Letters to the Editor – February 2025

 

Membership blues

I read with interest the article on membership attrition by Rasheeda Bhagat. Club leadership is critical to arrest membership decline in Rotary. Instead of using one’s influence and power to induct new members, club ­presidents must take efforts to identify ­service-minded ­individuals from different walks of life. Such professionals with interest in service must be invited to club meetings and should be attracted with our project initiatives.

Orientation sessions and workshops must be held for them as part of their grooming before they are inducted into Rotary clubs. We need to exercise our intelligence in such workshops for non-Rotarians. Only if we attract such new Rotarians, we can expect them to stay in Rotary even if there is a leadership change.

S Mohankumar, RC Pallikonda — D 3231

The article Need to guard against “built in attrition” in ­membership (Jan issue) is thought-provoking.

The clubs should be concerned with the views expressed by Rotary ­President ­Stephanie at the Kochi ­institute. Each time we lose a member, for whatever ­reason, ­Rotary’s image is diminished, and it is a a definite ­indictment of our ­organisation. We should try to find out through exit interviews the ­reasons for people quitting Rotary. The questions we should pose are: What is wrong with us? Are we losing the ­primary purpose of service and ­fellowship? Are we giving any wrong impressions to new members?

A strong club ­leadership, meaningful projects and activities in our various avenues of ­service, warm fellowship, and involvement of every new member in club activities can improve the retention ratio. All the new members should be educated on the range of opportunities available in Rotary for service.

If the new members receive a clear message from the club leaders and senior Rotarians on what makes Rotary unique, knowledgeable ­Rotarians will never wish to leave Rotary during their lifetime except for age related problems. Only those members without a commitment to service will leave.

R Srinivasan, RC Bangalore J P Nagar — RID 3191

 

 

House from plastic waste

Amongst all the wonderful articles in the December issue, an article on a house fully built of recycled plastic waste stands out. A 625 sqft-house from 13 tonnes of single-use plastics made by an anaesthetist Balmukund Paliwal of RC Chandrapur with support from skilled craftsmen is commendable work to support the environment.

India produced around 9.5 million tonnes of various types of single-use plastics in 2023 whereas in the same period, China produced 75 million tonnes, and the world 414 million tonnes. The widespread pollution due to plastic waste is causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem and this is a really alarming situation. There are many ways to recycle plastic such as making clothes, bags, cutlery, bottles, food trays, shoes, and of course material used in construction.

Nothing beats the recycling or conversion of plastics into construction material. This model developed by him should be discussed at the highest level in Rotary and replicated.

Balu Uphade, RC Navi Mumbai Link Town — D 3142

The cover story on anganwadi in the Dec issue is a ­remarkable ­project as Rotary is using AI to make the ­anganwadis more ­efficient and transparent in providing education to children of poor ­families, apart from giving nutritious meal to them in ­Ghaziabad. It is good to note that this project is being replicated at the PM’s constituency, Varanasi.

Rotary’s big push to eradicate illiteracy in MP is a commendable project, while the feature on the house built from a plastic waste is a noble initiative by Balmukund Paliwal from RC ­Chandrapur.
I have been ­reading Rotary News over the last 28 years, and happy to note that very interesting, ­informative articles are being published of late. Kudos to the editorial team.

S N Shanmugam, RC Panruti — D 2981

I am very impressed with DG Raakhi Gupta after going through the Jan issue of Rotary Samachar. Her AMAR (add, multiply, adapt, retain) concept, if adopted by all clubs in true spirit, will definitely increase our membership manifold. Bringing more women into Rotary is also the need of the hour.

O P Khadiya, RC Jaipur Kohinoor — D 3056

Excellent coverage of the Kochi institute

The eagerly awaited Jan issue is in my hands. It mainly covered the Kochi Institute with the photo feature providing a colourful look to the pages for which editor Rasheeda Bhagat, Jaishree and Hemant deserve appreciation. Kudos for a perfect presentation.

I eagerly turned the pages and got a good grasp of the details and deliberations of the institute. To my surprise and delight, important moments of the mega event and hospitality extended by the organisers were nicely cocooned in the Editor’s note, written in fine, simple English that is easily understandable. My compliments to Rasheeda for putting the best of efforts to bring out an informative magazine covering all aspects of Rotary.

Hats off to the convener and chair of the Kochi institute RI Director Anirudha Roychowdhury and PDG John Daniel for arranging a successful and perfect institute in every respect.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, RC Roop Nagar — D 3080

The cover photo of a Kathakali dancer in the ­January issue is colourful and attractive. RI President ­Stephanie Urchick explains well the need to attract new members and retain them by citing the example of a club in Japan.

The Editor’s note gives a good account of a well-planned Kochi institute. Let me thank the leaders who managed it so meticulously. Both TRF trustee chair and trustee urge members to donate liberally to the Foundation, while RID Roychowdhury focused on ­challenges we face today and ways to overcome obstacles.

The cover story ‘World War III has begun…” is an eyeopener. All the Kochi institute reports and the picture pages are wonderful. Other articles in this issue are also noteworthy.

The Club matters photos are good, while the Go Green column titled Tales of inspiration by Preeti Mehra depicts a successful story of Diya and Sahiti who founded E-Cycl for processing e-waste.

As a whole, the maiden issue of this new year 2025 is excellent.

Philip Mulappone M T, RC Trivandrum Suburban — D 3211

It is quite revealing to read the cover story “Word War III has begun between man and nature”. Man’s activities have led to the present crisis which have created a WW III-like situation in which environmental degradation is posing the gravest yet threat to humanity. The article has also explained well the Ladakh school with its environment-friendly attributes. Kudos to the writer for driving home the message of adopting a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.

S Raghavendran, RC Athur — D 2981

The article World War III has begun… between man and nature is wonderful and meticulously explained. Everyone knows it’s end result — winner is nature.

Udaysingh Rajput, RC Belgaum Midtown — D 3170

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