It was in the year 1995 when I went to Calcutta as the Regional Co-ordinator of Membership Development, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with Rtn. Shekhar Mehta, who was assigned to assist me to find my way around in the conference. He impressed me then as a young Rotarian who was keen to learn about Rotary and take up bigger roles in the district.
When he became the District Governor during 1999-2000 I was able to see him venture into unchartered territories of Rotary service and create a good public image for the organisation. My interaction with him grew more in 2001 when we were in Evanston for a polio meet and I knew that this dynamic Rotarian was ready for bigger leadership positions.
It is his tenure as the Director of Rotary International that comes to my memory many times. The splendor with which he organised the Rotary South Asia Summit at Hyderabad, the South Asia Conference on Literacy at Nepal and the Rotary Institute at Calcutta, to name a few are fresh in my memory. He brought Rotary to Bhutan and made the Bhutanese realise that what is good for the rest of the world is good for Bhutan. The 500 homes built in Andaman and Nicobar Islands after Tsunami is a great feat he achieved and his dream of setting up 400 vocational centres all over India must soon materialize. He urged Rotarians to share their Rotary moments in a designated email and popularized the concept.
He gave a new definition to the time of 3 years posting of Rotarians to various committees and said that every year they have to earn their position for the next year and that their term in the second year is not automatic. People who took up the positions realised that they cannot be complacent. His initiative to pool the resources allotted for developing the public image of Rotary of all the districts into one central fund and make Rotary more visible was an excellent thought and hopefully districts will take the idea forward now.
I know him as a Shaker, a man who can shake you out of your complacency when it comes to Rotary service and a Mover who can take your hand and guide you to any corner of the world to do a service project. His winning philosophy was, “Worry more about what you want to do rather than what you want to be.” No wonder his work in the various avenues brought him laurels and today his position as our world leader during 2021-2022.
I know his passion for the Rotary Literacy Mission and already many parents are grateful that their children have the chance to go to school and pursue the dreams they choose.
I have heard his speeches on many occasions and he always emphasized the point to make Rotary bigger and stronger. He said, “We have a role to play in shaping our future. Representation matters. How will our voices be heard? Rotary is something that we all own. It is for everyone. To make sure your projects matter, debate without prejudice, decide and do every activity. Rotary easily does US $ 5 Billion worth of projects in kind and service every year. Make this known to the world. It is true for every Rotary club and that is why you are here today”. His vision to make every Rotarian a winner in service is what has made him a leader to all of us in the coming years.
Rtn. Shekhar Mehta is a winner and that does not mean he makes others lose. He is a winner because he responds authentically by being credible, trustworthy, responsive and genuine, both as an individual and as a member of Rotary. His unique potentials and capabilities are significant and that makes him a winner – a productive person and a creative being.
I have seen his style of functioning and to him achievement is not the most important thing. Authenticity is. Since he is an authentic person, he does not use his energy to put on a performance, maintain pretence and manipulating others. He has no unrealistic self-image of superiority or inferiority and is not afraid to do his own thinking. He can separate facts from opinion and does not pretend to have all the answers. He responds appropriately to the situation.
For Rtn. Shekhar Mehta, time is precious and he does not kill it. He lives it here and now. He cares about the world and its people. He cares about Rotary. He tells every Rotarian, “You don’t have to change the world alone.” He helps Rotarians to connect with the people who have the same desire and empowers them to do it. I have always heard him enthuse the Rotarians by saying, “Change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it and stand up together to change the world.”
Around the world, we live in a time when fewer people are dying due to diseases and hunger. But the lack of peace is taking its toll in conflicts. This is what we need now – peace. The kind of collective action that has always driven human progress. I know that as the President of Rotary International, Rtn. Shekhar Mehta can bring dedicated Rotarians once again into the mainstream, communicate his vision and goals effectively through various media and make a million voices speak with conviction, courage and optimism. These people won’t be just convinced, they will be motivated to go out and spread the message that swayed them. They will be his best ambassadors for promoting the noble goal of world peace.
Rtn. Shekhar Mehta will be that contagious light that spreads energy to other people and I can see that enthusiasm all over him. Thank you for that support and we are humbled by the opportunity to build Rotary alongside you. I want to end by quoting from the article titled Shekhar and Mover written by the Editor of the Rotary News Magazine in 2013 which I always remember. He wrote, “When you start working with ShekharMehta, you will get a glimpse of the person, the possibility of him having an impact on others beyond what you thought was possible.” I realised that every time I had the chance to work with him in Rotary events. His wife Rashi, is a great force, not just behind him, but working side by side with him in his journey of service in Rotary. She is a homemaker, mother, wife and leader with unlimited energy. Rashi takes up most of these roles at one time. She is a human dynamo of super energy and is determined to be a change agent in transforming her neighbourhood and the community.
Rtn. Shekhar Mehta is what makes the Rotary world talk about and admire India today and will be in the years to come.