The Joy of Giving

Beautiful thoughts penned by Rtn. Arvind Mehan which we share with everyone. A must read:                                    

                               

Just for a moment, pause and think why did someone say, “Give, give till it hurts.” It means that when you give, you must give part of yourself – pouring your heart out with feelings of empathy and concern to the less fortunate. Giving your blood to save a life is a wonderful example. And like they say, money alone cannot buy you happiness; similarly it cannot buy you the “Joy of Giving”. In addition, you have got to volunteer your time and space to share your love and compassion.

To experience this “gift of joy”, giving has to become a way of life. Your action can be as small as giving a smile to someone. You will look beautiful and spread the beauty around. It can be a bit bigger by trying to put a smile on someone's face, be it a stranger, by speaking nicely to him; especially a stranger from whom you have nothing to expect. You will be sweet and spread the sweetness around. Now try to be sensitive and caring to those around you - at home, the neighbourhood or work place. Lend your ear to someone, give a healing touch to a sick person, or show your respect and care to a lonely, elderly person. You will be kind and spread the kindness around you. It’s time to start counting your blessings! You will start enjoying life again – every breath, every heartbeat.

Now, try to part with a portion of your earnings to help the poor, or take some of your time out of your busy schedule to go out and serve a needy in distress. Then go ahead thank him for giving you the opportunity to serve. You will feel so powerful, yet so humbled. You will start realizing that giving more of yourself strengthens your bond with humanity and also with the real provider, God. If you want to create a wall between you and Him, hold back your giving. The more you hold back your hand the weaker your connection with Him. Give Him your all – in total surrender, and then see the joy. If you just think when you give, it is He who is giving through you, He starts flowing through your Bloodstream!

It is an amazing, uplifting feeling only to be experienced – how, by giving, you get that wonderful sense of gratitude, much more than the recipient; the satisfaction bestowed on you through an action where God simply made you an instrument for helping society through you. He especially chose you because He had confidence in your abilities. Do not let this opportunity pass. It may never come again. You never know, in the cycle of life, it may return one day staring you in the face when you may be at the receiving end. Let us not wait for that to happen. Let us celebrate our good fortunes and "Give, give till it heals the soul ".

                                                                                                          

                                                                                                           

Indian doctors to conduct polio surgery in Nigeria

A 24-member team of doctors is ready to fly to capital city Abuja in Nigeria on 2nd December, to conduct over 400 polio-corrective surgeries.
The team of India-Nigeria Polio Surgeries Medicare Mission comprises 12 ortho-surgeons, five anesthesiologists, one pathologist, one general surgeon, and five volunteers from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttrakhand.
The team of Doctors and Volunteers for this mission is from Districts 3131, 3132, 3080, 3201 & 3150 in India, who are being assisted by Rotarians from District 9125 & 9140 in Nigeria, with PDG Rtn. Dr. Deepak Purohit from District 3131 as the Chief Project Coordinator, and PDG Rtn. Dr. Rajiv Pradhan as the contact person for this Matching Grant project.
Inter-continental Medicare Missions were conceived by Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo in 1998, and since then he has led various medicare missions to different countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Cambodia, Madagascar, Lesotho, Congo, Rwanda, etc., besides leading similar missions to the interiors and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Nigeria is one of the three remaining endemic countries in the world along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and so long as there is even one country in the world affected by polio, it would continue to endanger the lives of the children everywhere, Rtn. Saboo feels.
This polio corrective surgery project is different; since it is for the first time a single speciality surgical team is going to Africa.
“Certain sections of the population in Nigeria, which is still a polio endemic country, are resisting immunization efforts due to several misconceptions, and we hope that an initiative like polio corrective surgeries would help us send a strong message to the people and create an atmosphere of faith in this world-wide efforts to immunize children against polio,” Mr Saboo informed.
Similar situation in India was tackled in UP and Bihar through Rotary’s efforts to conduct similar camp in which nearly 4,000 children and adults underwent polio-corrective surgeries, he added.
“India as a country was always looked upon as a nation that would be looking for help from the outside help but with a whole lot of talent and expertise available in the medical field, the medical mission provided us the opportunity to reach across the borders with medical care for the people in need,” Rajendra K. Saboo says.
The doctors from India would be taking along specialized surgical equipment, medical supplies and would also train the local doctors in the procedures as well as making of prosthetic limbs.
From our District 3080, the team members include Rtn. Dr. J.P. Nawani from Dehradun as ortho-surgeon, along with three volunteers, namely PRIP Rtn Raja Saboo, and Rtn. Charanjit Singh from Chandigarh, and Dr. S.K. Sablok from Nahan.

We have never stopped. Should we now?

The fight must go on till we have erased it One Hundred Percent.