rtn. j. sridhar - rotary india

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G o v e r n o r ’ s M o n t h l y l e t t e r

Issue 5 • November 5, 2021

SERVE TO CHANGE LIVES

Dear Change Makers in Rotary,

It is indeed a coincidence that this year Deepavali falls in the same month as the designated one for Rotary Foundation which is the month of November. Festival times are for spreading joy and for including those less privileged in our thoughts and actions. What better way for the same then liberally donating to the Rotary Foundation when you are in that celebratory mood. As we are all aware, the Rotary Foundation is the GIVING arm of our organization and all the big projects done by so many of the Clubs the world over is through Global Grants provided by it. We are raising contributions for The Rotary Foundation

which would include the most important Annual Program Fund, Polio Fund, and Endowment

Fund among others. I request each Rotarian of our District to contribute a small percentage of your planned spending during this festival season to

The Rotary Foundation. Let us make the Rotary Foundation Month the most memorable and let us show the World that we care to Change Lives around us.

Speaking of the capability of the Rotarians of our District, a fine example was for all to see on the 24th of October when we celebrated World Polio Day. We criss crossed the length and breadth of the City and without a trumpet, we made ourselves

heard. The citizenry of Chennai was made aware of the role of Rotary in the eradication of the dreaded Polio. Although Rotary to an average citizen is connected with the two magic drops, this time around Rotarians had a whale of a time spreading the word around. The best part is that Non Rotarians have joined with Rotarians of our District through the Rotary Fellowships-Cycling and Trekking during the World Polio Day Celebrations, in Parks, on Roads, in Malls and all over. It was a great Public Image building exercise taken up and request Clubs to record their activities in “Rotary Showcase”. Punitha and I enjoyed being in the midst of the enthusiastic Rotarians, Rotaractors, Rotary Anns and Annettes. Cycling, shaking a leg with the flash mob, why even sitting in the driver seat of an autorickshaw was done with ease. I am truly indebted to all the Clubs for this grand show. DRFCC M. Ambalavanan and District Polio Chair N. Venkatesh need a special word of appreciation. How can I miss out on the fine evening of music by the Makka Band which was held at the Welcomhotel by ITC. It was an evening of friendship and fellowship with music to drive us through.

With one third of the Rotary Year coming to an end, I am indeed very happy to note that most of the Clubs have delved deep into their service programmes. With every passing day, my engagements to attend club projects are increasing and this gives me a sense of deep satisfaction. I will be shortly starting on the Official Visit to the Clubs. The schedule will be sent to you at the earliest. I would like to reiterate that the Official visit is to make sure that the Club is working well and not for you to showcase your projects. There is ample time to plan and complete projects even after the Official Visit. So request Club Presidents to not ask for a postponement of the date allotted.

Before signing off, Punitha and I would like to wish all of you joy and happiness during this Festival of Light. Stay safe.

Yours in Rotary,Rtn. J. SRidhaR

District Governor - RI Dist 3232

The preamble of the Four-Way Test is “Of the things, we think, say, or do...” This preamble usually printed in smaller font provides

the context to the four way test. Without it, it’s not quite clear what is supposed to be the Truth, Fair, Beneficial, etc.

People may never know what you’re thinking. But thoughts get converted to words, and words get converted to deeds. The preamble reminds us of the importance of following the

Four-Way Test at each of these stages.

Many clubs don’t recite the preamble of the Four way test. Even if they recite, many don’t reflect on it later.

Imagine a visitor to your club hearing you recite the Four-Way Test. Without the preamble to give it context, the Four-Way Test loses much of its impact, especially to someone who may be hearing it for the first time. Hence the preamble is important for the Four way test.

Rotarians are admired throughout the world because we try to live up to the Four-Way Test. The more we are reminded about it the more it gets imprinted in our way of life. One way of constantly reminding ourselves is to keep a copy of it on the walls of our office and home where we see it daily.

I hope the next time you recite it, you will find deeper meaning and greater inspiration in its words.

The Four Way TesT – rtn. sabu Balagopal, Rotary Club of Chennai Towers

What is your Rotary Club doing in November to celebrate and focus on

The Rotary Foundation (TRF)?

Each year, Rotary International highlights November as Rotary Foundation Month to emphasize the importance of and need for Rotarians’ support of The Rotary Foundation

The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, it taps into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants, empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact......

Strong financial oversight, a stellar charity rating, and a unique funding model mean that TRF make the very most of Donor’s contribution. Give and become a part of Rotary’s life-changing work!

In 2016-17, our Rotary Foundation turned 100. That’s a century of Rotary members changing lives and improving communities all over the world. Since it was founded, with a start of

– aKs rtn. M. ambalavanan, DRFCC, RI District 3232

2 | ChaNge Makers | November 5, 2021

just $26.5, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.

How Rotary Foundation Helps: Do Good in the World by availing the various TRF programs - Global Grants, District Grants, Disaster Response Grants, Program of Scales, RFI-CSR Grants, Rotary Peace Centre Fellowship

Funds of TrF you can donate to:Based on your interest, you can make a contribution to any of the Funds of TRF – Annual Program Fund, Polio Fund, Endowment Fund, Disaster Response Fund, World Fund, Area of Focus specific Donations.

Directed Gifts / Contributions to specific Projects: One can make contributions to specific Projects through - Directed Gifts assigned to Global Grant Projects, Cash contributions to Global Grant Projects and Corporate CSR contributions.

suggested activities during the November rotary Foundation MonthHold a fundraiser in your community to support a Foundation grant project, the Rotary Peace Centers, or PolioPlus.

Participate in a global grant or district grant project.

Promote your club projects that are funded by the Foundation.

Dedicate some club meetings to Rotary Foundation topics. Invite DRFC Team members to speak to your members on TRF.

Challenge members to increase your club’s contributions to the Foundation.

Attend the District Rotary Foundation Seminar.

Let us be a Gift to our community. Contribute online through my.rotary.org/donate

All the Best for a rewarding Rotary Foundation Month of November.

In these times, it is rare to see someone who remains optimistic no matter what happens. But Gordon R. McInally, the 118th president of Rotary International, personifies the image of positivity and looks at

every experience as a way to learn and grow.

Joining Rotary at the age of 26, he served as district governor at 39. And at 49, he joined the Board of Directors. While sharing his vision for Rotary, Gordon observes that it is closely

inclined with the ROI action plan and that it is no coincidence. Overall, his vision for Rotary is simple: he wants it to grow and innovate and change and transform to reflect the times we live in, especially at this difficult time.

Navigating through the current global pandemic, he believes we can better serve the needs of those who need and desire help. Though things would never be the same, he says that it is not necessarily a bad thing. He thinks that there are a lot of positives that came out due to the global pandemic we are currently facing: opportunities to restock and re-evaluate our priorities in our lives and the society in which we live. And in

Rotary, at every level, from district to international.

Another aspect of his vision is to see an increase in the number of Rotary members, for which he says the younger demographic will be a great asset. He also aims to achieve gender equality in Rotary. He believes that one day, there will be an equal representation that helps in steady progress.

Also, he talked about the importance of the charity, The Rotary Foundation that will help many people to live a good life and help bring hope for the future. In the end, he talked about the purpose of Rotary’s existence: peace. And to him, peace is not the absence of war. Peace is freedom, healthy children

rtn. Gordan r. McInally – a Man Who Looks on The Bright side


and adults, clean water, sufficient food, education, human rights, clothing, dignity, housing, and concern for mankind. Most of all, peace is love.

His speech gave inspiration, hope, and positivity. Most importantly, it reminded us what Rotary stood for: to help people and to help them see a bright future.

Above is the synopsis of the address Rtn. McInally gave on the 19th of October, when he was the speaker at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Madras. To honour Rtn. McInally, the Club planted 118 fruit tree saplings at Boys Town.

The story of Pratima Joshi brings a glaring contrast to many women profiled here. She has treaded on a less - t rave l led path and has

made an enormous difference in many lives. Her organization has led many community-based projects where the users have been fully involved. Her aim has been to work towards the recognition of slum dwellers as legitimate city residents with rights to basic public services and housing. Pratima has worked in the area of sustainable low-cost housing and sanitation for the urban poor for over 26 years.

Pratima spent her childhood in Chennai. She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Church Park and her architecture degree from Anna University. A Maharashtrian by birth but very much a Chennaiite at heart.

Pratima has a fervour to work that inspires everyone around. She feels this is what should drive the youth aspiring to bring about social change.

A recipient of Aga Khan scholarship, and an expert in ‘Building Design for Developing Countries’, through her Masters-in-Architecture from London based Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, Pratima who co-founded the NGO- Shelter Associates in 1994, has impacted over 3,70,000 people by providing safe sanitation through community and individual household sanitation. The data driven, community centric and cost sharing model, ‘One Home One Toilet’ (OHOT) has led to over 22,000 household toilets being facilitated directly in slums

of Maharashtra in the cities of Pune, Kolhapur, Thane, Navi-Mumbai, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Sangli and Panvel (updated April 2020). Their social housing efforts in the cities of Pune and Sangli-Miraj has impacted over 8400 people and they continue to engage in slum rehab projects in the city of Kolhapur.

In December 2009, Google Earth recognized her efficient use of Google Earth technology towards poverty mapping, and thus acknowledged her as ‘Google Earth Hero’, which made her the only Indian to receive ‘Google Earth Hero Award’. Honoured with the Ashoka Fellowship, Pratima has also been identified by BBC as a leading ‘Slum architect of India’

In the last 6 years, she has won many awards including, LPC Honour Award at the UN Convention 2020, ‘NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum 2017’, award, recognized as a Social Entrepreneur by Ashoka Fellowship, India Sanitation Coalition - FICCI’s special recognition for innovative use of data for delivery of sanitation, ‘Amazing Indian’ by Times Now and the HUDCO award for sanitation solutions jointly with the Pune municipal corporation, to name a few.

Pratima speaks and presents her work extensively across the world at universities, to governments and other social sector organizations, including policy discussions and advisory role in government programs such as the Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY). She has been a vocal advocate of OHOT model on various national and international platforms.

Under Pratima’s guidance Shelter Associates carry outstanding work for the city’s urban poor and every settlement impacted stands a chance for a brighter future.

spotlight on a

Woman of Worth - PraTIMa JoshI


International Chef’s Day falls on October 20th, closely tagging behind World Food Day which falls on October 16th. Even in

dates, the Chef can’t stay far away from food!! Being a Chef myself, have realised that food not only fills and nurtures but also evokes a curiosity and interest towards global foods. Food was initially confined to the geographical terrains, temperatures and cultures. It no longer is so. Everyone has opened their senses and curiosity towards World Cuisine that foods from across continents, are now available in restaurants close to our very homes. During my first trip to France, the seat of International Cuisine (as it was the first country to document its cuisine as recipes), I was pleasantly surprised to find authentic Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Moroccan and Lebanese restaurants. India too, did not take long to follow suit. Italian and Chinese restaurants found a niche in our eating culture. Chennai has been phenomenally open in its mind-set and palate, that restaurants serving exclusive Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Arabic food soon filled the restaurant options for a family get-together, a friends’ meet-up or a working lunch meeting!! When an Ethiopian restaurant opened its doors and started doing well, I was intrigued to see the changing South Indian palates. Though the heart continues to be partial to a Masala Dosai or Thayir Saadam with Maavadu, the tongue desires to try out new dishes, making restaurants serving a new cuisine the “go-to” place for a gathering!!!International foods, in this decade, have become familiar to us, irrespective of whether you are a chef or not. The internet and the easy availability of ingredients has made this possible. Vegetarianism still strives through these. Adaptions are made in recipes to make the food 100% vegetarian without compromising on the taste or beliefs. Just the other day, I served an Herbed Cottage Cheese Cordon Bleu with Slow-Braised Carrots & Beans, Mashed Potatoes and a Creamy Mushroom Ragout, as an alternative for Chicken Cordon Bleu for my vegetarian customers. The Swiss craving was satisfied, without compromising on the original taste.World-wide, vegetarianism has evolved to greater proportions. Exclusive Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants have sprung up, serving wholesome meals using local produce in various wonderful combinations. I remember during one of my earlier journeys to Malaysia, I could not eat anything owing to the addition of Fish Sauce and Fermented Shrimp Paste to their dishes. Today, the same Malaysian dishes are substituted with Soy Sauce or a Vegetarian Oyster Sauce made from shitake & oyster mushrooms, making the dish a pleasurable choice for vegetarians. This brings me to the preferential taste of today - “umami”. Umami is a unique taste that provides a food satiety along with a desire for more! Foods like tomatoes, soy, mushrooms, add an enticing savoury taste owing to the presence of glutamates and nucleotides in them. Umami-rich foods are a part of the daily diet of South Asian Cuisine,

– Chef Priya Roy

FooD WIThouT

BorDers!!

thus making Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese cuisines, much sought-after today! The constant longing for taste and variety, has created exciting culinary escapades!!

herbed Cottage Cheese Cordon Bleu

silken Tofu Teriyaki with yakimeshi and Miso Tossed ses-

ame Bokchoy & Green Beans


October 24th saw the city of Chennai turn into a sea of red. Red denotes vitality, health, courage, love and a whole lot of positivity. The sea of red was packed with all of this and more for what constituted it were the Rotarians, Rotary Anns, Rotaractors, Interactors and Annettes of Rotary International District 3232. They were on the roads, in the parks, inside the malls, at the junction of arterial roads at the traffic signals and of course in every corner of the city ready to make an impact and to let the citizenry of Chennai know the work done by Rotary towards the eradication of polio. What was missing was the town crier of yore, but then we had music bands and flash mobs to make up for that. It was indeed a packed Sunday of creating awareness about Polio. Cycling, Trekking, On-Street Shows - we did it all!! 120+ clubs from our Rotary District 3232 participated with full gusto across all major parts of the city. We were happy to have, Thiru Ma.Subramanian flag off the cycle rally at 6am from Queen Mary’s College. This was followed by the series of events in Independence Day Park, Sivan Park, Natesan Park, Nageswara Rao Park, Tower Park, Pondy Bazaar, Hotel Savera, Flash mobs in Grand Mall, Jeeva Park. And of course there were Clubs which organised blood donation drive and medical camps as well. As Chairman of Polio Plus Team, it was a special day and one of contentment for me as we were able to execute all the programs and events with great satisfaction. Just as how every piece of a puzzle plays an important role in attaining the final picture, the role of every Rotarian was important in get to the desired effect. It was team work at its best and I extend my sincere thanks to DG Rtn. J.Sridhar, DS Rtn. Ravi Shankar, DRFCC Rtn. M. Ambalavanan, District Officials and Polio Team for their support.

WorLD PoLIo Day 24Th oCToBer 2021

– rtn. N. Venkatesh, Rotary Club of Madras North


7 | ChaNge Makers | October 5, 20217 | ChaNge Makers | November 5, 2021

rotary Club of Chennai Legacy distributed 100 food plates, 8 sleeping mats, 6 dustbins & nutritious snacks (dates, peanut bar & gram dhal bar) to the children at the Government Corporation Play School (Palvadi), Tondiarpet.

Change Makers on the Go

rotary Club of Madras Connemara donated a house to Ms. Selvi, mother of 3 children and from an economically poor background, living in Melapakkam Village. A month’s grocery and a mixi was donated by AG Rtn. Siva Ilangovan. Rtn. C. Muthusami, Chairman CSD was the Chief Guest. President Rtn. G. Dhanasekar, Club Secretary Rtn. Ranganathan, club office bearers, members and Rotaractors participated.

English Literacy Workshop was an initiative of rotary Club of Madras Temple City Literacy Chair Rtn. Dr. N. Gopinathan along with English Literary Association (LitSoc) of VIT, supported by Dr. Devi Meenakshi K and Mohanapriya Singaravelu, student coordinators and a team of student volunteers. The workshop was week long 20th – 25th September, attracting a participation of 230 students and hosted 7 distinguished facilitators. Various aspects of spoken and written English from listening, grammar, articulation, vocabulary skills to reading, public speaking creative writing and storytelling were deliberated.

Rtn. DG J. Sridhar officially inaugurated the workshop in the presence of Dr. Saradha Rajkumar, Dean, School of Social Sciences and Languages, VIT. The students were told how language skills are required to take on the world with confidence. All sessions were highly interactive and there were breakout sessions for participants to absorb and try their new skills. All attendees were presented with participation certificate.

rotary Club of Nanganallur distributed Immunity booster supplements to the members of Nanganallur Senior Citizen Forum on the 17th of October. This was a need of the hour project and it cost Rs. 35,000/-.

rotary Club of Madras Mid-Town renovated two toilet blocks at the Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School, Nungambakkam. The club also replaced the flag post in the school. Dr. Ezhilan Naganathan MD, MLA of Thousand Lights Constituency was the Chief Guest. District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar was the Guest of Honour for the function. AG Rtn. Gopinath, President Vikram Jindal, Club Secretary Krishnacumar, Dir. Community Service Development Rtn. V. Karthik, Rtn. Kamal Narendra, Chairman of the Project were present.


rotary Club of Chennai hallmark provided Educational assistance to 101 students for their education to the tune of 5 Lakhs on 12th September. School fees were paid to 98 children, mobile phones were provided to 2 students and 1 Laptop to a college student. Also arranged an Educational Loan worth of Rs.3.75 Lakhs to an Ayurveda Medical Student. The Chief Guest of the project was DG Rtn. J. Sridhar. Dist. Secretary Rtn. Ravishankar, Chairman Literacy Rtn.C. Raja, Chairman Women Empowerment Rtn. Sujatha Panju and a host of Club members participated.

rotary Club of Chennai Coastal presented the Vocational Excellence Award to Dr Raghunathan, Principal, Guru Nanak College, Velachery and to Mrs Sheela Rajendra, Dean, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Group of Schools. Rtn S N Balasubramanian, Chairman, Vocational Services District 3232 was the Chief Guest for the evening. AG Rtn Prasad, President Rtn PHF Manjit Singh Sahney, office bearers and members of the Club, Rotary Anns and Change Maker presidents were present.

Under the Operation Daybreak scheme, rotary Club of Madras Chenna Patna has been extending financial support to underprivileged students every year in the form of tuition fees to complete their under graduate studies. A. Durga Devi is one such example, wherein the club has been supporting her from the first year of her B.Com. degree course by giving Rs.30,000 every year. She is now in her final year at Soka Ikeda College. It is indeed a matter of pride that she has scored 90% marks in her fourth semester. She is sure to go a long way and make her family and the society proud.


on 2nd October 2021 to celebrate gandhi Jayanthi rotary Club of Chennai Velachery had a tree planting event with the green Velachery Team at Perungudi near the railway station. 300 tree saplings, 100 flowering plants, 100 bamboo saplings and 100 palm seeds were planted. go green Chairman rtn. sivabala, ag rtn. suresh, President sathyanarayana and other members of the Club participated.

rotary Club of Chennai Madhavaram along with Corporation of Chennai and Nadi Medical Centre held a Covid vaccination camp were 70 people benefited. The Club also held an eye camp along with sankara Nethralaya in which sixty six people were screened and treated.

rotary Club of Madras Coromandel have taken the District Vocational Service Project upskill to great heights by not just teaching and mentoring the girl children from Interact Schools, Rotaract Clubs on English but also helping the girls from poor background to evaluate them on English skills by encouraging them with free coupons to attend the Cambridge examination to get certified on English proficiency. RCMC have so far sponsored 100 Kids from Interact Avvai Homes, Rotaract- Dr. MGR Janaki College. On the 10th of October the girls from Interact Avvai Homes were made to participate in the International Girl Child Day celebrations and they received certificates from DG Rtn.J.Sridhar.

rotary Club of Chennai Gemini and rotary Club of Chennai Bharathi conducted VALARUM VALAMAI an educational program for Rotaractors. It was well attended with most of the city clubs participating. The event was conducted to mark the centenary memorial anniversary of Mahakavi Bharathiar, and was focused on overall wellbeing particularly on mental and psychological aspects. DG Rtn. J. Sridhar gave an outstanding motivational address. Rtn. Maithili Muralidharan delivered the key note address followed by two special guest lectures, Dr. Padma Anil Kumar, Clinical Psychologist, who spoke on mental wellbeing and Mrs. Vishali Kannadasan who addressed the gathering on “கேடேகா வரத்தைக் கேடே நகான் துணிநகதைன்!” President Raghu Chakravarthy welcomed the gathering and Club Secretary Rtn. Dr. R. Ezhil Arasan gave the concluding remarks. Rtn. Shameena of RCC Bharathi gave the vote of thanks.

To celebrate Teachers Day, rotary Club of Chennai Chola along with green Trust, felicitated and awarded the best teacher recognition to five teachers of the government school, West Mambalam. rotarians suresh Babu, ananthan & Thirumalai participated in the event.

rotary Club of Madras Central, inaugurated a new Vocational Training Unit to impart tailoring skills to women in and around the village of Kaniyambakkam, near Minjur. Launched under the Vocational Services Avenue, this project has received overwhelming response with over 70 applications leading to creation of two batches of trainees.The inauguration was held on Sunday, 12th Sep 2021 and was presided over by Pres. Rtn. Ramesh Kumar KAV. Rtn. Pavithra Charan (Director - Vocational Services), Rtn. S.R. Balakrishnan (Chairman - Vocational Projects) and Rtn. Anil Kumar, Project anchor were present.

rotary Club of Chennai Port City along with Sri Varasiddhi Vinayagar Trust celebrated Deepavali at Perittivakkam Village, Pondi Union, Thiruvallur District as on 25.10.2021. Bed sheets, sweet box, crackers, food packets & water bottles were distributed to 51 Village sanitary workers (துய்மை ேகாவலர்) belonging to 19 village panchayats.


rotary Club of Madras North conducted a Multi-speciality Medical Camp on 23rd October 2021 in Pattinapakkam, Meenavar Kudiirippu. MLA Mr Mylai T Velu, Mylapore constituency was the Guest of Honour and MP Mrs Tamilachi Thangapandian was the Chief Guest, About 300 people benefitted from the camp. The following hospitals participated – Kaveri, Sri Ramachandra, Rajan Eye Care, BM Orthopaedic and Pristine Skin and Hair Clinic.

rotary Club of Madras Mid-Town held a blood donation camp at Euphoria Gated Community in Sholinganallur. The response was overwhelming and due to constraints of time only 60 units of blood could be harvested. The units of blood collected will be exclusively used for transfusion purpose of cancer effected poor children. District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar inaugurated the camp. He urged people to liberally donate blood and save lives. Water aerators were also distributed to the residents of the community. President Vikram Jindal, Club Secretary Krishnacumar, Director Community Service Dr. Gangadharan and other Rotarians of the Club were present.

rotary Club of Chennai IT City conducted an eye, diabetics, blood pressure camp for auto drivers at Ramana Eye Clinic, RA Puram. The target crowd were the auto drivers. Through the camp, more than 100 auto drivers benefited. President P.Y. Venkateshwaran, Director Community Service Health, Radha Srinivasan, Rtn. Dr. Senthilnathan and other members of the Club were present. The project was facilitated by Rtn. Balaji Palaniappan.

An exclusive one-day workshop for the benefit of Teachers was organized by the rotary Club of alandur at Vadapalani, in view of Rotary’s Basic Education and Literacy Month. The workshop was attended by 20 teachers from various schools. Dr. Jeyachandran, a seasoned trainer was the facilitator of the workshop and he parted with his vast knowledge to the teachers and engaged them with activity bound training to enable them to hone their skills and to face the challenges of educating the children in the current scenario. It was a motivating and inspirational session.


rotary Club of Chennai spotlight conducted the first Hindustan Spotlight Badminton Trophy at Karapakkam at the APJ Abdul Kalam AC auditorium. It was a very successful fundraiser. There were108 participants who took part in the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. District Governor Nominee Rtn. Ravi Raman and Dr Annie Jacob, Director, KCG College of Technology kindly consented to be the chief guest and guest of honour and distributed the cash prizes and awards to the participants and winners. The event was well appreciated and there were many sponsors.

honourable Minister of health, shri Ma subramanian, launched the “Live(r) your Life” campaign organised by Chennai Liver Foundation (CLF), as part of the Liver awareness month. The initiative was inaugurated with the launch of 50000 free liver test, Liver screening camps and Consultations to begin with.Dg rtn. J. sridhar, presided over the press meet, and addressed the gathering on how rotary has been instrumental in nearly eradicating Polio in the world. he assured rotary’s support in bringing awareness about liver health and liver related ailments.rotary Club of Chennai Towers will partner with the Chennai Liver Foundation to take the project to the masses. rCCT will be the nodal point for other rotary Clubs to connect and take advantage of the projectDr. r.P. shanmughanathan, Founder of Chennai Liver Foundation addressed the gathering. rtn. Dr. Vivekanandan of rotary Club of Chennai Towers, and MD of Chennai Liver Foundation, added that “CLF strives to improve public awareness and

understanding of liver health and liver disease, and reach out to poor and underprivileged liver disease patients and their families”Medall has collaborated as Lab Partners with CLF to offer 50,000 Free Liver Function Test during the campaign.

rotary Club of adyar celebrated RCA Awards Night 2021 on 19th October 2021 at Alumni Club with DGE Rtn. Dr. Nandhakumar as Chief Guest and Rtn. S.N. Balasubramanian, District Vocational Chair as Guest of Honor. Awards were bestowed to Four Women who have achieved excellence in their fields.

Ms. Anusha Ravi (Entrepreneur) received Leadership Excellence award. Ms. Amritha Ram (Celebrity Designer / Stylist) received Vocational Excellence Award. Ms. Alisha Abdullah (Indian Racing Driver) and Ms. Anu Anand (Singer) received Young Achiever award. The event was well attended.


On Saturday, 23rd October 2021 - District Disaster Management Team conducted the 6th batch of training on Basic Life Support and First Aid in association with sundaram Medical Foundation along with Rotaract Club of Saveetha College of Physiotherapy and Rotaract Club of SRM RAC SRM IST CSH Vadapalani. Our District First Lady Ann. Punitha Sridhar, Rtn. A. N. Rajasekharan, District Chairman – Community Service Development -2. District Chairman – Rotaract, Rtn. Sesha Sai. Assistant Governor Rtn. D. Narayanan & Rtn. J N Harisharan, District Chairman – Disaster Management were present at the inauguration. First Lady Ann. Punitha Sridhar along with Ann. Lakshmi Kumar & Ann. Kavitha participated in the program. The training was

attended by 36 persons which included Rotarians, Anns, Rotaractors & Social workers. Participants enjoyed the program and felt empowered after the session. Disaster Management team thanks Sundaram Medical Foundation for its continued support.

saving the lives of children – ensuring the future of the nation. Saving the lives of children has always been a focus area at the rotary Club of Madras, and the COVID pandemic only brought greater attention to this activity. Three projects in this space have come to fruition.

1. The Club donated an Infant Ventilator to the Neo Natal ICU at the Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital. This state of the art Ventilator at a cost of Rs. 20 lakhs will support the efforts of the medical team to revive and cure “pre term and full term” babies with acute conditions.

2. Rotary Club of Madras also donated critical ICU equipment including an ECG machine to the Pediatric ICU at the Institute of Child Health and Hospital, Egmore, at a cost of over Rs. 8.5 lakhs.

healing Little hearts Congenital heart disease is the commonest of all birth defects and contributes significantly to the infant mortality rate worldwide. Members of the rotary Club of Madras Temple City have started Project Healing Little Hearts an initiative to identify and offer free treatment for children with simple birth defects such as hole in the heart and blocked valves. Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospital, Pallikaranai, Chennai is the partner in this project. The procedures are done through the most advanced nonsurgical technique called device closure procedures and balloon valvuloplasty. Being nonsurgical, the hospitalisation is minimal and hence the total cost is one-third that of an open heart surgery. With subsidies from the hospital and Rs. 79,000/- from Chief Minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme along with Rs. 25,000/- from

Healing Little Hearts fund, the procedures are offered free to the patient. To date 68 children have been beneficiaries of this life transforming procedures. On 29th September 2021, World heart day, beneficiaries of this project were invited to the hospital for a free cardiac check-up followed by a felicitation which was attended by District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar, who announced a donation of Rs. 2 lakhs to the project. Earlier President Rtn. Shanta Narayanan welcomed the gathering. Dr. T.G. Govindarajan, Chairman of Dr.Kamakshi Memorial Hospital pledged ten lakh rupees for project Healing Little Hearts. This sum of twelve lakhs would help transform the lives of many more children.

3. The third project was to install an oxygen generation plant at the Government General Hospital, Avadi. This project was implemented at a cost of over Rs.40 lakhs.


“When girls are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous.”

-Michelle Obama

To commemorate INTerNaTIoNaL Day For The GIrL ChILD, Rotary Club of Madras, RI 3232 Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) Team and Rotaract Club of GSS JAIN College jointly celebrated the day by distributing school bag along with a dictionary to 100 children in two government schools.

The event was graced by the Chief Guest Mr.M.Vijayakumar, IAS (Retd.) and the Guests of Honour: Rtn. J. Sridhar, District Governor, RI District 3232 and Rtn. Mohan.V.Raman, President, Rotary Club of Madras along with PP.Rtn.Dr.Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, Asst. Zonal Ambassador - Empowering Girls, RID 3232.

Session on Menstrual Hygiene was delivered by Rtn. Saradha Ramani, Chairman MHH. The event was hosted by the Rotaract Club of GSS Jain College. The vote of thanks was delivered by Rtn. Sesha Sai, Rotaract Committee Chairman, RID 3232.

Schools Bags along with dictionaries worth of Rs.38,100/- was distributed to the children of 8th grade through 12th grade. Stationery and sanitary napkins were also provided.

• 59 bags along with stationary were distributed at Government Aadhi Dravidar Welfare High School, Anna Nagar.

• 41 bags were distributed in Chennai Higher Secondary School, Koyambedu. The Children along with the teachers felt happy in receiving the bags and expressed their gratitude to the sponsors.

eDuCaTe a GIrL aND you eDuCaTe a CoMMuNITyThe International Day of The Girl Child focuses on the need for addressing the challenges girls face and to promote girls empowerment and the fulfilment of their rights. Rotary Club of Chennai Bharathi has successfully inaugurated “செலல மைேகே ெிறுசதைகாழில புகாிய வகா”, “1000 Girl Child program”. The sessions are planned throughout the year by educating the girl child on vocational courses and also giving them a start-up guidance along with GEWA - Global Empowerment of Women Association. GEWA encourages budding entrepreneurship that will give confidence and also bring out their grit. GEWA signed up an MOU with 10 Institutions & Premises partners in the presence of Chief Guest Rtn. Vinita Venkatesh, DG Rtn. J. Sridhar & First Lady Punitha Sridhar.

The core team of President Rtn. Santhi Rajkumar, Women Empowerment Chairman - Rtn. Dr. Shruti Nair and Vocational Services Director - Rtn. Rajeshwari planned and executed the 1000 Girl Child project. The objectives of the project are:-

1. Target age group being 16 to 25 years, the girls will undergo training depending on their inclination thus developing a skill and will be mentored in their journey.

2. Four venue partners have been selected for the Training.

3. This 1000 Girl Child program is mainly for the down trodden girls.

4. Courses Planned are:-

*Technical courses* - a. Digital marketing, b. Basic Electronics and Robotics, c. Solar Products Assembling, d. Tally, e. LED bulb manufacturing,

Non-technical courses – a. paper plate manufacturing, b. soap manufacturing.

By empowering a girl child, she gets the power to secure her future and become an independent lady for life.


Women Empowerment Team, District 3232, along with a host of Rotary Clubs, celebrated International Day of the Girl Child on the 10th of October at MGR Janaki College auditorium. WE Chair Rtn. Sujata Panju urged all the clubs to take part in this joint club mega project, where they could donate towards or sponsor the underprivileged women and girls.

20 clubs joined hands in this mega event to contribute motorised sewing machines to the differently abled. Iron boxes, push carts, free educational assistance, mobile phones were given to many beneficiaries. Few clubs tied up with NGOs to teach skill development in mat making, disposable sanitary pads making, Tally, stitching etc to women and girls.

Engineering Books were handed to girl students to continue their studies. District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar, Advisor Rtn. Vinita Venkatesh, First Lady Punitha Sridhar graced the occasion. The entire event was covered by the media to create awareness to empower girls.

The Terry Fox run is an annual non-competitive charity event held over 600 cities in 53 countries to raise money exclusively for cancer research. A brief note on the Terry Fox history

Terrance stanley ‘Terry’ Fox (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete & cancer activist. In 1979, he became famous for the “Marathon of Hope”, a cross- Canada run to raise money for cancer research, which he himself ran with a prosthetic leg. He ran close to 42 kilometres a day and after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, Terry was forced to stop running because cancer had appeared in his lungs. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22, leaving a sad and stunned nation behind.

The legacy still continues with the annual event year on year. Unlike other major fundraising events, the Terry Fox Run has no corporate sponsorship. This is in accordance with Terry Fox’s original wishes of not seeking fame or fortune from his endeavour.

Terry Fox Run Chennai was brought to Chennai in 2009 by Akash Dubey, a cancer patient, with the help of the Rotary Club of Madras East. Akash passed away in 2012 but RCME has continued to plan and conduct the Terry Fox Run every year in his memory with the support of his mother Sujatha Dubey. Every year Terry Fox run has had good response and patronage in terms of participation and contributions with thousands of people assembling and running 6 km or more creating awareness about cancer and raising funds for cancer research. In line with our motto of service for a noble cause the contributions received have been donated to institutions involved in Cancer research like Sankara Nethralaya, Tata Memorial Hospital and others.

Due to the Pandemic The Terry Fox Run was done virtually last year and this year. In 2021 - taking precautions against the pandemic, the run was done virtually for a week from 17-24 Oct 2021.

The run was flagged off on Sunday, October 17th at 6.30 am, and the traditional 6 kms walk/ run/ cycle/ skate was done by a small group of Rotarians and Rotaractors from outside Orur Olcott School, Besant Nagar with all the pandemic protocol in place.

On the final day 24th October a valedictory event was conducted at YMCA Nandanam with about 100 participants, including children and Rotarians, who met to do a run and conclude with a small meeting to reinforce the support of building awareness and continue cancer research. The District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar and First Lady Punitha were the Chief Guests and Mr. Hemant Raj Executive Vice Chairman, Cancer Institute Chennai was the Guest of Honour. The administrators from YMCA and the principal of YMCA College of Physical Education participated in the event.

The Terry Fox run – rtn. sowmya skandan, Rotary Club of Madras East


The District Holistic team is celebrating its first 100 days of this Rotaristic year 22-2021 under the able leadership of District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar with the support and guidance of Rtn. Dr. M. S. Ravi Varma, Chairman Community Service-Health, Rtn. Dr. Sivakumar, Advisor Holistic Living, Rtn. Sreekumar Krishnan, mentor Holistic Living and the Chairman Rtn. Dr. G. Preethi.

The focus of the team is to provide every Rotarian, Ann and Annette, the multi-dimensional aspect of wellbeing with an insight to soulfulness enriching the body, soul and mind.

The holistic team has formulated a year planner dotted with many interesting programs.

They are: Motivational morning posts – ‘UNITE’, meetings with quality speakers to address the key issues of the body and mind - ‘Overdrive’, to provide a sense of wellbeing and to touch upon physical health - ‘Burnout’, ‘Uphill’ – for trekking experiences, ‘Splash’ – for Aquatic Yoga, ‘Burp’ – for healthy culinary experiences & ‘Measure’ – health awareness camps are just a few of the initiatives.

A look back of the first hundred:On 1st July 2021, a Weekly physical activity self-assessment questionnaire was circulated to the Rotarians of our District to do a self-analysis on physical health & to help to achieve their health goals.

The inaugural function of the Holistic Living, was led by Rotary Club of Adambakkam along with 15 other clubs at 5:30 pm on 17th July, -2021 Overdrive 1.0. The speakers were Shri. Gaurang Das, leadership & mindful coach, Director, Govardhan Eco Village & Actor Mr. Ganesh Venkatraman.

A speech on “Holistic Approach to Wellness“ was organized by Rotary Club of Madras South West at 1:30 pm on 17th July, 2021. Breathing techniques & Mudras were taught during this session.

Uphill - A trekking experience at St Thomas Mount by Holistic team was organised at 5:00 am on 7th

The hoLIsTIC huNDreD!August 2021. Rtn. J. Sridhar flagged off the event. Refreshments, Rotary cap & Certificates were given to all the participants.

A speech on “Living a Balanced life“ was organised by Rotary Club of Madras Ashok Nagar along with 3 other clubs at 7:30 pm on 13th August 2021. Techniques to balance the emotions using the five elements were taught.

“Measure” – A health awareness camp on Traditional Medicine for Osteoporosis, Diabetes & BP was organised at Chennai Heritage Hospital in association with Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education & Research. Tests worth Rs 800 were provided free of cost. Acupressure tools were also given free.

A speech on “Holistic Approach to Wellness “ was organised by Rotary Club of Mettupalayam Prime along with Rotary Club of Tirupur Bharathi & Rotary club of Gudalur Blue Mountain. Breathing techniques & Mudras were taught during this session.

For further information, the team can be contacted at: [email protected]

Pongal Vizha will be held on Saturday the 8th of January 2022.

“The objective of Pongal Vizha this year is to bring the Bliss of the village among the frantic and feverish city life. This event will bring the fragrance of the southern interior villages of Tamilnadu with the authentic village snacks & food, the traditional village games, music & folk dance, the Pride of Tamil cultural show Jallikattu, witty battle, intellectual speeches and many more…”

Make sure you are there.

BLoCK your CaLeNDar


Celebration becomes most fulfilling when the joy is shared with the less privileged. This is exactly what the members of Rotary Club of Chennai Gems practised during the just concluded Navaratri a period celebrated in honour of the nine Devis who safeguard the world.

Day one was spent at the Madras Pinjrapole in Otteri, where the cows and birds were sumptuously fed, with a truckload of feed being donated. Day two had the members going to the Adyar Cancer Institute to offer financial aid. Day three was for the special children who have Thalassemia. Blood was donated exclusively for them at the Voluntary Health Service Blood Bank in Taramani. Day four had the Rotaractors spend time in an orphanage in Minjur. Day five had the Club distribute 21 desk top computers to schools in Tiruvallur District. Thanks are due to FORD and RC Madras South for the computers. On day six certificates and awards were given to the first batch of trainees from the skill centre of the Club that is managed by TIEMA (Thirumudivakkam Ind. Estate mfrs. Association). Day seven coincided with awarding scholarship to seven Devis studying at Sarada Vidyalaya, T. Nagar. Day eight saw a flurry of activity at SIDCO Industrial Estate, Thirumudivakkam were a Go Green initiative was launched. On day nine, the club supported a NGO, Vivekananda Sevai Mayam which runs a night school in Tondiarpet to help kids from the fishermen community.

The impact of Navarathna would be far felt.

When Navaratri became Navarathna

S. No. Program Date Time

1 Presidents’ Meet 07.11.21. 10.30 am onwards

2

District Membership Development - Green Rotarian Orientation Program

20.11.21. 6.00 pm onwards

3Avighna – District Family Celebrations Meet

04.12.21. 5.00 pm onwards

4 District Pongal Vizha 08.01.22. 3.30 pm onwards

Note: It is recommended not to have any club events during District Programs to enable all to participate.

ForThCoMING DIsTrICT eVeNTs


ToTaL CoNTrIBuTIoNs TILL oCToBer ‘21

$16,501

$31,957

$43,081

$194,751

$286,291

Fundwise Contribution to TRFTotal Contribution

Global Grants

Polio Plus Fund

Annual Fund

Endowment Fund

Top 10 Clubs in Total Contribution

Madras Central

Madras East

Madras Industrial City

Chennai IT City

Guindy

Madras Mid-Town

Madras Coromandel

Madras West

Chennai Korattur

Chennai Sagar

$44,552

$36,538

$31,427

$28,938

$26,419

$22,055

$18,300

$17,082

$13,649

$11,281*Data as on 30th Oct ‘21

Makka BandMusic is Life Itself – Louis Armstrong– rtn. N. Venkatesh, Rotary Club of Madras North

People from diverse backgrounds coming together for a common cause and doing good to the society while enjoying the friendship and fellowship, that’s the magic of Rotary. It was in fine display during the Polio fund raising music concert featuring Makka Band. An absolutely high energy program and with amazing support from the Rotarians as live and virtual audience pushed the band to belt out chartbusters one after the other. As Chairman of Polio Plus team it was heart whelming moment for me personally not just for the entertaining evening but also because we were able to get sizeable amount as donations towards End Polio Now. This was possible only because of the support of each and every Rotarian and their family members. I would like to take this opportunity to thank DG Rtn.J.Sridhar, DRFCC Rtn. M. Ambalavanan, DS Rtn. Ravi Shankar for their complete support in planning and executing this program. Also special thanks to the District Polio Plus Team, Additional Chairman Rtn. Anita David, Club Presidents & Secretaries, Club Polio Chairmen, Rtn. Hari Sharan for their 100% support in making this program a huge success.

rotary Club of Chennai Triumph sponsored by rotary Club of Meenambakkam got chartered with its 21 Charter members on the 20th of October. District Governor Rtn. J. Sridhar was the chief guest. Rtn. Shanmugapriya, the Charter president and Rtn. N. Mahalakshmi charter secretary along with team of office bearers were inducted and pinned by DG and other officials of the District.

Installation and Charter Presentation of rotary Club of Chennai Nandhavanam sponsored by rotary Club of Chennai Port City was held in October. Rtn. B. C. Mani as President and team were inducted by Chief Guest DG Rtn. J. Sridhar. The function was well attended with members of the new Club, members of the parent Club, Port City, and District officials.

GeT To KNoW The NeWCoMers


Women’s League – Partners’ Forumrotary Golu awards 21

– rtn. Vidhya srinivasan, Chairman, Team Art & Culture On behalf of the team Art & Culture & Partners Forum I would like to thank the Rotarian families who sent us the videos (and a few sent photos too) for the Rotary Golu Awards. Awed by the creativity which shone through all the entries. We truly have amazing talent in our District. I would like to place on record my admiration and respect for First Lady Punitha who not only sponsored all the trophies but ran the extra mile - Physically visiting the winners and recognizing their efforts. Truly leading by example Hats off to her! The winners were thrilled to have her visit. Fun fact - we got a lot of non-Rotarian entries too! Planning to convert them into Rotary Members Kudos to the team of Prof Sundararajan and Mr. Sarangapani for their meticulous assessment of each entry based on detailed parameters that they came up with.

The winners are as follows:1st - Kamalam yuvraj, Rotary Club of Chennai ERA

2nd - Padma raman, Rotary Club of Madras

3rd - shoba sriram, Rotary Club of Chennai Towers

Special Recognition Nallamai ramanathan, Rotary Club of Madras Central

shobana raviraman, Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel

1st Prize Kamalam yuvraj

2nd Prize Padma raman 3rd Prize shoba sriram

> special Mention Nallammai ramanathan

special Mention < shobhana raviraman


The VIBraNT GeN NextWhistle Podu - rtr. Jansi, President, Rotaract Club of MOP Vaishnav College

Whistle Podu was a fundraising cultural event initiated by District Rotaract Council 21-22. Every year, we work towards a cause that serves the society.

Our cause for this year was to raise funds for manufacturing wigs to the real warriors - cancer survivors and for End Polio Now. We conducted this event on October 24 2021 at MM Convention Center, Saveetha School of Management. Close to 1450 participated. It was a blessing to meet fellow Rotaractors after the pandemic.

Rtn. J Sridhar District Governor inaugurated the event.

On 23rd September rotary Club of Chennai hallmark sponsored a community based Rotaract Club named rotaract Club of Madras Millenia. The Chief Guest for the Installation Meeting was DG Rtn. J. Sridhar. Dist. Youth Service Chairman Rtn. Gopalakrishnan, ADRR Rtr. Dinesh Kumar and a host of Club members participated.

aCT ryLarotary Club of Madras Coromandel had organized ACT Ryla exclusively for Rotaractors from 17th till 19th at Hindustan College, Padur. A three days vibrant programs planned to bring out the best leader from inside through eminent speaker sessions, Ice Breaking sessions, activity sessions, games etc.

70 Rotaractors had registered for the event and hugely benefitted by attending the same.

Project……….Leap of hopeAlong with District Annettes Council, many clubs participated in the community service health project – Leap of Hope through Mukthi Foundation. The Annettes also used this opportunity to visit the manufacturing center to learn more about Prosthetic legs. The feedback received from this project was overwhelming. So far, Annettes Club of Adyar has donated 4 limbs, Annettes Club of Madras Central 2 limbs and Annettes Club of Madras Northwest 1 limb. After seeing the change in the recipient’s life, the Annettes aim to donate 50 limbs by the end of the Rotary Year.


Debate CompetitionPeace Building and Conflict Prevention team of the District led by Rtn. Usha Rani Kannan and the District Annettes Council led by Annette Soundarya organized a debate competition with the topic being “Country Peace vs World Peace - Which is more important.” It was a spectacular show on 3rd October and the Chief Guest was R. Kannan, Political Affairs Officer in the United Nations Mission in Somalia who also moderated the show. His speech was inspirational. The debaters caught the imagination of the audience with their debating skills. The show was a grand success, and a lot of new talent was discovered. DAC is looking forward to conducting many more events of this nature in the future.

District Vocational Service Team hosted *RENDEZVOUS* a get together of Directors Vocational Service of Clubs at Alumni Club. DG Rtn. J. Sridhar graced the event as Chief Guest and delivered an inspirational key note address titled *Touch lives; Bring smiles*. Rtn. S. N. Balasubramaniam, District Chairman welcomed the gathering. Rtn. N.S. Saravanan, District Chief Coordinator and DGND delivered the opening remarks and shared his valuable thoughts. Chairmen of the 10 verticals under Vocational Service briefed about projects and programmes that could be carried out by Clubs.

Mr. John Alex ED & CEO Equitas Holdings Ltd. addressed on their initiatives towards inclusive growth. Sqn Ldr Unni Nair highlighted the salient points of online Certification course in Workplace Ethics meant for Rotary family.

PHF Sumathi B Iyer encouraged Rotarians to help develop first generation entrepreneurs in association with Bharathiya Yuva Sakthi Trust. PDG Rtn. Raja

Seenivasan in his special address under the style “Peace through Service” applauded the efforts of District Governor and the District Vocational Service Team. Rtn. Ravi Raman, DGN, rendered the Closing Remarks and stressed the importance on the continuity of impactful projects over the years.

Rotary Clubs who participated in the Virtual Job Fairs held in Aug, Sept and Oct have been honoured with Certificate of Appreciation. First sets of Desktop Display of 4 Way Test & Code of Conduct was distributed by DG Rtn. Sridhar. Eight sets of Tabs and Apps valuing Rs. 3 lacs approx were handed over to the Directors of Ekadaksha the early learning centre for special children. The fund for which was raised through musical programme Surlee Awaaz.

Rendezvous was marked by effective Talks and meaningful Tasks. Thanks to the active participation of Rotarians and Guests.

Rendezvous


Know Your Clubs

The logo of rotary Club of Guindy is an exalted artistic impression of the architectural marvel, hallowed institution and inspiring landmark–College of Engineering Guindy. True to the logo, continuity with consistency in every project and service embarked on, is sacrosanct. RCG is a 26 year old vibrant club with over 100 members. Some of the prime projects are a dental camp at Kottivakkam, monthly eye care at Tiruvallur in partnership with Sankara Nethralaya, Dialysis Centre at Saveetha Hospital, Boys’ hostel for orphans at Sevvapet, Project Orange vision centres and the Tube toilets for the neediest in Tiruvallur and other parts of the State.

rotary Club of Chennai eCr was chartered in May 2017 and currently has 40 members. The faith reposed by the District to launch without any sponsor club was justified in the first year when it was recognized as the best emerging club in the District. ECR is known for their unique brand of fellowship and the conceptual service projects done over the last 4 years and active involvement in all facets of this wonderful organization. Toilets in Kovalam, Health Center, Schools, Water and Sanitation have been the key focus areas to help the underprivileged.

rotary Club of Chennai Korattur: The logo of the Club depicts nature, water quality, landscape, stars, lights, forest and a pair of human hands to denote that everything is in the hands of the humans and that they should give importance to creation and thereby nature. There is great unity among the members of the Club and the bonding is very special. There is total involvement when it comes to fellowship and family gatherings. All the past presidents are the source of strength. The Club works towards giving back to society to the best of its capacity.

rotary Club of Chennai Thiruvanmiyur was chartered on 26/03/2009 and has a strength of 39 Members. The club has been providing continuous service to the adopted village Thiruper in Tiruvallur District for the past 11 years by providing adult literacy, borewell, medical camps and 13 low cost housing shelters through a Global Grant. The flagship projects of the Club are of providing sanitary napkins vending machines, incinerators and supplying inner garments to girls of Corporation Schools has now become District Projects. Two Global Grant projects that of Project Orange and literacy projects will be completed this year. The Club has undertaken to do Eco Friendly painting of 4 Metro Stations.

rotary club of Chennai Velachery, chartered in the year 2008 was named the child prodigy for its unique projects in the chartered year and for sponsoring a new club in its very first year. Women empowerment through Project Sakthi has been successful. The floods of 2015, saw RCCV rise to the occasion. Currently RCCV through the WASH program is involved in renovating and maintaining 170 toilet units at government primary and maternity health centres. RCCV was the first club to run the RLI program successfully for the Rotarians of District 3232. Rotary club of Chennai Velachery is a well-oiled unit committed to Rotary and its principles in totality and always open to serving the society in areas never thought of.


The pilot project for RECHARGE WELLS sponsored by Rotary Club of Chennai ECR was implemented on the road next to J.J Indoor Stadium in Kilpauk. This location was selected keeping the basic criteria of a) Water Table, nearby 25 ft. deep well was bone dry and b) Stagnation, the road gets flooded during rains and water stagnates.

The next RCW will be installed in Valmiki Nagar where similar conditions prevail and will be completed this week. The cost per well is only Rs. 26000 but clubs have to pay only Rs 14000 since we have a Corporate CSR donor subsidising 40 Recharge Wells.

rtn. ajit NairWater Mission

rotary Club of Chennai hallmark was chartered in 2019 with 30 members. It is one of the young and vibrant Clubs in Rotary International District 3232. The membership consists of professionals and entrepreneurs and the main focus is community service. In its short span, the Club has denoted a dialysis machine to VHS, established an Orange Hybrid vision centre at Guduvanchery, and created a 30 bed facility Corona ward at Government Peripheral Hospital. Educational help has been rendered to almost 200 children. Hallmark Carnatic Vocal contest is a signature project of our Club. The Club is a cohesive unit and enjoys immense fellowship in the midst of all the service.

rotary Club of Chennai upscale was chartered in October 2015. Club Membership ratio of Men and Woman Rotarians is a healthy 52% & 48% respectively. The Club believes in service with a personal touch. Lunch is provided to 50 underprivileged senior citizens every day. Nutritive kits are given to expecting and lactating mothers. A monthly medical check-up for senior citizens, a grand Diwali celebrations of members along with the children of a destitute home, a picnic with the differently abled children of Manasa, organising health camps, increasing the green cover, lending a hand to the less privileged form the back bone of the club’s activities.10 dialysis machines donated to Semmechery PHC will start functioning shortly.

WaTer MIssIoN – every drop counts


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Governor’s monthly letter

editorial teamrtn. usha Kumar Chairman

rtn. Krishna routhu Advisor

rtn. satyan Bhatt Editorial Coordinator

Ann. hema sheth Associate Chairman

rtn. shakthi Girish Associate Chairman

rtn. niranjan rao Additional Chairman

rtn. n. Anand Associate Chairman

rtn. sreekumar Krishnan Additional Chairman

rtn. suresh manoharan Additional Chairman

rtn. supriya sundararaman Additional Chairman

rtn. nisreen madraswala Associate Chairman

Ann. nandini Arun Member

rtr. harini B Member

rtn. r. ravi shankar Ex-Officio Member

EDITED & PUBLISHED byrtn. ushA KumAr, Chairman - GML for and on behalf of District Governor RI District 3232, Abinandan Apartments Ground Floor, Y-14, (old Y-117), Y Block Anna Nagar West, Chennai 600 040. India.

For Private Circulation Only


First of its kind in Asia - The Upskills Test - RID3232 collaborating with Cambridge Assessments.Org (a part of Cambridge University)The Upskills test is an initiative to help empower the youth with English for jobs. It’s on mobile and once the test is submitted within 30 minutes the scores are released by Cambridge University. 300 Indian companies recognise this certification.For students: practice the self-learning practise tests through Enguru mobile app any number of times. Once the candidate gets the report that they are ready for the test he or she can take the test. For rotarians: The website below has a drop down list of the 145 clubs in District RID 3232. Choose your club, pay up get the coupons and share it with the teacher coordinator. It’s transparent. It’s useful now when companies are looking just for communication skills.How much does it cost? Each coupon is Rs. 472/-Our objective is to get the entire youth in the district employable. Huge appreciation to RCM Coromandel for buying 50 coupons, RCM Central 50 coupons, a non-Rotarian Subhashinee Balaji 23 coupons, Rtn Ganesh 10 coupons and Rtn Nirmala Raghavan 100 coupons. https://enguruapp.com/rotary_upskill/

a Callout to all rotarians!!!

Let’s empower our youth

PeaCe FeLLoWshIPA fully funded program in Peace Centers for those interested in Peace and Conflict prevention.One of the innovative programs of The Rotary Foundation is developing Peace Fellows.Peace and Conflict Prevention being a core focus area of Rotary. By a program to educate and train individuals in Peace and Conflict Prevention, Rotary is developing a field force of experts who can help create better world by conflict resolution and peace building.All aspects of human endeavour can come to naught if there is conflict raging. The Peace Fellows program offer to the right candidate, a fully paid 2 years Master Course or a 1 year Advanced Certificate program in Peace and Conflict Resolution in seven Peace Centers across the world. Rotarians and Rotary Clubs are encouraged to identify suitable candidates and recommend them for the program. Recommending suitable candidates for the program could earn the Clubs additional Awards points.For the Rotary Year 2021-22 the Peace Fellows program in RID 3232 is chaired by Rtn. Shankar Duraiswami of Rotary Club of Madras [email protected]. One can get more details of the program directly from the website: [email protected].

rtn. j. sridhar - rotary india

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