C V Raman had built the Raman Research Institute In 1949 . Several applicants were interviewed for the post of Scientific Assistant. After the interviews were over , Raman found one applicant (who was found unsuitable for the post) still waiting outside the interview room . Raman approached him and asked sharply, “what are you doing here ? I told you , we cannot take you in . Why do you linger here?”“ Sir , I know that , but I have come back to return the excess traveling allowance paid to me by mistake by your office,” the applicant stuttered. “ Oh is it ?” said Raman, surprised, keeping his hand on the applicant ‘s shoulder, and taking him to his office. “ Come In , you have just been selected for the post ! It matters not if your physics is inadequate. I can teach you that . You’re a man of CHARACTER. That’s more important to me .”
Whether aware or not , when you were a child, you had your own unique songs to sing – your individuality. You never thought whether the songs you sung were soft or hard , low or loud , fast or slow , and You never bothered whether people around you liked those songs . But as you grew older the songs you liked most got silenced and you became a bit conscious and learnt to sing the songs of others . As a result you lost your individuality and adopted to live life influenced by others that developed frustration and you became desperate in life .
Human beings are highly prone to social conditioning. Hundreds and thousands of messages make you feel how you are ought to be . But always remember being who you are is one of the most natural thing in life . To suppress it , due to fear , pressure or lack of confidence always leads to trouble. The only question that really matters in life is ‘ Am I living in a way which is deeply satisfying to me and which truly expresses me ?’
Always remember your unique individuality is the most precious possession in your life . Know that you will be a person of mediocrities if you simply use others as a model and follow the crowd. You must learn to break free from the ‘usual and used’ mould and not allow the negative vibes of any one to stand on your way of developing, promoting and living your own individuality.
The late great American Basketball player, John Wooden says “Be more concerned with your Character than your reputation, because your Character is what you really are , while your reputation is merely what others think of you “.
Today people are learning new and varied ways of forming their identity. The idea of one’s self begins to change depending on the society in which one lives . Instead of defining the self through the possession of virtues , material possessions have become the new means of defining the self .
Your reputation may not lead you to success but Character will . Very rightly someone has said – Wealth is not power, Strength is not power, Knowledge is not power, Ability is not power, But Character is power. You may have money, position and power, but if you do not have good Character, you will be just one among many ,But if you are a person of good Character, you will be considered successful. Hence the formation of good Character is the classic example of life .
Authenticity is everything! You have to wake up every day and look the mirror, and you want to be proud of the person who’s looking back at you. And you can only do that if you’re being honest with yourself and being a person of high character. You have an opportunity every single day to write that story of your life.
When people say , he/she has Character, what they mean is that he/she has good Character. There are many factors that shape or influence your Character . But the greatest influence on your Character is the way you respond to the circumstances, events and persons in you life. In fact your Character begins to be formed from the very moment you are born and is largely influenced by the ambiance of the place where you grow up , and by the way you are brought up .
Remember that you are being moulded every moment of your life .These men and women of undisputable virtues need a vehicle to spread their assets-locally or even globally .
Compassion, honesty, truth and ethics have to be disseminated far and wide . Rotary provides us unique opportunity to send signals all around us to promote all that we desire and all that the world deserves .
So what is your main concern? Your Character formation or your reputation? Are you ready to do your part to be a man or woman of good Character?
The bottom line is , what matters in life is Character .
some people who choose the way in which they wish to live and adhere by that in any circumstance. Such people may encounter many defeats, but they are never defeated. They know who they are and what they can raise from. Their mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with ethics in the way they handle every day.
It was this philosophy which made Rotarian Herbert J Taylor to frame the 4 Way Test in 1932. Every Rotarian knows the 4 Way Test. People understand that the test is important to maintain harmony and peace within themselves and in the community. If you lead a life without following the 4 Way Test, it will become like a tree without blossom and fruit.
No man is an island. We are all walking each other home. The 4 Way Test is probably the best guide to take you along the long path which is from your head to your heart. Following the test is like planting a garden- you believe in tomorrow. The 4 Way Test makes you a complete person, good in all aspects. Remember, no person was ever honoured for what they received, but for how they lived.
There is a growing awareness all over the world that we are facing an ecological crisis. The manifestations of this crisis are many and varied: toxic waste from factories and polluting emissions from vehicles have made our air unfit to breathe. Drinking water has become scarce. Reckless felling of forests has contributed to global warming.
It is easy to identify the causes of the ecological crisis we are facing; the unbridled efforts for economic growth without regard for its natural and social costs, development and application of megatechnology which is often beyond all human control and the rapid growth of unabashed consumerism.
Human greed and selfishness, both individual and collective, as well as a singularly materialistic attitude towards nature lie at the root of the ecological crisis.
We do not have the luxury of choosing between economic development and ecological balance. We need both. But pursuit of the former at the expense of the latter will be catastrophic.
Rotary places the environment high among its areas of service. Let us Rotarians spread the message that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” Let us ‘think globally and act locally’ to save our environment.
Safeguarding our environment is a must. It is a debt we owe to our future generations.
International Women’s Day , falls on March 8th every year , highlights and celebrates womanhood. One aspect of womanhood is the freedom that every woman experiences , a freedom who’s creative, constructive and generative in nature. But given the condition of women all over the globe , we may be tempted to ask : are women really free ?
For centuries women have been striving for a dignified life in society where they would be treated as equals , where they would feel that they also do matter in the society. Any change in this field can be brought about only through true freedom. Freedom has two diamentions : external and internal.
External freedom, In the context of women’s liberation means the transformation of the attitudes and behavior patterns of men in such a way that they begin to regard and treat women as their equals in all aspects. That is , men need to be liberated from their oppressive and dominanting tendencies towards women. Internal freedom would mean that women who are victims of oppression and exploitation should be helped to evolve a right understanding of themselves, their dignity and their rights as well as a new attitude that will guide their behavior.
It is also helpful to note what Mrs Indira Gandhi has said “ To be liberated, women should feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man , but in the context of her own capacity. Women should be more interested, more alive and more active in the affairs of society, not because they are women, but because they comprise half the human race. ‘However it is not fair to cry, “Women wake up ! ‘ Perhaps they never had a peaceful sleep. It would rather fitting to say “LET US ALL WAKE UP TO TRUE FREEDOM “.
Success is never an accident. It is always hard work , perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all , love of what you are doing or learning to do . Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did .
“The greatest error of a person is to think that he/she is weak by nature, evil by nature. Every person is divine and strong in his / her real nature. What are weak and evil are his or her habits , desires and thoughts but not himself “ says Ramana Maharishi .
Martin Luther King, a prolific writer of the century, in his book ‘The Measure of a Man’ speaks of three dimensions of any complete life: length, breadth and height. The length of life is the push of life forward to achieve its personal ends and ambitions. The breadth of life is the outward concern for the welfare of others. The height of life is the upward search for the divine.
The month of March is very important from different angles. Students Prepare themselves to face the annual examinations. Those who come out of colleges and other training institutes look for job. The predominant mood of everyone is characterized by a determined desire to achieve in life, and to make life complete, and thus to be counted in the society. Some will triumph and other fail. At this important juncture it is good to be reminded of the universal fact that man is made to live a ‘complete’ life. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve. The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.
It is easy to say “I can do it “ . But all those persevere don’t just say it — they do it . Anyone who wants to be successful in life has to control his mind, discipline himself in the hard way and make it a habit. He has to direct all his energy towards the attainment of definite objectives.Pessimists scoffed scornfully when Henry Ford tried out his first crudely built automobile on the streets of Detroit. Many were sceptic about his success. But Ford was so determined and preserving that he said to himself: “I will belt the earth with dependable motor cars”, and he did! We all have logical excuses for our failures, but we are all in possession of an intangible yet powerful master key that unlocks the doors of life’s bountiful success. The key is a burning desire for definite objectives in life. It cost nothing to use the key except determination. If you do not use the key you have to pay a high price: Failure. There is a reward of stupendous proportions to those who put the key to use. It is the satisfaction that comes to all who conquer self and force life to pay whatever is asked.
Ten years from now , you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did . So throw off bowlines . Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail . Explore. Dream . Discover.
I wish you best in your endeavour to live a successful and complete life.
Self-discovery is the starting point of every holistic and authentic living. ‘Know yourself’ is the central component of the philosophy of the Saints. How do you see yourself in your own eyes? Your answer shows forth who you are, what you are, what you can achieve and what you value.
Self-discovery is a lifetime search and commitment to oneself. It is an inner healing process of getting to know who you really are and not who you’ve been told you are. It is about knowing your every emotion and honouring every aspect of your being. “A true knowledge of ourselves is knowledge of our power,” asserts Mark Rutherford.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Past Rotary International President Robert Barth gave message to the Rotarians world over in 1993-94 -“Believe in what you do and Do what you believe in .” If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.
Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don’t know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn’t you. That isn’t you at all.
To know who you are, you need to know who you are not. Therefore, letting go of the old descriptions and labels of who you thought you were, is very essential.
Be your own friend always. Because you are the only one whom you can constantly lean upon in every place and situation. You can support yourself even when nobody else will. Your self-discovery will pave the way for your self-esteem and self-reliance.
Don’t belittle yourself by trying to be like other people. Learning to discover and to live your potentials is a marathon race and not a sprint. Every attempt to discover yourself takes courage. No one can discover new oceans unless one has the courage to lose sight of the shore. Rotary gives you best platform to take up the job of your choice and see how well you can perform. Make use of this , accept the responsibility and put your best to deliver the results. This will make you know what potential you can rise and what inner strength you have .
Remember, you are the best at being you. By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
How many of us stop for a while and reflect on own words and actions? Do we ever endeavour to know what we actually stand for, or understand what we believe? For the majority, the day gets over even before we realise it.
Why values are important? Our values form our thoughts, words and actions. Our values are important because they help us to grow and develop. The decisions we make are a reflection of our values and beliefs and they are always directed towards a specific purpose. Values are important because they connect us to a group of people. Values tell us – in a more abstract way than norms, how to behave if we want to be accepted, respected, and venerated by a social group.
The more we align our actions with a group’s set of values, the more popular we become in the group. We rise higher in a social hierarchy the better we implement its value hierarchy.
Regardless of our life experiences and influencers, we can choose the values that are most important to us, things we believe in and that define our character. Living in congruence with our values is the best way to become the person we want to be and to achieve the career and character we want and deserve.
We are heading for a topsy – turvy world where the majority engages in the hurly – burly of modern living, with values that have reached the dregs of the society. Values, once followed unquestioned as unwritten laws, today stand twisted and compromised to suit one’s needs and fancies.
It is the value that gives meaning and strength to a person’s character by occupying central place in one’s life. To embellish our behaviour with good qualities and to take a definite stand against all the dreadful forces of our times, we need values.
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of values “says Albert Einstein. Most of us have our values ingrained in us. In the process of growing up, we are deluged with different sets of values from a variety of sources. It is essential that we evaluate our value system from time to time. A strong but flexible value system is what gives you the joy of feeling good. Compromising values would be degrading ones personality.
People will perceive your character by how you walk your talk. Many people who preach from the podium in various meetings do not carry conviction since those who hear the speech know that the person does not follow an iota of what he or she is preaching.
Our lives are to be used and thus to be lived as fully as possible, and truly it seems that we are never as alive as when we concern ourselves with other people. That is why an ethical behaviour is needed in whatever we do. If we lead a life where we ourselves feel ashamed one day about the way we lived with hatred, deceit and other dirty stuff we carried within ourselves our end will not be peaceful.
Regardless of what is going on around you, make the best of what is within your power, and take the rest as it occurs. You will find that what happens around you will not affect you since within yourself you have decided to be ethical and reflect that with sincerity.
Rotary believes very much in high ethical standards and all our actions are centered around the 4 Way Test. This 4 Way Test, given to us by Rotarian Herbert J Taylor in 1932 still guides our organisation and the 1.2 million members in what they think, say and do.
There are many people who choose to live in any way which suits them and the occasion. There are some people who choose the way in which they wish to live and adhere by that in any circumstance. Such people may encounter many defeats, but they are never defeated. They know who they are and what they can raise from. Their mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with ethics in the way they handle every day. Every person who joins Rotary is inducted into this philosophy and if the organisation has been doing good in this world for over 113 years, it is because of our unshakable faith in ethics and high value.
It was this philosophy which made Rotarian Herbert J Taylor to frame the 4 Way Test in 1932. Every Rotarian knows the 4 Way Test. People understand that the test is important to maintain harmony and peace within themselves and in the community. If you lead a life without following the 4 Way Test, it will become like a tree without blossom and fruit. My advice to Rotarians is that they should practice this way of living in whatever they do
No man is an island. We are all walking each other home. The 4 Way Test is probably the best guide to take you along the long path which is from your head to your heart. Following the test is like planting a garden- you believe in tomorrow. The 4 Way Test makes you a complete person, good in all aspects. Remember, no person was ever honoured for what they received, but for how they lived.
You don’t teach ethics and values in the schools. You teach them at home and children learn by example. When your values are clear to you, making decisions become easier. Educating the children without ethics and values will only make them a clever devil. People who claim to be highly educated from famous institutions fail to understand that the aim of their education is knowledge, not of facts and figures but of values. If you have the right kind of people who have culture, ethics and high values around you, you can accomplish great things.
At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy.
The purpose of ethics is to define acceptable human behavior through knowing the types of actions, its consequences and the limits of humans their actions, as well as their acceptability.
Basic human values refer to those values which are at the core of being human. The values which are considered basic inherent values in humans include truth, honesty, loyalty, love, peace, etc. because they bring out the fundamental goodness of human beings and society at large.
Acting in ways consistent with what society and individuals typically think are good values. Ethical behavior tends to be good for business and involves demonstrating respect for key moral principles that include honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights.
So the important factor here is the intention to be ethical. Being ethical is not the same as following the law. When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken.
An ethical society is one that values a commitment to do the right thing regardless of personal costs. It’s not an easy standard to live by but one worth pursuing. We the Rotary Leaders should try to follow this principle.
During most of my growing up years I have kicked around in business, I have kicked around in diplomacy and I have spent considerable amount of time in Rotary. The last twenty years of my life has been consumed by spreading awareness about Rotary. I can’t tell you how many homes and Rotary Clubs I have entered in the last twelve years where I am always confronted with the same scene – lack of awareness about Rotary.Awareness about Rotary is not just information about Rotary . When we say create awareness about Rotary it encompasses complete education about Rotary and the need to create awareness in the public about Rotary. Any message has two branches- the originator of the message and the receiver of the message. The receiver, I find , is often limited to Rotarians.Today, the partnership of Rotary with the Government and the public has a very different face . The partnership is evolving into a critical vehicle for development . The challenges we face , as a planet, throughout the developing world, are enormous and none of us can address those problems alone .Rotary Clubs must recognize that developmental programmes can be enhanced only through innovative and catalytic partnership with the people in the community. For Rotary to grow, it should help support the sustainability of the community it serves. Rotary is no longer seen as doing service simply in local areas , but rather around the world. Rotarians should understand that if the communities they serve are not sustainable, neither is their club in that area.Traditionally charity work by the Rotary club is no longer enough. Rotary club’s efforts should be relevant to its core service activity. For Rotary, adding value to people ‘s life is the core activity. Without people we have no service projects. This means that we should take more effort to make our communities know about Rotary. Firstly, it is imperative that every Rotarian must be aware about Rotary ‘s programme and what is being done world over.The District Governors have a role to play in spreading awareness about Rotary amongst the clubs. Apart from the District Conference, suitable occasions can be found to educate members in small groups. The role of the Past District Governors and other senior leaders becames vital in spreading awareness . By and large every Club organises fellowship events and fireside meetings. This can be an ideal opportunity for the PDGs to speak to the members about how Rotary has evolved during the years and the changes that have taken place in the recent past in relation to The Rotary Foundation and other service opportunities. It is also important for the senior Rotary Leaders to talk about Rotary International ‘s worldwide presence in every meeting which is held to inaugurate a project or celebrate the competition of a global grant project. The general public who attend such meetings will remember much of what was said about Rotary and this creates good public image that Rotary needs .Public may not be able to recognize the Rotary wheel unless it is promoted with the same sanctity one would promote the logo of his/her company. Notwithstanding this , the public will be able to recognize the faces of Rotarians who touched their lives . It will be disappointing to note that the beneficiary of Rotary ‘s programme is ignorant of Rotary.The population of the world is increasing and in developing countries such as India, the demand for more volunteers in Rotary is being felt. The membership will increase only when the community is aware of Rotary and the work being done . Rotary should become a household name and people who are willing to devote their time should be motivated to join the movement. This will happen when awareness is created and sustained throughout the year .There are moments of hope and optimism. Rotary International is one of those moments. MAKE ROTARY MORE VISIBLE .
“ GIVE A NEW LEASE OF LIFE AND SHOW ROTARY CARES AND SHARES “ Rotary is one force in the world with over 1.2 Million Rotarians spread over 200 countries in over 35,000 Rotary Clubs , that looks above and beyond creed , politics and race . It looks for the enduring values that make its members human. No one organization is better equipped than Rotary by history, experience, ideals , quality of service, motivation and organization. Every member of this organization is committed to the cause of service with Service Above Self as its Motto.
For Rotary, there are no insurmountable tasks when it comes to serving humanity, especially children in the society. This has been demonstrated by our concerted efforts in eradicating polio from the country.
Rotary, by partnering with great institutions in the past has been able to save hundreds of children with various cardiac disorders and other major health issues.
The Rotary movement present in more than 200 countries, is closer to people of various faiths and beliefs because it is more flexible, more flowing and it is not a religion. It has openings, doors and windows and fresh ideas can always reach the deepest core of the heart of a Rotarian.
Our life in Rotary is not taken as a work but as a service of love towards humanity. Doing good each moment is the goal. The journey is the goal and each moment we are able to bring peace in the life of people it is moment for celebration.
When Rotarians take up a massive programme in the health and education sectors, we are aware of the magnitude of the work involved. We fight with our total energy and intensity. We may not reach our goals in the first few attempts, and it is not possible that we will always win. But we don’t feel defeated.
This was the energy that made us win over polio and with that confidence we have challenged ourselves to take up more humanitarian projects in disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and childcare, basic education and literacy and economic and community development.
This year in Rotary District 3141 comprising the city of Mumbai and spread up to Dahnu under the leadership of DG Shashi Sharma has established a new avenue of service Mission Muskan in partnership with the state Government, under which Heart Transplant , Lever Transplant , Cochlear Implant and Heart Surgeries are undertaken of children below the poverty line and has achieved success to a large extent.
Our motto is Service Above Self and that means our love is pure, innocent, formless and when we give in love we don’t demand anything in return. When love is only a giving we are happy because someone has accepted our love. When we transcend borders for doing service, we realise that our journey is towards the infinite.We don’t look for credit.Rotarians are ever ready to give all out service today and every day with total dedication.
‘Impossible’ – the word itself has so much of poison and lethargy that it has killed more drives, dreams , achievements and ambitions of many people. How often we lie to ourselves that something is ‘impossible’ to achieve because it is so hard ! It is so difficult! How many ‘impossible’ things in our life are really ‘impossible’?
We all have countless excuses as to why we can’t do something worthwhile in our lives. If we can afford to make up excuses that take away a lot of energy and time, why don’t we make up excuses that inspire and enthuse us to do what we want to do?
Instead of giving ourselves reasons why we can’t, give ourselves reasons why we can.
My mould maker always used to say for any new product to be made , If there is another individual who can make that product why can’t we ! It goes without saying that our positive and negative thoughts influence every single thing in our lives. They determine what we feel about ourselves, others, and the world, and what we express about our beliefs, opinions, values and judgement.
Because our thoughts are formed by the way we perceive things depending upon our past experiences .An example of this would be when we were young and someone—a teacher, sibling, friend or even complete stranger—told us or gave us the impression that we weren’t “good enough” at something, be it studying, drawing, singing, speaking, dancing, sports or whatever. Until that person said that to us , or made us feel that way, we might not have thought that about ourselves , but now that someone else’s thought has made its way into our mind, unchallenged, we have accepted it as true.
Unless we have had reason or evidence otherwise to challenge it, we took that belief on as our own. That negative thought would remain in our mind, even if it’s pushed into our subconscious where we might be unaware of it, until something or someone triggers it, and we react to it emotionally without really knowing why.
In order to better understand our negative thinking patterns, it’s important to know how they work. The ideas and inventions that were created in the past 100 years seemed crazy when they were first attempted. Now we daily use them and cannot imagine life without them.
The tale of great people and amazing discoveries let slip the truth that whatever a human being can conceive, he/she can achieve.Your task is not to ponder how to make the things happen, rather to simply ask, “why not?”.
Pursue the ‘impossible’, for nothing is ‘impossible!’. Always remember “The impossible is often the untried!”. Take a project how difficult it may be , work on it with all the sincerity and with all the members of your club , I bet you will be surprised to see it’s outcome. Always remember the words of Napoleon Bonaparte “Impossible word is always found in the dictionary of fools .”
When I joined Rotary Club over 45 years ago, I heard a speech by someone who was inducting new members say that Paul Harris founded Rotary for friendship. The speaker said, “It was a cold lonely night in Chicago and a successful attorney named Mr. Paul Harris realised that there were not many friends with whom he can hang out. So, he brought together three of his friends and they decided to meet frequently in the place of work of each one at fixed intervals. It was much later that the thought of service came up and the first comfort station was put up in the city.”
Nothing can be more frivolous while describing a visionary such as Paul Harris. Those who have understood his philosophy will know better. I believe that the story should be told like this: “It was a cold lonely night in Chicago and a successful attorney named Mr. Paul Harris thought about how to serve the society. He surrounded himself with three of his friends who had high aspirations. He soon discovered that they can be a mastermind group of likeminded people and that they could bounce ideas off and feel inspired by each other to do good to their community. This is why Rotary was founded.”
In my interpretation, I believe that the future of Rotary depends on our understanding of the actions and intentions of the founders of this movement. Frankly, as in any historical research, arriving at the absolute fact is difficult and often some persons may also say that it is unnecessary. But only constant research of what happened in the past will alone throw up interesting facts, especially when we are trying to understand the thinking of noble minds such as Paul Harris, Silvester Schiele, the coal dealer, Gustavus Loher, the mining engineer and Hiram Shoray, the merchant tailor. These people represented the American, German, Swedish and Irish ancestry and belonged to Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths.
I am not assuming that Rotary was singularly Paul Harris’ idea or brainchild. Historians say that the interplay of personalities, who were with him during the formative years, synthesized this great movement. People also interpret the history as written in a book titled, “Paul Harris and the Birth of Rotary” by Fred A Carvin and suggest that the origin of Rotary was not about service. But they acknowledge that Paul Harris wanted to expand the objectives of the movement to include ‘civic responsibility and civic pride.’
However, in the book titled ‘Adventure in Service – The Story of Rotary, its origin, growth and influence’ there is a discussion about what is that which brought these men together in the first club. Was it a selfish motive or was it with the thought of rendering community a service? Paul Harris is quoted as saying, “Personal ambition had been largely responsible for the grouping. United they would stand; divided they might fall. And so they helped each other in every way that kindly heart and friendly spirit could suggest. The purposes of early Rotary have been frequently described as selfish and so indeed they may seem to have been. Whether a member was selfish or unselfish depended, of course, upon where he found his happiness. If he found it primarily in gaining advantage for himself, he was selfish. If he found it in helping friends, he was unselfish. Naturally both types of mind were represented in the early days of club number one, as is true everywhere.”
It is possible that for a Western mind, the depth of the intention of the founder Paul Harris was not completely understandable at that time and they took the easy route of saying that Rotary was founded for friendship. The story of the blind men and an elephant, which originated in the Indian subcontinent from where it has widely diffused, is worth recollecting here. It has been used to illustrate a range of truths and fallacies. Broadly, the parable implies that one’s subjective experience can be true, but that such experience is inherently limited by its failure to account for other truths or a totality of truth. At various times the parable has provided insight into the relativism, opaqueness or inexpressible nature of truth, the behavior of experts in fields where there is a deficit or inaccessibility of information, the need for communication, and respect for different perspectives. Similarly, in the earlier days, people would have just seen and understood only one side of Paul Harris. In the Orient people always attributed higher meaning to the thoughts expressed by a learned person. And as the story of the blind men and elephant goes, the king explained to the blind men, “All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently is because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all the features you mentioned. Another addition to this story goes like this: A man with sight came that way and saw the full elephant and admired it. But as he was deaf he could not hear it trumpet.
Those who delved into the archives and writings of the founders did find that the ideal of service was the main motive for the people coming together since all of them had the ‘thoughtfulness of others’ which is the basis of service. Helpfulness to others was its expression. In 1906 the Rotary Club of Chicago added a objective to its constitution which was, “The advancement of the best interests of Chicago and the spreading of the spirit of civic pride and loyalty among its citizens.”
When we think about the core values of the movement, which are, ‘fellowship, integrity, diversity, leadership and service,’ the concept of ‘civic responsibility’ is what has sustained the movement and gave it a brilliant place amongst the various organisations. We can then assume that Paul Harris and his three friends had indeed this thought to look beyond themselves while deciding to give shape to the movement. This elite group of thinkers knew that they had two primary choices in life. The first was to accept conditions as they exist and the second was to accept the responsibility for changing them. They understood that they were one choice away from changing their lives and that of those who needed help. Paul Harris and his three friends decided that with a new choice they can change the direction that very moment. They met people from all walks of life and asked them to make life changing choices by giving back to others who needed their help the most.
Those were the days when it was hard to put one foot in front of the other. But those were the days when a Champion called Paul Harris was created. He unleashed the power of encouragement amongst his friends and by giving a gentle push he made the group think, “Where do we go from here?” Soon,
Mr. Paul Harris was engaging with many more citizens and he asked them, “What do you plan to do with the rest of your life?” If anyone replied, “I might just sit it out and relax a bit,” Paul Harris told them, “You can’t do that. You got too much to make a difference in the lives of too many people. You will be cheating yourself and others if you don’t use the talents God has given you.”
Even in 2014 we hear the same old wrong story that Paul Harris founded Rotary for friendship and no wonder that the persons who attend the PETS, District Assembly and other such introductory events take away a diluted concept of why Rotary was founded. How can you expect such club and district leaders to increase membership? There are many social clubs to engage people in fun and frolic that can build friendship.
What needs to be said is Paul Harris founded Rotary for Service Through Friendship. There were two updates in the Facebook by a Rotary member. The first one said, “Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing.” The next post read, “Went to my Rotary club project site with Bob. Best day of my life.” It is obvious that everything that’s really worthwhile in life comes to us through service to the society.
Commitment and Compassion is Vital to Success A person full of commitment is a glittering jewel. She/he is a heartthrob for his colleagues. She/he is an inspiration for the less energetic and a constant prod for the lazy and the lethargic. Commitment is the complete devotion you have towards anything you do, kindled by a strong motivation and interest in the deep cave of your heart.Nothing great has ever been achieved by any individual without enthusiasm and interest. To generate enthusiasm, one requires deep interest, involvement and commitment towards whatever she/he wishes or desires to achieve.Today the world simply admires and opens its way to anyone who is found girded with commitment and enthusiasm. The rise of Dhirubhai Ambani from scratch, the soaring of Manoj Bajpai in Bollywood, the achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi , the surpassing love of Mother Teresa , the success story of Sachin Tendulkar , and above all, the Presidential ascension of Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam are but precise feats of those who proved the world that committed people have no option but success.They made mistakes but mistakes and failures never mesmerised them. They stood to the end with unwavering faith and commitment. Difficulties and disappointments never corroded their steely commitment to accomplish ! If he/she could do that, why can’t you and I? Success is guaranteed if you have the passion to plunge in, commitment to cruise over and faith enough to fly on.Rotary thrives today only because of men and women committed to service. At the heart of every service, there is commitment. Commitment is vital to the success of any service project. Rotarians commit to others, to Rotarians, to leadership and to the community. They thus commit to God. They commit to their dreams. There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it when it is convenient. When you are committed, you accept no excuses — you only want results.There is a story of a great ruler, who ruled his kingdom with love and compassion. He knew that many of the people were in need — in need of money, love, health, prosperity and education. When he became old, he selected a second-in-command to help him manage the kingdom. He took him outside to a balcony of the palace that gave a majestic view of the land under his jurisdiction. The second-in-command asked “Sir, what must be the most vital attribute that I should possess to carry out your wishes?” “Son,” the king replied, “There are only two things you should have. You should have commitment and compassion.”
It is relevant only because it is an organisation that offers a helping hand without asking for anything in return. It is this selfless service that props up its existence and offers what others do not. Community Service, therefore, is the heartbeat of Rotary. A heartbeat is a device to pump vital nutrients to all the hungry areas of the body. Rotary pumps the vital assistance to all those areas that are hungry for aid. A pump that has power and capability controls a heartbeat. Rotary not only has capability and power but also a desire that makes spreading helpful acts a pleasure.
The needs of the community are often so gigantic that Rotary may be unable to rectify the problem or tackle the problem only partially. It is, therefore, essential for Rotary to measure its own strength and offer assistance that it is capable of.
When the community realises that Rotary can solve some of its problems but not all, it will understand our shortcomings and will cooperate with Rotary in managing a problem. This exercise of informing and educating the community about our limitation and our strengths will result in erasing any disappointments that may come as a result of our limited assistance. This step is vital for continued co-operation and mutual understanding which will build bridges of communication facilitating future coordination in the avenue of service to them.
Service to the needy community must be laced by personal participation of Rotarians and their families. The helping hand offered by Rotarians must be visible through our presence and participation. Rewarding service acts by Rotarians are paid for by the currency of personal participation. We not only need a healthy budget but also a bigger heart. When such a heart beats for the needy, the flow of help will be better appreciated, better utilised and better understood.
The community will appreciate our compassion, our love and determination to help and will always be at our side when we undertake other service activities for these communities.
Service is a habit with a Rotarian just as our hearts beat with regularity. This is one addiction that is excellent for health and satisfaction. It is one habit that needs to be cultivated with finesse.
Rotary will continue to be present for many generations. It will disappear only when the needs of all communities are met. Such a time, perhaps, will never come and so Rotary is entrenched in this world with many more years of service. Let our service be timely, productive, satisfying and compassionate. Rotary will, then, live forever in the hearts of all those that are touched by our love, Viva La Rotary.
Dear Friend,As the new year blossoms, may the journey of your life be fragrant with new opportunities, Your Days be bright with new hopes and your heart be happy with love! Happy New Year Dear Friend.Nayantara -Ashok
Dear Friend, May the closeness of friends, the comfort of home, and the unity of our nation, renew your spirits this festive season. Merry Christmas to you and your family.Nayantara -Ashok
Rotary promised a Polio free world by our 100th year of existence. We still are not able to deliver what we promised. True, in any great commitment, there are likely to be snags, delays, unforeseen hurdles and roadblocks but that does not mean that we have failed. Failure is when we fall and don’t get up.
We need to maintain the integrity of Rotary, our prestige, our reputation. We must therefore redouble our efforts to see the end of Polio. To a great extent we are better off in our crusade compared to our position in 2005. The last lap is always a little more challenging and we are also likely to be a little fatigued. This, however, is no excuse and when Rotary stands at the cross-roads, Rotarians need to re-invent schemes and reignite passion to take our journey to its logical conclusion.
Finances are one of our many constraints and Rotarians must realize the urgent need to contribute to The Rotary Foundation to insure adequate funds needed for our victory. We can not rise up our hands and admit failure. We are strong enough, charitable enough, committed enough and serious enough to put our ALL in the efforts to erase Polio from this globe. We may seem to be near but that is not enough. By 2020-21 we must gift our success to Rotary when our R I President Nominee Sushil Gupta sits in the highest office of Rotary. We owe it to him but more importantly we owe it to the world and we must demonstrate our commitment in no uncertain ways.
Let us drive out Polio to drive in happiness.
WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS…
Why honesty is always the best policy. Most of us use lies from time to time to avoid difficult situations and hide our feelings or intentions. However lying always comes with a price whilst the truth is invaluable. … You will feel better about yourself if you are honest and open.
The world is fast changing. Life is becoming more and more complex. The emerging trends and cultures have come to govern the modern life. And the traditional values and beliefs are slowly vanishing.
Despite the amazing changes the age–old evils of society remain. Millions are still deprived of their basic needs. The gap between the rich and poor still continue to widen. Rape, violence, corruption and conflicts based on race, religion, region etc are rampant. There is lot of hypocrisy in our talks about justice, liberty, equality and human rights.
Despite all this, there is no reason for us to despair if we are prepared to take a stand. The change should start with each one of us. We need to be free, first of all, from corrupt practices, underhand dealings, and unjust behaviors. This of course poses a challenge – a challenge to live as honest citizens of the world. When we develop a clear conscience and live accordingly, we become agents of change in our society.
It is therefore, the responsibility and duty of each and every Rotarian on this earth to study his/her own personal business and see that every Rotarian conducts it according to the highest code of standards of practice in his / her relations with his/her employees, with those from whom he/she buys, with those to whom he/she sells, with his/her competitor, with the public or the Government.
Rotary Clubs should encourage the potential of their weekly meetings as a forum for discussion of the ethical concerns, which all the business people face today. We need to exert greater leadership in our professional and trade associations to maintain and enforce codes of correct practices. Rotarians must go out to work for high ethical standards in all forums of human endeavor. Rotarians must put all efforts to spread the message that honesty is still the best policy. Let the Rotarians work to restore proper ethics to every day dealings and never be afraid to be Honest and live Honorably before every one. Always remember with Honesty your Character will last long after you are gone.
Many a time we find ourself remarking “Wow ! This guy is just awesome” when seeing or thinking our favorite performer or a Cricketer or an athlete or an actor or a professional from some other stream.. Experts are not people with natural abilities or talents in a particular domain but ordinary individuals who attain and maintain a high level of consistency in terms of practice. So as the old saying goes “Practice makes perfect !” It is very often said “You are what you practice most” .
You can do something extra Ordinary, and something that a lot many people can’t do provided you put your more than 100% in it with sincere practice. Some one has said “Tomorrow’s victory is today’s practice’.
Think about how you became good at some thing — be some sports, dancing, writing, talking or what ever else you are currently proficient in– at which you were once a novice or thought it impossible.
With persistence One can get the hardest rock with the softest rope and with practice the heaviest brain like wise becomes super brilliant . Practice is the act of rehearsing a behaviour over and over while perfection is , broadly , a state of completeness .
There is no substitute for practice, the only ‘magic formula’ that is capable of giving you the results you are after.Practice empowers and enables you to cross boundaries ! Inspiration may be sometimes fleeting but practice entails perspiration you can never withhold or do without. You can plan and commit to it so long as you believe in its power and it’s rewards.
Practice is the beginning of beautiful miracles waiting to happen. Therefore, whatever your goals , your desirable skills, your artistic aspiration and dreams of creativity Work towards building a steady and unshakable practice schedule around it.
All the same lack of practice is one such factor, which can turn out to be the most responsible in someone’s failure.
The more you practice the more it build up your confidence, the more you practice the more it improves your skill, the more You practice the more it improves your productivity.
practice is that mantra which simply tunes both your physical and mental entities to the required frequency that helps you to lead towards perfection.
Practice helps you in strengthening your ability and capability beyond your imagination and helps you achieve your goal. Always remember PRACTICE IS KEY TO SUCCESS.
Self Confidence is very essential for hopes, dreams and believes that each person should dream at whatever scale he/she desires, then pursue to accomplish them. Self-confidence have good impacts on everything. If you want to succeed then you should be self-confident. When you determined to achieve anything confidently then it will be too easy for you and no obstacles can stop you to reach your goal.
Self is the most important aspect in each person’s life. No wonder, ever since life began, human beings have been ceaselessly hunting for an answer to the question ‘Who am I’? The most common answer would be: the sum of everything one knows and can imagine about oneself
It is said, ‘whatever you wish, that you are’. In fact, such is the force of the will that whatever we wish to be with a genuine determination, that we become. A person’s self-esteems is directly proportional to his/her self-concept. What you think of yourself is the personality you take on. If you think positive thoughts, you will feel and act positively. Like cancer, a poor self-concept can eat up the person and gradually he/she grows weak in every aspect. Therefore there is a greater need for changing one’s inner beliefs than for attempting to change the external conditions. There is no more unique gift God could give us than the ‘power of choice’. Because of this exceptional gift, life is what you make it. With faith and confidence in yourself and with the right thought in your mind, you can measure up to anyone and get out of life almost anything you want, for “You are a miracle of God”, said Ven Fr James Alberione.
Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful. –
Rotary gives us best platform to develop Self Confidence . Accepting bigger and bigger challenges will build our self confidence . Plan big projects and execute with confidence and I can assure you eight out of ten times you will succeed. Confidence Comes Naturally With Success, But Success Comes Only To Those Who Are Confident, So Begin With Great Confidence! God Bless You .
Thank you for being in Rotary and believing in doing good in the world. I am asking you to believe, not in my ability to change, but in yours. This belief, this faith in the ability of each one of us to make a difference in our world has been the core factor for people to donate repeatedly to the causes which Rotary takes up every year. Their belief, while giving generously, begins not with the organisation we are members in or with any one leader of our movement, but with each one of us. This is the belief on which Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation is built.
Rotarians are a working and living centre for maintaining the highest ethical standards while dealing with the contributions we get from individuals and corporate houses. Rotarians are known as people who care about others. This is the public image we have built over the past one hundred years all over the world. Donors give money to clubs, districts and to The Rotary Foundation because they believe that we Rotarians have a deep love for our community and the willingness to be engaged for the greater good.
We all have one important thing in common. Philanthropists asked us to build a disease free world and we said yes. We have work to do. The result India and the rest of the world will see in eradicating such as polio, diabetes, TB and many other debilitating diseases will be the product of our ideas being put to work together. And you are a part of it. I want the world to hear only such success stories.
Today we seem to be grappling with issues concerning stewardship and managing funds which were placed in our hands with good faith by major donors in our society. None of us can rest in the accomplishments of the past, even those as momentous as polio eradication, if there is an iota of doubt raised in our midst about how someone, knowingly or unknowingly, misled the donors and the Rotarians about how the funds were utilized. The district programme of Diabetes Awareness and Detection is now poised to become a statewide programme with the help of big donors. Hence we have to demonstrate that when it comes to utilisation of funds, we maintain the highest standards of transparency and every rupee is used effectively for that purpose.
Our guiding principle has always been, “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time, energy and resources to helping others without expecting anything in return.” If this is shaken at the very root, then we will not be able to live our values and empower others to join Rotary.
I am asking every Rotarian to honour our movement and the way it has changed the lives of millions over the years by making a commitment to uphold the highest standards of accountability when it comes to handling donations. Even it is small. Especially if it is small.
In 1986 when the announcement was made that Rotary would undertake the eradication of Polio in the world, goals were set for fund raising. Responses were favorable except for some comments from Japanese Rotrians suggesting that goal for Japan was too low. Yes, too low. Of course goals were generally exceeded country after country but slowly. In 1986 it was clear that Japan intended to exceed its goals and it did. Last week in Islamabad, Pakistan the Japanese government announced it was providing a $4.6 million grant to Pakistan to support the supply of essential polio vaccine for campaigns during 2018-19. Notes of grant were signed and exchanged in Islamabad between the government of Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
The grant will support procurement of 25 million doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) which would be sufficient to vaccinating children under the age of five in high-risk districts across the country thus enabling the programme to quickly close immunity gaps. With this latest grant aid, the Japanese government had contributed about $230 million towards polio eradication initiative since 1996. To achieve and maintain interruption in polio transmission, Japan believed that robust routine immunization was required, and had provided technical assistance for the Expanded Immunization Programme (EPI) in Pakistan since 2001.
Life is not made for keeping score. It is not about how popular you are , how many friends you have , how many Watsup you receive every morning, how many phone calls you receive every day , or how acceptable or unacceptable you are . It certainly not related to who your family is or how rich your family members are .
It’s not about whether you are beautiful or ugly , or how expensive clothes you wear , what make of shoes you have on , or what kind of restaurant you go for dinner , or what class you fly and how often you go abroad.its not how big house you live in and how many servants you have to take care of you . It’s certainly not about the colour of your skin . It’s not what car you drive or how smart every one thinks of you . It’s not about representing your whole being on a piece of paper and seeing who all will read and accept your writing.
But life is about whom you love and whom you hurt. It about whom you try to make happy or unhappy. It’s about being trust worthy or unreliable. It’s about friendship, used as sanctity, or as a weapon . Its about what you say and mean , may be humiliating, may be respectfully. It’s about starting rumours and contributing to petty gossip. It’s about how you think all this and why ?
It’s about whom you have neglected with full control and intention. It’s about carrying inner hate and love , letting it grow and spread all around.
But Most of all , life is about to touch or poison others heart in such a way that could have never occurred alone . Life’s true gift lies in your freedom to design it beautifully. With each rise of the sun, you get to chase the opportunity to fill your days with meaning—to live your life the way you choose.
It’s a hard life sometimes, but it is also a life in which attaining overall happiness is possible. The path to such a beautiful life is paved with beautiful thoughts and positive outlooks, that help to bring a smile to your face and spread happiness to others.
Do we remember what it was like to be a child.? The best part of it was the amount of time we used to spend imagining all that we wanted to do as we grew up and bringing out lots of creative expressions unconsciously.We were always happy and alive during those days. Sadly we lose the ability to fully enjoy life and it’s simply because we slowly and slowly neglect imagination as we get older and older .Our imagination is one of the keys to living life on a higher level. We will never able to achieve any thing unless we think of it within our mind.By imagining ourselves living life on our terms where we currently reside, will motivate us to take action in order to move in the direction of our dreams. We should put extra efforts to learn to use our imagination to raise our thinking to a higher level. Let Our thoughts inspire within us the belief that we can live the life that we have imagined.“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein.Our imagination is a great resource that we can tap into to achieve all that we desire in life because there is nothing more powerful than imagination. If we can imagine some thing constructively then we can create reality from it . Our imaginary thoughts are the building blocks through which the productivity of our life takes shape. We become what we imagine. By using our imagination to the fullest, we will make this world a better place to live in while improving social and economic conditions for ourself and others .The beauty of imagination is that there are no boundaries, the possibilities are limitless. “ The only limitation is that which one sets up in one’s own mind,” says Napoleon Hill .The world is a canvas on which we draw our life with the creative use of imagination. We need to discover who we are, our innate talents, our desires and then bring them to life. There really are no limits to what you can create. If we can believe we can achieve it.All that we require is to become aware that we have the power inside us to create everything we wish . Then learn to master our imagination, and in a matter of time , our life will simply add up !
Self is the most important aspect in each person’s life. No wonder, ever since life began, human beings have been ceaselessly hunting for an answer to the question ‘Who am I’? The most common answer would be: the sum of everything one knows and can imagine about oneself
Low self-confidence isn’t a life sentence. Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered–just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better.
Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them.”
It is said, ‘whatever you wish, that you are’. In fact, such is the force of the will that whatever we wish to be with a genuine determination, that we become. A person’s self-esteems is directly proportional to his/her self-concept. What you think of yourself is the personality you take on. If you think positive thoughts, you will feel and act positively. Like cancer, a poor self-concept can eat up the person and gradually he/she grows weak in every aspect. Therefore there is a greater need for changing one’s inner beliefs than for attempting to change the external conditions.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” Said Thomas Jefferson
There is no more unique gift God could give us than the ‘power of choice’. Because of this exceptional gift, life is what you make it. With faith and confidence in yourself and with the right thought in your mind, you can measure up to anyone and get out of life almost anything you want, for “You are a miracle of God”, said Ven Fr James Alberione.
Always remember that the key factor to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.. Prepare yourself and you will achieve all that you desire.
The success of an individual depends upon the direction he/she gives to his/her life. The success of an organization depends upon its ability to hold the members together till the goal is reached. The growth and development of a nation depend upon the vision it has for its citizens. A leader is the one who can give direction, who can keep an organization united and who provides a vision for peoples and nations.
It doesn’t matter if the leader shares a powerful vision, if the leader is not someone who people will follow , the vision will never be realized. As a leader, who you are makes a difference. The most important message you can share is yourself. “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things . He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things “ says the former President of America Ronald Reagan .
Without trust there is a huge gap between the leader and the vision. Without trust people will stay off the bus. However if people trust the leader they will hop on the bus with the leader and help move the bus forward towards the
Andy Stanley said “ As a leader you can have all the rules you want but if you don’t invest in your people and develop a relationship with them they will rebel. This applies amazingly to children as well. It’s all about relationships.”
We usually associate leaders with authority. But those with authority need not be leaders. Authority comes to us in two ways. First, a person with authority should delegate it to us. Secondly, by the way we live our lives, we command authority. Real leaders belong to the latter category – they command respect, power and authority by the way they live their lives.
Those who rely on their physical strength, wealth, influence, and inheritance for their authority are not genuine leaders. The leaders who rely on such transitory things for their authority will do anything to increase their wealth, influence, etc. Hence, no wonder, we lack authentic leaders today.
The attributes of a genuine leader are: unwavering courage, self-control, keen sense of justice, clarity of vision, definiteness of decision, the habit of doing more than what you are expected to do , a pleasing personality, sympathy & understanding, and a willingness to assume full responsibility. Leaders make things happen. Defeats and difficulties do not discourage them. They have considerable amount of endurance and enthusiasm.
Wherever you are, be a leader. But, remember, if you haven’t learned to follow, you can’t lead.
Life gives us two options everyday: wait for things to happen, or make them happen. Those who wait for things to happen miss out a great deal because they hardly or never happen. The best option is to decide what you want and pursue it.
However long and complicated our endeavour might be, the first step we take really matters. If we prolong to take that first step, it only indicates our resistance to change and fear of failure. But remember that life rewards only risk takers. The individuals who have the will to achieve something big take charge of the things which they have to do . They know what they have to achieve and take steps by which they feel they can achieve it . They direct and bend the force of their life to the attainment of the goal. They are ready to take chance and do not expect fate to throw success in their lap nor they depend on other people to give it to them. They know what is required and regulatethe daily actions to attain it . They achieve success only because they are ready to take chance and put all what is needed to achieve it.
Instead of asking yourself what everyone else’s opinion is going to be and how your action will be perceived by others, ask yourself, ‘How do I want my life to be lived?’ Then proceed to take a small risk in the direction of that new action.
Life offers plenty of opportunities. The important thing in life is to shrug off the difficulties and mental dilemmas and keep moving forward to the goal. Leaping blindly into the unknown isn’t the most intelligent thing to do. But if we look logically at what we stand to gain, and take calculated risks based on that, we are truly bound to win. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all,” asserts Helen Keller.
If we allow risk to be a fear, then we are sure not to succeed. But, if we approach risk with proper planning, and a good attitude, then most times we can minimize the risk.
We cannot guarantee success, but we can guarantee failure merely by choosing not to try at all. Choosing to take a risk, however, small, can have far-reaching implications in the course of human life.
Successful people do not depend on their luck. They take due responsibility for their life and thus they take advantage of chances and make the most of their life. That’s why Virgil, the greatest of the Roman poets, wrote 2,000 years ago, “fortune sides with him who dares.”
Therefore , take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.
“There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved”.
Life is for love. There is no higher purpose forlife than to love and be loved. Love gives us purpose and meaning to our life and it makes life worth living. The fact is that each of us is capable of loving and being loved.
Everyone craves to love and be loved. But do we love ourselves? The way we love ourselves, portrays who we are. If we don’t love ourselves, we won’t be able to love others and be loved in return. Find love within ourselves for everything we do, for who and what we are.
Some people would say that when you love someone, you’re supposed to fight for them until your very last breath. Some people would say that love is worth destroying yourself for, if it’s for the person you love. Some people would say that you could never love someone if you don’t love yourself first. Some people would say to never lose yourself in love, because you are worth so much more than that.
But despite what everyone would say, whether you end up being the good or the bad person in your story, at the end of the day, you have had enough courage to feel something most people are afraid to feel- love. Your feelings are valid and nobody in this world could ever take that away from you. Listen to your gut feeling because most of the time, it’s always right.
If other person is the cause of our love, we set ourselves up for some initial ecstasy followed by inevitable frustrations. Because, sometimes he/she will do things that make us feel loved, and sometimes he/she will do things that make us feel unloved. We need to find love within ourselves to love others. This teaches that our purpose of life is not to import love, but to express it. Instead of being love seekers, we become love finders. We do not await love, rather we generate it.
One simple truth about love is that we can’t make people stay in love. We can’t force them to love us. But we can be happy loving ourselves and accepting others as they are because love is in us. Love is a decision. Like in a garden, we need to tend to our love, pull away carefully the weeds that might take from our love the nourishment that it needs.
Ambition means nothing if you are not willing to be consistent with your actions and be persistent in operating at a high level. The average person quits after they are not immediately rewarded for their short-term efforts. A successful person ignores instant gratification and understands that success is a long-term effort. You must build up your efforts over time until they align together to accomplish your desired goal. This is why there are so few successful people and so many mediocre people who can only dream of success. Successful people undertake strategic actions and persist at them, while mediocre people lack the stamina and persistence to see things through.Thomas Alva Edison in his pursuit of inventing electric bulbs suffered many failures and disappointments before actually succeeded. Reflecting on the lesson he learned from those failures he famously remarked “ Our greatest weakness lies in giving up . The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time “ . “The habit of persistence is the habit of victory “ says Herbert Kaufman . One of the most striking characteristics of masters of resiliency is that they always view their failures as temporary and exhibit their indomitable spirit to succeed even in the face of seemingly hopeless situations in life .You can never become complacent on your journey towards success. Yes, you will face stumbling blocks but they cannot paralyze your actions. You must put extra efforts in converting those stumbling blocks in to stepping stones. You must learn to continue moving on despite the setbacks you have experienced. Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Despite these setbacks, both men went on to do extraordinary things in their professions. This is because they persisted. They never allowed the opinions of others to define how they operated. Their only objective was to prove themselves right, while proving wrong those who doubted their abilitiesVictory belongs to those who are ready for the grind. It is the feeble minded who easily give up . Great people are never defeated by the change of circumstances of life . They have the power of persistence that allows them to rise victoriously above the temporary losses and disappointments in life .Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not , nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not , unrewarded genius is almost a proverb . You may face many defeats , but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats which will make you know who you are , what you can rise from , how you can still come out of it .
As long as you trust in yourself no situation is hopeless. It is only when you lose trust in yourself that the situation becomes hopeless. It is the challenge of the impossible that gets life out of its ruts and leads you to your goal . Never ever allow any one or anything to get you down — no matter how difficult, hopeless and depressed the situation may become. It is the ability to tie a knot and hang on there for a bit longer when reaching the end of the rope that differentiates a winner from a loser.Your thoughts should be never ever give up and the formula for success is “ I will persist until I succeed “
“There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning”.
Everyone wishes to be liked and loved. We all want to appear attractive. Indeed, who does not desire to be admired, respected and considered important? Although many might like to believe that as long as one is happy and content with oneself, the opinion of others and their acceptance don’t matter much. But for a happy and fulfilling life it is important that the people around us treat us with love and concern. A pleasing personality is a prerequisite to experience all this many more from others.
There are times in which it may seem as if it’s almost impossible to ever be happy again. However, the impact of these difficult times does not have to be that severe. There are certain happy thoughts you can entertain that can quickly give you a much brighter perspective on life.
Your “personality” is the mental, spiritual and physical traits that distinguish you from all others. It is the sum total of your personal characteristics and appearances that makes you a unique individual. The clothes you wear, the line in your face, the tone of your voice, the thoughts you have and the character shaped by those thoughts – all this forms part of your personality. Your personality can draw people to you; it can also drive people away from you.
Developing a pleasing personality starts with making an inventory of our habits, both good and bad. Habits, as such, are the most outward expressions of your personality. Now, if we are able to introspect and weed out those unhealthy attitudes and habits which are part of our personality, we would each be able to develop a truly pleasing personality.
Always remember, your personality can capture the heart of another, even as it mirrors your own!
“A good archer is not known by his arrows but by his aim”.
Most of us make excuses to defend our conduct and live with the wrong notion that making excuses is something that everybody does… Over the years we have cultivated the art of making excuses with creative ways to avoid doing something that needs tobedone. We think that with excuses we do not have to be accountable for our words and deeds. Is it too much to say that we are addicted to excuses?
When we make excuses and repeat them often enough, they become a belief. The belief then becomes a self- fulfilling habit and then failures are bound to happen.
Excuses set limits on our will and blocks the road to our purpose and passion. It is only when we accept responsibility, can we evaluate our actions and take corrective measures to find solutions to our problems.
We need to learn to eliminate the bad habit of making excuses and take responsibility for everything in our lives. In accepting responsibility, we are showing a willingness to develop our character and in doing so , our character will become stronger and as a consequence the quality of our life will be enhanced. Let’s remember that life is too short for us to entertain the negative habit of making excuses. If we want to achieve something in life, there is no doubt that we will find a way. If on the other hand we don’t want to do something, and scared of difficulties and challenges, we can always find an excuse. Therefore, don’t let excuses hold us back from developing our full potential. When the door is closed, why don’t we look through the open window?
People use excuses to rationalize their actions regarding their circumstances, their actions toward other people, and regarding certain events. However, excuses are often the primary reasons why people are unable to accomplish what they want out of life.
Because of this, one of the best habits you can build is to proactively make a commitment to stop making excuses. Stop excusing your failures or your procrastination and start taking the steps that are necessary to get what you want out of life.
Stop making excuses and dare tobe what you want to be .
Enjoy the victory of good over the evil. May you have a fun-filled and blissful Dusshera.
A British newspaper once asked its readers, “What is wrong with the world?” One of the letters it received was from the famous writer, G.K. Chesterton. His answer to the question was very short. It just said, “I am.” The world is dangerous not because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything. Are you ready to make a real difference in the world around you? Am I…?
The power to make a difference lies within each one of us. If our faith is strong and constant, our effort to make a difference will be more than we ever thought possible. All we need to do is to act as if our desires were already realities. To make a difference does not mean making a big splash or doing something that makes people yell “Wow!” Some people proudly call it ‘leaving a legacy’.
Making a difference is doing ordinary things differently. Are you willing to help a needy child overcome the obstacles of poverty through a sponsorship? Can you put aside your indifference as regards those underprivileged and approach the HIV/AIDs affected with a little more compassion? Do you have the goodwill to take people as they are, not as you would like them to be? Have you ever tried a little more to understand the thoughts and feelings of people around you?
Helping others and making a difference in the world is what will help to make the world a better place by improving people’s lives. One person at a time, one day at a time, and one project at a time, you can make a difference that will leave a lasting impact on the world. Rotary provides you hundreds of opportunities to do good in the world and make a difference.
Remember, to the world you may be just one person. Yet, to one person, you may be the world! Therefore, let your presence in the world be one that radiates love, peace and happiness and in turn let the world speak for you!
Government And Rotarians Building A Nation Together
Non-governmental organisations and service organisations such as Rotary had an image. They were seen as marginal to the society dominated by the Government in every country.
People believed that Government should and could discharge all major social tasks and that the role of the NGOs and service organisations, if any, was to supplement governmental programmes. This was the public image of Rotary years ago.
Today, we know better. Today, NGOs and Rotary are central to any society. People know that the ability of the government in developing countries to perform social tasks is limited. We have seen Rotary discharge bigger jobs and take care of specific needs.
When we talk about Government and Rotary building a nation we have to tread cautiously on the topic. Rotary does something very different from a business enterprise or government. Business supplies either goods or services. Government controls.
A business is discharged when the customer buys the product, pays for it and is satisfied. Government has discharged its function when its policies are effective.
Rotary neither supplies goods or service nor controls. So what does Rotary do? What is its product? Rotary’s product is a changed human being. Rotary’s product is a cured patient, a child that learns, a youngster who grows up into a self –respecting adult and a nation that has rid itself of diseases such as polio.
That is what Rotarians do to build a nation. A Rotarian is a person who searches for life’s ineffable questions and in doing so finds his way into the company of fellow seekers.
Rotarians come from every nation and from various races, social and economic levels. But they all hold similar ideals and beliefs. This belief is grounded by certain landmark tenants and virtues which is the 4 Way Test and have the motto Service Above Self which ultimately leads to the betterment of humanity. It is the duty of the Rotarian to assist in elevating the ethical and intellectual level of the community they serve.
When a government works with Rotary, it should understand that the partnership is solely for the purpose of doing good to the people and not for scoring any brownie points for electoral gains.
The E-learning programme in Maharashtra is a Government initiative and Rotary is actively participating in it. The polio eradication is an example of how the partnership saved millions of children worldwide. There are many such examples.
Governments, while working with Rotary, need to know that Rotary is a human change agent, a catalyst for peace and is made up of volunteers.
Rotary addresses the problems in the society. So does the Government. Rotary addresses the ‘bad’ news. Rotary is not the story. There is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment. Rotary can bridge this space by working with the government in more and more critical areas which will help the community.
“The world is full of angels, if you can’t find one , be one,”thus goes a popular saying. You are not born in this world just as a spectator to passively watch others living their lives to the full and thus contributing to make the world a beautiful place to live in . But you too are born to fulfil this same mission of making our world beautiful. You can achieve this goal by making the best use of all your innate gifts and talents.
We people like to say that we are civilised, but the truth couldn’t be further from that.Although we have made a lot of scientific and technological progress, we are still behaving in an inhumane way. We’re fighting with one another, we are harming the animals, and we are destroying the environment with our everyday actions.
The individuals who have left an indelible mark on human history are the persons who selflessly dedicated themselves to a noble cause so that the future generations would have a better life to live. The world today fondly remembers these individuals who have sacrificed their present to make our future more colourful.
People who live only for themselves and spend their life only for themselves are easily forgotten after their death. But those persons who sacrifice themselves and spend their life selflessly Serving others even after their death will continue to live in the memory of people because of their magnanimous deeds. It is said “one who picks fruit is forgotten quickly, but who plants trees is remembered enduringly.”
Life presents before golden opportunity to make this world a beautiful place by a kind deed , a warm smile , a tight hug , a genuine gesture of appreciation, mindfulness and unselfish love for unloved. Plant a tree , creat cleanliness by creating awareness, save a child from a Disease , adopt a child for his schooling and many more such act,
All this is possible if you identify the important things in life , and consciously commit yourself to them because what separates a great soul from an ordinary one is the ability to distinguish the important from the unimportant things in life . Rotary teaches us the philosophy of Service Above Self – before you live , love . Before you expire, Inspire . Let your love and action Be The Inspiration to all you touch so that they also go on spreading the message of Love and Service. Let’s all work together to Make the World a Beautiful Place .
Peace is not as illusive as believed. True, the path is riddled with obstructions and at some places there is no path at all and we have to create a path. Once on the path, you will find many roads going in different directions, but no matter which path you choose, you will ultimately reach your goal. Before you embark on the path to peace, you must first dare to believe in peace. If you believe in peace, you will live it daily. Your actions will speak loud and clear. Therefore, if you want peace, promote peace.
Firstly, be at peace, promulgate peace and spread peace. The greatest blessings the human heart can know is world peace and the world will never become better unless we ourselves become better and set an example before others.
Achieving peace is no easy matter. You will fail at times but perseverance is the need of the time. It took over three decades to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It took years and hundreds of experiments to invent a light bulb. Many success stories have many failures at its base. The winners don’t give up. They win finally.
Peace also has many failure stories, but if we persist, if we persevere, if we doggedly pursue , peace will not be so elusive.
Peace results from like-minded aspirations. Every one wants peace. Why is it that we fail to achieve it? The reason is not far to seek. We want peace on ‘our terms.’ We want peace as we dictate. We do not want to listen to the other side. The best remedy, therefore, will be to ‘listen’ to the other side. This can be achieved by a person-to-person interaction. If we are ready for some give and take, the task would be simpler.
Rotary has many programmes under The Rotary Foundation and International Service that promote this inter-personal dialogue. Once people meet, talk, interact and sincerely wish for peace, the task would be easier. One of the most important trips a person ever takes is “to meet someone halfway.” If we don’t meet halfway, peace will be lost. If we are ready, there is a chance for Peace. Paul Harris had rightly said “the best attribute of Rotary is ‘toleration.’ We have to re-cultivate the art of toleration.
Let the Rotary Leadership give its whole-hearted contribution and enthusiastic support to every good idea or initiative towards anything that may help even in the smallest way, in fostering peace in this world full of conflicts.
To establish this feeling amongst Rotarians, the Club leadership must put extra efforts to (a) keep Rotary simple (b) put more Rotary in Rotarians (c) make Rotarians know each other better.
As the leaders of Rotary , as the respected members of the community , let Rotary spread the message of peace, of love, of co-existence, of harmony and of tolerance.
A wise oriental philosopher has said “when planning for a year plant rice; when planning for ten years plant trees; when planning for hundred years plant people” I may add plant Rotarians.
Rotarians are in a unique position of understanding others. Let us start the process of peace immediately . BE INSPIRATION AN. SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF PEACE …
While analyzing why the membership in Rotary has declined in many countries, one particular reason comes to my mind. The organisation still believes that membership is by invitation. Though this practice has been considerably watered down, it is still a barrier because elderly Rotary members do not invite youngsters below the age of 30 that easily to join their club.
Youngsters, especially professionals, who are battling it out for growth in their chosen career should have the necessary motivation to join Rotary and this can be provided only by those they consider their equals in thought.
Today, when the growth of Rotary is dependent more on young professionals, the membership development plan, must be like a modern human resources policy that can allow the youngsters to work and also serve the community in ways that are most suited for a locality.
Young people have to see themselves as part a club which can nurture their extra hours after work. We must speak to them without difficulty or barrier caused by our own impression that we are special.
There is no greatness about a person who has volunteered to join a service organisation. In fact, only those who are really very humble can claim to be service minded.
Once there is a sense of inclusion, awareness about the other person comes naturally. Awareness is life and life is awareness. There is no other way. It is only because of exclusion of certain people in our mind that we have excluded them from Rotary.
How to attract young minds to Rotary? Much has been said and debated for over 30 years and the results have been only marginal. Today’s young people, especially those who are working 16 to 18 hours a day in hi-tech areas, are becoming more exclusive characters and they find it difficult to mingle freely with others in the society.
When we say we need young professionals we assume that they are earning members who probably have a family of their own. Probably this will constitute about 10 percent of the youngsters in the age group of 25 to 35 and unless Rotary has something extraordinary for them, the idea of joining may not sink in. We are assuming that they can afford the costs involved and hence probably we are narrowing it down by another 2 percent.
Targeting such professionals who in their initial years of working do not mind hopping from one job to another and from one city or country to another, require a very high level of information to be fed to them about what they can hope to achieve by joining Rotary. To me the one reason that can appeal to such youngsters will be the need to make their community more literate or free from hunger and disease.
Now, in many advanced countries, the Government takes care of education and health care and there may be little or no role for these youngsters to play and hence one appeal may not attract all everywhere.
So what is the one appealing factor that can make such young professionals who can afford the costs involved with Rotary to join the movement? Among a few reasons such as peace in the world, I think that the prospect of developing as a leader of a group of people and guiding them for something more than what they can be, may be an appealing point.
Rotary is supposed to impart the culture of inclusiveness. This is not a new philosophy. It is about falling back to a way of life, ordinary but magnificent. This is the way to safeguard the future of Rotary and this can be done by attracting young professionals who are not bothered about the stifling procedures but about delivering measurable results for the community as leaders.
Self-satisfaction makes life worth living. We live in a world that encompasses a major share of the poor and downtrodden. Each person may have a different need in his/her life. While some yearn for success, some don’t have the most basic amenities such as a shelter or enough food to eat. But that’s not all, some people may be in need of mere affection, those who are longing to see smiles. We are lucky to be living a comfortable life. How good it will be if we try to bring smiles to those sad faces? Generosity is an easily doable exercise. We all must remember one thing that helping others is a blessing in disguise. Because when we help others to grow, we grow in the process too. It adds value and meaning to our lives.Through our willingness to help others we can learn to be happy rather than depressed.There are many famous personalities who have encouraged such a noble attempt and have done their bit for the poor and needy.we joined Rotary because we believed in the philosophy of Service to others . Rotary gives us hundreds of opportunities to help others . We accepted Service Above Self as our motto . We must exhibit this Motto through our actions. Its commonly said “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth “. It’s our responsibility to follow it and do all we can to help poor . “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Says Martin Luther King , Jr We are fortunate that we have plenty and we are doing well, it becomes our moral responsibility to help others to the best of our ability. Many a times I have seen People with lower incomes tend to give a greater percentage of their incomes to help others and show greater empathy and compassion – perhaps because they know they might face the same circumstances . “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.” Is the Arabian Proverb .It’s time to BE THE INSPIRATION AND MAKE EVERY ONE HELP OTHERS .
‘A LIFE OF HAPPINESS, PEACE AND LOVE IS ALL WITHIN OUR GRASP‘
Ever since life began , human beings have been yearning for Peace . True Peace is much more than ancient “tranquility of order “. It is way of life — a life of Love , forgiveness, generosity, patience , kindnesses and so on .
“Peace is not made at the Conference table , or by treaties , but in the hearts of men” says Herbert Hoover . Peace is a personal responsibility and it is vain to seek it from outside sources , if not within oneself. Your pursuit of Peace depends on your personal liability with yourself and others .
Peace comes from living in the moment and looking for the good in others . Peacefulness comes from facing our fears and letting them go — trusting that things will turn out all right . Peacefulness is also a way of approaching conflict with others so no one is made wrong . Everyone wins because we then work to find a peaceful solution .
Peace is one of the deepest desire of every human person. This peace is not merely the absence of war It is the presence of Love . In our time , the concept of peace cannot be isolated from that of human rights , freedom and ecology.
To work for peace is to work for the transformation of personal and social reality and to make it more fraternal, more human and more just and to collaborate for the liberation of humans .
Peace does not come by itself, we have to prepare for peace and work for it , and this work at times invokes struggle.
Peace for all requires the personal contribution of each individual. To this end each individual is required to invest a part of his / her time , talent , and intelligence, in order to promote in oneself and in society attitudes and action that lead to peace .
To really change the world , we have to help people change the way they see things . Global betterment is a mental process, not one that requires huge sum of money or a high level of authority.
Change has to be psychological. So if we want to see real change , we have to stay persistent in educating humanity on how similar we all are than different. We need not strive to be change we want to see in the world , but also help all those around us see the world through commonalities of the heart so that they would want to change with us .
This is how humanity will evolve to become better . This is how we can change the world . The language of the heart is mankind ‘s main language.
Always remember – Non violence is only for the brave men and women of the world because it requires courage- Courage to love the beauty of life , courage to love beauty of humanity and courage to love beauty of the world .
SERVICE ABOVE SELF IS ROTARY’S MOTTO AND WORLD UNDERSTANDING ITS ULTIMATE GOAL
Service must be the first to peace, because peace grows within the heart. Peace thrives with service and understanding, according dignity to our fellowmen.
Peace is nourished by truth and principles, and it is strengthened when we overcome our differences to work together, finding common ground for a noble cause.
The Rotary Foundation’s mission is to bring peace and understanding into the world. I have thought long hours trying to figure out how Rotary can transform that dream into reality.
Peace is not just the absence of hostilities – it is also a quality of life. I believe that: A world half starving and half overfed will never be a world at peace.
A world half sick and half healthy will never be a world at peace.
A world half illiterate and half educated will never be a world at peace.
A world that condones drug abuse, senseless violence and un-punished crime will never be a world at peace
A world of prejudice, intolerance and distrust will never be a world at peace.
World understanding is all about touching the life of another person. It means we have to build a relationship.
If you are wondering why the world is full of turmoil and strife the reason is because of lack of understanding between people living in different countries.
The lack of political and personal will to build relationships between people is the root cause of tension we now see in the world.
In this time of frenetic lifestyle, Rotary’s initiatives for peace and world understanding could be the answer.
Rotary’s various programs seek to create love and understanding.
They are designed to bring harmony between nations.
Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders promoting national and international cooperation, peace, and the successful resolution of conflict throughout their lives, in their careers, and through service activities.
Fellows can earn either a master’s degree in international relations, public administration, sustainable development, peace studies, conflict resolution, or a related field, or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict resolution.
Each year, up to 100 Rotary Peace Fellowships (50 master’s degree fellowships and 50 professional development certificate fellowships) are offered on a competitive basis at six Rotary Peace Centers, which operate in partnership with seven leading universities.
The fellows are chosen from countries and cultures around the globe based on their potential as leaders in government, business, education, media, and other professional areas.
Rotary Centers alumni have demonstrated their ability to further global understanding and peace in their work for United Nations agencies, the World Bank, European Parliament, the Organization of American States, and other non governmental organizations, along with national governments and international businesses.
Our world is facing a historic transition period.
Nations in the Middle East are facing serious challenges.
Relationship stress between South Asian nations is hampering the development of the region.
Hunger, poverty, disease, depression and conflicts have plagued African nations.
The Rotary movement is relevant in the context of these problems which could intensify greatly over the next several years if not attended to now.
‘Heal the world and Save the World’ is the mantra for Rotarians and likeminded people who wish to see a secure and safer future for their children and grandchildren.
If millions of people are motivated to actively participate in the peace movement, practice harmony in their daily life and learn to show love and concern for others around them, then peace will be within our grasp.
Rotary International’s program are capable of being adapted anywhere in the world. That is why a Rotarian says, “I have the power to make a difference. You have the power to make a difference in this world and bring a new era of peace and understanding.”
Rotarians are moulded to be inspiring teachers, soul leaders, service minded people and generous donors.
They can be termed as a wellness guru – all rolled into one, for the relentlessly pursue the object of the organization which is world understanding and Peace .
When Rotarians participate in programs such as Friendship Exchange and Service beyond Borders, they return with more than souvenirs. They bring back lasting friendships. They open up a global perspective about Rotary’s quest for peace.
Conflict endemic countries need special attention. When we say endemic it means that a significant number of cases of conflicts are constantly encountered in that area.
The setting up of Rotary Peace Centers aims to bring professionally qualified individuals who can work to defuse tensions and resolve issues that could lead to conflicts.
These centres are empowering people to communicate with persons who create situations that could lead to disharmony and disrupt normal life.
I can say that the course teaches people to learn ancient secret wisdom and practices that can rejuvenate the relationships between individuals.
The techniques for resolving a conflict are extremely simple, practical and profound. Studying and practicing in these centers has helped many scholars to help others and return from an age of mistrust to an age of trust and understanding.
Rotary’s message has travelled far and wide. When we work towards world understanding we promote positive energy flow in our system. The blockages and stress are removed and new energy and stamina flows inside us.
This vitality develops immunity from negative influences that can breed hatred in our hearts and minds. Talking and working for world understanding gives us the strength and clarity to serve humanity better.
How is peace propagated? Practicing love for others is the key to healing and transformation. This means asking the mind to always think about the welfare of others and to transform you and situations around you.
Rotary International through its arm The Rotary Foundation advises all Rotarians to go to the people directly. The programs of The Rotary Foundation encompass the entire humankind.
By participating whole heartedly in the programs you become an agent who is capable of bringing people and countries together.
It is said that the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one. When your mind is open you love all humanity. You begin to serve humanity. You bring world understanding and peace.
Whatever be our position, occupation or range of influence, all of us have the responsibility to be peace makers through our lived example and through explicit acts of peace.
As Richard Nixon rightly said, “Where peace is unknown, make it known – where peace is fragile, make it strong – where peace is temporary make it permanent” Remember first to be at peace, then , be a peace-maker.
I believe in what Frank B Kellogg said,” that in the end the abolition of war, the maintenance of world peace, the adjustment of International questions by pacific means will come through the force of public opinion, which controls nation and people.”
In conclusion I would just say that Rotary International and the 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide salute the first Fifteen years of Rotary Peace Centers for International studies and almost in excess of 1100 alumni – peace builders. The success of this program and the work that the alumni do give us cause to hope that peace truly is possible.
Rotarians need to nurture more such people. Good smartens saw an opportunity to do so through The Rotary Foundation yesterday.
I am sure you will see the same opportunity today and the future generation will see it tomorrow.
By supporting the peace centers we have a historic opportunity to say “A Life of Happiness, Peace, and Love is all within our Grasp.” Let’s all live in peace .
Life is a tug of war between good and bad times, and ups and downs. Good times are enjoyed by all, but how about bad times? Can we live through bad times and emerge stronger?
When asked about the most important quality for a human being to master, the wise Roman scholar, Antonius Pracus answered, ‘equanimity.’ Equanimity is the liberating quality that allows us to keep our hearts and minds open and balanced, quiet and steady, in the midst of all changes. It is an inner state of total deflection from external negativity, misery and nuisances; it is a mental composure.
Equanimity enshrouds a positive attitude and healthy disposition and may be considered to be the emotion par excellence. Even when things don’t turn out the way we want them to, equanimity imbues the mind with a calm radiance. When faced with great current in the sea of life, a person with equanimity does not try to swim, but float. It is not a state of indifference but the total clarity of the present moment.
Equanimity is an art to be learned by conscious creation. Conscious creation is basically the act of creating your life by being mindful of your thoughts and feelings, and in so doing, controlling the experiences that are brought into your life.
‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Let this prayer vibrate in your heart time and again!
Dear Rotary Leaders ,As the year progresses and the glow of satisfaction radiates your joy as you serve, it may be time to evaluate and re-evaluate your success stories. The need of the community not only changes from time to time but some urgent needs crop up and unless you measure the needs by the tape of your vision, you may miss a chance to gain the confidence and love of the community.My tailor knows my measurements and my likes and dislikes of the prevalent style. Once, when I approached him for a suit, he asked me to step into the cubicle for measurements.
“But you already have my measurements taken only two months ago,” I said. “I need your measurements every time you come for your clothes. In order to ensure a perfect fit, I need to check your measurements every time.”If we want a perfect fit in our service projects, we must take measurements of all the data every time we go to the community. If there is a change in the needs for service, we must modify our efforts and directions. A cry for help, if unheeded, will not only dent the confidence of the community towards Rotary, but you will miss the bus for strengthening your image and that is worse than non-action.
“Which is the most important part of your body,” asked the mother to her lovely daughter. The daughter tried different answers, but the mother was not satisfied. At last the daughter gave up and asked the mother to give the answer. The mother answered, “The most important body part is your shoulder.” The daughter asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?” The mother replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry.”
Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it. People will forget what you said … people will forget what you did … but people will never forget how you made them feel.
I urge you to be alive to the changing needs and changing measurement of service. Ensure a perfect fit.
“It is no use saying, we are doing our best. You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary,” said Winston Churchill.Let’s BE THE INSPIRATION TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY.
Smt. Rajashree Birla is a person who fully fits the definition of the word ‘altruist’ as she is selflessly dedicated to the welfare of others in the community. Every action of hers highlights her concern for the development of people. She not only donates money, but also devotes her time and her professional expertise to empower men and women in the economically challenged sections of the society. Her willingness to do things that bring advantages to others and her concern for the well-being of the needy amazes me. She finds happiness in being generous and expects nothing in return.
The US $12 million she gave to the polio eradication programme through The Rotary Foundation shows how much she values the lives of children all over theworld. I can say that her timely help did hasten the eradication of polio from India.
Aditya Birla Center for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, which she heads, is a social movement that uses evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to address social problems. She encourages executives in the organisation to consider all causes and action and act in a way that achieves greatest positive impact.
The Birla family has a great past and their ethical standards are unmatched. No wonder then that Smt. Rajashree Birla, does not seek recognition or rewards for her enormous contributions. The act of doing good is her own reward and gives her enough happiness.
That is probably why people admire her more and more. Being an extremely humble person, she carries forward the traditional virtues of her illustrious family. The ethical doctrine of her family states that every member of the Birla family is morally obliged to benefit others. Their voluntary actions aim to enhance the welfare of the community.
Giving, doing good, being helpful and looking beyond oneself are the ways to create blissfulness from within. I realise that these are the secrets of Smt. Rajashree Birla’s ever- energetic approach to life.
Every time I meet Smt. Rajashree Birla she has something compelling to tell me about how her passion for community service helped her to find her purpose in life. She says, “I want to prove what is possible when we get past the stereotypes and labels about how to serve humanity. My mission is to inspire, empower and connect people to change their world. I believe in Mr. Aditya Birla’s vision that every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.”
When I see her community service work and her devotion to the country it reminds me what can happen when someone of her stature gets an opportunity to make a difference. I know that her ambitious work of changing the world is challenging but she is willing and ready to do it again and again. In her son Mr. Kumaramangalam Birla, I see the dedication in working hard to make changes in the community and usher in an era of economic progress. He reflects the values of his great parents and leads the way into the future – a great nation where everyone can hope to live in peace.
Every leader in Rotary or from the community around the world who has ever interacted with Smt. Rajashree Birla, agree that they have returned with a feeling that their potential to do good is limitless. As a leader of the Birla Foundation, Smt. Rajashree Birla believes that when the Foundation lifts up and supports newer causes, everyone benefits. For her it is not just a belief, it is an actionable truth. Her organisation works alongside Rotary and the community to solve important public problems in powerful and creative ways. Apart from the generous contribution to eradicate polio, Smt. Rajashree Birla has given about US$ Half a million for various projects carried out by Rotary clubs.
Whenever I have had the opportunity to meet her in her office, I see how she gives people hope and wants them to achieve bigger and greater things. She does not rest on the accomplishments of the past. I have always been re-energised to carry on my work in Rotary to create a change at home, in my community, in my country and around the world. I find that inspiration just by listening to her words of wisdom. I realise how diversity and inclusion are core to our calling and conduct in Rotary.
When I was able to announce to her that India has been declared a polio-free country and that Rotary had a part to play in that, all I could say was, “Rajashree Ji, please take a look at our story now. We couldn’t have told it without you. Thank you for being a part of it.”
Every time I walk into the hallowed portals of the Birla Empire in Mumbai, I return profoundly influenced by my experiences of their organisation which has a wonderful diversity, thriving culture and high ethical standards.
I hope to have more conversations with Smt. Rajashree Birla dedicated to collaborative oration in the months to come. I realise that every conversation is just a beginning of another new chapter in community service.
And, as always, thank you Rajashreeji for being a part of our Rotary community
Ashok Mahajan Past Rotary International Director, 2007-09 Past Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 2009-13
“ All successful people, men and women , are big dreamers . They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect , and then they work every day towards their distant vision, that goal or purpose “ Says Brian Tracy .The eagle flies at very high altitude and does it all alone . The eagle is not found among sparrows or any other smaller birds . No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. It never flies with other birds and never in flocks. If you ever wish to do something great in life , learn to be alone and when you are with people, share your time with people of same ambition and desires .
The eagle has a strong and unbelievable vision. This vision is so sharp to the extent that it can capture objects 5 kilometres from the air. No matter the obstacle, the eagle focuses on its prey and does not back out until the prey is captured. Stay focused and never allow dissenting views and voices to deter you from your vital goals in life .
The eagle never eats stale prey . Vultures can feed on dead animals but not eagle. The eagle is very choosy and special that it feeds on fresh prey only .Stale information will never do good to you. Update yourself regularly with fresh information from reliable sources .The eagle gets excited in the midst of storm. Other animals can run from adversity but not the eagle. How often do you allow opposition to discourage you ? Use Life storm to be better, wiser ,greater, wealthier and healthier. Challenges should be your stepping stone to your success and not to your destructionThe eagle tests before trusting. There is a saying that says “ Trust but verify “ . This principle is peculiar to the female eagle which subjects the male to mate with her . Test the commitment of people before you trust them with your time and resources.
The eagles prepare for training. The male and female eagles take the baby eagle to a mountain top at high altitude to prepare it for the challenge of flying at great heights . When the baby eagle is released, the free fall at first is frightening but the mother eagle soon come to the rescue and the process is repeated until baby eagle can fly alone at high altitude in the manner of the parents. Challenges of life are inevitable. It is a training period for higher responsibilities. The better you are at managing your battles in life , the wiser and more responsible you become . Preparation is vital for future success.
When eagle feels weak , and adopts to die It retires to a place far away in the dark . The eagle does this to shed old wings and grow new ones . Stress and fatigue is part of life . There is need to learn how to retire to a quiet place for periodic retreat and strategic thinking with planning. The freshness gained from such practice improves productivity and quality of life . It also prolongs life . Take time to refresh . It’s a indispensable tool for success and longevity. Eagles are full of life and are visionary but they find time to look back at their life and re energies themselves. So begin today to learn from the eagle’s way of life .
It has been said that the single most powerful thing one can do to destroy an organisation and promote disharmony is to create groups which hate each other. You can see such persons everywhere. “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Similarly one person, if left unchecked, can create many disruptive groups within an organisation.
Assume that in your organisation the Hitler who spread mental violence and groupism is dead. What is the guarantee that there will not be another Hitler who will emerge to take the destruction of the credibility of the movement to a higher level?
We have seen that the ‘Hitler-like’ people in any organisation were by themselves powerless. It is the others who empowered them. When such people assume leadership positions, they moved people around them through hatred.
If you want to move a group of people to do something unethical and you tell them, “Those people are the problem; so if we take care of them everything will be okay,” the group may be willing to go to any length to do horrible deeds. The more people are revved up with hatred, they quicker they act.
If you create an enemy for your followers, you can have them fighting and dying to please you. This is such a simple trick to which many noble organisations have fallen for again and again. It is happening even today in communities, corporate bodies and even service organisations are not spared.
When you create an enemy for your followers, even if it is an invisible enemy or someone they have never seen or known, people will go into fear and get a feeling that they should protect themselves or something their leader wants and these so-called peace-loving sensible people will do anything to disrupt peace and harmony without hesitation. This was the lesson taught by Hitler.
People forget such dictators, so the whole mistake is repeated again very soon. Those who stand by dictators who are the destroyers of high ideals are always well educated people – doctors, scientists, engineers, accountants and even management experts.
People who create groups and destroy the fabric of a nation or an organisation know that human intelligence can be easily hijacked by simply stirring an emotion. These people who create hate-groups know that it is easy to destroy whomsoever they want to oppose by planting certain ideas or some philosophy in the minds of their gullible followers.
The intention to do bad to others is present in many people. But many of them are powerless. Those who have dream of usurping all that is around them do not hesitate to grab every opportunity that comes their way or even create situations that will promote their greed. When they succeed in one single disruptive act, they get the confidence that they can indulge frequently in many more treacherous acts. The failure to curb such persons will ultimately lead to the total destruction of the organisation or the nation. This is what history has shown us again and again.
It does not matter how wealthy the person is or what position he holds in the society. As long as they do not carry morality within themselves it does not matter how many scriptures they read or how much money they donate. They will always find ways to do the cruelest possible things.
A Rotarian’s search for meaning of life is perhaps the most fundamental search on the road of self-discovery which is the underlying truth of ‘Service Above Self.’ Every member of Rotary Club has to find his or her own answer if he/she wishes to continue to be in this wonderful Service Organisation.
It was this search that made the Rotarians in RI District 3141 to give a serious thought about healthcare in the community. We understood that non-communicable diseases which includes diabetes cause 55% of deaths in India in the age group of 30-69, which represents the economically productive segment of the population.
With over 60 million diabetes cases in India out of a population of 1.3 billion nearly one million deaths were attributed to diabetes directly or indirectly. It is frightening to note that the number of diabetes cases may rise to 109 million within a few years and this calls for rapid action by We the Rotarians.
The WHO has estimated that in India an estimated 7.8% of the population above 18 years of age has raised blood glucose level or are on treatment for diabetes. However over half of the population with diabetes is unaware about their disease.
To prevent untimely deaths due to diabetes our district pioneered diabetes control programme under the umbrella of Rotary and Smt Rajashree Birla immediately came forward to support the cause with substantial sum for this programme. It is gratifying to note that our district carried out hundreds of diabetes screening camps in last two years and over 100,000 people were screened. Thousands of people were diagnosed with diabetes and were referred to specialized care.
During 2018-19. DG Shashi Sharma proposes to carry forward this programme with the support of all the Rotary clubs in the district. Our Governor feels that the goal for this year must be to reach over 150,000 people and assist them with proper guidance if they have this disease. We will certainly approach Smt Rajashree Birla for her financial support, and as we know the kind of generosity she has will certainly provide , but every Rotary club in our district needs to contribute substantially to this program, In addition the groundwork for the camp must be handled by the Rotary clubs at selected locations with proper publicity and facility for people to assemble. The cost of screening which will include deploying medical professionals and equipments will be met by the district from the fund set up for this purpose. The project is being co-ordinated by Rtn. Dr. Indumati Gopinathan and her team will be able to give the Rotary clubs all the assistance in conducting the camps.
Detect Diabetes, Treat Diabetes – should be the major healthcare project of our district this year and in coming years for which your support in getting contributions will enable us to BE THE INSPIRATION.
Life gives us two options every day — wait for things to happen, or make them happen. Those who wait for things to happen miss out a great deal because they hardly or never happen. The best option is to decide what you want and pursue it.However long and complicated our endeavour might be, the first step we take really matters. If we prolong to take that first step, it only indicates our resistance to change and fear of failure. But remember, life rewards only risk takers.Life offers plenty of opportunities. The important thing in life is to shrug off the difficulties and mental dilemmas and keep moving forward to the goal. Leaping blindly into the unknown isn’t the most intelligent thing to do. But if we look logically at what we stand to gain and take calculated risks based on that, we are truly bound to win. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” asserts Helen Keller.Successful people do not depend on their luck. They take due responsibility for their life and thus they take advantage of chances and make the most of their life. That is why Virgil, the greatest of the Roman poets, wrote 2000 years ago, “Fortune sides with him who dares.”Rotary exhorts us not to lie anchored on the docks but be sailing in the sea. Ships are not meant to be resting in the harbour but to keep moving in the sea. Rotarians don’t want things to happen — they make things happen.Whilst in the mid sea, you may encounter storms, heavy weather and even a tsunami. Rotary is geared to meet the challenges and make a new route, where the existing route is not navigable.Many Rotary Leaders at the club or the District level are content with doing what their predecessors have done. They follow the path laid by previous leaders — and there is nothing wrong in doing so — but an innovative Leader dreams of innovative service ideas and creates a new path for others to follow. The needs of the community may change, so should our actions.As we embark upon a new idea, don’t be afraid of failures. Failure is a step towards success. Thomas Alva Edison failed many times in his attempt and he remained cheerful and said “I now know what NOT to do to succeed.”As Rotary Leaders in Club or District you must strive to be a pathfinder and chart new routes of service. The community is your best guide to show you where you are needed. It is up to you to fulfill the needs. The community needs food to nourish their body, education to nourish their minds and freedom to nourish their spirits. Let Rotary provide compassion and hope for their dreams to be realised.
Have you ever observed that it only takes a spark to light a fire, and soon all those around are warmed up in its flame? If so, how much good you can do to the other by living a significant life!
A life of significance requires nothing external. You can be significant with or without material landmarks. A life of significance is far more concerned with what you give to others, than what you gather for yourself. People may forget what you say and do to them. But they will never forget how you made them feel. Your true significance calls for an answer: “Am I making a difference in the lives of others?”
Great people have influenced others in every area of life throughout centuries. For instance, Henry David Thoreau was the impetus for Gandhi’s and Martin Luther King Jr’s civil disobedience, which ultimately changed the world. Socrates taught Plato who taught Aristotle, who collectively remain the greatest philosophical trio in the history.
Remember that it only takes a spark in you that can inspire many to face the challenging world with enthusiasm, hope and courage. Make a conscious effort to inspire the people around you. If your words and actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become better persons, you are not less than any great and significant people in the history.
‘I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.’ Let this be your motto in life.
May your life–spark be tiny glimpses of a larger flame!
Teachers have a significant role in the formation of students as mature human beings . They instill in them sound values ; offer piece of advice; show sympathetic understanding: stimulate their minds to think , to reason and to dream. They have tremendous power to make or break a child’s life .The second President of India S Radhakrishnan once said “ a good teacher must know how to arouse the interest of the pupil in the field of which he is responsible; he must himself be a master in the field and be in touch with the latest developments in his subject ; he must himself be a fellow traveller in the exciting pursuit of knowledge “Teaching is a vocation which demands dedication and commitment. Unfortunately, traditional teacher -student relationships has suffered a setback due to monetary considerations. As the result , some teachers do not rarely do exhibit a genuine interest and concern for the pupil’s progress.One who chooses the vocation to be a teacher has to respond with dedication and zeal that teaching demands . A teacher is to supplement his/her teaching with new insights to arouse the students ‘ interest. Above all , an ideal teacher is a glowing lamp that dispels the shadow of ignorance. He/she can find the greatest reward of this vocation in the students ‘ appreciation and love , and the joy they bring thersof .LETS CELEBRATE THE TEACHERS DAY ON 5 TH SEPTEMBER, THE BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF ONE OF THE GREATEST TEACHER MOTHER INDIA HAS SEEN -DR S- RADHAKRISHNAN.
Ashok Mahajan Director, Rotary International 2007-09 Trustee, The Rotary Foundation 2009-13 Member, International Polio Plus Committee 2009-13 Chair RI Membership Development and Retention Committee 2012-13 Smile, Serve, Sacrifice, Satisfy
If Rotary has survived for more than 100 years, survived two world wars, survived major threats to Peace, survived depressions and survived competition it is because of one single factor — people need Rotary. People rely on Rotary. People have faith in Rotary.May be we could do much more, may be we could be a stronger force, may be we could grow phenomenally, may be we could be global but the fact remains that for an organisation not only to survive but also to grow numerically and geographically, we need the support of the community in which we exist.This does not mean that we have been totally accepted, totally believed in, totally admired. No! We have a long way to go but we are on the right direction. What we need is a little more speed, a little more volume, a little more recognition and a little more community partnership in service. What we want, we can achieve through more effective public relations.Public relations is not merely wearing a Rotary lapel pin in public, in fact not too many do this. Public relations is not a few photographs in newspapers or a write up of your club’s activities.We have some success in this field. Public relation is recognition by the community and cooperation by the community to fight problems with greater vigour, with greater success and with greater sense of involvement. The visibility of Rotary in the community is vital. The visibility of Rotary in conquering major problems of immunisation , health, environment, drug abuse, AIDS and many others is essential.But, then, an individual club is unable to fight these problems. It has only local problems to fight. Rotary’s involvement in local spheres of service is therefore equally vital . Infact I believe that this is more vital. The role of a Rotary club in promoting Public Relations is intimately linked with its effort to serve the needs of the local community in addition to contributing its mite to serve the needs of the global community. What is needed, therefore, is an enthusiastic and informed membership.Rotary is also judged by its individual members. A Rotarian who is known in the community as a ‘good’ man or woman, a Rotarian who is considered by the community to be reliable, honest and dependable will bring glory not only to himself or herself but also to Rotary. And these good, reliable, honest and dependable Rotarians should communicate with the community and tell them that they are Rotarians, that Rotary has many more of these ‘good’ people whose primary concern is the need of the community.We may need professionals to promote public relations but what we need more are Rotarians who individually and collectively project to the community that they care, they are available, they are concerned and they are trying to help.Of course we need professionals to do the things right but we need Rotarians to do the right things first. On that depends our credibility in the community that Rotary SharesFacebookTwitterWhatsAppShare
When it comes to look for inspiration and guidance, you do have a few role models whom you can think of. But have you ever realized that you are also a model for those around you? What kind of model are you being?
Living by example is the best way to inspire others. Mahatma Gandhi , the father of our nation, rightly said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” It is only by becoming the messenger as well as being the message, your role as a model become effective.
There is a South Indian legend about a holy man who became known all over India as a famous preacher. He showed kindness to all who came to him. Thousands of pilgrims came to learn from him. Everyone who visited him went back inspired. Yet this great preacher had never in his life been able to utter even one word, for he had been born dumb. The example he set by his actions was the only sermon he could preach.
People prefer to watch what you do more than they listen to what you say. “Action speaks louder than words,” goes an ancient proverb. No matter how convincingly you may try always to speak in an impressive way, yet you can be a failure if your actions do not correspond with your words.
When you live to make a difference in the life of others, your life focuses on intentional living. It is only by being conscious of your purpose in life you can set an example to the people who look up to you.
Rotary believes that when we uplift and support people, especially those in dire need of assistance, everyone benefits. But it is not just a belief; it’s what we seek to do every day.
Our Rotarian brothers and sisters in Kerala are working alongside their communities to rehabilitate lakhs of people who were left to fend for themselves after the deluge that struck the beautiful State. These Rotarians and other volunteers are striving day and night to solve important problems the public is facing right now in creative and powerful ways.
Most of the Rotarians have had hands-on training on how to solve problems relating to relief and rehabilitation due to their long association with Rotary and handling many projects. Our powerful network is capable of equipping the volunteers to face any challenge, especially when it comes to saving children, women, men and aged people.
The floodgates of goodwill have opened. But what is required now is the flow of more money to protect the lives of hapless people in Kerala. The trickle of donations which is coming in for the past few day to our District Welfare Fund is an indication that you are willing and ready to help, but that should be transformed into flood of donations to do some meaningful work on ground.
Ground reports which we are receiving through various channels show that houses of the poor need to be repaired or reconstructed with basic facility immediately. When the children go back to schools, we have to have some safe shelter there to impart education to them.
An ordinary mundane life goes from womb to tomb. But a Rotarian’s life is a life of awareness. We Rotarians are normal people, but what we do is not. When we can save millions of children across the globe from polio, saving our own countrymen in our own beautiful Kerala is not difficult. Your immediate generous contribution will make things happen. You can and You should.
It is said that some people are born great; some achieve greatness, while others have greatness thrust upon them.
I would say all human beings are born great, in their own ways. They have the power of thought; they have conceptual language; the power of transcendence is unique to humans; they have the ability to relate to their creator; creativity is another distinctive mark of human beings.
Greatness should be a distinguishing mark in the lives of humans and in greatness should they die.
It sounds paradoxical that human beings must journey from the greatness of birth to the greatness of achievement. Greatness is never a destination but a process. The moment they stop growing, they die. This process of growth and death is again unique to human beings.
The journey begins when people use their unique powers creatively. The power of thought should be used to distinguish between good and bad, permanent and transitory, life-affirming and life-negating. The end of this process should find people choosing for life that which is good, permanent and life-affirming. The power of transcendence should benefit us to go beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary, from pessimism to optimism, from narrow-mindedness to broadmindedness.
The power of creativity is meant to find ways and means to love and serve one another. And finally, be rightly related with God who is the source of all greatness.
SHOW COMMITMENTDear Friends ,Rotary’s quest for meaningful service is propelled by a great desire to be really relevant. There may be pitfalls, obstructions , limitations and even stumbling blocks but the real thing is not necessarily conquering the problems but fighting the problems earnestly. The continued efforts,in spite of difficulties we may face , gives the community an occasion to appreciate Rotary and give Rotarians a vigour to overcome the difficulties. The path to service may not be smooth. It may even be rough or at times there may not be any path and we have to create a path . When Rotary shows compassion it demonstrates our religion—the religion of service — and service without compassion is not compatible with Rotary.Why is it , then it is so difficult to involve more Rotarians in our service activities? Why is that only a small percentage of Rotarians are really involved in Service?When a new Rotarian enters the portals of Rotary. This Rotarian must be aware of what is expected. If we seriously inform the new entrants that being helpful physically and financially is our expectation. The new Rotarian would be resonably ready to serve . The catch perhaps is : Do we involve them in new service projects? Do we inform them of our sphere of activities? Do we put some responsibility on their shoulder? Do we tell them that we need them ? Want them ? Appreciate them ? Welcome them ? If the answer is “NO” the fault is now clear to us . If the answer is “YES” we have chosen a right person to join our brigade.Service does not come easy . It requires some sacrifices , some commitments,some efforts, some inconveniences . You cannot say “NO” to all requests for service. You need to wake up and face facts that the club depends on you to serve the needy . Once you wake up , the club will not allow you to sleep peacefully for long periods . Rotary demands your involvement. Rotary deserves your commitment.
Since its inception 113 years ago, the Rotary movement has survived two world wars and many other upheavals. Its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation has celebrated its Centennial Year in 2017. The enduring values of Commitment, Enthusiasm, and Dedication to a Cause have been the hallmark of its existence. This potent potion percolates to the most basic unit of Rotary, i.e the Rotary clubs and individual Rotarians all over the world.It is a mathematical truth that any quantity when divided, falls in value. However, two aspects of humanity i.e Peace and Happiness, when divided actually increase exponentially in content and value.Many philanthropist , individuals and organisations look up to Rotary as a reliable partner to ensure that their contributions actually reach the needy. Time and again, Rotary, with its 1.2 million army of volunteers around the world, has proved to be the most credible organisation for this purpose.In India, the Doyenne of Benevolence, Smt. Rajashree Birla has been at the forefront to ensure that the good work that Rotary does, leaves behind a better world for generations to come. She has contributed over US $ 12 Million for the eradication of Polio apart from contributions for other worthy causes. Social equality and meaningful charity being omnipresent in the Birla DNA, Smt. Rajashree Birla is very quick to assess the relevance of an Initiative and willingly offers assistance for the same. Her unstinted support for Eradication of Polio ensures that a healthy and youthful India is ready to shoulder the responsibility of building the India of tomorrow..In the year 2012, the consecration ceremony of a unique Project, Triumph Blood Bank & Thalassemia Day Care Centre was the beginning of my association with the Rotary Club of Thane Hills, and this Project in particular. By delivering the project within the span of one Rotary year, and then running the project for the past 6 years, then Club President Ravi Iyer and his team have demonstrated that the very same potent mix of commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to a cause, runs through their veins.Having followed the progress of this project and its social Impact, I can vouch that Rotary Club of Thane Hills are rendering, Service above Self in the truest sense. They deserve all support to ensure that the this facility continues to serve Thalassemic children and the Community in general. Being privy to the trials and tribulations faced by the project, I have been doing my bit for this noble endeavour by arranging financial support.It was nice of Smt. Rajashree Birla to accept my request to visit this facility in 2015 and spent some very poignant moments with the Children undergoing transfusions at the facility. The experience must have certainly struck a chord in her heart. When I forwarded a request for financial assistance for this project, she came through with a generous contribution of about Rs. 50.00 lacs. and since then has been every year financially supporting the project.
I am sure her helping hand has helped Rotary Club of Thane Hills continue to serve the community and greatly enhance Rotary’s image in Society.
Ashok Mahajan Director , Rotary International (2007-09)
Have you ever observed a weed that grows in the corner of your courtyard? You may smash or chop it off, or even pull it out, but to your surprise, a few days later it is back. The reason is that the weed adapts to wherever it is. Unlike us, human beings, it blooms without reference to the myriad other possibilities.
Too often we get caught up in thinking that ‘we’d be happier if we…’ and the list of ‘ifs’ goes on. Our perception of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence keeps us dissatisfied with life, and this in turn makes our life miserable. Life is worthwhile and meaningful only when we like a rose, bloom in the given situation without lamenting the past or standing on carefully to try to foresee the unknown future.
We know that diverse situations whether at home or in the world around, invariably present us with conflicting demands and at times generate turmoil beyond our level of endurance. What we need is to develop the ability to see beyond ‘this too shall pass’ and try to remedy some of those situations. Once we wither, even a better situation cannot revive us. As someone put it so beautifully, “Cross the river, even if it’s stormy on this side. Do not keep crying or cursing. The river will flow away. Life will go on and you will be left behind.”
We need to be at our best wherever we are, and not just where we want to be. Remember, each of us blooms in our sweet time and the soil of our choice nurtures our growth.
Human beings consciously or unconsciously project the kind of personality and attitude they possess. What they project are essentially two: the thoughts that they externally express and the inner feelings they experience within . The thoughts externally conveyed and the inner feelings of a person need not always be complimentary.
A student can pretend to be quite confident for the examinations while the inner feelings within may just be the opposite. A thief can plead innocence of a theft which he/she committed. And practice has made several persons to be very convincing in their external expression of thoughts while cleverly hiding the feelings within. A person of integrity is one whose thoughts and feelings are not different.
Sincerity in what we speak or do in our lives is a great personal value which has its influence on the society. Persons of integrity and sincerity find acceptance and command respect. But, it would not be an exaggeration to say that persons of integrity are rare today. Honesty and sincerity do not have much market value today. In fact, persons of honesty and uprightness fail to thrive in today’s world.
The remedy begins when one is courageous enough to see the truth about oneself. One should be willing to admit one’s failures rather than finding justification for one’s bad behaviour. Secondly, one’s life should be rooted in values. Thirdly, sincerity can be practiced by obeying the dictates of one’s conscience. Finally, remember that we cannot hide our actual self for too long because people perceive both parts of our communication- what the thinking part says and our inner feelings.
The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of revenge. In spite of the fact that vengeance solves no social problems, men continue to follow its disastrous lead. No one can overcome evil with evil.
We proclaim our devotion to democracy, talk passionately about peace but secretly prepare for confrontation and retaliation. Man imposes a death sentence on innocent lives in the name of God.
One of the great tragedies of life is that modern men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying. On the one hand we proudly proclaim sublime and noble principles, while on the other, we practice the very opposite. Our lives are characterized by high blood pressure of creeds and an anaemia of deeds!
An eye for an eye will leave us all blind. We refuse to understand that only love and friendship can conquer hate.
Those who crucified Jesus of Nazareth were not bad men but rather blind men. Those who silenced Gandhiji were intoxicated with false religiosity. Those who revolted against Copernicus or Darwin were ignorant.
Until we open ourselves to the reality around us and respond in love, the demon of hate and destruction will continue to haunt us.
Real love and friendship are rare and exquisite qualities. Love is the most durable power and friendship the most elusive of all relationships.
The time is ripe for us, the respectable sons and daughters of India, whose place their faith in a universal God, to widen their horizons by exploring new avenues of friendship. Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs should, together, hand in hand, form a secure wing of love and friendship to guard against the great demon of blind faith that will otherwise disintegrate our motherland.
District Governor Rtn. Sashi Sharma understands the needs of Rotarians. His desire to have an evolved Rotary movement in India has made him request me, whom he considers as a‘thought leader,’ to write about my journey in Rotary. While accepting his request, I humbly script a period of my life in Rotary, where I think I have been able to influence the destiny of a large fraction of humanity.
When India was on the threshold of getting freedom in 1947, I was born in July in a family known for the richness of its culture. Today my father, Shri. Mulkraj Mahajan and my mother Shrimathi Rajrani, are guiding me from their heavenly abode and it was because of them I acquired the skills I have now.
When I joined the Rotary Club of Mulund in 1973, I saw people around me in the club embracing the religion of positivism. As the President of the club in 1982, I began to look at tomorrow from where I was standing during those days. I noticed that in Rotary a paradigm shift is taking place as it moved into a multipolar organisation.
As the District Governor in 1993, I realised that the future of Rotary was in the hands of this generation. Adding over 700 members with 20 new clubs and raising US $2,58,000 for TRF and almost US $160,000 towards the rehabilitation work in Latur Earthquake that year was satisfying. Being a year of achievements in every sphere of Rotary, it was joyful to see our District Conference being telecast in local TV channels and BBC also gave coverage for seven minutes.
As the Director of RotaryInternational during 2007-2009, I was able to motivate every district in India about membership development and membership increased to over 1,10,000. What is that one important skill that Rotarians should have if they have to attract others into the fold? They must have the skill to stir up the humanity within people. So if stirring up humanity is the technique that will increase membership in Rotary, then you can’t do it to a crowd. You have to do it one at a time and it is a continuing process.
Rotary in India changed largely because of the explosion of high quality information the members got through our Regional Magazine, Rotary News, which came under my wings to guide.The magazine soared very high and captured the attention of every single Rotary Leader worldwide. I must appreciate the efforts of the then Editor who made this possible.
The magazine, which was earlier underutilized by the members, rose in stature and the paid subscription increased tremendously.The magazine’s leadership position vis-a-vis the other regional magazines was maintained till 2013. The magazine did the work of taking India to the world. The interviews with nearly all the top Rotary leaders worldwide, which were taken by me, was published in the magazine and even in the remotest part of India, the Rotary member was able to know about their leaders, their thoughts, philosophies and how Rotary functioned.
As a member of the India National PolioPlus Committee for over ten years I was able to promote the polio eradication programme in Maharashtra. Being a Co-ordinator for the Polio Eradication Private Sector Initiative, I was fortunate to contact Shrimathi Rajashree Birla and make a presentation. Shrimathi Birla immediately began supporting our cause and ever since I was elected R I Director has been supporting every year with a donation of US $ One million. My idea of forming the Muslim Ulema Committee helped in eradicating polio from India earlier than expected and was recognised as a great initiative by the Government.
My tenure as The Trustee of The Rotary Foundation from 2009 to 2013 was exciting. TRF contributions in India became transparent to every Rotarian as the district contribution statistics were published monthly. The contributions to The Rotary Foundation in India rose beyond US $ 14 million for the first time.
We cannot have a plan to develop Rotary when the members in the club are bystanders. Rotary has to again become member-centric and ethics must take the centre stage once again if we have to regain the confidence of the public.
Is a Rotarian, who has delivered more than what was expected out of him, become electable to higher leadership positions unless there is a group wishing for it? I found that for such a person, the priorities are many and not just positions.
My early steps in Rotary and my journey thereafter were supported fully by my wife Nayantara, my son Nikhil and daughter Namrata . My brothers and their family stood firmly by my side to take up and work for any challenging project that came up in Rotary.
In my journey in Rotary so far, there are many things I learnt. In the words of Albert Einstein, which I have slightly modified, “Many of the things you thought you can count on, don’t count and many of the things you thought you need not count really count.” It is said that ‘the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them,’ and in this journey I have always had trustworthy people around me for which I am eternally grateful to God.
Undoubtedly, Rotary is an organisation with people of many talents. It is one of the world’s most respected and admired institution that serves the community in innumerable ways. I am an eternal optimist and a passionate believer in Rotary’s ideals so my journey continues and I must end by saying, “I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.”
