The Future of Rotary
On this memorable day we are here together ,face to face , with the determination to continue the fantastic journey of Rotary today and beyond.
Rotarians are all very special people to me . They play a unique role in the history of mankind and in shaping Rotary ‘s future.
Rotarians are the leaders who make the difference. Our founder Paul Harris ,in his wisdom said , “If Rotary is to realize its proper destiny, it must be evolutionary at all times , revolutionary on occasion”.
We all joined Rotary to serve the cause of Humanity with exemplary dedication and result oriented effectiveness.
When you serve more than you sermonize , when you listen more than you speak , when you practice more than you preach , when you fearlessly follow what is right discarding what is wrong , when you take the side of the organization against any personal agenda , when you like people instead of letting them down , and when you see the larger picture instead of tunnel view , you will truly be a leader recognized by others , but more importantly, recognized by your inner self.
In the modern world Rotary brought the possibility that a human being need not be contained in the defined limitation of our breed . It taught the average human being that there is a way to use their mind in the highest possible way.
Rotary also tried to teach the normal person in the society that whatever dimension of existence they are in right now, they can go beyond that.
All these were contained in the ancient philosophy that came down from generation to generation thousands of years ago in Indian literature – the Vedas. If Vedas were shaping the human beings for the future, so was Rotary in this century, shaping the citizens of the world to build a better future.
However, the Vedas said, “You can evolve beyond your present limitations if you do the necessary work upon yourself.”
Since Rotary is made up of people, Rotary’s future is linked intimately to how the members work upon themselves to make the organisation bigger and stronger.The future of Rotary is in the hands of the members and they are in various stages of giving it a shape that will sustain it for another century.
Rotary is a movement of seekers, not leaders who equate themselves with some socio-political organisation.
Once this is clearly understood, the future of Rotary will be guided by the right type of people who will emerge from time to time to give it more thrust.
It does not matter what the founder of the movement said or what the subsequent leaders said. It does not matter who said what. If the future of Rotary is linked first to membership growth then, we should induct people who are seekers.
What do we seek and what do we want the people to seek?
A seeker means one who has realised that he/she does not know. Rotary’s object is service to humanity and in that journey we have to keep on seeking and understanding what the community wants and this will keep Rotary relevant for years to come.The significance of Rotary and The Rotary Foundation is that they have provided methods to evolve human consciousness for doing serviceto humanity that are applicable at all times.
If membership growth is one of basis for Rotary’s future, then the contributions to The Rotary Foundation is the other pillar for the future of Rotary.
I see that the NGOs in India get more than US $3 billion every year and majority of the contributions comes from the USA.
Leaving aside the missionary contributions, there is still a large chunk of donors who give for various projects in India through the 3,000 NGOs which work here.
The Rotary Foundation teaches us that it is the business of every human being, according to one’s intelligence, understanding and situation, to do the best one can for people around.
We believe that Total Giving is Total Living and that only when you learn to give totallyl you will know life in its totality.
This means that TRF urges the members to seek and understand how people are challenged world over and to take the necessary steps to alleviate the suffering.
The network of volunteers is the biggest asset we have and once this is fine tuned every year, the future of TRF will be very bright and we can expect more contributions from India.
So what is the stumbling block that Rotary is facing now?
It is just that, normally most people are not given to that kind passion to pay attention to something continuously. They pay attention intermittently, so it never picks up that kind of momentum.
But if you pay sufficient attention to just one idea, thought or emotion, it can become a phenomenal process for the members and for the organisation.
If we have to reach a target of nearly 200,000 Rotarians in India in the next two years, we have to take up that work very dedicatedly now , and do all we can to implement a sustained campaign for membership.
So, what will determine the future of Rotary in the world?
Is Rotary relevant in developed countries where people are not in need of any service pertaining to education, health, food and shelter? Or is Rotary relevant only in underdeveloped countries and developing countries where basic human necessities are lacking.
I would emphatically say that Rotary is needed everywhere, irrespective of the fact whether the country is developed or not.
You see, the quantum of development is not necessarily measured in wealth and we see that in the so called advanced countries, there is a total failure of family system and values which are seen in many Asian and African countries. So, Rotary has a bouquet of services which are tailor made to suit the citizens of every nation.
If there are big donors in advanced countries, it is because of organisations such as Rotary which have tapped into their philanthropic sensibilities and made them look beyond themselves.
The purpose of Rotary or the significance of Rotary is not just to rattle off information and do service projects all around the world, but to inspire and allow each human being to blossom into a person with a great character and develop humaneness.
If this is the primary objective of Rotary then, there is always a future for Rotary everywhere since people will be born every day and as they grow Rotary will be able to shape their growth as responsible world citizens , who do not just look into the confines of their little country but treat the whole world as one.
Great sages have told us that if we understand who we are in the cosmic scale, then we will live gently and all we do will bring harmony and peace. This great philosophy is taught in simple terms by Rotary today and hence Rotary will be always needed.
To just have a small window to see, polio eradication could not have happened if Rotary had not brought the governments of the world to create awareness and take action.
There are so many projects involving education, health, food supply, relief and rehabilitation, water supply and world peace where Rotarians have taken the bold step of involving themselves and produced admirable results.
These were not experts in the field but people with dedication to a cause and Rotary provided the network to work with. Rotary provided the funds in most of these cases and if today we can proudly look back and say that millions of children are going to school because of Rotary,millions of children are saved from polio and other diseases because of Rotary, youth have found a meaning in their lives and want to give up dreaded habits like drugs and alcohol because of Rotary, peace scholars have succeeded in bringing in stability and calm in war torn areas because of Rotary .
And governments around the world are looking at Rotary for ideas it is because we believed that Rotary’s greatest ideal, “Service Above Self” is relevant for all times to come and this my friends, will ensure that Rotary has a very bright future.
“Ideas must work through the brains and the arms of good brave men , or they are no better than dreams ” . Said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Put your ideas to work and serve the Community through Rotary. Uniqueness is primarily a matter of who You are and what you do . As a Rotarians you will have to combine your genetic Endowment with your experience in life .
So, don’t just be part of the landscape or just part of a crowd or just a member of a group . Be someone special. Turn on ! Come Alive ! Be a shaker , a Mover..
Rotary today and beyond will depend on the definite course you have chartered now . You have to throw your body around , which means you have got to get up and get out and get among people.
START NOW !!!
10 April 2017