Dear Rotarians
OPPORTUNITY …The very word evokes the image of doors opening and new vistas emerging.
Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start. They say, “Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Similarly, when we say ‘Rotary opens opportunities’ it means that Rotarians have the power to judge whether that opportunity is worth pursuing or not.
A leader once said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” This is the principal trait that is needed in every one of us today if we have to use the opportunities that Rotary presents before us.
The best day in your life is the day you decide your life is meant for service through Rotary. No apologies, no excuses. No one to lean on or blame. The gift to serve is yours. The opportunity is given by your membership in your Rotary Club.
When you seize this opportunity to serve humanity through Rotary, it is an amazing journey. When you use the opportunity to serve, understand that you are changing lives.
This was how we succeeded in eradicating Polio from India and many other countries. That Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to suffer from Polio, gives us the opportunity to run that last mile and eradicate Polio completely. We are working in a planned manner with the due patience such operations need in these countries. Failure is the test of our courage. That is the opportunity RI President Holger Knaack is talking about.
Rotarians are professionals, busy executives, businesspersons and perform a variety of roles in their daily lives. It is evident that the daily challenges in running the show can lead to great stress and even adversity.
It is during these times that your membership in Rotary opens an opportunity to keep busy, plough your anger and energy into something positive and see the results with the rest of your friends.
This is an unmatched opportunity that Rotary opens to every Rotarian who needs to know that they are not living in isolation but in a system of human values that puts Service above Self.
These productive people in Rotary have understood that life is about making little decisions every day. No one can say that he or she made a billion-dollar decision in just one day.
The decisions that the ordinary Rotary member takes every day in his vocation or in finalizing a community service project is another opportunity Rotary has given.
Did I say, “In his Vocation?” Yes, those who believed in the 4- Way Test and acted by it in their vocation took good decisions always.
This is a fantastic opportunity Rotary has given through its message- The 4 Way Test- to help us not to waver from the righteous path.
For those who always sulk and think that they are just another burden to their homes and to society, Rotary opens the opportunity to associate with those who generate positive vibes, take up leadership positions in their clubs, community and at work.
Rotary Fellowships are legendary. This unique opportunity is given by Rotary to bring together members with similar likes in their hobbies and profession.These fellowships allow you to enjoy every minute of your life.
In a club the opportunities opened by Rotary for the family members to come together periodically to celebrate an occasion makes everyone feel useful and important in society.
In a nutshell, Rotary makes you understand it is not how long you live, but how you live that matters most.
In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm and in the real world all rests on perseverance. This was amply proved when Rotary formed the Ulema Committee helping in the eradication of Polio in India.
This enthusiasm was the opportunity provided to us by Rotary and we were able to bring together the various factions of the Muslim community to join hands with us in saving the children from polio and eliminating the misinformation that were spread in their community about the polio vaccine.
This Ulema Committee is now again working with Rotary to stop the spread of the deadly Corona virus and the Ulemas have been able to reach across to their people and put the clear facts in front of them.
The people who matter in Governments all over the world, the leaders, stalwarts in business, opinion makers and those involved in similar activity like Rotary were able to come together during the Conventions of Rotary International. This was a singular opportunity opened by Rotary to see, discuss and appeal to the most influential persons the world over to support our various programmes.
It turned out that these were the leaders who helped us, the Rotarians, to find courage to serve humanity in areas where the Governments were unable to take their programmes forward due to a variety of reasons.
These include youth development programmes, peace programmes , literacy program, Water and sanitation issues , environment protection and even healthcare programmes in a limited scope.
These leaders held our hands to take on mega projects in distant lands when our knees were shaking and urged us to go forward because of our Rotary movement.
This is the opportunity that Rotary gave to common Rotarians who were enthused to see how world leaders worked for the welfare of their nation.
Rotary reminds us that as a community we all have the obligation to look out for one another. The complexity of the fractured healthcare system in many countries made Rotary take a pledge that it will do its best to provide affordable healthcare facility directly by opening hospitals owned by Rotary clubs and assisting other hospitals with facilities and equipment.
Rotary opened the opportunity for us to work towards that goal where we know that healthcare should not be a privilege for a few, it should be a right for all.
It wasn’t something Rotary did alone. It was the culmination of the movement for a universal healthcare facility that started years ago and included thousands of Rotarians, activists, health care providers and ordinary people who organised and demanded action.
Especially during moments like what we see today after the deadly outbreak of Covid 19 virus, citizens and local leaders have stepped up to support their friends and neighbours, demonstrating the obligation we all have to look out for one another. Upholding our commitment to each other will see us through the challenges to come.
The Inner Wheel movements started out as an opportunity for spouses of Rotarians to serve the community directly. The Inner Wheel members seized this opportunity to and evolved into an international movement on its own merit. Today the Inner Wheel is creating powerful ripples across the country and communities with its service projects.
You will all agree that it is easier to give a little money from your own pocket than walk up to someone and appeal for a donation.
You have to get over your inhibitions and muster the courage to do so. I never fancied myself as a fund-raiser till Rotary’s battle against Polio gave me the cause and the belief that I was doing the right thing.
If Smt.Rajashree Birla, PDG Sajjan Goenka, Shri S N Nawal from Nagpur, and many others generously give to Rotary, it is only because Rotary gave us the opportunity to appeal to their benevolence.
The next time you are required to raise funds, Dear friends, believe you me, when you ask for the benefit of someone else, you will receive not just money, but the everlasting friendship of the giver. There is no greater blessing than that.
Rotary was able to continuously open up its frontiers in service only because of a long line of leaders who pushed Rotarians to live up to the founding ideals of Rotary. There will be something invigorating about the New Year which begins on July 1, 2020 for Rotary.
The fresh start, the opportunity to take up something new and the possibility of what’s ahead makes me feel excited about the new avenues of service that will open up.
It is because of the opportunities opened up by Rotary and the commitment of the Rotary members that The Rotary Foundation is investing in emerging leaders and in amplifying the impact the Grants that have been given to thousands of clubs to carry out meaningful and sustainable projects.
On a day of fresh starts and new beginnings on July 1, 2020, I challenge you to take a step toward change in your community. If every Rotary member can commit to one positive change in their neighbourhood during 2020-2021, our collective impact will be extraordinary.
I know that we will keep making the world a little better place the next year and in the many, many years to come. Let us cheer another year full of hope.
As Rotarians from diverse mix of backgrounds in the public, private and the not-for-profit world, you share a desire to work toward a better future for your communities in your region. RI President Holger Knaack will continue to connect, inspire and empower us. Let us all join him on this inspirational journey.
At thr end let me say the four lines of one of my favourite poet Robert Frost
The Woods are lovely dark and deep ,
And I have promises to keep,
Miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.
Good luck . Have a wonderful year with many new opportunities on our path of service.
Thank You ..