BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS 2018-19 Edition 12 September 25, 2018 Pages 6 The Lighthouse COMMUNITY SERVICE MEDICAL INITIATIVES Medical camp at Paiyanoor Village Last week saw a couple of medical camps, successfully run by our Rotarians and well-led by the committees to benefit the community at large The Rotary Club of Madras in association with Vinayaka Mission Research Foundation, organised a medical camp on 24th September 2018 at the sprawling campus of Arupadai Veedu Institute of Technology campus right from the morning. The camp saw a registration of more than 200 people. The Aarupadai Veedu Medical College of Pondicherry, an affiliate of Vinayaka Mission had sent across a team of commendable job of organising the camp in a professional manner. They helped in documenting the beneficiaries' list. The event on the whole turned out to be one more success story for the RCM. situated at Paiyanoor village in OMR. The medical camp aimed at providing basic medical care and suggesting corrective medical procedures wherever it was required to the residents of the surroundings areas and drew a good response. People living in and around the college campus and drawn from various villages like Paiyanoor, Siruthaavoor, Alathoor, Karunkuzhipallam to name a few, assembled at the doctors well-trained in various disciplines like General Medicine, Dental and Paediatrics to the camp. They carried out the process in a polite and professional manner. Our Rotarians Dr. Arul Mozhi Varman's Uma Eye Clinic and Shanno Ravi's KKR hospital chipped in with their team of experts, taking care of Eye and ENT disciplines. The staff and students of AVIT who enthusiastically became the volunteers, did a To put the event in terms of statistics, here goes the breakup: Total Beneficiaries: 207 (Covered with a full check-up) People who had their eyes tested: 84 Cataract affected patients - 9 (Referred to visit hospital for further checks and surgery) Corrective Glasses prescribed - 15 persons No of people referred to visit hospital 40 More on page 4
2 SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 minutes Sgt-at-arms Rtn Jayant Hemdev collared President Rtn Ranjit Pratap who called the 12th meeting of RCM to order. Secretary Rtn Prabha Srinivasan played a hilarious video compilation of funny incidents in the Parliament. The President extended birthday and wedding anniversary wishes to the respective Rotarians/spouses who celebrate that week and thanked them for their sunshine. Rtn Archana Shri Sanjay, Chair, Dandiya, played a visual teaser and appealed to members to buy tickets and participate in the dandiya fundraiser with family and friends. Also, the practice session is in the Maris Hotel and Rtn Anand Rengaswamy has graciously given the place and also hosting with refreshments. She requested members to be a part of the occasion which is at the Taj Coromandel on 9th Oct '18, and enjoy the Gujarati cuisine and the entertainment. The President appreciated the great efforts by the dandiya committee and said that we have confirmed a 500 head count with the hotel. He requested members to come in large numbers and thanked the advertisers and gift sponsors. Rtn Rajesh Mani informed members that the 90th year 3rd lecture series is on Friday 5th Oct'18 evening at the Hyatt. It would be an interactive session with Mr Sonam Wangchuk, an innovator and education reformist. He requested members to be there with spouse. The President added that the board has decided to contribute Rs 85,000 and one lac has been given to his institute. The President said that many clubs have shown interest to join in this event, but due to space constraints, it was not possible to invite them. Rtn Linesh Sanatkumar reminded members about the Oktoberfest full club fellowship on the 30th Sept, Sunday from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm at the Park Hyatt. Invites have been posted in our groupmail he said, and thanked the hosts (tablers). He requested members to be present with spouses and the dress code being casuals. Rtn Vishal Mehra of the Park Hyatt has planned special surprises, he said. The President said that he will not be available as he had to attend the cars exhibition as he is very passionate about cars. Rtn IPP PN Mohan said that our Rtn Anil Srinivasan is doing lot of charitable work and supporting children. This month, on the 28th, Rtn Anil will be performing blindfolded, at the Museum Theatre, at 7.30 pm in support of a blind school. This is to tell the world about the life of blind people and the proceeds will be going to the blind school as well. He requested members to purchase tickets in bookmyshow.com under 'concert for the blind'. The IPP appealed to members to support this noble cause. Secretary Rtn Prabha Srinivasan announced that there will be no regular Tuesday meeting on the 2nd October'18. The next meeting will be the lecture series - 3 on 5th Oct'18 evening, at the Hyatt Regency. The President requested nonmembers to retire from the hall as the RCM closed door meeting will commence. The President convened the closed door meeting of RCMCT & RCMBTS and the meeting was adjourned. BIRTHDAYS 11th Oct Rtn Aditya Agarwal 11th Oct Rtn Sandhya Sridhar 14th Oct Rtn Vijayshankar Balaji 15th Oct Rtn PDG Benjamin Cherian 15th Oct Rtn PP V Ganesan 9th Oct Ann. Marlene (Rtn PDG JB Kamdar) 10th Oct Ann. Deepam (Rtn G Ravindran) 12th Oct Ann. Rashmi (Rtn Bharath B Mohindra) 13th Oct Ann. Umagowri (Rtn N Subramanian) WEDDING 10th Oct Rtn PDG Benjamin Cherian Ann. Valsa 14th Oct Rtn Vipin Sachdev Ann. Somna SUNSHINE Rtn N Sukumar `2000 Rtn Siddharth Ganeriwala `1000 Rtn NK Bhatia `15,000 (RCMBTS) Rtn.Kishor Dandeker J `15,000 (RCMBTS)
RCM OCTOBER 2018 SEPTEMBER 25, 20183 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Final Dandiya practice: 11-1 pm followed by lunch 1 2 3 4 Dandiya 5 Dandiya 6 Gandhi Jayanthi No Meeting. Medical Camp @ Sembakkam Women Empowerment Centre practice: 3.30 to 6.30 pm Lecture Series: Sonam Wangchuck 7.30 pm Blood Donation Camp: Rayala Techno Park and Rialto Industries practice: 3.00 to 8.00 pm Snacks: 5.30 pm Community service: Groundbreaking ceremony of water and sanitation project at Kannankottai 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 No Meeting in lieu of Dandiya Fundraiser Community service: Combined Community Service meet Blood Donation Camp: Park Hyatt Hotel Medical Camp @Rotary Nagar Pink Ribbon Walk 7 am - registration 7:30 - flag off, walk and return to Olcott Memorial School 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Gitanjali Babbar (Rehabilitating Sex Workers) babbar.gitanjali @gmail.com Blood Donation Camp: Mangifera Cuisines 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Nimo Patel nimo.patel @gmail.com 28 29 30 31 Youth Awards TRF foundation meet on third week of October
4SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 FUNDRAISER Our annual festive Dandiya is upon us! Flagging off the festive season is RCM's dandiya fundraiser packed with exciting reasons to celebrate! here is less than a week to go. TRemember it's 9th October at Taj Coromandel at 8pm. The well-known 15- member Jupiter Band will set the musical tone for the evening, with foot-tapping festive numbers. Practice classes at Hotel Maris: on 5th -4pm to 7pm; 6th - 4pm to 7pm and 7th October: Sunday -11am to 1pm. Please send in your confirmation to attend the classes. There will also be garba salsa special dance for those interested and the practice sessions will be at the same time at Maris along with the normal garba classes. As usual, Rtn Anand Rangaswami is going out of his way to take care of us. Let's give him the right numbers so he can make arrangements. Confirmations to be sent to Rtn Archana Sanjay. Medical Camp at Pandur otary Club Of Madras, as a part of Rits continuing Community Services to help the needy, organised a Medical Camp in the village of Pandur situated in Kanchipuram district on 27th September 2018. Pandur had already been chosen as one of the villages where Rotary Club Of Madras, in association with Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake, is undertaking a Water and Sanitation Project. Having seen the lifestyle of the residents at close quarters, RCM decided to conduct the Medical Camp there. When it comes to service, our fellow rotarians always put their hands up and this time too it was no different. Dr.Arul's Uma Eye Clinic, Ms. Anuradha Ganesan's AV Medical College team from Pondicherry and Ms.Shanoo Ravi's KKR ENT clinic team members all made their way to Pandur. In addition to this, Rotary Club of Madras Project Directors wanted the villagers to undergo ECG test, which is beyond their reach even in government hospitals. With all these facilities arranged under one roof at the village Elementary School situated on the main road, the response was overwhelming. Around 250 people turned up for the Medical Camp on a working day. All the members of the medical teams attended to their job in a professional manner, with a personal touch. The fact that Uma Eye Clinic management was ready to conduct eye surgeries for all the 26 people diagnosed with cataract immediately and that too free of cost, went down well with the villagers. The young volunteers from the village who coordinated with RCM for the smooth conduct of the camp have been assigned to follow it up with the cataract patients and bring them to the hospital. The camp was a grand success as such can be seen from the following statistics: Total No of people who attended the camp: 250 No of people who had their eyes screened: 114 No of Cataract diagnosed patients: 26 No of people for whom glasses prescribed: 30 No of people referred to hospital for follow up: 25 No of people who had taken ECG test: 45 New Proposal The board approved the following proposal for membership of the Rotary club of Madras S.No Name Classification Proposer 1 Mr. Tarun Seth Hotels & Hospitality - General Rtn. Venkat Ramani Management & Rtn. Avali Srinivasan Objections, if any, may be sent in writing to the Honorary Secretary within 10 days. Rtn. Prabha Srinivasan, Hony. Secretary
SEPTEMBER 25, 20185 FUNDRAISER Good work, by senior citizens The RCM is closely connected to the Probus Club and its activities. What is the Probus Club? Who are it's members? On frequent enquiries from RCM members on the above, the Lighthouse is carrying this two-part series about this club 2016-01-23 - Visit of the members of Probus Club. Kamakura, Japan, for Pongal day Vice Consul, Russian Federation, giving scholarship Scholarship Function 2018 Scholarship Function 2018 Genesis: The Probus concept was promoted by Rotary International in 1968, with the setting up of a Probus Club in Caterham, in England. There are several Probus Clubs in several countries now (www.probus.org). Probus Clubs are generally sponsored by local Rotary clubs, but more in the membership rules vis-a vis those sponsoring clubs. Probus is an acronym by forming the first syllable in each word PROfession and BUSiness. Basically, Probus clubs work towards the enrichment of the lives of the elderly. It is in the service of the society with no moorings in politics, religion, caste or race. These are nonprofit making and non-fund raising organisations. The Birth of Probus Club of Madras The moving spirit behind the setting up of Probus club of Madras (now Chennai) is Rtn. PHF Dr. S. M. Diaz, IPS,, who chanced to know about the Probus movement in England, during his visit to that country. The seed of the Probus concept was sown in Madras in 1992. The Probus Club of Madras was the first one in this part of the country. In response to an advertisement in THE HINDU in May 1992, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Madras, a few interested people gave their willingness to join the Probus movement in Madras. Rtn. PHF Dr. S. M. Diaz invited them to a breakfast meeting in the ballroom of Connemara Hotel on 29th May 1992, organised by the RCM. This meeting gave birth to the Probus Club of Madras. At this meeting, it was decided to launch Probus Club of Madras with Mr. C. R. Sundaram as President, Mr. Sivaramakrishna IRS (Retd.) and Lt. Commander K. M. Thomas, V.S.M. (Retd) as Vice Presidents and Mr. G. Ranganathan & Mr. N. Srinivasan as the Secretary and the treasurer respectively and a few other members as Executive Committee members. The probus Club of Madras was inaugurated on 16th June 1992 by the RCM at the conference hall of the S.C.S.Kothari Academy for Women, in Kilpauk. RCM gave its charter on behalf of Rotary International. The Probus Club of Madras was initially encouraged by Rtn. Balaji, Benjamin Cherian, Rtn. J. B. Kamdar, etc. in addition to Rt. Diaz. In 2004, the Probus Club of Madras was merged with Probus Club of Chennai when the club was registered with the Registrar, Societies in 2004. The Probus Club of Chennai has 360 members as of September 2018. Next week: Probus Club activities, membership and service to society.
6SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 COMMUNITY SERVICE WATER AND SANITATION Toilet construction in Pandur on track RCM's Water and Sanitation Project in Pandur Village is off to a good start post the ground-breaking ceremony. An update from the ground from the Lighthouse team he Rotary Club Of Madras in Tassociation with Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake has undertaken a massive job of constructing 170 toilets in Pandur village situated in Kanchipuram District, for which the groundbreaking ceremony was held on 8th of September, 2018. As a part of the implementation process, the project directors of THE Rotary Club of Madras visited the Pandur village on 27th September to take stock of the situation and give directions to speed up the project. The groundlevel team handling the execution of the project is working in full steam and within 20 days from the date of pooja, ceremony, construction of 36 toilets have been undertaken. The Amman Koil Street of Pandur village was the first one to bag this project and had seen 36 nos of toilets constructed. One could see that many have been completed and plastered, some are getting plastered and some are under construction. It could also be seen that subsequent works like fixing the toilet door are also in progress. One could see the stacks of septic tank structures required for the toilets kept in the street and once construction gets over, the fixing of the closets would begin, the project team was informed. After Amman Koil Street, work has started in Nethaji Street. Thirteen toilets are coming up in this street. Subsequently more would be added, based on the applications received and beneficiaries chosen. Villagers who have been benefited under the scheme shared their joy and were more than happy to stand by the side of the newly-constructed toilet and pose for photographs. Villagers who have missed out were found repenting and were seen enquiring whether they can be added to the beneficiary list. To sum it up, the project is moving in the right direction. PRESIDENT Rtn. Ranjit Pratap HONORARY SECRETARY Rtn. Prabha Srinivasan IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Rtn. P.N. Mohan PRESIDENT ELECT Rtn. Dr. Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan PRESIDENT NOMINEE Rtn. Kapil Chitale Asst. SECRETARY/BULLETIN EDITOR Rtn. Sandhya Sridhar DIRECTOR CLUB ADMINISTRATION Rtn. Vikram Chesetty DIRECTOR YOUTH SERVICE Rtn. M Sesha Sai DIRECTOR PUBLIC IMAGE AND FUND RAISING Rtn. Nikhil Raj DIRECTOR ROTARY FOUNDATION & INTERNATIONAL SERVICES Rtn. M. Balasubramaniam DIRECTOR SERVICE PROJECT 1 Rtn. S. Ravi DIRECTOR SERVICE PROJECT 2 Rtn. R. Ravishankar DIRECTOR VOCATIONAL SERVICE Rtn. Vinod Kumar TREASURER (CLUB FUNDS) Rtn. Mohan Raman TREASURER (CHARITABLE TRUST) Rtn. Rajasekar Gorantla TREASURER (SPECIAL PROJECTS) Rtn. Gooch Kumar A... LIGHTHOUSE COMMITTEE: Editor: Rtn. Sandhya Sridhar Incoming editor: Rtn. Biswajit Balasubramaniam Rtn. Mohan Raman Rtn. Siddharth Ganeriwala Rtn. Dr. Sharon Krishna Rau Ann Padmavati Gunashekar Ann Sowmya Arjun Ann Kamala Ramakrishnan... Send in your articles, news, write-ups to be considered for publication here on lighthouse.rcm@gmail.com Be in touch with the Lighthouse, your very own RCM magazine!... EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY: Rtn. Asst. Secretary, Rotary Club of Madras, 'Rayala Towers', 2nd Mezzanine Floor, 158, Anna Salai, Chennai - 2, Ph: 28591020. Contact the editor at: lighthouse.rcm@gmail.com Design: www.studiodescience.com Visit: www.rotarymadras.in Contact club secretariat at: office@rotarymadras.in