Letters to the Editor – April 2021

Inspirational ­interview

The interview with RIPE Shekhar Mehta titled Living the dreams was inspiring. He was humble to say that he never sought anything in Rotary and at the same time, he never said ‘no’ to anything. He made it clear that an RI President, in a short duration of one year, can’t be expected to make drastic changes in the organisation but can definitely motivate the 1.2 million members to serve the community ­better. I like his thought that the position of club president is the best job he or she can have in a Rotary year. There were many more impressive answers in the interview that made us to infer that leaders in an organisation have to empower themselves with clear-cut ideas while accepting responsibilities and ­motivate people with a sense of purpose, knowledge and righteousness of heart.

We are proud that in our RIPE, we have that sort of leadership. There is no doubt that all his dreams, including membership increase to 1.3 million at the world-level will become a reality.

R Srinivasan, RC Madurai Midtown — D 3000

A great literacy project

The article about Ravishankar Dakoju, past president of RC Bangalore Orchards, donating books to the Central Library in Panaji was worth reading. We appreciate club president Carlito Martins who quickly arranged to distribute the books to the Central Library in Panaji. Hats off to Dakoju for his noble gesture, this is really one of the best literacy projects.

N Jagatheesan, RC Eluru — D 3020

The article Coimbatore’s ‘gear man’ who did selfless service is interesting. It would be apt if a local Rotary club gets involved to add value to the public and support the needy. This would not only enhance Rotary’s public image, but also attract new members. A photo of Subramanian, the brain behind SSS, should have been a part of the article.

Dr M V Ravikumar, RC Bangalore Koramangala — D 3190

TCA Srinivasa Raghavan in his LBW column (of Editors… and their whims) has rightly highlighted the thoughts of young journalists who step into the profession. The articles and features are always edited either in line with the mindset of the editor or to fit into the publisher’s scheme of things, else there may be loss of the advertisement revenue.

Koka Dayanand, RC Nellore — D 3160

In the Feb issue the article Make every drop count is meant for everyone in India. Rotary clubs should create awareness on water conservation by distributing pamphlets of this article. People can pitch in with their tips and solutions on social media, which can also do much for the environment.

Dr Anil P Sohni, RC Dondaicha Seniors — D 3060

Gearing up for digital age

RI President Holger Knaack has rightly asked us to ‘embrace the digital age’ in his address at the zone institute (Feb issue). ­Trustee Chair K R Ravindran assures us that the ­pandemic will open up new ­opportunities for Rotary to grow. The article ‘Make every drop count’ highlights tips on water conservation which is the need of the hour. The write-up on the need for clubs to have PAN cards and become KYC compliant is timely.

The article about organ donation by Srikanth’s parents and A simple but meaningful project for tribal girls in Maharashtra are commendable.

Dr Pon Muthaiyan, RC Aduthurai — D 2981

Rotary Plus: Keep going

I congratulate you for bringing out a fabulous edition of Rotary Plus every month. One comes to know about different projects that clubs do across India and it helps in planning some of our club projects.

V G Deodhar, RC Nasik — D 3030

Rotary Plus gives great ideas and motivation to Rotarians to do social and noble work in their districts.

T D Bhatia, RC Delhi Mayur Vihar — RID 3012