Rotary miracles do happen

The Rotary Foundation is the one that “keeps all of us together as it is the very soul and spirit of Rotary,” said PRIP K R Ravindran, addressing delegates at the district conference of RID 3231 in Chennai titled Raj Utsav. The Foundation enables ‘dreamers’ to become ‘doers’ as Rotary is now in the formidable business of literacy, healthcare, helping people to live in dignity by providing opportunities, all of these possible due to the strong roots of TRF, he explained. “We need peace, good health, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to live with dignity, support for women and child care, education, and to help communities to grow — all these form the six focus areas of RI,” he added.

Ravindran recalled an incident that occurred a decade ago that reflected the strength of the global Rotary family. A seven-month-old child of a devout Christian couple in Mongolia suffered life-threatening burns in an electric kettle mishap. “They took the child to the main hospital at the capital Ulaanbaatar, a day’s journey, where finding the burn injuries to be critical they were told to shift their child to a US hospital. But the local airlines rejected the couple’s pleas to airlift their dying child to the US.”

With the last and only resort, they prayed fervently to God for saving their sick child for a week or so. “One fine day, a person knocked on their door and gave them air tickets for travelling to Shriners Hospital, Cincinnati, a part of the Freemasons group, which specialises in paediatric care including burn injuries.” How did this miracle happen? When they were praying, phone calls rang in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Chicago and ­Cincinnati, Ohio, and “I picked up the call at the One Rotary Centre, Chicago, at five in the evening and was briefed on the critical Mongolian child requiring emergency treatment as I was RI President then,” Ravindran said.

The RI headquarters called the Hong Kong governor who rang up Rotarians in Mongolia to approach their prime minister for intervention. The Mongolian PM ordered the airline to immediately fly the sick child with parents to the US for emergency treatment at the Shriners Hospital. “When our hearts are open, hands are ready, just a telephone call is enough to change the life of a dying child,” said Ravindran.

Best in service

Rotary is the best service organisation in the world, “as ratings don’t lie, miracles are not fake, and the magic is not a mirage. Our greatness is not an accident or a coincidence, for we have changed many lives.” Miracles do happen in the world as “Rotarians are there to make it happen. For sure, Rotary is changing the world with one miracle at a time as Rotarians are in the business of doing miracles. So please continue to do what you have been doing,” he urged the delegates.

RI has spent $10 billion so far in its fight against polio and immunised three billion children of the world since 1979 through a global campaign.
— RIDE M Muruganandam

RIPR Sundarrajan Gopal, a past governor from RID 3000, noted that it is up to the Rotarians to create magic in Rotary by doing impactful projects, adding new members and contributing to TRF. “During uncertain times like this, following the Pahalgam terror attack, we remain steadfast to our values and mission as Rotarians are deeply embedded in their communities. Rotary has endured two world wars, emerged stronger after every pandemic and global conflict in its 120-year-old ­journey of selfless service.”

Expressing concern over stagnant membership of 1.4 million, he said “while 1.5 lakh new members join, the same number leave Rotary each year. Hence, the focus must be on providing a rich club experience to new members through active engagement.”

Delivering a talk on the topic ‘Say yes to Rotary,’ RIDE M Muruganandam said in a world full of conflict and strife, “Rotary is the only service organisation that has crossed four generations. Here we witness a smooth transition of leadership each year at its 45,000 clubs across the world.” From human beings to being human by giving everything to the world, “we become god’s hand.”

RI has spent $10 billion so far in its fight against polio and immunised three billion children of the world since 1979 through a global campaign, he said. Citing Rotary’s Vision Statement, he added, “The aim is to bring in lasting change across the globe, communities and within ourselves. Rotary is a platform in which professionals across social, religious, caste and national barriers share space with a common mission that unites them.”

Rotary invests the kindness and generosity of Rotarians to bring joy to the underprivileged by changing their lives, he said. He presented Rotary Lifetime Achievement Awards to four film ­personalities — ­playwright-cum-actor Y Gee ­Mahendra, veteran actress Lakshmi, art ­director Thota Tharani and film director Suresh Krissna.

RID 3231 principal advisor PDG Abirami Ramanathan said he has got around 20,000 Rotary friends “who are ready to help me anytime, and I consider them closer than my relatives. Rotary is the only NGO in the world that unites humanity across caste, religion, national and other affinities.” But clubs need to constantly highlight their projects and service outreach to people through a sustained public image campaign, he said. “Also in the name of increasing membership, don’t induct all and sundry into your clubs without verifying their profile, as they will ruin Rotary,” he warned.

DG M Rajanbabu said service and fellowship should promote a better world through innovative projects for the communities. “If this discon enables each one of the delegates to take home a new project idea, strike a new friendship, widen their network for doing good, or even carry with them some joyful moments, then it would have achieved its purpose,” he said. V Dilip Kumar, the conference chair, and PDGs from the host district 3231, RIDs 3233, 3234 and other southern districts took part in the event attended by around 2,000 Rotarians, Anns and Annets.

Pictures by V Muthukumaran