President’s Message
Dear Friends,
Very warm greetings!!!
Shashti Poorthi is an ancient Hindu tradition and is celebrated on completion of 60 years of age. This term is erived from Sanskrit, in which “Shashti” means 60 and “Poorthi” means completion. It marks completion of half the years of one’s lifetime as, in Hinduism, 120 years is considered the life span of a human being. In modern times, this sounds highly optimistic and exaggerated but the sixtieth year in one’s life is a significant milestone nevertheless, a memorable turning point, a touching reminder of the rich, mellowed life to unfold in the years to come.
This milestone marks celebration and gratitude for this Godgiven life. I am grateful to the Almighty for the blessings He has always bestowed on my life, provided me with more than I could ever have imagined, given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions, and has surrounded me with people who always look out for me.
I was fortunate to celebrate my 60th birthday with all of you, my friends. The afternoon was delightful – hearing Boman Irani once again on “His Journey from Struggle to Stardom”. The late afternoon was spent in the wonderful company of my sweet and adorable young friends at “Lighthouse”, Machimaar Vasahat, near Badhwar Park.
This year, we celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, fondly called ‘Bapu’, the ‘father’ of our nation. Some Gandhian values, which one may easily recall, are truth (satya), non-violence (ahimsa), service (seva), and others presently applicable of corporate social responsibility, long term sustainability, excellence. One can easily discern a striking similarity with Rotary values. One of the 4-way tests reiterates ‘truth’. Let’s reinforce and reinvigorate our community service at all levels and more so for the underprivileged with ‘Treasure, Time and Talent’.
People speak and hear of thoughts and values of Gandhiji again and again, two of these are, “we are the trustees of the wealth we create” and “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Cosmic coincidence or a message to us – Boman Irani’s visit to our Club on October 1st coinciding with Gandhiji’s 150th birthday week also uncannily reminded one of the “Gandhigiri” in the Bollywood film “Lage Raho Munnabhai” in which Boman Irani essayed the wonderful role of “Lucky Singh”.
The last few days, too, have seen more events and celebrations – our fellowship hosted by Rtn. Rekha Tanna and the ‘Young at Heart’ musical get together hosted by Rtn. Nandan and Rtn. Ptn. Shreelekha Damani. We are also looking forward to some more events of fun and celebrations at the In-Camera on October 16th and the Diwali Nite on October 23rd.
Preeti Mehta
President