Gateway 080909 for Viraf.pmd - Rotary Club of Bombay

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IT WAS A THRILLING ‘THRILLER’ NIGHTIt was a night of thrills, chills and spills. The ‘Michael Jackson Nite’ on August 28 attracted a largeattendance and was a huge success. Here are glimpses of the event, with members singing ‘We arethe world’ (above left). And who are these look-alikes of the ‘Pop King’ at right? Read theaccompanying report to find outDolly Thakore takes the floor along with some of the professional dancers and members of theRotaract Club of H.R. College who showed off their dancing prowess. At right, PP Harry andBiba are snapped with President Nandan Damani, First Lady Shreelekha and Hon. JointSecretary Nirav Shah (right)But where is the bejewelled white glove that adorned Michael Jackson’s left hand? In the firstpicture, it’s one of the two ‘MJ’s with Rachna Agarwal, Shreelekha, Vandana Daga and AnandDalal. In the second photo, Veena and Sitaram Shah are surprised to note that they have beenchosen the ‘Most Enthusiastic Couple’More prize winners. Indu Shahani presents the prize for best female dancer to Rotaryann SavitaMansukhani. Vijay Mansukhani (at right) is virtually over the moon. In the second photograph,Nirav congratulates Rotaryann Dhvanika Thakkar who was voted the best dressed female. Withthem is Ashwin Thakkar (right)Page 6, THE GATEWAY, 8th September, 2009The Fellowship Committee headed byMadhusudan Daga and Anand Dalal organiseda thrilling event, the Michael Jackson Nite, on August28, on the eve of what would have been MichaelJackson’s 51st birthday.“MJ” was not there in flesh, but his spirit wasthere, especially in the form of the Club’s own“MJ”s – Mudit Jain and Malti Jain.The evening belonged to them. They not onlyhelped in organising the event but were also enthusiasticparticipants. Moreover, they went to greatlengths to come attired like the original “MJ”.While Malti was in complete “MJ” gear fromhead and hat to foot, Mudit donned a realistic “MJ”mask that was a hit with the guests. Both wererepeatedly called on stage to perform before a cheeringhouse.The evening began with a breathtaking performanceby an “MJ” look-alike who danced to someof Michael Jackson’s songs. He was followed bythe Rotaractors of H.R. College who also sang anddanced to “MJ” numbers.Soon, several Rotarians could not restrain themselvesand jumped on to the dance floor to shake aleg.Among them were President Nandan Damaniand First Lady Shreelekha, Indu and Ranjit Shahani,Veena and Sitaram Shah, Biba and PP Harry Arora,Malini and PP Sandip Agarwalla, Meher andKhurshed Poonawala, and Susmita and S.K. Mitra.The numbers kept blaring out – “Beat it”, “Blackor White”, “Bad”, “Dangerous”, “Thriller”, “Theydon’t really care about us”. And they pulled evensome of the shy members on to the dance floor.And then they all got together to sing the onenumber that unites the world – “We are the world”.More surprises were in store in the shape ofprizes and awards. The best male dancer was Mr.Pappan, a guest of Vijay Mansukhani, while theprize for best female dancer went to RotaryannSavita Mansukhani.Meher and Khurshed Poonawala were adjudgedthe best dancing couple; and Veena and SitaramShah were found to be the most enthusiastic couple.S.K. Mitra was the best dressed male andRotaryann Dhvanika Thakkar the best dressed female.The prize for best “MJ” look-alike went to Mr.Jason, another guest of Vijay Mansukhani.While some prizes were distributed by InduShahani, others were handed out by Mr. ArfeenKhan and a few Rotarians.The party continued into the wee hours and everybodywent home with nostalgic memories ofthe man called “Wacko Jacko”.Several members contributed to the success ofthe event. Among them were Nirav Shah, AlokSekhsaria, Arvind Agarwal and Mudit Jain, andRotaryanns Malti Jain, Mayuri Sekhsaria, DevinaShah, Rachna Agarwal and Vandana Daga.But, according to Madhusudan and Anand, thelivewires (or the real spirit) behind the event wereIndu Shahani and the First Couple, Nandan andShreelekha Damani.They have also thanked the “partners” whohelped make the night a roaring success – especiallythe UB Group, members Ashok Minawalaand Arvind Agarwal, Shivas Spa, Namita Jain thefitness expert, the Wine Society of India and NewZealand Kiwi.Well done, Fellowship Committee. Keep it up,Madhusudan, Anand and team.
Inner Wheel focuses on torches and candles to tackle the darkThe Inner Wheel Club ofBombay, in collaboration withthe Balwantrai Mehta Centre,Shantivan, conducts an integratedrural developmentprogramme in 40 villages ofPanvel with the objective ofconverting them into hungerfree,self-reliant model villages.Recently, on the eve of RakshaBandhan, the Club offeredlunch to the residents of theAshramshala students atPanvel.Members will be aware that theInner Wheel Clubs of District3140 have been running a residentialtribal school for 565students with the aim of upliftingthis vulnerable sectionof society and for bridgingeconomic and social disparities.At another function, the InnerWheel Club of Bombay led byPresident Falguni Mehta distributedtorches to the childrenof the Ashramshala. Thiswas done keeping in mind thepower cuts that are a frequentphenomenon in most villages.NGOs get togetherto combat wasteSeveral city NGOs have united tocombat the pollution caused bythe disposal into the sea of miscellaneousitems around the time thatdevotees immerse their favourite godGanpati. This collection is calledNirmalaya and consists of coconuts,stale flowers, the remains of incensesticks, decoration material and so on.The Rotary Club of Bombay hasextended its support to this initiativethat is working in tandem with themunicipal staff at various beacheswhere immersions are conducted.Devotees are being encouraged toseparate the Nirmalaya into threebags –one each for flowers, plasticand miscellaneous material.The initiative is a joint effort ofUnited Way Mumbai Helpline, CleanMumbai Foundation, the municipalcorporation, the famous dabbawallasof Bombay (who will spread themessage through pamphlets to alltheir clients), M/s Jindal Steel Works,the Ladies’ Wing of the Indian Merchants’Chamber, the Rotary Club ofMumbai Queen’s Necklace and overa dozen other NGOs.The Inner Wheel Club and theBalwantrai Mehta Centre arealso conducting VocationalTraining workshops in makingagarbattis and candles in a bidto empower women’s self-helpgroups.Candles are a great help to thevillagers, given the frequentload-shedding and the erraticsupply of kerosene at inefficientration shops. Thus, rollingagarbattis and makingcandles also ensures an income-generatingactivity forthe women of the villages.The Inner Wheel Club also offersopportunities to women inurban areas to become self-reliant.A Vocational Training centre atthe BDD chawls conducts avariety of courses in cooking,tailoring, embroidery, mehendiapplication and working at abeauty parlour.As for senior citizens, they arenot neglected either. The InnerWheel Club reaches outto the residents of the ParukhDharamshala to instil cheerand hope in their lives. It recentlyorganised a speciallunch for them.Inner Wheel President Falguni Mehta with the children of Ashramshalaschool in Panvel who were given torches to tackle the dark. Also in thepicture is Ushatai Jadhav at right. Mr. Sanjay Wankhade, school coordinator,and Mr. Shaikh, the rector, are at leftSo, what’s cooking? Inner Wheel member Rashna Cooper interacts withparticipants in the cookery competition organised at the Vocational Trainingcentre at the BDD chawls. President Falguni Mehta is standing at left8th September, 2009, THE GATEWAY, Page 7
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Page 4 and 5: Teach for India hopes to change Ind
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Gateway 080909 for Viraf.pmd - Rotary Club of Bombay

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