Letters to the Editor – August 2021

Reading a soaked June issue

Thanks to monsoon and the new habit of postman dropping mails on the ground floor lobby instead of at the ­doorstep, I received a wet June issue. Even the watchman did not want to handle the soiled magazine, but it reached my hand finally. The refreshing content made up for the dishevelled copy. The editor’s features on President Mehta and RID Mahesh Kotbagi were of great interest. They were not put on a pedestal but their involvement and achievements found the right coverage. I look forward to the Wordsworld column of Sandhya Rao, useful tips on taking care of oneself by Bharat and Shalan Savur and never to be missed LBW by TCA Srinivasa Raghavan. Sandhya’s bookmarks are a reflection of my own reading practice — 2–3 books at a time to beat fatigue in case a book makes heavy reading. TCA’s material is read start to finish unabated. Working for soul rather than body was also my credo in my active years ( I just celebrated my 80th birthday this March). Thanks for providing sustained and interesting reading material unfailingly every month.

Mandyam Badarinarayana, RC Thane Hills — D 3142

The elaborate features on President Mehta and RID Mahesh Kotbagi are very informative, pointing to their achievements in Rotary so far with many service projects to their credit. The water projects taken up by RC Belthangady have reached out to the farmers helping them to tide over the water scarcity in their region, thus improving their productivity.

Dr Pon Muthaiyan, RC Aduthurai — D 2981

I just read the July issue; with the overall facelift, the magazine has improved a lot with extensive coverage of clubs and projects. As empowerment of girls is the theme this year, I hope all clubs will dwell upon this dream of RI President Shekhar Mehta and implement related projects to make it a grand success this year.

DG Jacintha Dharma has become governor of RID 3212 over a span of 13 years of service as Rotarian of RC Nagercoil with strong foundation as an Interactor and later Rotaractor, thanks to RYLA which also played a pivotal role in her Rotary career. She is the second woman DG in Tamil Nadu and first in her district. Her success is a good example for women’s empowerment.

S Mohan, RC Madurai West — D 3000

The article on Saigal by S R Madhu lit up memories of the captivating voice of the legendary singer. The depth of feelings in his melancholic voice are ably captured by the writer. The nostalgia of Saigal on erstwhile Radio Ceylon will linger forever in the hearts of music lovers.

K Ravindran, RC Trikaripur — D 3204

Rotary & a Covid vaccine

Another Rotary year has dawned with yet another beautiful issue of Rotary News filled with scintillating reading stuff. It was 36 years ago in 1985, that Rotary initiated its all-time ambitious programme, the polio eradication drive. Rotarians have collected more than $2.1 billion and put in countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children. Polio cases were reduced by 99.9 per cent.

If Rotary could achieve this incredible feat, why not try and develop a Covid vaccine too? Rotary may set up a Covid Vaccine Development Lab, where ­scientists can develop a Covid vaccine for free distribution. Rotary has the money power as we have one of the biggest ­Foundations, TRF.

Tomi Eapen, RC Alleppey — D 3211

Being a TRF alumnus, now a proud Rotarian, I too share President ­Mehta’s dream of a Nobel nomination for Rotary. Not for glory or fame, but a Nobel will take us a step closer to Rotary emerging as a top service organisation. I hope that proud moment when our RI president receives the prize on behalf of all Rotarians materialises this year.

R Murali Krishna, RC Berhampur — D 3262

A touching editorial

The June editorial on long-distance mourning is touching and reflects the ground reality. Covid has snuffed out thousands of lives, and sole breadwinners fell victim leaving their families in the lurch. Relatives or friends residing overseas who could not fly back to bid goodbye to their loved ones and the kin who were not allowed to perform the last rites are having agonising times.

Dr V Ramasubramnian cautions that the third wave is inevitable, but said there is no need to panic as it will be milder. Rotarians must follow his advice to be fit and healthy.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, RC Roopnagar — D 3080

A dynamic leader

I was fortunate to work closely with RI President Mehta and PRID Kamal ­Sanghvi during the Centennial ­celebrations in Kolkata. We had tirelessly worked on promoting Rotary’s image through advertorials and news in leading publications. I saw in Mehta a monument of great inspiring ideas, big dreams and giant social service goals. A true perfectionist and the motto Serve to Change Lives fits his character like a T.

Piyush Doshi, RC Belur — D 3291

Let us welcome President Mehta, DGs and new club presidents. PRIP ­Holger Knaack in his message details the ­challenges we may face in the ­post-pandemic world. The Editor’s note speaks eloquently about long-distance mourning and trauma felt by relatives living in foreign countries.

S Muniandi, RC Dindigul Fort — D 3000

The article Coimbatore Rotarians’ Covid relief projects (Jun’21) is well-written. It is a great privilege to get such an extensive coverage and a proud moment for Team Sanjeevani and the entire district 3201. The image of Rotary has got a facelift.

P P Lakshmanan, RC Coimbatore West — D 3201