PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY MUSINGS
Dear Friends
Another month has whizzed by and our club goes about its work with the same zeal and fervour. We continued to have fantastic speakers in August as well, as a result of which, each weekly meeting saw more than 105 participants. The Programme Committee and the Awards Committee have been doing a superlative job of arranging some topnotch speakers and awardees.
We began the month with Romila Nijhawan of Nuvama Private, sharing her insights on the Budget and its impact on our investments. Then we had an emotionally charged meeting with a panel of Army, Navy and Air Force veterans sharing their adventures and expertly moderated by renowned commentator Milind Wagle. We also conferred the Ramkrishna Bajaj Award for Good Governance upon our member, Puneet Chhatwal, who has taken the Taj group to newer heights at a blistering pace. We ended August with an action-packed meeting, where we had former Indian cricketer-turned analyst Irfan Pathan in conversation with renowned sports journalist Ayaz Memon.
I had the opportunity to spend some time with the elders of our Ananda Yaan project at Byculla and celebrate Friendship Day with them along with our fellow rotarians. It was a fun filled evening and the energy of the elders was infectious.
We also had a wonderful visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus organised by the Heritage, Art and Culture Committee. This tour gave us some interesting trivia and insights into our beloved CSMT station and allowed us to view its grandeur from a completely different perspective.
This was followed by our annual Parsi Nite at the Albless Baug. It was a lovely fellowship with a great turnout of members and partners. We sang and danced before settling down for a sumptuous meal by Tanaz Godiwala. The Saas ni Machhi was to die for!
On 14th August, I attended the Independence Day assembly of the Lighthouse children, where I was joined by Naveena and Samaksh. It was such a joy to witness the confidence and enthusiasm of the Lighthouse kids. I was also particularly pleased to see the gen-next of our Rotarians enthusiastically participating in the activities.
All this while, we also had a separate team working diligently for our fundraiser ‘Dil-Se’, which was held at the NCPA on 29th August. It was a near sell-out event. Ustad Shujaat Husain Khan did not disappoint. His fingers appeared to be dancing on the sitar and producing some beautiful melodies. It was truly a night to remember! We followed that up with an exclusive dinner at the Trident Rooftop, which again was a very well attended after party. We have been able to raise as well as get commitments for a good amount of money, which will be used towards the various projects of our club.
We have many more exciting things coming up, with interesting speakers, fellowships and experiences. We have also restructured our lunch menus in discussion with the Taj. Our Past President Shernaz Vakil has taken keen interest in lending a helping hand and curated some delicious menus. I request you all to come and try out the lunch on Tuesdays and give us your honest feedback.
I urge all of you to stay involved and engaged with the club to derive maximum satisfaction and enjoy Rotary.
See you at the next meeting on 3rd September.
Yours in Rotary,
Satyan Israni