UNASKED AND FROM THE HEART “It is well to give when asked but it is better to give unasked, through understanding. Therefore, give now that the season of giving maybe yours and not your inheritors.” So Gibran wrote… and how relevant it is to our Rotarians. Barely have I conceived of an initiative and somehow the money comes...
RCB AND EXPANDING MINDS Last week we had a meeting with the NGO Save The Children, introduced to us by our DGE Sandip Agarwalla. Once again, we are looking at an opportunity to support children in our communities who have remained unschooled and, in many cases, forgotten. We are hopeful that this initiative will be the beginning of...
THE LOST TRIBE This week, we post the pathetic stories of the women of the Vaidu community, their desolate and desperate lives, with no hope or meaning, not knowing where the next meal will come from or how they will feed their hungry children that day. How sad is this? What we would spend on a round...
OUR UNSUNG HEROES The backbone of Rotary’s many projects that require personal intervention are truly our Rotarian Partners. We may envision a project, fund it, but in many cases, it is the Rotarian Partner who takes over the day-to-day implementation. So much so that often, they actually direct the project and the way it should go. They...
WOMEN IN THE DARK This morning, I listened with horror to CNN’s international correspondent Christiane Amanpour as she interviewed a Taliban spokesman. She interrogated him about how women were not allowed to be educated nor interact with a man outside their household in any way. Whilst, on the same day, I was presenting a proposal to our...
OUR LEGACY Last week I wrote about the importance of having youth and idealism and the energy of youngsters in our Club. This week I would like to acknowledge our legacy… the older Rotarians who have been with us for decades and who have built the Club to what it is today. The legacy of any association...
CAPTURE THE IDEALISM AND ENERGY OF YOUTH In the past few weeks, I have noticed that several offsprings of our Rotarians have shown amazing passion and creativity to do some service in the community. Rtn. Mayank Kummar’s daughter set out to inoculate the families of policemen. Rtn. Abhinav Aggarwal’s son has created a website that informs and guides...
Last week on persistent invitations from PP Paul George, I visited our joint vocational centre at the YMCA. I had forgotten how much good work we do here and how many ladies we are able to help and empower by giving them an opportunity to earn. I watched as crowded rooms full of eager young...
For weeks now, I have been wanting to start a page in The Gateway bulletin that taps into the generosity of our Rotarians. I am very sure that a page where we list out small, meaningful gifts would bring more pleasure to us, the donors, than even the recipients. It may mean nothing for us to spend...
We are proud to announce a milestone moment for our Club with the signing of an LoU (Letter of Understanding) by DGE Sandip Agarwalla with the University of Oxford, UK. This collaboration paves the way for not only educational support and direction to our projects but also the possibility of an Oxford scholarship. Every new President...
Today I stand upon the shoulders of many stalwarts before me. Presidents who have not only made the Bombay Club what it is today but also lead with moral authority and conviction. How can we continue with the same values – the values that make a true Rotarian – in a world that has become...