MARCH 2014
President Burton joined the stalwarts of Indian leadership at the function presided over by the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan and other political leaders on the dais. Almost all speakers addressing the gathering of about 2,500 people that included over 1,500 representatives from the field — the vaccinators from across the country, the social mobilisers, the surveillance medical officers and the health department officials, including Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of few states — mentioned Rotary in their congratulatory note and said the victory has been possible because of such strong commitment and contribution. Also present at the occasion to celebrate India’s polio victory were the key polio partner agencies, representatives of various other partners and donors, and ambassadors of various countries, which supported India’s fight against polio.
In his address, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that this victory has been possible through strong determination, involvement of all sections of the society, and the political leadership. He said that various organisations across the borders have given support to this achievement of India. This couldn’t have been possible without team effort, and this is a milestone towards universal healthcare in the country, the President stated. The President also recalled his meeting that morning with Rotary leaders saying that he was glad to meet representatives of Rotary International and to have received the Rotary’s award presented by RI President Ron D. Burton. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh while speaking at the function stated that this impressive achievement can be attributed to strong political will and assured financial commitment and that this accomplishment demonstrates that polio can be eradicated despite many
obstacles and adverse circumstances. He said that our success in eradicating polio has made us more confident of achieving our objectives. Speaking at the occasion, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad acknowledged the tireless efforts of the several volunteers, supervisors, vaccinators and health workers, health department officials, the political leadership in the country at the centre and the states, officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the parents and children as well as the religious leaders and community mobilisers without which this feat would not have been achieved. Virtually every child in the country was reached with the vaccine. Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that through this achievement India has surpassed all apprehensions and challenges. She said, “I congratulate all the Health Ministers who ensured the programme never suffered in direction and implementation, all the finance ministers who never withheld from committing necessary funds in Clockwise: Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh at the Meet;RI President Ron D. Burton addressing the gathering; Section of audience; Honourable President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing the Meet.
MARCH 2014
ROTARY NEWS 23
the budget for polio, and the Ministry officials and the several lakhs of volunteers, vaccinators, committed workers, organisations like WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International who have made this day possible.” Appreciating the nation’s victory over polio, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, National Advisory Council said that it is unmatched in scope and extent anywhere in the world and it has been possible through team work, highly creative communication strategy which worked to dispel myths and fears and stimulated communities. Congratulating the country for its monumental achievement, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO said, “India has shown the world that there is no such thing as impossible. This is likely the greatest lesson, and the greatest inspiration for the rest of the world.” She attributed this to world class health surveillance systems in India which she said not only meet international standards, but surpass them. She stated that India has set an example for other countries to follow. Rotary International President Ron D. Burton said, “By providing the leadership, planning, innovation and resources to get the job done — the Indian Government has demonstrated how to lead by example. And now we are applying the lessons and best practices learned here to stop the disease in the remaining polio endemic countries.” He acknowledged the combined skills and resources of the GPEI partners and that of the Rotarians with regard to raising funds for polio eradication stating that Rotary clubs worldwide have raised more than US $1.2 billion. Speaking about Rotary’s role in advocacy and social mobilisation and commending PRIP Raja Saboo with IPPC Chair Dr. Robert Scott and Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO; Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad receiving memento from RI President; Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad with Rotary leaders. 24 ROTARY NEWS MARCH 2014
Rotary leaders toast to the success of PolioPlus as Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad and Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO look on.
Rotary gets Pride of Place in Government Celebration of Victory over Polio We had several reasons to celebrate on February 11, 2014. First of all, in the invitation for the function, sent out by Government of India, the name of our RI President Ron Burton was prominently mentioned, along with the names of President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Director-General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, Health Minister Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi etc. More importantly, our RI President Ron was not only seated on the head table along with the VVIPs, but also got an opportunity to address the gathering. All the VVIP speakers paid glowing tributes to the contribution of Rotary International in eradication of polio from India. The icing on the cake was when President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee specially thanked Rotary for the honour bestowed on him, earlier in the day. I wish to place on record, my sincere thanks to PRIP Raja Sabooji , who made all the above possible, by his untiring and tenacious efforts over the last two months. Every Rotarian in the Talkatora Stadium, that day was overwhelmed by the encomiums paid to Rotary by the world leaders. In fact, a senior Rotarian remarked that Rotary got more recognition from Government of India on February 11, 2014, than ever before and we owe it to the dedication of PRIP Raja Sabooji ! Rtn. P.T. Prabhakar RI Director (2013–2015)
Rotary leaders in India, the RI President said that they were “particularly effective in gaining the support of influential leaders in India’s minority communities—a valuable lesson that can be applied in the remaining endemic countries.” He said that Rotary raised the initial funding to get the initiative off the ground, and ever since, Rotary members have provided the boots on the ground to keep the programme moving forward. He cited the Rotary project where the Rotarian doctors from India performed life-altering surgeries on polio victims in Nigeria, driving home the message to the Nigerian parents that their children could be spared of this ordeal simply by being vaccinated. He concluded reminiscing Rotary’s dream 30 years ago to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. “And today India has set the stage for the entire Southeast Asia Region to be certified polio-free — another huge milestone. With India as our inspiration, it is time to finish the job globally,” RI President Burton said. UNICEF India Representative Mr. Louis-Georges Arsenault said, “India’s success is the success of every child who will grow up free from polio. It is also the world’s success— proof positive that we can defeat the scourge of polio, even in places once thought impossible.” Concluding the spectacular and momentous event to celebrate India’s victory over polio, Secretary to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Mr. K.N. Desiraju gave the vote-of-thanks where he expressed his gratitude to the dignitaries and participants who graced the event and made it a huge success. The entire programme was telecast live on DD National making the event a big celebration for not just those 2,500 participants present in the stadium but for everyone watching from across the country. With inputs from INPPC New Delhi MARCH 2014
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HUANG As he looks ahead to his presidential year, he plans ways to make Rotary bigger and brighter
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R
otary’s President-elect wa n t s t o i n c r e a s e membership so we can match our resources to the world’s needs. Gary C.K. Huang, who begins his term as president on 1 July, has been a Rotarian since 1976. A member of the Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan, he has served Rotary in a number of roles, including RI Vice President and director, Rotary Foundation Trustee, International Assembly Group Discussion Leader, Task Force Coordinator, and Committee Chair. In his business career, Huang has served as president of Malayan Overseas Insurance Co. and charter secretary-general of the Council for Industrial and Commercial Development in Taiwan. He is an adviser for Wah Lee Industrial Corp. and Bank of Panhsin, a supervisor for Wah Hong Industrial Corp., and a director of Federal Corporation and Sunty Development Co. Ltd. Huang has written about his experiences in business and Rotary in his book, Finding Solutions, Not Excuses. His work for Rotary has earned him the RI Service Above Self Award, a Presidential Citation, and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He and his wife, Corinna Yao, have three children. Rotary speechwriter Abby Breitstein interviewed Huang in November in Jerusalem, at the Rotary Institute for Zones 14, 19, and 20. THE ROTARIAN: How does membership figure into your presidential plans? HUANG: Our membership has declined. My goal is to increase membership by 50,000. I know that my team can make that happen. I see an opportunity to extend into China. If Russia can have 1,300 Rotarians, then why not China? Chinese officials have told me they
think Rotary is doing good things. But China’s NGO law is restrictive, and the RI Board has approved clubs only in Beijing and Shanghai. We should open more provinces to start provisional clubs. Then, if their local laws change, we can easily turn these
can. And they have to eat anyway, and it is only one meal. I tell them that, when they travel abroad, they can eat well and cheaply at Rotary make-up meetings and be among friendly people who know the local language and customs.
We are going to emphasise that Rotarians should invite their spouses and other family members to join Rotary. clubs into officially registered clubs. I have the impression that Americans don’t want China open, but I don’t know why that would be. Most of the Asian countries do want it. TR: Is there a specific group of potential members Rotary should be targeting? HUANG: We should focus on alumni— people who were in Group Study Exchange and former Rotaractors. We currently see former Rotaractors who are over 30 as graduates. They should become Rotarians. Rotaractors already have the basic knowledge and experience of Rotary. Many of them go overseas or into military service, or study, and they forget about Rotary or become too busy. We should keep track of these people. If we can sponsor clubs with short meetings and no big meals, that will help keep them. We’ve been doing this successfully in Taiwan. Past Rotaract presidents and representatives become good Rotarians. TR: What do you tell people about Rotary to encourage them to join? HUANG: I tell them that Rotary is special. It’s people helping people, and they are having fun, like good friends. Some qualified people say they are too busy to attend weekly meetings. We should tell them that they don’t have to attend all the meetings, that they can participate in service whenever they
TR: What are the obstacles to recruiting new members? HUANG: So many people still think this is only a men’s club. And some Rotarians think it should be. I ask them, “Are you sure your wife is not qualified? If you don’t want your wife in your own club, that’s OK. But don’t say she is not qualified to be a Rotarian. She can join a different club.” These people are too conservative. This is one of the reasons that Japan is losing membership. But Korea, Taiwan, India—it’s all changing, now we have more female members. It’s the same with younger people. We have to give them the opportunity. They are our future. In a few years, they may be wealthier and more successful than we are. TR: How confident are you that Rotary can attract new members? Do you have a strategy to make that happen? HUANG: This coming year, we are going to emphasise that Rotarians should invite their spouses and other family members to join Rotary. If you can’t do that, don’t tell me you’re going to invite somebody else! It is not that difficult to invite people who interact with Rotary. In Australia, at the Canberra Institute, I invited two of the speakers. They both joined. One of them was the female CEO of a major bank. When I invited her, she said she wasn’t sure if she was qualified. The CEO of a major bank? That’s ridiculous. I gave her my pin. I took it right off my jacket, and I inducted her that night. MARCH 2014
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That’s something we should all try— something I have done with success. I invite speakers, or sometimes even guests of honour, at meetings to join Rotary. Many Rotarians think those people are too busy, or too important, that they don’t have time for Rotary. But it’s wrong to assume that. TR: Which of your strengths will you rely on to be an effective president? HUANG: When I decide I want to do something, I want to do it well, no matter how difficult. I use all of my energy, all of my connections, every tool I have. I will ask people for advice, but I also have my own thinking to consider. I will combine the ideas, and if something or someone persuades me, I will change my view. I am stubborn, but not that stubborn. I work hard in Rotary because I have this opportunity to serve, and that is an honour. I can be patient, and I’m willing to learn. I think I am easy to get along with. I think I can inspire Rotarians—that may be what you would call my strength. TR: Tell us about what attracted you to Rotary. HUANG: When I was in high school, I won a prize from Rotary and thought, “Wow, so many important people belong to this organisation, it must be good.” I was rejected for membership three times because I was too young, but that was good for me, because I learned that being a Rotarian is a special opportunity. TR: During your term, you will be travelling much of the time. Which areas do you think need your special attention? HUANG: Africa is the place that needs the most attention. There’s so much interest in getting involved, and there’s so much work that needs to be done. After that, India. The country is growing so fast, but there is such a disparity between rich and poor. And I really want to help Japan. The membership is in trouble 28 ROTARY NEWS MARCH 2014
there, and that needs to change. The Japanese have been very good Rotarians. And, of course, there is China. If one day China opens up, that will solve half of our membership problem. But we have to make sure that good clubs sponsor new clubs. Latin America has lovely countries, very warm people. The convention for my year will be in São Paulo, Brazil, so I will have a chance to be there a few times. I am pleased to see that every time I go to that region, they have organised new clubs. TR: Are there places you won’t go? HUANG: No. All the places I go, I meet good Rotarians. I like trying new food, seeing new places, making new friends. There is no place I don’t want to go. My wife points out that I always say, “If you charter a new club, I will come back next year.” I’ve said that in too many places already. My wife reminds me, “Don’t promise that! It’s far away, and you probably can’t go back.” She’s more practical than I am. I just want to encourage them. TR: How did you come up with the theme Light Up Rotary, and what do you hope it will mean to Rotarians? HUANG: I started thinking about a theme when I became Vice President of Rotary. That was such a difficult year, 2001, because of September 11. I thought then, “If someday I become president, what theme should I use?” I thought about using the title of my book, Finding Solutions, Not Excuses. And I consulted with a few of my good friends, past governors in Taiwan. We had a few brainstorming meetings. I decided on Light Up Rotary because we have not done enough to show Rotary to the public. Rotary has been doing so many good things in so many communities all over the world. We should be proud of what we have done. Twenty or 30 years ago, we kept a low profile, we were
humble, we felt we shouldn’t say, “I help people, I donate money.” That is old thinking. Today is different. We’re doing something good, we should tell people about it, and that will help get more people to join in and help those who need help. TR: Some presidents are traditionalists, some are iconoclasts. Which are you? Do you think Rotary needs to be shaken up or merely fine-tuned? HUANG: I want to do something that people will remember. But the job lasts only one year. There’s not enough time to make big changes, and you shouldn’t change things just for the sake of change. But I am not afraid of a challenge, and when I see something that is definitely wrong, I will try to make sure things go in the right direction. It’s not the job of president to change everything. There are lots of things we can improve, but we need time and patience. My job is to make sure the organisation runs smoothly. People selected me to serve this organisation, and I will do my best, because I know it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will pave the way for my successor. TR: What would you like your legacy to be? HUANG: I am the first Chinese who has had the opportunity to serve in this capacity, so I have a heavy burden. If I do well, other Chinese or Asians will have a better chance. If I don’t, that may hurt their future chances in Rotary. I want people to be able to look back and think they chose the right person. I would like to be someone who made Rotarians get more involved, and made the experience more fun—that, and persuaded more families to become involved. Rotary helps so many people, but we are still a small minority. If we can create more public attention, more people would join. We can make the world better. Reproduced from The Rotarian
Tel.: 011 42250101 Fax: 011 42250191 MARCH 2014
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LITERACY
“L
iteracy isn’t just about reading, writing and comprehension. It’s about culture, professionalism and social outlook,” said Taylor Ellwood, the famous strategic resource person from USA, who is one of the premier networkers who has a avid passion for connecting people with the right resources and help them solve problems. Illiteracy in India is still a problem and the country ranks below China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Iran. Literacy rate in India has grown to 74 percent in 2011. But illiteracy in rural areas still needs to be tackled on a war footing. Statistics have shown that illiteracy is the result of the absence of adequate school infrastructure, improper facilities and inefficient teaching staff. By observing March as
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New Generation Student.
Literacy Month, Rotary International encourages clubs to raise the awareness of literacy issues and to organise literacy projects at home and abroad. It is seen that the lack of constructive discussion in clubs result in members not knowing what are the projects that can be done during this month. Issues concerning schools focus on education and training that is relevant to students, greater focus of personality building and societal consciousness are some of the areas in which good projects can be undertaken by clubs. There is no doubt that things are wrong with our educational system. But nothing is so wrong that it cannot be set right. Rotary clubs can create a platform for people who want to be part of the setting-right process.
Leading social activist and India’s new Gandhi, Anna Hazare has urged the teachers and parents to not just dwell on the syllabus at hand, but on the schedule of the students during off-school hours. Activities that revolve around the interest of the students can constitute a good literacy project. It is seen that some of the present systems tend to create mindless drones out of bright students. Many Indians lack self-esteem and pride in themselves. Students tend to go in for western concepts of literacy not knowing that most of what is western educational system had its roots in India. Students teaching their peers and juniors under the supervision of their teachers will lead to rapid increase in literacy rates in most remote areas which do not have sufficient teachers.
Every literacy project must focus on hope and optimism and not on problems. Rethinking literacy must be the theme for every club. Education must impel youth to serve and minimise the divide between the rich and poor. Literacy and educational projects when undertaken in schools that cater to the underprivileged sections of the society or for adults in the community must be carefully designed and handled by qualified people. Literacy has to change the individual. When you engage with a person, remember that they are watching you. Bringing together all stakeholders in a project that involves literacy is important. Literacy is the only tool that could bring forth progress. India has the largest number of illiterates and out-of-school children in the world, says Mr. R. Govinda, Vice-Chancellor, National University of Educational Planning and Administration. He urges for a transformative agenda and a publicprivate-civil society partnership as a corrective step. India has the third largest education system in the world. The need for schools in the private sector has been recognised. Mr. Kaustav Sengupta, Professor, NIFT, has suggested that every child should have the right to creative education and not just the right to education. Students should not end up like robots but they should have clarity on what needs to be done. Projects that help in delivering experiential learning and enable students to take forward something that they learnt in life must be implemented. Literacy projects must be fashioned around the learner since the learner himself is changing. This concept has been propounded by Mr. Vijay K. Thadani, CEO, NIIT University. He has said that we are dealing with millennials or Gen Y, who come with very different qualities and characteristics. The lifestyles of MARCH 2014
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today’s child and youth are vastly different from what it was decades ago. Online learning projects are here to stay and clubs should raise sufficient resources for such activities. Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder, Isha Foundation, while addressing a seminar on education said, “Children are not made for schools or universities, but for the universe. By the age
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of 16, a child should be developed fully, both mentally and physically.” Literacy, in a true sense, is a tool to expand human perception and human consciousness. The purpose of education is to produce leaders who make a nation happen and not stop. Literacy projects should be designed to encourage a sense of curiosity amongst the learners.
Literacy projects should project the teacher as a heap of inspiration and not just a heap of information. If a teacher is just a mass of information, then the internet or a book would be more relevant. Mr. Arun Shourie, MP, has quoted a statistics that says that Indian spend US $10 billion annually on international education and has commented that this could create 300 IITs and IIMs here every year. The literacy and educational projects should be aimed at establishing our credibility at the national level first. It is time to start investing in our own desi educational institutions. A big literacy project that is concerned with both individual freedom and social responsibility is the need of the hour and clubs should get together to draw a blueprint for the operation of the system. A good literacy project is your chance to enhance life of children. Rtn. T.K. Balakrishnan
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Inspire locally, grow globally Since its inception, Rotary has striven to do the greatest good it can, wherever it can. But as we look ahead, we acknowledge the need for new, creative ways of addressing problems. Many clubs here in America provide dictionaries to schoolchildren, for instance, and this is a wonderful way to encourage and support literacy. But are dictionaries the best use of money, in a time and place where students are more likely to look up a word online? What other projects could support literacy in a way that will make a greater and longer-lasting difference? Some exciting partnerships developed between clubs and other organisations during the pilot of The Rotary Foundation’s new grant model. One that I am fond of is a collaboration that two Rotary districts in California and Uganda formed with two nongovernmental organisations in Uganda. These districts used the new vocational training team structure to send Rotarians and other professionals to Nkondo, where they helped establish a clean water system and trained health clinic staff. The local government was so impressed, it also pitched in. The vocational training team inspired a partnership with a Ugandan NGO that provides microfinance training and oversight, and another one that works with farmers to produce crops at a higher yield. Rotarians from Kenya and Uganda travelled to District 5340 in California to learn about sustainable agriculture and irrigation, as well as good business practices. Rotary always has engaged in strategic partnerships with other organisations and governments around the world. As we implement our new grant model, strategic partnerships that take advantage of Rotary’s global reach at a local level will become even more central to our success.
Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee Foundation Trustee Chair MARCH 2014
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ANKLESHWAR UDHAMPUR SAHARANPUR GREATER RAJPURA GREATER MORADABAD MIDTOWN SHAHJAHANPUR VARANASI CENTRAL PANVEL MIDTOWN SOLAPUR NORTH KAMAREDDY ANANTAPUR CENTRAL PANAJI RIVIERA SHIMOGA RIVERSIDE KOTHAMANGALAM TIRUPUR METROPOLIS KOTTAYAM CENTRAL VALLIYOOR CENTRAL MADRAS SOUTH RANIGANJ KODERMA BHUBANESWAR NEW HORIZON CALCUTTA RIDGE KATHMANDU MIDTOWN CHIDAMBARAM MIDTOWN JAMBUKESHWARAM CHANDRAPUR JODHPUR VAPI RIVERSIDE AMRITSAR EAST MOHALI AGRA WEST AHMEDNAGAR PRIYADARSHINI MUMBAI NORTH ISLAND GUNTAKAL QUILON CASHEW CITY MARTHANDAM MARAIMALAI NAGAR KUMBAKONAM SHAKTHI DINDIGUL VIZAG METRO AKOLAMARCH GODHRA 2014 MIDTOWN NOKHA BARODA JALANDAR SOUTH ROOPNAGAR RAJPURA GREATER MORADABAD CIVIL LINES HALDWANI VARANASI SUNRISE PUNE SPORTS CITY LONAND DOMBIVLI WEST KAMAREDDY DHONE ANKOLA RURAL KUNDAPURA MIDTOWN COCHIN AIRPORT TIRUPUR COTTON CITY Su Mo TuCOSMOPOLITAN We Th Fr Sa UPTOWN QUILON LOTUS RAJAPALAYAM CENTRAL VELLORE SOUTH DURGAPUR JAMSHEDPUR WEST RAIPUR CALCUTTA BUTWAL SALEM COSMOS THURAIYUR PERUMALMALAI VIJAYAWADA VISIONARY COUPLES NAGPUR SOUTH EAST VISNAGAR GANDEVI RAJOURI FATEHABAD GREATER GANGA BIJNOR BAREILLY SOUTH PUNE KOTHRUD SOLAPUR NORTH POWAI WARANGAL RASIPURAM 1 30 31MIDTOWN GWALIOR VEERANGANA TIRUCHIRAPALLI REWARI MAIN ANAKAPALLE JALGAON INDORE MEGHDOOT AHMEDABAD VAPI RIVERSIDE JULLUNDUR DEHRADUN WEST RAJPURA GANGA BIJNOR AGRA HERITAGE VARANASI CENTRAL POONA MIDTOWN MADHA THANE HILLS WARANGAL TADPATRI PANA JI RIVIERA MANGALORE SOUTH BANGALORE SADASHIVANAGAR KOTHAMANGALAM TIRUPUR 8 INFOCITY 7 6 CENTRAL 5 GAYA 4 3 GANDHINAGAR QUILON NORTH NAGERCOIL CENTRAL MADRAS CENTRAL AADITHYA 2BURDWAN GREATER BHUBANESWAR CENTRAL CALCUTTA DHULIKHEL SALEM TEXCITY DINDIGUL VIJAYAWADA CHANDRAPUR CAMBAY LUDHIANA GREATER KARNAL MIDTOWN NABHA BAREILLY CENTRAL BAGALKOT BUTWAL KOMARAPALAYAM PERAMBALUR VUYYURU CHANDRAPUR 15TILAK ROAD 13 14PUNE 11 12BAHRAICH 10 METRO BIKANER BHAVNAGAR UDHAMPUR BHAKRA NANGAL SRI GANGANAGAR KHURJA 9 BAREILLY WAI BOMBAY JUHU BEACH SATTENAPALLI RAICHUR KARW AR BELUR CHANNAPATTANA COCHIN VYPIN ISLANDS TIRUPUR WEST QUILON LOTUS TINNEVELLY VANDAVASI GREATER TEZPUR RANCHI SAMBALPUR WEST CALCUTTA MID SOUTH BUTWAL HOSUR 22 20 21 RAJPURA 19 ROORKEE 17 18 CITY 16 LUDHIANA PERIYAKULAM RAJAHMUNDRY RIVER CITY AKOLA BIKANER MARUDHARA SURAT EAST PUNE SHIVAJINAGAR MUMBAI GHATKOPAR WARANGAL GUNTAKAL SANGLI KOMARAPALAYAM KARUR ANGELS SONEPAT UPTOWN ICHAPURAM JALGAON GOLD CITY INDORE MEGHDOOT PALANPUR CITY JAIPUR GWALIOR VEERANGANA SHINDKHEDA UDHAMPUR ROOPNAGAR 29 MID CITY 27 28BOMBAY 26CENTRAL 24 25 23 EAST RAJPURA MORADABAD CIVIL LINES HALDWANI Compiled by Kiran Zehra BAHRAICH PUNE JALNA WARANGAL TADIPATRI HONAVAR SHIRVA PUNGANUR CENTRAL COCHIN VYPIN ISLAND SAKTHINAGAR ALLEPPEY EAST GOLDEN RAMNAD GUWAHATI DAMODAR VALLEY KORBA BHUBANESWAR FRIENDS SALT LAKE METROPOLITAN BUTWAL PONDICHERRY BEACH TOWN PUDUKKOTTAI PALACE CITY BHUSAWAL LUDHIANA NORTH FARIDABAD CENTRAL MATHURA CENTRAL SANGOLA ULHASNAGAR MIDTOWN SALT LAKE CITY AARCH CITY MADRAS MANNARGUDI MADURAI NORTHWEST FARIDABAD MIDTOWN
ick P OF THE MONTH
RC SALEM GRAND RI District 2980 A car rally was organised jointly by the club and RC Salem Junction to celebrate the occasion “Polio Free India.”
RC PUDUKKOTTAI PALACE CITY RI District 3000 The club in association with Friends of Coconut Training (FoCT) conducted a six day training programme for 20 farmers. The trainees were given certificates and coconut tree climbing equipment.
RC DELHI VASANT KUNJ RI District 3010 The club extended financial support to polio stricken girls to compensate their travel allowance in order to help them continue going to school.
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NTRAL GALAM RIZON RSIDE W CITY RODA S CITY N CITY TOWN NDEVI URAM VAPI MADHA RUPUR OCITY EATER RAPUR ROAD WEST OSUR PUNE URAM AGAR D CITY AGAR UTWAL NTRAL TOWN
RC VIJAYAWADA CENTRAL RI District 3020 Students from M.K. Gandhi English Medium School flashed slogans and poster of polio vaccine awareness as they joined the club in celebrating “Polio Free India” rally.
RC AKOLA RI District 3030 The club donated educational toys to the only rural play school in Nimkarda village. This was done with a view to provide the school with more apt study material and raise the standard of education to that of the urban schools.
RC BHOPAL SHAHPURA RI District 3040 To make schooling a dignified experience the club distributed school uniforms to physically and mentally challenged children at Viklang Seva Ashram.
RC AHMEDABAD MAJESTY RI District 3051 Five major tumour surgeries were conduct at a surgical camp organised by the club to help poor women who were battling against the painful tumour.
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RC KOTA RI District 3052 In its move to celebrate “Polio Free India” the club in association with RC Kota Major conducted a rally. Polio victims also participated in the rally to share the joy of the big moment.
RC ANTA RI District 3053 Sweaters were distributed to needy girls studying at the Government Secondary School at Kachari village. This would protect the girls from the cold.
RC BHAVNAGAR ROYAL RI District 3060 The club along with the support of other clubs from RI District 3060 distributed 1,230 biogas cooking stoves to Uttarakhand flood victims.
RC DHARAMSHALA RI District 3070 Students from the club’s adopted school were provided with groceries to support the poor students and their families and in turn encourage them to come to school.
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RC ROOPNAGAR RI District 3080 The club in association with RC Las Vegas, RI District 5300, USA and TRF distributed dictionaries to students from a government school in Roopnagar to enhance their English knowledge.
RC UKLANA MANDI RI District 3090 The club distributed tricycles to the physically disabled in order to help them do their work with ease and without depending on others.
RC MEERUT DIAMOND RI District 3100 The club organised a tricycle race for polio victims. The event had around 50 participants and cash awards were given out to the winners.
RC MATHURA CENTRAL RI District 3110 Blankets were distributed to poor widows residing at Maa Ashram Vrindavan for them to stay warm during the cold season.
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RC VARANASI SUNRISE RI District 3120 The club in association with RC Simi Valley, RI District 5240, USA and TRF installed a plush computer lab and R.O water cooler to assist poor students at the club’s adopted Sardar Patel Shikshan Sansthan School.
RC NIGDI RI District 3131 Nearly thousand young girls from both schools and colleges were given the rubella vaccination under the club’s immunisation project carried out at IICMR Pradhikaran.
RC AURANGABAD CENTRAL RI District 3132 Orphan children at Remand Home, Aurangabad were in for a warm surprise that came by way of blanket distribution by the club.
RC BORIVILI RI District 3140 In order to create awareness and encourage eye donation the club organised a run — Mumbai Daud which witnessed over 1,000 participants.
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RC WARANGAL RI District 3150 Students from Sharadha High School participated in a polio awareness rally organised by the club to create awareness among the public about the need to vaccinate their children against polio.
RC DHONE RI District 3160 The club donated notice boards and an audio unit to add value to the Rotary Bhavan and assist in organising programmes.
RC ANKOLA RURAL RI District 3170 The club in association with RC Dabolim, RC West Sedgwick, RI District 5690, USA and TRF donated a water filter to a rural school in order to provide clean drinking water to the students.
RC SHIMOGA RIVER SIDE RI District 3180 The club handed over a cheque of Rs. 25,000 to India National PolioPlus Committee to help in the battle against polio.
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RC BANGALORE SADASHIVANAGAR RI District 3190 The club in association with RC Salem, RI District 5100, USA and TRF distributed 1,000 water purifiers to rural schools.
RC SHORANUR RI District 3201 The club handed over clothes for over 100 inmates of the Helen Keller Institute for Visually Impaired with a view to let them wear good clothes.
RC NILGIRIS WEST RI District 3202 In order to keep the Botanical Garden green and clean the club donated plastic dustbins to horticulture officials at the garden.
RC QUILON WEST END RI District 3211 Motorised tricycles were handed over to physically challenged people with a view to empower them and help them move about with ease.
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