DG Arun Bhargava on his Official Club Visit to Rotary Club of Bombay

DG Arun Bhargava on his Official Club Visit to Rotary Club of Bombay

 

Rotary Club of Bombay is a place that every DG has always had, in their hearts, that they should visit. Everyone doesn’t get the opportunity; however, the benefit of being a Governor is that I can come here at least twice a year.

The first time I came here was for your installation. And the second time I have come here is now, Manoj. So, my real test is to be able/worthy to be called here a third time. I have invited myself here because this is a 94-year-old Club; you do some projects that become a milestone in India; like, Talwada.

I don’t know how many of you remember this project. I asked
Manoj if it’s been 25 years since this project bur he also doesn’t remember. Do you know how long this project has been going on? 42 years. You have been doing a project for 42 years. It’s not easy. Be it manufacturing companies, business houses, for a community, for a good job, 42 years ago, there must have been a fire in someone’s heart to start a small hospital in a far-away area.
After that, people maintain it for a year or two. Those who come later, whether they are leaders, or the elderly, whether they continue or not, it’s never certain. In this District, in our Clubs, I have seen so many projects that were started, and they were very good, and useful for the community. But over the next few years, they were closed or called off.

I have requested a visit to the Talwada hospital; I want to see how it is going on, it has been so many years. Like the eye hospital in Talwada, there is another Club, Rotary Club of Bombay Hill South, which has an eye hospital in Pali. I think they have maintained this project for more than 15-20 years.

The second project is your Bhavishya Yaan project. A boy you invited to your Club, who used to be supported by Bhavishya Yaan – I was told that this boy was a low-income group member who lived in the jhopadpatti. He was selected by a member of your Club and, by doing so, you have made him a part of the future. He was sent to Germany or somewhere else with your scholarship. When that boy returned, he gave a speech at the same meeting of this Club. There was confidence in his speech, that whatever work your Club takes over, it will shape someone’s future. If you make the future of one person, there is a chain reaction. You have made a future for a child; we don’t know how many more futures that one child will shape.

Today, I met the students of the Rotaract Clubs. There are 13 Clubs like it, here. Many clubs have formed Interact Clubs. Some have one, some have two, some have three. But it is not important to make 13 Interact Clubs; what is important is to keep the members of the 13 Clubs – students, schools, teachers, and coordinators – motivated every year, to remain connected to Rotary. This is not an easy task; it happens only when you have a legacy.

The next president is Satyan. If you don’t have any old history or legacy or continuity, you may not be able to continue your project. You may not be able to do it. But any project, as a matter of fact, a lady from an Interact Club told me that her Club is 22-23 years old. Do you think this is an easy task? It’s very impressive. Whenever I go to another Club in our district, or go to meet people from Mumbai, I talk about District 3141, so, generally, people have a respectful attitude towards District 3141.

And, in that, the Rotary club of Bombay is like an institution, a holy place, for people. There is so much to learn from the Rotary club of Bombay. Manoj, you will remember, about a month ago, I had a Governor who was the Governor of Gujarat, and I got a message from him. I had forwarded it to you. He wanted me to attend a meeting of Rotary Club of Bombay so that I can learn from here and implement it in my District. It is a very important thing for you that a Governor himself wants me to learn from here.
Why is this? Because the systems you have created every year, the procedures you have created, your outgoing Presidents have created a legacy, an impression. And that impression is not false. The work you do for the community, I saw your report again last night. I was asleep midway through flipping the pages because there is so much that you are doing. You do so many projects. You have continuity. I want to congratulate you for this.

Most of the time, the Governor will say an OCV is the President’s exam. And every day I hear that today is our President’s exam. Sometimes, I think that this is not the President’s exam; this is the Governor’s exam. Every OCV is a Governor’s exam. If your Club functions properly, that is your President’s success. And if all the Clubs in my District do the right thing, which they do the right thing, then that is my success. So, if a Club does not work properly, then it is not the President’s failure, it is the Governor’s failure.

About 7-8 years ago, I heard that Secretary General John Hugo of Rotary International was given an additional designation of a CEO. If they wanted to meet a big donor, there would be a problem. How can the secretary meet Bill Gates? Bill Gates will meet only the CEO of the company, not the secretary. So, when you make the chief of Rotary Club a chairman or CEO of the Club, you automatically give an image that Rotary is a corporate. And if it is a corporate, then apart from the product, there is always a process, a procedure, and a product. I always see in Rotary that there is a procedure to do any work.

I know a Governor, and I went to his district, and I saw that every Club has its own procedures. We were talking about bylaws, a constitution, and they are all part of the procedure. Is there any small deviation in it? There are many clubs that do that; there are very good, big, and expensive projects. But after the project is over, small lapses are left.

Like, a Club did a medical camp recently. There were 200-400 people who had their medical check-ups done. There were 10-12 doctors, and so on. The community was very happy, the members were also very happy, everyone was very happy. After a week, a problem occurred that was they were not able to find bills for Rs 20,000. You can understand that if the bills were not getting paid, the treasurer will ask where the bill is. And this small problem is that he didn’t get the bill, he gets into a fight, and the Governor gets a complaint that it is like this.

So, my job is that your project is equal, your members are happy, your systems are equal, your accounting is all right. Now, it would be wrong to check in the Rotary Club of Bombay that what they did wrong. It can never be wrong, because you have a system, you have an office in your permanent office, which is what this is. The office staff of your Club, maybe the ones sitting there, I want to tell them that you are so connected with the Rotary Club of Bombay, and you maintain everything properly.
If you agree that this is the exam of the Rotary Club of Bombay or Manoj’s exam or my exam, then I will not hesitate to say that the Rotary Club passes, then I will pass. And if the Bombay Club fails, then I will fail.

Looking at the entire gamut of papers that came to me, I spoke about it. I can say one thing that if the Rotary Club of Bombay is given a single score below distinction, then it will be the Governor’s fault, not your fault. This is my day of learning; I always learn. Today, the children of the Interact Club are also sitting here. When you talk, I always learn something new from you. Today, I learned something from you. The members of the Rotaract Clubs who are here today, we learn from how much they do, what they do.

So, today, you called me here, Manoj. You gave me the opportunity to complete my responsibilities. All of you are here. I would like to thank you all for coming here today. I have to listen to you. I hope this is not our last meeting. I want to know about your Talwada hospital project. If anyone has any work for me, or needs my help or if you have any complaints for me, or do you have any complaints from the way we work in the District? Or, how can we improve in the District? You have suggestions. I will always be present in front of you for all of that.

Rotary District 3141 gears up for grand conference on February 10th, 2024

PP Sandip Kedia, Rotary Club of Mumbai North End also addressed RCB members, extending a warm invitation to the District’s grand conference on February 10th, 2024, at Nesco Banquet, Goregaon. The event, a highlight in this incredible year, promises engaging talks from renowned speakers across the country. With over 1,000 Rotarians registered, the conference aims to showcase the impactful projects undertaken by the 113 clubs in the district. PP Sandip urged members to participate, register, and not miss this opportunity for fellowship, learning, and celebration on a non-working Saturday. The Rotary Club of Mumbai Northern, as the host, invites all Rotarians for a day of camaraderie and