The document summarizes the annual District Conference of Rotary International District 3180 held in Mysore, India. Over 2000 Rotarians and their families participated in the 3-day conference with the theme of "Parivarthan" meaning change through engagement leading to transformation. The conference included inaugural ceremonies, plenary sessions on topics like partnerships between NGOs and government, empowering differently abled people, and the role of youth in nation building. Cultural performances and fellowship activities helped strengthen relationships among Rotarians. The successful conference was expected to motivate participants to continue their service efforts with renewed vigor.
1. Parivarthan Special
Clinton P Anderson, Rotary Club of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
.
Rotary International's 22nd President, 1932-33
"Science has broken down the barriers between people, but that merely accentuates
our problems, particularly those which arise out of misunderstandings, unless there
is also a spiritual growth. For every shortening of the distance between peoples
there must be a broadening of human sympathies."
Issue: 28, 16th Jan, 2014
Today@Rotary Mysore
Thanks to total team effort, Parivarthan, our 44th District Conference was a huge success. Rotary
Mysore recognizes the Contribution and Services rendered by all Rotarians of Rotary Mysore which
made this possible. Rotary Center, 16th Jan 2014, 6:30 pm.
Rotary Flag
flies high
Our President initiates proceedings
It was a homecoming of sorts for all
Rotarians of the district even as
hundreds of us with our families
descended on the venue -Silent
Shores Resort & Spa – the evening of
the 10th of Jan. It was a renewal of old
friendships for some whereas for
others it was acquaintances being
strengthened. PARIVARTHAN, the
44th Annual Conference of Rotary
International District 3180, got off to
a colorful start with Sri Shankar
Ashwath, noted actor, inaugurating
the cultural events. Winners of
Pratibha Sangama, our district
cultural show, were on display on the
specially designed royal stage. The
highlight of the evening was “Beyond
Taalas”, an extravagant dance
performance of all hues. That done,
fellowship started in right earnest as the
Rotarians let their collective hair down, even as
the PDGs with the DG went into a huddle over
the serious business of College of Governors.
The 3-day conference had over 2000 Rotarians
and their families participating. Parivarthan
meaning Change with Engagement leading to
Transformation is in line with Rotary's theme of
the year “Engage Rotary Change Lives”.
Saturday was the formal inauguration. It was
Mysore royalty all the way in the morning.
Wearing regal attire the Presidents of Zone VII
along with ladies with kalashas made the
traditional start. DG Gururaj welcomed the
gathering. PDG Arun Sharma representing the
RI President spoke about the
bonhomie that such
conferences create and
sustain through the year.
District Conference
Chairman PDG M.
Lakshminarayan and his
team were present.
Swami Brahmanandaji of
Chinmaya Mission
inaugurated the sessions and
delivered the Asheervachana. He
invoked God and wished real
Parivarthane' in the society through
Rotary.
On the eve of India being declared
polio free, PDG R. Guru felicitated our
leader in this endeavor, Dr. P.
Narayana, Chairman PolioPlus
Committee, who in turn presented
End Polio shawls to the dignitaries.
The First Plenary session started with
“NGOs and Government” by Dr.
M.R.Seetharam – President SVYM,
who gave tips on how win-win
Parivarthan Conference Committee - all the hard work is worth it
2. CHAMUNDI
interactions can happen.
Sri Gururaja Karjagi, Creative Teaching expert,
emphasized on “Joy of Giving”.
Smt. Vasanthi Hariprakash Journalist and TV
host, spoke on “For M-powerment, bring out
the W-power” and stressed on the need for
equality and symbiosis between men and
women.
Public Relations for NGOs” by N. Ravishankar –
Trainer Aim High said that individual
deficiencies should not stop one from reaching
high. Any interaction should be relevant and
interesting. 3 things are required for good
public relations, financial capital, intellectual
capital and reputation capital, he concluded.
The Second Plenary started with meaningful
vachanas “Tatvarasanubhava” by Sri
Basavalingayya Hiremath. Ms. Shanti
Raghavan, founder EnAble India, spoke on
“Differently-enabled people – a productive
workforce” saying it is necessary that
differently-abled should stand on their own.
The highlight of the session was a talk on
“Samajike Parivartane” by Master Hirannaiah well known dramatist, who said organizations
like Rotary can bring about a total social
revolution.
Invitation to next conference was extended by
DGE Dr. Bhaskar who introduced his new
district team.
The evening continued with cultural fireworks
in the form of light music by Lakshmi and Indu
Nagaraj and a cultural performance by
International Students from Mysore
University.
And in the late evening, it was even more
Fellowship with back-slapping camaraderie,
dancing and singing, with some garam hawa
thrown in the wintery air!
It looked as if the Conference had just begun,
when the final day arrived. It was an occasion to
remember, it being Swami Vivekananda's 150th
birthday. And fittingly, the day started by
Viveka Namana by the DG and Guests of
Honour. We had students of the Ramakrishna
Ashram singing empowering songs. We then
had Prof. Prabhushankara, Kannada litterateur,
taking us through Swami Vivekananda's
perspective of Service. Service is a way of life,
he said, quoting the great swami. Change or
Parivarthan is a given in life. They alone live
who live for others, all others are more dead
than alive. Service should be selfless; that
which is selfish is immoral. Service is a spiritual
act. Paropakaram Punyam, Parapeedam
Papam he concluded.
Dr. Niranjana Vanalli, HoD Journalism UoM,
spoke on Role of Youth in Nation Building.
Rotarians are always young, since they always
participate in building. The youth should take
up jobs that fulfil and treat Work as Worship.
The final talk was by Mrs. Roopa Venkatesh
who spoke on Lessons from Women in Epics.
She cited various instances of Kunti, Draupadi,
Sita where they displayed stellar qualities like –
standing for what is right, patience, sacrifice,
inclusiveness, communication, counseling,
peripheral vision, empathy etc.
It was the RIP representative PDG Arun
Sharma's turn to give his expert comments on
the conference and the district. He said the
phrase “family of Rotary” has now changed to
“Rotary family” to include well-wishers,
prospective Rotarians, and the alumni – GSE
and vocational teams. There is a serious
discussion going on the bifurcation of the
district. Membership and Extension both
should increase, he said. He patted the district
for the good contribution to the TRF. The areas
to be focused on apart from the Future Vision
are Corporate Financing to TRF, a brandbuilding emphasis on Rotary for Service, Total
Literacy in South Asia by 2017 and Vocational
Fellowship. He concluded by saying that
spouses form the pillars of support for a
Rotarian.
The Conference will surely motivate the
Rotarians to continue doing their best to the
community at large with renewed vigor and
increased collaboration.
PARIVARTHAN - A GALLERY - with fond nostalgia
Shankar Ashwath inaugurates cultural evening with drums
Beyond Taalas - beyond compare
Enjoying the entertainment
Light up Rotary is
our new theme
for 2014-15,
RIPE C.K.Huang
announced at
San Diego. Let us
all light up
Rotary.
11 Presidents and AG of Zone 7 - all Royalty
Royal Rotary
More highlights and sidelights and pics of Chaitanya in next issue...
3. Lead Kindly Light Rotary
The Regal Ambience - Presidents of Zone 7 in royal attire and Anns with traditional kalashas
Swami Brahmananda of Chinmaya Mission Asheervachana
DG starts the Conference rolling
Dr. Seetharam talks on partnership between NGOs and Government
Joy of Giving by Gururaja Karjagi
Persons with disability, a productive workforce - by Shanti Raghavan
Tatva Rasanubhava by Basavalingayya Hiremath
The Audience
Samajika Parivarthane by Master Hirannaiah
Culture with an International flavor
The melodious Nagaraj sisters - Lakshmi and Indu - at their recital
Swami Vivekananda's 150th birthday - song by Ramakrishna Ashram students
RIP Rep PDG Arun Sharma comments
Prof Prabhushankara on Service
Women in Epics by Roopa Venkatesh
The new team of the District - 2014-15
Viveka Namana
Dist. Governor S. Gururaj and First lady Mrs. Pushpa Gururaj thank each and
every Rotarian of Rotary Mysore for the success of Parivarthan.
4. CHAMUNDI
Rotary
Information
Rotary Mysore wins SPI's K.K.Mookerji CSR Award
time to
celebrate
Birthday
Vijay Shah
Nagendra Prasad V.
Dr. Praveen Kumar K.
Gururaj S.
Ravishankar N.
3rd Jan
3rd Jan
4th Jan
5th Jan
12th Jan
Wedding Anniversary
India on Monday Jan 13th was declared poliofree by the government, marking three years
since its last case of polio was reported.
The landmark is believed to be India's biggest
public health achievement that was pulled off
with a massive and protracted immunization
program.
Rotary has been at the forefront of the fight to
end polio since it helped launch the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative in the 1980's. This year,
every dollar raised for the End Polio Now
campaign will be match funded 2:1 by the Make
History Today campaign, which will match
funds to a total of US$35 million per year until
2018. Thousands of Rotarians worldwide have
been volunteers for the Initiative over the
decades and a few have even lost their lives
towards the noble cause. We in India can
proudly say GOOD BYE POLIO.
NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAYS FOR PULSE
POLIO - 19-01-2014, & 23-02-2014 POLIO
SUNDAYS
Rtn. M.C.S. Manohara President - Rotary Mysore, is seen
receiving the cheque from Chhanda Mookerji, Director-SPI
and Sophie Mookerji, Chairperson- SPI. Rtn. Chethan
Vishwanath, Director- Community Services, Rotary Mysore, is
also seen.
SPI Foundation, the Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) wing of SPI, conferred its
debut K.K. Mookerji CSR award on Rotary
Mysore. The award has been instituted in
memory of its Founding MD who passed
away in September 2013. This annual award,
that carries an amount of Rs. 1 lakh and a
citation, is presented to a worthy social
service project undertaken by an NGO.
“The debut K.K.Mookerji CSR award was
bestowed on Rotary Mysore, recognising its
initiatives and its large impact on the
underprivileged section of the society that it
is serving. SPI is passionate about Corporate
Social Responsibility. By instituting this
award, we would want to encourage and
recognise those NGOs who actively
contribute towards the overall social
development of the society,” said Sophie
Mookerji, who also heads SPI Foundation.
Abbas Vagh
& Selina
2nd Jan
CONGRATS!
Rtn. K. Subramanya Rao
was recently elected as the
Hon. Secretary of Builders
Association of India (BAI)
Mysore Chapter, for 2014-15 at its
election of office-bearers and
executive committee. Congrats Rtn.
Subbu!
The Four-Way Test
“Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL
and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
RMMALC Artificial Limb
distribution camp
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
Rotary Mysore Mahaveer Artificial Limb
Centre, a joint venture of Rotary Mysore and
Sri Mahaveer Jain Medical Relief Society, in
association with Soften, a social initiative of
employees of Infosys Mysore, had organized
an artificial limb distribution camp at the
Rotary High School on KRS Road on January 7.
Rotary Mysore regrets to inform the sad
demise of Rtn. Dr. S.K. Ghori’s sister. Our
heartfelt condolences.
CONDOLENCE
More than 60 people got artificial limbs.
City Police Commissioner M.A. Saleem was
the Guest of Honour along with PDG Rtn.
Subramanyan Ganesh of RID 1150 UK, Sri
Janardhana Channagiri of Infosys and Rtn.
M.C.S.Manohara President Rotary Mysore.
“When a person loses a limb, in effect he
loses a part of his life; when is given an
artificial limb it is like rebirth” said Police
Commissioner Dr. M.A.Saleem lauding the
efforts of all those behind the initiative.
Rtn. Ganesh talked about the emotional
trauma that disabilities cause and how
such can rejuvenate.
RMMALC had taken up this initiative in
1998 and has distributed 6000 limbs
since over nearly 280 camps.
The distribution camp was wellorganized by Rtn. A. Sunilkumar and Rtn.
Kaleem Mohamed of RMMALC and Sri
Mohanlal Sethiya and Rtn. Gautam
Salecha of Sri Mahaveer Jain Relief
Society.