Rotary Club Of Bombay


Family businesses now have the best of both worlds - the latest in technology and the freedom to make quick decisions Family businesses, decried for long as "capricious, short-lived, small enterprises ", now appear to be enjoying the best of both worlds. Thanks to their size and the freedom to make quick decisions, they can incorporate the best of the latest technology, hire the best brains in the business and take on multinational corporations on their own terms...........more

Use the power of money to serve and to Make Dreams Come Alive, urges new President Ashish Vaid "Why is Rotary so exciting for all of us? It's because we are able to do more through Rotary than we can do alone; we can do more as a Club than we can do as individuals; we can do more as a District than we can do as a Club; and when we look at Rotary all over the world, we can really dream big dreams...........more

Ridden with bugs, racked by delays, located in ramshackle premises; do India's 'temples of justice' really deliver justice? Is justice really delivered to the actual "user" of the law (a litigant)? Is it not true that one can get bail even in a criminal case for a few hundred rupees? Can an iron-clad case in a civil suit (such as non-payment of a bill of exchange or promissory note) or a claim arising out of tort or negligence ensure quick justice?........more

Chinese leader Jiang Zemin says that capitalists are the best communists; and, debunking Chairman Mao, Hu Jin-Tao calls Confucius the very spirit of China What does the average Indian know about China? That it is the most populous country in the world; that it is a good friend of our neighbour Pakistan; and that it is the place from where all kinds of cheap manufactured goods, whether toys, plastic goods, electronic items, kites or Ganapati idols, originate and flood the Indian markets.........more
India's central bank says it would like to join hands with Rotary to serve the community; 'It's part of our Preamble': Deputy Governor The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) surprised members at the last meeting by stating that it was time for the country's central bank to join hands with Rotary and other like-minded non-government, non-profit organisations to better serve the community.......more

Agra drinks the sewage of Delhi; and Allahabad consumes the sewage of both Delhi and Agra! All those who believe that the dire prediction of water shortage is just plain talk, will have to think again. For, according to one of India.s seniormost experts on the subject, the day is not far when only 50% of the water available on tap would be pure water and the rest, treated (or even untreated) sewage.......more

Sheriff Indu believes that she holds 'An Office Of Influence' Forget the romanticised, gun-toting shooters of yore; the role of the Sheriff in a modern, democratic society is to act as a catalyst; to help service-minded people to network with others of their ilk; so that together they can improve things and change te social order......more

Sovereign Wealth Funds could turn out to be the gorilla in the room, says Dr. Mukul Asher Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs for short) is a new nomenclature and applies to a financial instrument that has become a rage in many parts of the world, in the same way that hedge funds and private equity firms are common in India...........more

Just what are SEZs? Are they a 'land-grab' scheme, or an attempt to 'colonise' the country? There is something seriously wrong with the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that the government is promoting. These SEZs are neither likely to earn foreign exchange for the country nor increase employment opportunities..........more

Dr. Farokh Udwadia . His Very Name Spells Compassion. Rotary and Public Awards Committee Chairman PP Sandip Agarwalla, who introduced Dr. Farokh Udwadia, decorated with the .Citizen of Bombay. Award, paid glowing tributes to the man whom every informed citizen knows as one who sets an example and leads from the front rather than merely spouting theory..........more

Multi-talented Boman Irani mesmerises members with his takes on life Sabira Merchant couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at the resume of Boman Irani, the eminent film personality and guest speaker at the last meeting. What she read simply knocked her for a six............more

Gandhian nuclear physicist warns against using nuclear energy to generate electricity Throw away your geysers, immersion rods and other electric appliances; instead, burn some wood between three bricks for a hot bath. It's a more efficient way of heating water...............more

Even a policeman has to wear a seatbelt, says former chief traffic cop Satish Mathur The law does not exempt police personnel from wearing a seatbelt while driving a vehicle. This requirement is mandated by the Motor Vehicles Act and there is no exception to the rule................more

Unanswered question: Was Bhopal gas disaster a failure of industrial safety, or was it sabotage? How does one view the Bhopal gas disaster that occurred in the Union Carbide plant in 1984 and killed and maimed thousands? Was it an unmitigated industrial disaster waiting to happen? Was it the result of the chalta hai safety culture that pervades the country? Or was it just an accident?...............more

Leave behind a legacy of love and passion, District Governor appeals to the Rotary Club of Bombay According to the Indian way of life enunciated by sages over the ages, a person over 70 years of age enters the state of vanaprastha ashram (retiring to the forests and spending time on spreading wisdom and sharing knowledge)..........more

It's official now: the global economic and financial balance has shifted to Asia from the West, says Dr. Surinder Pruthi The world may or not have become flat, but it has certainly changed perspective. And it can be said that the global economic and financial balance has shifted away from the West in ..............more

Want more cheese, insulin, vaccines and serum? No problem, just go for biotechnology To the uninitiated, developments in the fields of biotechnology, molecular biology and other such subjects may sound like distant wonders being performed in some remote, rich pockets of the world...............more

Incoming And Outbound GSE Teams Felicitated Dr. Sandeep Kadam, District Chairman of the Group Study Exchange Committee, gave a lucid description of the GSE programme, including its historical background, while speaking at the last meeting when the two GSE Teams were felicitated. He recalled the words of the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had said that peace could not be achieved through violence; peace could only be attained through world understanding..............................more

J.R.D. Tata was a visionary who was far, far ahead of his times, says his biographer What was meant to be a simple talk on the little things that made Bharat Ratna J.R.D. Tata a great man, turned into an outstanding exposition on the simplicity and humility of a man who thought far ahead of his times but had absolutely no qualms about jumping out of his Mercedes to help push a taxi that had broken down in the middle of the road.......more

From 'venture to adventure'and then back to square one - that's the story of my life, says Farzana Contractorr The story of the life of Ms Farzana Contractor, Editor, Publisher and Photographer of Upper Crust, India's only food, wine and lifestyle magazine, makes for absorbing reading.............more

1050 becomes 1298, but the Heart Brigade beats on in its new 'avatar' The Bombay Heart Brigade which answered to the telephone number 1050, is now emerging in a new avatar which will respond to the old number as well as to a new one -1298. .......more

Margaret Alva laments the alienation and disenchantment of large sections of the population despite high economic growth Economic growth is fine, but the "LPG" syndrome (liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation impacting the country at the same time) has led to disparities between the haves and the have-nots, as also between those who have broken barriers and those who are still left behind......more

Non-traditional security threats have assumed menacing proportions, warns former Vice-Admiral Bangera India does not have the tradition of bringing out white papers even on subjects that concern the country as a whole. On the contrary, secrecy appears to be the watchword.................. more

It's the cost of bribes that keeps the poor in the dark, says 'the man who returned home' An engineering graduate from one of India's best institutions - IIT, Bombay; a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland; the future is his to write; the world at his feet................. more

He's a physician who survived 9/11, a heart attack and cancer, too The guest speaker at the last meeting of 2007 was a short, stocky man full of laughter and fun from............... more

Azim Premji targets primary education; he believes that even a semi-educated girl can work wonders . she will have a small family and ensure health, hygiene and cleanliness Wipro deals in information technology, hardware, software, edible oils, soaps, lamps, laptops and other fastmoving consumer goods. But are you aware that it has set up a foundation that addresses primary education in 16 states covering................ more

You can't prevent ageing, but who says you can't retain your youthful looks, asks cosmetic surgeon "Growing old is inevitable; looking young is negotiable." These "golden" words formed the crux of an interesting presentation on "Cosmetic Surgery" by a wellknown practitioner.........more

What's in a name? Plenty: Bombay was city of prosperity, Mumbai is a land of riots and disorder, says vaastu expert Is the increasing popularity of vaastu shastra a sign of its acceptance as a science, or does it remain confined to the realm of mumbojumbo? Just what is the role of vaastu in a world increasingly enamoured of Harry Potter, .........more

You can interpret art in the same way that you read a novel, says young 'veteran' Jaideep Mehrotra He had his first solo exhibition at the age of 13, has been painting for 40 years and doesn.t look a day over 45 .........more

'Empower Women to Plant Biofuel Trees, and then see the Difference' Environmental scientist Dr. Emmanuel D'Silva, who served for 15 years as Staff Economist with the World Bank, has appealed to Rotary Clubs to adopt a plan of action that would help make a huge difference to the world and, apart from providing .........more

Are the courts ready to learn something new, asks anguished forensic scientist She's a long way from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional Sherlock Holmes, but she knows the facts of forensic science well enough to ask some leading questions of the courts - are you overburdened with legal learning? Are you familiar with science? Can you keep up with scientific advances and the new kinds of evidence being proffered, to sift it, to analyse it and then to accept it or reject it?.........more

From Chembur to Wipro via the USA - with an amazing journey to wizardry thrown in This is the story of a young Chembur boy who went to the USA at the age of 17 after completing his H.S.C. (higher secondary) from Somaiya College to pursue an academic career.........more

Let's have an eco-park at Borivli, says activist; check your premises, say top forest officers A "concerned" citizen and ardent environmentalist appeals to citizens to help save the Borivli National Park, which is a part of the extensive Sanjay Gandhi National Park and considered to be the city.s only surviving .lung., or patch of green.....more

India, with China, tops the list of countries with high-growth sectors and markets; hence the massive foreign capital flows What are the factors that determine investment returns, whether on bonds or equities? To answer this question, Dr. Carlos Asilis, economist with a doctorate from the illustrious University of Chicago, prefers to hark back to the pre-globalisation days, particularly the early. ....more

Marriages in India continue to remain safe, secure and sacrosanct, but... They won by a show of hands as the vast majority remained silent and, for once, fell in the category of "Don't Know" or "Can't Say". ............more

The HTEC at Talwada has done a far better job than the public health sector This may be debatable, but the best compliment ever paid to the work being done by PP Dr. Rahim Muljiani, Chairman Emeritus of the Hasanali Tobaccowala Eye Centre at Talwada, and his team, has come ............more

In a country of a billion people, only 2,500 children take part in competitive sports The most frequently-asked question in India is this: how come we have over a billion people but not one world champion in any sport? An interesting answer to this was provided at the last meeting by Mr. C.G.K. Bhupati, junior tennis star of yesteryears and more famous today as the father of...........more

In hindsight, Nehru was a man without foresight For more than 25 years before Independence, Nehru and other Congress leaders of the time kept asking the British to leave India and demanding .swaraj. or self-rule. But how did they .prepare. for the independence that they were demanding? Did they commission any historian to study the concept and working of .swaraj. before the advent of colonialism? Did they attempt to learn anything from 2,000 years of "swaraj", or from the reigns of Asoka and............more

'Global warming is a result of man becoming a parasite' Man has become a parasite, destroying the host -Planet Earth - to which he is attached. He is using for his benefit all available sources of energy, material and information and in return spewing back into the environment his waste products, thus impoverishing the very system that supports him. This scathing comment was made at the last meeting by Mr. Vijay Crishna, the well-known theatre personality, while speaking on 'Global warming'............more

This man has shown that, if managed well, HIV is just a chronic 'mild' disease To be born, to grow up and to live with HIV as a chronic mild disease. This, in simple words, is the aim of the Hadassah Paediatric AIDS Centre in Jerusalem, Israel, which "hasn't lost even one child during the last ten years. The children grow up and they live with HIV as a chronic and mild disease"..............more

Be warned: 'If war doesn't get you, then science will subsume you' How will man enter the third decade of the 21st century? What is the world going to be like in the year 2020 and beyond? There are two distinct possibilities . man will either be wiped out in a war, or he will be subsumed by science. If he survives war, it is..............more

After a decade of dread, media houses are now breathing easy Ten years ago, most media houses were scared out of their wits, bombarded with prognostications of doom. The newspapers, it was said, �are going to die after ten years� because of the advent of �new media� such as cable, TV, radio, internet and so on..............more

Even as the elite educational system collapses, Muktangan, a new model, is ready for replication From the University of Leeds to a municipal primary school in Worli. That's the story of Liz and Sunil, a duo that decided to light a lamp rather than curse the darkness. It's also the story of Muktangan, their seriously special municipal primary school which imparts priceless knowledge.............more

Money Power And Concept Art Have Pushed The Artiste To The Periphery The world of art has acquired the strangest of labels, viz., 'news value'; advertising agencies and PR agents are available on hire to ensure that an artiste remains "in the news"; few artistes exhibit a feeling of .camaraderie; and no one shares "contacts" or lists of patrons any longer .............more

Indian industry is actively involved in defence production, says chief of Mazgaon Docks Very few people know about it, but warship and submarine building in India has been growing by leaps and bounds and will soon come of age with the impending commission-ing of totally indigenous vessels . vessels fitted with Indian-built wea-pons systems. .............more

'Catch the man who parked a car full of explosives and walked away, but nab the real culprit . the puppeteer' What is terrorism? Is it the result of a certain socio-political environment that most people do not understand? Can terrorists be described simply as idealists gone awry, as people who cannot find any other means of expression? .............more

How, and why, the referee turned into a player Justice Shrikrishna explains judicial activism When three of the four shoulders carrying a palanquin do not apply themselves, the weight falls on the fourth. If the fourth entity also shrugs off its responsibility, then the palanquin is sure to fall. �The palanquin is our Constitution, our Indian polity � and if the strongest of the four (viz., the judiciary) refuses to shoulder the burden, it will certainly fall, and that will be the end of our country �Let us hope that with the kind of.............more

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.........more

The Asian Century Last week, Dr Surinder Pruthi, eminent economist, educationist, management guru, mentor, author and institution builder, spoke on �The Asian Century�. Dr Pruthi did his Ph.D from London School of Economics and Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He was one of the founder professors of IIM Ahmedabad and has been a visiting faculty to Harvard Business School, international senior advisor to United Nations, consultant to World Bank, Central and State Governments of India,.............more

Looking Back with Satisfaction at Habitat - Rotary's Project To Build Houses For The Poor TV anchor Pooja Bedi, who is the goodwill ambassador (India and Asia Pacific) for Habitat for Humanity (HFH), addressed our Club on �Habitat�s efforts�. She has herself been hands-on in building houses for the poor through HFH at Mahad. Our Club�s involvement with Habitat began with its efforts to rehabilitate the victims of the devastating tsunami of 26th December 2004. Together with RC Madras, .............more

Recognizing Bravery of Various Kinds Last week, Vivek Pandit and his wife Vidyullata were honoured with the Rotary Public Awards for Social Excellence. Also Swapnil Jadhav was honoured for his brave act of singlehandedly battling a gang of robbers in Navi Mumbai recently, and successfully capturing one. Introducing Vivek and Vidyutalla Pandit, Rtn Kishor Kher said, �Most of us bemoan the system and often wish we could change it, but don�t have the.............more

Alternative Pathways to Diagnostics and Healing Last week, our Club was addressed by Dr Thornton Streeter, an expert on alternative healing systems, on the topic of �Preventive Healthcare Using New Technologies�. Introducing Dr Streeter, Rtn Jetu Lalvani said, �Medicine is broadly categorised into allopathic and CAM, meaning Complementary and Alternative Medicines. Over time, the strong dividing line between the two has seen migration and collaboration from both sides. Not very long.............more

Lifeline Express: Journey From Despair to Hope On 24th May, a team of dedicated Rotarians, consisting of Preeti & Ratan Tankha, Kishor Kher, Vasant Manohar, Dhananjaya Mehta, Paul George, Pervin Jehangir, Biba and myself, drove to Palghar railway station along with Rtn Akhtarali Tobaccowala to witness the closing ceremony of his foundation�s unique hospitalon- wheels, aptly called the Lifeline Express. This ceremony was graced by the presence of .............more

Relative Advantages of Raising Finance in Domestic & Offshore Markets Last week three highly experienced new-breed bankers addressed our Club: Madan Menon on ��Offshore Debt and equity-linked markets�, Atul Sud on �Domestic Capital Markets�, and Gautam Vir on �Niche banking�. Madan Menon, Managing Director of The Royal Bank of Scotland, started his career at The American Express Bank. Atul Sud started his career in the American Express Bank and.............more

Foreign Newspapers are Entering India Through Local Partnerships Last week, Khozem Merchant, Director of Business Development of Financial Times, addressed the Club on �The changing face of Indian media�.Rtn Roda Billimoria introduced Mr Merchant as a journalist who had held senior reporting and editing positions in UK, Japan and India in the past two decades with the Financial Times............more

How Rotary can help bring together different communities Last week, Rtn Fakhruddin Khorakiwala addressed us after he was given the Citizen of Mumbai Award by our Club. Introducing him, PP Vithal Palekar said, �We couldn�t have made a better choice than Rtn Fakhruddin Khorakiwala. He has done Rotary proud by standing by the four ideals of Rotary............more

The Price that We Collectively Pay for Corruption Last week, Jeevan Virkar, Director General of the State Anti-Corruption Bureau, addressed the Club on, �Corruption in Public Life�. Introducing him, Rtn Anil Harish said, �Jeevan Virkar joined the IPS in 1972. He is a good swimmer and a squash player. He has held various positions as an IPS officer all over the country. He has been in the Ministry of Home Affairs and External Affairs. He was a Consul in Vancouver, Canada.. ..........more

The Art of Breathing Last Tuesday, Paramhamsa Prajnanananda addressed our Club on �Kriya Yoga � the Path to Soul Culture�. Introducing him, Rtn Burjor Poonawala said, �I thought yoga required total abstinance from all the worldly pleasures and was for those who planned to live at least a hundred years. I realised how wrong I was when I heard Swamiji on Kriya yoga�. Born in a small village in Orissa, Swamiji was raised in a profoundly spiritual family. While pursuing a Master�s degree in Economics and ..........more

Racial Stereotyping and Diversity in Britain Last week, Pinky Lilani, OBE, spoke at our Club on the topic of Racism. Introducing her, R�Ann Rashmi Jolly said that Pinky had starred in a TV series on Indian food, was founder chairperson of Asian Women�s Achievement awards and chairperson of the Women of the Future awards, with Cherie Blair as the chief patron. Good Housekeeping magazine listed her as one of the twenty most influential Asian and black women in the United Kingdom. The Confederation of British Industry and .........more

The Hazards of Cross-breeding Pigs with Rice Last Tuesday, Dr Suman Sahai spoke on �Genetically Engineered Crops and Foods� at our Club. Introducing her, PP Kalpana Munshi pointed out that Dr Sahai had a PhD in genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and was honoured with the 2004 Borlaug Award for her outstanding contribution to agriculture and the environment. After serving as a faculty member at Universities in Canada, USA and Germany, she returned to India in 1989 and organized Gene Campaign, an NGO devoted to safeguarding farmers� rights, livelihood and food security.........more

Inspiring Tales of the Nation�s Greatest Entrepreneurs Last Tuesday, our Club was treated to an exclusive screening of Keepers of the Flame, a one-hour documentary film on the life and times of great Tata stalwarts, who were also national figures in India: Jamsetji, Sir Dorab, Sir Ratan, JRD and Naval Tata.The film�s producer and director, Zafar Hai, was personally present for the screening. Mr Hai has won many international awards for his documentary films, and has directed � The Perfect Murder�, a feature film for Merchant Ivory Productions......more

There is only one way to reform an unethcal world: to lead by example Last week, our Club was addressed by Rtn Sudarshan Agarwal, Governor of Uttaranchal, on the subject of �Ethics: a Forgotten Way of Life�. Introducing him, District Governor Dr Bharat Pandya said that Rtn Sudarshan, who was known for simplicity and integrity, had joined the judicial service of Punjab & Delhi in 1956. After 1971, he joined the Rajya Sabha secretariat and served in various capacities. He was Secretarygeneral of Rajya Sabha from 1981 to 1993. In 1986, he was elevated to the rank and status of Cabinet.......more

The Evolution of Mughal Painting Last Tuesday, we were addressed by Dr Heather Elgood, Course Director of the British Museum postgraduate Masters Diploma in Asian Arts. Introducing her, R�ann Rashmi Jolly said that Dr Elgood was a highly qualified and extremely well-read teacher with a deep interest in Asian and Middle Eastern Culture. She graduated in Fine Arts with honours from St Martin�s School of Art, London .......more

Using Information Technology to Empower the System Last week, our Club was addressed by F C Kohli, doyen of the Indian IT industry. Introducing him, PP Vithal Palekar said that Faqir Chand Kohli was formerly Deputy Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and a Padma Bhushan awardee. Our Club recognized .......more

We welcome the Group Study Exchange team from Kansas Last Tuesday, the Club warmly welcomed incoming GSE team from Kansas, USA led by team leader Rtn David Huston of District 5710 and outgoing GSE team led by alternate leader Rtn J Ganesh from Rotary Club of Dombivli. They were accompanied by .......more

Operation Blue Star narrowly averted another partition Our Club was addressed last week by Lieutenant General (Retd) K S Brar on �Myths and Realities about Operation Blue Star�. Introducing Lt Gen Brar, Rtn Pradeep Saxena said that his last assignment in the Army was as GOC-in-C of the Eastern Command headquartered in Kolkata. In the past 15 years during which he stayed in Mumbai, he wrote and published a book on Operation Blue Star. He also collaborated with. .......more

Spreading Good Cheer for Christmas & New Year The Annual Day of The Society for the Education of the Crippled (SEC), and the three day-schools in Mumbai and a rural residential school in Kanhe Phata run by SEC, was held on 15th December at Tejpal Auditorium. President Harry, accompanied by R�Ann Biba, was the chief guest on this occasion. .......more

77th Annual General Meeting Last Tuesday, our Club held its 77th Annual Gneral Meeting to adopt its annual report and accounts for the period 1st July 2005 to 30th June 2006. Addressing the meeting, IPP Gul Kripalani said: �Fellow Rotarians, it feels different today to come back to the mike again after six months. By making me President of our Club last year, you honoured me and gave me an opportunity to serve the community through .......more

Theatre is a great lie that gets us to arrive at a great truth Last week, our Club was addressed by Dr Vijaya Mehta, Executive Director, National Center for Performing Arts, who was given the Shyam Munshi Award for Performing Arts. Dr Mehta founded the pathbreaking theatre group Rangayan in the 60s, which created and fostered a new breed of playwrights, actors, directors and production designers. She acted and directed plays,.....more

The Constitutional Right to Life Encompasses a Wide Variety of Rights; Be Aware of Them and Jealously Guard Them! LAST week, Majeed Memon, well known criminal lawyer, addressed our Club on the topic of �Right to Life, as per the Constitution�. Introducing him, William Klein said, �Since he got his Law degree from Bombay University in 1973, he has become one of India�s eminent defense lawyers, and also a highly respected and outspoken defender of human rights in India. He has constantly exposed and taken to task, the public servants for corruption and abuse of power.....more