Download PDF - Rotary Club of Bombay

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Yet another traditional “Fellowship”was the colourful Holi eventorganised by Naresh Kumar Jain athis bungalow in Khar. A large numberof members and their spouse attendedthe colourful programme and enjoyedthe dance, music and snacks (especially“Dilli-chaat”) spread out by the hostfamily.In a programme decided upon suddenly,the Fellowship Committee encouragedmembers to visit the famousBombay Museum to witness a specially-arrangedshowing of “Mummy– an exhibition explaining the mysteriesof the Egyptian mummy”. Themummies and other artefacts were onloan from the British Museum.Three evening meetingsAshish had no hesitation whatsoeverin experimenting with thenovel concept of evening meetings suggestedby the President at the firstmeeting. Nowroze had said then thathe appreciated the fact that with moremembers having their workplacesaway from the vicinity of the Taj, itwas difficult for them to attend weeklymeetings in South Bombay on Tuesdayafternoons.For the convenience of such members,and to strengthen the bonds ofFellowship, he proposed that weeklymeeting be held in the evening on atleast three Tuesdays . Accordingly, thefirst meeting was held of December 4on the terrace of Ocean House in Worliand hosted by Ravi Sheth.Nowroze had stressed two pointsin relation to the evening meetings. Thefirst was that they would count as regularmeetings and members would gettheir attendance marked; and the secondthat, once the formal business ofthe meeting had been concluded,Rotarians and spouses would mingleover a “fun” evening to get to knoweach other better.These purposes were well servedat the very first meeting when theattendance exceeded the 150-mark.It was an evening of merriment andhosts Amita and Ravi Sheth pulledout all stops, with music, drinks anda sumptuous dinner. Everyoneagreed that the “evening meeting”was a good idea and should be repeatedfrequently.The second in the series of eveningmeetings was held on January 29, 2013,on the verdant lawns of “The Club”attached to the sprawling PlanetGodrej in Central Bombay. And likethe first one, this one, too, was a resoundingsuccess.There was a tremendous turnout ofmembers along with their spouse andall of them were full of praise for theexcellent implementation of the ideaand the delicious snacks, victuals andexcellent music organised by PPNandan and Shreelekha Damani.Finally, it was the turn of PradeepMafatlal. Going all out to make it anevening to remember, he and Divyaopened the doors to their palatial bungalowon March 5 and offered an unbelievabletreat to their guests.The guests were greeted personallyby the hosts and by PresidentNowroze as they entered and theircomfort was ensured in every possibleway. Music played discreetlyin one corner, while guests mingledon the spacious lawns, treatingthemselves to drinks and an endlesssupply and variety of cocktailsnacks. When the innumerablefood counters were thrown open,the members were amazed at thevariety of dishes on offer. There wassomething for every palate, howsoeverfinicky or fastidious.President Nowroze stated in a signedarticle in The Gateway that the“proof of the pudding lies in the factthat many members have been heardsaying that they solidly support theidea. Some even have gone to the extentof saying that all meetings shouldbe held in the evening!”SPORTSAdozen tennis aficionados welcomedthe day as it dawned overthe Willingdon Sports Club on a hazySunday in December to take part inthe Tennis Fellowship arranged by theindefatigable Moy Biswas, the de factochief of most sporting activities of theClub.President Nowroze, who was thenon-playing and non-interfering captainof the tennis team, cheered on theplayers; as did Rotaryann PervinJehangir who applauded PP Rumi’sground strokes.At the end of the strenuous seriesof sets, Nowroze presented everyplayer with a commemorative “Champion’sCup” designed by Moy. Andthen, in true Rotary spirit, the TennisFellowship ended with a hearty breakfastenjoyed by all.In another activity organised byMoy, Rohini Chowgule bagged the golftrophy a second time, but it was Fellowshipthat triumphed in the end.The annual golf tournament for thetrophy instituted by the Biswas familyin 2008 was held at the WillingdonSports Club. Six years on, the evergrowingpopularity and appeal of thetournament led to a roster of no lessthan 32 competitors.Exciting and electrifying as the tournamentwas, the Fellowship that followedwas equally engaging and exhilarating,what with the presence ofseveral stalwarts and family members.What was unique about the Fellowshipwas the presence of many pastand future leaders.Past Presidents Arvind Jolly andAjay Kanoria were out on the greens,but awaiting the outcome of the tournamentat the Cabbage Patch were PPsDr. Adi Dastur, Kalpana Munshi, Dr.Rumi Jehangir, Ashish Vaid and NandanDamani. Accompanying them wereIPP Paul George, President Nowrozeand Nirav Shah.Finally, cricket. And here the newswas quite shattering – a team comprisingyoung students of theBhavishya-Yaan defeated the RotaryPresident’s XI by 6 wickets and with3 overs to spare!The match was played at the P.J.Hindu Gymkhana situated along theiconic Marine Drive and was a tremendoussuccess, with several nonplayersand non-cricketers waking upearly on a relaxed Sunday morning toreach the venue.They enjoyed the game, watchingenthusiastic cricketers turn out inwhites to play the gentleman’s gameafter President Nowroze had been introducedto both teams.It was the combined effort of thetireless Moy, working in tandemwith PP Ashish and ManishReshamwala, under the overallguidance of President Nowroze,which ensured a good turnout anda successful event.Bulletin, Website & Public RelationsPP Arun SanghiThe Club’s official newsletter, TheGateway, continued to be publishedwith clockwork precision everyweek; and the website had far morehits than in the year gone by.Sergeant-at-ArmsRoda BillimoriaThe Committee did good work allthrough the year, attempting tomaintain discipline and decorum at theweekly meetings.But this was a particularly interestingyear as the role of the Committeewas altered. The President had suggesteda few changes. First, he wantedthe Sergeant-at-Arms to welcome theguest speaker and then escort him/herat the end of the meeting. Secondly, hesaid it was time for the Committee tostop minding the collection box, thusfreeing the members from their cashier-liketasks.Initially, there was some resistance,but gradually members adapted wellto the new system. As a result, theCommittee members had the opportunityto interact with speakers, withfellow members and also to sit backand hear the speaker, of course, afterensuring silence in the hall.Just how do they do it? Hosts Pradeep and Divya Mafatlal marvel at themoves of Malti Jain and PP Harry Singh AroraGo and play the game in the true spirit. When President Nowroze said thisto the young boys, he had no idea they would go on and beat the Rotarians!June 25 to July 1, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 14
COMMUNITY SERVICE– MEDICAL IDirectorDr. Percy ChibberChairman Emeritus, Talwadabeen described as the “Kohinoor”project of the Club. Not without reason,because it had already tended tohundreds of thousands of poor, indigentpatients trekking from long distances.Those people were sure theirPP Dr. Rahim MuljianiEarly on the morning of Sunday, eyes would be safe in the care of theFebruary 24, a fleet of cars headed noble doctors from Bombay who hadtowards Talwada, the tribal hamlet thathad been virtually adopted by theRotary Club of Bombay. This was theplace where the renowned HasanaliTobaccowala Eye Centre (HTEC), theAjit Deshpande Medical Centre(ADMC) and the Anusuya DeviTaparia Junior College stood.The convoy ferried Tara Deshpandeforegone a weekly holiday to traversethe long distance to their village.What the doctors offered was thekind of sophisticated ophthalmic carethat was only available (at very highprices) in Bombay.Repair, replacement and replenishmentwere a continuous process at theHTEC, with ageing equipment beingand Daniel; Chitra and Ashokkumar; replaced as and when the need arose;This is the O.T., the theatre of action. PP Dr. Rahim Muljiani describes theDolly Thakore; Arin and Percy Master;Pallavi Jha; Pervin Jehangir; Arti available; the latter was seldom a ma-the finances were found and madefacilities to members of the Club who visisted the HTEC at Talwadaand Dhananjaya Mehta; NatwarlalBrahmbhatt; Freyaz Shroff; Phirozaand Dr. Aashish Contractor (with theirdaughter Shanaya); Tarang and SorabhJain; Jayanti and Sandeep Dasgupta;Vatsala and Ashok Jatia; S.K. Mitra;Pranay Vakil; Mahakhurshid Byramjee;Dr. Vandana Bulchandani; Dr. MalaJagtiani; Dr. Sohrab Javeri; Dr. RajeevNarvekar; and Moy Biswas.Fellowship Chairman Ashish Vaid,President Nowroze and Peter Bornwere also in the convoy that wasjoined en-route by the Club’s Executivejor concern, thanks to the generosityand magnanimity of members.(An unusual feature of the HTEChad been the readiness with which evennon-Rotarians who had never heard ofTalwada promptly handed over contributionsto those from whom theyreceived information about the excellentwork being done there.)The HTEC was truly a labour oflove of Dr. Rahim and the apple of hiseye. (Please see Table for statistics ofthe work done during the year.)ADMC, TalwadaSecretary, Mr. Eruch Irani, and his Dr. Sorab JaveriLspouse.ater in the year, a small group ofWaiting for this enthusiastic band Rotarians once again visited theof early-risers were Dr. Rahim and Ajit Deshpande Medical Centre With the indefatigable Dr. Yadav who mans the ADMC. With him (centre)Chairman Dr. Rumi Jehangir who, aftera quick breakfast, took the visitors operations. It was led by President(ADMC) at Talwada to review its are President-Elect Nirav Shah and Chairman Dr. Sorab Javeriaround the facilities at the centre. Soon,the group moved to the Taparia JuniorCollege and took a quick round of thissimple but aesthetically-pleasingsingle-storey structure. The Principaland other staff of the college were athand to shower encomiums on theirstudents, proudly stating that the passpercentage was in the upper 90s.Then it was time to move to theADMC where President Nowroze wassubjected to the time-honoured traditionof being forced into the dentist’schair (despite his vociferous pleas thathe had undergone this torture severaltimes on earlier visits to Talwada),while “Dangerous Doctor” AshishVaid laid into his open mouth withvicious-looking instruments.Dr. Yadav, in charge of the ADMC(his counterpart at the HTEC beingDr. Deshpande) took everyonearound, showing them the various facilities.Rotarians and Rotaryannsquickly made friends with the manychildren who had come there to havevarious ailments attended to by Dr.Yadav and his team.Nowroze and included Nirav Shah, hisspouse Devina, ADMC Chairman Dr.Sorab Javeri and a duo from the OralHealth Committee, viz., Dr. RajeevNarvekar and Dr. Mala Jagtiani.Apart from going around the centreand interacting with some of the patientswho had come in for diagnosisand treatment, the team from the RotaryClub of Bombay also met theyoung members of the Rotaract Clubof Government Dental College whovisited the ADMC twice a month tooffer free services to the poor andneedy.The resident doctor at the ADMC,Dr. Yadav, showed the team aroundand explained the centre’s working.The team also visited the HasanaliTobaccowala Eye Centre where it metthe resident surgeon, Dr. Anil Deshpande.(Please see Table for statisticsof the work done during the year.)COMMUNITY SERVICE– MEDICAL IIDirectorDr. Vandana BulchandaniCancer Aidtreatment of cancer-affected persons,especially children. However, therewere a few gut-wrenching aspects totheir plight that not many people wereaware of.One was the fact that when a childwas diagnosed with cancer, the chancesof the parents taking him for the bestpossible treatment at the best possiblehospital were very high. But God forbid,if it was a girl child who was afflicted,then the chances of her receivingadequate medical care dropped precipitously.When members of the Cancer AidCommittee observed the pitiable conditionof the girl child diagnosed withcancer being virtually denied treatmentby her own parents, they felt a greatdeal of revulsion.On a previous visit to the TataMemorial Hospital when they offeredfinancial assistance to the parents ofcancer-affected children, they hadpleaded with the authorities to allowthe girl patients to survive (a plea bestmade to their parents).Perhaps the gods above heard thegroup of affected children. The sightof girls brought no morbid, perversedelight to them but a glimmer of hopethat perhaps the tide was beginning toturn.The second gut-wrenching aspectwas that the parents of cancer-affectedpatients spent almost their entire lifesavings in order to offer the best treatmentand to pay for the costly medicines.But did anybody know whathappened when the patient passedaway despite the best medical care?Often, the bereaved relatives were leftholding the body. Rendered almostpenniless, they could not meet eventhe funeral expenses.On learning of this during a visit in2011, Shernaz Vakil had spontaneouslyoffered a donation of Rs. 50,000to what the Tata Memorial authoritiescalled a “Bereavement” fund.In the course of this year’s visit, thegroup of Rotarians was surprised tolearn that that contribution had beenmuch appreciated. But the socialworker, Ms Shalini, added there wasalways a need for more money.HTEC, TalwadaZinia Lawyerprayer. As if in answer to that, when As if on cue, two members, KhurshedPoonawala and Hoshang Nazir,PP Dr. Rumi JehangirIScores of concerned, kind-hearted they visited the Tata Memorial Hospitalon September 13, they noted that immediately donated Rs. 25,000 eachn its 35th year, the Hasanali donors readily put their hands intoTobaccowala Eye Centre has often their pockets to offer funds for the there was more than one girl in the to the “Bereavement” fund.June 25 to July 1, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 15
Page 1 and 2: Vol. 54 Issue No. 52 Mumbai June 25
Page 3 and 4: Wear this Rotary lapel pin every da
Page 5 and 6: Welcome, Ambassador. Ramesh Narayan
Page 7 and 8: for an ambitious project for women
Page 9 and 10: “On a more selfish note,” saidA
Page 11 and 12: new memories were thrust upon themi
Page 13: Wales Act of 1909 as an autonomousb
Page 17 and 18: mark in the world of sports. The sc
Page 19 and 20: the mail. It has been simply incred
Page 21 and 22: from Canada where one family hadtak
Page 23 and 24: Apart from the above, the Committee
Page 25 and 26: studies. This had proved to be a bi
Page 27 and 28: that could come in handy while deal
Page 29 and 30: lege believed it had made a small c
Page 31 and 32: Peace march on 26/11, the day of in

Download PDF - Rotary Club of Bombay

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?