Friends ,
It is always a great privilege to be associated with the Rotary Club of Thane Hills because of the high standards you have set in community service.
Honestly and Integrity,Faithfulness and Sincerity, Love and Devotion, Austerity and Simplicity, Purity and Propriety,Truthfulness and Trust Worthiness, Modestly and Nobility, together with the crowning Spirituality makes Smt Rajashree Birla an embodiment of sterling Character.
Shrimathi Rajashree Birla’s commitment to the welfare of the community is unmatched in India. Her over US $11 million contribution to the cause of polio eradication and several more donations for other noble projects through Rotary and elsewhere has time and again reinforced our willingness to work more for community welfare since this alone can bring lasting peace in our planet.
Someone asked me about why people give ?
People make the mistake of thinking that donors give to those whom they love. The real answer is they love to those whom they give. This shows why the mega Birla empire has embraced community welfare all over the country as their mission.The Birla family always look beyond themselves and they believe that real happiness is helping others .
When it comes to service and especially service through Rotary, your club has shown that you cannot be content with what your club has achieved right now and you are willing to find to what great heights you can go if you strive harder.
I have seen the integrity of the highest order in all the dealings while undertaking any service project. When I say Integrity I mean
1- The absolute integrity which not only translates into the correct and careful use of contributions received ….. But the integrity of serious decisions and just , deserving and necessary allocations .
2- Integrity of a responsible, capable and conscience office bearers in the club .
3- The Integrity of the Trustees of the Triumph Foundation who are always ready to serve , and highly committed to do the best job possible.
4- The integrity that demands that every penny received by The Trust be zealously invested for the good of mankind.
5- The integrity that is commitment and constant dedication to the cause .
Every project undertaken by your club makes a mark on me . Whether it’s Madhu Sarovar , Vocational training centre for special children at Holy Cross High School , Sports competition for the handicapped children, Virtual Eye Project, or for that matter Triumph Blood Bank and Thalassemia Day Care Centre all are based on the real Need of the community.
And friends , that’s the main reason I make a special request to Rajashree Ji for her support.And believe you me since she has faith and confidence in me she always willingly accepts my request with her strong belief that her financial support will be used for the Nobel cause
Rajashree Ji strongly believes in the wise and holy words of Mother Teresa who said-
The fruits of silence is prayer,
The fruits of prayer is faith,
The fruits of faith is love ,
The fruits of love is service,
The fruits of service is Unity ,
The fruits of Unity is Peace – the ultimate goal of Rotary.
Culturally and spiritually this is the richest land on the planet. To live and operate in this world you have to identify yourself with something superior and that is service to humanity.
What is the best way to approach Rotary? It is through a spirit of service and celebration of humanity in everyone around you.
Rotary is not merely symbolic. It is true on an energy level which pushes you towards service and higher thinking.
As human beings, arise from the earth and become active in our various stages of growth. After a while, we fall back into inertia once again. But we have the capability of breaking this cycle. That is why when you join Rotary you automatically get an aspiration to transcend, to go beyond your own capabilities.
Life is a mystery and will always remain one. This fundamental insight is what makes many people take to the path of service in various forms.
A thought does not take you anywhere, but it can set the course of your life. The thought that Rotary is the embodiment of Service Above Self, is what has guided the movement over the past 112 years through millions of members who have passed through it .
So what makes service through Rotary exciting? Rotary makes your service activity exuberant. With a bouquet of activities, a Rotary club removes the drudgery normally associated with service and makes it worthwhile for every Rotarian and their family to contribute their skills in whatever way they desire.
So we find that Rotarians crossed their limitations when they challenged themselves to eradicate polio from the world and today we are very close to that.
The desire to Serve comes when your inner wellbeing is taken care of. Like there is a technology to create external wellbeing, there is a whole dimension of science and technology to create your inner wellbeing.
Rotary brings you that science and technology easily and in a fashion that can be assimilated by an ordinary person. This is why we say that Rotary makes an ordinary person do extraordinary things.
MY DEFINITION OF ROTARY ….
THE MISSION OF THE SERVICE ARM THE ROTARY FOUNDATION……
Rotary’s service opportunities have shown the world that the future is something that does not exist in our experience, but it exists as a possibility.
That is why every service project is designed to make the world a slightly better place to live and we have seen how communities are being benefitted. Rotarians are propelled by compassion and do what is needed.
When we say Service Above Self in Rotary, it does not mean that a Rotarian is required to be constantly glued to this project or that.
Rotary is not against pleasure. It is just that Rotarians find something more intense and enduring within themselves when they go around the world as volunteers in a Rotary service programme.
It is said by yogis that no matter what kind of intellect you have, it is never enough to grasp the nature of existence. The Rotary Foundation and the programmes it aims to implement through Rotarians, just aim to give you a glimpse of what your life can transform into when you work for those who need your help.
With some love for every life around us and some sense, we can save the environment and transform the world. We can and we must.
Millions of Congratulations to Rotary Club of Thane Hills that they organised this special function to felicitate Smt Rajashree Ji Birla —
Who is Everest of talent,
Taj Mahal of culture,
And Sangam of dignity and charm .
AN URDU CUPLET ….
Thank you.