Gateway 120711.pmd - Rotary Club of Bombay

THE GATEWAYTHE BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BOMBAYVol. 53 Issue No. 2 Mumbai July 12 to July 18, 2011 Pages 12 Price Rs. 3/-For Private Circulation OnlyRabindranath Tagore, Dylan Thomas,the Rig Veda, Helen Keller,the Bible, an anonymous Hindustanipoet, Pope Paul and William Shakespeare.That would make for a deadlycombination any day. And it was,indeed, one.A terrific combination of thoughtsand quotations that could be ascribedto the above (and to a few other menand women of letters) vied with oneanother and strove to find expressionto describe feelings, ideas and ideologiesat the first meeting of the RotaryClub of Bombay for 2011-12. Themeeting, that was held on Tuesday,July 5, 2011, had history written allover it.It was for the first time in the 82-year history of the Rotary Club ofBombay that a Rotary InternationalPresident was the chief guest at whatis euphemistically called “the installationmeeting” of a Club.R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee andFirst Lady Binota were stopped intheir tracks as they were about tostep into the Crystal Room and weregiven an unbelievable welcome – atraditional Parsi welcome that fewnon-Parsis would have seen.Arin Master, attired in a green saridraped in the typical Parsi style, welcomedthe First Couple by softly utteringa prayer and waving (makingcircles in the air) five times, first aI’m still in awe of the Rotary Club of Bombay,says R.I. President Kalyan Banerjeewww.rotaryclubbombay.orgA HISTORIC MEETING IN MORE WAYS THAN ONERotary International PresidentKalyan Banerjee, although he isnow at the pinnacle of the Rotarymovement, says that he is still in aweof the Rotary Club of Bombay.Speaking as chief guest at the firstmeeting of the new Rotary year heldon July 5, 2011, he surprised memberswith his candid confession andadmitted to feeling “like a youngrookie Rotarian, holding the environmentin apprehensive awe, as I doevery time I come to the Rotary Clubof Bombay”.What was the reason for suchtrepidation? Perhaps the fact that hewas a rank newcomer when he firstTake it away. From one ‘P’ to another – IPP Pradeep Saxena affixes the President’s pin on his successor, PaulGeorge. And Paul reciprocates by pinning his predecessor with an IPP lapel pin. This is the annual ritual of changethat occurs throughout the Rotary world on July 1 every yearcoconut and then an egg, before theFirst Guests.She was quickly followed by RitaDalal who was armed with an aartithaali and who applied a vermilliontikka on the First Foreheads.Rotaryann Devina Shah, who hadbeen biding her time, also steppedforward to place huge, colourful garlandsaround the First Necks.As soon as she had done that,young Interactors of Fort ConventSchool, accompanied by a few Rotaractorsfrom H.R. College, burst intosong, singing We are the world to theaccompaniment of a guitar-strummingmusician.came to the Club thirty years ago as aDistrict Governor and felt dwarfedby towering personalities like Dr.Shantilal Mehta, Ambalal Kilachandand Naval Ardeshir.On a more serious note, the R.I.President said that he had very littleto say and hardly any advice to giveregarding service projects to Clubs inIndia. On the contrary, when he cameto India he observed things here andwent back with ideas for projects toshare with other Clubs in the world.This was because “no one doesmore Community Service than theRotary Clubs in India. And in India,yours is one of the most achievingFinally, it was time for Kalyan toascend the stage and Binota to occupythe first table as the Rotary Club ofBombay got down to making history.There was a long list of tasks to beaccomplished, innumerable Rotarians,Officers, District dignitaries,Committee Chairpersons to be recognisedand/or introduced and inspirationalspeeches to be made. In thenormal course, this would have meanta long, meandering meeting, with nocontrol over time. But new PresidentPaul George had things well undercontrol. With the entire programmewell etched in his memory (andprinted on computer sheets, lest anyonemissed a cue), he conducted theproceedings with aplomb, keeping astrict watch on the time, and allowedit to overshoot the time limit by onlya few minutes. A creditable performance,indeed.First off, he conducted the formalpart of the meeting, which includedwelcoming and recognising R.I. PresidentKalyan Banerjee, the guests,whether from R.I. (Ashok Mahajan,a Rotary Foundation Trustee, waspresent) or the District, Presidentsof other Clubs and so on, and theninvited his predecessor, IPP PradeepSaxena, to address the Club.(Please see Page 2)Districts, District 3140. And in District3140, you are one of the mostservice-oriented and outstandingClubs. So what do I tell you aboutwhat you are supposed to do?”Nonetheless, Kalyan did ask membersto ponder over the fact that eventhough Rotary had been showing tremendousgrowth in the country, Indiaalso had the dubious distinctionof being at the third position as far asthe number of Rotarians leaving Clubswas concerned. Nobody noticed thisbecause the number of Rotarians wasgrowing at a brisk rate.Kalyan also displayed a rare humorousstreak when he invited membersto attend the R.I. Convention inBangkok in May, 2012. Pointing outthat Rotary was more of a family affair,he told the tale of a Rotarian inNorth India who told him that hewould attend the Bangkok Convention,but all by himself. Asked why,he replied, “Half the cost and doublethe fun!” But, he had said to him, thiswon’t do – Yeh nahin chalega!(See Page 6 for Kalyan’s speech)

‘I don’t have Excalibur, I don’t have a sacred thread or holy water’It has been a wonderful year, thanks to all of you. IPP Pradeep Saxena bids a fond farewell at the last meeting. In the picture at right, Paul George makeshis debut as President in the august company of Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee and District Governor Vijay JalanIPP Pradeep Saxena bid a fond farewellto his fellow members in hischaracteristic style.He said: “Paul, I don’t haveExcalibur, I don’t have a sacred threadto bind you with and I don’t have holywater to sprinkle upon you. What Ido have is a pin which is a symbol ofthe greatest movement in the worldtoday. I think everyone needs to be aproud Rotarian at this time... to be ledby someone of your stature.”With that, he affixed the President’spin to Paul George’s lapel and wishedhim all success.Referring to R.I. President KalyanBanerjee, he said that it was a singularhonour and a unique privilege to havehim attending the first meeting of theClub. “This is indeed a great day.”Recalling a few lines from Gitanjali,Pradeep said that the Nobel Laureate,Rabindranath Tagore, wrote about aperson’s “clear stream of reason (that)runs no risk whatsoever of ever gettinglost in the dreary desert sand ofdead habit”. Those who had readGeetanjali would realise that in Paulthe Rotary Club of Bombay had anepitome of such a person, he stated.“I referred to him (Paul George) asa rock at the last meeting; in Paul wehave somebody who has tirelesslystriven through his professional life,through his work in Rotary, towardsbettering the lives of people in oursociety who are more challenged thanwe are.“And I would like to tell the RotaryInternational President, who exhortedRotarians around the world atthe R.I. Convention on May 25 in thewords of Dylan Thomas not to gogently into the good night... (that) underPaul the members of this Club willdefinitely not go gently into that goodnight,” Pradeep added.President Paul George reciprocatedPradeep’s gesture by affixing an ImmediatePast President’s pin onPradeep’s lapel. He also presented himwith an album of photographs takenduring his year as President and abound volume of the 52 issues of TheGateway brought out during the year.Paul pointed out that Pradeep hadled the Club wonderfully over the pastyear.“You would have realised that hecomes along with a certain degree ofcharm and wit, but don’t let that foolyou. Behind that facade is a very sharpbrain. We’ve seen that in operationduring the course of the last year. Thankyou, Pradeep, for having led us sowonderfully.”Finally, as members applauded theoutgoing President, Paul George pre-sented him with a glittering silver salveras a memento for Pradeep to remindhim of the year he spent as Presidentof the Club.The following text inscribed on thesalver was read out by Paul George:The Rotary Club of Bombay gratefullyrecognises Pradeep Saxena,President 2010-2011, for his dedicatedservices to our Club and to the Rotarymovement. An outstanding leader whoserved the Club with simplicity, ensuringthat all our actions and deeds wereof ethical standards...– Rotarian Paul GeorgePresident, 2011-12President Paul continued with thenext item on the agenda, which wassupposed to be his own speech, butdigressed for a moment.He announced that Arun Masterhad made a generous donation of Rs.13 lakhs for the service activities ofthe Club. Although he made a fewmore announcements about contributionsbeing received (from SitaramShah, Nirav Shah and others), detailedreports about the donations received(and still being received) will appearin the next issue of The Gateway. Hethen commenced his own speech:(Please see Page 3)President Paul George greets Sweta Vakil, Vice-President of the InnerWheel Club of BombayMembers hear Pradeep and Paul in pin-drop silence. The attendance figure of nearly 300 members and guests was a record that had not beenachieved for quite some timeJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 2

‘I am doubly blessed,’ says President Paul GeorgePresident Paul George, who assumedoffice at the stroke of mid-results. At present it covered three make”.do that the Club simply had tomunicipal schools), had shown great scope of the social impact that we can haps to occupy the top spot. But tonight on June 30, said he was deeplytouched by the fact that he had beenelected President of the Club by hisfellow members. He had no words todescribe the signal honour that hadcome his way by the fact that RotaryInternational had an illustrious Indianlike Kalyan Banerjee as President duringthe same year, 2011-12.“We would enjoy this uniquehonour and bask in your reflectedglory, Kalyanda!”The Rotary Club of Bombay hadundertaken several programmes andprojects in the fight against poverty,illiteracy, neglect and discrimination.While these were a humble attempt toimprove the quality of life of the disadvantaged,it was now time to reachfor new horizons, to realise newdreams and to gear up to meet freshchallengesTouching on the plans and the visionfor the year ahead, Paul said thatthe Club had over 45 Committees, allof them engaged in useful activities.These would continue their meaningfulwork as before. However, therewould be sharper focus on providingwider coverage in some thrust areas.At Talwada, where the health andenvironmental concerns of the residentswere being addressed throughthe signature project, the HasanaliTobaccowala Eye Centre, and by theAjit Deshpande Medical Centre, it wasplanned to offer complete or 360-degreecoverage. This would be donethrough the junior college, the first ofits kind in the area, for the adivasi andtribal students.This project had been made possibledue to the munificent contributionof Rs. 35 lakhs made by BharatTaparia. Completion and commissioningof this college would top the Club’ssocial agenda.The Bhavishya-Yaan project,which was “a mission to a brighterfuture” (offering skills-enhancement tounderprivileged children in Bombay’smunicipal schools; this year, it wasplanned to add one more school.In the area of non-structured educationalefforts, stress would be laidon the Vocational Training and NightStudy Centres which were a joint venturewith the Bombay YMCA. Thestudents from these centres had doneexceptionally well at the recent Boardexaminations (with the topper at themunicipal schools scoring a whopping92%).President Paul said that the thirdarea of focus would be the senior citizens.Indian society placed great stresson respecting the elders. Acutely awareof this fact, the Club was likely topartner the Kewal Dham Vriddhashramin North Bombay to provideassisted living to senior citizens.“We are committed to ensure thatthose who planted the seeds of growthrest in the shade during their sunsetyears.”Having touched on service projects,President Paul then turned to two issuesthat had been worrying him. Thefirst of these was his concern aboutmembers being unable to find the timefor Club projects.“You, my fellow Rotarians, arebusy men and women and I know thatyour profession takes precedence. Butif you look around the world, you willfind that somebody who was exceptionallybusy invariably found the timeto come up with something exceptional.It is even said, ‘Give a busyman a project and he will commit himselfin such a manner that he uses hisprecious time judiciously and achieveshis goal expeditiously’.”The second issue was what hecalled the “poverty of ambition”. Hedreaded this the most because “for aClub of our vintage, a Club of our size,membership profile and legacy thatwe have inherited, we must not shyaway from breaking new ground, expandingand scaling up our presentoperations, thereby increasing thePaul said that in a world where compassionand understanding appearedto be in short supply, service was aunique philosophy worthy of one’stime and talent and deserving of dedication.Since he had already spokenabout time, he would dwell on talentand treasures.(In an aside, he said, “I can sensemy friends and buddies muttering undertheir breath – here goes Pope Paulwith his homily and getting intopreaching mode. But it would be ratherpresumptuous on my part to preachto the converted. However, do indulgeme for a few moments. Besides, thishalo needs to be justified!”)Most Rotarians were gifted andextremely talented, whether in the fieldof arts, culture, music, professionalexpertise or leadership skills; thanksto this, they could play the role ofmentors, personal coaches and guidesto the underprivileged. This wouldalso have the additional benefit of helpingto multiply these talents withinthe community they served.Turning to the third ‘T’, he said itwas about treasure. Some of those whowere unable to give of their time ortheir talent were blessed with a greatdeal of treasure and wealth. He justwanted to remind them that all religionscarried a similar message, viz.,“To whom much is given, much is expected”.Even the Scriptures encouragedeveryone to give freely.While the Rig Veda stated that “Hewho gives liberally goes straight to thegods; on the high ridge of heaven hestands exalted”, the Bible said, “Giveand it will be given unto you... for themeasure you give will be the measureyou get back”. (As far as he was concerned,“I’d like to think you’d getback a lot more”.)President Paul recalled that Kalyanhad rated the Rotary Club of Bombayamong the top five Clubs of the worlda few years ago; but now it was timeto move up a few notches and per-strengthen and improve its track recordin International Service.Rotary offered innumerable Scholarships;it had even started a Peaceand Conflict Resolution Programmerecently. But the Club did not appearto have spotted these opportunities(which any other Club of similar sizewould have grabbed).“We need to show greater appreciationfor the service rendered by TheRotary Foundation. It is the duty ofour Club to support The Foundationmore rigorously and with renewedvigour than in the past. That is essentialif we are to act with the larger picturein mind.“I am reminded of Helen Keller whoonce said, ‘It is for us to pray not fortasks equal to our powers, but forpowers equal to our tasks’. There area great many tasks that lie ahead of us.“In closing, I would like to turn toShakespeare. I hope the Bard will notturn in his resting place as I take libertywith one of his popular quotationsand adapt it to our settings. Hewrote, ‘If music be the food of love,then, play on!’ But I would adapt itto, ‘If charity and service be the foodof love, then, play on!’“Let charity and service work inharmony and symphony, therebyleading to the creation of an unchainedmelody. Let’s make music together,music that sounds melodious and mellifluous,not just to our ears but tothose who we wish to serve unconditionally.We can. We must.”There was loud applause as PresidentPaul completed his talk. He thenrequested Sabira Merchant and (Dr.)Sonya Mehta to take on the responsibilityof introducing the Club’s Office-Bearers,Directors and CommitteeChairpersons for the year.Sabira and Sonya did an outstandingjob of requesting Office-Bearers,Directors, Chairpersons, Co-Chairsand others to rise and approach thestage as their names were called out sothat they could be introduced to members(and photographed, too).Finally, it was time to introduce the“Club XI” that would serve District3140 during the year. As the memberswalked to the stage, District GovernorVijay Jalan said he had decided toadd one more member from the Clubto his District team.IPP Pradeep Saxena was requestedto join the “Club XI” and DG Vijayfor a group photograph. He wouldlook after Public Relations at the Districtlevel.After a brief introduction by PresidentPaul, it was time for DistrictGiving them the traditional Parsi welcome. Arin Master waves a coconut and then an egg before the chief Governor Vijay Jalan, who was theguests, R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee and Binota. Next, ‘aarti’, ‘tilak’ and a thick, red garland – Rita guest of honour, to address the Club.Dalal and Devina Shah continue where Arin left off, welcoming the Banerjees in a traditional manner(Please see Page 5)July 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 3

They will lead the Club in the new Rotary year. The Office-Bearers pose for a keepsake after their introduction to members at the last meeting. From left to right:Hon. Joint Secretary Sitaram Shah, Vice-President Nirav Shah, President-Elect Nowroze Vazifdar, President Paul George, IPP Pradeep Saxena, Hon. SecretaryJagdish Malkani and Hon. Treasurer Ishraq Contractor. In the centre are the Directors of the Club. The only absentee was Shailesh Haribhakti who could notmake it on account of some pressing professional work. But all the others were present (from left), Dr. Vandana Bulchandani, Arjun Jolly, Suresh Goklaney, AshokMinawala, Arin Master, President Paul, Vineet Bhatnagar and Framroze Mehta. (Right) Nowroze Vazifdar, who is the Director in charge of Club Service – NewMembers, with his entire team. From left to right, PP Sandip Agarwalla, Nirav Shah, Nowroze, President Paul, PP Ashish Vaid and PP Dr. Kekoo KavaranaFramroze Mehta, who is the Director in charge of Club Service – Programmes and Meetings, stands next to President Paul George. Others, from right to left, areHiren Kara, Roda Billimoria, Moy Biswas, Ritu Desai, Renu Basu, Shernaz Vakil, Pranay Vakil, Dolly Thakore, Arvind Agarwal and Farokh Balsara. (Centre) Thenext group to pose for a group photograph was the Committee for Community Service – Medical, with Dr. Vandana Bulchandani in charge. Others in the picture areFarokh Balsara, Shyyamniwas Somani, PP Dr. Rumi Jehangir, PP Dr. Rahim Muljiani, President Paul George, Dr. Vandana, Dr. Sorab Javeri, Dr. Mala Jagtiani andZinia Lawyer. (Right) Although Director Shailesh Haribhakti could not make it to the meeting, his team, Community Service – Non-Medical, did pose for a group photowith President Paul. Among those in this picture are, from left, Naresh Kumar Jain, PP Kalpana Munshi, Ratan Tankha and Dr. Aashish ContractorAnd then it was time for the team that will be engaged in Vocational Service under the leadership of Vineet Bhatnagar. The team consists of Nelum Gidwani, SureshJagtiani, Sameer Tapia and Priyasri Patodia. Nelum and Priyasri are missing from this photograph, (Centre) They will perform International Service. PresidentPaul and Director Ashok Minawala with Chairpersons PP Arvind Jolly, PP Arun Sanghi, (Dr.) Sonya Mehta and Pradeep Chinai. The latter two are in charge ofFund-Raising. (Right) Arin Master will look after New Generations – Education. The Chairpersons with her and President Paul George are (from left) FreyazShroff, Ashok Jatia, Manojj Kumar Patodia and Manish Reshamwala. Bipin Kapadia and Poonam Kumar were unable to attend the meetingNew Generations – Youth will be tended by Director Arjun Jolly. He will coordinate the projects to be undertaken by Chairpersons Bimal Mehta, Mehul Sampat, MeeraAlreja, Shahzad Qadir, Deepak Kapadia and Ravindra Fotedar. (Centre) The various District Thrust Areas will be taken care of by Suresh Goklaney. His Chairpersonsare Sunny Pariyaram, Jaidev Merchant, Dilnavaz Variava, Madhusudan Daga and PP Rajnikant Reshamwala. (Right) And these are the Trustees of the Rotary Club ofBombay Charities Trust No. 3 (from left), PP Dr. Rahim Muljiani, PP Arun Sanghi and PP Arvind Jolly. The fourth Trustee, PP Dr. Adi Dastur, did not attend the meetingJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 4

‘We look forward to the time when you will be theNo. 1 Club in the world’District Governor Vijay Jalan saidhe always enjoyed visiting theClub because he looked at it as an institutionthat did phenomenal work.Its members were not only the Who’sWho of the District but also of industry.He especially recalled the namesof Sir Phiroze Sethna, Sir ShapoorjeeBillimoria, Dr. Shantilal Mehta andJimmy Guzder who was a doyen ofthe (logistics) industry.Besides, the Rotary Club ofBombay had sired his Home Club, theRotary Club of Bombay North, 50years ago and he considered it to be“the big daddy of our Club”.Governor Vijay said that the RotaryClub of Bombay exemplified thetruism about ability and availabilitybeing two sides of the same coin. Allthe members of the Club were ableand always available for any cause forthe needy and the underprivileged; andthis was the hallmark of the Club.IPP Pradeep Saxena had led theClub with distinction in the year goneby and had been recognised at the recentDistrict Shukriya (thanksgiving)programme when he was presentedwith a gold medal for the best performingClub.Similarly, in President Paul the Clubhad a fine gentleman, a committed andknowledgeable Rotarian, the perfectchoice to lead the Club in 2011-12.But whether it was ranked at No. 2or No. 3 in the Rotary world, it had towork extremely hard, for, when onewas at the top, one simply had to workharder to retain one’s top position; infact, there was a saying to the effectthat “There is plenty of room at thetop, but there is no room to sit down”.Therefore, the Club would have to keepmoving and work harder to stay at thetop.“I was very happy when Paul waschallenged by Roda Billimoria fromthat end (of the Crystal Room) to saythat we will be No. 1 in the wholeworld. That’s the biggest challenge; welook forward to the year when youwill be the No. 1 Club in the wholeworld.”Turning to the District Thrust Areas,Governor Vijay said the Club hadalready taken up some of them. Hewould only underline two or three ofthem.Apart from solar power, he wantedClubs to get involved with water management.As Governor, he would encourageevery Club to build at leastone check dam during the year. Thiswould result in the creation of 123check dams in the District by the endof the year.Similarly, he was urging all Clubs toadopt one street in the communitythey served. By transforming it intoan ideal street (with a signboard sayingthat the street had been “adopted”by a particular Rotary Club), the Clubwould be able to project a good imageof itself and earn accolades for theRotary movement.Governor Vijay said that anotherarea of service that he was promotingwas a skin bank. The District had anoutstanding skin bank in Airoli whichhad been developed by the RotaryClub of Bombay North in collaborationwith the Euro Skin Bank. Overthe years, doctors had been using potatopeel because no skin was available.And 90% of people died becauseof burns since there was no skin available.“I request you to promote skinIt’s always apleasure visitingthe Rotary Clubof Bombay.DistrictGovernor VijayJalan speaks asthe guest ofhonour at thefirst meeting ofthe new Rotaryyeardonation. I am leaving a CD which better source of inspiration to startwill tell you everything about skin the new Rotary year.donation.”His inspiration was embedded inHe requested members to take the thought-provoking Theme that hegreater part in District events so that had chosen for the year, viz., Reachmembers of other Clubs would be inspiredWithin to Embrace Humanity. Fur-to do better. Asking them to ther, he believed that Rotary had toparticipate in large numbers in the become the preferred organisation toDistrict Conference which would be join and participate in, to make theheld in Hotel Renaissance on February11world a better, safer and happier place.and 12, 2012, Governor Vijay Kalyan had served Rotary withtold members that R.I. President great distinction over the last four decades,Kalyan Banerjee expected a large contingentas District Governor,from the city to attend the R.I. President’s Representative, CommitteeConvention in Bangkok in May, 2012.and Task Force Chair, Rotary“I am sure you will do wonders in Foundation Trustee and Director. HeThe Rotary Foundation which is dear had also been a member of the Internationalto all of us. I have just been told byPolioPlus Committee, head-District Co-Chairman Nirav Shah that ing initiatives that had spurredyou have decided to contribute $200 Rotary’s eradication efforts in India.per capita, which is about $66,000; I “Our country is on the verge ofam happy to hear that.”eradicating polio. It is our earnestThe Governor then requested Assistantprayer, and it would be only befitting,Governor Arun Todarwal to that this dreaded disease is wiped outstep forward and present a “Commitmentduring his tenure as President.”Certificate” to President Paul A voracious reader who carried atGeorge. The Club would henceforth least two books on his travels, atbe called the “Golden Heart Club” present he was reading the biographybecause it was committing to give $200 of Nelson Mandela. His favouriteper capita to The Foundation. magazines were The Economist and“It is said that great things can be TIME which he had not missed readingdone with a lot of love; and thatsince 1961.miracles happen when you do things President Paul said that Kalyan waswith love. I’m sure the Rotarians of a yoga enthusiast and practitioner andthis fine Club will serve with lots of faithfully performed his asanas forlove and produce miracles and while about 45 minutes every day.serving the community they will Leading by example, he was a majorReach Within to Embrace Humanity,”donor, a Benefactor and BequestGovernor Vijay Jalan added. Society member of The Rotary Foundation.Finally, President Paul introducedIn recognition of his contribu-R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee, the tion, he had been conferred The Rotarychief guest at the meeting.Foundation Citation for merito-He said it was for the first time in rious and distinguished service.the history of the Rotary Club of When asked what role he wouldBombay that the Rotary International play as President, he had said that itPresident was attending an “installationwould be that of helping the leader-meeting”. It was a privilege and a ship; his real function would be to in-Another historic installation. R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee was the chief singular honour for him as President spire, motivate and help people doguest at the first meeting of the Rotary Club of Bombay North held on July 3. of the Club to receive and welcome their work for Rotary. “One couldn’tIt was at this meeting that Vijay Jalan was formally ‘installed’ as District R.I. President Kalyan Banerjee, affectionatelyknown as Kalyanda, and his answer,” added President Paul.ask for a more simple and profoundGovernor (he is a member of the Rotary Club of Bombay North). Interestingly,the President of the Club this year is Ajeet Arenja, the spouse of Nitika graceful and charming wife Binotaji. (The President’s speech is reproducedverbatim on Page 6)Arenja and the father of Anuj Arenja, both members of the Rotary Club of Kalyan was only the third IndianBombay. From left in this picture are Nitika, PP Gul Kripalani, Rotary to occupy the position in the 106- The vote of thanks, laced with someFoundation Trustee Ashok Mahajan, Binota and R.I. President Kalyan, year history of the Rotary movement. delightful humour, was proposed byPresident Paul George, Sheila Kripalani and PP Sandip Agarwalla And he could not have asked for a President-Elect Nowroze Vazifdar.July 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 5

I feel like a rookie Rotarian, hotime I come to your Club: R.IIt was for the first time that I receiveda traditional Parsi welcomehere today. Thank you very muchfor that.We were here last year duringPradeep’s year and we met about amonth and a half month back at theR.I. Convention in New Orleans.And here we are back again in thehallowed precincts of one of India’searliest and undoubtedly best RotaryClubs, meeting in the hallowedprecincts of the Taj Mahal Hotel.As far as I am concerned, bothyour Club and this meeting placeare as iconic as can be. I love beinghere, though I must say that I holdall of you here, the members of theClub, the meeting place, the entireenvironment, in a bit of awe.I have been to Clubs in Tokyo,in London, in New York, in Washington;I was present last week atthe installation of the Rotary Clubof Chicago (it’s called Rotary One).But nowhere do I feel like a youngrookie Rotarian, holding the environmentin apprehensive awe, as Ido every time I come to the RotaryClub of Bombay.I have thought about this manytimes and wondered why it is so.Perhaps it’s because these are theplaces where I started my Rotarylife as a young incoming Governor30 years ago, way back in 1980 – Iheld the place in awe then, and I doso, inevitably and unavoidably,even today!Along with the awe there is asense of respect and appreciationfor the work that you do, the spiritof Rotary that you emanate, themeetings that you organise everynot getting my American visa andhad it not been for Gul I wouldprobably not have got it in time.There is Dolly Thakore withwhom I have been in correspondence;Kalpana Munshi, ArvindJolly and Sandip Agarwalla; I haveknown Sandip and his family foryears, including his father, and Ihope to see more of him in Rotary,in the District, as we go along.Sabira Merchant, another icon ofyour Club, and Indu Shahani whois not here today...Each one of them is a very specialindividual. But, as I have mentioned,there is no Past DistrictGovernor of recent vintage. I thinkthat’s something you need to lookat... and please don’t just nod andsay yes.I thank you once again for havingus back on the occasion of PaulGeorge taking over to lead yourClub. I’m sure from what I haveseen of him that he will do a greatjob.When I visit Rotary Clubs in India,I don’t need to talk much aboutwhat to do in the coming year becauseactually I take ideas from youto the rest of the world. No onedoes more Community Service thanthe Rotary Clubs in India. And inIndia, yours is one of the mostachieving Districts, District 3140.And in District 3140, you are oneof the most service-oriented andoutstanding Clubs. So what do I tellyou about what you are supposedto do?Your work in Talwada which Ihave followed in your bulletin foryears, where you are now going toMaybe you can even join handswith the State government in carryingout some of the initiatives thatthe government wants done; theyhave the resources, the money isavailable – but they don’t havegood, reliable people to take thosejobs forward. That’s why they arelooking at organisations such asRotary to take them on.We are doing that effectively inGujarat, in Delhi, in West Bengal...maybe you would like to look atthat and take it forward? Find outwhat the other issues are and tryand solve them. Find out what willimprove the quality of life in yourcommunity and address that as bestas you can, as you have alwaysdone.Carry on doing more, because theneed for work keeps growing andour work is never going to be done.Let me add that Rotary FoundationTrustee Ashok Mahajan(seated in the audience) is tryingvery hard to make The Foundationcollection from India one of the highestever. I was at the formal installationmeeting of your GovernorVijay Jalan on Sunday and, lo andbehold! in one meeting your Districtcollected $210,000! Let me tellyou that this doesn’t happen anywherein the world. Governor Vijaywas telling me that he has alreadygone up to $50,000. And in threeAn outstanding exposition. R.I. President Kahands with other organisations, incluSharing ideas with the District Governor. Kalpreparing to help the government complete pweek, meetings like this one; and have a junior college...days’ time! I don’t know how you Bouquets for the Banerjees. Sheila presents flothe bulletin that you publish every Your work with senior citizens... do it.walks down from the podium to offer aweek, the one that I look forwardto; it is always on time, it is picture-perfectin every way and isprobably the one that I see everytime in the world (wherever I maybe).Iconic as each of these are,equally iconic are the members intheir own way, going back to PastDistrict Governors Dr. ShantilalMehta, Ambalal Kilachand, NavalNow, that’s an initiative that Rotaryhas not really taken up. But Iappreciate it and perhaps sometimeduring my term as President I amgoing to take it up as a programmeof Rotary International as well.You have set me thinking about it.Then, the work that you do withthe youth, the Interactors, theRotaractors... they are always veryactive, they are always on the go.The Governor was also tellingme that your (Club’s) target is about$60,000. Perhaps you would liketo raise it to $100,000? This is avery special year, the year whenyou have a Rotary InternationalPresident from India – and surelyyou’re not going to disappoint yourGovernor!I trust that The Rotary FoundationTrustees will shortly okay theArdeshir... I remember Naval and There is almost nobody as active in low-cost shelters that we have been That’s a lovely album. Governor Vijay Jalan presejoining him in meetings here. In working with youth as you have trying to get approved for a very The covers were released by Indian Post. Atthose days you used to have lunchbefore the meeting; and sometimeswe had to extend the lunch a littlebit while Naval finished it beforecoming on to the meeting! (Is thatwhy you will lunch after the meetingtoday? I don’t know, but I enjoyedthose meetings.)As to your current roster of specialRotarians, there is Gul Kripalaniwho was such a help in making surebeen amongst the many Clubs thatI have seen all over the world.So there you are... I have notcome here to tell you what to do,but to see what you are doing andwhat I can take home from you.In the coming year 2011-12, Iwould urge you to also look at meetingthe community’s needs by joininghands, if you will, with otherorganisations, with other NGOs andlong time. It used to be a Foundationprogramme some years back,but for various reasons they cancelledit. Now, with my coming back(and they know how much I pushedthose programmes) and with Ashoksupporting it, I guess we will havea programme for low-cost shelters.I know that you have been doingit (low-cost shelters) with Habitatfor Humanity for many years. Butthat I could go as Rotary President with major corporations; perhaps this time you may be able to do Taking his autograph. Shyyamniwas Somani soto my office (in the USA); I was you have started looking at that. low-cost shelters on your own. The other members did the same. In the second pJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 6

lding everything in awe, every. President Kalyan BanerjeeThat plan predicts that in the It may not be a big issue today,next ten years Asia, and in Asia but as India grows socially and economically,maybe India and perhaps China,the loss of membershipwill become the driving force of is certainly going to be a big issue inRotary International. It will no the days to come. We are happy tolonger happen from America. see our old big-wigs, the Past DistrictAnd who knows what will happenGovernors, the movers andshelters totally change the life of aat that time? Perhaps ten or shakers carry on in Rotary, but whyfamily, they start to look at things twenty years down the line the headquartersare we losing in the ranks?differently.of Rotary International Well, now it’s time for me toApart from these, the Board of might shift from Evanston to wind up. But there is one thing thatDirectors in this Rotary year is Geneva, or maybe to Singapore – I would like to add as I end my talk.looking at ways to enhance Rotary’s and I am not mentioning Bombay I am looking forward to the nextpublic image not only at the Club purposely at this point in time. time we meet, you and I, perhapslevel, but also at the District, the Let me quickly touch on an area in this very Rotary year. No, it mayZonal and the country level. I urge or two that I know we need to engagenot be in these premises, in youryou to start locally and then expandin.Club; it may not even be in yourglobally, to embrace humanityThe first of these is working city or in the country. But Binotaalyan Banerjee exhorts Rotary Clubs to joinglobally as far as Rotary’s pub-with youth. Yes, we have Rotaract, and I are looking forward to meet-uding NGOs and State governmentslic image is concerned. We are seekingInteract and EarlyAct (in some ing all of you in Bangkok at the R.I.out resources to drive this ini-parts of the world). But let us look Convention of the decade.tiative forward.at those who have grown beyond Come one, come all! Please comeWe are also looking at New Generations,Rotaract but have not yet been in-for the next Convention in BangkokRotaract, Interact and vited to join Rotary. Can you try from May 6 to 9, 2012. Prepara-EarlyAct. I don’t know whether you and see whether you can involve tions are on in full swing. Andare familiar with EarlyAct. This is a them in some way, can you reach please come with your family.group of youngsters who are encouragedout to them before others reach out (I was in North India the otherto become active even before to them? As you know, I’ve been day when I met a gentleman andthey join Interact. They are not a talking about changing the colours asked him whether he was comingformal part of Rotary yet, but perhapsof Rotary, going from grey to green. to Bangkok. He said yes, he was. Iwill become a part of it. So let’s reach out to those (who have asked, will you bring your family?lyan and Vijay at the last meeting; were they We are also looking at new ways grown beyond Rotaract but have He said no, I won’t. When I askedprojects that would benefit the community? to communicate in the 21st century; not yet been invited to join Rotary) why, he said, it’s very simple, halfnot only through the media, but and hold their hands.the cost and double the fun!)also through social networking, enhancingLet me now share with you a fact But I say, this won’t do – Yehour connectivity, and thus that’s not very well known or talked nahin chalega! Let us rememberour collective strength, many times about, at least in India.that Rotary is a family event and ifover.We are all very proud of India’s you come together with everybody,This is an age when one and one growth in Rotary, that we add the you will enjoy a Rotary Conventionand one and one don’t make four largest number of members everylike almost nothing else. Sobut make 1,111. How can we do year, and that we have some of the come with your family to make itthat, how can we add value, this is youngest members. (I was very an affair to remember, to make thewhat we are trying to see as far as happy to see a number of younger Convention a truly memorableRotary is concerned. That’s the people here.)event.wers to the R.I. President and President Paul connectivity that we are trying to But what is not known well Will you come? (There are manybunch of flowers to his spouse Binota aim at.enough, or even talked about, is that ayes from the audience.) That’sAs we try to develop our own while we go on adding the largest more like it!social network and as we read about number of new members every year Let me end by thanking you forthem on the web... we will be happy in Rotary, we are also amongst the inviting me and Binota because Ito have your inputs, because I believetop losers of Rotary members ev-love being with all of you. And letthat the smartest, most imagieryyear. In fact, India is the third me share this little couplet before Inative and most innovative highest in losing members every go:Rotarians anywhere in the world year. Can you believe that? And didZindagi tab behatar hoti hai jab humcome from India, from amongst all you know that? At least I didn’t.of you. I would like your inputs But because we add so many newkhush hote hainand I really mean it. I often talk members our losses are not seen, Zindagi tab behatareen hoti hai jababout it and, what’s more, when I understood or appreciated.aapki wajah se hum doosron koents a set of first day covers to Kalyan Banerjee. go to other parts of the world, the Therefore, I ask you today, khush kar sakte hain.t right, Kalyan interacts with Sitaram Shah Rotarians there happily admit it, both as a Club and as a District,they don’t deny it, they are happy can we find out why are we losingso many members? If we areThis is what you are doing into acknowledge it.your Club, you are making othersYou would have heard of good, if we are doing good, if wehappy. And this is the reason whyRotary’s new Strategic Plan. I don’t are looking good, why are we losingall of us can be happier.know if you feel it is strategicmembers? Can you find out Thank you for being happy your-enough or whether The Rotary what is the number of losses in selves, thank you for making othersFoundation Future Vision is the real District 3140, in your own Club?happy and thank you for mak-way forward for our organisation. And what would you like to do? ing Binota and me the happiest ofPersonally, I feel that Clubs and Would you like to do something all.Districts in India are well ahead of about it? In other words, is retention(The members give a spontane-both the plans and we want to looksomething that we just ous standing ovation to Rotary In-ought and received Kalyan’s autograph. Many beyond the Strategic Plan as it talk about in Rotary, or should ternational President Kalyanpicture, Kalyan is joined by Dolly Thakore stands today.we be doing something about it? Banerjee.)July 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 7

Rotary Foundation Trustee Ashok Mahajan is flanked by PDG Bansi Dhurandhar and his own spouse, Nayantara, at the lunch table. In the second picture,Assistant Governor Arun Todarwal presents Paul with a plaque after he announced the Club’s commitment to make a per capita contribution of $200 to TheRotary FoundationHis spirit is as tough (and willing) as before, but perhaps the flesh is turning weak. PDG Manibhai Doshi attended the last meeting immediately after beingdischarged from hospital following a sudden illness. Commiserating with him are Binota, PP Kalpana Munshi and District First Lady Kiran Jalan.(Right) A keepsake of the Club's First family. Sheila and Paul with their son Reuben Their daughter Rebekah is at present in the United StatesTake it easy, everything is going well, with clockwork precision. President Paul George is reassured by (Dr.) Sonya Mehta who joined Sabira Merchant tointroduce this year’s Committee Chairpersons. In the second picture, it's Juneja and Jalan. President Paul George and District Governor Vijay Jalan (centre)with Vinod Juneja at the last meetingFlowers for the man of the moment. Staff members of the Taj Mahal Hotel present a bouquet of flowers, along with their good wishes, toPresident Paul George at the conclusion of the last meeting, his first as President of the Club. And at right Paul and Sheila pose with their friends,Mr. John and Dr. Sarah MathewJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 8

‘DOUBLE DELIGHT’ FOR IPP PRADEEP SAXENAOutgoing President PradeepSaxena was caught by surprisenot once but twice within a short spanof a week as his term was coming toan end on June 30.He was a relaxed man as he headedfor the Shukriya function arranged bythe outgoing District Governor, Dr.Jayant Kulkarni, on Wednesday, June29.Just a day earlier, on June 28, hehad presided over his last meeting asPresident of the Rotary Club ofBombay and had distributed the ClubAwards to his outstanding team members.But soon after he reached the venueof the Shukriya function, he wasasked to don the robes of a don (anacademic don, no pun intended),complete with a tasselled square blackcap.Jayant and his team had given thepodium a different look, with a pictureof Bombay University’s and thecity’s iconic Rajabhai Tower and thewords “University of Rotary”printed above it. Dr. Jayant Kulkarniwas cited as the “Vice-Chancellor”.Before he knew it, Pradeep’s namewas announced and he had to walkup to the stage to receive his degree.He was invited to receive the “GoldMedal Citation” for the Best PerformingClub in District 3140.Pradeep was quite overwhelmedas he accepted the Award on behalfof the Club.The second surprise came his wayon the following Tuesday, July 5,when the Rotary Club of Bombaywas privileged to have as its chiefguest the serving President of RotaryInternational, Kalyan Banerjee.As the Committee Chairpersonswere introduced and invited for groupphotographs along with PresidentPaul George and their respective Directors,Pradeep’s mind appeared tobe elsewhere.The surprise occurred when thosemembers who had been invited toserve the District by Governor VijayJalan were invited to pose for a photographalong with him. Eleven membersof the Club were named.But Governor Vijay whisperedsomething into President Paul’s earsand he, in turn, requested his predecessorPradeep to join the team selectedto serve the District.Seeing his surprised look, the Governorstated that he would be honouredif Pradeep joined his team andlooked after Public Relations.Pradeep stepped down from thepodium to loud applause and joinedthe rest of the Club members chosento serve the District.Good luck to Pradeep!Twelve members of the Rotary Club of Bombay will serve District 3140 underthe leadership of Governor Vijay Jalan. They are, from left to right, NiravShah, PP Ashish Vaid, PP Sandip Agarwalla, PP Arvind Jolly, PP KalpanaMunshi, PP Rajnikant Reshamwala, PP Gul Kripalani, Deepak Kapadia,Alok Sekhsaria and IPP Pradeep Saxena who was a surprise last-minuteaddition to the District team. Two members, Shailesh Haribhakti and BipinKapadia were not present at the last meetingAnd here is the gold medallist! Outgoing District Governor Dr. JayantKulkarni presents Pradeep Saxena with the ‘Gold Medal Citation’ for BestPerforming Club in District 3140 at the ‘Shukriya’ function organised on thelines of a convocation ceremony on June 29. The DG acted as ‘Vice-Chancellor’ of what he called the ‘University of Rotary’Suggestions invited for Rotary and Public AwardsThe Rotary and Public Awards heroic role in midst of the 26/11 attack Past recipients include Ms Chetana Ramakrishna Bajaj Award for GoodCommittee of the Club for 2011- on the city in 2008 have been recognised Sinha, Ms Achala Joshi and the Governance12 has invited suggestions from membersfor the Awards that the Club bestowseach year.While three of the Awards are sponsoredby the Club itself, eight are sponsoredby Club members.In a communication to The Gateway,Committee Chairman NelumGidwani has listed the basic criteria forentitlement of each of the Awards. Hehas also given the names of a few pastrecipients (as an indicative yardstick)of the Awards.CLUB AWARDSCitizen of MumbaiThe person selected should havecontributed to the development, administrationand stature of the city ofMumbai and its citizens. Past recipientsinclude Mr. J.R.D. Tata, Mr. JulioRibeiro, Mr. B.G. Deshmukh, (Dr.) InduShahani and the Tata Trusts.Bravery AwardA display of outstanding bravery inprotecting property and lives wouldentitle a person to receive this Award.Some of the policemen who played awith this Award.Social ServiceIn this case, the selected personshould have a record of outstandingsocial service for the citizens ofBombay, especially the less-privilegedsections. Ms Shielu Srinivasan of theDignity Foundation and Ms ShaheenMistri of the Akanksha Foundationhave received this Award in the past.SPONSORED AWARDSSomchand Parikh Award for BestTeacherSchool teachers as well as college lecturers/professorsare eligible. Theyshould have a record of more than justacademics. The Club sends out lettersto a number of schools and other RotaryClubs in the District to make suggestionsfor this Award and an interviewprocess is then undertaken.Anita Parikh Award for Empowermentof WomenAny person who has encouragedwomen to become independent andself-sufficient and to pierce the glassceiling would be eligible for this Award.Women’s India Trust (WIT).Shyam Munshi Award for LifetimeAchievement in the Performing ArtsAn outstanding personality from theworld of cinema, drama/theatre andmusic is eligible for this Award. Pastrecipients include Mr. Dev Anand, Mr.Amitabh Bachchan, Ms Shabana Azmi,Pandit Jasraj and (Dr.) Mallika Sarabhai.Sohrab Godrej Memorial Award forScience & TechnologyThis Award is presented to a personwho has made an outstanding contributionin the field of science and technologyin the country. Some past recipientsare Dr. Madhavan Nair, Dr.Anil Kakodkar and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan.Taru Lalvani Award for Protection ofthe EnvironmentThose who have contributed to theprotection of the environment, eitherthrough teaching, research, spreadingthe word and/or opposition to environmentallyunfriendly acts, are eligible.Past recipients include Dr. R.K.Pachauri and Ms Sumaira Abdul Ali.This Award is for persons who havedemonstrated good governance in corporateaffairs or other institutions/organisations and enhanced its cause.Among the past recipients are Mr. F.S.Kohli and Mr. Kiran Karnik.Shri Pravinchandra Gandhi Awardfor Excellence in Public LifeA newly-instituted Award, it will begiven for the first time. The recipientshould have excelled for several yearsin public life in the field of people’srepresentation, social work, civic activitiesand so on.Uma Jain Award for a Young WomanAchieverAnother newly-instituted award, tobe presented for the first time. The recipientshould be below the age of 40and should have excelled in her field ofactivity, whether business, professionor social work.Chairman Nelum has requestedmembers to send their suggestions forthe above Awards as early as possible,preferably before July 31, to him at theRotary Secretariat.July 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 9

FastTrac watches made by Titanwere presented to eleven childrenof the Bhavishya-Yaan project beingimplemented at the Colaba MunicipalSchool at a function held on June25.All 23 Bhavishya-Yaan studentsfrom this school who appeared forand passed the SSC examination withflying colours were felicitated on theoccasion.As already reported, the outstandingresults achieved by students ofthe Bhavishya-Yaan project at Colabawas a huge vote of confidence in boththe Education for All Committee aswell as the NGO Vidya which hadbeen involved in the academic andother activities of the students.The members of the outgoingCommittee, which had Alok Sekhsariaas Chairman, arranged the felicitationfunction on the school premisesand invited all the successfulstudents along with one parent each.They were treated to snacks and softdrinks.Pradeep Saxena, the outgoing President,presented FastTrac watches toThe SSC brigade of the Colaba ‘Bhavishya-Yaan’Well done! Pradeep Saxena presents a wrist watch to one of the students of ‘Bhavishya-Yaan’ at the ColabaMunicipal School who passed the SSC exams with flying colours. (Centre) Hiren Kara, Ramesh Narayan andMadhusudan Daga follow the proceedings. Among those seated are Paul George and Manojj Kumar Patodia.(Right) One of the toppers speaksthose 11 students who had scored morethan 75% marks in the SSC exams.After Pradeep had presented thewatches and made a brief speech, amotivational talk was delivered byMadhusudan Daga. The four toppersfrom among the students were alsoasked to say a few words. They didso with a tremendous amount of confidence.Those who attended the programmeincluded the then President-Elect, Paul George, Manojj KumarPatodia (who Chairs the Bhavishya-Yaan Committee this year), ManishReshamwala (Committee Co-Chairthis year), Ramesh Narayan, Hirenand Bijal Kara, and Freyaz Shroff.Alok Sekhsaria and the membersof his Committee profusely thankedthe NGO Vidya whose staffworked tirelessly and helped thechildren put up an excellent performance.The main donor of Vidya, Ms AnjalMalkan, was present on the occasion.Mr. Radha Nair, the Vice-Presidentof TAS, presented backpacks to allthe 23 successful children.Also present was Ms Pratibha Paiof H.R. College. Students of the SIFEsection of this college had played akey role in the success of the schoolchildren; they had volunteered to takeup the children’s studies and guidedthem on to a better performance.An outstanding workshop by a brilliant Odissi exponentIt was an unbelievable experience, a natyam, conducted an exclusive workshopfor the students of the detailed a particular nuance of a perfixedas the performers accompany-he described an intricate step here or The wide-eyed students sat trans-rare occurrence and a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity, all rolled into one. Bhavishya-Yaan project being implementedformer there, a slight twitch of an ing “Ramli”, as he is called, helped inAnd it all happened when Mr.at the Dr. Ambedkar Munici-eyebrow or the widening of the eyes, the smooth conduct of the workshop.Ramli Ibrahim, the well-known exponentpal School in Worli on June 29. the slight tap of a delicate foot or the (His group is called Sutra Dance The-of classical Indian dance What a workshop it turned out to graceful movement of an outstretched atre).forms, especially Odissi and Bharat-be! The Master was in his element as hand.Vidya, the NGO working in partnershipwith the Bhavishya-YaanCommittee, organised the event andwas present in full strength to ensurethat it served the purpose for whichit was designed, viz., to open the students’eyes to the wonders of classicalIndian dance forms.Once Ms Rashmi Mishra, thechairperson of Vidya, had introduced“Ramli”, he simply took off on anotherplane. He explained the meaningof dance and peppered his talkwith illustrations – how a dancer couldbecome a butterfly or a flower, how adancer could show joy or anger andSee! That’s how you can become a butterfly, or even a flower. Mr. Ramli Ibrahim, the well-known exponent of classical so on. His troupe then gave a scintillatingIndian dance, especially Odissi and Bharatnatyam, conducts an exclusive workshop for the ‘Bhavishya-Yaan’ studentsdisplay of Odissi andat the Dr. Ambedkar Municipal School in Worli. Who’s more enthused? The ‘Master’ or the students?Bharatnatyam.To the utter surprise of the children,“Ramli” and his team invitedthem on to the stage. A few of thechildren did muster up the courage tojoin the dancers; and the results werenot disastrous by any stretch of theimagination. The boys and girls whojoined the trained dancers on the stageacquitted themselves quite well. Itwas fusion of a different kind.All in all, it was an outstandingprogramme; kudos to Vidya for conceivingand arranging it. Some sectionsof the media covered theprogramme in some detail.‘Ramli’ had the children transfixed as he explained various nuances of classical Indian dance forms to them. In the Manojj Kumar Patodia and Manishphotograph at right, he takes the stage himself and, having invited the students to join him, leads them by suggestingsome simple steps to get them going. His troupe members also offered dancing tips to the wide-eyed children the programme.Reshamwala were present all throughJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 10

Thanking the audience for its understanding and appreciation. Mr. RamliIbrahim and his troupe, Sutra Dance Theatre, gave a brilliant performanceat the NCPA in South Bombay. Pradeep Saxena (extreme left), along withMr. and Mrs. F.C. Kohli, was the chief guest at the programme on June 30‘RAMLI’ PERFORMSAT THE NCPAAday after their outstandingworkshop at the Dr. AmbedkarMunicipal School in Worli on June29, Mr. Ramli Ibrahim and histroupe, Sutra Dance Theatre, gavea brilliant performance at theNCPA in South Bombay.Pradeep Saxena was the chief guestat the programme which was heldon June 30, which was his last dayin office as President of the RotaryClub of Bombay. Not onlydid he light the ceremonial lamp tomark the beginning of the performance,he also presented mementoesto “Ramli” and his troupe.The NGO Vidya, which had arrangedthe “Ramli” workshop at the Dr.Ambedkar School in Worli,organised the NCPA event, too.And just as she did at Worli, Ms.Rashmi Mishra, the chairperson ofVidya, ably conducted the proceedingsat the second programme, too.Other members of the Club who attendedthe programme at theNCPA were PP RajnikantReshamwala, Ramesh Narayan,Alok Sekhsaria, Manojj KumarPatodia and Manish Reshamwala.Rotaryanns Nandita Patodia andVandana Daga were also present.‘Citizen of Mumbai’ Award forGerson da CunhaImmediate Past PresidentPradeep Saxena will present theprestigious “Citizen of Mumbai”Award to the illustrious Mr.Gerson da Cunha at the meetingof July 26. (The presentationwas due to be made in the previousRotary year but was delayedfor lack of dates suitable to Mr.da Cunha.)A multi-talented and multi-facetedpersonality, Mr. da Cunha is thefounder of AGNI, the wellknownNGO, and has workedtirelessly to improve civic servicesand to re-introduce honestyand accountability in public life.He is known to have stated with agreat deal of pride that he is“Mumbai-born and bred... and Irefuse to accept the degradationand corruption here. I am provokedinto a response to it”.This attitude has seen him play anactive role in several NGOs, includingCRY, Akanksha andBombay First. Mr. da Cunha hasalso been an advocate for “FifthEstate”, a collective voice of citizens.As an advertising person, he workedwith Lintas for 25 years (andheaded it for ten). In fact, he iscredited with having laid thefoundation for what was to growinto one of India’s leading advertisingagencies.He has been honoured by the AdvertisingAgencies Association ofIndia with its most prestigiousaward for his contribution to theindustry.Author, journalist, theatre personalityand poet, Mr. da Cunha hasbeen all of these, and with distinction.He has used his communicationskills to further manygood causes.‘F.T.’ passes awayFakhruddin T. Khorakiwala, aformer senior member of theRotary Club of Bombay, passedaway on Tuesday, July 5, 2011.He was 93 years old and was activetill very recently. He is survivedby three sons, Habil, chairmanof the Wockhardt Group,Hunaid and Taizoon.Admitted to the Club way backTHE FOUR-WAY At the last meetingon December 14, 1965, he resignedForthcoming(Held on July 5, 2011)Pon December 27, 2010, citing illTESTRESIDENT Paul George called health. He served as a Director formeetingsthe meeting to order and welcomedR.I. President Kalyan “F.T.”, as he was called by mostthree years, from 1979 to 1982.Of the things we think,July 12, 2011say or doBanerjee and Rotary’s First Lady of his friends, founded Akbarallys,The eminent lawyer, Ms Zia 1. Is it the TRUTH?Binota, District Governor Vijay Jalan one of India’s oldest departmentMody, to address the Club onand District First Lady Kiran, AssistantGovernor Arun Todarwal, organised retail in the country.stores, in 1956 and pioneered2. Is it FAIR to all“Life in law”.concerned?Group Coordinator Anita Shantaram, Apart from acting as the SheriffJuly 19, 20113. Will it build GOOD- Past District Governors, District dignitariesand Officers from Districtof Bombay in the early 1990s, heMr. Suhel Seth to addressWILL and BETTERalso served as president of the IndianMerchants’ Chamber and the“The hypocrisy of industry”.3140, Presidents of sister Clubs inFRIENDSHIPS?July 26, 2011the District, Inner Wheel Club of Citizen’s Council for a Better Tomorrow.4. Will it be BENEFICIAL Bombay Vice-President Sweta Vakil,the Visiting Rotarians, the mem-He completed a term as theThe “Citizen of Bombay”to all concerned?award for 2010-2011 to bebers, Rotaryanns, guests and others. Chancellor of Jamia-Millia Islamiapresented by IPP PradeepBIRTHDAYSin New Delhi and was a founderSaxena to Mr. Gerson daMembers and spouses celebrating member and president of the FairCunha. (The presentationtheir birthday during the week were Trade Practices Association, chairmanof the Advertising Standardswas delayed for lack of dates One Profits felicitated.suitable to Mr. da Cunha.)ATTENDANCECouncil of India (ASCI) andMembers 217Mr. Da Cunha to address Most Whofounder and president of the Indo-Visiting Rotarians, Guests 36 Swiss, the Indo-Arab and the India-IndonesiaFriendship Societies.the Club after receiving theSpouses/Rotaryanns 42award.Serves Best Total 295 Rest in peace, “F.T.” You willSvc. box collection Rs. 11,500 be missed.July 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 11

ROTARY CLUB OF BOMBAYFOUNDED 19 MARCH, 1929Charter No. 3128, Dated 08 May, 192997-B, Mittal Tower, Nariman Point,Mumbai 400 021, INDIATel.: +91-22-2202 4089Fax.: +91-22-2202 4509rc_bombay@rediffmail.comOFFICE-BEARERS 2010/11PRESIDENT PAUL GEORGEImm. Past President Pradeep SaxenaPresident-Elect Nowroze VazifdarVice-President Nirav ShahHonorary Secretary Jagdish MalkaniJoint Hon. Secretary Sitaram ShahHon. Treasurer Ishraq ContractorCLUB SERVICE – New MembersDirector in charge Nowroze VazifdarClassifications PP Dr. Adi DasturMembership PP Ashish VaidMember. Dev. & DisCon Nirav ShahInformation PP Dr. Kekoo KavaranaMentoring & Assimilation PP Sandip AgarwallaCLUB SERVICE – Programmes/MeetingsDirector in charge Framroze MehtaFellowship Shernaz VakilCo-Chair Pranay VakilCulinary Delight Ritu Prakash DesaiCo-Chair Renu BasuSportsHiranmay BiswasProgramme Dolly ThakoreCo-Chair Nandan MalusteSergeant-at-Arms Roda BillimoriaCo-Chair Hiren KaraAttendance Arvind AgarwalBulletin & Website Farokh BalsaraCOMMUNITY SERVICE – MedicalDirector in charge Dr. Vandana BulchandaniChairman Emeritus,TalwadaPP Dr. Rahim MuljianiHTEC, Talwada PP Dr. Rumi JehangirADMC, Talwada Dr. Sorab JaveriOral Health Dr. Mala JagtianiControl of TB Prof. Rohini ChowgulePolio & Jaipur Foot Shyyamniwas SomaniCancer Aid Zinia LawyerCo-Chair Farokh BalsaraCOMMUNITY SERVICE – Non-MedicalDirector in charge Shailesh HaribhaktiRCCPP Kalpana MunshiOld Age Homes/Senior Citizens Ratan TankhaHealth & Heart Care Dr. Aashish ContractorDifferently Abled Naresh Kumar JainVOCATIONAL SERVICEDirector in charge Vineet BhatnagarRotary & Public Awards Nelum GidwaniFour-Way Test Suresh JagtianiLegal Case Practice Sameer TapiaArts & Public Relations Priyasri PatodiaINTERNATIONAL SERVICEDirector in charge Ashok MinawalaR.I. Programmes PP Arun SanghiRotary Foundation PP Arvind JollyFund-Raising (Dr.) Sonya MehtaCo-Chair Pradeep ChinaiNEW GENERATIONS – EducationDirector in charge Arin MasterBhavishya Yaan Manojj Kumar PatodiaCo-Chair Manish ReshamwalaSuraksha LoansScholarships Ashok JatiaMerit-cum-MeansScholarships Freyaz ShroffTEAC Junior College Bipin KapadiaManagement Studies Poonam KumarNEW GENERATIONS – YouthDirector in charge Arjun JollyInteract - IMeera AlrejaInteract - II Shahzad QadirRotaractMehul SampatCo-Chair Ravindra FotedarNight Study Centres Bimal MehtaRoad Safety Deepak KapadiaDISTRICT THRUST PROJECTSDirector in charge Suresh GoklaneyWater Conservation/Rural Development Dilnavaz VariavaSolar Energy/Environ. Madhusudan DagaDisha/Vocational Trg. Sunny PariyaramSlumber Kits PP Rajnikant ReshamwalaRegd. No. MH/MR/South-109/2009-11; R.N.I. No. 14015/60Posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai 400 001, on every Saturday-MondayStrategic brand management expertSuhel Seth to speak on July 19He is one of India’s leading televisionpersonalities; his opinionsare sought by news TV channels almostevery day; but despite his popularity,few people seem to know theman behind the face.Mr. Suhel Seth, who will addressthe Rotary Club of Bombay on July19 on a thought-provoking subject,“The hypocrisy of industry”, is amuch-sought-after expert on brandingand marketing.He is the founder and ManagingPartner of Counselage India, which isIndia’s only strategic brand managementand marketing consultancy, advisingchairpersons and CEOs onbranding and marketing. CounselageIndia works for Tata Steel, the TajGroup of Hotels, Hero Honda, TataTeleservices, NDTV, Coca Cola andMax India, amongst others.A regular speaker at industry meets,Mr. Seth lectures at various IndianInstitutes of Management; he writesprovocative columns in The FinancialTimes, London, and in BusinessIndia, The Hindustan Times and TheIndian Express on current affairs andthe social landscape of India.Mr. Seth’s first book, “In yourface”, was published in February,2002. He has co-authored two bookson Calcutta with Mr. Khushwant Singhand Mr. R.K. Laxman. Having justcompleted “Of Roots and Wings: 50Years of Indian Airlines”, Mr. Seth wasrecently commissioned by PenguinIndia to write a book tentatively titled“The Indian Mindset” (this would bethe first Indian marketing book to bepublished by Penguin India).An alumnus of the AMP of HarvardBusiness School and a member of theHarvard Business School ConsultantsClub, he is active on the Delhi theatrescene and has acted in several playsand films (including some of thosemade by the legendary Satyajit Rayand Mrinal Sen).Mr. Seth has been a Rotary InternationalScholar and was in the forefrontof establishing Rotaract and InteractClubs in Calcutta.He used to be on the global advisoryboard of British Airways until2009 and at present sits on the globalboard of Cavendish and RADA (theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Arts,London) and on the regional boards ofCitibank and Coca Cola. He is also amember of the board of advisors ofDeepalaya, the Neemrana Foundationand the Max India Foundation.Spouses/RotaryannsAnita AdvaniJuly 12Annie AbrahamJuly 14Namrata KirpalaniJuly 14Niyati ShuklaJuly 14Sumitra KothariJuly 15Nandini NarvekarJuly 15Parmeshwar GodrejJuly 16Dr. Yasmin ChibberJuly 18Malti JainJuly 18Subur MunjeeJuly 18Happy BirthdayAtul BhagwatiJuly 12Dara MehtaJuly 13Farouk ChinoyJuly 14Nirav ShahJuly 15(Dr.)Indu ShahaniJuly 17Framroze MehtaJuly 18Samir ChinaiJuly 13Hariprasad NevatiaJuly 13Jehangir DubashJuly 14Mitya NewJuly 16Kamal BulchandaniJuly 18Editorial Consultant: Anmol Purohit,Sajjan Sons, 203/204 Triveni, MithChowki, Marve Road, Malad (West),Mumbai 400 064. Cell: 09322227026;Landline: 022-28802043E-Mail: anmolsp@gmail.comRegd. No. MH/MR/South-109/2009-11, R.N.I. No. 14015/60Printed, Published by Rtn. PP Arjun Bulchandani on behalf of Rotary Club of Bombay and printed at Nikeda Art Printers Pvt. Ltd., Unit No.H & I,Kanjur Industrial Estate,Quarry Road, Off L.B.S. Marg, Bhandup (West), Mumbai 400 078 and Published at 97/B, Mittal Tower, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021. Editor Arjun BulchandaniJuly 12 to July 18, 2011 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 12