Installation of Team 2013-14

On July 1 every year the Rotary wheel completes full circle. This is the date on which Rotary leadership all over the world changes. It was no different at our Club. The Installation Ceremony on July 1 led to IPP Vivek Gupta handing over the baton to President Hassan Mejie. Prof Hardarshan Singh Mejie was the Chief Guest.

The entire programme was planned and executed by PP Man Mohan Singh Kohli. The function started by observing a one minute silence in remembrance of all the victims of flash flood in Uttarakahand. This was followed by a rendition of Rabindra Sangeet by Sh Subhash Ghosh. His singing of Rabindranath Tagore’s  “Ekla Cholo Re” transported the audience to the cultural capital of India—Bengal.

IPP Vivek Gupta and Rtn Dr I.D. Shukla then gave a presentation on the activities and events held during their tenure. IPP Vivek proudly presented to the members the Best Club of the District trophy and many more awards won at the District Awards function held on 30 June. Among the major achievements were: contribution of  $63,000 to The Rotary Foundation and the exemplary work done under various projects like Heartline and Gift of Vision.

President Hassan Mejie formally took over as the President as IPP Vivek Gupta passed on the collar to him. In his acceptance speech, President Mejie pledged to continue the good work done by his predecessors. He added that he has planned some strategic programmes and events that will involve the youth. “We will also work to enhance the image of Rotary among the general public, as also work towards doubling the contribution to The Rotary Foundation,” he said.

Among the signature programmes he listed the Rotary Big Wheel project to help expand the message of Rotary. Pamphlet dispensers for health education, and the Rotary Magic Fountain to commemorate the eradication of polio from India were other two new projects announced. Also in the pipeline is a mega tree plantation drive in the Sukhna lake catchment area that will not only be addressing the ecological issues but will also help in tackling the monkey menace.

President Mejie also pledged to improve facilities at the Rotary House, as also work to involve the families of the members. Among other major events planned are: food festival to raise funds; encourage citizens to create Endowment funds and leave a part of their estate as a corpus fund with Rotary Club Chandigarh Service Trust, to be used for a cause close to their heart; fund-raising Dinner to collect major funds for The Rotary Foundation.

Chief Guest, Prof Hardarshan Singh Mejie belongs to a family that was at forefront of the freedom struggle of India. He started his professional career a teacher in Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana. Later, he ventured out into business and left an inedible mark both in India and abroad. During his teaching and business life he was always very closely connected with the problems being faced by the society and worked earnestly to resolve them—whether it was collection of funds during Indo-China war or helping engineering student to go abroad in 1960s or helping migrants fleeing war zone in the middle-east. He hung his business boots in 2004 and after distributing most of his assets among his three sons, he transferred assets left with him to Mehar Baba Charitable Trust. Today, his mission and motivation is to serve rural youth and elderly living in over 200 villages of Fatehgarh Saheb.

Prof Mejie began his speech with a question that, he said, has been asked by people for years: “What would it take to change the world?” He then went on to answer it:  “Members of the Rotary already knew the answer. They reached out across the world to help and change the world”.  He added: “Today more than ever there is a requirement to rise above self and reach out across communities.  As Vivekananda said, ‘You cannot help anyone, you can only serve’.”

He very humbly introduced himself as “Hassan’s father”. “It gives me immense pleasure to see my son take over the reins of a wonderful and prestigious Institution,” he said.

He announced a donation of Rs One lakh for the Uttarakhand Flood victims, for which we remain ever so thankful to him.

AG Ajit Singh Gulati read the message of DG Rakesh Aggarwal for the new team.

PDG Kanwal Bedi proposed the vote of thanks. 

Rotary felicitates its partner hospital Fortis on completion of 300 heart surgeries

Rotary Club of Chandigarh recognized its partner, Fortis Hospital Mohali’s contribution on the completion of 300th heart surgeries at the Hospital.


In a function organized in the hospital, Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo, who had initiated the project, complimented the management of Fortis for their fruitful partnership that helped save the lives of 300 children since 2006.

“Let no child suffering from any congenital cardiac disease, die for want of money,” was the commitment that the Rotary Club had made way back in 1999 when it initiated the project as ‘Gift of Life’ and later on renamed it as Rotary Heartline, informed Mr Saboo.

Rotary Club Chandigarh’s president Vivek Gupta informed that the Club had PGI as its initial partner hospital, and later in June 2006 the Fortis Hospital Mohali was also included as partner in order to have the infant patients operated..

Front Row: (L-R) PDG Kawal Bedi, first lady Promilla Gupta
Mrs. Usha Saboo, Club Secretary ID Shukla,
President Vivek Gupta, District Governor Manmohan Singh

Our Partners in Heartline
Fortis CEO Mr. Aditya Vij with Regional Director
Col. H.S. Chahal, Facility Director Mr. Abhijit Singh,
Medical Director & Regional Medical Advisor
Dr. Gurbir Singh

Though the Rotary Club of Chandigarh has so far saved 457 lives since the start of the project in 1999 under leadership of the then club President PDG Rtn. Kawal Bedi, 300 surgeries were conducted in Fortis alone since 2006, added Rotary’s past district governor Madhukar Malhotra.

Thanking the Rotarians for giving Fortis the opportunity to be a part of the noble cause, Mr Aditya Vij, Chief Executive Officer, Fortis Hospital commended the team of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery led by Dr. T.S. Mahant and said that working with Rotary Club had been a great privilege since it was also in complete alignment with the corporate philosophy of Fortis which late Dr. Parvinder Singh, its founder chairman, proclaimed, “"To create a world-class integrated healthcare delivery system in India, entailing the finest medical skills combined with compassionate patient care."

Mr. Vij also announced that Fortis Hospital shall sponsor the free heart surgeries of three children to support the Rotary Club's efforts. 

Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo and club president Vivek Gupta presented a commemorative plaque to Mr Aditya Vij and his team from Fortis as a mark of gratitude on the completion of 300th heart surgeries.

Fortis CEO Arvind Vij, Dr. T.S. Mahant, Past Rotary International
President Rajendra K. Saboo, District Governor Manmohan Singh,
Rtn. Tapishwar Kumar and team Fortis with some of the
children who received the 'gift of life' under Rotary Heartline Project. 

Recalling the first few  surgeries in 2006, Dr. T.S. Mahant, Director, Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery said that the 11-months old Junaid from Karachi, Pakistan was one of the first few infants who was brought in critical stage and was operated successfully.

Since then there had been children from Pakistan, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, and Rwanda besides from various parts of India have been successfully operated, irrespective of their country or creed, through the efforts of Rotary Club of Chandigarh, which had been raising money to fund the project from amongst themselves and the community.

District Governor of D3080, Rtn. Manmohan Singh, handed over gift hampers to the patients who had been operated under the programme. 

Seven Rwanda children arrive for heart surgery under Rotary Heartline

Seven children from Rwanda arrived here today under the Rotary Club of Chandigarh’s Heartline programme for heart surgeries. 

Past Rotary International President Rajendra K. Saboo, who received the seven children and two attendants at the Rotary House, and informed that the Indian doctors had offered to do free heart surgeries for 15 children when they visited Rwanda last year under the intercontinental medicare project.

Rajendra Saboo said that it makes one feel proud that India is able to serve beyond borders reaching out to these children in need with the medical help.

Rotary Club of Chandigarh launched the Rotary Heartline project in 1999 and till date has saved the lives of 442 children under the programme in association with its partner hospitals, PGIMER and the Fortis Hospital Mohali.

Out of these 442 patients, 67 have been from different countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Malawi, Africa, etc., he added.

Out of the 15 children, the first batch of seven arrived today at Rotary House, and range between the age of 2 to 21 years, namely 2 years old Bruno Mugisha, 10 year olds Jonathan Ntakirutimana and Yvette Iragena, 12 years old Jacques Turikumwe, Olivier Habinshuti (13), Gakuru Seminega Fulgece (16), and Joas Nshimiyimana (21).

Heshima Christophe is the escorting nurse, and Mutezintare Pierre Celestin is the attendant accompanying these children from Rwanda.

Eight women honored with Rotary ‘Hamari Beti’ Award

This Monday was a very special day, when our Club conferred Rotary Hamari Beti Awards on eight women achievers for their grit, courage, confidence, and exceptional spirit of moving ahead with aplomb.  And no less than a sitting judge of the Panjab and Haryana High Court, Ms Justice Ritu Bahri, was there to present these awards.

The awardees included IRS officer Monica Bhatia the first Indian woman to head the global forum on transparency of the international body OECD.  Though she had to leave early in the morning on her way to Paris having stopped over for a short while to connect with everyone at home, the Award was received by her proud mother Dr. Nirmal Bhatia.

Babbi Harbhajan Singh, the mother of over 442 heart patients who has been so fondly and affectionately been nursed by her before and after the heart surgery under our club's Rotary Heartline programme.

No less had been the contribution of Amarjit Kaur, who having served in a bank for 20 years, has devoted her life to cremate with full honor and dignity the unclaimed bodies.  She has cremated over 300 such bodies so far, and drives the ambulance herself to carry them to the cremation ground.

Archana Sardana, who has entered into the Limca Book of Records several time, is a dare devil who has conquered all her fear and is first Indian woman mountaineer, sky diver, base jumper, deep-sea diver, etc., besides undertaking all such events to raise awareness about eye donation.

Supreet Dhiman, a successful business woman leading the Chandigarh Adventure Treks and Sports (CATS) had not only been inspiring young and old for exploring the wilds and trekking to unexplored heights, but also engaging the city in voluntary blood donation every three months without fail with over 100 donors walking in  at each camp on an average.

President Vivek Gupta presents the 'Hamari Beti' Award to
Ms Justice Ritu Bahri of Panjab and Haryana High Court.

Hats off to Dr. Archana Singh, chairperson of School of Communication Studies at Panjab University, who adopted the 'Hamari Beti' project of the Club and initiated a weekly programme on campus radio Jyotirgamaya, to spread the message of female foeticide, and other women related issues in the community.

The Club also honoured two young girls from Sacred Heart School, Tarini (12) and Arunima Goyal (14), who have done their family, this city, and the country proud by winning numerous national and international chess championships.

Congratulating the award recipients, Ms Justice Ritu Bahri said that there was a greater need to spread the message across and curb the immoral practices in the society whether it is eve teasing or wife beating, or female foeticide.  The social organisations like Rotary must continue to awaken the masses through its programmes and empower the women to be capable of knowing their rights, and fighting the social evils that are destoying our society.

The programme  began with a moving street play 'Parchhaiyaan' presented by the staff of Mohali-based Gilard Electronics that highlighted the various facets of woman’s life and how her emotions and aspirations get stifled in the society.  The company's directors Ms Guneet Singh and Mr Sanjiv Singh with over a dozen of their employees presented a highly moving mime show that was beautifully punctuated with expressive graphics and background music.

Ms. Justice Ritu Bahri also presented a Commendation Certificate to the team of Gilard Electronics for their theatrical rendition.

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We are 'This Close'.

A team of 27 Rotarians from USA, Australia, New Zealand, and France are in Chandigarh to take part in the fight against polio during the national immunization day (NID).

Led by Cynthia Wright Covington with her husband Barry Walter Covington as co-leader from USA, the team went to various booths in Mauli Jagran, Manimajra town, Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26, to administer polio drops on Sunday, and later today in the morning went for a house-to-house mop up operation.

"India is a shining example in the world in eradicating polio through remarkable collective efforts of government and Rotarians", said Cynthia Wright Covington, who is on her third visit to Chandigarh with the NID team, having come earlier in 2009 and 2011.
The team comprises 23 Rotarians from USA, one each from Australia and France, and two from New Zealand, including 81 years old past district governor William Edward Crawford from US.

Having learnt about this team's trip, a 27-years old Rotaractor from Alaska, Ann Marie, also joined the team at Chandigarh and felt completely transformed having interacted with little children and families in some of the slums outside the city.

After participating in different localities around Chandigarh on Sunday, during the NID, they went around house-to-house for mop up operations on Monday.  Later in the afternoon, as they returned, for a brief stopover for lunch at Hotel Aroma's Aquamarine, they posed for a "This Close" pose for the media.
Later in the evening they attended the reception that our Club organised.
Kudos to PDG Madhukar Malhotra, and Rtn. A.P. Singh for coordinating their visit, Rtn PP Praveen Goyal for providing an overview of polio-eradication efforts made in India,  and all the host Rotarian families who so graciously opened their homes for their visiting guests.