Gary C K HuangRI President

Rtn. Vivek AranhaDistrict Governor

R.I.District 3131Issue 9 - March 2015

Governor’s Monthly Letter

Editorial

March is a heady month! This issue focuses on the Goa conference amidst sun, sand and waves. Its reflections are cast here, so that all those who missed it can get a feel of the 'real' thing.The Spring Equinox on March 21st promises almost equal hours of day and night. Spring is the season of fullness and plenty when nature bursts forth into colourful bloom. In our Rotary calendar, March is Literacy Month, when Pune played host to the meticulously planned and executed South Asia Literacy Summit that was attended by Rotary stalwarts from near and far. Our District 3131 has become the leader as far as RDEP and other Literacy themed projects go.March is also associated with madness - a madness which makes it possible to do the impossible. Our District's signature project - 'Dialysis' receives another boost with more machines added to the count. All this and much more. We can highlight your projects only if you share them with the GML team. So do keep those reports and photos coming in.I also take this opportunity to wish our DG Vivek a speedy recovery so that he get back to doing what he's best at : lighting up lives!Rtn Dr. Nalini Ramaswamy

Message from D.G.:

Dear friends,Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Poona, the Conference Chairman P. P. G u r d e e p S i n g h j i A r o r a , Conference Councilor Rtn.Pradeep Rathi, District Secretaries Rtn.Ravi Gosavi and Raju Ballad for making this a Conference amongst all Conferences. Rotary News said “Wow” – Rotary Club Poona worked as a team under the leadership of Rtn. Gurdeep Singhji Arora, -Co-Chairman Praful Shah, District Secretary Ravi Gosavi, PP Ashok Perti to name a few. The conference had record registration of nearly 3000 with Rotarian guests from across the globe – You name the continent and they were there.

Our special thanks to RIDE Dr.Manoj Desai, Film Star Juhi Chawla and Queen of Boxing Mary Kom.

We have to thank a large number of Clubs and the Rotarians who helped to make this Conference a Success. PDG Sam F Irani our Godfather, PDG Deepak Purohit, IPDG Deepak Shikarpur , DRFC Mohan Palesha and our Trainer Rtn Mahesh Kotbagi . Our special thanks to the Rotarians of RC Nigdi led by their President Chandrasekhar Zilpewar. We have also to thank Rotarians of RC Panvel led by PP Dr.Shailesh Palekar for their helping hand at the Conference . We would be failing in our duty if we do not acknowledge the help and support received from PP Pradeed Mulay and PP Pankaj Shah. Women in Rotary led by Rtn. Deepali Gadkari and her team put up the Fashion Show which will never be forgotten. PP Rashmi Kulkarni, PP Deepa Bhagwat and the RYE Team

enthralled the audience with their performance and showed the internationality of Rotary especially through the GANESH VANDANA performed by RYE team students. Beach party on Friday was something that none could forget.

No praise would be enough and no thanks enough for the Cosmopolitan Club led by Rtn. Kirti Kacker who showed that young clubs can be as well as any other. Distribution of certificates, mementos and gifts went liked a well-oiled machine thanks to the herculean efforts of Rtn.Raju Bellad, Rtn.Hema Bellad and Rtn. President Elect Simranjeet Arora – We do not know from where they got the energy to stand back-stage for 3 whole days – I am sure it is the spirit of Rotary. The highlights were Film Star Juhi Chawla and world renowned Mary Kom declaring their support to the cause of Literacy. This was mainly due t o t h e c h a r m i n g e f f o r t s o f R I D E Dr.Manoj Desai.

RI President's Representative PDG Raj Kumar and his charming wife Girija were major hits at the Conference.

We have to thank DG Elect Subodh Joshi, DGN Prashant Deshmukh and DGND Abhay Gadgil for the help and support when things were tough- and last but not the least our thanks to the 4 awesome Rotarians Hemant Joshi, Sanjay Kulkarni, Deepak Londhe and C. Balakrishnan – Our thanks and praise to one and all who made it happen.

VIVEK & CHANDRA ARANHA

District Conference 2015 :'Rishtey' the Family Conference of 2015: a Report of the Start and the Closing

INAUGURAL: 5 th February 2015

Affectionately dubbed as the Family Conference '15,

the RID 3131 District Conference was held in the

sylvan environs of touristy Goa , at the Dr.Shyama

Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium from 5 to 7 Feb.

2015.

Set in the Goa University campus, the venue itself was

a grand affair with a large seating capacity to

accommodate the almost 2500+ registrants.

After the initial formalities of 'lighting the lamp' etc

were through, the meeting was called to order by Rtn.

Mukund Atre, President RC Poona.

A devotion filled Ganesh Vandana by the RYE team

was the talk of the conference as it was a grand

choreographed piece by a large team of foreign

students who performed it with grace and aplomb.

Annet Deepti Aranha introduced DG Vivek Aranha , as

a multifaceted personality.

In his inaugural address, DG Vivek welcomed all

delegates with a warm heart. In his typical grand

manner, Vivek encouraged Rotarians to "'build on fun

,friendship and fellowship and to let it be the basis of

service to humanity. R.I President Garry Huang has

appealed to each and every Rotarian to light up Rotary

and not only make our own lives but the lives of our

friends and the lives of those whom we interact with,

brighter, more beautiful and more comfortable".

Vivek's welcome was followed by an equally

memorable address by RI Rep PDG Rajkumar V.

Talking on behalf of RI President Rn.Gary Huang,

PDG Rajkumar struck instant rapport with the

audience by conducting a Happy Clap exercise in

which the audience wholeheartily participated. The

burden of the talk was on Rotary Membership

increase and to Light Up Rotary through service.

RIDE Rtn. PDG Manoj Desai then regaled the

delegates by literally moving around the stage and

connecting with one and all instantly. A successful

spine surgeon, Rtn. Manoj motivated everyone with

his speech .

This was followed by Awards presented to deserving

Rotarians at the hands of RIDE Rtn.Manoj Desai, the

highlight of which was the presentation of Rotary

Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service to PDG

Deepak Shikarpur.

VALEDICTORY: 7 th Feb. 2015:

The day opened with inspiring Club Presentations .

The canvas of Rotary Projects was breathtaking, from

L i te racy , Vocat iona l serv ice , Communi ty

Development, Maternal and Child care to Water &

Sanitation ….a wide range of socially beneficial

projects were presented.

Rtn.PDG Matti Honakala of Finland presented his

views. This was followed by interaction with

DGE,DGN and DGND. It was interesting to get a

quintessential of the respective VISIONS of these

future leaders of RI District 3131.

DGE Subodh Joshi and team put up a warm invitation

for the next District Conference.

An eye catcher was the ladies' FASHION SHOW .

This brought forth the best beauty and brains of the

Rotary family.

Presentation by Col. ERego about the social work he

does in North Easy India was an impressive statement

on how if one is determined, one can give to society

despite all challenges.

A brief business session led by PDG Dr.Mukund

Abhyankar and a sedate Valedictory session topped

RID3131's successful District Conference of 2015.

Rtn.Dr.Pradeep Wagh

President Nominee

RC Poona Shivajinagar

SAMSPEAK -The Importance of Attendance

It is an accepted fact that late Paul Harris, founder of Rotary, conceived the idea and started Rotary out of his thirst for friendship and fellowship. Can friendship be established between persons without their having met and

their continuing to meet? Thus the basis of Attendance.

When I joined Rotary, Attendance was compulsory and if one did not attend four consecutive meetings it was automatic termination – though Boards always excused the Rotarian for good or sufficient reason. However there were some conscientious Rotarians who resigned as they could not keep up with the rules.

To maintain the attendance rules there was and still is the system of attendance make up, which could be achieved in any of the Rotary Clubs in the Rotary world. Many Rotarians find make ups to be one of the great rewards of membership and occasionally there are important side benefits. There are examples of tie ups in business, vocations and professions and most important, strengthens one of the Objects of Rotary – “ The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for Service ”

Today the rules have been liberalized and attendance is not strict as before. Now the effects of this is that though we do not lose members, the attendance is taken very lightly, with the newly inducted members and the normal explanation is that we have no time and thus is born the new idea of e-clubs.

� Let us examine the importance of attendance. First and foremost, when we meet even for a short while before the meeting, we exchange friendship, views and ideas which can very well emanate into ideas of Service and comradeship.

Secondly during the meeting time the presence of members gives a feeling of satisfaction to the officials and most important to the speaker who has been invited by the club whether he is a club member or most importantly, an invitee. These speakers have put in effort and time to prepare to present the talk and when they find a sparse presence in the audience, they feel let down and not inspired. Some eminent speakers make it a point and inform that they would prefer a good number in the audience, and why not ? One can go on and on to emphasize the importance of Attendance which is aptly described in this verse by an Anon.

THE FAITHFUL FEW.

When the Meeting's called to Order and you look about the Room;

You are sure to see some faces that out from the shadows loom.

They are always at the meeting and stay until it's through;

The ones that I refer to, are the always Faithful few.

They fill the vacant offices, for they are always on the spot

No matter what's the weather, though it may be awfully hot,

It may be dark and raining, but they are tried and True.

The ones that you rely on are the always Faithful Few.

Now it was not for these Faithful, whose shoulder at the wheel

Keeps the ORDER moving onward, without a halt or reel,

What should be the fate of others, who claim so much to do ?They surely would go under but for these Faithful Few.

PDG Rtn. Sam Irani

Another feather in our Cap! –

An honour for RI Dist. 3131

IPDG Dr. Deepak Shikarpur has been appointed as

Assistant Public Image Co-ordinator for the year 2015-

16 by Rotary International. Hearty Congratulations!

We are proud of you!

RCPChinchwad-Swimming Competition for special children

RCKhopoli-State level Chess Tournament with 70 entries

RC KATRAJ : Teacher’s Training Program

CLUBHAPPENINGS

RC PATALGANGA- RYLA

R.C. YAWAT : PLASTIC AWARENESS PROGRAM

RC NIGDI : RUNATHON

R.C NIGDI : RUNATHON

Rotary Club of Pune Katraj's Teacher's Training Program Service Project under ( TEACH Mission )

Rotary Club of Pune Katraj , along with 4 Australian Teachers of TARA.Ed held a 10 days Teacher's Training program at Yeolewadi Boy's School, Pune and Yeolewadi Girl's School , Pune. The Project Impacted 31 Teachers and 910 children of the two schools. The 4 Australian teachers team was lead by Jennifer Star .The Project aimed to expose the teachers to low-resource, interactive pedagogies to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. The Training Program built on certain identified priority areas, had specific focus on Science , English and Mathematics for teachers from Standard V-VIII. The finance for the Project was also supported by Rotary club of Berrima District and The Australia India Youth Dialogue.

RCP University - Vocational Excellence Awards

RCPChinchwad-Swimming Competition for special children

RC Pune University:Felicitation of 6 Teachers on Teachers Day. Literacy Chair Rtn Ravee Dhotre was the Chief Guest.

RCP Shaniwarwada- presented Dist.Vocational Award to Mr. Bobby Nimbalkar

CLUBHAPPENINGS

RCP Royal-Interact club Charter Presentation

RCP Pradhikaran-Charter Ceremony of Rotaract Club of Pradhikaran

RC Khargar Workshop on Proactive Parenting

RC Khargar-Medical checkup of Aashalaya kids RCPPrime City - RYLA

DubaitripwithWomeninRotary

� Thirty of us dressed in blue gathered at Pune ndairport on 22 January 2015 to start our eventful trip to

Dubai. We entered Sharjah with a feeling of excitement.

The new language, environment and feel of a foreign

country were pleasant for us. A pleasant bus journey

through breath-taking architecture, and well-lit roads

with no speed-breakers, took us to our Hotel “Panorama

Grand”.

�The main attraction on the first day was Desert Safari. The

jeep-ride breaking the dunes in the desert was just

amazing. We felt we were in a roller coaster! It was also a

treat to watch the sunset. We went on to the Bedouin

Campsite located in the heart of the desert where we were

welcomed with Arabic Coffee & dates. We enjoyed camel

rides and Hookah!! The day ended with delicious BBQ

Dinner with tantalizing entertainment show by Belly

dancers to the rhythm of Arabic music. Some of our team

members even joined the Belly dancer on stage.

�On Day 2, we visited Dubai Museum. Our tour guide

updated us about UAE's culture, government, Sultan, city

details etc. during the journey and we learnt about its

ancient culture inside the Museum. We had a photo stop at

the cleanest Jumeirah beach and the imposing Burj Al Arab

Hotel which is half in sea and half above sea resembling a

billowing sail. Then we entered Palm Islands and had a

photo stop at Hotel Atlantis.

Exciting and amazing was our visit to the modern thwonder of the world “Burj Khalifa” tower. We reached 124 floor

of the “Burj Khalifa” tower in less than a minute and quite thrilled

to visit what has been listed in the Guinness Book of world

records as the tallest building in the world. After a

delicious Indian lunch at the Rainbow Hotel, we dropped

off at the Global Village which had shops from all

countries of the world. After some hectic shopping, the

day ended with a delicious Indian Dinner at Hotel

Malabar.

�

The third day was much loved by all of us, as it was

devoted only to shopping. We started with Devara City

Mall, had lunch at Batty Restaurant and then it was time

for the amazing Gold & Spice Market. We were delighted

to see more than 100 Gold souks with an exciting range

of gold jewellery.The day ended with a Dhow Cruise ride

as we gently passed through illuminated mosques,

palaces, Heritage villages, shopping malls etc.

The fourth and last day of our tour took us to the

Sheikh Zayad Mosque. We were charmed by the

architecture and intricate interior of the Mosque. As

advised by our tour guide, we had clothed ourselves from

head to foot while entering the Mosque as per the rules.

Next was the Abu Dhabi city tour to discover the

beautiful capital of UAE with visits to Emirates palace,

Sultan's palace etc. After a delicious lunch at Ruchi Hotel

we visited the high-speed Ferrari World and enjoyed the

various fast rides there. The gorgeous great Musical

Fountain at Dubai Mall and dinner at Shamiana Hotel was

what we managed before reaching Sharjah airport for

our return journey. Our trip was a great success mainly

due to the personal attention and care of our tour

managers who made it a memorable and smooth

experience.

Rtn. Asmita Indalkar

“Rotary Queens” Rocks Goa

The Personality and Beauty Contest held on 7th feb during the District Conference was the Brain Child of our Dist. First Lady Chandra Arhana and Dist .Dir (Women In Rotary) Rtn Deepali Gadkari. The Team received an Overwhelming response from the participants .There were 30 contestants from different clubs

of the district. Grooming session was held for all the contestants, thanks to Past President Rotractor Janhavii Pathak, which helped them to walk on the ramp with confidence.The purpose behind organizing this contest was not only entertainment but to make all Anns and lady Rotarians to know, understand and love Rotary.

Difficult task was given to 5 judges to find out The Best Three out of 30 most beautiful and talented ladies from all walks of life.

There were 3 rounds· Ramp walk and introduction round·Q & A round·On the spot 2 min talk on a given topic

The winners of the contest were · Shalaka Ghaisas of RC University - Rotary queen· Megha Giri of RC Uran - First Runner-up· Supriya Badve of RC Diamond(E Club) - second Runner-up

Five other prizes were given for different categories

·Viewer choice “Rotary Queen” : Kalpana Kothari of RC Khopoli·Best Attire : Sangita Khansa of RC Shaniwarwada·Best Complexion : Sanjivani Malvanker of RC Midtown Panvel·Best Hair : Gitanjali Khairnar RC Wisdom·Best figure : Vinita Deshpande of RC Shawas

WIR team Rtn Kshama Gangoli ,Rtn Archana Tople , Rtn Vandana Gargatte,Rtn Shubhangi Zemse , Rtn Shubhangi Kothari did a splendid job. The compering of the event was done by Rtn Shilpgauri Ganpule and Tanaya Jadhav. For the first time such a competition was held in the main hall with much applause of all present.

Rtn Neelam PathakChairperson, Women in Rotary

SOUTH ASIA LITERACY SUMMIT:Pune 13-15Feb.2015

Some of the finest brains of Rotary South Asia converged on Pune to put their minds together on how to solve the problem of illiteracy that still plagues large parts of South Asia.With over 1100 delegates from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and guests from USA, Thailand etc., it was a wholesome and most well represented international assemblage. Convenor PRID Shekhar Mehta welcomed the delegates and RID P.T.Prabhakar called the meeting to order. PDG Mahesh Kotbagi welcomed all delegates especially those who came from abroad. Convenor Shekhar Mehta expressed that now the Literacy Mission has matured into a MISSION of TOTAL LITERACY. RID P.T.Prabhakar goaded delegates to grab the occasion to achieve good things. Chief Advisor PRIP Kalyan Banerjee placed his finger on the problem of Literacy in India by saying that a major problem that needs to be tackled is that of availability of adequate number of qualified teachers.

RIPE K.R.Ravindran expressed a ground breaking thought that world class education should be available to anyone, anywhere and it should be free. A major highlight of the SUMMIT was the MOU signed by Mr.Warren Harris, CEO and MD of Tata Technologies USA and Rotary for about half a million USD to enable ROTARY to take forward the RDEP project to new heights. Mr. Harris in his speech expressed his joy in associating with this project that will bring e-learning into over 300 class rooms.The SUMMIT was aptly divided into sessions named after some of the greatest heroes in education and social cause. RIDE Manoj Desai gave opening remarks for Plenary 1 aptly called 'Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Session'. He recalled the great contribution made by Mahatma Phule to the cause of girls' education at a time when this was unthinkable.Ms. Shanta Sinha expressed her views against child labour. "Give the child her dignity by educating her. It is breaking the cycle of poverty and bringing equality which is what education is all labout", she said. Hon. Minster for Skills and

Entrepreneurship Development, Mr.Rajiv Pratap Rudy, made a scintillating presentation on PM Modi's Vision to bring Skills Education on a large scale in India. He took pains to point out how India lags behind many developed countries in providing Skills to youth and how this underlines greater efforts in this field.Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair John Kenny wished the SUMMIT great success in his encouraging remarks.Day 2 had other interesting Plenary sessions. Plenary 2 was named after Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and dealt with HAPPY SCHOOLS . It noted with concern that many rural schools do not have appropriate infrastructure and Rotary pledged to helping schools become better and more effective. Plenary 3 , Swami Dayanand Saraswati Session focused on WINS (WASH in Schools).Inadequate Water and Sanitation facilities often leads to heavy drop-out especially among girl students . Speakers talked about ROTARY commitment to resolve the issue. Plenary 4 on Adult Literacy was named after Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. PDG Lakkaraju made a fervent appeal for Adult Literacy Centres. Shri Y.S.K. Seshu Kumar , Joint Secretary ,Adult Education gave an overview of the Government's initiatives in this field. Mr.F.C.Kohli , founder of TCS , at a 'young' age of 91 years displayed clarity of thought and perspective on Adult Literacy. He rued that the application of Science & Engineering is totally missing in this country.However, heexpressed hope that ROTARY will play its role in dealing with this problem. Smt.Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, The Aditya Birla

Centre for Community Init iatives and Rural Development mentioned how the by rote learning method needs fundamental changes. Dr.Zakir Hussain Session was the Plenary 5 on Child Development. Ms. Ruchira Gupta , Founder & President of AApne AAp wanted to use education for liberating girls caught in shady business like human trafficking.Dr.Indu Shahani , Principal ,HR College and Member UGC spoke of India's future being shaped in the class rooms. Education today is not just classrooms, but how we can take the youth to search the truth.Plenary 6 was Dr.Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Session on Teacher Support. 'We need to acknowledge the good work of teachers', was the burden of this session. Prof.Dr.S.B Muzumdar ,Founder& President, Symbosis Society emphasized that eradication of illiteracy was perhaps as important as eradication of Polio and laid hope in e-learning.Ms.Shaheen Mistry ,Founder of Teach for India gave a message of LOVE as being the highest thing in Teacher-Students relationship. Ms.Usha Rane, Director ,Pratham complimented Rotary for its initiatives in Adult Literacy. An evening full of Idea Exchange, provided the much awaited opportunity to all Rotarians to participate in focused discussions in smaller breakout sessions. Many felt that these were very useful sessions as they yielded concrete actionable points. Day three started with Plenary 7 Pandit Madan Mohan Malavya Session on e-learning. Mr.Vivek Sawant , MD, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation gave a thought provoking address on how e-learning had empowered people with digital literacy in far flung areas of Maharashtra.Prof. Sugata Mitra expounded on his unique Hole in The Wall e-learning project.Plenary 8 Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan Session on CSR was attended by a glittering array of industry doyens from Metlife, NIIT ,Wockhardt,and Eureka Forbes who came out with great promise of CSR and joining hands with Rotary. Plenary 9 , South Asia Literacy Initiatives was unique. PDG Faiz Kidwai, Chair, Pakistan Literacy Mission gave a very heart rending account of Literacy problems in Pakistan. The problems there were

compounded by the fact that some powers had actually destroyed schools rendering some 600,000 children school less. Through such challenging situations Rotary in Pakistan was picking its way . Rtn.Al-Hak Sufi Mohammed Mizanur Rahman ,AKS spoke inspiring words from the podium expressing hope to join hands with Rotary India to bring literacy to Bangladesh. The CLOSING SESSION was devoted to thanking all the wonderful people who had made this SUMMIT a great success. Concluding remarks were given by PRIP Kalyan Banerjee who emphatically noted that he was going back with valuable takeaways from this SUMMIT just like all the other delegates.

Rtn.Dr.Pradeep WaghPresident Nominee RC Poona Shivajinagar

As you are aware, RI Board of Directors in a meeting held in Evanston, Illinois, USA on 27-30 October 2014 have modified Rotary's calendar of special observances to designate specific months highlighting six Areas of Focus of Rotary. The new special observance months along with the older versions are as follows:

MONTH OLD DESIGNATIONS NEW DESIGNATIONS July Unspecified Unspecified August Membership Development &

Extension Membership Development & Extension

September Youth Services Basic Education and Literacy October Vocational Service Economic and Community Development November The Rotary Foundation The Rotary Foundation December Family of Rotary Disease Prevention and Treatment January Rotary Awareness Vocational Service February World Understanding Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution March Literacy Water and Sanitation April Magazine Maternal and Child Health May International Service Youth Services June Rotary Recreational & Vocational

Fellowship Rotary Recreational & Vocational Fellowship

Goodbye Polio!th nd

11 large hoardings on Polio Awareness were displayed all over Pune City from 15 to 22 Feb. 2015 highlighting the ndNID on 22 Feb. 11 over-sized umbrellas were also handed over to Municipal Corporations of

Poona/Pimpri/Chinchwad to attract beneficiaries in crowded areas like railway stations and bus terminuses. Several active clubs also provided lunch packets/vans/ volunteers etc. to support the activity. Special thanks to Rtn Chandrakant Kudal, AKS Rtn Gopal Nihalani and the Polio Team for their support and efforts.

Rtn Sandesh Savant, Polio Team, RID 3131

ROTARY’SCALENDER:SIXAREASOFFOCUSOFROTARY