At a glittering function last evening Mahimm was installed as the 17th President of RC Chennai Kilpauk at the Ballroom, Hotel Connemara. The attendance was good with many PDGs and incoming Presidents attending the event.
The organisers had put together a great show and everything went like clockwork.
All Board members were dressed in Kurtas and vests and the theme was "Ab ki Baar" meaning This Time.
7:30 PM the proceedings commenced and the National Anthem was sung at about 9:40 PM. In between Sanjay presented the Secretary's report, Sudhir gave his thank you speech, Mahimm handed over USD 5000 towards Club's contribution to TRF, new member Kiran Agarwal was welcomed to the Club, Guest of Honour Sudip Jain spoke, Proejct Embrace was introduced to the audience and Mahimm spoke about his plans for the coming year.
Welcome to Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk, Secretary’s Report
Installation Function 13.06.2014
Rtn. Sanjay Agarwal
Thank you Sudhir.
District Governor Elect Rtn.ISAK Nazar , Guest of Honor Mr.Sudip Jain, District Secretary Rtn. D Chandra Mohan, AG Rtn.Muthuswamy , Regional Secretary Rtn. , Distinguished Visiting Rotarians, Presidents & Secretaries from District Clubs, other dignitaries, fellow Rotarians, Anns & Annettes, ladies and gentlemen,- Vannakam!!!
It is my pleasure to present the Secretary’s Report for Rotary Year 2013-2014.
On June 22nd last year, Rtn. Sudhir Takker took over as the 16th President of RCCK. It was a proud moment for all of us when DG Rtn.AP Kanna installed the President and his team in the presence of an August gathering of Rotarians, friends and family.
“Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success”
When we began, we had a theme if not a vision statement captured in the three words - Dream, Design & Deliver. Well, we have made progress but there is more to do. So it may be appropriate to say , we have not stopped Dreaming, Designing and Delivering.
Community and Health Services:
RCCK has been successful in continuing many of its ongoing projects & implementing new ones.
Compost pit at Andhra Mahila Samaj:
12th July 2013 - This was a Vocational-cum-community service project. Rtn. A R Vinod Kumar -- Director Vocational Service graced the occasion.
The I.P.D. Orthopaedic Centre at AMS has established a vocational training project for the mentally challenged adults . Owing to the efforts of Ann Kalpana and the team at AMS, this project will keep the mentally challenged inmates gainfully occupied & provide valuable resources for nurseries, etc..
Helping Hands Project:
Thanks to a Matching Grant by RC of Edmonton Mayfield, we were able to distribute,
On 18th Aug. 2013 : 30 Tricycles at Paanjalai Village near Gummidipoondi
On Sep.6, 2013 - At Guild Of Service , Egmore 10 tri-cycles and 10 Wheelchairs were distributed. Rtn.Nischal Pandey of E-Club of Gurgaon, was the Chief Guest.
April 2014: 11 Tricycles, Wheelchairs, Crutches & Special Prosthetics were distributed to 34 beneficiaries at the premises of the Indian Red Cross Society. Mr.S.F.Akbar, State Information Commissioner was the Chief Guest for the function.
Shelters at Uttarakhand:
The Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk swung into action instantly, on hearing of the great damage caused to humans and their property in the Hill State of Uttarakhand. Rs.1,00,000.00 were sent out immediately to the Rotary District relief fund and to RC of Srinagar, Garhwal.
Later, a sum of Rs 345,000/- was sent to Dr Nischal's Club for further relief. Dr.Nischal visited us in Chennai, and briefed us about the shelters to be built in Uttarakahnd. RCCK along with Rotary E Club of Gurgaon, constructed the shelters for the Village Khamera Malla in Uttrakhand.
Food Distribution Project at Irukkam Village:
Jan 20 2014 - 400 poor families were given essential food supplies ( 4 Kgs of rice, 1 kg of oil and half Kg of Dal) at Irukkkam Village, near Pulicat Lake. The project was done jointly with RC Madras with the help from Food Bank, run by RYA Metro .
National Immunization Drive:
Jan 19 2014 :We were part of the NID polio plus project. About 9500 children were immunized in the ten booths allotted to us in Choolaimedu and Periyarpathai.
Feb 23, 2014 : About 8500 children were administered the oral vaccine in Collector Nagar and Periyar Pathai. Kudos to Rtn.Ravindran (Chairman Polio NID for our club) , the doctors and helpers at Health point at Periaranagar and Collector colony in cholaimedu .
Happy Village Project:
The dispensary at S.R. Kandigai village, a partnership with OPG Power, has been functioning regularly with a set of dedicated staff consisting of a Doctor, a Nurse and an Assistant . Monthly expenditure is about Rs. 60,000/-
On an average about 30 to 40 patients are being treated daily. Medicines are being distributed freely by the dispensary. Plans are afoot to increase the awareness among the nearby villages by employing a health worker for extension activity and creating health awareness.
Vocational Services:
Vocational Service Awards were given on 21st March 2014, to Mr. Shivaraman, Traffic Inspector in the Thirvanmiyur area, and Mr.Arumugam from Irrukum Village. Mr.Arumugam has been helping RCCK in identifying beneficiaries in and around Gummidipoondi for our Helping Hands project.
May 2014: Rotary Excellence awards were given to three promising young sportsmen. N.Mohammed Shahid(Football), Abbas Ali(Hockey) & T Reeth Rishya(Table Tennis). Mr.Peter Van Geit, founder of Chennai Trekking Club, was awarded the “For the Sake of Honor Award” . Mr.N.Ravi, Editor in Chief, The Hindu was the Chief guest for the function
New Generation:
School bags were distributed to 120 students of Rasa, School for kids with special needs in Alwarpet. The kids were in the age group of 12-18 years.
Interact Club Installation: New office bearers of Thiru vi ka School took charge of their new portfolios.Rtn.Vasumathi was the Chief Guest who pinned the Office bearers.
RCCK sponsored a Seminar on Counseling and its impact on college students. It was held on 16th Dec in association with Chennai Counselor's Foundation at MOP Vaishnav College. Management Heads from various educational institutes attended this seminar.
Youth Services:
We have been conducting the RYLA at Thiru Vi Ka School Shenoy Nagar for several years. This year the RYLA camp was conducted on 1st & 2nd February. We had excellent motivational speakers and they took the interactor's through various interesting topics. Team games, bonfire were a few other activities done. Hafeez Khan & his team did a wonderful job.
International Services:
RCCK takes pride in the number of Matching Grant Programs which the Club has been able to put in place, over the years. We must thank Charter President Rtn.Hari Ratan, for pioneering the efforts in this direction and recently Rtn.Ravi Krsihnan’s efforts in completing the formalities of the various Matching Grants.
Funding:
Financial resources are the key to Sucessful Project implementation. Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk has drawn on the resources of nos. of Rotary Clubs abroad in Matching Grant projects, and also contributions from the District and the matching Grants from RI.
We have also received tremendous support from like minded Corporates and individuals in India and Abroad, who have contributed substantial financial resources for the cause of the Projects undertaken by the Club over the Years. We would like to acknowledge them all.
Club Services:
The Club Meetings have been held regularly at Taj Connemara on Friday evenings.
We have two Weekly Meetings which have either been Speaker Meetings, or Closed Door Meetings, One Project Meetings and of course one Family get together at the Ann’s Evenings hosted in the homes of our members.
We have had eminent speakers speaking on diverse topics such as Kumbh Mela, Photography, Chennai Heritage, Uttarakhand Flood Relief, Astrolgy, Art, Situation in Iraq, Tamil Tigers, Cricket, Liberal Eductaion & Health, Cosmetic Surgery, Heart Attacks: Myths & Facts, Uber Cars, Marriage Counselling, Chadar Trek in Leh /Ladakh, etc. . A joint meeting with RC of Guindy was held on Oct. 16 at the Hotel Marriot. The speaker, Rtn. Balagopal Sabu, spoke about Wines.
We also had a cricket match among the members, Ann’s &Annette’s.
Our Members, Rtn.Sai Venkat & Rtn.Sudhir Takker also participated in the District events, the Paul Harris Cricket Tournament.
The club known for its fellowship amongst its members, kept its internal relations at a high with continued enthusiasm during the Ann’s evenings held throughout the year.
Club Membership
We have added three new members this year.
Rtn.Pankaj Murarka, Rtn.Rajashree Thandy and Rtn.Jayashree Thandu.
“A Picture is worth 1000 words. Ladies & Gentleman, Here are some pictures of the events as they happened over the year”
My Rotary moment:
When I look back at the year, there were many moments, however I feel the Hearing Aids Program was my Rotary moment of the Year.
Oct 8, 2013- We received the official communication from RI regarding the Matching grant and payment authorization
24th October 2013 - Hearing aid - First Screening Camp
This was done at Athur Village near Red-Hills. 180 patients visited the camp, out of which 112 were identified those which needed hearing aids & ENT Consultations. This covered 19 villages surrounding Athur , Sholavaram and Red-Hills District.
9th Nov 2013 -Second Screening Camp
This was at Sanjeevi at Maraimalainagar. About 85 patients attended and 26 were identified for distribution of hearing aids and 1 was identified for ENT consultation.
16th November 2013 - First Distribution Function
DG Rtn A P Kanna was the Chief guest and 65 beneficiaries collected the hearing aid kits that day.
23rd Nov 2013 - Second Distribution event
All the remaining 26 beneficiaries were distributed with the kits.
Third Screening Camp: Was held on 1st March 2014, again at Attur Village, and
27 Hearing Aids were distributed, at the Rotary Centre, during the Governors visit.
Ladies & Gentleman, within 6 months from receiving the Matching Grant, the screening camps were conducted, the beneficiaries identified, the hearing aids distributed, and the project was completed. Please give a big round of applause to Rtn.Hari Ratan, Rtn.Ravi Krishnan & Rtn.Divyesh Palicha , who made this possible.
“Here is a short video on the Hearing Aids Project”
The entire RCCK family invested substantially in terms of time, commitment and resources including participation in respect of all the activities over the year. President Sudhir, and I would like to thank each & every one of them. I would like to thank Rtn.Bipin Bhatia, Secretary for 2012-13, for his support & inputs throughout the year. I would also like to thank my wife Vineeta, and my daughters Nandini & Surabhi for all their help & support.
Thank you, Shukriya, Dhanyavad, Nandri.
Welcome Address
Dist. Governor Elect Rtn.IS AK Nazar, Guest of Honour Sri Sudeep Jain, Ag Muthuswamy, PDG’s ( names) Distinguished District Officials, Visiting Rotarians and Incoming Presidents, my good friends of RCCK , ladies and gentlemen, Good Evening.
I would like to begin with a Quote “ We are born not only to die but we are born to serve . not for this and not for that… not to book your place in heaven , nor to win a coveted award, but for the sheer joy of being useful – after all, the only choice is to be useless --used less.
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 17th Installation function of RCCK .
You can see a smile on my face ,a sign of satisfaction and achievement of a Job well done with great team work, great fellowship and flawless execution of multiple projects in each and every avenue of service.
We started this year with the theme 3D , Dream Design Deliver.
The success to any Good Dream would inevitably focus on Design ,
What is Design ? Design is that finishing touch that appeals to the senses before it appeals to the intelligence .
As is the trend with RCCK the high standards set , have been exceeded . Please tighten your seat belts , relax and just let your senses take over as we take you thru the journey of Delivery …
After Secretary’s report:
Thankyou Sanjay for a truly descriptive Progress report….
I would like to start with a Quote by Napolean Hill
“All that anyone really requires , as capital on which to start a successful career , is a sound mind, a healthy body and a genuine desire to be of as much service as possible to as many people as possible” .
We started this year with a simple Dream and Design :
Involvement of each and every member so that they feel their worth and potential and then contribute by adding an intrinsic value to the Club, to achieve successful participation in club meetings, get togethers, each and every avenue of service -- community , vocational , New gen, polio plus, TRF contributions, international and publicity.
The Delivery part was such a pleasant breeze . Each and every member took leadership in their chosen avenue of service and the results are all so visible. The best part was, we had great fun doing all this together.
Participation in club events was over 75% attendance
Over 25 projects were executed with an Outlay of 40 lacs .
20,000 Benificaires benefitted with a Direct benefit to 5000 families.
Ladies and gentlemen this was the reach of RCCK for year 13-14.
What this year has achieved is a strong sense of bonding, a strong sense of achievement for the current year and with the hope of looking forward to better things in the years to come …
I would like to thank some of our longstanding Global grant partners :
Rotary Clubs of:
* Strathcona Sunrise in USA
* Edmonton Mayfield in Canada
* Gailsburg , Illinois in USA
* Medford Rogue in the USA
* Rochester in the UK
I would like to thank DG A P Kanna, AG Chella and my fellow change maker Presidents ,Rotarians from the District whose support and encouragement was truly felt and enjoyed.
I request Ann Bhavna to kindly come up on stage.
I take this oppurtunity to thank each and every Board member who contributed selflessly through time and resources for this resounding success.
I request the Board members to kindly come up on stage as their names are read out :
Secretary Sanjay Thought for the day Agarwal.
Now if there was one day without his email on the group “ Thought for the day” – I know not off. The smiling face of RCCK this year and my closest ally . Someone who has always been available thru thick and thin , round the clock . Words belittle his contribution this year. One who has outshown in his role as the Secretary .
Club Sevice Director and President Elect : Mahim Gupta
Simply effective . You just have to let him know what is required and lo and behold it is done . A very effective Club Service director. A special note of appreciation for Rakhee Mahim for the exemplary contribution to club services.
Community Service Health - Ravikrishnan,
If you could say something , then please say it, so that Ravi can pun it on its head. The man has an outstanding sense of humor, but this is the starting point. I could not have wished for a more out reaching person. An Outstanding community Service Director where we have done several projects this year .
Community Service Special Velu Muthu
The man who could be called the Englishman -- Earl Of Yorkshire . Always there , whenever required with his insightful thoughts and suggestions. His support has been a huge source of energy thoroughout the year .
Vocational Service N Sivasubramaniam
Simply Siva ! One of the nicest guys to have lived on this planet. You have a Project , then you have Siva who volunteers right away – lets meet up guys for a drink and to discuss. His energy and support throughout the year really touched my heart
International Service & Public relations
Mita Venkat
Now when you think of Mita , think of Venkat . the Husband--wife duo are the soul of the club with their creativity and energy levels. Thankyou Mita and Venkat for your support
Immediate Past president Nirmal Nahar
The man with a million Dollar smile . A man who is extremely resourceful and seems to know , all that there is to matter.
A man whose memory would put to shame the memory of an elephant.
New Generation Vasanti Ananth
E= m c2 . Now in this case Energy is equal to Vasanti . The embodiment of energy and enthusiasm . She has been instrumental in effectively executing several successful projects .
Chairman Polio plus Ravindran
The SELF of the club . A man with a tacit sense of humor and ever willing to chip in . A man who has been the soul behind this Project
Sergeant at arms Vardarajan
He is like an elder brother to me . Always round the corner when you need him . A tremenedous source of strength.
Chairman Rotary foundation Joseph Mathew
& Treasurer
Jose -- as he is fondly called . Is there one person who has not been touched by this man’s geniality ? A great human being . Unfortunately Jose is in Singapore so we will just have to have one more drink on his behalf.
Club Advisor Hari Ratan
Give him a moment please , he has just got this idea—that’s Hari for you. Ideas come naturally to him and this man radiates brilliance and not just that , he truly cares for people and ensures that committments made by people are followed up with actions.. I was lucky to have him as my Advisor and harness his brilliance throughout the year.
Club Trainer Karthik Sabanayagam
I really can’t think of a better word and will stick to : A truly insightful Leader and a Mentor. Due to a gifted phenomenon , he is always able to assess situations , oppurtunities and people. His guidance throughout the year is one of the reasons for a Successful year 13-14 .
Besides the Board I would like to thank Divyesh for his outstanding work on Hearing Aids projects -- his meticulous approach bears outstanding results.
A special thanks to Srivatsa . There have so many moments when I have just poured my thoughts to him and he has always been objective in guiding me through his reponses. Thank you Srivats for shaping my thoughts.
Mani, what can I say , whenever that Someone I was looking out for, beyond the Board , Mani was always there, Thankyou.
All past presidents who were not Board members, Revathi, Subbu , Srivats. And finally all my Dear RCCKians Arvind Gupta, Bipin, Chakri , Madhu, Mohan , Rahul, Ravikant, Rizwan, Sai -- my cricket soulmate,
The three new members – Jayshree ,Rajshree and Pankaj who have embraced RCCK almost instantaneously.
I would like to thank the Ann’s and the Annettes of the club for their support and participation .
This year actually belongs to my wife Bhavna and daughter Hashi without whose moral, emotional and thoughtful support I just could not have functioned .Thankyou .
Before closing I would like wish the very best of luck to the team of 14-15 under Mahim
I will end with a Quote on Wisdom by Oprah Winfrey :
“ Inner wisdom is more important than wealth. The more you spend it the more you gain “
God Bless !
President’s Accptance Speech - 13.6.14
Chief Guest and DGE Rtn. Nazar, My dear friend and Guest of Honour - Sudeep Jain, AG Rtn.
Muthuswamy, members of the District, In coming Co-presidents, visiting Rotarians, Fellow
members from RC Chennai Kilpauk, ladies and gentlemen, a very warm welcome.
In my short Rotary journey of 5 years, I have seen the significant impact Rotary can make to the
lives of people.
As part of RCCK, I have seen the great work we do and I must first acknowledge the opportunity
RCCK has given me to be a small part of bringing change to the society we draw out of every
day. Not only that, My club has offered me the opportunity to build great friendships in a city
that was quite new to me.
RCCK is distinct in the way it conducts it self. Small, closely knit with a lot of involvement
of Annes (and Annas – as we call the husbands of our lady members), quiet yet strong and
extremely giving.
Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk is a club of unique recognition amongst its peers and the work
done in the past has many established achievements – Last year under President-ship of Rtn.
Sudhir being a great one itself. This sets quite a strong benchmark of performance and lays the
grounds of doing more.
As my team and I will strive to at least keep pace with the past, the RI theme of “Light up
Rotary” – will be my inspiration, that will possible help me reach a little beyond.
Truly inspiring and how deeply insightful. “Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle.” I hope our
club’s work this year helps light many candles, bringing light to many homes - in more ways
than one.
While our club has a strong affiliation with international clubsthat help fund our larger Helping
Hands and Joy of Sound projects, and OPG that helps with the health center at Gumudipoondi,
I today invite all our members to reach out to their friends and acquaintances, and their larger
network, by launching
Project Embrace.
The project envisages
.
using our reach to collect small and large sums of money
.
contributed towards causes that donors affiliate themselves to and
.
enlarging the contribution base on an ongoing basis.
.
The sums start at Rs. 100 for an OPD treatment and go up to Rs. 10000 for a hearing
aid and speech therapy.
.
Donors are invited to contribute in as many multiples as they wish to.
This is a paper and an online drive and I am sure that we will see great success with the
involvement of all members. To bring focus to this initiative, I have given dedicated responsibility
for this to Project Embrace Director, Rtn. Vardarajan.
May I now call upon, Mr. Sudeep Jain to handover the first Project Embrace Form to DGE Rtn.
Nazar.
I appeal to everyone to please reach out to all your acquaintances and help us in our cause.
As a begining, I am making a my contribution fo Rs. 30000 today. Rtn. Vardharajan, please
accept this contribution from me.
There is one more initiative I am starting today.
Small is big.
Rain to STREAMS,
sand to beaches,
acorns to oaks
and the list can go on.
This power I establish today, with the launch of Project Small Drops.
This is a Very simple initiative of placing a savings box, piggy bank style, in our homes or
place of work,
involving our larger family and colleagues at work, and
thus saving up for Rotary.
Each RCCK member will receive a Small Drops Box now and my request is that while you can
definitely Drop in your change, there are days when we all feel a sense of joy that we wish to
share with others but may not find an immediate avenue.
On such days, remember that you have this “Small Drops’ box reach in and give a little
happiness away.
Small Drop can make a difference.
May I call upon, DGE Rtn. Nazar to please handover the first box to Our Charter President,
Rtn. Hari Ratan.
Please remember that Small Drops can make a Difference.
The box will now become a visible items at all speaker meetings. I also suggest that when we
have our Annes Evenings, the host brings the box and l am sure there will be magic around it.
We will share our collections 4 times a years and I am sure we will surprise ourselves.
I will now quickly list our goals for the various Avenues of Service
Community services
The club will continue to work with international clubs to drive our Helping Hands and Joy of
Sound Projects.
We see the lager size of the Global Grants criteria as an opportunity as it allows us to increase
the size of our efforts. We look forward to the district in offering its support to guide and help us
in making these goals successful.
With the support of our dear member, Rtn. Arvind Gupta – MD of OPG, we will look at ways to
deepen our efforts at the Goomundipoondi OPG-RCCK health facility.
Our efforts to work in supporting the End Polio Now campaign goes without saying.
These will be apart from the ongoing efforts of various smaller projects we do on a continuing
basis.
Youth Services
With India being the largest pool of youngsters in the world, we have a very large number of
them joining the workforce/employment every year. We will look at joining the efforts of various
agencies and institutions to impart vocation input and career guidance to this set of youngsters.
The Police Boys Club in Kilpauk is run under the supervision of the club and will continue to be
so in the current year.
Rtn. Pankaj is already looking at adding to the Interact club we have at the Thiru-vi-ka school
and increasing the number of RYLA Camps we will hold this year.
Vocational Services
One of the key activities that RCCK takes on year after year has been the identification of
and
recognition of people of various vocations serving the community at large. These include
policemen, watchmen, drivers, parking attendants, social workers, etc.
This year we will continue with our efforts in this space and will possibly look at recognizing
people in the space of saving lives – ideally under the following vocations:
1. Ambulance services
2. Life Guards
3. Fire department
We will also give away a “For the Sake of Honour” award recognizing the exemplary work of a
leading personality who can be looked upto in his or her vocation.
Club Services
This is an area of strength in the Club and I have a very able and good friend coming to take
charge. Rtn. Sanjay is a very committed organizer and when assisted by Anne Vineeta, the club
can rest assured that our meetings, speakers, events and the operations of the club in general
will be well taken care of. That our Club Assembly is planned in Pondicherry is a great start to
the new RI year.
Goes to shows how quickly our New Club Services director takes charge !!
PR and Bulletin
The clubs currently posts all its activities on the Blog, very dedicatedly managed by Rtn. Hari.
The FB page of the club is active and carries posts of all the events and meetings.
What we don’t have is an organized bulletin and Rtn. Mita has taken upon herself to ensure we
will put out a great e-bulletin very early this year. Thank you Rtn. Mita. I am sure this is going to
be great piece.
Membership
At a recent meeting with the AG, we were told that the average % of Lady Rotarians in the
District is 7.. I am proud that we have close to 20%. At the PETs I have undertaken to induct
8 new members, 3 of whom are going to be Ladies. The Club is committed to increasing its
strength to 40 and we are collectively working towards that goal.
We are today inducting Kiran Agarwal to our wonderful club. And we have amidst us 4
prospectives already. Jointly, we will reach the goal of the committed 8.
Foundation
Giving can be in many ways - effort, time and money. But money does drive the larger goal,
and while we do contribute in various ways to our own club and its activities, it is important to
recognize that we do belong to a larger entity and have an obligation in helping the larger cause
such as Polio and our needy brethren in other parts of the world. This is done by none other
than RI through the contributions we make to the Foundation.
On behalf of the club I had committed USD 5000 at the PETs. I am honouring that pledge today
by making that payment now.
May I request Foundation chair, Rtn. Muthu Palaniappan to please accept this check of USD
5000.
In addition, during the year, we will be looking at many of our members becoming PHF thus
increasing our contribution to the RI cause. I am also told that becoming a Major Donor can
be a journey. One can contribute in bits and as soon as one has contributed USD 10000 they
become a major donor. This has no time limit and thus opens the possibility of more members
reaching this goal. I wish members to evaluate this journey and reach the Major Donor status
over a period of time that is comfortable.
I have been careful not to make any promises today. But I do hope we have set ourselves
reasonable direction and goals. That is because, I am not here to govern and direct, but to lead
a set of peers and similar minded friends, who are committed, to collectively make a difference,
to the society we live in. It is not for me to say that I did this in my year, but for all of us to say,
that we achieved that in RI year 14-15. Mahimm was just the person at the front table, but we all
made a difference.
I look up to my team and the club at large, in making the incoming year truly memorable -
because we will all do what we are passionate about - doing great work within and outside the
club and continuing to distinguish the club and make it stand out.
In the end, I must thank all members for their support, specially
Rtn. Karthik – for all the guidance
Rtn. Nirmal for the brilliant concept we see today
Rtn. Mita and Anna Venkat for putting this all together.. Venkat – owe you a special one
actually.
Rtn. Ravikrishnan and Rtn. Sanjay for working with me quietly in the back, and
my wife, Rakhee who has worked with me over the last few weeks in putting this day together.
Special thanks to Kiran for his extremely magnanimous gesture in making today truly
memorable.
Project Embrace Director, Rtn. Vardarajan, informs me that we have today collected Rs. 1.0 lac
under Project Embrace. That’s a wonderful start..Good things don’t need time to move..Thank
you donors.
Thank you all for coming, taking time out from your busy schedules, being part of our vision and
gracing this occasion. Thank you once again.
The organisers had put together a great show and everything went like clockwork.
All Board members were dressed in Kurtas and vests and the theme was "Ab ki Baar" meaning This Time.
7:30 PM the proceedings commenced and the National Anthem was sung at about 9:40 PM. In between Sanjay presented the Secretary's report, Sudhir gave his thank you speech, Mahimm handed over USD 5000 towards Club's contribution to TRF, new member Kiran Agarwal was welcomed to the Club, Guest of Honour Sudip Jain spoke, Proejct Embrace was introduced to the audience and Mahimm spoke about his plans for the coming year.
 | |
| Rtn. Sanjay Agarwal, Secy, presenting his report |
Welcome to Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk, Secretary’s Report
Installation Function 13.06.2014
Rtn. Sanjay Agarwal
Thank you Sudhir.
District Governor Elect Rtn.ISAK Nazar , Guest of Honor Mr.Sudip Jain, District Secretary Rtn. D Chandra Mohan, AG Rtn.Muthuswamy , Regional Secretary Rtn. , Distinguished Visiting Rotarians, Presidents & Secretaries from District Clubs, other dignitaries, fellow Rotarians, Anns & Annettes, ladies and gentlemen,- Vannakam!!!
It is my pleasure to present the Secretary’s Report for Rotary Year 2013-2014.
On June 22nd last year, Rtn. Sudhir Takker took over as the 16th President of RCCK. It was a proud moment for all of us when DG Rtn.AP Kanna installed the President and his team in the presence of an August gathering of Rotarians, friends and family.
“Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success”
When we began, we had a theme if not a vision statement captured in the three words - Dream, Design & Deliver. Well, we have made progress but there is more to do. So it may be appropriate to say , we have not stopped Dreaming, Designing and Delivering.
Community and Health Services:
RCCK has been successful in continuing many of its ongoing projects & implementing new ones.
Compost pit at Andhra Mahila Samaj:
12th July 2013 - This was a Vocational-cum-community service project. Rtn. A R Vinod Kumar -- Director Vocational Service graced the occasion.
The I.P.D. Orthopaedic Centre at AMS has established a vocational training project for the mentally challenged adults . Owing to the efforts of Ann Kalpana and the team at AMS, this project will keep the mentally challenged inmates gainfully occupied & provide valuable resources for nurseries, etc..
Helping Hands Project:
Thanks to a Matching Grant by RC of Edmonton Mayfield, we were able to distribute,
On 18th Aug. 2013 : 30 Tricycles at Paanjalai Village near Gummidipoondi
On Sep.6, 2013 - At Guild Of Service , Egmore 10 tri-cycles and 10 Wheelchairs were distributed. Rtn.Nischal Pandey of E-Club of Gurgaon, was the Chief Guest.
April 2014: 11 Tricycles, Wheelchairs, Crutches & Special Prosthetics were distributed to 34 beneficiaries at the premises of the Indian Red Cross Society. Mr.S.F.Akbar, State Information Commissioner was the Chief Guest for the function.
Shelters at Uttarakhand:
The Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk swung into action instantly, on hearing of the great damage caused to humans and their property in the Hill State of Uttarakhand. Rs.1,00,000.00 were sent out immediately to the Rotary District relief fund and to RC of Srinagar, Garhwal.
Later, a sum of Rs 345,000/- was sent to Dr Nischal's Club for further relief. Dr.Nischal visited us in Chennai, and briefed us about the shelters to be built in Uttarakahnd. RCCK along with Rotary E Club of Gurgaon, constructed the shelters for the Village Khamera Malla in Uttrakhand.
Food Distribution Project at Irukkam Village:
Jan 20 2014 - 400 poor families were given essential food supplies ( 4 Kgs of rice, 1 kg of oil and half Kg of Dal) at Irukkkam Village, near Pulicat Lake. The project was done jointly with RC Madras with the help from Food Bank, run by RYA Metro .
National Immunization Drive:
Jan 19 2014 :We were part of the NID polio plus project. About 9500 children were immunized in the ten booths allotted to us in Choolaimedu and Periyarpathai.
Feb 23, 2014 : About 8500 children were administered the oral vaccine in Collector Nagar and Periyar Pathai. Kudos to Rtn.Ravindran (Chairman Polio NID for our club) , the doctors and helpers at Health point at Periaranagar and Collector colony in cholaimedu .
Happy Village Project:
The dispensary at S.R. Kandigai village, a partnership with OPG Power, has been functioning regularly with a set of dedicated staff consisting of a Doctor, a Nurse and an Assistant . Monthly expenditure is about Rs. 60,000/-
On an average about 30 to 40 patients are being treated daily. Medicines are being distributed freely by the dispensary. Plans are afoot to increase the awareness among the nearby villages by employing a health worker for extension activity and creating health awareness.
Vocational Services:
Vocational Service Awards were given on 21st March 2014, to Mr. Shivaraman, Traffic Inspector in the Thirvanmiyur area, and Mr.Arumugam from Irrukum Village. Mr.Arumugam has been helping RCCK in identifying beneficiaries in and around Gummidipoondi for our Helping Hands project.
May 2014: Rotary Excellence awards were given to three promising young sportsmen. N.Mohammed Shahid(Football), Abbas Ali(Hockey) & T Reeth Rishya(Table Tennis). Mr.Peter Van Geit, founder of Chennai Trekking Club, was awarded the “For the Sake of Honor Award” . Mr.N.Ravi, Editor in Chief, The Hindu was the Chief guest for the function
New Generation:
School bags were distributed to 120 students of Rasa, School for kids with special needs in Alwarpet. The kids were in the age group of 12-18 years.
Interact Club Installation: New office bearers of Thiru vi ka School took charge of their new portfolios.Rtn.Vasumathi was the Chief Guest who pinned the Office bearers.
RCCK sponsored a Seminar on Counseling and its impact on college students. It was held on 16th Dec in association with Chennai Counselor's Foundation at MOP Vaishnav College. Management Heads from various educational institutes attended this seminar.
Youth Services:
We have been conducting the RYLA at Thiru Vi Ka School Shenoy Nagar for several years. This year the RYLA camp was conducted on 1st & 2nd February. We had excellent motivational speakers and they took the interactor's through various interesting topics. Team games, bonfire were a few other activities done. Hafeez Khan & his team did a wonderful job.
International Services:
RCCK takes pride in the number of Matching Grant Programs which the Club has been able to put in place, over the years. We must thank Charter President Rtn.Hari Ratan, for pioneering the efforts in this direction and recently Rtn.Ravi Krsihnan’s efforts in completing the formalities of the various Matching Grants.
Funding:
Financial resources are the key to Sucessful Project implementation. Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk has drawn on the resources of nos. of Rotary Clubs abroad in Matching Grant projects, and also contributions from the District and the matching Grants from RI.
We have also received tremendous support from like minded Corporates and individuals in India and Abroad, who have contributed substantial financial resources for the cause of the Projects undertaken by the Club over the Years. We would like to acknowledge them all.
Club Services:
The Club Meetings have been held regularly at Taj Connemara on Friday evenings.
We have two Weekly Meetings which have either been Speaker Meetings, or Closed Door Meetings, One Project Meetings and of course one Family get together at the Ann’s Evenings hosted in the homes of our members.
We have had eminent speakers speaking on diverse topics such as Kumbh Mela, Photography, Chennai Heritage, Uttarakhand Flood Relief, Astrolgy, Art, Situation in Iraq, Tamil Tigers, Cricket, Liberal Eductaion & Health, Cosmetic Surgery, Heart Attacks: Myths & Facts, Uber Cars, Marriage Counselling, Chadar Trek in Leh /Ladakh, etc. . A joint meeting with RC of Guindy was held on Oct. 16 at the Hotel Marriot. The speaker, Rtn. Balagopal Sabu, spoke about Wines.
We also had a cricket match among the members, Ann’s &Annette’s.
Our Members, Rtn.Sai Venkat & Rtn.Sudhir Takker also participated in the District events, the Paul Harris Cricket Tournament.
The club known for its fellowship amongst its members, kept its internal relations at a high with continued enthusiasm during the Ann’s evenings held throughout the year.
Club Membership
We have added three new members this year.
Rtn.Pankaj Murarka, Rtn.Rajashree Thandy and Rtn.Jayashree Thandu.
“A Picture is worth 1000 words. Ladies & Gentleman, Here are some pictures of the events as they happened over the year”
My Rotary moment:
When I look back at the year, there were many moments, however I feel the Hearing Aids Program was my Rotary moment of the Year.
Oct 8, 2013- We received the official communication from RI regarding the Matching grant and payment authorization
24th October 2013 - Hearing aid - First Screening Camp
This was done at Athur Village near Red-Hills. 180 patients visited the camp, out of which 112 were identified those which needed hearing aids & ENT Consultations. This covered 19 villages surrounding Athur , Sholavaram and Red-Hills District.
9th Nov 2013 -Second Screening Camp
This was at Sanjeevi at Maraimalainagar. About 85 patients attended and 26 were identified for distribution of hearing aids and 1 was identified for ENT consultation.
16th November 2013 - First Distribution Function
DG Rtn A P Kanna was the Chief guest and 65 beneficiaries collected the hearing aid kits that day.
23rd Nov 2013 - Second Distribution event
All the remaining 26 beneficiaries were distributed with the kits.
Third Screening Camp: Was held on 1st March 2014, again at Attur Village, and
27 Hearing Aids were distributed, at the Rotary Centre, during the Governors visit.
Ladies & Gentleman, within 6 months from receiving the Matching Grant, the screening camps were conducted, the beneficiaries identified, the hearing aids distributed, and the project was completed. Please give a big round of applause to Rtn.Hari Ratan, Rtn.Ravi Krishnan & Rtn.Divyesh Palicha , who made this possible.
“Here is a short video on the Hearing Aids Project”
The entire RCCK family invested substantially in terms of time, commitment and resources including participation in respect of all the activities over the year. President Sudhir, and I would like to thank each & every one of them. I would like to thank Rtn.Bipin Bhatia, Secretary for 2012-13, for his support & inputs throughout the year. I would also like to thank my wife Vineeta, and my daughters Nandini & Surabhi for all their help & support.
Thank you, Shukriya, Dhanyavad, Nandri.
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| A section of the audience |
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| Pres Sudhir Takker |
Dist. Governor Elect Rtn.IS AK Nazar, Guest of Honour Sri Sudeep Jain, Ag Muthuswamy, PDG’s ( names) Distinguished District Officials, Visiting Rotarians and Incoming Presidents, my good friends of RCCK , ladies and gentlemen, Good Evening.
I would like to begin with a Quote “ We are born not only to die but we are born to serve . not for this and not for that… not to book your place in heaven , nor to win a coveted award, but for the sheer joy of being useful – after all, the only choice is to be useless --used less.
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 17th Installation function of RCCK .
You can see a smile on my face ,a sign of satisfaction and achievement of a Job well done with great team work, great fellowship and flawless execution of multiple projects in each and every avenue of service.
We started this year with the theme 3D , Dream Design Deliver.
The success to any Good Dream would inevitably focus on Design ,
What is Design ? Design is that finishing touch that appeals to the senses before it appeals to the intelligence .
As is the trend with RCCK the high standards set , have been exceeded . Please tighten your seat belts , relax and just let your senses take over as we take you thru the journey of Delivery …
After Secretary’s report:
Thankyou Sanjay for a truly descriptive Progress report….
I would like to start with a Quote by Napolean Hill
“All that anyone really requires , as capital on which to start a successful career , is a sound mind, a healthy body and a genuine desire to be of as much service as possible to as many people as possible” .
We started this year with a simple Dream and Design :
Involvement of each and every member so that they feel their worth and potential and then contribute by adding an intrinsic value to the Club, to achieve successful participation in club meetings, get togethers, each and every avenue of service -- community , vocational , New gen, polio plus, TRF contributions, international and publicity.
The Delivery part was such a pleasant breeze . Each and every member took leadership in their chosen avenue of service and the results are all so visible. The best part was, we had great fun doing all this together.
Participation in club events was over 75% attendance
Over 25 projects were executed with an Outlay of 40 lacs .
20,000 Benificaires benefitted with a Direct benefit to 5000 families.
Ladies and gentlemen this was the reach of RCCK for year 13-14.
What this year has achieved is a strong sense of bonding, a strong sense of achievement for the current year and with the hope of looking forward to better things in the years to come …
I would like to thank some of our longstanding Global grant partners :
Rotary Clubs of:
* Strathcona Sunrise in USA
* Edmonton Mayfield in Canada
* Gailsburg , Illinois in USA
* Medford Rogue in the USA
* Rochester in the UK
I would like to thank DG A P Kanna, AG Chella and my fellow change maker Presidents ,Rotarians from the District whose support and encouragement was truly felt and enjoyed.
I request Ann Bhavna to kindly come up on stage.
I take this oppurtunity to thank each and every Board member who contributed selflessly through time and resources for this resounding success.
I request the Board members to kindly come up on stage as their names are read out :
Secretary Sanjay Thought for the day Agarwal.
Now if there was one day without his email on the group “ Thought for the day” – I know not off. The smiling face of RCCK this year and my closest ally . Someone who has always been available thru thick and thin , round the clock . Words belittle his contribution this year. One who has outshown in his role as the Secretary .
Club Sevice Director and President Elect : Mahim Gupta
Simply effective . You just have to let him know what is required and lo and behold it is done . A very effective Club Service director. A special note of appreciation for Rakhee Mahim for the exemplary contribution to club services.
Community Service Health - Ravikrishnan,
If you could say something , then please say it, so that Ravi can pun it on its head. The man has an outstanding sense of humor, but this is the starting point. I could not have wished for a more out reaching person. An Outstanding community Service Director where we have done several projects this year .
Community Service Special Velu Muthu
The man who could be called the Englishman -- Earl Of Yorkshire . Always there , whenever required with his insightful thoughts and suggestions. His support has been a huge source of energy thoroughout the year .
Vocational Service N Sivasubramaniam
Simply Siva ! One of the nicest guys to have lived on this planet. You have a Project , then you have Siva who volunteers right away – lets meet up guys for a drink and to discuss. His energy and support throughout the year really touched my heart
International Service & Public relations
Mita Venkat
Now when you think of Mita , think of Venkat . the Husband--wife duo are the soul of the club with their creativity and energy levels. Thankyou Mita and Venkat for your support
Immediate Past president Nirmal Nahar
The man with a million Dollar smile . A man who is extremely resourceful and seems to know , all that there is to matter.
A man whose memory would put to shame the memory of an elephant.
New Generation Vasanti Ananth
E= m c2 . Now in this case Energy is equal to Vasanti . The embodiment of energy and enthusiasm . She has been instrumental in effectively executing several successful projects .
Chairman Polio plus Ravindran
The SELF of the club . A man with a tacit sense of humor and ever willing to chip in . A man who has been the soul behind this Project
Sergeant at arms Vardarajan
He is like an elder brother to me . Always round the corner when you need him . A tremenedous source of strength.
Chairman Rotary foundation Joseph Mathew
& Treasurer
Jose -- as he is fondly called . Is there one person who has not been touched by this man’s geniality ? A great human being . Unfortunately Jose is in Singapore so we will just have to have one more drink on his behalf.
Club Advisor Hari Ratan
Give him a moment please , he has just got this idea—that’s Hari for you. Ideas come naturally to him and this man radiates brilliance and not just that , he truly cares for people and ensures that committments made by people are followed up with actions.. I was lucky to have him as my Advisor and harness his brilliance throughout the year.
Club Trainer Karthik Sabanayagam
I really can’t think of a better word and will stick to : A truly insightful Leader and a Mentor. Due to a gifted phenomenon , he is always able to assess situations , oppurtunities and people. His guidance throughout the year is one of the reasons for a Successful year 13-14 .
Besides the Board I would like to thank Divyesh for his outstanding work on Hearing Aids projects -- his meticulous approach bears outstanding results.
A special thanks to Srivatsa . There have so many moments when I have just poured my thoughts to him and he has always been objective in guiding me through his reponses. Thank you Srivats for shaping my thoughts.
Mani, what can I say , whenever that Someone I was looking out for, beyond the Board , Mani was always there, Thankyou.
All past presidents who were not Board members, Revathi, Subbu , Srivats. And finally all my Dear RCCKians Arvind Gupta, Bipin, Chakri , Madhu, Mohan , Rahul, Ravikant, Rizwan, Sai -- my cricket soulmate,
The three new members – Jayshree ,Rajshree and Pankaj who have embraced RCCK almost instantaneously.
I would like to thank the Ann’s and the Annettes of the club for their support and participation .
This year actually belongs to my wife Bhavna and daughter Hashi without whose moral, emotional and thoughtful support I just could not have functioned .Thankyou .
Before closing I would like wish the very best of luck to the team of 14-15 under Mahim
I will end with a Quote on Wisdom by Oprah Winfrey :
“ Inner wisdom is more important than wealth. The more you spend it the more you gain “
God Bless !
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| Rtn. Mahimm Gupta |
Chief Guest and DGE Rtn. Nazar, My dear friend and Guest of Honour - Sudeep Jain, AG Rtn.
Muthuswamy, members of the District, In coming Co-presidents, visiting Rotarians, Fellow
members from RC Chennai Kilpauk, ladies and gentlemen, a very warm welcome.
In my short Rotary journey of 5 years, I have seen the significant impact Rotary can make to the
lives of people.
As part of RCCK, I have seen the great work we do and I must first acknowledge the opportunity
RCCK has given me to be a small part of bringing change to the society we draw out of every
day. Not only that, My club has offered me the opportunity to build great friendships in a city
that was quite new to me.
RCCK is distinct in the way it conducts it self. Small, closely knit with a lot of involvement
of Annes (and Annas – as we call the husbands of our lady members), quiet yet strong and
extremely giving.
Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk is a club of unique recognition amongst its peers and the work
done in the past has many established achievements – Last year under President-ship of Rtn.
Sudhir being a great one itself. This sets quite a strong benchmark of performance and lays the
grounds of doing more.
As my team and I will strive to at least keep pace with the past, the RI theme of “Light up
Rotary” – will be my inspiration, that will possible help me reach a little beyond.
Truly inspiring and how deeply insightful. “Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle.” I hope our
club’s work this year helps light many candles, bringing light to many homes - in more ways
than one.
While our club has a strong affiliation with international clubsthat help fund our larger Helping
Hands and Joy of Sound projects, and OPG that helps with the health center at Gumudipoondi,
I today invite all our members to reach out to their friends and acquaintances, and their larger
network, by launching
Project Embrace.
The project envisages
.
using our reach to collect small and large sums of money
.
contributed towards causes that donors affiliate themselves to and
.
enlarging the contribution base on an ongoing basis.
.
The sums start at Rs. 100 for an OPD treatment and go up to Rs. 10000 for a hearing
aid and speech therapy.
.
Donors are invited to contribute in as many multiples as they wish to.
This is a paper and an online drive and I am sure that we will see great success with the
involvement of all members. To bring focus to this initiative, I have given dedicated responsibility
for this to Project Embrace Director, Rtn. Vardarajan.
May I now call upon, Mr. Sudeep Jain to handover the first Project Embrace Form to DGE Rtn.
Nazar.
I appeal to everyone to please reach out to all your acquaintances and help us in our cause.
As a begining, I am making a my contribution fo Rs. 30000 today. Rtn. Vardharajan, please
accept this contribution from me.
There is one more initiative I am starting today.
Small is big.
Rain to STREAMS,
sand to beaches,
acorns to oaks
and the list can go on.
This power I establish today, with the launch of Project Small Drops.
This is a Very simple initiative of placing a savings box, piggy bank style, in our homes or
place of work,
involving our larger family and colleagues at work, and
thus saving up for Rotary.
Each RCCK member will receive a Small Drops Box now and my request is that while you can
definitely Drop in your change, there are days when we all feel a sense of joy that we wish to
share with others but may not find an immediate avenue.
On such days, remember that you have this “Small Drops’ box reach in and give a little
happiness away.
Small Drop can make a difference.
May I call upon, DGE Rtn. Nazar to please handover the first box to Our Charter President,
Rtn. Hari Ratan.
Please remember that Small Drops can make a Difference.
The box will now become a visible items at all speaker meetings. I also suggest that when we
have our Annes Evenings, the host brings the box and l am sure there will be magic around it.
We will share our collections 4 times a years and I am sure we will surprise ourselves.
I will now quickly list our goals for the various Avenues of Service
Community services
The club will continue to work with international clubs to drive our Helping Hands and Joy of
Sound Projects.
We see the lager size of the Global Grants criteria as an opportunity as it allows us to increase
the size of our efforts. We look forward to the district in offering its support to guide and help us
in making these goals successful.
With the support of our dear member, Rtn. Arvind Gupta – MD of OPG, we will look at ways to
deepen our efforts at the Goomundipoondi OPG-RCCK health facility.
Our efforts to work in supporting the End Polio Now campaign goes without saying.
These will be apart from the ongoing efforts of various smaller projects we do on a continuing
basis.
Youth Services
With India being the largest pool of youngsters in the world, we have a very large number of
them joining the workforce/employment every year. We will look at joining the efforts of various
agencies and institutions to impart vocation input and career guidance to this set of youngsters.
The Police Boys Club in Kilpauk is run under the supervision of the club and will continue to be
so in the current year.
Rtn. Pankaj is already looking at adding to the Interact club we have at the Thiru-vi-ka school
and increasing the number of RYLA Camps we will hold this year.
Vocational Services
One of the key activities that RCCK takes on year after year has been the identification of
and
recognition of people of various vocations serving the community at large. These include
policemen, watchmen, drivers, parking attendants, social workers, etc.
This year we will continue with our efforts in this space and will possibly look at recognizing
people in the space of saving lives – ideally under the following vocations:
1. Ambulance services
2. Life Guards
3. Fire department
We will also give away a “For the Sake of Honour” award recognizing the exemplary work of a
leading personality who can be looked upto in his or her vocation.
Club Services
This is an area of strength in the Club and I have a very able and good friend coming to take
charge. Rtn. Sanjay is a very committed organizer and when assisted by Anne Vineeta, the club
can rest assured that our meetings, speakers, events and the operations of the club in general
will be well taken care of. That our Club Assembly is planned in Pondicherry is a great start to
the new RI year.
Goes to shows how quickly our New Club Services director takes charge !!
PR and Bulletin
The clubs currently posts all its activities on the Blog, very dedicatedly managed by Rtn. Hari.
The FB page of the club is active and carries posts of all the events and meetings.
What we don’t have is an organized bulletin and Rtn. Mita has taken upon herself to ensure we
will put out a great e-bulletin very early this year. Thank you Rtn. Mita. I am sure this is going to
be great piece.
Membership
At a recent meeting with the AG, we were told that the average % of Lady Rotarians in the
District is 7.. I am proud that we have close to 20%. At the PETs I have undertaken to induct
8 new members, 3 of whom are going to be Ladies. The Club is committed to increasing its
strength to 40 and we are collectively working towards that goal.
We are today inducting Kiran Agarwal to our wonderful club. And we have amidst us 4
prospectives already. Jointly, we will reach the goal of the committed 8.
Foundation
Giving can be in many ways - effort, time and money. But money does drive the larger goal,
and while we do contribute in various ways to our own club and its activities, it is important to
recognize that we do belong to a larger entity and have an obligation in helping the larger cause
such as Polio and our needy brethren in other parts of the world. This is done by none other
than RI through the contributions we make to the Foundation.
On behalf of the club I had committed USD 5000 at the PETs. I am honouring that pledge today
by making that payment now.
May I request Foundation chair, Rtn. Muthu Palaniappan to please accept this check of USD
5000.
In addition, during the year, we will be looking at many of our members becoming PHF thus
increasing our contribution to the RI cause. I am also told that becoming a Major Donor can
be a journey. One can contribute in bits and as soon as one has contributed USD 10000 they
become a major donor. This has no time limit and thus opens the possibility of more members
reaching this goal. I wish members to evaluate this journey and reach the Major Donor status
over a period of time that is comfortable.
I have been careful not to make any promises today. But I do hope we have set ourselves
reasonable direction and goals. That is because, I am not here to govern and direct, but to lead
a set of peers and similar minded friends, who are committed, to collectively make a difference,
to the society we live in. It is not for me to say that I did this in my year, but for all of us to say,
that we achieved that in RI year 14-15. Mahimm was just the person at the front table, but we all
made a difference.
I look up to my team and the club at large, in making the incoming year truly memorable -
because we will all do what we are passionate about - doing great work within and outside the
club and continuing to distinguish the club and make it stand out.
In the end, I must thank all members for their support, specially
Rtn. Karthik – for all the guidance
Rtn. Nirmal for the brilliant concept we see today
Rtn. Mita and Anna Venkat for putting this all together.. Venkat – owe you a special one
actually.
Rtn. Ravikrishnan and Rtn. Sanjay for working with me quietly in the back, and
my wife, Rakhee who has worked with me over the last few weeks in putting this day together.
Special thanks to Kiran for his extremely magnanimous gesture in making today truly
memorable.
Project Embrace Director, Rtn. Vardarajan, informs me that we have today collected Rs. 1.0 lac
under Project Embrace. That’s a wonderful start..Good things don’t need time to move..Thank
you donors.
Thank you all for coming, taking time out from your busy schedules, being part of our vision and
gracing this occasion. Thank you once again.
