Day: October 1, 2024
Staying up days and nights with stories
This time, my online library delivered two vastly different books. The first, a surprise, was a potboiler by none other than Louisa May Alcott.
The power to transform lives
Dear Rotarians, As we progress through this Rotary year, I am filled with pride and optimism for the impact we are making in our communities.
Remembering a hero of polio eradication
World Polio Day, on Oct 24, is a time to celebrate progress and rededicate ourselves to finishing the job of eradicating the disease. Let’s also
A global peace gathering
Attending the Rotary International Convention in Calgary is a way to support peace. When you walk the House of Friendship, meeting fellow members and learning about clubs’ concerns,
A complete Rotarian
On March 24, 2020, PDG Ramakrishna Raja passed away. Just a month earlier, he was honoured with the Doyen of Rotary Award by RI District 3230 on the diamond jubilee of the Rotary Club
Rotary Foundation (India) receives Best CSR Partner Award
The Rotary Foundation (India) was honoured with the ‘Best CSR Implementing Partner (Global Organisation) Award’ at the 14th India CSR Awards held in New Delhi on August 22.
Rotary E Club empowers night school learners
The Rotary E-Club of Empowering Youth, RID 3132, undertook literacy initiatives in August, benefiting the 25 night schools in Ahmednagar. Night schools serve as a vital resource for young adults who, despite financial constraints, are determined to pursue education while working to support themselves. The students, aged around 25–28, manage a delicate balance between daytime labour and nighttime learning, says Bindu Shirsath, the project coordinator. These schools typically operate for two hours every evening, with each accommodating around 100 students.
Renewing the fight against Polio
The occurrence of two Vaccine Derived Polio (VDPV) cases in India has alarmed all of us. India has been free of the wild polio virus (WPV) since January 14, 2011. The two WPV-endemic countries in the world are Pakistan with 17 cases and Afghanistan with 18 cases to date.
Interact grows in RID 3090
Interact clubs in RID 3090 has grown from seven to 382 in three years from 2021 and here is how we did it. I started my Interact chairmanship of the district on July 1, 2021, and served for three years until June 2024. The invaluable support of 125 Rotary clubs gave a gigantic boost taking the count to 382 in the three years, making RID 3090 rank third in India and fourth in South Asia.
RC Pune Central raises Rs.1.2 crore in 45 minutes
In just 45 minutes, Rotary Club of Pune Central, RID 3131, garnered an impressive commitment for Rs.1.2 crore from its 118 members during its annual ‘Spirit of Giving’ event. This unique fundraising festival, now a staple of the 40-year-old club, draws contributions each year to support its various service projects.
Meet Your Governors
His most cherished Rotary memory is participating in the friendship exchange programme in 2014, which took Mohan Parashar to South Alabama, RID 6880, USA.
Literacy programme for jail inmates
In an interesting initiative, Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM) has launched a motivating programme for prison inmates in West Bengal through a comprehensive literacy project. “Thanks to the initiative and help from my friend Imran Zaki, an eminent social worker in Kolkata and Sanjay Singh, ADG, Correctional Homes, West Bengal, RILM has been able to give the gift of literacy to about 800 prison inmates from eight correctional homes in West Bengal through our adult literacy programme,” says past RI President Shekhar Mehta.
Sartorial standoff
Should old people wear new clothes? I ask this question in all seriousness because for the last ten years I have been engaged in a running battle with my wife over this. I prefer old clothes. Indeed I have done so all my life. Not just that. I also prefer the same colours — grey or khaki trousers, and a white or grey bush shirt. My determination to not deviate from this was reinforced about 30 years ago. Someone had presented me with a red shirt which I rarely wore. But one day I was obliged to wear it. I had to go to the railway station to bring someone. I was wearing khaki shorts that had been altered from my five-year-old khaki trousers.
Holistic health for longevity
Swedish sweat in the 19th century is the fountain-head of modern calisthenics — the prime source and course of western exercises today. It is believed that Swedish landlords were aghast when they saw the stooped and sagging peasants’ shoulders at work. The landlords wanted their subjects to be soldier-like in bearing. And hence, devised drills and movements on militarist lines. Erect spines and square shoulders were sought and taught through calisthenics.
Greenwashing or genuinely organic?
Are the products on supermarket shelves marked ‘green’ genuinely green? In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly environment-conscious, there is no dearth of marketers luring unsuspecting shoppers with labels such as “organic, chemical-free, 100 per cent natural, sustainable” or even “vegan”. These tags may appear on a range of goods, from food to cosmetics, and make half-true or often false claims.
Eyecare training for Nigerian doctors
Ophthalmologists in Nigeria will now take ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) seriously, thanks to a team of eyecare experts undergoing a vocational training programme (VTT) at Radhatri Nethralaya, an eye hospital in Chennai.
Organ Donation Awareness is needed
Organ donation is a life-saving act that transforms the lives of countless individuals. In India, the need for increased awareness about deceased organ donation is critical. Despite advancements
Glen Kinross: a thorough gentleman
Usha and I met Heather and Glen Kinross in March-April 1978 at the Rotary International Assembly in Boca Raton, Florida, US, as we both were Group Discussion Leaders. Next year, we again
Rice, roti and Rotary
For Hari Krishna Tripathi, a former executive engineer from the Electricity Department, Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, and his wife Madhulika, a dedicated social worker, mornings are far from typical.
Rotary responds to AP-Telangana flood crisis
The recent depression over the Bay of Bengal caused widespread flooding across Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana. The rainfall which began on August 30 intensified through the first week of September, with AP bearing the brunt. Over 27 per cent of the state’s annual rainfall occurred in just 48 hours; an IMD report explains that this extreme weather event was driven by a land-based cyclone, which drew moisture from both the Arabian Sea and the land heat of eastern India, the combination of which led to the two states witnessing an astonishing 500mm of rain in just 24 hours on August 31.
The joy of giving…
Breathes there a man… much more so, a woman… with a soul so dead, who is not happy to receive a gift… however big or