Letters to the Editor – May 2017 issue

The coverage of two District ­conferences (D 3141,  3080) on three unique personalities —Deepa Malik, Rtn Manoj Israni and ­former Army Chief ­General VP Malik was inspiring. Deepa’s story is simply ‘wow’. ­Reading RIPE Ian ­Riseley’s ­interview has made me his fan. I loved the term ­‘Rotarnama’ given by his daughter. Kudos to Aditi De for introducing us to the ­fascinating world of Bolivia.

The diverse subjects from ­fitness, Union Budget and food, to ­various community service projects, have embellished the issue. As it might not be ­possible for your team to cover various Rotary events ­across ­country, I sugest you appoint regional representatives.

Atul Bhide
RC Thane Hills — D 3140

As a Rotarian who learnt his basic Rotary ­lessons in 1978, I ­thoroughly enjoyed the article by Rtn Vijay Jalan (Boosting membership, retaining members). I’d like to supplement; one of the reasons for ­Rotarians leaving the club is not being given responsibilities in line with their aptitude or competence. Another reason is that Rotary does not meet their business expectations. Hence, it is essential that utmost care is taken at the time of recruitment to ensure that no new person joins the club just attracted by the Rotary label for elevation in their profession. If one is willing and doing yeomen service, then he won’t quit Rotary as the satisfaction of serving humanity will keep him in the Rotary fold.

NRUK Kartha
RC Trivandrum Suburban — D 3211

The March issue has ­motivational information and articles on diverse aspects of social life. The Editor’s article Why Rotary has been branded a “unique organisation” spreads the message to lakhs of ­readers. One of these parameters is presence in over 35,000 communities across the globe. While visiting the US in 2003, the president of RC Virginia invited me to the club’s meeting. There I wished a fellow Rotarian and he was the president of a university. As I am also a professor from Bhopal, he invited me to address his students and faculty, which I did. It has paid me rich dividends to be a Rotarian for over 20 years.

Professor C K Sardana
RC Bhopal Midtown — D 3040

I met Sanjay Dutt in ­Kolkata just before he attended the D 3141 ­Conference in Mumbai. Listening to him, one could understand his sad story of facing challenges, nervous breakdowns, pain, ­difficulties, and defying all odds during his prison term to make a comeback.

Piyush Doshi
RC Belur — D 3291

Deepa Malik’s story is an eye-opener for those who make excuses for their failure. Going through the article one can say nothing is impossible. You need to have determination with ­courage to ­pursue your goals. It is a morale booster for the differently-abled people. Hats off to her.

OP Khadiya
RC Jaipur Kohinoor — D 3052

With reference to the article Rotary fulfils its promise, I was introduced to RC ­Haridwar in 1981 by PDG Prem P Bhalla. I was impressed by his work to give ­education to poor ­children. He has done ­excellent work along with PRID ­Sudarshan ­Agarwal (­former ­Uttarakhand ­Governor) at the Him Jyoti School, ­Dehradun, for ­underprivileged girls from remote areas of Uttarakhand.

T D Bhatia
RC Delhi Mayur Vihar — D 3112

The March issue had an interesting mix of productive and value-packed stories — the topmost being Deepa Malik’s observations about human life (Ability beyond Disability). In the words of Robert ­Browning, she is an incorrigible ­optimist who is playing her innings in an enviable manner. The remarks of Rtn Manoj Israni (Hoarding money can make you crazy) put him in the band of ­givers such as Bill Gates. The four reasons why Rotary is unique make us proud of our organisation. RIPE Ian Riseley has given excellent tips to the incoming leaders for membership development. Overall, the March issue is a sumptuous treat for our soul and mind. Congrats Rasheeda.

But Rotary News arrears run into lakhs of rupees and the amount is increasing every year. Club presidents change and names and addresses of some subscribers are missed, resulting in complaints of non-receipt of the magazine.
Also, Rotary News dues don’t attract a ­penalty. The problem can be solved if the subscription amount is included in the dues bill raised by RISAO with a ­dedicated person on your rolls monitoring the dues recovery status. Also, non-payment of dues should attract penalty. Please give this a thought.

PDG KK Dhir — D 3070

Need more regional news

I’ve read Rotary News regularly for two years. The pictures affect the ­seriousness of some ­features. In the April issue, there are too many pictures, making the accompanying articles rather uninteresting. Kindly increase the content of regional club news by getting inputs from ­District Governors, which will encourage Rotarians.

I Rajagopal, RC Anakapalle — D 3020

Service projects lift Rotary’s image

Rotary clubs are ideal for members to meet, discuss and work for the community through ­service projects. It is for the clubs to assess if they are ­functioning as per ­Rotary’s ­guidelines. To quote PRID P T ­Prabhakar “we are a ­service organisation, take service away and we become a gymkhana or a cosmopolitan club. So never lose sight of doing good ­service projects.” Good community projects — through WinS and Literacy — give satisfaction to the members and enhance Rotary’s public image.

Sudam Basa, RC Bhubaneswar — D 3262

Thanks for Jaishree’s article RC Shimla transforms a prison in the April issue. It’s an honour for our club that you have published our project in Rotary News, a prestigious magazine. It has boosted our morale and motivated us to do more service projects like this in the near future. Thank you.

Manu Aggarwal
President, RC Shimla — D 3080

Thank you for e-version

I congratulate Rotary News Editor for the e-version of the magazine, which I could read even though away in the US.

NG Gupta
RC Bangalore City Centre — D 3190

Silly, hurtful remark

The remark by Rtn Hemant Gogte (­Letters, April issue) are surprising and hurtful. After Rasheeda Bhagat has taken charge as Editor of Rotary News, many Rotarians have said that while earlier they were only turning the pages, now they read them! So, this silly remark is unwarranted. These days, Rotary News has become a keepsake.

Korukonda Butchi Raju
RC Anakapalle — D 3020