FOCUS LITERACY

My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary,

I am happy to see how the Total Literacy Mission is catching up with Rotarians. Most Rotarians want to play a part in this Mission. While some are collecting books, others are creating libraries, some will do hands on teaching, others may collect funds, organise events, build media relations and so on.

Sometime back IPDG Vinod Bansal from Delhi gave me an idea and requested me to spread it all over India. The idea is that each club can choose to contribute their SUNSHINE collection that they collect during every meeting to the cause of Total Literacy. They can keep collecting the funds and send them on a monthly or quarterly basis to the Rotary India Literacy Mission.

I did write to all Governors and they in turn propagated this concept and many clubs around India have agreed to do so. PRIP Raja Saboo’s own club sent their installation meeting Sunshine collection of about ₹27,000. RC Calcutta, I am told, has agreed to contribute their full years Sunshine for the cause of Total Literacy. Many other clubs have done so. Your club too could consider doing this. It can be an easy and meaningful way of making a small contribution to this Mission.

To quote Mother Teresa, “What we are doing is like a drop in the ocean but we want to make that drop, without which the ocean is not complete.”

This is absolutely a voluntary contribution for your club. I am asking my club to do this; you can ask yours.

With best wishes,

Rtn. Kalyan Banerjee
Past RI President (2011–12)
Chair, South Asia Literacy Committee