This Club is like a 'District within a District', says DG Ulhas

District Governor Dr. Ulhas Kolhatkar has urged the Rotary Club of Bombay to step up its efforts in the most important thrust areas of the year 2007/08–The Rotary Foundation and Rotary Membership.

Having collected over US $2 million last year, District 3140 has become the biggest contributor to The Rotary Foundation, up from the sixth, fifth or third positions that it occupied. “We achieved this unique benchmark due to the efforts of the Rotary Club of Bombay and others.”

Chief Guest at the last meeting, DG Ulhas said that there seemed to be a rift within the R.I. lute, what with there now being fewer than 1.2 million Rotarians in 532 Districts throughout the world.

Community Service - Human Development Director Zinia with Ajit, Kalpnan and Nareshkumar

Membership had, therefore, become a prime concern. And although Rotary was growing in India, in the Philippines and in many countries, “perhaps we are losing in other parts of the world”.

The Governor noted that President Rumi had initially committed US $25,000 for The Foundation. But after 15 days, he was talking of US $50,000. “I think if I had waited a few more days, say till the end of July, he might have gone up to US $1,00,000!”

DG Ulhas started his talk by acknowledging his teachers in medical school –the first was Dr. Rumi Jehangir; the second PDG Dr. Shirish Sheth; and the third PP Dr. Adi Dastur. He confessed that he found it difficult to address the President as “Rumi”. For, he had always spoken of him as “Jehangir Sir”.

Community Service - Youth Director Bimal with Deepak and Sunny Pariyaram (right)

Going on, he said, “What can I say to a Club that is older than my father? I am thankful that Rumi began with a story about the child whose father told him ‘You have still not asked for any help from me’. I will go a step further and ask for help from the Rotary Club of Bombay because this Club is like a District within a District”.

Addressing the Rotary Club of Bombay was somewhat akin to a grandchild advising a grandfather on matters on which he himself knew very little.

Overcoming his reluctance, DG Ulhas spoke on aspects of Indian philosophy which had been adapted by China and Japan (and renamed “Zen”) and also by Western and global movements which distilled it and utilised its essence to impart the lesson of service to the community.

Community Service - Education Director Anil with (from left) Tarjani, Ajay, Arjun and Arun

Rotary “teaches us in a spiritual way to serve the people. We know the strength of Rotary in terms of man, money, mind, material and minute management, or the ‘5M’ principles of management… But there is something beyond this that Rotary gives us, and that is Awareness”.

Going on, DG Ulhas regaled members with a brief account of how Rotary punctured the ego.

“It starts beautifully by putting you in charge of some Service Avenue. Gradually, you go up the ladder; you become a Director and then Vice- President and President. Your ego gets inflated like a balloon.

International Service Director Farokh and Shanta; Vocational Service Director Jimmy and Sitaram. Some of the other Chairpersons were unwell or travelling

“And then, some day you may become Governor and the ego is fully inflated, the balloon is fit to burst – and on the very next day (after a count of 365), on the 30th of June, there is a puncture of your balloon and you are back to the original position.

“Rotary does this puncturing of the ego, which is the most important treatment in spirituality, for unless you puncture the ego you cannot evolve. Rotary teaches us all this.”

DG Ulhas offered his good wishes to President Rumi and the Rotary Club of Bombay, stating that he had full confidence in its ability to outshine and outperform itself.

Earlier, Assistant Governor Darshana Doshi introduced DG Dr. Ulhas Kolhatkar, who has been a Rotarian since 1986. President-Elect Ashish Vaid proposed the vote of thanks.