Letters to the Editor – June 2018 issue
1
Stagnant membership
RI Director John Matthews’ interview is inspiring, even more is his observation on the need for strategies for retaining membership.
His frank remarks about stagnant membership of 1.2 million due to lack of right priorities is an eye-opener.
Rotary leaders must introspect and dig deep to understand the growth of membership numbers in order to formulate simple, distinct and executable strategies in the induction of new members with emphasis on youth and women, besides retaining existing members through a process of engagement, mentoring and recognition.
R Murali Krishna, RC Berhampur — D 3262
Unveiling PDG Bhalla, the writer
The article Both Rotary and writing are his passion written by Rasheeda and designed by N Krishnamurthy was an eye-opener for me. PDG Prem P Bhalla is a very senior Rotarian of our District 3080, and I have known him personally for many years as I am a Rotarian since 1989.
After reading the article I am more knowledgeable about him. I called and congratulated him about his writing passion. I knew about his Rotary activities but as far as writing so many books and other activities, I came to know only from Rotary News.
Please do enlighten us by writing more about our senior Rotary leaders. They are a source of inspiration to us. Thank you so much for making Rotary News informative and interesting.
Dr Suresh K Sablok, RC Nahan Sirmour Hills — D 3080
Featuring our projects in Rotary News
I am a Board member of the Rotary Club of Thane. Our club was chartered in 1958 and is the oldest club in District 3142. Our close to 100 members are esteemed citizens of Thane and have held key positions like Mayor in the past. We implement a number of major projects and get a lot of appreciation from the District Governor and other Rotary clubs.
I read Rotary News every month and feel that this is a wonderful platform for the global audience to know what Rotary is doing in India. I am keen to feature our projects in Rotary News and want to understand the process for doing so. Please let me know the criteria for getting an article featured in our magazine.
Ramakrishnan Subramaniam
RC Thane — D 3142
Editor’s Note
Mail us a brief report about your club projects — description of the project, where it was done, how many people/communities it benefited, genesis of the project and cost, project contact details. Please avoid reporting routine welfare projects such as tree planting, blood donation camps etc. Include high resolution action photographs with beneficiaries. Attach the pictures in jpg format. Do NOT embed them in word file or in the body of the letter.
E-mail id: rotarynewsmagazine@gmail.com; rushbhagat@gmail.com
The remarkable Renutai of Pune
The cover story on Renutai (April issue) was an eyeopener for many of us. Despite having so many facilities at our disposal, we don’t take time out to do good for society in a selfless manner. Renutai gave up a lucrative job to provide a safe and decent future to the children of sex workers. We normally see well-dressed men and women posing for pictures after doing a small project in their clubs. Kudos to you for showing us there is more to Rotary than just glamour and glitz. More power to the Renutais of this world.
Jyotika Pai, RC Grapecity Nasik — D 3030
The April issue has wonderful stories. The article Corporate membership for Rotary? was a good read. We need corporate members to help in the funding of projects along with TRF.
The article RYLA is much more than recreation shows the efforts of DG Bagh Singh Pannu to help Rotaractors understand Rotary and become Rotarians in the future. The blood donation project (Blood unites people of all faiths) of RC Palai, D 3211, that has helped people to think beyond faith is appreciated.
Naveen Garg, RC Sunam — D 3090
Timely editorial; excellent issue
The Editorial Increasing incidence of rape… a challenge to Indian women reflects reality and is a black spot in our ancient Indian tradition of mutual respect and gender equality.
It’s really pathetic to hear that foreigners have started asking what’s wrong with Indian men and express doubts about the safety of women in India. We need remedial measures for a more responsible society.
RIPE Barry Rassin has asked Rotarians to share pictures of the children we are helping, the school we are building, the disabled we are assisting, and not just how we meet. This shows his vision for Rotary and needs to be followed.
I was very happy to read the article A Rotary initiative for thirsty birds and the service rendered by the members of RC Bikaner Marudhara of Rajasthan. They are providing water to voiceless birds during summer which is very severe in a desert region. Their initiative is praiseworthy and must be followed by other clubs.
I am happy to state that I provide water to birds during summer by keeping a container of water on the terrace of our high-rise building in Thiruvananthapuram. Almost all articles are interesting and hope efforts will be continued by the Editorial team to provide interesting reading material in future too.
M T Philip, RC Trivandrum Suburban — D 3211
I congratulate you for the excellent work of using Rotary News as a platform to put forward some of the most important information and make the readers think and convert into ‘people of action’.
As a Rotarian, it gives me great pride and satisfaction, when the reach of Rotary extends beyond conventional boundaries and makes celebrities as well as dignitaries a part of our communication.
I saw the photo and news about RIPE Barry Rassin’s meet with Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia. She is indeed a dynamic woman. Your Editorial resonates the feeling of all of us about the immense potential that women have and is an apt rider to this meeting. At our club, we have consciously focused on adding women Rotarians to enable the power of Goddesses Durga and Shakti reflect in our service activities.
Manoj Kabre, RC Bangalore Whitefield Central — D 3190
A timely Editorial and compliments to you for a forceful write up. We in RC Delhi South believe in women’s empowerment. The club has set up and is running five vocational training centres which give confidence and courage to women to stand up and raise their voice against violent forces.
Som Dua, RC Delhi South — D 3011
Excellent and informative articles on different Rotary projects in the May issue. The Editorial, A challenge to Indian women, really touched my heart. It is shameful that you had to face journalists’ bullets during an event in Switzerland — “What is wrong with Indian men?… are women really safe in India?”
As Rotarians working with a vision in our community, it’s time to think of awareness programmes on women’s safety in India. The different articles on sanitation, drinking water, and the one on schoolchildren where they no longer need to sit on the floor, show our dedicated work for the community.
A successful RAHAT camp at Dhamtari points to our commitment towards a healthy society. I am happy see to my fellow Rotarians working hard in the project. Overall, an excellent and colourful issue. Congratulations to Team Rotary News.
P R N Chandra Mouli, RC Berhampur Midtown — D 3262
