CLUB NEWS - July 1, 2013

E-Club Launched

On 30 June 2013 Rotary Club of Chandigarh Technocity was launched at RVTC, Chandigarh. The E-Club has been sponsored by our Club. IPDG Manmohan Singh collared Rtn Navpreet S. Aujla, the first President of the Club and also presented the Charter to him.

PRIP Raja Saboo, while welcoming the new Club’s members explained how the e-club concept evolved. He appreciated the fact that provision has been made to meet once in a month in the physical space.
IPDG Manmohan Singh said it was indeed a proud moment for him that the second E-club of District 3080 started during his term. He assured the new President and the members of all the help.

President Aujla thanked everyone for expressing confidence in his leadership. This E-Club, he said, will go a long way in providing many busy professionals an opportunity to join Rotary and use this platform to give back to the society.

Rtn Kushwant Gill has been appointed as the Club Secretary, Rtn S.S. Sodhi as Vice-President, Rtn Himanshu Jetly as the Treasurer and Rtn Atul Grover as Sergeant of Arms.

Lucky Draw
The winner of the first Lucky Draw, on 1 July, was Rtn Reema Dewan. We will be having a lucky draw at each regular meeting. Only members will be eligible to participate. This was the first in a row of new ideas/activities planned  for the year.

Fellowship Dinner
A Fellowship Dinner had been  planned for 1 July meeting, but we had to cancel it at the last minute to show our concern and solidarity towards those who lost their lives in the Uttarakhand Disaster. In coming months, we plan to have one fellowship dinner every month (12 in a year under fellowship account ) and the next one will now be on Monday 29 July.

Acknowledgments
PP Baldev Aggarwal hosted the Club Assembly on 16 June, followed by a sumptuous lunch. On 29 June, Rotary House had a blackout because the transmission cables were broken due to wind storm and heavy rains. PP Baldev Aggarwal opened his large heart once again and offered his facilities at Sip n Dine to host the Joint Board of Directors Meetings. Thank you PP Baldev Aggarwal.

Installation—Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik
Pres. Hassan Mejie and PP Praveen C. Goyal attended the installation ceremony of Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik at Sip n Dine on 2 July and  congratulated President Arvinder Kaur Bedi, Secretary Brig. Daljit Singh Dhillon and other team members.

Condolences
We express our heartfelt condolences to Rtn Sanjiv Bawa, who lost his father, and PDG Dhian Chand who lost his son. Our hearts go out to the bereaved families

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.