Note From President Vineet Bhatnagar
Above and beyond
FROM THE START OF THIS ROTARY YEAR, I HAVE EMPHASISED ACTIVE, CIVIC POWER OF ORDINARY MEN AND WOMEN.
I strongly believe that a society gets better if people co-operate and co-ordinate in addressing the challenges that affect them and also those around them. Whilst governmental aids and policies could potentially influence some
outcomes, it is how individuals look at each other that actually shapes the real progress of a society.
The role of volunteering therefore becomes a key component in my model of real progress. IT IS FASCINATING TO SEE
HOW AMERICA WAS BUILT, AND CONTINUES TO BUILD, ON VOLUNTEERING. Whatever the time called for, citizens stepped forward and volunteered their time, effort, or funds to support a larger mission. Without their philanthropy, much
progress would have been slowed or prevented entirely.
In the 1800s, as America’s cities continued to grow, organisations aimed at addressing the wealth disparity were founded. Many of these major organisations such as the YMCA, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and the United Way still exist today. Social movements inspired Americans to volunteer politically to enact social change. For example, the Temperance and Women’s Suffrage Movements empowered American women to take part in public discourse.
Great Depression in 1930s led to one of the first nationwide pushes to coordinate volunteers for communitybased organisations like soup kitchens and homeless shelters. In recent years, volunteering has become far more mainstream, even becoming part of graduation requirements in some states. We see how progressive activists are making strides in digital organising and thus revolutionising their support base. They channel this unique energy of digital space to transform online audiences into real-life, people-powered movements.
INDIA HAS A LONG TRADITION OF PHILANTHROPY. MOST OF US INCULCATE EMPATHY TOWARDS OTHERS FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE. As a community, we are wired to give back in a very natural way. Sometimes and some of us struggle to find the way to do it, when to do it and how to go about doing it. I have put forth a simple action: just take the first step.
In most conversations, the American model of economic success brings out 60-hour working weeks, survival of the fittest, emphasis on materialism etc. I think it is equally important to recount the strong foundation that was afforded by volunteering in building this nation. And as India aspires to having a lead table positon in the world over the next few decades, we should not forget both our legacy of giving and the powerful role that volunteering and philanthropy will play in making most people taste the joys of a nation’s success.
— President Vineet Bhatnagar