From the PR desk: 01 June 2022
Hello Rotarians, Our Extended Families, Well-Wishers & Friends of Rotary…
We have already entered the last month of the current Rotary Year. This is the phase that brings in a nostalgic feeling of what all we have been able to achieve – a variety of projects, smooth transition from pandemic to non-pandemic phase, some stunning fellowships, meeting so many new people, club level recognitions, some great wins both nationally and internationally amongst many more. One can simply get amazed to see that a team of people who are busy with their own vocations can achieve so much just in a year.
The month of May is recognized as Youth Service Month and there is enough that happened even on this front.
Our visibility in Rotary News continued to be at its best with consistent messages getting published in the Letters to the Editor and our articles getting coverage from time to time. This month has indeed been special with the coverage of 3 of our key events. This is the best ever that has come to our club and that shows the quality of work that Rodeos have done.
Let me walk you through this exciting journey and let’s start with some amazing feedback
Rtn Vivek Khandelwal | Director PR 2021-22 | RC Deonar
Feedback – National and International Dignitaries
Kudos! Really created & edited well. You have made EXCELLENCE AS YOUR HABIT!
Dr. Manoj Desai
Past RI Director & PDG from RID 3060
Just finished watching the entire video. Bravo!!! Very well done… and I’m honored to have been a part of it!!
Mary Berge
PDG RID 7305
Great newsletter and specially liked the COL Video!
Sharat Jain
PDG RID 3012
Great job as usual Vivek. Can’t expect anything less from the PR Team and you
PDG T.N.Subramanian
PDG 3141 & RI Director Nominee
(We take pride in mentioning Raju as a member of RC Deonar)
Feedback – Our District Dignataries
Super work by RC Deonar and great going Raju !
DGE Sandeep Agarwala
Raju, please convey my compliments to Vivek and PR team for an excellent news bulletin. Interviews on COL is a must watch for everyone. Kudos to RC Deonar for excellent programs and projects.
Vinay Vyas
Super activities, Rich Content, Simple yet effective layout (easy read on smartphone too)…
Rajubhai, please convey our heartiest compliment to Pres. Sudhir and Publication team…
Your role in COL made us proud… We are fortunate to have luminaries like you in our district…
DGN Chetan Desai
Feedback – Our Club Members
Kya baat Vivek babu, ek bhi project, event, outing … jo bolo woh related to Rodeos and Rotary Deonar choda nahin
Everything is covered to the T. Kudos to your meticulous compilation, Bless you dear
Past President Padma Kapoor
Very well made @Vivek Khandelwal . Intelligent, dedicated and laborious effort put in. Great!!
Jiten Bharadwaj
Beautiful in-depth coverage with all the additional information on COL and the supporting interviews
Well done Vivek 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻
Past President Prabodh Sharma
Vivek you have once again done a stupendous and meticulous job. Great! Keep it up
Raju your interview with Vivek gives us a great insight on how much work goes on for the COL and how much effort you have put in.
President Nominee Sangeeta Shahani
Absolutely fabulous coverage Vivek.💐💐💐 Month after month, your chronicle of RCD activities make us live the moment again and feel so proud to be in such august company. 🌺🌺Proud to be a Rodeo. ❤️❤️
Vivek, you have taken this avenue(PR) to such a great height that it will be daunting for anyone to catch up in the future.😃😃💖💖Congratulations Vivek & the PR team!!!🌷🌷
Alka Murli
Vivek, Rotary Club of Deonar is going global and so are you!!. Congratulations on creating your own style.
Past President Usha Desai
Super write up Vivek. It’s amazing the way you capture all the nitty-gritty of each project. Meticulous detailing and it’s commendable the effort you have taken to stitch together all the interviews. I’m sure you would have worked for days to put it all together. Awesome work!👌🏻
Shivani Bansal
Support to a 5-month-old infant
Our veteran Rtn Vishnu Kamat shared how we were able to impact the life of a 5-month-old infant Arvi, daughter of Ankita Gaokar from the Dombivali area. She came up with the reference of Club Secretary – Rtn Hema Subramanian and needed urgent heart-related balloon dilation. With the support of our district team members – she was treated without any costs at Wadia Hospital in Parel.
Mother Ankita spoke to Vishnu Ji and she could hardly hold her tears!!
Just like any other project, this has also been possible due to participative teamwork led by our President Sudhir Mehta.
It is service like this that makes Rotary great in the eyes of the people who so genuinely need this.
Sangeeta Shahani’s support and hospitality
The efficiency of our club rests on the collective participation of so many members and one such special one has been Sangeeta Shahani. Her work around the year has been an active involvement both on projects as well as bringing smiles to the faces of the members.
PP Padma Kapoor shared this picture of not just her hospitality but also how she supports storage space on many of our incredible projects.
See the images of the potlas and the support she gives in organizing these things.
Every Anniversary and birthday has been celebrated in a special manner with her managing to send the cake and a diary on their respective occasions. This is done on the vision of President Sudhir Mehta.
Here’s an image of the diary that I had received on my birthday
Here’s also a cake that went to Rtn Alka on her anniversary
Rtn Sanjay Mehta Invited as a Speaker in the District 3141 Public Image Seminar
The idea for him was to speak up on how to amplify good causes and initiatives effectively. His talk centered around helping Rotary clubs to understand how to get their image building and PR on the right track.
He focused on giving a fundamental approach to getting this done right since having a prescriptive approach may not have been appropriate to get results.
He strived to explain this through a framework route that addressed 4 key simple questions:
Why | What | How | Where
- Why – Why do you need to amplify the Rotary work? The need for Why keeps coming in front of our faces loud and clear
- What – What do you talk about? It cannot be a one size fits all approach rather it is about tailor-making your content to the right audience for achieving the desired purpose
- How – What is the kind of content that you do. This is again about the content in light weight, middle weight, and heavy weight and how to use all the 3
- Where – Where attempted to address the different channels, social media, PR, E-mail, Print, Television, etc.
The event also required the 3 Speakers to evaluate the videos that had been done by the different clubs and submitted for a contest. The videos were shared by around 30 clubs. What came out clear was that the actual executed work of Rotary was deeply impressive however the way they were showcased could be improved quite a bit.
RC Deonar in Dream Rotary Quiz
Rtn Rajith Menon continued the winning streak by being at the top slot of the Dream Rotary Quiz.
Appreciations poured in large numbers for this WIN.
Wow-Rajith once again-so proud of YOU 👏 👏👏
Rtn Dr. Sunil Keswani
Rajith – You don’t need encouragement. You are self motivated. Being genius is incidental. All the Best -Bro. 👍👏
AKS Rtn Kulbhushan Jetly
District’s Reimagine – Membership, Literacy, and Public Image Seminar
This was an initiative driven by the Alpha year team and our club was represented by PP Prabodh Sharma. He brought immense learning to us in all the areas. Here is an update on the same:
The Speakers for the program were:
- Public Relations – Divya Tejuja
- Power of Communication – Ameer Jaleel
- Advertising – Where v/s How – Prasoon Pandey
- Branding – Prahlad Kakkar
We also had our esteemed Rotarian Speakers:
DGE Sandeep Agarwalla on his Vision for Alpha year, PDG Shashi Sharma on Power of Brand Rotary, PDG Jayant Kulkarni & PRID Ashok Mahajan gave an overview of Membership in Rotary and its importance.
Several other sessions were done by distinguished Rotarians of our district in the areas of Adult Literacy, IT Innovation, TEACH initiative, Environmental Science Studies as a co-curriculum in Schools, District Thrust, Initiating Nature clubs in Schools, Social Media to be used as an innovative tool.
Panel Discussion on Membership moderated by Dr Indumati
A short global update for you all: As of Feb 22, 2022
- Total Members – 1.192 million
- Clubs – 36,754
- Average – 32 members per club
- Foundation Contribution – Has grown up from US$ 64.8 million in 1995-96 to US$ 400 in 21-22
PRID Ashok Mahajan spoke on the importance of forming new and strong clubs. He also encouraged the clubs to ask the following questions:
Questions to ask:
- Is Rotary becoming expensive
- Is it attractive to the younger gen
- Is there groupism in the club
- Is fast-paced life keeping younger people away
Each club needs to study:
- Why members join Rotary
- Why they remain
- Why they leave
- Clubs should give members more than they demand
Pink Auto + CM Sawant + Rtn Kannan
You must be thinking how come Kannan comes into a project that is so dear to Rtn Alka Murli.
Well, Kannan discovered a very interesting and apt image of Goa CM Pramod Sawant rolling out Pink Auto in the State.
The announcements give credit to Rotary and that is where the work started by us and gradually being led by us jointly with the District comes into play.
CM Sawant said that the first fleet of the Pink Rickshaw initiative will feature 14 women drivers, adding that the state government had partnered with the Rotary club for this initiative.
Click this article to know more: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/goa-to-start-women-run-pink-rickshaws-cm/articleshow/91161990.cms
Pink Auto Progress Update – This time by Rtn Alka Murli
Ghatkopar – The bank loan process is on and very soon the autos will be in the hands of the lady drivers.
Shelu Batch – Licensing process is over for all 3 candidates. Now loan processing will start and would now be ready to get their autos in a few weeks.
Boisar – 4 girls are taking training at Palghar. They have finished their training & licensing. These got flagged off on the OCV day of RC Tarapur Boisar. DG Rajendra Agarwal was extremely delighted and appreciated the girls for taking up this training and taking steps towards self-reliance.
RC Deonar shining in District Grant
The district communicated a list of clubs in which RC Deonar came up in the category of projects completed. It only shows how much action-oriented Rodeos are.
Update of 2nd Global Grant – Application Submitted
The progress of our 2nd global grant was initiated in the previous month. As it continued, our team led by President Sudhir, PP Padma and Medical Director Rajashri got the approval of an amount of Rs. 5 lacs through Savex for our TLH Pediatric Heart Surgery Global Grant GG 2237777 as their contribution.
Gratitude to Rtn Kalra Ji for his continued engagement and support with this esteemed donating partner.
This ultimately makes our Global Grant project even more powerful
Global Grant with RC Bombay Worli
RC Deonar is one of the partner clubs contributing US$1500 to the grant on Cochlear Implants jointly in association with RC Bombay Worli.
Our largeness in terms of such projects is simply on the rise.
Padma you are very humble & modest. You have been spearheading and with your help only this was possible
President Sudhir Mehta
Clothes distribution in association with FirstCry
Jointly with FirstCry, we led the 1st phase of the distribution of clothes to the needy kids in the Jai Ambe Nagar slums of the Mankhurd area. They were distributed to around 200 children. The product was of amazing quality and every pack had 4 pcs of clothing comprising of a mix of shirt/ shorts/ tees or frocks and tights.
The distribution area was carefully chosen since this slum had migrant workers who work in the construction industry and many also into many into pre-monsoon gutter cleaning.
In addition to Rotarians, the presence of PP Padma Kapoor’s granddaughter – Vidusha, and her active participation always adds a special flavor to our projects.
Watch out for this space as we get into the balance phase of distribution in the coming months.
Speaker Session – Karan Shrivastav – Experience of Bike Journeys
Rtn Jiten Bharadwaj continued his incredible work of inviting some awesome Speakers.
He shared the profile of Karan whose session was loved by all the attendees:
By Profession, Karan is a Workforce Manager however by Passion, he is a Biker
He started riding in 2017 and so far have ridden around 25 thousand km… it’s not much by any standards but still decent enough given the time constraints.
He is always accompanied by Wolfe Pack Mumbai Chapter. Of the several trips done, few of them have been like the following:
- Mumbai to Goa and Back
- Mumbai to Srivardhan and Back
- Mumbai to Guhagar and Back
- Mumbai to Statu of Unity and Back
- Mumbai Parshuram Kund and Back
He took us deeper into a biker’s life- the passion, the highs and lows, the learnings when you are riding with a team, the people you meet and what you can learn from them, and much more.
He spoke about the bike journeys and members found it quite inquisitive.
Jiten, once again – You got your friend – Karan Shrivastav and his team. We had a thrilling evening and got to learn from their experiences. What all we can explore on the trips in addition to service with the local communities as well.
Club Secretary – Rtn Hema Subramaniam
Speaker Session – Jhankar Gadkari – Rajputana…Land of Pride & Sacrifice
This was a joint meeting with RC Bombay Uptown
This evening was quite special with one of our most knowledgeable Rtn Jhankar Gadkari talking on an extremely interesting topic and the recognition of the Jetly family was done in an awesome manner.
Recognition of Anushka Jetly with AKS KB Jetly Ji
The family of Jetly Ji is known for their deep generosity across generations.
Our veteran Rtn Jhankar introduced Pitamah to RCB Uptown in his inimitable style
The recognition of the Jetly family was the hallmark of the evening
Rtn Vishnu Kamat aptly made a comment about Jetly Ji:
You have been a inspiration to many in the club.
I am one of them.
You have never accepted “impossible” as a response and always found a way through in any difficult situation.
Jetly ji, You have been a inspiration to many in the club. I am one of them.
You have never accepted “impossible” as a response and always found a way through in any difficult situation.
Rtn Vishnu Kamat
One Man Army – Rtn Vishnu Kamat in Action
PP Rtn Padma Kapoor shared how our very own Vishnuji distributed clothes, chocolates, and biscuits to street dwellers under Amar Mahal bridge and under Kurla bridge.
2 Days of Club Picnic @ Mahabaleshwar
What was announced last month successfully happened from 28th May to 30th May i.e., 2 Nights and 3 Days at Heritage Resort in Mahabaleshwar!
Day 1 saw celebrations of Rtn Ravi and Ann Radhika’s wedding celebrations as well.
The club members created memories of a lifetime enjoying the weather, bonding, and camaraderie. Rtn Sangeeta Shahani left no stone unturned to make this trip truly a memorable one.
How Rotary helped an Unknown Girl
This is a story of how our club members on the spot decided to help a girl about whom they knew nothing.
Recently, we had our member’s picnic fellowship at Mahabaleshwar in the State of Maharashtra.
On the way back, the bus had stopped for a tea break at one of the popular food courts near the Khalapur Toll.
While our members were chatting and enjoying the time that they spent together, one of the young girls studying psychology in the 3rd year at Amity University approached us.
She expressed her plight to our member Rtn Shivani Bansal and shared that her bus had a breakdown and if we could extend our support to her. The tire of that bus had some issues and they were struggling to get things sorted.
The presence of mind of Rtn Shivani immediately got her to discuss this with some of our other members and the decision was taken instantly to drop her where she needs to.
She was all alone and it was a matter of mutual trust on both sides. We had our bus filled with members and their families and thus this student named Jaee Bhilare also found a friend in Tanisi Jaydeep who also has been studying the same subject and is one of our member’s daughter. Our interactions also made us aware that she is a contemporary and jazz dancer.
While one might think – what’s so great about this however if we just pause for a moment to reflect, there is indeed a great message here:
- Positive brand image for Rotary in a Youth’s mind
- We reinstated the thought that help can be extended to anyone in any corner irrespective of whether we know them or not
- A friendship that happens here can last for a lifetime
- Message for our own children as to how we as Rotarians took action to help her when she needed it the most
- Message for the community at large which goes from both the sides – we have taken our step by helping and then talking about it
I spoke to Jaee Bhilare and this is what she expressed:
Bus journey from Mumbai to Pune has been a routine for me from the past 2 years because of my college.
But last week, I had the most unexpected journey.
My bus broke down and I was dropped off to my location by Rotarians.
When my bus broke down, I saw this private bus parked right opposite to us. I honestly did not expect to receive help but I thought there is no harm in asking. I approached a group of ladies and asked them if there is an extra seat in the bus.
From the very first interaction, the lady was compassionate and went out of her way to talk to her friends. Within a few mins, they agreed to drop me off and helped me with my bag. I happily joined them.
After entering the bus and speaking to a lady next to me, is that I realised that it was a private bus booked by the Rotary club. I interacted with a number of individuals from different age groups and experiences.
Without knowing any of them, I instantly felt safe and comfortable around them. They were fun and kind and the entire bus had this family kind of vibe.
I feel women have a 6th sense and they know when something isn’t right. I never felt that throughout the journey. I feel as women, it’s extremely important for us to make a well calculated decision. We shouldn’t shy away from seeking help.
I have never been a part of Rotaract and this was my first interaction with them. This is honestly an incident I’ll never forget.
I hope I can just pass forward the help I received.
Jaee Bhilare
Speaker in RYLA
I had the opportunity to be invited as a Guest Speaker for an RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) event organized by Rotaract Club of DYPSBB Satellite City, Navi Mumbai in partnership with their parent club RC Satellite City Navi Mumbai.
Click on this link for more : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cds7kINjaLh/
Blue Ribbon Engagement continues…
Blue Ribbon is an initiative from which we draw inspiration. Taking a cue from this, a series of posts has been initiated, and here’s another one for your reference.
Visibility:
Rotary News
Click here to check the following coverage:
RCC – Eventful coverage of the work done in the last 25 years
Able to Ability – Work led by Rtn AV Suresh
Blue Ribbon in Rotary News Plus…
Click on this PDF to read the news
PDG T.N.Subramanian (Raju) in Action!
In the previous month, you had seen him talking about the COL during a video chat with me. We had also seen how esteemed PDGs from across the World gave their thoughts on how meticulously and seamlessly he managed to steer the COL playing dual hats.
This month he released the news of being invited to moderate a session on ‘What happened in COL 2022’ at the Rotary Convention on 8th June ’22.
In addition, he was also invited to deliver the Key Note Address at the DTTS and DTA of RID 3181 titled Adhyayana.
Installation Ceremony – RY 2022-23
The curtain-raiser for the new year typically happens with this formal ceremony.
President-Elect Rtn Vidhya Subramanian shared this for every member to block their date for the upcoming installation ceremony scheduled on 26th June.
Mind You – It isn’t happening in Chembur – Sharing this since our mind works in auto mode and it’s important to note that the venue is Powai.
Be at your best in this power ceremony that will have the Who’s Who from the Rotary World
Celebrations:
Jaisal Jetsey inspiring Gujarat journey
His message in the group along with a plethora of images spoke volumes of his commitment and passion for Rotary:
Dear Rodeos – I am visiting Kutch after a very long time. On Day 1 – We visited RC Bhuj at their meeting place at the Rotary Community Centre, Bhuj.
RC Bhuj was Chartered on 19th May 1943. As part of their Charter Day celebrations, they are off to Manali.
The current President Abhijeet Dholakia is a third-generation Rotarian. His grandfather was a Past President, his dad Bharat Dholakia is a Past President, and now Abhijeet.
The road leading to the Community Centre is named the Rotary Library Road. I was told that PP Bharat and PDG Raju are friends. He also shared his visit plans to RC Mandvi and RC Mundra
Seen in the image is also Ann Anjal at the Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj.
Jaisal Jetsey
Shivani Bansal’s ‘All Girl’sTrip’ to Mcleodganj
Mcleodganj is a beautiful town situated near upper Dharamshala. It is famous for being home to the world-renowned Tibetan spiritual leader the 14th Dalai Lama.
The images brought happy emojis from so many members the moment Rtn Shivani Bansal shared the mesmerizing moments from her all-girls trip to Dharamshala.
Shivani also shared a special tip for all the members:
This was an all-girl gang trip to Mcleodganj. No husband and bachcho ka khich khich. One should really do these kinds of trips occasionally. It’s a real stress buster.
Shivani Bansal
Kannan’s heart beats for Rotary
The loving couple Nalini and Kannan were at a wedding in Chennai and they shared this image of their meeting with Rtn Ramadurai, Assistant Governor of RC Tank City from RI District 2981 who also attended the wedding as a guest.
Rtn Cdr Jana Babu in reading mode
Cdr Jana shared this image taken by his adopted grand-daughter who comes to read newspapers to him.
Jana babu you look great 👏👏
President Sudhir Mehta
Herzel completes his 10 days of Vipassana
The image of Herzel finishing his 10 days of Vipassana immediately brought happiness and messages of the members. Some went ahead to even name him as Baba …combination of his long beard and this new status 😉
Actor cum Annette Pallavi Kulkarni in News
Rtn Kavita Kulkarni shared the article that featured her daughter – Annette Pallavi Kulkarni in Bombay Times. It covers the story of her transformational journey – both physically and mentally.
If you haven’t read it – take a glance now!
Shashtipoorthi Celebrations
Rtn Alka and Ann Murli celebrated the Shashtipoorthi celebrations. Rodeos enjoyed and had a gala time.
What you believe, you become!
Rtn Jhankar Gadkari shared images of these paintings with an awesome message.
Cricket with Nandu
Rtn Nandu Shenoy shared about his selection to represent India in 60+ organized by the Veterans Cricket Tournament Committee. The World Cup will be held in Australia from 19th to 30th Sept 2022. The month brought cricket into action from his side.
Women in Rotary
Did you know?
4th May 1989 is the date on which Rotary’s COL approved Female Membership into the World of Rotary.
Here’s the image that was shared by PP Rtn Padma Kapoor to showcase this
Rtn Sanjay Mehta & Guess Where in Mumbai
The image shared by Rtn Sanjay Mehta ran in the Whatsapp group like a quiz competition with a lot of enthusiasm however without a prize.
He clicked this during his morning walks.
It is outside of the One International Centre building on Senapati Bapat Marg, close to the Elphinstone Road signal.
Rtn Dr. Sunil Keswani Shining at Smile Discon
RID 3142 invited Rtn Dr. Sunil Keswani as one of the Speakers at the Smile Discon that took place at the JW Mariott, Pune.
He very humbly expressed himself stating:
As Doctors we have the privilege of the audience listening to us attentively and with a little more respect than other speakers
Also talking about LIFE-SAVING PROJECTS like SKIN BANKING gets you the desired accolades and applause-deserved or not🤔
Just incidentally we are in the profession of “Relieving Pain and Curing Disease”
We Doctors are blessed 😇
Dr Sunil Keswani
I take this moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the entire team who’s been working on this newsletter tirelessly month after month.
Which project has inspired you the most?
As an external visitor, what questions do you have in mind that we could help you with?
We would be more than happy to have your thoughts and suggestions penned in the comment section below.
With the Rotary Year coming to a close…our projects are continuing with the same zeal and momentum – keep watching out this space for more
Let us continue to do our bit and ‘Serve to Change Lives’
Have you signed on https://my.rotary.org/en (This will open a whole host of information for you to discover and learn more about Rotary)
With Rotary Cheers!
Vivek, yet another master piece. Excellent layout and contents showcasing the fabulous work of the Rodeos of RCD…motivating and interesting. Well done PR team