Letters to the Editor – February 2021
Salute to Rtn Chakravarthi for donating his son’s organs
Strategic planning is a must to achieve success in all areas of life including Rotary, as was nicely said by RI President Holger Knaack. RI director Bharat Pandya has rightly put it by stating “let us build ourselves better so that we can make our clubs better and the community a better place to live in.” Rtn Bikkina Chakravarthi has donated the organs of his brain-dead son Srikanth, thus giving a new lease of life to four persons. Hats-off to this family. It is noteworthy that RC Mysuru is running tailoring and beautician courses for the last 17 years charging a minimum of ₹1,000 per head. So far, 1,500 underprivileged women in Mysuru have become entrepreneurs. Congrats to the club.
S Muniandi, RC Dindigul Fort — D 3000
The cover photo of the Jan issue was excellent. The photos in the article When pictures speak are lively. Hats-off to Rtn Bikkina Chakravarthi for donating organs of his deceased son Srikanth. Kudos to RC Bombay Mahakali Heights for their meaningful donations to tribal girls.
Dr Pon Muthaiyan, RC Aduthurai — D 2981
Features on Afghanistan, Mohammed Rafi
As soon as the postman delivered the Jan issue, I hurriedly opened it to have a quick glance. The cover, quality of content, print and pictures are superb for which the credit goes to Editor Rasheeda Bhagat and her team.
I explored the pages and wanted to read many articles in detail. And the last page (inside cover) made me to pause with a couple of snippets titled Heart in a bag and Scientists discover new organ in throat. This forced me to go through that column instantly. The features on Afghanistan and Mohammad Rafi, among others, quenched my thirst for reading good articles. Wish the RNT team a happy new year.
Darshan Singh Baid, RC Kharar — D 3080
The feature on Afghanistan turns the spotlight on the prevailing socio-economic conditions in that war-ravaged country. Women have borne the brunt of cruelty under the Taliban rule. This brutal regime never gave importance to the education of children. We are looking forward to the second part of this feature on Afghanistan.
R Vasudevan, RC Kumbakonam Central — D 2981
Chennai flower sellers: Will Rotary come forward?
The cover story on Chennai’s flower sellers in the Dec issue is really heart touching as it made us realise that in the Covid pandemic many people are still suffering financially as well as mentally.
You have portrayed the real-life situation of these women, but the feature should have come out with steps Rotarians need to take for bringing relief to such people suffering due to the pandemic. So that we can take measures to improve their financial condition in these difficult times. I feel all will read the article, appreciate it and forget about this issue after sometime. It is better to give training to such women in making agarbattis from the flowers and sell them at good rates.
Rotary clubs must take the initiative in training the flower sellers, get them work, finance their vocation and market their produce to support their livelihood. Further, Rotary agarbattis can be marketed which will improve these women’s financial condition and also enhance the public image of Rotary.
Rajesh S Pardeshi, RC Ahmednagar Central — D 3132
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Appreciation from a non-Rotarian
I congratulate you for bringing out Rotary News in an excellent manner.
I received the January issue recently and liked your editorial, the overall content, and especially the article Afghanistan: more questions than answers.
Please include us as a special guest in your mailing list to receive the magazine. Wish you a wonderful 2021 ahead.
Dr Srikanta K Panigrahi director general, Indian Institution of Sustainable Development (IISD)
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An excellent editorial on the pandemic
As I opened the Jan issue of the magazine, right from the Inside page, down to the LBW column by TCA Srinivasa Raghavan, titled Absence of strong views… one human character that struck me is flexibility.
Rasheeda’s words in the editorial: “If this virus has taught us some lessons and helped us become better human beings…” is my hope too. Let us pray we all learn the right lessons from this pandemic. Happy new year to you and your team at the Chennai office.
Nan Narayenen, RC Madurai West — D 3000
Nice to read your January editorial. One thing is for sure that this pandemic is a boon for Rotary as we in different parts of the world would not have had a chance of knowing each other and connecting with so many people and knowing them face-to-face. If not personally, but surely virtually, we have seen our counterparts in most parts of the world.
Hope these virtual meets will be part of all major district events, not for free of course, but with a nominal payment and open to Rotarians from not only the respective districts but all around the world.
R Murali, RC Coimbatore West — D 3201
The Editor has elaborated upon the post-corona world in a nice manner under the headline What this pandemic has taught us. She has written it with both substance and sensitivity. This pandemic has brought about drastic changes in our lifestyle and daily routine as we spent quality time with our families. We have also become more technology savvy. We reached out to our friends and relatives through video calls/WhatsApp and worked from home using internet.
We developed a more inclusive social perspective as we came together to help each other, especially the underprivileged families during tough times.
Above all, the pandemic helped to heal the environment around us. We gained a cleaner environment as we stayed put in our homes and nature got back some of its pristine beauty. We also learnt the importance of preserving our environment.
Raj Kumar Kapoor, RC Roopnagar — D 3080
Congrats to Editor Rasheeda for a well-compiled Jan issue. All articles are interesting to read. A season of Hope and Opportunity by RID Dr Bharat Pandya is excellent as it highlights the issues and problems faced by masses across the world during the pandemic. The article on mammography equipment by the editor shows that many hands with one mind can make wonders and consistent efforts lead to big achievements. Another piece on a grief-stricken Rotarian couple is heartrending.
RC Rasipuram donates cows to transform lives of rural women by V Muthukumaran is truly inspiring and also presents a novel project idea. S R Madhu has nicely penned the incomparable qualities of singer Mohammad Rafi and the magic of his voice. Best wishes to the editorial team.
Shraddha V Pai, RC Thane Green City — D 3142
The article on Mohammad Rafi by S R Madhu was mesmerising with its beautiful lay-out, lovely anecdotes and pictures that brought back the memories of my college days. A nostalgic reading for me.
Thank you, the writer and the editorial team for giving us such a beautiful new year gift!
Guru Dutt, RC Dombivli East — D 3142
