The inspiring journey of a Rotary icon

On July 24, 1991, Dr Manmohan Singh put India on the world map by liberalising the Indian economy. Just three weeks before that, on July 1 another Indian made a mark on the international canvas. Rajendra Kumar Saboo, member of Rotary Club of Chandigarh, RID 3080, became the President of Rotary International, an organisation with presence in more nations than those which are members of the United Nations.

There could be hundreds of Rotary members with better professional success, much wealth, or better track record in community service but Saboo stands out in what he has achieved in nine decades of his existence on planet earth.

My Life’s Journey, A Personal Memoir is a fascinating autobiography of Saboo, a Marwari, born in 1934 in Birlapur, on the banks of the Hooghly River, a fourth child amongst six siblings. Brought up in Calcutta, he went on to establish a successful business empire in Chandigarh and reached the pinnacle of Rotary International in 1991.

At the mere age of eight, the child, in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement, launched and led a procession of 150 youngsters shouting ‘Vande Mataram’ and ended up in jail. Graduating from St Xavier’s College in Calcutta, he had a unique privilege of not just meeting the Mahatma twice but also walking along with him… with Gandhiji putting his hand on his shoulder.

The ‘House of Birla’ had a deep influence on the Saboo family. It was G D Birla who took Raja’s father under his wings. He not only offered him a job but rewarded his hard work with more responsible positions and promotions throughout his life. The son’s hard work and entrepreneurial skills were also initially supported by the Birlas. His smart move to collaborate with Groz-Beckert, a German business house, laid the foundation for his professional success and today’s Saboo Group of Companies is led by his two sons and grandsons.

Rotary was always a part of Saboo’s life as Tara Chand Saboo, his father was a member of RC Calcutta. The son joined RC Chandigarh in May 1961, and in a few months, the then Punjab CM P  S Kairon and the Union minister for industries Manubhai Shah inaugurated his Chandigarh factory. When it comes to luminaries from government, Saboo has been privileged to rub shoulders with chief ministers, governors, cabinet secretaries, vice-presidents and even the President of India. His smart moves and right connections at high places in various governments have always supported his entrepreneurial zest, leading to not only his further professional progress but also support for the exemplary community service he has given to Chandigarh and India. As also the African continent, which has benefitted immensely from the medical missions he organised in that continent.

The several interesting anecdotes on his Rotary journey, friendship with Bollywood stars and singers, penned in an immensely readable style, showcase Saboo’s versatile persona. Mother Teresa too blessed him with her love.

Saboo became club president in 1970–71 and district governor in 1976–77. His encounter with Sanjay Gandhi, his help in organising family planning camps during the Emergency period on Sanjay’s request, or the chairman of Hero Group Brijmohan Lall Munjal’s withdrawal in favour of Saboo for the DG’s post, and many such anecdotes shared in the book, keep the reader glued to the pages of this interesting book.

Saboo has made a difference to every aspect of Rotary when it comes to India. The book describes how he was instrumental in revamping Rotary News and got it officially recognised and certified as a Rotary regional magazine for South Asia in 1983. Thanks to his efforts, the RI South Asia branch office was set up in New Delhi in October 1984.

Usha, his better half, was not just a force behind Saboo, but a fellow contributor and traveller in his journey as a family man, an entrepreneur and a Rotarian.

The role of ‘right connections’, recommendations and groupism in climbing up the hierarchy at RI is seen throughout this book through various anecdotes. One may term it as ‘politics’ in Rotary. But Saboo has minced no words and has candidly shared several interesting incidents as a matter of fact, naming the individuals too. Right from his journey to DG to RI President, at every step he was able to overcome the ‘politics’ and emerge a winner. Unfortunately, it was an Indian Rotarian whose unscrupulous methods created drama and hindered Saboo’s way up to the RI President’s post. The book describes the lengthy procedure to nominate an RI President as “selection of the Pope, except for the white smoke.”

This narrative tells us how as President-elect, Saboo was offered a permanent apartment by RI in Evanston. “However I chose not to accept it as Rotary was going through financial difficulties.” So he and Usha stayed at Hotel Orrington, in an upgraded suite for close to 200 days. This is one among many such examples that shows the kind of dedication with which he served Rotary. At the end of his tenure as RI President, thanks to his judicious spending, there was a surplus in RI’s account.

In this autobiography, his trips as RI President, across the globe, and the UN, meeting 28 heads of nations, are shared in detail. Each of those meetings makes an interesting read. The unfortunate incident during his Presidential year, involving the then RI general secretary and Saboo’s firm action on it, or his special kind gestures for the RI staff, shows his leadership as an able administrator and a warm human being.

Saboo’s deep concern to ‘better Rotary’ is seen when he identified the need for having a standard Training Manual for club presidents, which was drafted by three senior Rotary leaders and approved by the RI Board.

In Rotary’s polio eradication drive, from ideation, initial resistance of a few senior Rotarians and then to finalisation of the programme, Saboo played an active role at the highest level of RI. His dedicated efforts and persuasion of the GoI led to the initiation of NIDs (National Immunisation Days).

Post his RI Presidentship, when he chaired The Rotary Foundation, he made efforts and worked for the launch of Rotary Peace Fellowship.

Even if one ignores his mammoth work for Rotary and the community from his year as club president, district governor, RI director, RI President and TRF chair, and just goes through his 30 medical missions to various nations in Africa from 1998 to 2020 and rural parts of India from 2006 to 2024, one will be amazed by the energy, efforts, dedication and warmth towards fellow human beings that Saboo has always displayed. What makes it more noteworthy is that during all those medical missions, he was past 64, and continued attending them till he turned 90. No wonder Swami Brahmeshanand of the Ramkrishna Mission calls him the “modern sanyasi”.

It must be mentioned that throughout, Usha, his better half, was not just a force behind Saboo, but a fellow contributor and traveller in his journey as a family man, an entrepreneur and a Rotarian. This can be experienced on every page of this memoir. One cannot imagine Saboo without Usha.

The book, embellished with many memorable photographs, starts with a moving foreword by Past RI President K R Ravindran who is like family to the two of them.

None of us were there when the great son of India, Swami Vivekananda began his Chicago speech with the magical words ‘Dear brothers and sisters’ that re-introduced India to the world in 1893. But here is an opportunity for all of us to know another son of India, living among us, who, almost 100 years after Swami Vivekananda, speaking in the very same city of Chicago, appealed to the world with three very simple but profound words ‘Look beyond yourself’ and has been living his life on the same note…Rajendra Saboo.

The proceeds of this book will go to The Rotary Foundation.

The writer is a member of the Rotary Club of Thane Hills, RID 3142