Meet your Governors
Cervical cancer vaccination, his prime interest
This year has enriched him with a good experience but he wishes that each day has 48 hours and each year, 700 days. “All the presidents are enthusiastic to execute some big project that can benefit their community, so a year is not enough to accommodate their zealous plans,” says Deepak Gupta.
He is keen on promoting cervical cancer vaccination. “My dream is to extend the vaccination cover across the district. Probably then our government will be inspired to take it on a national level,” he says. The district is also planning to create 40–50 happy schools with global grants. Besides, the governor is also keen on extending partnerships to execute projects in Sri Lanka, Brazil and Mexico.
A Rotarian since 2001, Gupta is soon to become an AKS member and has given $100,000 to TRF.
He wants to increase the district membership with 400 new members but is also keeping a check on phantom clubs that are created to enhance the vote bank numbers. “I have not chartered any new clubs until the DGND elections were completed.” The district has 26 per cent women members. Two clubs have been formed with children of Rotarians as members and three more are in the pipeline.
His goal for TRF contribution is $500,000 and he is happy that the district’s endowment contribution will be around $100,000. “We will have four Endowment donors this year,” he says.
His wife Reena is also a Rotarian and has launched a unique ‘Anns can teach’ programme where the spouses of Rotarians visit rural schools three days a week and teach various subjects to children.
Happy Schools, his priority
He was a Rotaractor until 1984 and a Rotarian since 1992. Jitendra Dhingra cherishes his volunteering trips to Rwanda as part of a Rotary medical mission in 2015 and is looking forward to a similar assignment next month, to Zimbabwe.
Dhingra is happy that his district is installing solar lamps in remote areas in Leh, Ladakh and Rourkee. It is disheartening to see that some of these places do not have electricity at all, he laments. The district has signed two global grants to transform two schools into Happy Schools and will be providing various infrastructure
and basic facilities that are lacking in these schools. “It is our responsibility to see that schools are attractive enough for children to come with enthusiasm and learn,” he says.
The district has 3,800 members across 87 clubs and Dhingra plans to increase the membership by 10 per cent. He is also happy that the 550 women Rotarians are actively participating in various humanitarian projects of the district. He has recently chartered an all-women’s Rotary club and one more is in the pipeline, he says.
His goal for TRF contribution is $5 million and he is confident of reaching it by making all clubs 100 per cent PHF.
His focus is to enhance dialysis facilities
He was inspired to join Rotary after he was invited by his Rotarian-friend to distribute food to polio-affected children studying in a school run by Rotary. “It was my birthday and the plight of these children moved me. The next thing I knew was joining Rotary,” says Sridhar Balaraman.
He is excited to talk about the district’s major project — enhancing dialysis facilities in the district — for which he is the Project Chairman. While eight dialysis units have been installed in Vellore with a global grant of $100,000, 17 more were added this year with local donors’ support. The Tanker Foundation helps in the functioning of these facilities. So far 12,500 dialysis procedures have been done, he says, adding that he plans to add more machines here and set up three more centres in Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Tiruvallur through global grants.
He has chartered seven new clubs and inducted 420 members. “Two clubs are all-women’s clubs with 64 members in each,” says Balaraman. The district now has seven such clubs. He is looking at installing 111 new clubs by end-June.
His commitment for TRF is $1 million. “We are planning to contribute to the Polio Fund in a significant way through the ‘Two dollars for two drops’ campaign and encourage 30 Major Donors of which 10 have been identified,” says the DG. There will be five Endowment Donors and the rest of the money will be raised through Term Gifts.
“I call my presidents ‘Dazzling Leaders’ and the district has a hashtag — ‘Service and Fun unlimited’. So I am confident that my team will perform in a big way and involve themselves in service projects as much as they enjoy Rotary’s fellowship,” signs off the DG.
Education and healthcare for girls
He became a Rotarian at 26 in 2004. “I had just then lost my father and Rotary gave me the strength and confidence to face life and its challenges,” says Karthikeyan who has been an Interactor and Rotaractor during his younger days. One of his cherished moments in Rotary is creating records while promoting Rotary’s public image that focuses on literacy and polio eradication programmes.
The governor has a varied range of service projects lined up for his district, the priority being facilitating education and healthcare for girl children and providing career guidance to help them with livelihood. A mobile mammogram facility costing ₹2.5 crore and a blood bank at a cost of ₹1.5 crore have been completed. “We are going to provide treatment to children with heart disease at the MGM Hospitals in Chennai on Feb 23. Clubs have been urged to sponsor the treatment,” he says.
The district has 5,200 members and Karthikeyan wants to improve on this with 15 per cent. So far, 600 new members have been inducted. He is keen on introducing more women to Rotary and has urged the clubs to concentrate on that.
On TRF giving, he aims to raise $500,000, of which he has received commitment for $350,000. Besides, he has contributed $100,000 to the Foundation during his installation.
