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Volume XXXXI No. 38 Dated: March 21, 2017 PROGRAMME

Review of Vocational Training Programs Chief Guest:

Mrs. Sanjana Arora, Principal CCET (Diploma Wing) (Vocational Awards and Distribution of Course Completion Certificates and Kits)

Date: March 24, 2017 (Friday) Time: 6.30 p.m. Venue: Hotel President, Sector 26, Chandigarh

The world in the time of Trump

Former Ambassador K.C. Singh

Chief Guest Mr. K.C. Singh with his friends PP Ajit S. Gulati, Rtn. Arjan Singh and PP Dr. Balram Gupta

Our regular meeting on March 17, 2017 was presided over by Vice President Rtn. Salil Bali, as President Rtn. Amarjit Singh had to attend Epson SI meet at Hotel Le Meridien in Gurgaon. VP Salil Bali welcomed the Chief Guest, former Ambassador Mr. K.C. Singh, who was formally introduced by Rtn. Arjan Singh. Mr. K.C. Singh joined the Indian diplomatic service in 1974 after obtaining a Masters degree in English Literature and a Bachelors degree in Law. He retired from the service in May 2008, having risen to the post of Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He served in different capacities in Indian Posts/Missions in Cairo, New York and Ankara. He also was Deputy Secretary to the President of India (1983-87). He held several senior positions at headquarters including that of Joint Secretary for administration, head of the Consular, Passport and Visa Division and as Spokesman of the Ministry. He was Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (1999-2003) and then to Iran (2003-05). Returning to headquarters he became Additional Secretary (International Organizations) as well as the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism. He finally held the post of Secretary (Economic Relations).

Mr. K.C. Singh was the Chief Guest in our club meeting on March 05, 2010 when Rtn. Gurdip S. Deep was the President. In that meeting Mr. K.C. Singh gave a very interesting talk on ‘National Security Challenges with Reference to Pakistan and Afghanistan’, which has been reported in our online bulletin No. 37 of 2009-10 http://www.rotarychdmidtown.org/pages/bulliten_2009/bulletin37.pdf.

PP Dr. Balram Gupta presents a memento to Mr. K.C. Singh. Looking on are Vice President Salil Bali and Secretary Sundeep Singh Sawhney

Rtn. Salil Bali Officiating President

Rtn. Arjan Singh introducing the chief guest

Rtn. Sundeep S. Sawhney

Announcements

PP Dr. Balram Gupta Vote of thanks

He has good number of friends in our club. PP Rtn. Ajit S. Gulati was his class fellow at Senior Model School, Sector 16, Chandigarh in 1958-61. Rtn. Arjan Singh was his friend as a student in Panjab University (PU). When Mr. K.C. Singh was doing LL.B in PU, his friend PP Rtn. Dr. Balram Gupta was doing Masters in Law, and in his final year of LL.B, Dr. Balram had joined the Law Faculty in PU, and taught Administrative Law.

Due to his various important foreign assignments Ambassador K.C. Singh is fully competent to talk to us about the World in the time of American President Donald Trump. He said a year ago he never expected Trump to become the President, just as he had felt that Narendra Modi would never become the prime minister. He said, “The Republicans don’t know what Trump is all about, as old people in BJP do not know what Modi is all about.”

The world is now going through a different phase as populist leaders like Trump, Modi and Vladmir Putin are rising which is quite alarming. This is a new kind of politics which is a combination of populism and nationalism, and it may have dangerous consequences. Nobody knows where the world is going.

Just two months in office, Trump continues to befuddle and provoke his perceived enemies, including purveyors of “fake news”, at home and allies, friends and antagonists abroad. He is to stay certainly for four years. He is the President who operates even policy matters through twitter which is problem for his administration. He also has half of his family with him, which is just like what many Indian politicians are doing. We do not know what is normal, and Trump is re-defining politics.

Trump attacked Muslims in all of his many speeches. When an average American wants to attack a Muslim, they mistake Sikhs for one, and hit them instead. It is due the intolerance that Trump is propagating to those small time workers who had voted for him. There was a shooting incident in a Gurudwara when President Obama took prompt action to control the situation. But this kind of approach is not yet seen from Trump’s administration.

Mr. K.C. Singh also talked about Trump’s various policies including trade policy. He has opposed the policies of Mr. Obama and may make drastic changes, which will surely affect the relations with other countries.

Discussing a comparison between Trump, Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, he said Trump is more in line with Modi. Mr. Singh stated, “Trump will provide great excitement and it will be interesting to see Mr. Modi, his own kin from Asia, how they relate to each other.”

India’s annual $100 billion-odd export of software services to the US rests on H1-B visas. As India plays a waiting game, perhaps Mr. Modi should consider golfing lessons for bonding with President Trump, a game Modi wanted truant bureaucrats to abandon when he first moved to New Delhi over two and a half years back.

On behalf of our club PP Dr. Balram Gupta thanked Mr. K.C. Singh for his interesting talk which was a “short and crisp biopsy of Modi and Trump”. He said it was an interesting recipe of Modi, Kejriwal and Trump.

Chandigarh, Sunday, 26th March 2017

Contact Us

PP Harish Sethi

District Chair (Golf) Tel:9417201180

Email: sethiharish94@gmail.com

President Amarjit Singh

Tel: 9814011760

Email: as@softgenindia.com

Mr. K.C. Singh presents birthday gift to R’ann Dr. Sudha Jain, accompanied by Rtn. Dr. B.R. Jain

Mr. K.C. Singh presents punctuality award to PP Rtn. Prof. Dr. S.K. Sharma

Rotary South Asia Literacy Summit at Chennai

Rtn. Dr. Sanjay Kalra, PE Dr. Rita Kalra, PP Deepak Sood, PN Ashok Puri from our club and PP N.K. Jain of Chandigarh Central.

PDG Shaju Peter also attended the Literacy Summit at Chennai

Addition of PHF to our Club's Growing List

PP Sajan Agrawal of Rotary Club Faizabad presenting the PHF recognition to Ms. Ritu Jamal

Ms. Ritu Jamal, Principal, Govt School, Usru, Faizabad (U.P.) is the newest Paul Harris Fellow, sponsored by PP Indrajeet Sengupta, for her extraordinary innovative work in teaching the underprivileged children in an English medium School.

Her work is not only in line with Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM), but her work also deserves mention because of "call beyond duty".

Birthday of Rotarians Rtn. Tej Mohan Singh March 24 Rtn. Anil K. Nagpal March 24 Rtn. Ajay K. Gupta March 29

Punctuality Award

Won by PP Rtn. Dr. S.K. Sharma

Rotary Global Grant GG1746041: Application approved

As per mail received from Rotary Foundation India on March 17, 2017 our global grant application for funding to provide solar panels and several economic and community development trainings on artisan enterprises and homestay development to Himalayan villages in Kashmir, India, submitted by Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midtown and Rotary Club of Edwards, has been approved by Rotary Foundation (India) (RF(I)) and the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation (TRF). The award is in the amount of $71,500.

Cancer Survivors’ Day

R'ann Ranjana Tulsi requests Rotarians and R’anns to be present for the Joint celebrations of Cancer Survivors’ Day & International Childhood Cancer Day on Saturday, 25th March 2017 at 4.30 p.m. at Auditorium, Govt. College for Girls, Sector 42-D, Chandigarh.

Mr. Rajesh Khullar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Haryana will be the Chief Guest. Mrs. & Mr. Sanjay Goyal, MD Nector Life Sciences Ltd. will be the Guests of Honor.

‘Sangam’ Family of Rotary Intercity – District 3080

District Governor Rtn. Raman Aneja has planned to honour the Rotarians of our District who have completed 25 years of membership in their clubs on Saturday, 8th April 2017 at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar.

Registration is Rs. 600/- (single) and Rs. 1000/- (couple) upto 15th March, after which it will be Rs.1000/- (single) and Rs. 1500/- (couple). Programme is as follows :

► 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Reception and Welcome with evening Tea at Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Parking, Delhi National Highway, Opp. Har Ki Pauri. ► 6.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m - Maa Ganga Aarti and Distribution of Prasadam at Har Ki Pauri. ► 8.00 p.m. - Sangeet Sandhya at V.I.P. Ghat, Opp. Hari Ki Pauri. The programme includes fellowship, light music, sufiyana bhajan sandhya, and felicitation of Rotarians, followed by dinner. For more detail please mail to rotaryharidwar@outlook.com.