Dear Rotarians
One hundred years ago, the seeds of Rotary were first sown on the fertile soil of India. Today, I stand before you all to celebrate the incredible results we Rotarians have achieved over this momentous century … a period that witnessed the Freedom movement, the Independence of India and finally the steady climb of this nation to become the biggest democracy and one of the strongest economies of the world.
This exciting century has seen Rotary germinating across the length and breadth of the country. These ten decades have seen Rotary’s selfless service reaching the remotest villages to touch the lives of the most deprived people of India. These hundred years have also shown that India has grown beyond thinking of its own needs, to give to those whose need is greater.
Rotary’s Membership in India is increasing . Rotary’s service is soaring , confidence is surging, and our contributions to TRF are booming . Rotary in India is therefore, thriving. Rotary’s fortunes in India are on the rise and Rotary’s future worldwide is blazing bright.
I know that Rotary had a pre-existing condition during the past few decades. It was a never-ending debate over membership increase and membership decline. Now that the paroxysm is over, we should get back to issues members care about most.
The misrepresentation of Rotary’s growth was appalling and so clearly untrue. The years of slow growth are over. The days of our movement being used, taken advantage of by unethical members and even scorned by the public for being disconnected to social needs, are long behind us.
Gone too are the broken promises given to many people and institutions that looked up to us for help, tired platitudes and constant excuses for lack of funds or members.
In the past 15 years, we have shattered the mentality of Rotary’s decline and rejected the downsizing of Rotary’s destiny as the number one humanitarian service organisation in India. We are moving forward with a pace that was unimaginable just a decade ago and we will never go back.
Our movement now is at its best. Indians are being selected as our world leaders. With 4 Zones and two Directors on the Board of Directors of Rotary International, our voices are being heard more seriously.
Our Foundation is completely rebuilt, with its grants’ matching power unmatched by other similar organisations – and they are not even close. Trustees from India on TRF have been effective policy makers and guides.
We can be rightfully proud of being part of the organisation that helped in eradicating the world’s most dreaded disease-Polio , and that too , when the experts world over felt india would be the last country to get rid of polio .For all these reasons, I say to you, my dear Rotarians, the strength of Rotary in India is greater than ever before.
The programmes of Rotary and TRF envisaged and implemented over the last century of service have demonstrated how a team of volunteers can build the world’s most inclusive organisation in over 140 countries and geographical locations.
Our agenda is relentlessly pro-community and pro-growth. We are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting our members to higher giving and higher thinking . Rotarians are from every race, colour, religion and creed. People’s, especially donors’ confidence in Rotary has reached new heights.
Rotarians are supporting the hopes of people in war-torn areas by sending our Peace scholars to work there. Our leaders have always rejected limits on our movement’s future.
Dear Rotarians, we must never forget that the only victories that matter for Rotary are the victory of service projects that deliver for people in the world. Community is at the heart of our movement . We must always remember that our job is to put Rotary first.
The way forward for Rotary is to ensure that every Indian enjoys good health, receives good education and avails the opportunity of achieving his or her dreams. Yet, for far too long, countless children in India have not been so fortunate. Rotary’s Literacy programme in India is geared to change that.
We must collaborate with the Mid-Day Meal programme run by organisations like ISCKON, Akshaya Patra and other similar endeavours to ensure that an empty stomach does not drain away the potential of India’s future.
We also have to work with the Government to improve the impact of India’s healthcare schemes with grants that can bring better equipment and expertise to smaller towns and villages. Better hygiene and sanitation are at the core of India’s health in rural and urban areas.
We must pay special attention to the dignity and comfort of women and girl children. Women are the driving force of a nation’s health and well-being. Their continued empowerment is an imperative for the progress of our nation. Maternal & Child Health is an important area of focus of our Foundation. Rotary needs to be relentless in its efforts here.
We live on a planet that has 70% of its surface covered by water. Our own country is blessed with perennial rivers and plentiful monsoons. Yet clean drinking water remains beyond the reach of millions.
This gross miscarriage of nature’s justice must end . . Rotarians must work tirelessly to ensure better water management in cities and provide practical solutions for water conservation in rural areas.
In the recent past, I have had the privilege of being closely involved with projects in the areas of Paediatric Cardiac Surgeries and Thalassemia Day-Care and virtual eye projects for the blind . Words are not enough to describe the joy of the parents of those little children whose lives are saved by the skill and dedication of surgeons who perform such critical procedures and the technicians whose expertise ensures safe blood transfusions .
Over and above this, however is my pride in the Rotarians who saw the need, planned the projects, raised the resources and made it all possible. Every rupee I have raised for these projects is a rupee well spent, a rupee saved for the future of India.
We are Rotarians. We are Pioneers in service. We are Pathfinders. Rotary is the movement where everything spectacular can happen. This is the movement where anyone can rise.
By being in Rotary and serving the community we make the most incredible dreams come true for those who need us most. This Rotary movement is our masterpiece . When we look at tomorrow and see the frontiers of service to be explored, let us never forget the words of the Father of India’s White Revolution, Padmabhushan Dr.Verghese Kurien
– “There is so much waiting to be done.”
Rotary in India was born in Calcutta, a place where greatness was born, a place where destinies were forged and a place where legends of Rotary came to life.
Rotary in India was built by the toughest, strongest and most determined men and women. The founding fathers of Rotary in India built the most exceptional movement in the history of the country, especially after Independence. You and I have to make it greater than ever before. This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance.
Yet … the Rotary story is not fully known or understood by many. Our most exciting achievements in areas of education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, youth development and peace remain outside the consciousness of a world, that is beset with its own perceptions and prejudices.
In our first century, it was probably enough for Rotary to do good in the world. As we move ahead, we must also be seen to be doing good . If we must grow, we must attract more and more people to our fold, more members, more well-wishers, more donors …and as a result, more beneficiaries.
The Rotary story needs to be told more effectively, to an audience that is increasingly impatient, hurried and searching for that better story .
Yes my Fellow Rotarians , honoring the vision of Paul Harris, Rotary in India was energized and started to build upon the legacy it inherited from Rotary leaders from abroad .
Rotary in India belongs as much to the Rotarians of the world as it does to the Rotarians of India. We looked at the local residents to help build it and soon we had a variety of talented people who joined Rotary and help to take our Medical Mission to Africa.
Rotary in India was intended to be a movement to provide hope and inspiration to generations of young leaders and learners who could reform, perform and transform.
Rotary in India is a dynamic. It was true when I joined the movement almost 50 years ago and it is even true today. It has taken many hands to shape Rotary in India and bring it to what it is today – hands coming together to do good to the world which was never easy .
It required patience and it required listening . Not just listening for show , but actively incorporating what we learned into plans and projects .
Rotary is not a piece of idea or a movement, but a vibrant reverberation left behind by those who expounded the most intricate forms of service activities but but refused to be entangled in them.
Rotary in India is developing into an economic engine for the locality where it is functioning and a cultural destination that Showcases the service projects to the rest of the world .
More than being just a service organization , Rotary in India is becoming a movement that helps and inspires all of us to build a collective future for ourselves and those who need our help the most .
Rotary in India is and will remain for the new generation, the leaders of tomorrow who are ready to step up and build the world as it should be . Indeed Nayantara an myself are happy to be part of this great organization.
The digital world provides us with faster and more exciting ways to talk about Rotary. Social media platforms can carry Rotary’s message farther and deeper.
This will help Rotary identify closely with that younger, upwardly mobile population …our Youth, who will be the prime movers of Rotary tomorrow. We must Adapt & Evolve to Create Lasting Change.
While Rotary will gradually evolve, what shall always endure, are the Core Values of Rotary, the spirit of Fellowship, our dedication to the highest Ethics, our commitment to Service Above Self and our adherence to the Four Way Test.
Our spirit is still young and dear Rotarians, our greatness should be seen again in the coming years and decades.
Our grandest journey is still to be made. Our next century of service has just begun.
The words of Robert Frost ..
The woods are lovely ,dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep ,
And miles to go before I sleep .