Day and Date:Wednesday, 23rd September
Program: Business Meeting
Venue: To be communicated thru sms.
Time: 08.45Pm
* This meeting is open for Rotarians only.
Birthday Greetings
Rtn. Nirmal Mandlewala.......: September 24
Rtn. Samir Shroff...................: September 25
Ann Dharti Mandlewala........: September 29
Forthcoming Club Programs
*Day and Date: Wednesday, September 30
Program: Official Visit of District Governor
Major S K Sharmaji.
Time: 08.45Pm Venue: Taj Gateway
* Must for Rotarians and Spouses to attend.
Forthcoming District Events
* Sunday, 27th September
Event: Polio Plus Planning and Review meeting
Venue: Sumit Restaurant, Near saroli Jakat Naka, Surat.
Last Meeting: Sunday, 13th September
"An orator is a person who does not let mere facts stand in the way of producing a pleasant sound."
10 young leaders of the future, great orators, wonderful ambience, delicious food and a fine Sunday morning. That makes an ELOCUTION COMPETITION worth attending.
Ten schools participated in the competition held at TAJ GATEWAY. Following five topics were given to the students in advance:
1) SWINE FLU –Are we over reacting?
2) India today needs young and educated people joining politics – Would you consider politics as a career option?
3) Is the JOINT FAMILY system really working in India today?
4) Are Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and ideology relevant in today’s scenario of violence and terrorism?
5) Should children be exposed to the internet at a young age?
The students who participated were:
1) Mahesh Besde – I.P.Mission Boys school – Topic 3
2) Aiswarya Mohanty – S.D.Jain school – Topic 2
3) Sameep Khatri – Maheshwari Vidyapeeth – Topic 2
4) Shrijita Sarkar – Essar School – Topic 2
5) Geet Rathi – RYAN International – ICSE – Topic 2
6) Charul Jain – Lancers Army school – Topic 3
7) Jignesh Narola – Gajera School – Topic 3
8) Charu Maheshwari – J.H Ambani school – Topic 5
9) Monark Patel – Experimental school – Topic 4
10) Adhira Chordia – DPS – Topic 2
The judges for the competition were Mrs Daxaben Vamdatt and Mrs Archita Khaitan.The contestants were judged on the basis of 5 criteria : Content, Expression, Language, Impact on audience, and Overall impression. Each participant was given maximum 7 minutes to speak, with a warning bell at 5 minutes.
After a tough round of elocution the eventual winners were Ms Aiswarya Mohanty from S.D.Jain school and Ms Adhira Chordia from DPS who were declared joint first prize winners and the second prize went to Ms Charu Maheswari of J.H.Ambani school. Each contestant was also given a participation certificate.
Judge Daxaben gave important tips to the students on how to make their presentation more effective and Hon secretary Anant then made the necessary announcements.PDG Devendrabhai complimented all the students on their wonderful performances and thanked everyone who contributed in making the event a grand success. All the participants and their parents/teachers joined for delcious lunch. We had the pleasure of gracious presence of Rtn. Bhupendra Shah, President of Rotary club of Rajpipla in our meeting.
Our club thanks Mrs Daxaben Vamdatt and Mrs Archita Khaitan for sparing time out for this event.Special thanks to Rtns Bankim, Bhavesh, Anant and Vinod and Amit who helped in making this event successful. The project manager of this event was Rtn. Setu Gandhi who once again proved his mettle as reliable and dependable Leader! Kudos to Setu!
Participants in Action!
The Judges and Audience!
The Prize DistributionChild's View of Thunderstorms?
A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school.As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning.
The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school. ? She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child. Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.
At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. More lightning followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile. When the mother drove up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?
The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture." May God bless you today and every day as you face the storms that come your way!
Election issues- Excerpt from RI Director K R Ravindran's News Letter for September 2009
Election issues- Excerpt from RI Director K R Ravindran's News Letter for September 2009
One of the messages I am carrying to districts from the Rotary Leadership is that it is time that districts put a stop to all forms of electioneering, canvassing and campaigning whilst picking their District Leadership. The maximum number of complaints that come up before the RI Board on account of election disputes are from India. In addition to complaints on the election of District Governor, the Board also now is getting complaints on DGNC elections and CoL elections.
This attitude of complaints negates all the good that we do and all the progress we make on other fronts. It spoils the image of India in particular and the sub continent in general.
Legal costs
The Board and indeed the hierarchy of Rotary are tired of the complaints that are coming in from India and the high legal costs incurred by the Board on account of elections connected litigation. While we are attempting to reduce costs in every front it seems a shame that our cost of litigation is going up. Remember all this is our money – yours and mine.
Further, the leadership believes that when Rotary elections are conducted in this environment, it does longterm damage to the organization and causes deep rooted rifts between members whilst driving away potential new members. It also results in very poor caliber members offering themselves for leadership positions. Thiswe do not need the Board to tell us because we are aware of it ourselves.
The President, the President‐Elect and the General Secretary have requested and asked that we immediately put an end to this deplorable situation and this is the message that I carry throughout India.
Checks and balances
RI is currently in the process of setting together a series of regulations and practices which will curb electioneering. Some of the actions being contemplated include:
1) Disqualify both the nominee and the challenger and / or challengers or candidates, if it appears that one or all of them are guilty of some infractions of the rules. In such cases, the Board would be authorized to appoint a PDG to serve as Governor of the district in the disputed year.
2) Remove from office any DG who acts improperly in conducting the election process or knowingly condones improper acts.
3) Declare that a PDG, who acts improperly in promoting or assisting a candidate, is no longer in good standing. In addition, for districts that experience three or more election complaints in a five year period, the Board would be authorized to dissolve the district and to divide its clubs among the surrounding districts.
I am requesting every DG to appoint a completely independent person to take charge of all matters concerning elections. This person must be an individual trusted by and acceptable to every member of the district – if there is such a person. If you do not have such a person, this in itself is a sad indictment of the district.
I am requesting DGs and DGEs that hereafter candidates be precluded from funding their PETS or Assemblies or segments of their Conference Programme. The practice of candidates putting up posters (with or without their photo) welcoming participants to district events must cease. Such candidates will be debarred from contesting the election altogether and the DG is compromising his own position in the process as these acts can only be done with his concurrence.
We have a fair idea of the districts which encourage these methods and if a DG does not take steps to effectively end this practice then he does so at his peril. The practice of candidates visiting clubs offering cash for projects and sometimes even as payment of membership dues must also stop. In fact it will be a good idea if candidates stop visiting clubs during the entire year in which they offer, or intend to offer, their name as a candidate for election, until the election process is complete.
"Spark" congratulates RI Director Ravindranji for his bold and no-nonsense statement on electionering and wrong practices which goes with it. It will be interesting for grassroot level Rotarians like me to see how our Leaders implements RID's statement in letter and spirit!
Complete text of RID's News Letter can be accessed on our following District website link under the caption" Checks and Balances":
http://www.rotary3060.org/doc/connect%20Sept.pdf
GSE breaks new ground
first all-wheelchair GSE teams, from districts 9680 (New South Wales, Australia) and 5490 (Arizona, USA)
Determined to host an all-wheelchair GSE, Tegarden found a partner in Tony Castley, 2008-09 governor of District 9680, whom he met at the 2007 RI Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. Past district governors Harold Sharp (9680) and Don Schiller (5490) coordinated the exchange, and the idea became reality. Kubacz, now a member of the Rotary Club of Phoenix-West, served as the Arizona team leader.
Some Rotarians were initially a little uneasy about an all-wheelchair GSE because of a perception that disabled people "are either subnormal or unable to live and travel independently and hold down full-time, worthwhile employment," says Sharp, a member of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest, New South Wales, and the GSE’s cochair. "As a result of the exchange, the attitude in our district has totally changed."
Sharp, who is retired from a career in nonprofit management, counts himself in that group. "Though I have for many years been involved with people with disabilities, the wheelchair GSE allowed me to become very involved on a day-to-day basis. It was only then that I realized that I was totally underestimating [disabled people’s] abilities and desire to be judged on their results and not their appearances."
In Arizona, "we've opened the door now to people with disabilities," says Schiller, a member of the Rotary Club of Prescott-Sunup and the district's GSE chair. "We might not do another all-wheelchair GSE, but I can see disabled people participating in our next GSE, just like anyone else."
PIT YOUR WITS ( Answers in next issue )
1) PALINDROMES – A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards or backwards, though you may need to ignore the spaces between words – for example, DRAWN ONWARD. Using the clues supplied, and a little ingenuity, work out these two-word palindromes:
a) __ __ __ C __ __ __ P __ (Astronauts’ headgear)
2) DEFINITIONS : Choose right answer from four options given
A) REEK – a) root vegetable b) stagger c) smell d) seashell
B) HISTRIONIC – a) Spanish b) melodramatic c) old-fashioned d) argumentative
3) Who is the Chairman of India Polio Plus Committee?
You may send your answers by mail on setugandhi1969@yahoo.co.in OR SMS on 98251 39150 with your name mentioned. The first to give most number of correct answers from our club will be given a prize in next regular meeting if he/she is present. The names of anybody from District 3060 who gives the right answers will be mentioned in SPARK.
ANSWERS TO LAST PIT YOUR WITS ( Spark-08)
Q-1) PALINDROMES – A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards or backwards, though you may need to ignore the spaces between words – for example, DRAWN ONWARD. Using the clues supplied, and a little ingenuity, work out these two-word palindromes: a) G __ __ __ __ N __ (Antelope droppings)
A-1) GNU DUNG
Q-2) DEFINITIONS : Choose right answer from four options given A) SAVVY – a) shrewd b) sausage c) flavour d) rude B) TRIDENT – a) three-sided figure b) milk teeth c) sports car d) three-pronged spear
A-2) a) shrewd b) three-pronged spear
Q-3) Please state Official New Generation Programs of Rotary International.
A-3) Rotary Youth Leadership Awards(RYLA), Rotaract, Interact and Rotary Youth Exchange.
Winner from our club: Rtn Vinod Patel- CONGRATULATIONS
From Our club Ann Paulomi Akruwala and IPP.Tarun Sethi also responded correctly.
Winner from District : None
QUOTE UNQUOTE – VISUAL ARTS
“Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic” – Ambrose Bierce
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” – Claude Monet
“A good photograph is knowing where to stand” – Ansel Adams
“When one buys some of my artwork I hope it is because they will wish to learn from it and not because they think it will match their drapes!” – Christian Cardell Corbet
“Architecture is the art of how to waste space” – Philip Jhonson
PROVERBS and their MEANINGS – ANNETS DO READ
“The devil’s not as black as he’s painted” – Said to those who are speaking worse of an unsavoury character than he truly deserves.
“Why should the devil have all the best tunes?” – Secular music is more exciting and appealing than religious music.
“Fling enough dirt and some will stick” – Attack an opponent repeatedly and some of the accusations will be believed.
“You’ve got to eat a peck of dirt before you die” – Accepting imperfect food hygiene will be inevitable in the course of a lifetime.
“Don’t wash your dirty linen in public” – Keep your affairs private; don’t discuss private feuds or scandals in public.
આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
જરૂર જેટલી જ લાગણીઓ રિચાર્જ કરતો થઈ ગયો ખરે ટાણે જ ઝીરો બેલેન્સ દેખાડતો થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
સામે કોણ છે એ જોઈને સંબંધ રિસિવ કરતો થઈ ગયો સ્વાર્થનાં ચશ્મા પહેરી મિત્રતાને પણ સ્વીચ ઓફ કરતો થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!આજે રીટા તો કાલે ગીતા એમ મોડેલ બદલતો થઈ ગયો મિસિસને છોડીને મિસને એ કોલ કરતો થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
પડોશીનુ ઊંચું મોડેલ જોઈ જુઓને જીવ બાળતો થઈ ગયો સાલું, થોડી રાહ જોઈ હોત તો! એવું ઘરમાં યે કહેતો થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
હોય બરોડામાં અને છું સુરતમાં એમ કહેતો એ થઈ ગયો આજે હચ તો કાલે રિલાયન્સ એમ ફાયદો જોઈ મિત્રો પણ બદલતો થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
ઈનકમિંગ – આઉટ ગોઈંગ ફ્રીનાં ચક્કરમાં કુટુંબનાં જ કવરેજ બહાર એ થઈ ગયો હવે શું થાય બોલો મોડેલ ફોર ટુ ઝીરો એ થઈ ગયો આ માણસ જાણે મોબાઈલ થઈ ગયો!
( and at the end: kaavyana lakhnaarnu naam jaanya/lakhya vagar forward karto thai gayo!)
Pictures of The Week
Sardar Sarovar Dam overflowing
Leander Paes and Lucas Dlouhy win US Open dobles Title 
India Wins Compaq Cup in Srilanka
Indian Boxer Vijayendra Singh gets Bronze Medal in World Boxing Championships
