First Thoughts – December 2014
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
Community services flying high
Foundation programmes coming alive
Festivity and fellowship on the overdrive
An activity bee-hive was chapter Five!
December brings with it winds of change; it is election time — a reminder to us that our term of office in Rotary is fast running out! The ancient Greek poet Homer likened people holding offices to leaves of trees: “The wind blows and one year’s leaves are scattered on the ground, but the trees burst into bud and put on fresh ones when spring comes around.”
Every year, come July, over 30,000 club presidents step down. Over 500 District Governors pass the torch of responsibility to successors.
A lot changes in the composition of the RI committees too.
And our worldwide association welcomes a new international President.
Our roles may change but the spirit on stage keeps the spark of enthusiasm within us burning, igniting an outburst of brilliant performance. We are creatures of clocks and calendars, allotted only a relatively short time to play our part on the grand stage of Rotary.
Halfway mark of the Rotary year is a good time to assess goals, reassess strategy, activate new ideas and reactivate unrealised ones. Have the courage to accept what you can’t change and the conviction to change what you can.
We are now at the halfway mark of this Rotary year — a good time to assess goals and reassess strategy, to activate new ideas and reactivate unrealised ones.
We need to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change those that we can and the conviction and ability to orchestrate change with action and determination.
In the background we hear time’s winged chariot drawing near. In front of us lies the future waiting to be built.
The best way of building the future is by confronting the present — courageously and constructively.
The Institute
This year’s Rotary Institute takes place on December 12–14, at the sprawling ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Chennai.
We will have the pleasure of welcoming RI President Gary Huang and Corinna, President-elect K R Ravindran and Vanathy, TRF Trustee Julio Sorjus and Carmen from Spain, Trustee Jackson and Director-elect Frederick Lin from Taiwan, RI Directors Larry Lunsford from USA, Safak Alpay from Turkey and a galaxy of dignitaries from all over the Rotary world.
We will be enthralled by world-class speakers like Dada Vaswani, B K Shivani, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, tennis ace Vijay Amritraj and mind- boggling entertainment, all of which will make it an unforgettable Institute.
PolioPlus
December also brings with it the sparkle of the jewel in Rotary’s crown, PolioPlus.
Twenty-nine years ago, Rotary made a promise to the children of the world — to eradicate polio from the face of the earth by the year 2005, an achievement that would coincide with the 100th birthday of Rotary.
In this regard, a story narrated by Past RI President Jim Bommar will warm the heart of every Rotarian.
Once while travelling in the Philippines, he inaugurated a polio immunisation camp.
Jim took quick note of the polio-afflicted children who crawled spider- like along the ground unable to stand on their polio-crippled legs.
As Jim held a baby in his arms and put those magic vaccine drops in the child’s mouth, he felt a tug on his trouser leg.
Looking down, he saw one of the crippled polio victims, a smiling little boy who said, ‘Thank you, Rotary!’ And pointing to the child in Jim’s arms, he said, “That’s my sister!”
Thank God that today India is polio-free!
But we cannot be complacent because polio in Pakistan can cause polio outbreak in India. So we need to continue with our NIDs with the same vigour and also strengthen our routine immunisation.
Zero polio seemed but a dream of the heart
A desperate cry of desire
But Rotarians made a start
With souls tempered with fire.
Let’s continue without languor
Without weariness or hesitation
And with renewed faith and fervour
Let’s march towards global polio eradication !
Yours in Rotary,
P.T. Prabhakar
Director, Rotary International (2013–15)
