the Issue 3 • JULY 21, 2020

BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS

DIST 3232 • 2020-21

STAYING
CONNECTED To uphold the philosophy
of the Rotary movement through
Fellowship & Camaraderie

Rotary
designated
month

JULY 2020
New
Leadership
Month
EDITORIAL T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 2

Rotarians Ahoy! Birthday

…Is what James Wheeler Davidson would probably have thought, with utter 28th July – Rtn. Antony Lobo
confidence, whenever he spotted his new “port of entry” as he went about his global 29th July – Rtn. Krishnamurthy
journey, setting the foundation of the Rotary movement in so many countries. Vijayan
Celebrating his work, the annual Charter Nite at RCM, a JWD Chartered Club, has 29th July – Rtn. A. Sankara
always been a glitzy affair. But this year, the gala event wears a different robe, and Narayanan
none of us gets to meet in person, thanks to restrictions. 29th July – Rtn. Sathiaram Ram
Well done, Covid-19, you villain! 29th July – Rtn. A. Gooch Kumar
Ah well, I thought to myself, at least a Zoom-event ensures that this issue of 3rd Aug – Rtn. S. Gunashekar
Lighthouse would be easy-peasy and nothing more than a brief report on the 3rd Aug – Rtn. S. Ravi
proceedings and some photos. The struggle would be, in fact, on how to fill any pages 30th July – Ann. Anitha
at all! (Rtn. L. Gopinath)
They say: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Just an idea here and 30th July – Ann. Dimple
there on how to make the single topic of Charter Nite itself more colourful; then a (Rtn. Jayant Hemdev)
bucketful of gushing testimonials from guests around the world, then a flash of 31st July – Ann. Sangeetha
inspiration thanks to Ashish’s introduction and a wealth of buried vintage info on the (Rtn. Rajendra Mudaliar)
Internet… throw into this mix, my curiosity in trying to find out how the team that made
it happen, made it happen and suddenly, I had way more “stuff” than I knew what to
do with! Wedding
And thus, it is with equal, hearty dollops of exhilaration and tummy-butterflies, that I
present to you, the 3rd issue of our Lighthouse, dedicated to our Charter Nite and to 29th July – Rtn. Ashok Banerjee
the deeply admirable qualities of camaraderie, focus and service our Club and its and Ann. Sreejata
members embody.
- Rtn. Shri Shakthi Girish
Sunshine
Rtn Ranjit Bakshi – `1,000

July 26 is Kargil Vijay Diwas

named after the successful
'Operation Vijay’.
It was this date in 1999 that India
successfully took command of the
high outposts which had been lost to
Pakistan.
Kargil Diwas is dedicated to
celebrating the heroes who have
their life for their motherland.
One of the heroes was Captain
Vijayant (Robin) Thapar. He lead the
team of Rajputana Rifles to help
India take control of Tololing.
It was a dominant position
overlooking the Srinagar-Leh
Highway and was a vital link.
At our next meeting on
Tuesday, 28th July, we will
commemorate Kargil Diwas with our
special guest speaker Retd. Col.
Dear Rotarians, V.N. Thappar, proud father of Capt.
Vijayant Thapar.
A gentle reminder to pay up on our RCM yearly subscriptions before the It will be an E-meeting and we look
last day: July 31, 2020. forward to having a full house on this
Please contact Rtn. Aditya Agarwal at aditya.agrwal@ gmail.com or by momentous occasion.
WhatsApp or text message; or the RCM Club Office for any queries or Do stay tuned to your WhatsApp
further information required. msgs and Emails inbox for meeting
Have a great week! login details.
GLIMPSES T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 3

GALA E-CELEBRATIONS OF
RCM’s CHARTER NITE
JULY 19, 2020
with fellow Charter Clubs, Rotarians,
guests & well-wishers from
around the world!
GLIMPSES T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 4
GLIMPSES T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 5
GLIMPSES T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 6
MINUTES T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 7

CHARTER NITE
CELEBRATIONS
SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020

RCM stands tall – 92nd Charter Nite evening zoom The next weekly meeting is on the 28th July’20 at 1.30
meeting minutes. pm and the speaker will be Rtn. Col. V.N. Thapar, in
MC Rtn. Dr. Sharon Krishna Rau conducted the Charter commemoration of Kargil Diwas.
Nite evening with ease. She periodically recognised and
greeted the participants, making everyone feel welcome Rtn. PP Rajendran Sabanayagam on honouring James
throughout the evening. Wheeler Davidson/ RCM
President Rtn. Kapil Chitale, after collaring, called the Rtn. PP Rajendran Sabanayagam recognised and
3rd meeting of RCM, the 92nd Charter Nite, to order. appreciated the JWD Clubs’ participation at the Charter
Nite and showed a presentation on JWD, by tracing the
4 Way Test history & the roots of his work, including with RCM.
Seniormost Rotarian of RCM, Rtn. PDG Dr. M. Natarajan
spoke on the 4 Way Test and said that all the 4 points of Rtn. Ashish Gupta – A scintillating introduction
the 4 Way Test are in our Indian culture, as we all follow Rtn. Ashish Gupta literally took everyone on a visual
truth, live for others, help others and live as one family. tour to all the participating countries, with his excellent
introduction about the countr y/ city and the
President Rtn. Kapil Chitale opening remarks representatives from each place. He captured everyone’s
President confirmed the 14th July 2020 meeting- attention with his interesting titbits about each place, as
minutes of RCM. if we were there in person. Around 13 countries across the
President welcomed all the JWD clubs, PDGs, and clubs world extended their greeting to RCM & Pres. Kapil. They
participating in this RCM’s 92nd Charter Nite also gave a brief note about their Club. A small video
celebrations. President said that it is very glad and presentation was given by all to mark this occasion.
thrilled to welcome every zone in the world. He
acknowledged PE Manon Mitchell from the Mother Club Country Club Name of Speaker Title
RC Calgary. He thanked all for the good wishes despite
1 Canada RC of Calgary Ms. Manon Mitchell President-Elect
short notice and the time difference.
President said the Charter Nite is the time to celebrate & 2 New Zealand RC of Wellington Mr. John McKinnon President
recognize our stalwart PDGs, PPs and other Rotarians for 3 Malaysia RC of Seremban Ms. Snehalata Raman President
their contribution/ guidance and exemplary work in
4 Malaysia RC of Kuala Lumpur Mr. Prabagaran Vythilingam President
bringing the Club to this level. This makes us to keep our
heads high and he sent a salute to them. 5 Malaysia RC of Ipoh Mr. Hee Sung (Sonny) Leong President
Like last year, we have decided to refrain from the 6 Malaysia RC of Penang Ms. Jeyalakshmi Ratnavale President
District Awards this year too. It’s a fair practice that
7 Thailand RC of Bangkok Mr. Abdullah Alawadi President
provides an opportunity for other Clubs in the District to
perform and getting recognized. IPP Dr. Vijayabharathi 8 Sri Lanka RC of Colombo Mr. Nithianandan Murugesu President
was adjudged amongst the top three donors in the Dist. 9 India RC of Bombay Mr. Peter Born Dir-Intl. Services
and the Secretary’s recognition was given to Rtn. Sesha
10 Israel RC of Jerusalem Mr. Dieter Ziulkowski President
Sai. RCM as a team was recognized by awarding the Pole
Star Award by the Dist. and Pres. Kapil congratulated 11 Egypt RC of Cairo Mr. Adib Iskandar President
everyone. 12 Canada RC of Red Deer Dr. Robert Lampard Historian &
Author - JWD;
Secretary Rtn. PB Prasad’s announcements Hony. Rtn. of
Secretary Rtn. PB Prasad read out the birthday/ RC Calgary
wedding anniversary list of the Rotarians/ spouses who 13 South Africa RC of Johannesburg Ms. Grace van Zyl President
celebrated that week.
MINUTES
Rtn. PE Rtn. Mohan Raman introduced DGE J. Sridhar in
his unique way.
DGE Rtn. J. Sridhar observations/ compliments
DGE Rtn. J. Sridhar thanked all the JWD invitees for this
memorable occasion. The DGE said that he was ‘simply
drowned in a flood of happiness’ on hearing the JWD Clubs’
presentation. DGE acknowledged JWD’s remarkable work
for the Rotary movement and complimented him as a great
visionary who brought many Rotary Clubs in Asia.
Charter Nite is the day of celebration of the
achievements and the reflection of the projects/ programs
undertaken and to remember all those who are involved,
and many who are no longer with us.
JWD was chosen by Paul Harris/ RI, as he was a world
traveller and increase the no. of Rotary Clubs in other
parts of the world too, apart from North America/ Canada.
James Wheeler Davidson is truly the father of the Rotary
movement for us all, as he started RCM, the parent Club
for many other Clubs in South India.
The DGE gave an statistical presentation of Rotary and
also on RCM. He went on to appreciate how RCM began in
a humble way and yet grown remarkably and contributed
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 8
to the growth of Rotary over the years in a big way. DGE
gave impressive statistics on RCM’s activities, and said
that it has been responsible for 47% members in India’s
Rotary clubs and 6% of the members in the Rotary world.
DGE also recounted RCM’s efforts in the Red Measles &
Polio eradication and how a vital role was played by our
late Rtn. PP Krish Chitale, along with others, in the 80s.
The DGE commended RCM projects lake renovation,
TTC, the school project, Covid-pandemic mitigation,
sanitation and hygiene projects and so on.
He was in praise of RCM being the inspiration for 126
clubs in the District and wished Pres. Kapil a great year for
the service of the humanity/ society and to provide a
lasting impact, as always.
Rtn. PP S. Gunashekar thanked all the Presidents/
representatives for their active presence in RCM’s Charter
Nite celebrations.
In thanking everyone for being a part of the 92nd year
Charter Nite celebrations, it was also expressed that RCM
will continue to build and nurture relationships with all
JWD Clubs and 1929 Clubs.
The meeting ended by playing the RCM song.
A great, momentous day to cherish, indeed.
SPOTLIGHT
BEHIND THE SCENES
WITH THE
CHARTER
NITE
MOVERS &
SHAKERS
President Rtn. Kapil Chitale
THE WAY IT WAS
The Charter Nite celebration has traditionally been an
event where RCM has recognised its own. As per
convention, the President of the Club has to recognise,
appreciate and honour all the Past Presidents and Past
Dist. Governors from our Club for their efforts in ensuring
each of us hold our heads up high in the Rotary world.
This year, our President-Nominee Rtn. Jayshree Sreedhar
very confidently took up the portfolio of International
Relations and working with the Dist., which was hitherto
an unknown area to her.
But one would not believe this of her, the way in which
she, Rtn. PP Raj Sabanayagam and other members of the
committee put together quite a bouquet of activities this
year, starting with our fantastic Charter Nite, held on July
19.
When the concept for the Charter Nite was being
brainstormed, PP Raj Sabanayagam voiced thought of
getting the JWD-Charter Clubs to attend the event. To me it
sounded like the perfect time to get this going even though
the Charter Nite date was just around the corner!
That nudge from me was all it took for the entire
committee to come together and give us one of our finest
events with respect to International Relations in recent
times.
I give my heartfelt thanks to these wonderful Rotarian
mentors, advisors and friends on this Committee who
made this happen - it was THEIR show.
I want to add: Misfortune is often just Opportunity
disguise and this concept of getting Rotarians from all over
the world together came so well together on an E-platform!
Let’s continue to Respect, Collaborate with and Motivate
each other.
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 9
Rtn. Jayshree Sridhar
This year marks my first step in in avenue
of RCM's International Service and I was
filled with excitement and awe… and to be
honest, a bit of nervousness too.
What do we do in a pandemic year when
no travel is possible! But President Kapil set
the tone for a dream run. He gave me a very
clear brief stating his wish to bring together
all the James Wheeler Davidson Clubs on one
platform and create a bond among these
Clubs. His idea to celebrate the Charter Nite
with all of them was great.
Our Mentor is Rtn. PP Raj Sabanayagam,
who gave us an overview of the legacy of
these Clubs and also gave us the film which
was made during his tenure as President. It
was my team - Rajesh Somasundaram,
Ashish Gupta, PP Guna and PP Gopi who
then reached out to all these International
Clubs. The response was fabulous and we
had confirmations coming in rapidly!
This is the first time we have had
participation from across the world. We were
overwhelmed by their enthusiasm both
during our Charter Nite and after that, when
we received a whole lot of mails from them
thanking us for having them at our special
occasion.
A great start to a remarkable initiative,
indeed.
SPOTLIGHT T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 2 0 10-11

AROUND THE WORLD ON A CHARTER NITE

WELLINGTON – Home to one of the world’s most popular Prime Ministers, Jacinda Ardern and
the Lord of the Rings, Wellington is capital of New Zealand and one of the hippest, coolest cities in
the world. The Rotary Club of Wellington is one of the first four Rotary Clubs in Australia & New
Zealand chartered in 1921.
Introducing to you: Rtn. John McKinon, President of Rotary Club of Wellington

CAIRO – From Tel Aviv, we fly to the ancient
capital of Cairo – the place Egyptians call Umm-
Ad-Dunya, the ‘Mother of the World’. Cairo is the
gateway to the wonders of ancient Egypt like the
Sphinx and the Pyramids. But look beyond these
obvious colossal attractions and you can see
beautiful mosques, labyrinthine bazaars and
ancient Coptic churches.
It’s a pleasure to welcome: Rtn. Adib Iskandar
President of Rotary Club of Cairo
KUALA LUMPUR – Driving north of Seremban,
we begin to see a skyline punctuated by the
CALGARY - Canada in a Stetson! Home to cowboys, SEREMBAN – From Wellington, we fly into Kuala Lumpur, Petronas skyscrapers, minarets, and Mogul-style
honky-tonk, Canada’s oil industry, North America’s Malaysia and drive 70 km southeast to the state capital of Negeri domes. We drive by colourful, food-stall-lined
first Muslim mayor, the wildly popular Calgary Sembilan at Seremban. Here we find the Rotary Club of streets are shaded by a leafy canopy of banyan
Stampede and of course, the Marco Polo of Rotary - Seremban that needs no introduction to our Club. trees. Welcome to Kuala Lumpur.
James Wheeler Davidson. We welcome: Rtn. Snehalata Raman We say Hello and Welcome to:
It’s a pleasure to introduce: Rtn. Manon Mitchell President of Rotary Club of Seremban Rtn. Prabagaram Vythilingam
President-Elect of Rotary Club of Calgary, the true President of Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur
home club to Rotary in Asia & Australia & New
Zealand

JERUSALEM – We board El Al Airlines and fly direct to

Tel Aviv, where a one-hour’s drive brings us to Jerusalem PENANG – Driving north of Ipoh, we reach the island of
BOMBAY – Bombay is a potpourri, smorgasbord and India’s
– a spiritual lightning rod, sacred to Jews, Muslims and Penang. At the heart of this city is diverse, cosmopolitan
financial powerhouse all in one. The heart of the city contains
Christians. Experimental performing arts centres are George Town, Penang Island's main city, that delivers old- IPOH – We now drive a few hours north of Kuala Lumpur
some of the grandest colonial-era architecture on the planet,
housed in 19th-century buildings. Orthodox world Asia in generous dollops. But the freshest aspects of and arrive at Ipoh, the capital of Perak State. Here stands
but explore a little more and you’ll uncover unique bazaars,
neighbourhoods moments away from million-dollar modern culture are present, too, in the exceptional art scene fine colonial architecture side by side with kedai-kopi shops,
hidden temples, and India’s premier restaurants and
condominiums, while fruit and vegetable sellers sit next to and free-spirited carnivals. towering white cliffs, some with magnificent cave temples
nightlife. It is also home to our sibling JWD club.
craft beer and Michelin-star restaurants. Let’s say Welcome to: Rtn. Jeyalakshmi Ratnavale pocketed in the limestone.
We are delighted to welcome: Rtn. Peter Born
A hearty Welcome to: Rtn. Dieter Ziulkowski President of Rotary Club of Penang It’s a delight to introduce: Rtn. Sonny Leong
Director – International Services, Rotary Club of Bombay
President of Rotary Club of Jerusalem President of Rotary Club of Ipoh

COLOMBO – From Bangkok, we fly Sri Lankan Airlines to the national capital of
Colombo. Colombo’s real treasures are to be found in its shaded boulevards, landmark
colonial architecture, stylish eateries and galleries. One such treasure is the Rotary Club of
Colombo with whom we have had a long and affectionate relationship over the decades.
Let’s say Hello to: Rtn. Nithianandan Murugesu
President of Rotary Club of Colombo
BANGKOK – Welcome to Bangkok! Same same, but different! Bangkok is a
city where the familiar and the exotic collide like the flavours on a plate of phad
thai. Without question, its one of the most exciting capital cities in the world
with its flavourful food, incredible shopping, and wonderful Thai hospitality.
Such a pleasure to introduce: Rtn. Abdullah Alawadi
President of Rotary Club of Bangkok
SPOTLIGHT
Rtn. PP N.K. Gopinath
The 92nd Charter Nite celebrations of our
Club was indeed a fitting tribute to our
founder Rtn. James Wheeler Davidson (JWD),
who was known to the Rotary world as the
MARCO POLO OF ROTARY.
Pres. Kapil and his International
committee, headed by Pres. Nominee Rtn.
Jayashree Sridhar and ably mentored by Rtn.
Rajendran Sabanayagam, Past President,
came up with the brilliant idea of putting
together a programme that would ultimately
turn out to be a commemorative evening for
our Founder, JWD. Within a short span of a
week, they touched base with almost 15 of
the approximately 25 clubs founded by JWD,
the world over and got 11 of them to be an
integral part of the evening.
I was given the task of inviting guests
from across the world and thus, I got down
to inviting the Friends of RCM. Despite the
very short notice, almost 70 of the 100 odd
Rotarians I invited not only joined us, but
stayed on for the entire 2 hours and 30
minutes that the evening's events went on
for!
To me it was really heartwarming to know
that our friends in Rotary hold our Club is
such high esteem, that they all responded
and shared our joy of our entering another
year, closer to our Centenary year.
Words are woefully inadequate, for me to
thank each of them from many different
countries, from as far as Brazil and USA in
the west and many other countries, closer
home. Given the time zones we live in, it was
overwhelming, the response we received and
for the effort they took to be there with us to
partake in our joy and celebrations.
At the end of it all, I felt a very satisfied
man as it was a gratifying evening, full of
positive vibes.
I must mention here, that the reason the
Rotary club of Madras ticks, is solely
because of all the 254 perspicacious leaders,
we have as our members and who deem it
their calling to do their bit, when asked for.
Be that as it may, i must mention 3 names,
who went the extra mile in ensuring that the
event, albeit a virtual one, is not only
successful, but also every bit interesting. I
refer here to Rtn. Past President S.
Gunashekar, Rtn. Ashish Gupta, who was
indeed the Star of the evening and Rtn.
Rajesh Somasundaram.
VIVA LA ROTARY, VIVA LA ROTARY CLUB
OF MADRAS.
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 12
Rtn. PP S. Gunashekar
When Rtn. PP. Rajendran Sabanayagam recently conceived the
idea of saluting the legacy of Rtn. James Wheeler Davidson
(JWD), he had me hooked on to the project. The task was to get
Rotary Clubs from Calgary to Wellington, all chartered by JWD,
under one umbrella.
The International Service Team had a mandate from Rtn.
President Kapil to invite the JWD Clubs to our Charter Day
Celebrations on July 19. Reaching out to Rotary Clubs from
Greece to Malaysia & Singapore was challenging and exciting.
Emails, phone calls and Whatsapp messages flew fast, with
amazing results!!
Eleven Rotary Clubs participated with electrifying enthusiasm
and commended our Club for taking the lead in forming this
unique affiliation. Presidents of JWD Clubs committed to join
hands in making the world that much smaller and a better place
for the less privileged through specially curated programs.
Getting Presidents from other JWD Clubs to sign up for the
JWD Affiliation will be cherished by me for a long time. In the
process, we made good friends with JWD Clubs and laid a strong
foundation for RCM to play its pioneering role.
Rtn. Rajesh Somasundaram
President Kapil had expressed his wish to have RCM connect
with all the James Wheeler Davidson Chartered Clubs and invite
them to attend our Charter Nite as a start, to both President-
Nominee Rtn. Jayshree Sridhar and Rtn. PP Raj Sabanayagam.
We had just about 10 days to go and as Chair of the
International Services, I was tasked to connect with all these
Clubs. Initially, we thought we would have about 4 - 5 Clubs
attend - those whom we have interacted with in the past.
In this context, I called upon Rtn. Ashish Gupta for some help
with connecting with RC of Bombay and on that call, Ashish
asked if he could also be part of my committee.
That was the turning point….
We divided up our work and Ashish went into overdrive in
connecting with Clubs in in Australia, New Zealand and Canada
while I was working on few of the Asian Clubs. As we drew
closer to the event we only had 2 - 3 confirmations. That’s when
PP Guna got into the act. He had identified, connected with and
got confirmations from most of the active JWD Chartered Clubs
within 24 hours and eventually we had 11 clubs who attended
our Charter Nite. Ashish curated the JWD part of the program
and made the over-90-minute programme interesting for all of
us, while PP NK Gopi had a slew of international Rotarians
attend the E-meeting and the rest, as they say, was history.
Overall, It was a memorable evening and the JWD initiative of
our Club has been widely appreciated. We are on our way to
make it an active group, indeed. I can truly say the
COLLABORATE part of this year’s theme will go a long way this
year.
SPOTLIGHT
Rtn. Sharon Krishna Rau
When Shanno called and asked if I was free on Sunday night
I knew it was NOT for a party at her home! Instead she had
another, different kind of fun evening planned!
It was our birthday AKA Charter Nite!
Guests from over a dozen countries around the world would
be joining us - all of us with the same raison d’etre… service!
We were meeting with all our siblings from Canada to New
Zealand and Cairo to Sereban!
We had all been chartered by the same intrepid traveller the
“Marco Polo” of Rotary - James Wheeler Davidson.
Ashish was going to take us all on a magic carpet ride to all
the places where we had “family”. And no bad food or jet lag!
Once she told me this, I knew I had my job as the MC taken
care of and I was excited to be a part of this fabulous journey.
We had one quick virtual meeting to test the tech, where Secy.
PB Prasad gave us all that amazing background images for the
E-meeting. That attention to detail was seen right through the
programme. From the seamless switching between speakers to
the AV presentations to time management and spotlighting the
various Clubs it was so much fun to compere the show.
Rtn. Ashish Gupta
It all started with an innocent-sounding call on 6 July, 2020
from Rtn. Rajesh Somasundaram, when he called me for
assistance in getting contact details of the President of the
Rotary Club of Bombay. When I naively asked him what it was
about, the trap was swiftly sprung was Charter Nite history!
Since James Wheeler Davidson stood at the helm of our
Charter Nites, Pres. Kapil and PP Raj Sabanayagam envisioned
JWD-chartered Clubs from all around the world attending this
event at our behest. I cheerfully quipped that I would be
happy to help not just with RC Bombay, but with the other
Clubs, but only if Rajesh would be me Co-Chair of
International Committee. I’m sure Rajesh couldn’t believe his
good fortune that he found someone who offered to do all the
grunt work for him!
Then we set about finding the Clubs of JWD (discovering not
just those he chartered between 1928-31, but also 9 other
clubs!). It was like a detective mystery, winding our way
through defunct websites, old directories, Facebook &
LinkedIn.
Our White Knight galloping to the rescue every time we hit a
wall was: PP Guna with a mighty pen (read: keyboard)
wielded as a sword, he penned eloquent emails to many of the
Clubs. Perhaps his wife’s good cooking that these folks had
experienced in the past was his magic hold over them.
As the Charter Nite program began to come together, Raj
Sabanayagam suggested that I could introduce the speakers.
While I constantly worry about time management (because I
know that despite knowing that time is limited, once I get
control of the mike, I love to tell stories!), I think in this case,
the 220+ invitees had a wonderful time.
And it left President Kapil feeling as contented as Phileas
Fogg after this world tour!
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 13
Rtn. Raj Sabanayagam
BEYOND MY WILDEST
EXPECTATIONS -
CHARTER NITE 2020
Answering President Kapil’s call in early
June to mentor the International Avenue of
Service I shared my thoughts of connecting
with Clubs chartered by James Wheeler
Davidson (JWD) from 1921 – 1931 and his
home club RC of Calgary during the current
Rotary year. Kapil immediately seized the idea
and wanted to make it happen for Charter Nite.
Jayshree and I felt time was short but Kapil
had made up his mind and didn’t take no for
an answer. Kapil’s idea of Charter Nite this
year was to have something different from the
past. We therefore decided to get to work!
The depth of our membership came to
surface and we had Past Presidents Gopi,
Guna, President Nominee Jayshree, Chair and
Co-Chair Rajesh and Ashish carry the torch
and what a resounding success the evening
was! We had 11 JWD clubs participate from
Canada to New Zealand and to witness we had
distinguished Rotarians from all over the
world. Little did we expect 6 weeks ago this
was possible. Three Cheers to RCM and hope
the International connection blooms in our
centennial decade ahead!
Rtn. PP S.N. Srikanth
FRIENDS OF THE FLAME
AT RCM’S CHARTER NITE
"After the spectacular success of our Rotary
End Polio Flame, we decided to form a loose
knit group called the “Friends of the Flame”,
comprising Rotarians from around the world
who had helped with the project. Our first
meeting in Toronto in 2018 was amazingly
well attended. We pledged to come together for
other noble Rotary causes too. Many “Friends”
honoured us by participating in our Charter
Nite celebrations. (Thanks to Gopi for taking
the trouble to write to them individually),
Especially heart warming was the presence of
those from the polio endemic countries of
Pakistan and Nigeria. Though unofficial, the
Friends of the Flame is perhaps the most
dedicated international action group of
Rotary!”
CLUB LIFE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 14

Testimonials FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Rtn. Doug Brown, Rotary Club of Corral de Tierra, Salinas, California (D-5230)

“I am so honored to have been invited to the 92nd Charter Nite of the Rotary Club of Madras.
Many of these kinds of events can be long and boring. This event was well-paced and very
interesting. The time just flew by. Further, I learned a lot of interesting Rotary history. Well done
to all of you! Thank you, Gopi, I really enjoyed the celebration - a wonderful international event!”

Rtn. Manon Mitchell, Rotary Club of Calgary, Canada Rtn. PDG Natty Moodley – D93370, South Africa

“This was a huge Rotary moment for me today. Thank
you for inviting the Rotary Club of Calgary. We are so
proud of all that JWD did; and look at everything all of
you are doing now! Congratulations Rotary Club of
Madras and all Marco Polo clubs! I look forward to
visiting you some day.”
Rtn. Nithi, President, Rotary Club of Colombo
“Thank you for the invitation and the persistent follow
up, Gopi. I enjoyed the meeting. It was well organized.
Thank you and warm wishes.”
Rtn. Saravanan, Immediate Past President,
Rotary Club of Colombo
“Congratulations RCM on your achievements over the
years. You have certainly created a legacy difficult to
emulate. I am so proud to have been associated with
many of you since 2004 (PDG Benji, PDG Raja, PDG
Anand, DGE Sridhar, PDG Babu, and hundreds of
members in Chennai). May you continue to bring so
much relief to those in need. Congrats President Kapil
and members of RCM for putting together a wonderful
journey into your history and for a great trip organised
by Ashish. I look forward to reconnecting with all of you
in the near future. God bless and Stay safe.”
Rtn. PDG Mukesh Malhotra,
Rotary Club of Hounslow, UK
“Well done for a great event…”

“Thank you, that was a very well organised event!”

Rtn. PDG Pranesh Jahagirdar,
Rotary Club of Bijapur North
Rtn. PDG J.B. Kamdar, RCM
“Thanks for the invite. Great way of celebration of
“Well organised, dignified and outstanding Charter Nite Charter Nite. Best wishes.”
that we all enjoyed and can be proud of. WELL DONE
PRES. KAPIL AND THE WHOLE TEAM!”
Rtn. PP Firoze Kachwala, Rotary Club of Bombay North

Rtn. Asif Mazari, Rotary Club of Lahore Model Town “Excellent meeting. Enjoyed the evening.”

“Thank you, Gopi, for inviting me; I really enjoyed every

moment. Regards.”
Rtn. Richard Kalungi,
Rotary Club of Kampala South, Uganda
Rtn. Natty Moodley, Rotary Club of Durban, South Africa
“Thank you for the invite. Your club is really well
connected. So many friends and partners worldwide!”
“Thanks for your kind invite. Thoroughly enjoyed the
event.”
CLUB LIFE
PRID. Bob Scott of Canada, who was also the
International Polio Plus Chair in RI for many years.
“Thanks. Really enjoyed the meeting. Very interesting. –
Bob”
Rtn. Robert Lampard, Rotary Club Red Deer, Canada,
who is also the author of a biography on James Wheeler
Davidson.
“Hello NK. This morning was well done, and provides
a remarkable international platform to build upon.
Congratulations. I did pass on your contact to Adele,
but was not aware at the time of your 92nd Charter Nite
celebrations. I will give the highlights of today's Zoom
during Happy Bucks, on Monday.
If you want to build on your program next year, I am
certain Don and Leslie Abramson, JWD’s grandson and
grand-daughter-in-law, would be delighted to
participate. Leslie is still a Rotarian, and Don is a past
Rotarian. She was President of her club about 2 years
ago.
Creating a JWD network is certainly an idea whose
time has come – especially given the 100th anniversary
of JWDs first chartering trip in 2021. That could be the
lead theme for next year. Further, it should be
highlighted in many Rotarian magazines and at the RI
convention, assuming the Covid umbrella is lifted.
Yesterday I looked up the email contacts for the 5 JWD
incorporated clubs in the old district 536. It covered all
of Western Canada (excl. BC) at the time. I will type
them up and send them to you for your networking list.
- RL”
Rtn. Darshan Lal Nankani,
Rotary Club of Hyderabad (Sind)
“Congratulations. Really it was the event of continents.
Hats Off of you & your team of Rotary Club Madras.”
Rtn. Raghunandan Parakkal, Rotary Club of Palghat
“… The narrative by Ashish was awesome. He took us
through various continents. Very well arranged. I was
able to see PDG Krishnaswamy who was Governor of
our RI District 320 in 1989-90, the year in which I
joined Rotary. I did see our Past Grand Master of Grand
Lodge of India, M. W. Bro. Capt. Dr. Balaram
Biswakumar, who was there at the Chennai Central
Station to receive the brethren during the RGLSI
Investiture Meet, in February 2020. Your DGE also spoke
very well.”
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 15
Rtn. PDG Natty Moodley – D93370, South Africa
“Congratulations RCM on your achievements over the
years. You have certainly created a legacy difficult to
emulate. I am so proud to have been associated with
many of you since 2004 (PDG Benji, PDG Raja, PDG
Anand, DGE Sridhar, PDG Babu, and hundreds of
members in Chennai). May you continue to bring so
much relief to those in need. Congrats President Kapil
and members of RCM for putting together a wonderful
journey into your history and for a great trip organised
by Ashish. I look forward to reconnecting with all of you
in the near future. God bless and Stay safe.”
Rtn. Donna Lee Gulley from Chicago
“Wow! What an Incredible meeting! Over 200 across the
world! Your club is amazing. I am honored to be in your
presence.”
Rtn. Ananta Padmanabhan,
Rotary Club of Fresno, USA
Our club has worked with the Rotary Club of East Fresno, many years
ago, when late Rtn. PDG M. Balaji and our PP Guna were on touch
with them and had visited them too.Rtn. Darshan Lal Nankani,
“…And all the pleasure is mine, Gopinath. Thank you
for your invitation. I got up at 5am and after a shower
and change of the dressing by my wonderful wife, for
my almost-healed abdominal burn, I was feeling great
and thoroughly enjoyed the meeting. You are all great
hosts and know your job very well. After listening to a
weekly Narayaneeyam discourse, I am getting ready to
slow down for the day. Can’t wait for your bulletin on
this meeting and hope some video clips may be there to
share with my Rotary friends who seem to have missed
it despite my sending messages! Let’s keep in touch.
Rtn. Dr. Pardeep Kumar Harchandani,
Rotary Club of Hyderabad (Sind), Pakistan
“After very long time had a taste of an international
gathering. Good to see presence of so many other clubs
from many districts. Congratulations to all members of
the Club for your efforts.”
Rtn. Narasinha Joshi, Rotary E-Club Belgaum
“Your made me feel, like I’m very important! It was
conducted in a very professional way.”
CLUB LIFE
Rtn. Raza Khursand, Lahore, Pakistan
“It was my pleasure to be there. It was a wonderful
virtual meeting. Regards.”
Rtn. Pres. Ritesh Barot, Rotary Club of Nairobi, Kenya
“Greetings and thank you so much for the invitation. It
was a very unique meeting and I got to learn about the
heritage of your club as well as the various clubs
chartered by Rtn. James Wheeler Davidson.
Congratulations on a very well-planned and well-
attended charter celebration. Many members of my club
attended with me including PP Salim, Rtn. Kalpa, Dr.
Margaretta, Rtn. Rashmi and others. Truly a very good
event.”
Rtn. Raza Khursand, Lahore, Pakistan
“It was my pleasure to be there. It was a wonderful
virtual meeting. Regards.”
Rtn. Capt. Dr. B. Biswakumar, RCM
“Hearty congratulations to Kapil and Team for a
fabulous evening with International participation,
spreading the Fragrance of Rotary!”
Rtn. PDG Dr. Dele Balogan, Lagos, Nigeria
“Hello All, Greetings and Congratulations and Best for
today’s event!
Thank you, Gopinath, for your heart warming message
here.
It really was a pleasure to be at the 92nd Charter
celebrations of the Rotary Club of Madras. ‘One learns
everyday’, as your Founder’s sobriquet goes. As ‘Marco
Polo of Rotary’, the formation of association of Clubs
and the excellent community works your Club is
involved in is impressive! It was good to be a part of
your event. Yours In Rotary Fellowship…”
Margaret James-Cooper, Rotary Club Barking, Dist. 1130, UK.
Also: IPP, and now Dist. 1130 Community Chair – 2020-21.
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 16
Rtn. DGE Alka Khanolkar
(Rotary District 6000) (Keokuk)
“Thank you, Fellow DGE Sridhar for the invite. Hope we
can continue the legacy and tradition established on
12th January, 1932, with Keokuk and RCM through
THE PEACE PIPE LETTERS. Heartiest Congratulations
and good wishes from Rotary District 6000 (Keokuk) on
the occasion of the 92nd charter celebrations of RCM.
Let us continue to serve HUMANITY and make a
difference through great fellowship and partnership
through many global projects! Stay Well and Safe !
Congratulations to all the members of RCM!
PDG Pearl Okoro (Ijeoma), Nigeria
“Many thanks and Srikanth: greetings from our Friend
Sir Emeka Offor and God bless you for your contribution
towards achieving a Polio-Free Nigeria, let us keep it at
Zero!”
Our RCM PP Rtn. S.N. Srikanth recalls:
“PDG Pearl Okoro (Ijeoma) from Nigeria made a
reference to our meeting with Nigerian billionaire Sir
Emeka Offor during the Sydney Convention. Sir Emeka
had invited us to dinner at a swanky hotel, along with
the CEO of his charitable trust and the PolioPlus
Director of the Rotary Foundation, Carol Pandak. Rajesh
was with me. Sir Emeka was prepared to make a huge
contribution and to underwrite all expenses for the
Rotary Flame’s journey around the world if we put his
name on it. After much thought we turned him down,
for we did not want to distract from RCM’s brand
identity. He ended up donating $1 million directly at the
São Paulo Convention, for which he was recognised on
stage. I must confess that I spent many sleepless nights
having second thoughts after we turned him down, but
the decision turned out to be the right one!”
Rtn. PDG Nabil Oudeh from Ottawa, Canada
“It is such a delight to join Rotary Club of Madras
Charter Nite. The participation from around the globe is
heart-warming and makes me proud to be a Rotarian.
Again, thanks for the invite and I look forward to
visiting you again in person.”
CLUB LIFE
Rtn. Dr. Nabila Tariq, adv. Assistant Governor Rotary
Club of Lahore Haleem
“Thank you so much, Gopinath-jee for the invitation
and providing me opportunity to be part of this
memorable charter Evening!”
Rtn. Grace Van Zyl,
President Rotary Club of Johannesburg
“Well done Ashish, for taking us on an 'armchair'
journey…”
“Rotary Madras, you can be SOOO PROUD of the special
event you put together this evening. We commend you
and are proud to be part of the Rotary Family with you.”
AG Rania Rl Khayat – Alexandria, D2451, Egypt
“Good evening. Congratulations on ur 92nd
anniversary!”
Rtn. PDG Shehzad Ahmed, Rotary Coordinator, Zone
1B (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia)
“Congratulations to all members of Rotary Club of
Madras on the 92nd Charter Nite celebrations, from
Rotary Club of Lahore Garrison (D3272, Pakistan).
Other members of my club are also attending this
impressive ceremony. Regards.”
Rtn. Madumita Bishnu, IPP Rotary E-Club of
Melbourne, D-9800, from Kolkata
“That was a great programme and I enjoyed. Thank you
for inviting. I look forward to your bulletin, thank you.”
Rtn. PAG Mohammed Ayyaz, London – Dist. 1130
“On this auspicious Charter Nite, can we find a 'Rosetta
Stone' to decipher the language of The Indus and use
such collaboration to find Indo-Pak Peace?”
Rtn. Ramesh Kumar, Charter President, Rotary Club of
Coimbatore Ikons
“Excellent Charter night. Truly International and Truly
holding the Rotary Spirit. We appreciate all the
members and team of this great noble 92-year old club.
Very proud to learn the activities of this club delivering
so many members and clubs over these years. Regards.”
T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 17
Rtn. Gowri Oza, Club Secretary, Rotary Club of
Bangalore
“Good evening PP Gopinath, it was talking to you. I
must congratulate you and your team of Rotarians for a
fantastic meeting. Looking forward for more interaction
in future. We made an announcement of the wonderful
Charter Night you had at our meeting the next day.”
Rtn. Steve Hellersperk RGHF, Morehead City Noon
Rotary, North Carolina, USA
“What a wonderful and well organized meeting. I
enjoyed it all. More so as I had spent two years in
Chennai about 20 years ago. Was a member of the
Madras Club and was asked to join one of the Rotary
Clubs. Don't recall which one. I could not at that time
due to time constraints. How wonderful to see what you
all are doing. Wonderful meeting. Congratulations and
wishes for 92+ more.”
Rtn. Satwat Butt, Rotary club of Lahore Jinnah,
Pakistan
“It was an extremely impressive show; professionally
done with a touch of class. Highly impressive indeed.
(Gopi, you looked like a member of the parliament!)
Thanks for providing us an opportunity to join this
exclusive meeting.”
Our RCM Rtn. PP N.K. Gopinath reports:
“Dear Pres. Kapil and dear all.
I just received a phone call from PDG. Anthony
Richard of Lahore expressing their thanks for having
made them a part of our Charter Night, by inviting
them.
He waxed eloquent about the meeting, it's format, the
easy flow with which it was steered by Ashish and the
knowledge they gained out of the OBE meeting
yesterday.
He said, being a Past District Governor, he was
blissfully unaware of James Wheeler Davidson and his
relevance to Rotary in this part of the world. He went on
to say that he echoed the feelings of all Rotarians in
Pakistan when he said that.
Overall, he wanted me to convey to Pres. Kapil and
through him all of us, as to how much more enlightened
they were after attending our meeting and how much
they appreciated the smooth conduct of the meeting.
Another moment to feel proud of our club the
repository of talent that we as a club possess.”
CLUB LIFE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 18
CLUB LIFE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 19
POSITIVE NOTE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 20

From JW D ’s
RAPBOOK
SC
POSITIVE NOTE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 21

From JSCW D ’s
RAPBOOK
POSITIVE NOTE T H E L I G H T H O U S E • J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 22

From JW D ’s PRESIDENT
Rtn. Kapil Chitale
HONORARY SECRETARY
RAPBOOK
SC Rtn. P B Prasad
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Rtn. Dr. Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan
PRESIDENT ELECT
Rtn. P.V. Mohan Raman
PRESIDENT NOMINEE
Rtn. Jayshree Sridhar
Asst. SECRETARY/BULLETIN EDITOR
Rtn. Shri Shakthi Girish
DIRECTOR - CLUB ADMINISTRATION
Rtn. Shanno Ravi
DIRECTOR - YOUTH SERVICE
Rtn. Balaji Chinni
DIRECTOR - PUBLIC IMAGE
AND FUND RAISING
Rtn. Hemant Chordia
DIRECTOR - SERVICE PROJECT 1
Rtn. N. Prakash
DIRECTOR - SERVICE PROJECT 2
Rtn. Dr. Anuradha Ganesan
DIRECTOR - PANDEMIC & DISASTER
MITIGATION
Rtn. S Balakrishna
TREASURER (CLUB FUNDS)
Rtn. Aditya Agarwal
TREASURER
(CHARITABLE TRUST)
Rtn. Gooch Kumar
TREASURER
(SPECIAL PROJECTS)
Rtn. Nimish C. Tolia

LIGHTHOUSE COMMITTEE:
Editor: Rtn. Shakthi Girish

Rtn. Indrani Krishnaier

Rtn. Shanno Ravi
Rtn. Sharon Krishna Rao
Rtn. Rinku Mecheri
Rtn. Rani Muralidharan

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EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY:

Rtn. Asst. Secretary, Rotary Club of
Madras, 'Rayala Towers',
2nd Mezzanine Floor, 158, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 2, Ph: 28591020.
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