Discon 3250 A combo of fun, fellowship

Fun is the right epithet for a one-word description of Junoon, RID 3250’s district conference in the City of Nawabs, Lucknow, as over 800 Rotarians with their families participated in the event to reminisce their achievements, and enjoy a weekend together. The discon was attended by RIPR Francesco Arezzo, RIPN Shekhar Mehta, RIDs Kamal ­Sanghvi, Bharat Pandya and RIDN AS Venkatesh. Amidst the sounds of trumpets and drums, the Rotary leaders were chauffeured in carriages drawn by horses and welcomed with a traditional arti.

In his inaugural address, RIPR Arezzo asked the Rotarians to “apply the Four-Way Test in your personal lives and business. Work hard, preserve the past, cherish the present and make way for the future.” He acknowledged the major donors for their support to The Rotary Foundation and congratulated DG Gopal Khemka for increasing the number of women Rotarians in his district.

RIPN Mehta reminded everyone that a district conference “presents an opportunity to make new friends, revive old friendships, learn from our seniors and bond with the youngsters of our organisation.” His greatest achievement in Rotary, he remarked, was that, “I never said ‘no’ to a task or responsibility given to me.” This, he said, opened gates for bigger responsibilities and helped him understand the true essence of Rotary and its purpose.

In an eloquent sher-o-shayari style, RID Kamal Sanghvi gave a lyrical touch to his motto ‘Each one-bring one’. “To make Rotary stronger it is important that we make our sons and daughters proud Rotarians,” he said. He praised the women in the hall who “either in the capacity of Rotarians or as Anns are doing a commendable job in making Rotary stronger.”

RID Pandya said, “the true strength of Rotary comes from ­Rotarians working sincerely in their clubs and communities.” He stressed on membership growth, retention and partnership with other organisations, government and other NGOs to carry out meaningful service projects. He reminded Rotarians about the importance of good health and how it played a key role in achieving the aims and objectives of our life.

RIDN Venkatesh talked about the need for literacy and stressed on the significance of E-learning and adult literacy.

The discon was packed with fun and fellowship along with interesting sessions. DG Khemka in his closing remarks thanked his home club RC Pataliputra and acknowledged everyone who made the discon a success.