President Blog

President's Message on Installation - 24 June 2023

Dear Fellow Rotarians and R’Anns,
By choosing me to lead the Club during Rotary Year 2023-24, you have bestowed upon me an
honour, that I will strive to live up to. For this I would require the support of all of you. The
discerning may have noticed that I have added R’Anns in the address line, a deliberate departure
from the norm; this stems from the fact that men and women are equal partners in a marriage -- the
‘Ardhangini’ concept, and so are they in the Club.
Our Club will turn 40 this year, having been chartered on the 7 th of January 1984, and I have been a
part of the last ten years of its glorious history, ten years that have actually served to change my life.
RCPC is blessed to have on its rolls very senior Rotarians on one end of the scale, and some very new
Rotarians at the other end, who need to be nurtured and brought into the fold to become effective
Rotarians. This will be the common goal of the current Board of Directors – which is composed
exactly as the situation demands; we have five Past Presidents, five members who have spent less
than three years in the club, and five directors who have between five and fifteen years of
experience.
Our task as a team is therefore cut out: for us to “Create Hope in the World”, which is the theme
announced by the RI President, through projects that will have a positive impact on the lives of
people who deserve our attention, service projects – both Medical and Non-Medical, whether
funded by our own members or via the CSR route, or Global Grants. Youth Service has been my
personal favourite over the years, and will receive special attention through the year, and as a wise
person once said, it is good to show youth the way, it is better to walk with them.
We have a dynamic District Governor in Rtn Manjoo Phadke, who has spelt out the District Thrust
Areas; dreams which can be fulfilled through the synergetic efforts of several clubs. These are
excellent projects, and we will be participating in several of them.
Persistent efforts by President Uday and his team have ensured a smooth transition from the virtual
world to the physical world, and proved that even a pandemic of the magnitude of Covid -19 is not
enough to prevent RCPC being the shining light of District 3131. The inertia has been overcome, now
we need to create the momentum by generating the required force (my thanks to Newton), so that
every action has a favourable reaction! My appeal to members, especially the newer ones and their
spouses is, come, please participate in projects of your choice, ones that are dear to you, ones where
you feel that you can make a difference, ones that excite you.
Club Meetings are an extremely important part of the Rotary journey, and it will be our endeavour
to make all the meetings interesting – whether through external speakers, internal speakers or
innovative programs. Attendance at meetings is a commitment all of us made when we became
members of the club, and we need to fulfil this commitment to the best of our ability. Chronic
absenteeism will only lead to a person’s inability to contribute towards the forward march of the
club. So please come and attend the meetings, and help our program committee by suggesting
speakers, conducting internal programs or participating in them; but do come, and enjoy the
meetings; bring your friends; bring potential members; help your club grow.
There are a lot of thoughts one needs to share but I shall hold them in abeyance for the time being,
and unravel them as the year starts rolling on through the Club Bulletin and other social media. I
remember that Rtn PP Rakesh Bhargava (2013-14), who inducted me into the club, gave us the
slogan, ‘Enjoy Rotary, Change Lives’. Looking at the history of the club, that year stands out as one of
the best years for RCPC, in every sense. Thus, I have no hesitation in using his words as I coin my
motto for the year – ‘Enjoy Rotary, Create Hope in the World’.

R'Ann Dipti joins me in wishing each of you and your loved ones a wonderful Rotary Year ahead, and
we look forward to interacting one-to-one with all members and their spouses. So let’s go ahead full
of Hope, as we celebrate the Ruby Anniversary Year of RCPC.
Cmde Ajay Chitnis
President RCPC 2023-24

President's Message 01 July 2024

Dear Rotarians and R'Anns,

At the outset let me thank all of you for attending the Installation Ceremony in such large numbers, despite the inconvenience caused by the heavy rains that heralded the arrival of the much wanted monsoon. I take the timing as a blessing from nature for the event.

In this first message I would like to pay a tribute to all our Past Presidents; they are the pillars of this club, and continue to remain engaged in all our activities, our projects, our fellowships and indeed all our endeavours to 'Create Hope in the World'. Ever since I was nominated to be the President a year and a half ago, I have been saying that this is one of the greatest assets of the club, and a resource that needs to be tapped. With the help of the Club Trainer - Rtn PP Madhu Rathi, we have named many of them as Mentors for various Directors. There is no dilution in the autonomy or responsibility of the Directors, but just an additional team member they can turn to for advice when required. I look forward to a healthy mutual relationship through the year.

Our plan is to hear from these stalwarts about their experiences, and to that end

we will be having a new column, "Past President Speaks", in the Central Turf, and in the same week give them about three to five minutes to address the members during our club meeting.

Wishing you all a very happy and engaging Rotary Year ahead.

Yours in Rotary,

Ajay Chitnis

President's Message 08 July 2023

President’s Message
At the outset huge thanks to all of you who made it to the first meeting despite the continuous rains
and terrible traffic conditions. We had a full house, which was encouraging not only to our
performers of the evening but to me as well. My sincere thanks to Rtn Vipen for conducting the
evening’s program with panache and bringing out the best from Lt Col Rohit Pradhan and Aniruddha
Gaikwad. The fact that we were able to induct two new members at our first meeting also augurs we
for the club. ‘Well begun is half done’, is an old adage; I would like to add – ‘it’s only half done’. Now
begins the important part – keeping the new members engaged, and ensuring that they become
‘True Rotarians’, as we made them pledge. Dear friends please reach out to some of our newer
members who have been conspicuous by their absence at club meetings, especially members whom
you may have sponsored, and find out ways of making them come and attend meetings, participate
in projects, and enjoy Rotary, as you are hopefully doing! I am sending an article from an old issue of
the ‘Rotarian’ to the editor to publish; it is an eye-opener.

Article for Central Turf

The Member Who Never Came Back

It amuses me to think that your organization spends so much time looking for new members when I
was there all the time. Don’t you remember me? I am the fellow who came to every meeting, but
nobody paid attention. I tried to be friendly, but everybody seemed to have his own friends to talk
to and to sit with. I sat down among some unfamiliar faces several times, but nobody paid much
heed to me. I hoped someone would ask me to join a committee or somehow participate – but no
one did. Finally, because of illness, I missed a meeting. No one asked where I had been. I guess it did
not matter whether I was there. Who am I? I’m the member who never came back.
I sincerely hope this does not happen in RCPC --- Ajay Chitnis

President's Message 15 July

The week gone by has been a hectic one, with Installations galore and an eye checkup
camp. Attending Installations and projects gives one real satisfaction of being a
Rotarian and a part of the organization dedicated to doing good in the world. While the
various installations are reported in this issue, I would like to dwell on the ‘Doing Good’
part.
We visited Dakshana Foundation’s Campus near Village Kadus in Rajgurunagar Taluka,
where the Eye Checkup Camp was organized by Rtn Oni, R’Ann Nafisa and team
Community Eyecare Foundation. It was a real eye-opener for us; an ultra-modern
facility for coaching ‘scholars’, as they are called, in the middle of nowhere. 400 Boys and 200 girls from the lowest
economic strata of society, are being trained for competitive examinations like JEE and NEET. Everything they
require is provided to them – hostel facilities, nutritious food, uniforms toileteries, laptops, books, writing material
et al, at no cost to the parents. These boys and girls are picked up from among 60,000 applicants who have passed
their 12th grade, mostly from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. We met students from Ladhakh, Manipur, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra … almost all states of India. The faculty was highly professional and at par with any of the
coaching institutes. Dashana Foundation is a Charitable Organization founded by Mr Monish Prabrai, an NRI;
another great example of ‘Doing Good’. May his tribe increase !

President's Message 22nd July 2023

‘Do Good in the World’, is the well-known Rotary motto; I would like to modify it a bit:
‘Do Good in the World, but also be prepared to have it audited!
While we had a Cadre Visit to audit our Eye Surgeries last week, this week we had a
group of 21 Rotarians and three Senior Members of the Rotary Foundation Team from
Evanston visiting us for ‘Sustainability Training’. A Global Grant Project done by us over 6
years ago was chosen by Rotary International to carry out Cadre Training on
Sustainability. Rotary International now feels that all projects should be checked for
‘Sustained Impact’ on the Community for which it was originally done.

I am happy to report that the project – which made possible by donations from Rotary Club of Great Falls and Arya
Omnitalk, was done so well that it passed scrutiny even five years down the line. RCPC had provided an IT Lab and
E-Learning kits to four schools under this GG Project, and they are all working and being well used even today in the
schools. Lavish praise was heaped on ‘Pune Central’ by all Rotarians and the Team members. Give yourselves a big
hand RCPC’ians! The collage of photos speaks for itself.
Lesson learnt from this visit: Whenever you do a Happy School Project, start an Interact club there, so that the
school will be visited by Youth Directors and Presidents in the years to follow.

President's Message 05 August 2023

It may seem that there has been a lull at RCPC because we have not met as a club for two
weeks, but that is not really so. On Saturday, the 22 nd of July all roads led to Marigold
Banquets at Bavdhan where the District Awards Ceremony, ‘Pinnacle’ was happening. It was
unprecedented to be amongst the 14 club mates who lustily cheered literally a raining of
awards for IPP Uday Dharmadhikari and his team.
On the 29 th July 23 the road leading to Mahabaleshwar was well tenanted by RCPC members
weaving through the foggy Ghats. It was great bonhomie and bonding over two days at

Dina’s. That was the fun part.
On the work front, I received an appeal for help from the President of RC Pune Cantonment, for aid to residents of
Ramgaon Rameshwar in Yavatmal, whose houses had been inundated by floods and all their belongings washed
away. Since it was an urgent and time-bound, I circulated the appeal only within the Board of Directors, and am very
happy to record that they rose to the occasion splendidly, and donated a total of 54 Utensil Kits @ Rs 1,700/- per kit.
The funds were transferred to Pune Cantonment and the Kits were distributed at the village on the 29 th of July, by a
member of that club.
We have been engaged with the GST issue ever since the year began, and I am happy to report that persistent
efforts by our Club Trainer Rtn PP Madhubhau, and our in-house GST expert Rtn Nitin Vijayvargia, we have
managed to resolve it. Many Past Presidents have spent their time and helped in this, for which they deserve a big
thank you.
As we enter the month of August, the Rotary Designated month of Membership and New Club Development, I urge
all of you, and especially the newer members to revisit the oath they took when they joined Rotary, of being True
Rotarians and not just members of the Rotary Club.

President's Message 12 August 2023

It is when you visit schools like the Hadapsar School for Deaf and Mute children that you
learn about people like Mr. Purshottam Patil, the Principal, who has been serving in the
Society that runs the school for over 25 years. Working with children with serious challenges
like the 80 children of that school are, is a challenge itself, but working with enthusiasm, and
taking pride in one’s work is a sign of true dedication. Mr. Patil with his team of 8 enthusiastic
and caring teachers, is really happy to have visitors and show them around the school
premises – very neatly maintained with murals painted on all the walls depicting various
themes. We were there for the Installation of the Sahyudh Interact Club this week. The
Anjuman Islam campus and the two schools where we have sponsored Interact Clubs, is a particular favourite. I was
extremely happy to be back there after a longish gap, and thrilled as we were received with a Guard of Honour by
girls of the Ahmed Peermohammed English Medium School. The confidence with which the compere, the outgoing
President and the incoming President spoke was remarkable. The ceremony was conducted with military precision
and they stuck to the time schedule perfectly. The girls from the Peermohammed Urdu Medium High School then
took over and continued with the same confidence and enthusiasm as their counterparts from the sister school.
What was most heart warming was the fact that the President and many of the Directors were from the Orphanage;
and to imagine that these girls had been abandoned by their parents for some reason. This week we also had the
opportunity to welcome to Pune, Antoine Louart, an incoming IYE student from France. We are his host club, and
we were at the airport with his “Parents” – Abhay and Vanita Bora, and members of the District RYE Team. He will be
at our meeting soon.
The Programme Committee is trying out a new innovative idea – replace the zoom meeting with an outdoor visit. In
lieu of our online meeting on Saturday, the Aug 12, we have scheduled a visit to the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum,
followed by Lunch at the Durvankur Dining Hall. Let’s hope we have a healthy response.

President's Message 19 August 2023

August is the Rotary Designated Month of Membership and New Club Development, and
we are fortunate that we are adding four new members on Aug 19, which along with the
two members inducted on Jul 1, brings our total to 136. Though this is a reason to be
happy, I have mixed feelings. Going through the Central Net this morning, I counted 28
members whom I have not seen since I was installed on Jun 24, which is just over 20%. In
fact most of these members have not been at any of our meetings or participated in any of
our projects over the last two years. Have we as Club Leaders failed in some way? Have we
made any efforts to bring them back to the Club meetings? It is up to all of you to decide,
but there are a few facts that I would like to place before you. IPP Uday and I decided that
we would call all new members to the Board dinners over the last year in addition to the Assimilation programmes
arranged by him. Some members did attend the dinners, or the Assimilation, but that was all. Attendance at regular
meetings was almost zero. As brought out by Rtn PP Ebe Chaney, while recounting his year as President, many
members were terminated during his year on account of non-attendance. When I joined the Club 10 years ago, I
was categorically told that the minimum attendance required was 60%, failing which my membership would be
terminated. The Club Bylaws have changed and the attendance clause has been removed, as per directives of
Rotary International- does that mean that attendance at meetings is optional? Not in my Rotary book!
I earnestly appeal to all members to make it a point to attend meetings regularly, enjoy the fellowship and
friendship, and make the club vibrant. We are trying our level best to make the programmes attractive and
innovating to do so; an example was the visit to Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum last Sunday in lieu of the meeting on
Saturday. I can assure that the 19 members who did join this event will bear testimony to the fact that the Museum
is an eye-opener for everyone, and really worth a visit.

President's Message 26 August 2023

An invigorating trip to the site of 14 Tree Foundation marked the beginning of the week.
Here too we came across a person doing a lot of good, without being a Rotarian. Mr
Praveen Bhagwat, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, an expert in the field of electronics and It, a
successful entrepreneur, who sold his company in the US to return to Pune, and give back
to nature, by creating a forest. An avid trekker, he felt that he was just enjoying nature
during his treks, so he decided that he needs to give back, by creating a forest, where the
land had been completely deforested and degenerated. His achievements over the last
10years are phenomenal to say the least. More details in the report.

It was an honour to have with us two Past District Governors at our club meeting last week when we inducted four
new members. Our additions this year have risen to six. We hope they will get assimilated soon and I depend upon
all of you to help in this endeavour.
The RCPC Charity Trust is managed by a group of Trustees, some ex-officio, and some appointed. Some changes
have to be made every year, and so the Trustees met this week and formed the new Board. The Trust belongs to all
of us and I feel that all members should know the Trustees for the current year:
 Rtn. PP Rakesh Bhargava – Managing Trustee
 Rtn. Vipen Malhotra – Joint Managing Trustee
 Rtn Sunil Asher
 Rtn. President Ajay Chitnis
 Rtn IPP Uday Dharmadhikari
 Rtn. PE Brig PKM Raja
 Rtn. Arun Shroff – Hon. Treasurer
This week we have an interesting talk on the art of storytelling, and look forward to seeing you all in large numbers
as always.

President's Message 02 September 2023

As we enter the third month of the current Rotary year, one cannot avoid thinking about
‘Come September’, the film and its iconic theme song. Surprisingly all the ‘Brass Bands’, as
they call themselves in Delhi had perfected this tune, and it would be played by them while
the ‘Baraatis’ danced in front of the ‘Dulhe Raja’s’ghodi’. Memories from another century….!
Coming back to the present, another ‘Cadre Visit’, this time to audit our Dialysis Project of
2019-20. It gave one the opportunity to see how the project is functioning. This Global
Grant Project was mainly funded by PP Jinen and Amita Munot, PP Ajay and Rooma Dubey
and Rtn Giri and Usha Sakhrani, and 13 Dialysis units were gifted to the Surya Sahyadri Hospital in Kasba Peth. It
was gratifying to see that the machines are all working and being utilized optimally. The figures, included separately
in the Bulletin speak for themselves. This the third time our Club Projects from the past are being audited, and I am
happy to note that all of the audits have shown that the projects were well planned and meticulously executed. This
gives rise to the question – do we need to incorporate some monitoring system in our projects? Since an important
element of Rotary projects is sustainability, the answer to this question is obviously yes. How to do it is now the key
question? May be some of our senior stalwarts could suggest ways and means to do this.
A dynamic journalist, an investigative reporter, a successful author, and more. These aptly describe our speaker this
Saturday. I am aware that diehard cricket fans will find it difficult to stay away from their TVs, especially since it is an
India-Pakistan match, but I assure you that the speaker will provide enough fireworks too. Look forward to seeing
you all!

Presidents Message 09 September 2023

I begin with an extract taken from the Induction speech delivered by Arch C. Klumph, RI
President 1916-17, and the person who mooted The Rotary Foundation in 1917.
“While membership in the Rotary club is an honour and privilege, it involves corresponding
duties and obligations. The price of efficient membership is regularity of attendance at the
weekly meetings. Only circumstances which cannot reasonably be controlled are accepted
as an excuse for absence. Only busy men (and women) are eligible for membership in the
club.”

We inducted two new members on the 1st of July, and four new members on the 19th of August. Besides attending
the meeting on the day of their induction none of these members barring one, have attended any meeting since
they joined the club. Add to this the fact that there are 43 members of the club, who have not attended a single
meeting in this Rotary Year. It is difficult to imagine the ‘extreme circumstances’, which have made it impossible
for so many members to attend. The question begging to be asked is – what is keeping so many members from
attending? I look to senior Rotarians for an answer.
The programme committee is doing its best to make the meetings attractive by inviting quality speakers and
organizing engaging programmes. Their job is not easy, and can become challenging when a scheduled speaker
has to suddenly back out due to urgent exigencies. We are grateful to Rtn Aseem Srivastava, who kindly agreed to
take on the role of the speaker at our forthcoming meeting at such a short notice. An accomplished speaker, we
can look forward to an interesting and interactive session with him.
Rtn. Oni and R’Ann Nafisa are tireless in their efforts and conducted a camp on the 4th of September, where 371
children had their eyes checked. On the 5th of September, at a function to mark ‘Teachers Day’, at the Mahatma
Gandhi School, Rtn Oni was honoured with a memento, presented to him by Rajmohan Gandhi, Grandson of the
Mahatma; what an honour! Take a bow, ONI.

President's Message 16 September 2023

I just received my copy of the Rotary News, and the heading of two Messages from the TRF
Trustee Chair and the TRF Trustee Vice Chair are – “Create your Rotary Moment’, and
‘Experience the Joy of Giving’. In fact, when you combine both of them, whichever way you
want, you get to the essence of what we are as Rotarians. We are about to experience both
these when we meet tomorrow at our Fundraising Meeting, and I look forward to seeing all
of you at this important event.
We have lined up a slew of projects which cover all avenues of Rotary Service, and we
already have commitments from many of our generous ‘serial’ donors. You can choose the
project of your choice, donate, participate and ensure that your donation reaches the person or community you
wanted to help. We have projects covering Basic and Financial Literacy, Water and Sanitation, Preventive and
Curative Health programmes, Women Empowerment, Youth Empowerment, Gift of Life – Paediatric Heart
Surgeries, Cataract and Glaucoma Surgeries, Environment conservation, creating a level playing field for the
Differently Abled, and many more. Our aim is to open a window for you all to see - an undernourished pregnant
woman, a cricket enthusiast who cannot walk, a barren piece of land, a child born with a congenital heart
condition who cannot hope to make it beyond the age of five, an old man who cannot see because he cannot
afford a Glaucoma surgery, a young budding boxer who wants to emulate Mary Kom, but cannot afford the
Training and Nutrition levels required, a farmer’s son who is scared of mathematics because no one at home is
able to guide him or any other less fortunate persons. You have two options – shut down the window and
pretend that all is well, or do something to give that person wings to fly. Please do make your choice
‘We make a living by what we get and we make a life by what we give’; so spake Winston Churchill, a former
member of the Rotary Club of London.
‘The act of giving gives you more joy and happiness than receiving something from others. It gives you a sense of
achievement and fulfilment’ – Bharat Pandya, TRF Trustee Vice Chair.
Remember the slogan for this Rotary Year – Create Hope in the World’. What better way to do it than donating to
the cause of your choice and living the spirit of Rotary.

President's Message 30 September 2023

The Fortnight began on a heady note with a feeling of satisfaction on account of an exciting and
fulfilling Fundraising meeting. To all those who were present, and despite being unable to attend
but making commitments to donate, a huge thank you from the Fundraising Committee and
myself. You are the true Rotarians in flesh and spirit. To those who were unable to attend the
meeting and could not make a funding commitment, I shall be writing to brief you on the
projects that still require funding, and appeal to your generosity!

The only sad note about the Fundraising was the fact that about 18 members, who had confirmed their
attendance, did not come for the meeting, resulting in the Club having to pay for 70 meals against only 56
consumed. This amounts to a wasteful expenditure of nearly Rs 16,000/-, which could have been spent on 10
Cataract surgeries, or planting 10 Trees at the 14-Tree Foundation Site. Being a straight speaking ‘Fauji’, I am sure
we can save precious funds for more gainful use in future!
Coming back to more cheerful things, we conducted the Vignaharta Chess Tournament in association with the
Rajesh Oza Chess Academy on Sunday, the 24th of September. The whole day was spent amidst children of ages 6
to 18, all serious chess players, who were spending their Sunday in a cerebral game, rather than on gaming
platforms or other social media activities.
Also on Sunday was the Asmita Symposium, a glittering function organized by the Rotary Club of Pune Bibewadi,
whom we support as a Synergy Partner. It was a privilege to listen to an impassioned speech by the Chief Guest,
Meenakshi Seshadri.
The Rotaract Club of New Vision Arts and Commerce College put up a Cultural Show as a part of their Ganapati
Celebrations. Though at a distance of 69 km, the effort of attending the function was well worth it just to see how
youngsters with severe physical and visual challenges perform with so much enthusiasm and gusto.
The tireless couple – Rtn. Oni and R’Ann Nafisa Kakajiwala are an epitome of dedication; they conducted a two-day
camp at the Dagdusheth Katariya School, where over 810 children underwent eye check-ups. They promised to do
11,000 eye check-ups in this Rotary Year, which is well within the realm of becoming a reality, having crossed the
figure of 3,500 in the first three months.
As we come to the end of September, we also complete the first quarter of this Rotary Year. The Board of Directors
will present their activities during this period during our first Club Assembly on 30 Sep. Do come and participate
and make suggestions on how we should proceed in the days ahead. Look forward to seeing you all for this
important occasion.

President's Message 07 October 2023

Now that we’ve entered the second quarter of the Rotary Year, it is time for action. Having
planned the projects and raised the funds in most cases, it is now incumbent on us to put our
plans into “Drive’, and start the execution phase. Some projects have already evoked a lot of
response, and others, already underway. We visited the Fourteen-Tree site in August, and seeing
the overwhelming response, need to plan our next visit soon. Now that the monsoons are
almost over, the trewk promises to be easier and less slippery, so pull out the walking shoes,
dust them and start re-building your stamina. Our Director Non-Medical Projects – Rtn Giri, is
keen to take as many people as possible to plant trees. Eye Check up camps are in full swing and with the camp
that concluded yesterday, we have crossed the 4000 mark. Rtn Oni and R’Ann Nafisa have been relentless in their
endeavour, and are well set to cross the target of 11000 this year. We had the Installation of our Interact Club at
the Anglo-Urdu Boys High School (it has more girls than boys) today. This was also the 30th Anniversary of the Club,
having been sponsored by us in 1993. It was a delight to meet the bright-eyed Girls and Boys of the school and the
new Board of Directors, who after being ‘pinned’, jointly made a promise to all present to perform to the best of
their abilities. We are trying to do things a bit differently to attract more members to attend the weekly meetings – starting with
an exciting and intellectually challenging murder mystery to be solved at today’s meeting, we have the next weekly
meeting at Lavasa, wonderfully planned by Rtn Pankaj Mehrotra. Dandiya on the 21st and a talk on Financial Frauds
and Safeguards by our VP Rtn Ashish round off the programmes for October. So please do attend and enjoy and
encourage the efforts of the Programme Committee. Look forward to seeing you this evening.

President's Message 14 October 2023

World Polio Day is observed on October 24 each year. Rotary’s contribution to the eradication of
Polio is legendary. In India, where we had 1,942 cases in 1998, we recorded 0 cases in 2012 and
2013, and this resulted in India being declared ‘Polio Free’ on 27 March 2014 by the World Health
Organization. This achievement was not only fueled by the generous grants received from
Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation, but also by the efforts of Rotarians
volunteering their services. In 1995-96 Rotary donated $ 5,000,000, and also mobilized 100,000
Rotarians, who formed part of the 2 million volunteers who ensured that 87 & 93 million
Vaccines were administered during the two designated days. Such was the involvement of Rotarians in the Global
Polio Eradication initiative.
Though we are Polio-Free for over a decade, we have to remain vigilant because of the presence of Polio in
neighboring Pakistan, and in that context we need to keep on contributing to the cause. All money donated into
the sunshine box on your Birthday/Anniversary goes towards the End Polio Fund, so keep contributing generously
to the cause.
Saturday marks our second attempt at an off-site Meeting, as Rtn Pankaj Mehrotra has meticulously planned this
one at Lavasa. Going by the RSVPs received and some more drop-outs at the final stage, it appears that the
attendance is likely to be very thin. It might be pertinent for members to note that during the Members’
Satisfaction Survey conducted in March/April this year, and the brainstorming session in May, an off-site meeting
was a suggestion made by many members, which is why it was planned. But the very members who proposed this
idea it seems are amongst the ‘Not Attending’ list!
A well-meaning member remarked that I have a low threshold for getting annoyed; may be true from his
perspective, but when I am only trying to implement what members wanted in the first place, a weak response to
an initiative does invoke disappointment. Let me assure you that it will not deter me from trying even harder to
implement other suggestions made by members in the survey.
Here’s hoping that we end up getting better results. Signing off while counting on your whole hearted participation
and support.

President's Message 21 October 2023

I must place on record my sincerest thanks to Rtn Pankaj Mehrotra for organizing the off-site
meeting at Ashiana Utsav, Lavasa, on Saturday the 14th of October. This was planned on basis of
the inputs received from the Members Satisfaction Survey conducted in March and the
Brainstorming session conducted in April this year. I am happy to report that Six Rotarians and
Four R’Anns attended the meeting, probably a record for the lowest attendance in the Forty-year
history of the club. We had a visiting Rotarian from RID 3142 and a past Rotarian amongst the
audience. Col Sukhjit Yadav was the Guest Speaker and delivered a stunning presentation on
Siachen – the World’s Highest Battlefield. Even for a Veteran like me, who has been exposed to glimpses of the
Glacier, it was an eye-opener. I feel bad that 131 Rotarians and their spouses missed out on the opportunity. Rtn
Pankaj outdid his hospitality by treating us to cold beer and a hot lunch after the meeting. He also facilitated a
meeting with the Director and other authorities of Christ University Lavasa Campus, where they want to form a
Rotaract Club.
A drive around Lavasa and a Musical program compered by Rtn Pankaj rounded off the day’s proceedings, and we
returned to Pune, a trifle tired but happy after a day well spent. There was a lot to learn from and experience from
the community of senior citizens living in Ashiana about the way they have created a space where they live
independently and with dignity.
On Wednesday, I received an SOS call from Ms Jai Khamkar, the Director of New Vision College of Arts and
Commerce, about a nineteen-year-old girl named Bhagyashree, who needed to have a surgery, costing Rs 68,000/-.
Bhagyashree is severely physically challenged and an orphan, who lives at the college and is doing her Second Year
BA Course. She obviously could not afford the surgery, so Ms Jai asked if we could help out. I asked our Vice
President Rtn Ashish if we could organize some crowdfunding. He rose to the occasion and we were able to raise
the required amount, thanks to the immediate response of our members. The child was operated yesterday at
KEM Hospital and discharged today. It is moments like this that make us proud to be called Rotarians.

President's Message 28 October 2023

A lively Dandiya Nite was made possible by all the members who attended and enjoyed the
Navratri Celebrations, and it was heartening to see the attendance going up five-folds compared
to the last meeting at Lavasa. The venue was literally scrubbed clean and tastefully decorated by
Rtn Amita and R’Ann Jasma, so when all of us arrived, we saw an elegant Garba Dance Floor with
the Traditional Lamp in the center. This spurred everyone to perform the Dandiya Raas with
gusto. The menu starting with a mouthwatering Chaat was deliciously curated by Rtn. Lekha, the
Co-Chair of the Fellowship Committee. It was our Club’s Nari Shakti in action, which is so
appropriate during the festival which is dedicated to Goddess Durga in her various avatars. This will surely find a
place in the highlights of RY 2023-24.
We had a request from the Mook Badhir School, Bhandarkar Road, where we have our Bharari Interact Club, for a
Medical Checkup of about 80 students. This has been divided into three parts – an Eye Checkup Camp, conducted
by Rtn Oni and R’Ann Nafisa, a Dental Checkup camp by Rtn. Dr. Madhavi Vaze, and a Medical Checkup camp by Rtn. Dr. Saroj Bande, Rtn. Shilpa Dudhgaonkar (and her son), and R’Ann Dr. Sadhana Lachayan. Thank you all for
your participation in this project which aptly describes the Medical (Preventive) Avenue of Service.
Due to a serious exigency, we had to change our speaker for this week. Rtn. PP Dr. Anand Bhatia, put his hand up
to take on this task despite a very very short notice, and we eagerly await his talk on Saturday. It promises to be an
enlightening and moving experience as he recounts a real life story that happened in the 1970s. Look forward to
seeing you all!

President's Message 05 November 2023

The festive season is here; Navratri, followed by Dussehra and then Karwa Chauth on
Wednesday, with the big one just round the corner! Let me begin by wishing all of you a very
happy and prosperous Diwali, since this will be the last issue before the festival of lights.
On the Rotary front, we are in November the month designated as the Rotary Foundation
Month. While every Rotarian is aware of the Rotary Motto, “Service above self”, many are not
aware of what the Rotary Foundation (TRF) stands for, which has prompted me to write this
piece.

Mission Statement: The mission of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world
understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of
poverty.
Motto: Doing good in the world
For many there is a misgiving that the money donated to TRF goes out of the country, which is not true. The money
actually goes to the Rotary International South Asia Office (RISAO), from where after three years 50% comes back
as the District Development Fund (DDF), and the rest is spent on Rotary Foundation Projects in India. Our club is
known for the number of Global Grant Projects we have done; we must remember that besides the money
contributed by us and the partner club, a lot of augmentation comes from the DDF and TRF. Unless we contribute
to TRF, how are we going to get these funds.
In the words of Rtn Bharat Pandya, TRF Trustee Vice Chair, “The act of giving gives you more happiness than
receiving something from others. The satisfaction you feel when you see the smile you put on somebody’s face is
an unbelievable feeling. It gives you a sense of achievement and fulfilment. You will never know who has benefited
from your gift in which part of the world but the goodwill and fragrance of your gift will linger on for years.
Experience the joy of giving and you will give again and again.”
On the home front, it is getting difficult to keep track of the Camps being conducted by Rtn Oni and R’Ann Nafisa.
This week they were at Ashagram in Koregaon, a village in Satara District. Ashagram is a unique place where all the
inhabitants are physically and mentally challenged. We will see that in the accompanying report.
Have a sparkling Diwali! May the festival of lamps illuminate your home with good health, happiness and
prosperity.

President's Message 25 November 2023

Hope all of you had a great Diwali with your families and friends and are ready to take part in
our Club’s activities. On Friday, the 17th of November, we meet to elect the Nominating
Committee, which in turn will decide on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Year 2024-25.
Article 326 of the Indian Constitution states that Universal Adult Franchise is the right of all
citizens in India to vote regardless of caste, education, religion, race, or ethnicity. So it is in
our Club, wherein it is the duty of all members to cast their invaluable vote. We had to change
the election day to Friday because we were informed very late that our booking had been
cancelled, and no alternative venue was available. Sincerely request all members to make it convenient to attend
this important meeting on Friday, the 17th November. As all of you know, we will be celebrating the Ruby Anniversary of our Club on the 7th of January 2024. To make it a
memorable event, we have decided to form a committee to organise a special event to mark the occasion, and our
Vice President Rtn Ashish Goyal has agreed to be the Convener. We are now looking for volunteers to join this
committee, so a request to all of you, Rotarians and Anns, please join the committee and ensure that we all have a
great time.
‘Diwali Anand Mela’ was celebrated by the Mook Badhir Shikshan Kendra (Deaf and Mute School), Bhandarkar
Road on the 8th of November; the highlight of the celebration was the lunch for all the 120 children and their
teachers sponsored by Rtn Anil Bora. Some of our newer members may not have met or heard of Rtn Anil Bora,
because he is a very quiet individual, who is known more by his deeds than his speech; but outside the club,
especially in institutions for specially-abled children, he is a very well-known and respected figure. A true Rotarian,
and not just a member of the Rotary Club! As was said about Abu Ben Adam, may his (Anil’s) tribe increase.

President's Message 25 November 2023

Thank you, dear friends, for doing your duty and electing the Nominating Committee; they will
now decide on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Year 2024-25, and The President for the
year 2025-26. It is a pleasure to see the functioning of Rotary, with processes in place and
running like a well-oiled machine. The leadership changes year after year and new leaders bring
in new ideas, and the club goes on. What is more amazing is the fact that Rotary being a purely
voluntary organisation still finds people to take up responsibilities, knowing fully well that they
will have to invest a lot of their ‘free time’ in performing their designated role.

We got god publicity in the Marathi Print Media about our Women Empowerment Project – She Can and She Will.
Even the Times of India carried the news in their local sports column, which was indeed heartening.
Congratulations to Rtn PE Brig PKM Raja for organizing the Press Conference so well.
On Saturday, 25 November we will see one more project being taken to fruition, when we Donate 12 Sports
Wheelchairs to the Maharashtra Wheelchair Cricket Team. This is team that had to play with borrowed wheelchairs during the last championship in Chattisgarh. Now they will proudly play on their own wheelchairs. They have
coined a phrase – ‘Celebrating our Abilities’; truly reflects their positive attitude towards life. Let’s hope their
dreams come true and they grow from strength to strength.
We have a slew of interesting programs lined up till the end of the year, beginning with the talk by Dr. Aparna
Shankar, a Joint Meeting with the Rotary Club of Flacq, Mauritius and an interview with a lady biker, who has
founded the first all-ladies Biking club, appropriately called ‘Bikerni’.
Looking forward to your active participation in all our forthcoming activities as always.

President's Message 02 December 2023

A gratifying week for the Club and for me personally too. 12 Sports Wheelchairs for members of
the Maharashtra Wheelchair Cricket Team, all contributed for by twelve of our members were
procured and distributed on Saturday, the 25th of November. These young men love the game of
cricket as does our entire nation, but they have physical challenges in pursuing their dream,
being wheelchair-bound. They were making do with ordinary wheelchairs or plain chairs
sometimes, on which they sat and played. They took part in the National Wheelchair Cricket
Tournament at Raipur, Chattisgarh, last year and played on borrowed wheelchairs. Ever since
then they have been approaching various charitable institutions for these special wheelchairs since the cost was beyond their means. They approached RCPC late in RY 2022-23, and the request was kept on hold due to paucity
of funds. IPP Uday while handing over to me, suggested that I could consider this. While there was scepticism to
begin with, this turned out to be the first project that was fully funded during the Fundraising Meeting. As IPP Uday
mentioned in his congratulatory message, this was a truly participative project, wherein not only did twelve
members contribute Rs 40,000/- each, six of them were present for handing over the wheelchairs. Some of the
cricketers could not hold back their tears of Joy, and it was extremely heart-warming to see that we had indeed,
‘Created Hope in the World’. As it happened this became a good Public Image Project too, the news having been
published in at least five local newspapers.
Hats off to Rtn. Oni and R’Ann Nafisa for their relentless pursuit of getting children examined so as to detect and
treat sight defects early. This week they conducted two camps at schools in the Katraj area, with a strength of
about 1000 each. Their dedication is remarkable and they are doing a great service to the society.
We will be welcoming our guests from Mauritius at the weekly meeting on Saturday, the 2nd of December, and
interacting with them. Let’s all make it convenient to attend the meeting and learn about the culture of Mauritius
and the Rotary Projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Flacq. Look forward to seeing you all in large numbers.

President's Message 09 December 2023

We had a small taste of International Rotary Fellowship last week when we hosted four members
from the Rotary Club of Flacq, Mauritius, and their families. It was wonderful to see our club
members in large numbers at the meeting, welcoming the visitors in an atmosphere of Bonhomie
and Friendship throughout the evening. It is so heartwarming to see our club as it actually is – the
largest club in Pune. My sincere thanks to all Rotarians and R’Anns for making it convenient to
attend. The menu crafted specially by our Fellowship Committee Chairperson, Rtn PP Sukhiwas
enjoyed by all – Visitors and the Home team.
Rtn Oni and R’Ann Nafisa led the supplementary eye check up camp at Sahrad School, Katraj, where
the balance 375 students were examined. This couple shows us the true spirit of Rotary – Service
Above Self. Their untiring efforts belie their physical age, and are an inspiration. This was done on
the 7 th of December. On Monday, the 11 th of December they are off to ‘Ashagram’, an institution for
Physically and Mentally challenged persons at Village Koregaon, near Satara, to distribute 75 pairs of
Spectacles for those who were found to be needing them during the Camp they conducted there last
month.
The Nominating Committee has done a fantastic job, and given PE Brig PKM Raja an outstanding
Board of Directors for the Rotary Year 2024-25. It is a fine blend of experience and youth, with three
past presidents in active roles. They did not name a President Elect, for RY 2025-26. I am happy to
inform you that this has been resolved, and I shall be announcing the name off the President Elect at
our Meeting on Sunday, 10 December.
Please note that our Meeting is on Sunday, the 10 th of December, and not on Saturday due to last
minute cancellation of our booking by Poona Club. It is an important meeting for which we have
invited Rtn IPDG Dr Anil Parmar to speak to us on the subject of Foundation Giving. Look forward to
seeing you all.

President's Message 16 December 2023

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write this message, as we mourn the passing away of our esteemed
member, Rtn Rooma Dubey. Whenever one thinks of Rooma, the word ‘Vibrant’ always pops up, and seems to be
most appropriate way to describe her. We met Rooma when we joined RCPC 10 years ago. She was the President
of the Inner Wheel Club of Pune Central that year. I remember that under her stewardship, IWC Pune Central was
adjudged the Best Club, and she was recognized as the best President that year. Besides that, she was a charming
person, always willing to help and encourage people. She had been invited as the Chief Guest at the Annual
Exhibition of Seascapes by the Society of Marine Artists, which is a part of the Indian Maritime Foundation. She
inaugurated the exhibition and met all the Artists present and had good words to say to all of them. She bought
four or five paintings on the spot and this was a huge morale booster to them. That epitomised the kind and
helpful nature of Rooma. Over the years we got to know Rooma and Ajay better and were witness to their Rotary
Journey, as they went on to become Arch Klumph Society Trustee Circle Members. Rooma became a member of
RCPC in 2016 and served on a number of Committees, contributing positively to a number of projects. People have
described her as an ever-smiling person, which I feel is just a manifestation of her inner happy self. Despite her
long battle with the big C, she always provided positive vibes to everyone she met and interacted with. We will
sorely miss her presence in the club as well as in our lives. May her soul be granted eternal peace, and we pray
that Rtn. PP Ajay is endowed with courage to bear this irreparable loss. ‘Om Shanti’

President's Message 23 December 2023

We have had a hectic time over the last eight days, starting with gifting of Green PCs to the Ashram
School at Wadki. This residential school on the fringes of Pune has no electricity, the connection
being cut off by MSEB. The school set up under the Central Govt Scheme in 2000, stopped getting
central aid in 2004, and were asked to approach the State Govt, which refused aid as it was not in
their inventory of schools. Thus, the school runs only on donations from companies and individuals.
The children sleep in the class rooms, and need a lot of support. They have a computer lab, which is
non-functional due to lack of electric power. Gifting of Green PCs and a Solar Panel, has made their
Computer Lab functional. The joy on the faces of the students, when they saw their computers
working was extremely heartening. We thank Rtn Pravin Nadkarni and his family members for
conceiving this project and funding it.

On Monday we had the Interact Jamboree, an event in which all our Interact Clubs came together
and spent the day together. Thanks to the help of fellow Rotarians and R’Anns, and the Teachers of
all the schools, and our Past President Munir Chinoy, this event was a resounding success. The
generosity of Mrs Sheila Mohanrao and Rtn Delshad Karanjia made this venture possible, and we are
extremely grateful to them.
On Wednesday, we had a our Annual Christas Party, co-sponsored by the Inner Wheel Club of Pune
Central. President Hutokshi Pundole and her team from Inner Wheel, many of whom are members
of RCPC were present and actively participated in keeping the children entertained. Rtn Anil Bora
was a driving force for this event and the major contributor of funds required for booking of the
venue and the catering. Also present from RCPC were Rtns Delshad Karanjia, Oni Kakjiwala (Santa
Claus), Amita Munot and PE Rtn Brig PKM Raja. Another afternoon devoted to keeping the children
happy through games, Magic Show and other activities.
Today we have our Annual General Meeting, an important part of the Club’s Calendar. It is the
bounden duty of all members to attend the meeting and partake in the decision-making process. It is
your Club – you need to decide its future. Please Attend!!

President's Message 06 January 2024

Wish all of you and your loved ones a Very Happy, Healthy and a Peaceful New Year! As we begin the second half of our Rotary Year, let’s all re-dedicate ourselves to ‘Creating Hope in the World’. A lot has been done and lots more needs to be done, and for that we still need funding. While many of us have generously donated a lot of money for various projects, nearly 75 members have not even committed to donate the minimum amount of Rs 10,000/-. All of us were informed during our induction into the club that this was the minimum donation every there.

President's Message 13 January 2024

Sad news came on the 10th of January, in the form of passing away of Rtn Navin Tiwari, who left for his heavenly
abode after a brief illness. That he was not in the best of health, was known for some time, but one didn’t know
that he the end would come so soon. We empathize with the grieving family and hope they are granted the
strength to bear the loss.
In keeping with our tradition, we have cancelled the scheduled meeting on the 13th of January, and will have a
condolence meeting instead. This will be held online, and those who wish to speak about Late Rtn Navin, may do
so.

We celebrated our 40th Birthday in style at the Munots’ Ranch, with many dressed
in true Wild West Style. Kite flying proved to be challenge as it was a windless day,
and despite trying all the tricks of the trade, only Rtn Sunil Asher could get his
kite up for a short while. The ambience was perfect, and the cold cocktails and
Beer kept everyone’s spirits high. The snacks, beginning with seasonal traditional
fare like ‘Khurda’, Boiled Corn, and Green Grams, followed by Nachos and Pizza
were thoroughly enjoyed by all. The lunch organized by Rtn Amita was delicious
and lip-smacking. We are grateful to both Rtn PP Jine n and Rtn Amita Munot for
providing us with the venue and sponsoring the drinks and the lunch, and
making it a memorable afternoon... The Fortieth Birthday was thoroughly
enjoyed by the 75+ persons who were there.

The Kakajiwalas are a couple with a mission; they were busy on Thursday and Friday at the Sahrad School, Katraj,
conducting an eye checkup camp. To see them in action is a treat and makes one feel proud to be a Rotarian,
because this is what Rotary really promises – Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness (DEI). These children are being
checked free of cost to ensure that their eyesight issues, if any, are detected early and treated with corrective
glasses in time. At the beginning of the year I had congratulated Rtn Oni and R’Ann Nafisa for having completed
10,000 eye checkups in the last Rotary year, set a target of 15,000 this year. Looks like I underestimated their
capacity, because we are near the 9,000 mark already, with five months to go! May they be blessed with the
strength to go on and on.

President's Message 20 January 2024

As I write this piece, I am preparing to leave for the District CSR Awards Function, of which we are
the Chief Host Club. This is the second edition of CSR Awards, the first having been held before the
Pandemic, which was also hosted by our Club. Two of our Past Presidents – Rtns Rakesh Bhargava
and Ravi Kapoor are members of the Core Team organizing this event. CSR from corporates has
become an integral part of fundraising over the last five-odd years, and statistics show that we are
garnering only a minute fraction of the funds available through this route, as an organization. Our
club however, has taken the lead thanks to the initial thrust led by Rtn PP Rakesh Bhargava, and help from Rtns
Raman Nanda and Vipen Malhotra, who ensured that their companies made substantive contribution to our projects in the initial years. Later, we were able to tap into companies like BMC Software, Volkart Foundation etc.; the largest
boost came from our own member Rtn Nitin Desai, who donated Rs 3 Crores through his company Desai Brothers.
This catapulted our club to the top position in Rotary Foundation giving in the last Rotary Year. At the CSR awards
function, the Rotary District aims to recognize the help given by Corporates, and award the most significant
contributors. We sincerely hope that these Corporates continue to choose us as their implementation partner, and
repose their trust in us in this year, and the years to follow.
We had our first ‘Fireside’ dinner on Sunday, the 14th of January, organized by Director Membership, Rtn PP Dr.
Ramesh Dumbre and graciously hosted by Rtn PP Neeraj and R’Ann Seema Handa at their residence in Baner. It was
an exercise in assimilation and retention, as veteran members interacted with relatively less experienced and newer
members in an informal atmosphere – getting to know each other better. Seema and Neeraj were hosts par
excellence and opened their hearts and home to 18 Rotarians and R’Anns. A wonderful evening indeed; many thanks
Seema and Neeraj.
Our RCC at Mulshi organized the Career Guidance RYLA at Village Male, Taluka Mulshi on the 16th of January. Over 650
students of Classes IX and X from a number of schools in the Taluka attended this event. There were motivational
talks on character building, career options after class X in the armed forces, police and other skill building courses.
This annual function was supported by Rtn PP Madhubhau Rathi, and coordinated by Rtn Rajesh Yadav. Kits received
as a part of Project Asmita (Empowering Daughters), were also distributed to girls of Class X. We also gifted al Class X
students with the Mobile Study App developed by our Rotary Districts. This mobile app, which is on the lines of study
apps like Byjus will prove to be a great help to the students for their SSC Examination. These too were sponsored by
Rtn PP Madhubahu Rathi, and we are very thankful to him.
We have a very exciting presentation by Col Sukhjit Yadav scheduled for Saturday, 20 January. This will be followed
next week by a programme on Urdu Shayari by Dr. Mumtaz Peerbhoy,

President's Message 27 January 2024

While scanning through my ‘Bible’ of Rotary, I came across this letter which was published in the
‘Rotarian’ in June 1996; I thought it aptly covered my views on the subject, and am reproducing it
here. It is written by Rtn Dalbir Singh Sago, a practicing physician in Malaysia.
“As a practicing physician, I find that Rotary Meetings are really effective medicine! For an hour or
so, I forget my daily worries about family, finances, or business. Being with Rotarians – your true
friends – allows you to share your troubles and perhaps glean a solution.

All Rotarians are equal at a meeting. Each one of us feels self-worth, which can be tapped for fellowship and service.
These, in turn, give satisfaction and memorable moments – something we cannot buy anywhere”.
After citing a few more reasons why attendance is important in Rotary, he concludes:
“Lastly, the Rotary Wheel is a perfect circle, but only made possible by regular attendance. Why miss this opportunity
to be a part of it?”
I have been quite vocal about attendance (more about the lack of it, in our club), ever since I assumed office on the 1st
of July last year, but have been unable to shake-off the steadfastness of the 40-odd members who have yet to attend
even one meeting this Rotary year. I have even reached out to the proposers of such members, but there has been no
significant change. I hope these members want to stay on in the club, because it appears that they just aren’t
bothered. Anyway, this is the last I am going to speak or write about this subject.
Our President Elect, Rtn Brig PKM Raja, called for an informal meeting of the Board of Directors for 2024-25, which was
attended by most of the Directors-Elect, in the balmy surrounds of the Turf Club. An effective meeting at which it was
really nice to see the ‘Josh’ amongst those present. I wish them a fabulous year ahead.
We are very thankful to Rtn Vipen Malhotra, the Chairperson of ‘RCPC Rocks 2’, a musical sequel to RCPC Rocks, held in
November ’22. He has single-handedly obtained the required sponsorship for the concert and arranged the Musicians.
Thanks, are also due to Rtn Delshad Karanjia for her persistent efforts to ensure that we get to use the Mazda Hall,
and the Grand Piano therein, for the concert. So please mark the date – Saturday, 16 March 2024, when all roads will
lead to Mazda Hall.
Two events happened today; about 10 Rotarians and 6 Rotractors from the Rotaract Club of Pune Starup, visited the
project Site of 14-Trees Foundation. They are on their way back to Pune as I write this piece. In the words of our
Director Service (Non-Medical) - Rtn Giri Sakhrani, they were ‘Mesemerized’. Thank you Rtn Giri!
The other event was the R-Day Function and Annual Sports Day at the Anjuman-I-Islam Campus, to which I was
invited as the Chief Guest, and had the honour of unfurling the National Flag. It is always a pleasure to be among
cheerful, eager and confident faces of the young students, raring to go and capture the world. The competitive spirit
tempered by discipline and enthusiasm make one feel confident that we are going to leave the world in safe hands.
Last week we had an enthralling talk by Col Sukhjit Yadav SM (Retd.), as he transported us to the highest Battlefield ofthe World – Siachen. Those present would vouch for the veracity of this statement.

And finally, we are very fortunate to have one of our luminaries – Dr. Mumtaz Peerbhoy, back with us for an evening of Urdu Shayari. Older members of the club are already aware of her talents, but for those who have joined in the last
few years – you do not want to miss this opportunity to listen to and interact with one of the best contemporary
exponents of Urdu Shayari!
Do join us on Saturday, 27 January, for an evening with Dr. Mumtaz

President's Message 03 Feb 2024

As we enter the eighth month of this Rotary year, we need to make a pragmatic and holistic audit of our performance so far, not merely in the financial terms but against the theme set out for the year, “Create Hope in the World”. Through the generosity of our members, we have received Rs 2.5 Crores already, and have already executed a number of projects in almost all the avenues of service adopted by Rotary International. Protection and Preservation of our Environment has been addressed through Tree Plantations at the 14-Tree Foundation site at Vetale, at Orange County Dehu, and at Wagholi. Coastal and River Bank clean-ups have been conducted in partnership with various agencies, and we are about to commence work on repair of Earthen Dams in Satara District for Water Conservation. Our Happy Village Project at Anthulay Nagar, a colony inhabited by 1500 Leprosy survivors has seen completion of the first phase, wherein the well (with contaminated water) situated there was de-watered, cleaned up and refilled, and now covered to prevent any garbage/debris etc. being thrown into it. We will embark on further projects there shortly. Under the DEI avenue, we donated 12 Sports Wheelchairs to the Maharashtra Wheelchair Cricket team. The ‘Basic Literacy’, avenue is being adequately covered under our Financial Literacy Project, and the Green PC project. Healthcare Preventive and Curative are being addressed through the number of Eye Checkup camps organized throughout the year, and the Health Camp at the school for the Deaf and Mute children. Cataract surgeries at various hospitals totalling around 10,000 have been carried out during the past seven months. Blood donation camps at Mulshi and Alandi have also contributed to this avenue. Seven children have benefited from the Cancer care project. Training is in progress for junior nurses at the Technical Institute at Anjuman-I-Islam Campus. Our member Rtn Akshay Kejriwal has donated an ambulance to a hospital under the PCMC. A School Bus has been donated by Rtn Yogesh Shah for transportation of children in the Mulshi area. Over 100,000 Sanitary Napkins have been distributed to girls of 14 schools in Alalndi and Mulshi areas by Rtn PP Madhu Rathi.

It is not my intention to pre-empt the presentation by our esteemed Directors at the Club Assembly on the 3rd of February, but just a re-cap of some major projects, avenue-wise. It seems that we have created a lot of hopes, and need to keep the momentum going for the next five months too.

Our Assistant Governor completed his official visit to our club on the 1st of February, and was shown all the records asked for by him. He was also briefed on the Financial and Compliance status of the club. He will submit his report to the District Governor prior to her official visit on the 17th of February.

I am happy to announce that RCPC Rocks II has become a reality, and the wheels are already in motion to bring this interesting concert for you on the 16th of March at the Mazda Hall.

Look forward to seeing you all at the Club Assembly on Saturday, 03 February, to hear the Directors speak about their work done in the last seven months, and their plans for the next five months.

I am happy to announce that RCPC Rocks II has become a reality, and the wheels are already in motion to bring this interesting concert for you on the 16th of March at the Mazda Hall.

Look forward to seeing you all at the Club Assembly on Saturday, 03 February, to hear the Directors speak about their work done in the last seven months, and their plans for the next five months.

I am happy to announce that RCPC Rocks II has become a reality, and the wheels are already in motion to bring this interesting concert for you on the 16th of March at the Mazda Hall.

Look forward to seeing you all at the Club Assembly on Saturday, 03 February, to hear the Directors speak about their work done in the last seven months, and their plans for the next five months.

President's Message 10 Feb 2024

There has been a lot of good news in the District in the past few weeks, which I thought would be worth sharing. Firstly, our District Governor, Rtn Manjoo Phadke has been awarded the ‘Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award’ for 2023-24. The Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award honours one Rotary member each year for their work to advance women in Rotary. The award is named for Sylvia Whitlock, the first woman to serve as a Rotary club president. Whitlock has gone on to lead change for women around the world through Rotary. In 2021, the RI Board made this award, which was created by group of Rotarians in 2017, an official RI award.

Close on the heels of this was Rotary International ‘Service Above Self Award’, to our District Trainer – PDG Shailesh Palekar. This is Rotary’s highest award to individual Rotarians and it recognizes the exemplary humanitarian service in any form and at any level. All Rotarians are eligible, except DGs, IPDGs, DGEs, RIDs, RID Elect, TRF past, present and incoming Trustees. This is a great achievement indeed and truly reflects the contribution of PDG Shailesh to Rotary.

I have conveyed our Heartiest Congratulations to both of them, on behalf of RCPC.

Another feather in DG Manjoo’s cap is that she is among a group of four Internationally acclaimed speakers, who will speaking at a Rotary International Seminar on International Women’s Day – 08 March 2024. It would be worth registering for this Webinar, the link for which will be shared shortly.

We are set to witness another ‘Women Empowerment’ aspect on Saturday. 10 February, when Ms Urvashi Patole, founder of the first women Biker’s Club, will be in a Chat Show with Aditya Dharmadhikari. Should be an interesting evening, so please do come.

On 17 February, we will have with us our District Governor, on her Official Visit to the Club. It is the most important event in our annual calendar, and a ‘must attend’ function for all members. So do make it convenient to attend, even at the cost of inconvenience caused by parking woes, Pune traffic etc. We are a club of 126 Members, and we need to present ourselves as such; I am only saying so because at the Club Assembly last week, The Nomination Committee Elections in November and the AGM is December, the number of Rotarians present wee less than 30. Please do not let your club down be absenting yourselves.

We have been a top performing club over the last 40 years, let us maintain that tradition I the years ahead too. Look forward to seeing you all.

President's Message 17 Feb 2024

On the 15th we travelled to Lavasa to inaugurate the Computer Lab at Dasve School. When you
look at the website of the school, it seems to be a very well appointed one, and not a place that
requires any donations, but the stark truth is that the school, which was originally funded by the
Lavasa City Corporation has stopped receiving funds, because the Corporation itself is
bankrupt. Most of the teachers have resigned, and the students can barely afford the fees,
which have landed the school in a very precarious position. These Computers are like manna
from Heaven for the students, who hitherto had no operational computers to work with. It was
very gratifying to see the hope in the eyes of these young teenagers struggling to make the best
of their situation. We are grateful to Rtn Pravin Nadkarni for his initiative, and funding of this revolutionary project.
The District Governor’s Official Visit to the Club is Mandated by Rotary International, and the purpose of such visits
is laid down by the Board of Directors of Rotary International. One of the tasks mentioned is ‘Motivating Rotarians
to participate in Service Activities’, and another is, ‘Personally recognizing the Outstanding Contribution of Rotarians
in the District’. Hence it is important that we facilitate both these activities, which we have done, by providing a time
slot for the DG to meet the new members as well as Major Donors and AKS Members. I hope all new members will
avail of this opportunity to be introduced to the DG. I have written to all new members personally, as well as to their
proposers to ensure that they do come and meet the DG.
Personally, I am quite happy that we have more than 80 confirmations of attendance, and I assure each one of
them of a fruitful meeting, wherein you can hear this dynamic lady expound her views. I have heard her on
numerous occasions both officially and casually expressing her views, and I feel it a privilege to have been able to
do so. Another good reason to attend the meeting is the creative menu personally crafted by our Fellowship
Committee Chairperson – Rtn Sukhi Kalra. From mouthwatering chat to Softy ice creams, it has it all.
The Dress code for the DG’s visit at RCPC has traditionally been ‘formal’, and we have decided to keep the tradition
going. Hence all are requested to be in formal attire, which for Gentlemen is – a Jacket, preferably with a Shirt and
Tie. If you feel that the weather may not be conducive to wearing a tie, you wear a jacket over an open-collar shirt.
Also, please do not forget to wear your Rotary Pins proudly.
There will not be any long-drawn presentations about out our achievements, as we intend to give maximum time to
the Governor, for her speech, and hear what she has to say to us. So look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday,
17 February.

President's Message 24 Feb 2024

At the outset let me thank each and every one of you for your collective efforts in making the
DG’s Official Visit to our club a success. With almost 100 people in it, Conference Hall No. 2
looked chock-a-block full. The DG was visibly impressed with this, and was a bit skeptical when
she heard in our SWOT analysis, that attendance at meetings was listed as a ‘Weakness’. I was
truly heartened and hope we have many such ‘High Attendance‘ meetings in the days to come.
Her speech was excellent as always, and had some subtle messages for all of us. I am not going
to recount them, as that would be an overkill, but some of the statistics she gave were truly
amazing; especially about where the money comes from and where it goes, with respect to the TRF’s Annual Fund.
These kind of figures hit you in the core and makes you wonder why there is such a reluctance to contribute to APF.
We intend to take it further in the weeks ahead, and strive to give the money we have committed. The Fellowship that followed was truly enjoyed by all, and despite initial problems caused by understaffing by Poona
Club, our dynamic Fellowship Committee – Chair and Co-chair managed to ensure that our guests were well looked
after. Thank you Sukhi ji and Lekha for your efforts. The contribution of Sweety ji was admirable.
There are a lot of activities coming up in the next few weeks, and we need support in terms of ‘Tan’ and ‘Dhan’. First
off, we are conducting a Cricket Match between the Maharashtra and Mumbai Wheelchair Cricket Teams on the 10th
of March during the day. You are aware that we have given the Maharashtra Team 12 Sports Wheelchairs, and
intend to give them T-Shirts and some items of the Kit. Poona Club has graciously agreed to let us use their Cricket
Ground for this Match. The details will be communicated. Need volunteers to help out with the logistics.
Also on the 10th March, we are the main Host for the District ‘Wine-n-Cheese’ Fellowship – The Sippers Nite. This will happen at the Poona Club in the evening. Details will be shared in a day or so. Here too we will need volunteers to man the registration desk etc.
On the 16th of March, we are conducting the much awaited ‘RCPC Rocks II’, a Music for Charity’ event. Rtn. Vipen
Malhotra, Chairperson of the Committee and members of the committee have been doing a lot of hard work behind
the scenes, and even though they will be organizing the event, some help will be required in reception and seating
of the guests. Since this is also a Fundraising Event for the “She Can & She Will’ project, we require to raise sufficient funds to close the gap. Generous donations will be graciously accepted.

President's Message 02 March 2024

This week marked the commencement of one of our biggest club-funded projects – Dam Repairs in
Satara District. The Coconut-breaking ceremony was performed on Wednesday, the 28 th of February,
and the work commenced soon thereafter. We have members who have donated large sums of
money for this project, and I am very thankful to them. Their contribution is going to make life better
for a large number of people by providing the very essence of life – water. More about this project in
my report, which appears on the following pages.
We had received a request from Gram Prabodhini School at Village Salumbre for a Maths Lab, but
did not have the funds for it, till Rtn Giri Sakhrani decided to provide the necessary funds. The Maths
Lab installed at a School in Pune was seen and found suitable for our Rural School at Salumbre in
Taluka Maval. The Lab has been ordered and is under provision. It is expected to be ready for
inauguration on the 24 th of March. This will be a great help for the 450 Students studying at the
School. It would be good if some members come for the inauguration and see for themselves its
usefulness.
As I had said last week, we are in for a lot of action in the month of March. The much-awaited RCPC
Rocks II Concert will take place on the 16 th at Mazda Hall. Be prepared to be enthralled by Maestros
playing the Piano, the Saxophone and the Electric Jazz Guitar. Rtn Vipen Malhotra has conceived and
choreographed the entire evening. So mark the date and do not miss out, as the music caters to all
tastes – Western and Bollywood.
Today, we will see the result of one of our major CSR Projects – Robotics, which is being steered by
our own member Rtn Payal Rajpal. It is an extremely innovative project wherein children from
economically weaker sections of society are being given the necessary skill sets to design Robots.
This was showcased during the G-20 exhibition at SPPU last year, and some of them travelled to

Tallin in Estonia for the International contest. Please do come and see how this project is impacting
lives. Look forward to seeing all of you!

President's Message 09 March 2024

The week began with a visit to the New Vision Arts and Commerce College in Shirur Taluka, in
the company of PPs Rakesh Bhargava, Jinen Munot and Rtn Pravin Nadkarni, and R’Ann Dipti.
Having been there on three earlier occasions, it was just a normal visit for me, but it was quite
an eye-opener for those visiting for the first time. The students were eager to welcome us and
display their affection by songs and speeches, but we had to cut them short due to time
constraints. We needed time to visit their new site, install computers in their Computer Lab, and
understand the situation thoroughly. The students were thrilled to use their new computers and
as always very happy to have us there. We did end up spending a lot of time there and got back
home only after 5 pm. Here is a college that needs to be nurtured and provided as much support as possible
through large CRS funding. It will have to be carried forward in the years to come.
Last Saturday was an unique experience; seeing the result of our major CSR Project. Rtn Payal Rajpal, of ROBOTEX
India, is steering this project, and it was wonderful to see the children from very humble backgrounds creating
Robots, and confidently displaying them. These children had been to Tallin, Estonia, to participate in the
International Robotics Competition, and were on the podium for their projects. It is indeed heartening to see how
the needy are being benefitted.
Preparations are underway for the Cricket Match between the Maharashtra and Mumbai Wheelchair Cricket Teams
on Sunday, 10 March, at the Poona Club Cricket Ground. The Maharashtra Wheelchair Cricket Team, is really ‘our
team’, as we have provided them the Sports Wheelchairs, their Cricket Kit, Jerseys, Caps etc. So please do come and watch these valiant wheelchair warriors in action.

President's Message 16 March 2024

An action-packed week has gone by, and lots of action to look forward to! After an absorbing
talk by Abhijit Dhondpale, the Master Sculptor, about his sculpture and techniques on Saturday,
it was an early beginning on Sunday. The Wheelchair Cricket Match between the Maharashtra
and Mumbai Wheelchair teams took place at the Poona Club Cricket Ground. This was the first
ever wheelchair cricket match to be played at Pune, and the ground was rife with excitement as
the teams prepared for the game. Since the Poona Club had graciously given us the Cricket
ground for this match, and that too without charging us anything, it was decided to invite Mr.
Sunil Handa, President of Poona Club as the Chief Guest. A special invite was our own Past President Mr. Munir
Chinoy, who is also a past president of the Poona Club. It was his efforts that resulted in us getting the ground free
of cost.
The dignitaries were introduced to the Teams and the game got underway at 10.00 am as planned. Maharashtra
had a great start, and a steady performance saw the score board reading 121 for 3 after 17 overs. The last three
overs were a disaster, and the final score was 127 for 9. The Mumbai stamped their supremacy and despite some
early wickets, batted at a blistering pace to reach 128 for 4 off just 12 overs. They took home the glittering trophy
and the gold medals, while the Maharashtra Team had to be satisfied with the Runners-up prize and the silver
medals. An exciting day witnessed by quite a few of our members. The match was widely reported in English and
Marathi Newspap.ers
I must profusely thank all the 12 members who contributed towards buying the wheelchairs and then contributed
towards conduct of this match – Cricket Kit and Jerseys for the Team, Trophies, Breakfast, Photographer etc. We
have truly ‘Created Hope’ for these young men, who are striving to overcome the physical challenges that they face,
and playing a game that is like a religion in our country.
Later, on Sunday evening, we had the District Wine and Cheese Fellowship, for which we were the main host club. A
record-breaking 22 members from our club had registered for the event. All had a great time sipping and learning
about various wines that were on offer.
Rtn. Oni and Nafisa are continuing their great work, conducting eye camps. This time it was conducted at the
Mahatma Jyotiba Phue English and Marathi Schools at Pisoli. Hat’s of to these dedicated couple.
Rtn. Naren Sanghvi has over the years looked after the Rural Schools in Mulshi Taluka. This week he presented
Alexa a talking doll, to the Zilla Parishad School at Fangdar. All the local panchayat office bearers and the teachers
were truly wonderstruck with this, and were highly appreciative of the same. This project has been widely reported
in the Marathi Newspapers published from Pune.
Preparations are afoot for RCPC Rocks II, and a lot of behind-the-scene preparatory work is underway. This is a ‘not-
to-miss’ event, and those of you who have not yet collected your passes are advised to do so today. This is an
expanded version of RCPC Rocks, wherein the number of instruments being played have been increased to three,
and a lot of exciting music has been planned. So do come and spend an evening being enthralled by these
Maestros, planned and compered by Rtn Vipen Malhotra.

President's Message 30 Mar 2024

It seems a long gap since our last meeting, but though t wasn’t a formal meeting, did get to
meet a fairly large number of members and R’Anns at the ‘Music for Charity’ Concert – RCPC
Rocks II, on the 16 th of March. As promised, it was an evening of enthralling music, and had the
large audience tapping their feet and/or clapping their hands to the beat. Huge congratulations
to Rtn Vipen, who saw it through, from conception to execution! The musicians were at their
best, and could have gone on longer, if we didn’t have time constraints. A big thank you to all
those who attended and encouraged the artistes, and the organizers, with their wholehearted
appreciation.

Hat’s off to our tireless and timeless couple Rtn. Oni and R’Ann Nafisa, for their extraordinary dedication. They have
conducted about 25 camps this Rotary year, and the total no. of eye checkups is nearing the 15K mark. It is not that
only the numbers are impressive, but what is amazing is that they have through these camps identified close to
300children who need further examination and/or glasses. But for these camps, these children’s ailments would
have gone unnoticed, and resulted in more serious afflictions. The children examined at these camps would never
under normal circumstances be taken to an ophthalmologist by their parents, and hence the importance of such
eye camps.
We received good news in the form of a huge donation from the Desai Brothers CSR, thanks mainly to our own Rtn.
Nitin Desai. The Donation of Rs 3 Crore, along with the money donated by our club members and some money
from other clubs, has ensured that we will be able to achieve the target of 15,000 cataract surgeries this year. This
Gift of Sight Project, though a District Project, is spearheaded by RCPC, and Rtn. PP Ravi Kapoor, who has done a lot
of leg work towards making this happen. We are very thankful to Rtn. Nitin Desai and Rtn. PP Ravi for their support.
The other major project that has been approved is the ‘Gift of Life Project, where we, along with partner clubs from
overseas have raised funds for 50 Pediatric Heart Surgeries, thus meeting our target fully. This project has been
approved as a Global Grant Project, and will go a long way in saving the lives of 50 children suffering from
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Here too, Rtn PP Ravi Kapoor has done a lot of work and needs to be lauded.
Work on the Dam Repair Project in Satara District is in full swing, and we look forward to seeing it being completed
by the middle of April. I know it is getting warmer by the day, and the day temperatures are likely to be around the
40C mark, but still would like everyone to actually see what is happening on the ground. Rtn Giri, who is passionate
about water conservation, is organizing a trip to the Dam Site around the second week of April, and I earnestly
request members to join us for this trip. I can assure you that you will come back tired but fulfilled.
We have also received Rs. 12.5L as CSR Funds from a company called 3A Composite Pvt Ltd., in Mumbai, towards
funding a Chemistry Lab at the New Vision College in Takli Haji, Shirur Taluka. The CEO of this Company is Mr.
Ranjeet Sharma, who incidentally is the Son-in-law pf Rtn. PP Rakesh Bhargava. So there is no doubt about who
deserves to be congratulated for making this happen. Thank you very much Rtn. PP Rakesh and Ranjeet for your
kind support.
The District has organized Vocational Awards zone wise this year, and asked for nominations from clubs. From our
club, we have nominated Mrs Jai Khamkar, the President of Maalganga Andh Apang Sanstha (MAAS). That is the
organization that has started and runs the New Vision Residential College at Takli Haji, Shirur Taluka. The Award will
be presented at a glittering function n Saturday, 30 March 2024, at the MCCIA Auditorium.
The Inner Wheel Club of Pune Central, our partner club, is organizing the Ladies’ Night, this week, and it promises to
be an evening full of fun and entertainment. They are also sponsoring the Wine, and we will follow it up with a
sumptuous dinner fellowship, where the menu has been carefully crafted by our Fellowship Chair – Rtn. PP Sukhi
Kalra. Please do not miss this gala function; look forward to seeing you all.

President's Message 06 Apr 2024

At the District Vocational Awards last week, our Nominee Mrs Jai Khamkar, President of the
Maalganga Andh Apang Sanstha (MAAS), the Award for Excellence in Vocational Service, at the
hands of DG Elevt, Rtn Shital Shah. It is befitting that our members get to know about her, and
hence this brief note about her. Born in a farmer’s family, she was a keen student and dreamed
of becoming a teacher. In 1997, while studying in class XII, she was struck by fever, and
administered an injection at a private clinic. This caused an extremely adverse reaction all over
her body, for which she was admitted to the General Hospital at Thane. The reaction was
controlled through medicines, but she lost sight in both her eyes. It came to light that the injection administered
was well past its expiry date! A tragedy indeed. Disenchanted, but not disheartened, Jai decided that instead of
wallowing in her sorrow, she would do something for people like herself who had been thrown challenges by life.
She formed MAAS, and started a school for Blind children. She realized that there were schools that catered to such
children, but they all ended at the Class X level, and such children had no choice but to study in regular colleges for
higher education. She applied to the Govt. for starting a college for the visually and physically challenged students,
and after a great struggle, got the permission in 2016. Then she realized that coming to college every day would also
pose a great problem for these children, and hence decided to make it a residential facility. She rebuilt her own
residence suitably for this purpose, and the New Vision College of Arts and Commerce commenced functioning in
2019. This is the only institute of its type, and students who have passed out have even got jobs. Her perseverance
with the govt has led to the allocation of three acres of land about 2.5 km from their current location, and she has plans to build a college that caters for not only arts and commerce, but also for science faculties. She also plans to
commence a junior college in the facility. The students are not charged any fees, and the college runs purely on
donations received by the MAAS. As Jai proclaims – I do not have sight, but I have a Vision and a Mission! I want to
educate these Physically and Visually Challenged youth so that they can be self-sufficient and lead a respectable life.
We have chartered a Rotaract Club in the College in 2023, and provided the college five Green PCs this year as a
part of our ongoing Green PC Project, which is funded by our very own Rtn Pravin Nadkarni. Mrs Jai Khamkar had
appealed to our club for help in funding the creation of Science Labs, which was included in our Fundraising
program. Rtns JPP inen Munot, Amita Munot and PP Rakesh Bhargava had committed to donate Rs 50,000/- each
towards this. A site visit was undertaken and after seeing the situation on the ground, it was realized that three
separate labs would be required, and the funding required was about Rs 12.5 Lakhs for each. It was realized that
this would only be possible if we got enough SR Funds. Happily, Rtn PP Rakesh was able to garner Rs 12.5 Lakhs CSR
Funds from a Company called 3A Composites or the Chemistry Lab. It is significant that Mr. Ranjeet Sharma, CEO of
3A Composites is the Son-in-law of Rakesh and Suchi Bhargava. It is great to see our next generation following the
path we have decided to adopt – Create Hope in the World! All of us need to motivate our children to do so.
It was an enjoyable evening last Saturday with the Inner Wheel Club President and members and hearing about
their projects. A lively entertainment programme organized by them made it an evening to remember.
It was also heartening to hear about the success of our Project to train Junior Nurse, also known as Patient Care
Attendants (PCAs), sponsored entirely by Rtn PP Narayanbhau Rathi, and conducted by AIPTech. The course has
created opportunities for girls who could ot complete their education to become independent and earn a decent
living. Kudos are also due to our Past President Munir Chinoy for this. He has been a great support throughout the
year for various activities.
Who amongst us has not received a call, mail or sms offering huge returns for our investment, or some gift coming
our way or a mail from some known person saying he is in dire straits and needs money! That we have not
responded is a display of our maturity and awareness, but on a daily basis one reads about ’educated’ people falling
prey to financial frauds. To learn more about the ways these fraudsters operate and how to prevent becoming a
victim, we have our Vice President, Rtn Ashish Goyal as the speaker on Saturday. Let’s all hear him and become
wiser in this digital world.
We are planning another visit to our Dam Repair Project Site next week. Do join us as we watch the work being
undertaken there. I can assure you that despite the unbearably hot weather, witnessing the work in progress will
give you an immensely satisfying feeling.
I take this opportunity to wish our members and their loved ones the best for Gudi Padva (9 Th April) and Eid Al-Fitr
(10/11 April).

President's Message 13 April 2024

As we enter a new financial year, we need to plan our ‘Giving Strategy’, and how we can best
optimize our tax liabilities. The Rotary year though, has not yet ended, and we still have three
months to progress projects in hand, and indeed take up new projects if possible. Projects that
we start now would necessarily spill into the next year, but that does not mean we stop pursuing
new avenues for our service. One Rotary Year ending, and the next one starting, is merely an
administrative change, and though it involves a change of leadership in the club and at the
District and International levels, it does not mean anything to an ongoing project. A case in point
is the Mega Eye Surgery project started in March 2023, which was sanctioned in May 2023; majority of th e 10,500

Cataract Surgeries were conducted in this Rotary Year. In the same way we are in the process of obtaining approval
for the second Mega Eye Surgery project, in which we plan to conduct 1500 cataract surgeries. This will continue
even after te new President has taken over.
On the subject of Mega Eye Surgery Project, this has been made possible mainly due to the generous donation of Rs
3 Crores, by Rtn Nitin Desai, through the CSR Funds of Desai Brothers. With this he rises to the next level of Arch
Klumph Society Members. Kudos to him and R’Ann Meena Desai.
Which brings me to the subject of Foundation Giving, especially Giving to the Annual Fund 9Previously known as
APF). Whereas RCPC is head and shoulders above other clubs of our strength, in total Foundation Giving, our
contribution to APF is not proportionately high. We need to increase these numbers, so that we can justifiably
demand a substantial amount from the District Development Fund (DDF). Please urge your friends who are still not
Paul Harris Fellows, to take advantage of our scheme for supporting members with points, to become PHFs. We still
need substantial numbers to achieve our target.
The Dam Repair work at Satara is in progress at a brisk pace. The plastic sheets for covering the Dam-face and the

trench, have arrived and have been laid at the location. The trench is being refilled, and then we will undertake de-
siltation, to have the entire site ready for the Rain-Gods to fill it up. With a predicted ‘Normal’ Monsoon this year, we

hope that we are able to fulfill the hopesof the villagers of Rajapur.
The Happy Village Project undertaken at Antulay Nagar has been completed, in that we have cleaned the
contaminated well, and it is full of Fresh, Potable water. The residents of the area, about 2400 Leprosy Survivors
have got their hopes rekindled, and are requesting pipelines from the well to their homes, which in itself is not an
unreasonable demand. Rtn Giri, Director Non-Medical Service, who has funded and overseen the project, has
advised the residents to pay at least 25% of the cost for laying the pipelines, to which they have agreed. We will now
extend this Happy Village project and ensure that every household gets piped water.
The week ahead is full of Club activities. The Maths lab, for Gram Prabodhini School at Village Salumbre, Taluka
Maval will be inaugurated by Rtn Giri Sakhrani, the sole donor for this entire project worth Rs 2.5 Lakhs.
Jagruti School for Blind Girls is organizing a six-day Summer Camp from 18-24 April. This will be inaugurated on the
18th of April.
We have received the Charter for our new Rotaract Club at Christ University, Lavasa. The installation of its Board is
likely to happen soon.
We’ve just gone through an unique week, beginning with Gudi Padwa on the 9th of April, followed by Eid Al Fitr on
the 11th. The week ends on the 13th with Baisakhi. Three major festivals, all together. So we have planned a grand
celebration this Saturday, at the Shantai Hotel. Do come and enjoy live music and a scrumptious dinner planned by
the Fellowship Committee led by Rtn Sukhi Kalra.

President's Message 20th April 2024

Yet another week has passed, and we are also passing through a heatwave, with temperatures
soaring into the forties. Despite the heat we have been active with our projects, and were in a
Village called Saumbre, in Maval Taluka, for the inauguration of the Maths Lab, donated entirely
by Rtn Giri Sakhrani. It is a very interesting concept and should prove to be an effective addition
is helping children overcome their ‘fear’ of Mathematics. Please read the details later in this
bulletin.
On Thursday, 18 April, the Annual Summer Camp RYLA, was inaugurated at the Jagruti School for
Blind Girls at Alandi. It was a well-attended event, and has always been the highlight of the calendar of Jagruti
School. Rtn Anil Bora and Rtn Shashi Saxena attended the event along with yours truly.
Many Rotarians had expressed their desire to take part in projects while responding to the Member Satisfaction
Survey conducted earlier. Despite adequate notice of these projects/events, the turn-out is very low. Consider the
fact that RCPC was the main sponsor for the Jagruti School Summer Camp, and Inner Wheel sponsored a Fun-fair;
only 3 RCPC Members attended the inauguration function, whereas 10 IWC members were present. I guess it is too
hot to travel all the way to Salumbre or Alandi!
We have a line-up of very interesting activities and meetings; Installation of the newly Chartered Rotaract Club at
Christ University on Tuesday, 23rd April, a talk by Rtn. Giri Sakhrani on his momentous ride from Manali to
Khardungla on the 27th of April, a talk by Anu Aga on the 4th of May. Look forward to seeing you all in good numbers.

President's Message 27 April 2024

Almost ten months of the current Rotary Year have passed, and as we close on to the magic date
of 1st July, it is natural to feel pensive, as I am, writing this piece, wondering whether we have
actually, “Created Hope in the World’. The fact that we set 25 goals and have already achieved 19
of them, thus qualifying for the RI President’s Citation, is not what I am referring to! What I want
to highlight is the fact that we ensured completion of last year’s Mega Cataract Project, in which
we oversaw the conduct of 10,779 Cataract Surgeries, 84 Corneal Transplants and 155 Glaucoma
Surgeries. This year we had set an ambitious target of 15,000 Cataract surgeries, and I am glad computer literacy classes at their schools. Antulay Nagar, a clony inhabited by 1500 leprosy survivors has been
made into a Happy Village by giving them clean usable water by cleaning up their unusable well, and now ensuring
that each house has piped water supply from that well. I guess we have created hope amongst a lot of people.
This week we also got the good news that Rtn Nitin Desai, has agreed to donate a further Rs 400,00,000/- for a
hospital restoration project. This will catapult him into the Arch Klumph Society Foundation Circle. Great going Nitin
Bhai, heartiest congratulations and heartfelt thanks for your abundant generosity.
This week also marked the completion of the Satara Dam Repair project. The repair, and de-silting of the Dam and
its catchment area at Rajapur was completed. Now we look towards the rain God to fill up the lake.
Another landmark event of the year happened on Tuesday, the 23 rd of April, when the Charter Installation of the
Rotaract Club of Christ University, Lavasa took place. The report is included in this Bulletin. The only sad part of the
event was that the only Rotarian from our club present for the event was yours truly. It was a saving grace that Rtn
Sanjay Karwa, District Co-Director of Youth Service was present.
This week we have our own member, Rtn Giri Sakhrani speaking to us about hie unforgettable bicycle ride from
Manali (7000’) to Khardungla (18450’), covering a distance of 550 km in 10 days. Please come and hear about it. Look forward to seeing you.

President's Message 04 May 2024

April is traditionally the hottest month of the year in Pune, and this year too it was, in fact hotter
than ever before, with day temperatures well over the 40 Deg mark, and even night
temperatures well above normal. No pre-monsoon showers meant no relief from the heat. That
probably was one of the reasons that kept our members from attending meetings and
participating in projects. I hope the month of May proves to be better in terms of weather and
attendance figures. We have precisely 9 meetings to go till the end of the Rotary Year, and I
hope people will make it convenient to attend.

Our member Rtn Nitin Desai, who had already donated a sum of Rs 3 Cr through the CSR of his Company, M/s Desai
Brothers for the Mega Eye Surgery Project, has agreed to donate a further Rs 4 Cr towards the renovation of the HV
Desai Eye Hospital. With this donation, he joins the Arch Klumph Society Foundation Circle ($ 1000000 - $ 2500000). This also takes our club from, ‘one of the highest giving clubs to the Rotary Foundation’, to ‘the highest giving club’.
We were recognized for this feat at a glittering function called ‘Magic of Stars’, at the hands of Rtn Stephanie
Urchick, Rotary International President Elect 2024-25, on Saturday 27 April 2024.
At the same function, the District Governor recognized high performing District Officers, and Rtn PP Ravi Kapoor
was recognized for his contribution in various fields. Rtn PP Rakesh Bhargava was also recognized for his
performance in organizing the District CSR Awards function. Earlier in the evening the RI President Elect had an
interactive session with the Presidents-Elect of the District for 2024-25, and was gracious enough to pose with each
President individually. Our own President Elect, Rtn Brig PKM Raja was amongst them.
This Saturday we have one of Pune’s icons as our guest speaker. Mrs Anu Aga not only steered Thermax as its
Chairperson for 8 years, which in itself is a shining example of women empowerment, she is a member of the
National Advisory Council, even today. A zealous social worker, she is deeply involved with the Akanksha
foundation, and the founder of ‘Teach for India’. Awarded the Padma Shree in 2010, she was nominated to the
Rajya Sabha from 2012-2018. It took a lot of effort on the part of R’Ann Sita Bhatia to convince her to accept our
invitation to speak at our club. In our invitation letter we always say that ours is the largest club in Pune City; it is
now time to prove that this statement is true by attending in large numbers.
Look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, 04 May 2024.

President's Message 11 May 2024

We had a good attendance at last week’s meeting and I would like to thank all those who
attended personally. Those who attended did not go back disappointed after the talk by a high-
profile Business Woman and an Active Social Worker. Though she spoke on the morbid subject
of death, Ms Anu Aga provided a lot of clarity in how to deal with this finality. She narrated her
own experiences and through them, made it clear that there is nothing as certain as death, and
nothing as uncertain as to when it will happen. She provided a lot of food for thought through
her narration. It was very gracious of her to accept our invitation and we are thankful to her.
Good news came from Rotary Foundation India in the form of approval of our Global Grant Project on Green PCs.
This project was initiated three years ago with a huge donation of $ 30,000/- from Rtn Pravin Nadkarni. Through a
variety of reasons this project did not fructify, and was re-submitted in December 2023. A lot of queries were raised
and after much to and fro correspondence it was finally approved on 08 May 2024. Since this project was getting
delayed we carried out a pilot project in five schools, for which Rtn Pravin donated a further $ 10,000/-.
Congratulations to Rtn PP Ravi Kapoor, Director CSR and Global Grants, who worked diligently to get this done.
Huge thanks to Rtn Pravin for his generosity and commitment to the cause of providing the opportunity for children
from Rural and Semi-Rural schools, to learn about computers and gain hand-on experience.
An important District Event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 19 May 2024 – District Training Assembly. The
purpose of this annual meeting is to prepare the incoming club leaders for their year in office and build their
leadership team. The DG Elect and AGs Elect and District Committees get the opportunity to interact with club
Directors Elect and formulate plans for the coming year. It is essential that the President Elect, along with Secretary
Elect and the Board of Directors attend this event.
At our club we have heard speakers from the Army, Navy and Air Force speak on matters of Defence and
preparedness. It is an aberration that we have not heard anyone from the youngest of the four Defence Services –
the Indian Coast Guard to date. To correct this anomaly, we have invited Additional Director General Vijay Chafekar
(Retd.) to speak at our meeting on Saturday, 11 May 2024. I have personally known him for over four years and
found him to be a very knowledgeable person, not only about the Coast Guard, but also on subjects pertaining to
conservation of the maritime environment, maritime law and strategic planning. Listening to him will be an
enlightening experience, and urge all of you to be present in large numbers as he gives us an insight into the Indian
Coast Guard. Look forward to seeing all of you!

President's Message 18 May 2024

During a Review Meeting with the District Governor last week, she was impressed by the
Projects that we have undertaken and the fact that our Global Grants have all been approved,
amounting to $ 250,000/-. Also with CSR India Grants projects worth Rs. 13.5 Cores, we will
definitely find a place amongst the Top giving clubs of the world. The only downside she pointed
out was the fact that we have not achieved our Target of 95% Members Retention, since we have
lost three members due to demise, eight due to resignations and three due to termination of
their membership. With the addition of seven members during the year and one more in the

pipeline, we will still end up at 122, which is 7 less than at the commencement of the current Rotary year.
Dear members, I ask of you to tell me what we need to do? Incidentally, we have had a number of requests on our
website for wanting to join our club, which we had to decline due to reasons such as distance of their location from
ours, could not tell us what they could bring to the table as members, no RLQ (Rotarian Like Qualities). The last is
purely my modification of one of the primary criteria for being selected to join the services as an officer – OLQ. We
just could not see them fitting into the ethos of our club. As against this we did induct seven members into the club,
all recommended by our members, and that too without any hesitation. Which brings me to the next question – do
we really need to grow our membership numbers? I admit that unless one adds new members, the organization will
not survive, but at what cost? I urge all of you to think about this, and request you to please write to me, call me,
send a WA message, whatever means of communications you choose, but please express your views.
The second aspect that really deserves our attention is the fact that as of today 69 members have not registered on
the Rotary International Website, and 26 have not downloaded the RID 3131 App on their mobile phones. I can
assure you that these activities will not take more than two minutes to complete, and will not prove to be a
nuisance as some download Apps tend to be, but these numbers reflect very poorly on our Club Performance Index
(CPI), as far as the overall assessment of our club goes. Again, an earnest request, please spare a few minutes to do
this. Our Director Digital Club - Rtn Madhvi Kshettry has spelt out the procedure both for i-phones as well as
Androids. She is willing to help out, and so is Gajanan. Please call them and they will be glad to help. But, please do
make the effort and complete your process.
Last week we had an interesting talk by Addl DG Vijay Chafekar; he brought out the fact that few Indians think about
– the country’s land area is 3.1 Million Sq. KM, and the area of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) adds another 2
Million Sq. KM to this. I often refer to the fact that as Indians, we tend to have sea-blindness, and the earlier we can
get over it, the more we will realize the importance of the oceans. In fact, being the only country after which an
ocean is named, we should have been a maritime super power, but the reality is that we are a long way from being
called a Regional power.
This week, its over to our President Elect – Brig PKM Raja and his BoD to conduct the Brainstorming session, and
assess what you want the club to be like in the year ahead. Please do attend in large numbers so that they can get
an all-round view.

President's Message 25 May 2024

As I write this message, we a group of 10 (6 Rtn’s and 4 Ann’s) are in a train from Stockholm to
Gothenburg, where we will be interacting with members of RC Gothenburg. A packed schedule
awaits us, beginning with a meeting at 1 pm, barely an hour and a half after our arrival.
This is Rotary in action, members of a club in Pune interacting and sharing our Rotary
experiences with a club in Sweden. On the personal level, we all look forward to getting an
insight into the life of people of one of the top ten happiest countries of the world.

It has been a great experience over the last five days, visiting Helsinki, Tallin and Stockholm. Sing technology to
improve the lives of their citizens, these cities are extremely committed to being called ‘Green’, and are going to
great lengths to ensure that all people actively participate in the sustainable development growth model.
I hope all of you participated in the Brainstorming last week, and are eagerly looking forward to the Club Assembly,
wherein PE Brig PKM Raja and the Board of Directors of 2024-25 will present their plans. They have put in a lot of
effort, and we as members must give them a patient hearing. Look forward to a full house on Saturday, 25 May!

President's Message 01 June 2024

Last weekend was spent with members of the Rotary Club of Gothenburg City. Beginning with a
lunch meeting at the ‘Fish Market’, where we exchanged flags, we were given a presentation on
their recently approved Global Grant project, which envisages gifting of Ambulances to Ukraine.
The project is not a very large one, considering the size of projects that we undertake. They
have requested us to partner them in future projects.
Rtn. Prabha Brutsner, who is known to many of our older members hosted us all to a welcome
drink at her house, where we interacted with their members informally. The conversation was

carried forward over dinner at a local restaurant.
The next day we were taken for a city tour and a picnic lunch, and hosted for diner by two Rotarians. Our own group
was divided into two for this.
The next afternoon we visited a resort on the coast, where we had a sumptuous lunch. That ended the official part
of our visit, and we bid our friends from RC Gothenburg City goodbye.
Early on the 27 th of May we sailed from Gothenburg to Frederikshavn in Denmark for the last leg of our tour.
We are preparing to leave on our return journey as I write this piece, a bit tired, but full of great memories.

President's Message 08 June 2024

The countdown has begun! Only three meetings left, before I hand over the Baton to Brig PKM
Raja, the President-Elect. Somehow, I had the feeling that this would be an easy month to
navigate, as almost all the planned projects have been completed, but I find that I have more to
do than I did about two months ago. Three Global Grants sanctioned last month, one Major
CSR-India Grant Project in the final stages of approval, and answering queries from a potential
big-ticket CSR Partner; all these require a lot of behind-the-scenes work. No complaints,
however, as eventually all these projects will lead to our goal for the year – Create Hope in the
World, and will result in the ‘Magic of Rotary’, in the coming year. Therefore, I certainly do not
feel as if anything is ending, it is just an ongoing process. Out of the 11000 Cataract Surgeries approved in May last
year, 10,500 were done during the current year, and similarly, most of the 15000 cataract surgeries approved for
this year will be carried out in RY 2024-25. Our engagement with ITC for CSR grants may not translate into any
money coming through during this year, but I am sure we will reap the benefits next year.

On the programs front, we had an extremely well researched and informative talk by our very own Rtn Dr. Ramesh
Sachdeva last Saturday. The flurry of messages of appreciation on our WA group, reproduced later in this issue bear
testimony to that.
Our Club is known for seeking out and honouring ‘Unsung Heroes’. People who have and are doing a great service
to society without looking for awards and recognition. Continuing this tradition, we have invited heads of three
institutions, who are silently helping the needy. Come and meet these people, as we recognize their work an
sacrifice by presenting them the Excellence in Vocational Service Awards, on Saturday, 08 June.
We will also felicitate the first member of our club to achieve the distinction of becoming a Level-III AKS Member –
Rtn Nitin Desai. He has been the driving force behind the Mega Cataract Surgery Project, last year, this year and
next year too. His contribution of Rs 3 Crores to this project, has enabled us to make this a Rs 5.5 Crore project, with
help from our members, partner clubs, and the District Development Funds. We are already in the process of
conducting 15,000 Catarct and other surgeries required for people who cannot afford them. So come and meet Rtn
Nitin Desai this Saturday.

President's Message q15 June 2024

The Joint Board Meeting between the RCPC Boards 2023-24 and 2024-25 was held this week. Asa I said at that meeting, the end of the current Rotary Year is not an end, but a beginning of the next President’s tenure, and though this is a big change, the work continues. Projects that are ongoing will continue, the Global Grants that have ben approved will get executed in the coming year and so will the activities in the domain of youth. So the main stream activities will continue, we will continue to meet on Saturday evenings, fellowships will continue and so on. I am personally looking forward to working as a part of the next board, and seeing all our projects to fruition, as well as participating in new projects.

It was a gratifying experience at the Vocational Excellence awards last week, listening to the awardees and what they are doing in service of Humanity. Hearing from Rtn Nitin Desai about his pet project was inspirational. A person, who has donated over 1 million Dollars to the Rotary foundation, is humbling in itself, but getting to know him and interacting closely over the year has been a great opportunity. May his tribe increase.

Even as we feel that new projects will only happen in the new tear, we received news of a sizeable CSR donation for work at a school at Charholi Village, and renovation of the Alandi Police Station. Also there are some more funds in the offing, which will have to be utilized for our existing projects. So as the saying goes, “Picture abhi baki hai, mere dost”. Let’s see what the next two weeks bring. It is also time to review the year, and work has started in right earnest on that front, which means that it isn’t time to rest on one’s oars yet.

We are also inducting a new member this week – Vaishali Karwa. Those who attended the meeting last week would remember meeting her.

It is also time to get to know our incoming President more intimately. We have arranged this as a talk show, wherein our star interviewer – Aditya Dharmadhikari, will chat with Brig PKM Raja. So look forward to seeing you on Saturday at the Poona Club.

President's Message 22 June 2024

As we close in on the last meeting of the year, wherein I am required to talk about my year in retrospect, I am actually having the heebie-jeebies.; something I never felt even when appearing for crucial flying tests throughout my flying career. Those were skill tests or written tests based on certain parameters, but here as I am still sitting in front of my computer, trying to figure out where to begin – the end is not even on the horizon. So much has happened in the last 52 weeks, that it is extremely difficult to decide on what to include and what to leave out. I guess there will be midnight oil burning in the Chitnis residence tonight!

Last week we got to know our President Elect - Brig PK Muralidharan Raja, much better. We saw a side of his personality that was unknown – the spiritual side. An Army Officer, that too one with a penchant for boxing, is someone perceived far removed from the image of one who has received divine inspiration, but that’s what he is, and my admiration for him has grown by a quantum leap. I must thank our IPP Rtn Uday Dharmadhikari for conceiving this programme last year, and myself in seeing the wisdom of continuing with it, without which we would have missed so much.

The work goes on unabated though it is actually the last week; we got CSR Funds for Repair and renovation of the Police Station at Alandi through the CSR Funds of a company. So work has started in full flow. The Dam Repaired at Rajapur Village received two very sharp showers, and there has been zero leakage reported, which speaks highly of the quality of work carried out. This will be again checked out during a visit to the site next week. The Provision of Clean Fresh water to the residents of our ’Happy Village’ – Antulay Nagar is on at a frenetic pace, and should be completed by mid-week next week.

We are screening a special show of the film “Chandu Champion”, on Sunday at Mariplex Gold on Sunday, 23rd February, at 11.00 am. The film is a biopic based on the life of Mr. Murlikant Petkar; he was a soldier in the Indian Army very seriously injured in the 1965 war, having received 5 bullet injuries to his body. He was in coma for two years, after which he recovered and through sheer grit and determination, became the first Indian to gat a Paralympic Gold Medal in 1972. We support a lot of children with various types of disabilities, and so we felt that it would be a good idea to arrange a show for these children. I requested Rtn PP Madhubhau to use his good offices and request our former member, Rajan Khinsavara for allowing us to use the theatre, which in his usual persistent style he did. My sincere gratitude to Madhubhau!

An added bonus is that I spoke to Mr. Murlikant Petkar and requested him to grace us with his presence, to which he has kindly agreed.

About 180 students and teachers are coming for the show; and for this I require help from as many members as possible to be present. The Theatre has a capacity of 200, so there is no dearth of seats. So an earnest appeal to all kind hearted Rotarians and R’Anns – please do come for this last event of the year.

Last week we had a pretty good attendance, everyone eager to see what’s coming up. Please do come again on the 22nd, to see what’s been going on at your club. Look forward to seeing you all.

President Blog

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PK Muralidharan Raja

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Latest Project

Financial Literacy

RYLA Career Guidance and Financial Literacy Program at Mulshi

Blood Donation Camp at Maale Mulshi

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Eye Check-Up Camp at Jagruti Blind School for girls, Alandi

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