VOLUME23 ISSUE9 MARCH 2021 - ROTARY INDIA
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Volume 23 Issue 9 March 2021
RBB – SEG Physics Lab at Gov. PU College Madiwala
Women’s Day Pageant
REMINISCENCES
EDITOR’S NOTE 07 March 2021
Dear Brigadears,
Greetings!
WE MARCHED ahead with some more
exceptional projects. Again. Ashwasan, our
mental health helpline is the need of the
hour. The Science Labs we set up in
association with SEG Automotive P Ltd. is
also the first of its kind. Not to mention our
Reach Out to Everyone
Aarogya initiative, which has been
providing free medicines to about 1000
persons regularly since it was launched.
March celebrates women, it is also the
Rotary theme month for Water and
Sanitation. This issue features a special This incident happened several years ago. I had placed an order
article on vocational empowerment for with one of my friends for printing letterheads for my office.
women by PDG Rtn. Madhura Chatrapathy, When I went to collect them I found him in a very pensive mood.
who also happens to be the first woman DG On enquiring, he narrated an incident that had occurred a few
in Asia. And the story of the lake that days earlier.
Brigadear Akshai Mallappa and Ann Savita
He had received a phone call from one of his friends who sounded
rejuvenated in Mysore. very depressed and wanted to speak with him. Being busy, he
Starting this issue, we have Brigadear promised to call back later. He said that he completely forgot to
Biradar’s new Article Am I Negative? in four call him. The next day he received a call from his friend’s wife
parts; as well as the monthly column, informing him that his friend was no more. He regretted that had
Rotary Corner. he taken a few minutes to talk with his friend when he had called,
he may have been able to assuage his troubled mind.
March was action-packed with two exciting
This incident taught me that no matter how busy we may be,
in-person meets – our Games Night and our
when a person reaches out to us; a sympathetic ear, a warm
Women’s Day Pageant; two project embrace and a few words of solace is all it takes to comfort a
launches, a health and hygiene camp and troubled soul. It is our duty to do whatever we can to lend a
the rest of the business as usual. Now that helping hand.
CoVID restrictions are back, temperature is
We Rotarians are a privileged few who are capable of reaching
soaring and festivals are lined up for every
out to our lesser privileged brethren to make a difference for the
one of us, April will be a stay-at-home-and-
better in their lives. Let us, together, make this world a better
celebrate month.
place to live in.
Happy reading. Brigadear Vinod Bathija
Happy Ugadi, Vishu, Bihu, Gudi Padwa,
Puthandu, Baisakhi, Cheti Chand and
Subh Navratri.
Bindu Cherian
ROTARY BANGALORE BRIGADES
OUR INVOCATION
Lord give us courage
And hope for every day
Faith to guide us on our way!
Give us understanding
And wisdom too!
And grace to accept –
What life gives us to do!
2
THE RELEVANCE OF PROJECT RESOUND
THE KEY MESSAGES of World Hearing Day 2021 from WHO:
- Over 5% of the world’s population (432 million adults and 34 million children)
require rehabilitation to address their ‘disabling’ hearing loss.
- By 2050 an estimated 700 million people – or one in every ten people – will
have disabling hearing loss.
- ‘Disabling’ hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 35 decibels (dB) in
the better hearing ear.
- Nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low and middle income
countries.
- The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age.
- Timely action is needed to prevent and address hearing loss across the life
course. Such as: protection against loud sounds; good ear care practices and
immunisation.
- Hearing loss (and related ear diseases) can be addressed when it is identified,
in a timely manner and appropriate care should be sought.
- People at risk of hearing loss should check their hearing regularly
- People having hearing loss (or related ear diseases) should seek care from a
health care provider.
We hope that World Hearing Day 2021 will be a massive call to action.
The five-pronged Action Plan of Project ReSound is
very much in keeping with the WHO’s call to action
on World Hearing Day. SCREENING. TREATMENT.
REHABILITATION. BACK TO SCHOOL. AWARENESS.
ROTARY BANGALORE BRIGADES
IS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH
REVIVING
THE NADANAHALLI LAKE IN MYSURU
We are proud of Rtn. Akshai and Ann Savitha Mallappa. NADANAHALLI LAKE is a small
ephemeral water body, with 5.1 acre
catchment area, on T. Narasipura
Road in Mysuru. The rejuvenation
project was undertaken with financial
support from JK Tyres and rProcess
Outsourcing Services Pvt Ltd, with
contributions from Rotary Bangalore
Brigades Trust, in coordination with
the Confederation of Indian Industry
and District Industries Centre -
Mysuru, with the Project being
implemented by MYKAPS (MYRADA).
The almost-dried up Nadanahalli Lake
before rejuvenation
The rejuvenated Nadanahalli Lake (Devi Kere) is open for public. Trees have
been planted around the lake, along with Rotary Mysore, to make it a home for
many bird species including migratory birds.
Apart from the lake rejuvenation, the project envisages development of the ad-
joining public space. In Phase II, a children’s play area, outdoor fitness zone,
fencing and stone embankment along with more tree plantation will be taken
up. This Rs 28 lakh project is the result of working closely for about 4 years with
all the stakeholders who are keen to support such activities, as they closely
impact the local community.
3
A WINNING NIGHT
FOR THE
BRIGADEARS
THANKS TO Brigadear Nishant Goel and
Ann Geethika for a brilliant Games Night
to remember on 3 March.
With the perfectly planned, innovative
action-packed games, we thoroughly
enjoyed an evening of noisy fun, laughter
and amazing fellowship.
4
THE LAUNCH OF ASHWASAN 080 2528 5555
THE FREE MENTAL HEALTH HELPLINE
The launch of Ashwasan, the Mental Health Helpline by Rotary Bangalore Brigades
is a very important step in the right direction to provide timely
support to people who are losing hope.
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS are some of the most gone a step ahead in speaking about the RBB Ashwasan
misunderstood conditions in our times. Most of the time we Helpline on a nationwide platform.
do not know how to deal even with common mental The pre-launch campaign on social media and Radio was very
disturbances like anxiety, stress, and depression. The COVID effective with calls coming in even before the launch. With
situation has made matters worse; mental health issues are social media updates and a Radio interview with Prof.
now on the rise. Sudharshan of Montfort College by RJ Prithvi , many callers
have been requesting one on one sessions. Monthly radio
sessions and webinars have been planned to promote the
helpline. We need as much help as possible from other
Rotary Clubs to popularise the helpline 080 25285555,
especially among the underprivileged populations.
“The Helpline will be manned by the professional therapists
of Montfort College. Volunteers will be trained and inducted
by the college to answer preliminary calls,” said Mr Victor
Raj, Principal – Montfort College of Counselling. “During the
summer months, we get more calls from students who are
reeling under performance anxiety during examinations.
A large number of callers are also young adults who are
“To address this and to provide a secure and comfortable under heavy duress while seeking employment.”
place to discuss the challenges, Rotary Bangalore Brigades
has associated with Montfort College of psychology and
counselling to establish Ashwasan - A Free Mental Health
Helpline,” said Rtn Abha Saxena, Literacy Chair of the Club.
The helpline will be operational from Monday to Friday,
between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm to offer Free counselling, by
trained and experienced counsellors of the College.
The Counselling Helpline was launched on 4 March. Speaking
on the occasion, Dr CR Chandrasekhar, Retd. Professor of
Psychiatry – NIMHANS and Founder of Samadhana
Counselling Centre, emphasised that this initiative was the
need of the hour. DGE District 3190, Rtn. Fazal Mahmood has
A lighter moment after the launch! An impromptu party at Akshai’s.
5
We are making sure that Govt. College students also learn in
world-class science laboratories.
MLA Sri Ramalinga Reddy, officials of SEG Automotive India
Pvt Ltd, several Rotarians, staff and students of the college,
social worker Lakshmi Chalapathi, guests and family were
present at the inaugural function.
The SEG–RBB Science Labs at Govt. they deserved labs on par with other colleges in the
neighbourhood.
Pre-University College, Madiwala.
A Project Committee was formed to plan and execute the
A first-of-a-kind CSR initiative by our Club. project with Sri. K Nagabhushana (Dy. GM – HR, SEG) in the
As it happens during the beginning of every academic year, lead. The Project Committee met in person as well as on zoom
Rotary Bangalore Brigades had requests from many schools to 11 times before a final shape was given to the Project
help improve their facilities. Despite the aversion to venture Proposal. The Committee was closely involved in the survey,
out during the pandemic, our team decided that it was better reporting, presentation, planning, selection of vendors,
to work on the schools and get them ready for children when execution and inauguration of the Project. The team also
they came back after the Corona invasion. Our Literacy Team made a total of 20 site visits during the execution of the
surveyed six government schools and a pre-university college project. The rooms allotted for the Labs by the college
in Bangalore city and the suburbs. All of them were in dire management were in very bad shape with no electricity or
need of various facilities. plumbing lines. A complete overhaul of these rooms was
At the same time SEG Automotive Pvt. India Ltd. was looking planned including civil work and painting. Many vendors were
out to partner with reliable agencies to execute a CSR project reviewed to set up the Labs, four were shortlisted and one
focusing on Education. Having met and presented the survey was selected after thorough checks and deliberations, for the
reports both agencies kept coming back to the 24 – year old total execution of the Labs Project.
Govt. High School & Pre-University College – Madiwala, which The stone breaking ceremony (goothli puja) was performed
had a makeshift Chemistry Lab and no Physics Lab. on 16 January 2021. Exactly two months later, on 15 March
SEG and Rotary Brigades – agreed that we should focus on 2021, in a dazzling, well attended ceremony, the Physics and
establishing world-class Physics and Chemistry Labs at the Chemistry Labs were inaugurated by Hon. MLA Sri. Ramalinga
Govt. Pre University College in Madiwala. As per the principal Reddy, Sri. Anil Kumar - MD of SEG Automotive Pvt. Ltd, and
and teachers of the college, their students were bright and Rtn. Gurunagesh - Rotary District 3190 Director for Literacy.
aspiring, but could not afford to study in private colleges, and
Another meaningful project from Rotary Bangalore
Brigades. About 120 children use these Labs at the college.
Our Club ensured speedy and impeccable completion of the
Project for the students and staff of the College, who were
eagerly waiting to use the Science Labs.
6
Medicines worth about
Rs. 5.37 Lakhs distributed Free
OUR AAROGYA INITIATIVE to procure
and provide medicines for free has been very
effective. Project Svasth – our Joint Project
with District Disease Prevention and
Treatment and Rotary Midtown - helps to
conduct eight camps through FEDINA and
four camps through Mercy Mission every
month, covering over 1000 people and The women brigade gifting medicines to the frontline warriors of
providing medicines on a regular basis. These Mercy Mission and FEDINA.
medicines are being provided through our
Aarogya scheme.
Camps for preventive measures for people
with co-morbidities are conducted three days
a week in different areas of Bangalore.
Nutrition Awareness Camps too are arranged
by Mercy Mission, where the objective is to
give medical preventive interventions and
free medicines along with the advices of a
Nutritionist on what best to consume for FEDINA and Mercy Mission are regularly conducting camps at various centres in
optimum health. the city. The medicines are being provided through our Aarogya scheme in
association with Rotary Midtown and District 3190.
Apart from these, we provide free medicines
to other Clubs for their health camps, and
other service organisations like homes for
the aged or destitute for their inmates; and Brigadear Vinod Bathija at the health
workforce like paurakarmikas and police. camp conducted on 4 March by Smile
In the last month, medicines worth about Foundation at Bhoopasandra along
Rs. 5.37 lakhs have been distributed free. with RBB and Rotary Midtown as
Much of it has been contributed by Bal part of Project Svasth.
Pharma, the rest have been procured at very
low rates from pharmaceutical companies
and distributors.
2500 tubes of pain balm
have been distributed
to police personnel and
paurakarmikas.
Rtn. S Jayaraman - Dist Dir for Disease Prevention &
Treatment at the launch of the free medicine drive - a joint
project of Rotary Brigades and Mercy Mission.
All the children identified for treatment and further
evaluation at the ReSound Camp in February, were taken to
Dr. Raghu's clinic. Thanks to Lakshmi Chalapathy for
Monthly review meet of Project Svasth with Rtn. S Jayaraman,
following it up.
Rotary Midtown, Mercy Mission and FEDINA, on 31 March.
7
NATION BUILDER AWARD 2020
Recognising outstanding teachers
So far, 23502 teachers have been felicitated
for their immense contribution
towards the enhancement of quality education in India.
On 31 March we recognised 12 teachers from 11 schools
including 6 Special Educators.
Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions.
10 March. Alternating between fun-filled in-person meetings and equally Congratulations Rotary Bangalore Brigades
exuberant zoom meetings, we Brigadears maintained a certain for being the Title Sponsor of the Rotaract
excitement to look forward to, because, either way, most of our weekly District event Nandi Ryla!
meetings this RI year have been family get-togethers.
8
HEALTH & HYGIENE AWARENESS CAMP
with Dr. P Jayalakshmi MBBS DCH
Personal & Sports Hygiene
Nutrition and Health
Rotary WinS
What is Rotary?
ROTARY BANGALORE BRIGADES
was invited to conduct a camp on
general health and hygiene at The
Sports School, Kanakapura Road.
Dr. P Jayalakshmi engaged the
students with an interactive
session. This was followed by a
WinS demo by Rtr. Pushpita Roy,
and short presentations on Rotary
and Interact by Brigadears Biradar
and Akshai.
“I would like to sincerely thank
each one of you for your esteemed
presence. We are excited and
looking forward to be a part of The
Interact Club and Rotary Club,” said
Mrs. Jayapriya, Principal of the
school.
It was inspiring to see the excellent
infrastructure, the energy of the
students and the teaching staff, the
warm hospitality extended to us…
and the enthusiasm of the students
and teachers to become part of
Rotary.
A few beneficiaries of
the signature project of
District 3190 to build
toilets for villagers in
Bandipur, to reduce
animal-human conflict.
Rotary Bangalore
Brigades is part of this
project.
9
PDG DIARIES A leaf of Inspiration
Rotary made all the difference
in our thinking!
Rotary, as I understand it, is a touchstone for Service Above Self and Ethical Practice.
Above all, every vocation has its value; the value of the vocation and its enhancement can be
experienced by fellowship, close exposure and learning about the vocational practices.
Rotary transforms one's outlook adding value and teaching values.
PDG Rtn. Madhura Chatrapathy
WE ARE PROUD to belong to Rotary which has a presence being formed now. There was a time when legal action was
in over 200 countries. taken against a Rotary Club in the USA for admitting
women. Now we are looking at a scenario where we might
March being the month of women, I would like to focus on my face legal action for not admitting men.
unique experience as a woman in Rotary. Let me begin with
the time the Rotary Club of Bangalore DownTown was being I must share another instance. PDG Rtn. S K Sen, when he was
formed. We were more than 30 men and 2 women, who had the President of Rotary Bangalore South, initiated the
come together to start this Club. The founding members are Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs Award and recognised
called Charter Members. When it came to electing the seven of us in 1983. Most of our enterprises were three years
President and Secretary, I was chosen as Charter old or less at the time! PRID Rtn. M K Panduranga Setty
President and Prathibha H R was chosen as the Charter presented the awards to us. That is when the seven of us
Secretary. This was in 1990. decided to form an association of women entrepreneurs. Soon
the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka -
When I was elected District Governor in 1998, we were 19 Past AWAKE was born.
Presidents who were eligible for the post. I was proposed as
the District Governor for the year 1998-99. Thanks to my Uniquely, AWAKE runs on the principles of Rotary. Women
fellow Past Presidents who let me become the District entrepreneurs, with the knowledge and experience of running
Governor. Only later was I truly delighted to learn that I was their own enterprise, hand-hold and guide potential
the First Woman Rotary District Governor in Asia. entrepreneurs bringing about the transformation. Rotary
made all the difference in our thinking and in doing good in
Today, things have changed. Those who are familiar with the the world.
history of women in Rotary would certainly feel that it is
wonderful that women are joining Rotary in droves. But I am Below is the case of a group enterprise of women footwear
unable to appreciate the all-women Rotary Clubs that are makers in remote Athani in Belagavi District.
ATHANI TOWN is the heartland of the objective of transforming artisans
the Kolhapuris. This ethnic footwear is to entrepreneurs and ensuring that
handcrafted by men fashioning the they received the price they deserved.
hardy sole and women crafting the This was through ASCENT, Asian Centre
intricate uppers. These artisans belong for Entrepreneurial Initiatives.
to a community with a legacy of I initiated Project EnterPrice sponsored
traditional footwear craft and this is by UNDP and Govt. of India, with
their only source of livelihood. technical support from Central Leather
When I was asked to serve on a team to Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai.
evaluate an ongoing project of the At my behest as a Past District
National Leather Development Governor, the Rotary Club of Athani
Programme of the Government of India was formed. The purpose of promoting
sponsored by UNDP, because of my a Rotary Club at Athani was that -
experience in entrepreneurship knowing that the artisans lived in a
development, I found that only men
were trained at the Central Leather
Rotary Finds separate cluster, in a secluded place,
away from the township, I felt they
Research Institute - Chennai, women
were totally left out. I wrote a blunt
note that the project was Gender Blind.
a Toehold needed the support of service minded
people with business knowledge to
handhold and develop in them a
This was in 1999.
Subsequently, I was asked to take up
in Athani, business-like approach.
- continued on page 8
further development. I proposed a
scheme called Project EnterPrice with
Belgaum District
10Rotary Finds a Toehold in Athani
- continued from page 7
The outcome was Toehold Artisans Collaborative (TAC), an working capital.
export-oriented group enterprise of 200+ women footwear All financial transactions between the Revolving Fund and Self
artisans. Help Groups and artisans were only through bank transfers,
New business growth posed new challenges, especially in there has been no cash transaction whatsoever. Today, they
mobilising timely and adequate working capital. The challenge are a 100% Export Group Enterprise. And each family acts as a
was even more acute since the artisans were all from the micro-enterprise where the woman and man are ‘co-preneurs’.
lowest socio-economic strata. The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and
The Rotary Club of Athani (D 3170) proposed a corpus fund of Industry has recognised ToeHold with the Export Excellence
US$ 12,000 to meet the credit needs of these artisans. Award. Asian Development Bank has published the case study
Funds from the Rotary Club of Athani - US$ 2000; Rotary Club as Best Practice - Beyond Micro-credit.
of Lancaster West, USA - US$ 3250; District Development Fund Rotarians continue to be of support to the artisans. I continue
from D 5260 & DDF from District 3170 - US$ 1500 and The to serve as the Chief Facilitator of ToeHold Artisans
Rotary Foundation - US$ 5500 – a total of US $ 12,000 Collaborative.
(Rs. 5,40,500) was pooled as a revolving fund towards their
Diabetes Retinopathy patient Sukanya Ganesh (50 yrs) was
successfully operated upon with the help of the Brigadears.
We are thankful to Dr. Solanki and his team for helping this
poor lady, who could gone into irreversible blindness. The This space features Brigadear Ravi Gerard’s nuggets of
cost of the surgery was Rs. 75,000 after discount from the Wisdom on TRANSFORMATION.
hospital. This is in addition to 38 cataract surgeries this year.
R Brigadear
THE BENEFITS OF ROTARY MEMBERSHIP O
Becoming a member of Rotary International connects you T
Biradar’s
with a diverse group of professionals who share your Random Notes
A on Rotary
drive to give back to society.
Through regular meetings and events, you will: R
- Discuss your community’s needs and develop Y CORNER
creative ways to meet them
- Connect with other leaders who are changing
the world ROTARIANS ARE
- Expand your leadership and professional skills - Community Builders
- Catch up with good friends and meet new ones - People of Action
- Problem Solvers
WHAT’S EXPECTED OF ME? - Opportunity Creators
As a club member, you will be asked to: ROTARIANS
- Pay club dues - See Differently
- Attend meetings and events - Think Differently
- Use your professional skills and talents to make - Act Responsibly
a difference to people who are in need.
FINALLY, ROTARIANS GET INVOLVED.
11AM I
NEGATIVE?
PART 1
YES, HOW MANY OF US RECOGNISE that we have want to say and do for yourself or for others. Honesty is the
negative qualities, behaviour or personality? It is not easy to first step in recognising your negative quality. You need not
accept what we are! We always hide our personality and fail benchmark yourself against Raja Satya Harishchandra, your
to give ourselves an opportunity to improve. benchmark should be yourself.
Our success in life, whatever we do - whether we are Your Yesterday must compete with your Today and your
professionals, entrepreneurs, leaders, house managers in Today must be the benchmark for your Tomorrow. The
the capacity of husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter moment you start seeing yourself as your competitor, a lot
etc, or employee, employer is largely due to our personality. of change will take place in your attitude; especially positive
thing will start happening.
We may have the most intelligent, novel, helpful ideas for
life and profession or we may take an amazing initiative in Going forward, you need to convert your Honesty into
life to achieve some targets, but if we have a toxic Integrity – that is practising Honesty. Claiming Honesty does
personality, it will fail at the start itself. not change anything for you unless you demonstrate/
practice your honest thoughts. This is called placing Integrity
It is good to take time out to introspect - to check out if we above all.
do have negative qualities. Qualities which can ruin our
enterprise or profession or relationships at home, by none In the next part of the Article, we will see what are the toxic
other than ourselves! personality traits we possess.
How do you recognise your negative qualities? Brigadear Dayananda A Biradar
To begin with, ask yourself how honest you are in what you
- RI President Rtn. Holger Knaack
AT OUR SPEAKER meet on Wednesday 24 March we had an interesting
conversation with Dr. Krishnan Swaminathan of Idhyangal Trust on the problems
caused by Type 1 Diabetes and how underprivileged patients are being taken
care of and ensured a normal life by the Trust.
12Women’s
Day at
Rotary
Bangalore
Brigades
LOVELY WOMEN. Beautifully choreographed event.
Wonderful time. Thanks to PE Gayatri for dreaming up
this occasion... Annet Rachita for programming it...
All the ladies of RBB for making it happen...
And all our men folk for cheering us.
On 17 March our third Club Assembly of the Year
doubled as Women’s Day celebration, with our
graceful ladies taking to the ramp at the
Royal Orchid Hotel, MG Road.
WINNERS
OF THE PAGEANT
Ann Geethika Goel
Rtn. Kanchan Lokesh
Rtn. Irene Slim
JUDGES
Ann Savitha Mallappa
Rtn. Vinod Bathija
Rtn. Suresh Babu
A fabulous evening. A combination of glitter and grace. Three cheers to the ladies of Rotary Brigades.
Compiled and edited by Rtn. Bindu Cherian for Rotary Bangalore Brigades, on behalf of President Rtn. Ashwani Kinger, for March 2021.
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