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THE CHAKA

Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Calcutta (D-3291)
India's oldest Rotary Bulletin.
Cyclostyled from 1920. First printed in 1925
Incorporated with The Eastern Rotary Wheel 1933-51

Editor: Rtn Ritwik Gupta (chakaeditor@gmail.com )


Vol 79 No. 31
Tuesday, 06 Mar 2012

www.rotacal.org/chaka



TODAY
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ERIC FRASER
on: "Music Therapy"

Eric Fraser is a music therapist, MA, MT-BC. His musical background began as a child, with piano, then guitar and song-writing, then bands. In 2003 he began intensive study of the Bansuri (North Indian classical flute) under Guru Pandit Gopal Roy. Fraser's flute playing tells the story of his "gharana" (lineage), a lineage marked by Padma Bhushan Pannalal Ghosh and Pandit Gour Goswami.
As a music therapist, Eric has a private practice in Brooklyn where he gives music therapy sessions to autistic children and children in foster care.
Mr. Fraser is a 2010 Fulbright senior research scholar to implement music therapy programming in India. He has pioneered ways to utilize Indian classical raga music for clinical improvisation in music therapy. His masters thesis was entitled "Ragas, Schema Theory, and Music Therapy: The Psychotherapeutic Principles of Indian Raga as a Tool for Clinical Improvisation".
Fraser is currently in Kolkata for 3 months for deepening his musical practice and working as a consultant for music therapy in Kolkata through the MENTAID organization and as a Guest Lecturer at the Performing Arts Therapy Centre, Rabindra Bharati University.



ONE WORLD
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We remember with good wishes
ROTARY CLUB OF CALCUTTA SOUTH WEST
RI District 3291



NEXT MEETING
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On Tuesday, 13th Mar, 2012
6:30 PM at Rotary Sadan

HOLI MEET
Rajyasree Ghosh, eminent vocalist
"Melodies of Spring - a musical celebration"
Fellowship and Dinner after the meeting
Spouses cordially invited to participate

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIMING




IN MEMORIAM
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PAST PRESIDENT MILAN SEN
Member since 1948, Past President (1976-77) and Hony Secretary (1968-70), Rtn. Milan Sen passed away on Wednesday, 22nd February, 2012. With a prayer for the departed soul, the club conveys sincere condolence to the bereaved family. The memorial ceremony of Late Rtn Milan Sen will be held on Wednesday, 7th March, 2012 at 6:30 PM at his residence, 10/1 Lala Lajpat Rai Sarani, Kolkata - 700 020. Members are invited to attend and pay their respects to our eldest and oldest member, one more part of our glorious past gone forever



REPORTS
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MG PROJECT PRE LAUNCH DUE DILIGENCE

Solar Light: Kalitola Health Centre in Somsar Nagar Flood Relief Centre out
Matching Grant project planned a year ago - too long for economic priorities to stay same in a backward area like Sundarbans - needs a review.

Our diligent team of Rotarians made a Pre-Inception Field Visit, to check if we are still doing the right things and inform The Rotary Foundation if any change may improve the project prior to launching. They visited all the locations and found that Somsar Nagar Flood Relief Centre usage has changed (sometimes used as tourists' lodgings) and not a safe place to install Solar lights.
Fortunately our team identified a local health center in Kalitola that carries out maternity check-ups, children immunisation, and general medicine for some 100 patients a week - without electric lighting. It has hostel rooms for staff, but empty. It is of paramount importance for the centre to have resident staff.
"We found this health centre an ideal candidate to get solar lights so that it can function better and safer and there is no change in the scope or the cost of the MG project" said Rtn. Saumen Ray.
So the revised scope of this Matching Grant project reads:
1. Lebukhali Flood Relief Centre - Submersible Tubewells
2. Kalitola Health Centre - 6x74 Wp Solar Light Units
3. Malikangumti (Gobindakati) Health Centre - 4x74 Wp Solar Light Units
4. Malikangumti (Gobindakati) High School - 6x74 Wp Solar Light Units
5. Malikangumti (Gobindakati) Primary School - 2x74 Wp Solar Light Units and Student Hostel - 4x74 Wp Solar Light Units
6. Parasmoni Hospital - 1 KVA Solar Unit & Ferry-ghat - 1x74Wp Solar Light
Well done team! Your hard work delivers the best of help to the needy and earns kudos for the club.


10TH GOODWILL VISIT

Rtn. Dr. Dilip K. Saha with R-Ann Manisha undertook a goodwill visit to RC Port Blair on February 11th. Dr. Saha distributed Chaka to all their members. They were pleased
to learn of our activities and their President requested our club to help their heart patients

FELLOWSHIP SUPREME

Rtn. Dilip Jayasawal and R-Ann Padmini threw open the doors of Topaz in HHI and hosted the Fellowship brunch on Sunday 26th February 2012. More than 125
members and spouses join in expressing heartfelt thanks for your wonderful hospitality



SPEECH
At our Regular Weekly Meeting on 13th February 2012
________________________________________________________

OFFICIAL VISIT OF DISTRICT GOVERNOR ANGSUMAN BANDYOPADHYAY

It is a very special day for me and my wife Jaya to be with you this afternoon. I am in constant touch with Rotary Club of Calcutta this year and every time I meet any member of Rotary Club of Calcutta be it in an official meeting, be it in a District programme or even in any of the fellowships or social gatherings the love, affection, blessing that I have received from all the seniors of
this club is what we would cherish all through our Rotary life.
It is a very special year for all of us as we have our own RI President Kalyan Banerjee who is instrumental in shaping Rotary's future all over the world. Not only in the Rotary world but also in the vast world outside Rotary also he is doing a commendable job to bring in like-minded people into Rotary, taking steps so that other like-minded service organizations can join hands with Rotary to spread goodwill, friendship, world understanding and peace through Rotary initiative and activities.
Rotary is growing a little older. 106 years is a long time, crossing one century. RI leadership are conscious that the organization is growing old and concerned about how to carry on the great activities, the projects and the programmes. That is why RI President Kalyan Banerjee is including a lot of changes in the activities. I am told by senior Rotary leaders even Past RI Presidents many things they thought impossible, Kalyan-da is implementing them. I will give you an example. Never before the Rotary leadership has ever thought that apart from an individual there can be other kind of membership in Rotary, but from 1st July 2011 Kalyan Banerjee with his dynamism has included Corporate Membership in Rotary. For three years Rotary has taken this as a Pilot Programme and 100 clubs all over the world out of 34,000, have been permitted to take Corporate Members and in these 3 years Rotary will review the advantages and benefits of corporate membership before allowing all clubs to take Corporate Members.
Why is it a big step? Because Rotary projects and programmes depend on funds we receive from Rotary sources, e.g. Matching Grants that come from TRF. In our district we have a Helping Grant Fund out of the Rs.50 lacs royalty the Eastern India Rotary Welfare Trust gets every year from Dr. Devi Shetty's Heart Foundation for running the Rotary Eye Hospital in Salt Lake. Most of those funds we distribute for the smaller projects in our district. But there is a vast area untapped outside the normal Rotary funding sources the even the small clubs for the last 3-4 years have started exercising that option and they are getting lot of funding resources from those sources.
You all know that now Government of India has almost made it mandatory that every corporate house has to spend 2% of their annual profit on corporate social responsibility or CSR. Every corporate is now setting up separate CSR funds, like the new member we have inducted today, who looks after the CSR initiatives of HSBC. Likewise all commercial banks, all insurance companies, big corporates like Coal India, Steel Authority of India, every organization has CSR funds in their kitty, but these corporates are not experts in spending that money through CSR initiatives, because doing social service, especially in the needy and down trodden areas may not be their foray. So they usually are in search of NGOs or social service organizations who apply to them and get CSR fund for their project activity.
Every NGO does not carry very good reputation in spending the funds they receive, many spend a sizeable amount of the grant for their own benefit and only a percentage reaches the beneficiary. But Rotary does not serve itself. Everybody knows that if you give Rotary even hundred rupee for a particular cause that amount will be spent for that purpose only and that's why Rotary now carries so much goodwill and reputation all through the world. That's why even the richest person in the world Bill Gates, when he was approached by The Rotary Foundation for our signature project from 1985, the Polio Plus Programme, that 99% of our work was done, only 1% is left but that 1% is causing a lot of difficulty to all of us because we are spending a few thousand crores every year to finish this battle against Polio, Bill Gates immediately agreed to donate US$100 million initially with a rider that Rotarians need to match it within a deadline. And committed Rotarians raised more than US$100 million 6 months before the deadline. Mr. Gates was so happy that immediately he gave another US$ 255 million dollars with a rider for another US$100 million to be raised by Rotarians by June 2012. This time again we have raised more than that within December 2011 and Bill Gates, saying "I am impressed with the generosity of the Rotarians" provided another US$50 million as a bonus to the Rotary Foundation.
Many asked Bill why are you contributing so much money to Rotary alone? There are other organizations, UNICEF, WHO and the national Governments equally involved in Polio eradication. He said "I know that what I am giving to Rotary will be spent only for the cause that I am giving, I have faith and belief in this organization". When the richest man in the world has that confidence then why not all the corporate? In our country many non-Rotarian corporate houses are generously contributing to The Rotary Foundation every year, e.g. the Birla family every year contribute at least US$ 4-5 million to The Rotary Foundation. Then there is a Rotarian, Harshad Mehta, a Diamond merchant in Mumbai, who gives US$ 1 million every year to TRF
So we have 2-3 options - first option is I will request the leadership of Rotary Club of Calcutta, not to depend on Rotary funds only. Please prepare projects and tap your internal resources, approach members from corporates, request them to join hands with Rotary Calcutta and serve the society by funding projects as part of their CSR initiative. In any case they will have to show 2% spent in their balance sheet and when they announce at their AGM that they have tied up with Rotary Club of Calcutta for their social service initiatives, no member will rise and ask why Rotary. This is a great opportunity and I request you to start exercise this option today. I am sure, by involving the corporate you can double or tripe your budget in a year or two and there is no dearth of projects, there is no dearth of areas where they need the support of Rotary. So this is one and second one is your club should be more generous in contributing to The Rotary Foundation. Average every year your club contributes to the tune of US$ 20-25,000, but many members of your club has the power and capacity to contribute 25,000 individually. A club with 275 members, your contribution to TRF should be in terms of lakhs of dollar not thousand of dollars. We have other Rotary Clubs in our district, even this year one Rotary Club has promised me that they will contribute at least US$ 100,000 in this single year and they have already contributed 80%. Last week, they said they will do much better than that.
Our district, out of 31 Rotary Districts in India, every year is the second highest in contributing to TRF with average US$ 5-600,000. This year since Kalyan Banerjee is the President we have set a challenging target of US$ 1,000,000. Every year Mumbai always stands first in contributing, they are the financial capital of India, but even other states like Delhi or Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh with greater financial resources than West Bengal not been able to beat us. Globally India is also at the top levels in TRF contributions. Out of 214 Rotary countries India is the third highest contributor year after year. First is obviously U.S.A. and second is Japan, India is now neck to neck with Japan and everybody believes that in next 3 years India will be No.2, because the growth in Rotary is highest in India in all over the world. Every year the average growth of membership in India is 10% where in Japan the average loss of members now is 10%.
You can ask why we will contribute to the Rotary Foundation. Because whatever money we contribute that money is spent for a cause. Because Rotarians abroad are always very very generous in joining hands with us and contribute generously to our projects as international partners. That's why your club is running 3 Matching Grant Projects. Because whatever we give comes back to us manifolds. Your district has 50 to 60 open Matching Grant Projects average every year with different Rotary clubs and this brings at least US$ 25 to 30 lacs from TRF. So our US$ 5 lacs comes back to us 5 to 6 times.
The corporate houses can also support TRF, They can also be major donors, they can also be benefactors, they can also give major gifts to the Rotary Foundation. There is also scope for endowments, contribution can be earmarked as a separate trust in their family name and the interest earned can be earmarked by the donor for spending on particular projects, like literacy, like medical or environment or sanitation project and TRF will honour your wish. This is a unique opportunity not given by other philanthropic organizations. I am sure your club leadership will come up with great success in tapping all these resources.
Thank you very much for inviting Jaya and me to your meeting today.
(Excerpts on the topic of The Rotary Foundation from the District Governor's speech during his official club visit)




POLIO SUMMIT 2012 NEW DELHI
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The World Health Organization has officially removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries - Ghulam Nabi Azad, Central Minister of Health and Family Welfare, announced at the Polio Summit 2012 in New Delhi on 25 February.
"It is a matter of satisfaction that we have completed one year without any single new case of polio being reported from anywhere in the country," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the summit, which was organized by the government of India and Rotary International. "This gives us hope that we can finally eradicate polio not only from India but from the face of the entire mother earth. The success of our efforts shows that teamwork pays."
Until 2009, India accounted for nearly half the number of the world's polio cases. A chief factor in the country's success has been the widespread use of the bivalent oral polio vaccine, which is effective against both remaining types of poliovirus. Another has been rigorous monitoring, which has helped reduce the number of children missed by health workers during National Immunization Days to less than 1 percent, according to WHO.
India's last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal State on 13 January 2011. Before polio eradication can be certified in India, it must go two more years without another case of the disease.
- Excerpts from Rotary International News -- 27 February 2012



FIRST NID AFTER A POLIO FREE YEAR
________________________________________________________

he first NATIONAL IMMUNISATION DAY of 2012, after completion of one Polio free year was held on 19 February. Do you know what it involved? Briefly:
" 170 Million children immunized - 100 million at booths
" 91 million homes visited
" 800,000 vaccination booths
" 2.3 Million vaccinators
" 1.2 Million vaccination teams
" 155,000 supervisors, with 155,000 vehicles
" 220 Million doses of Polio Vaccine
" 2.0 Million vaccine carrier bags
" 6.3 Million ice packs in the bags to maintain cold chain.
Only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria still remain endemic to the wild polio virus as on date. Our neighbours reported 279 cases in 2011 and 15 so far in 2012. India must still remain continuously vigilant till our neighbours become polio free.
- Excerpts from THE ROTAWEEK No. 1041 Sun 26-Feb-2012



ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
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RIP'S MONTHLY MESSAGE INDIA NO LONGER POLIO ENDEMIC
MARCH, 2012
My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary!
In the first message I wrote for this magazine, last July, I quoted Mohandas K. Gandhi, who said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." And in the months since, I have had incredible opportunities to travel the Rotary world and see how Rotarians everywhere are bringing those words to life.
Creating positive change means, at its simplest, using our knowledge and resources to solve a problem. But when we are talking about solving humanitarian problems in a real and lasting way, knowledge and ideas and resources are not enough to ensure results. We have to remember something else that is no less important: sustainability.
A sustainable solution is one that will continue to work even after the Rotarians who proposed and facilitated it are gone. This means that even though the project might have come from Rotary originally, the community will take ownership of it. That, of course, means that when a part breaks on a water pump, there will be a process in place to repair it and to keep that pump functional - carried out by the community, and without further recourse to Rotary.
The first step toward sustainability is understanding the need - for example, the cooking fuel problem common in much of the developing world. In many regions, solar ovens are a wonderful solution: They are inexpensive; they rely on a source of energy that is free, nonpolluting, and inexhaustible; and they are simple to use and maintain.
But before we step into a community and attempt to solve its fuel problem with solar ovens, we have to fully understand its situation - and look beyond the problem we see. Perhaps the local foods need to be cooked at a temperature higher than the solar oven can provide. Perhaps the area is windy, and the solar ovens would blow away. Perhaps it's traditional in that area to begin cooking before dawn, which, of course, you cannot do with a solar oven. These are issues you simply might not have thought of, but that could soon lead to the solar ovens being used to patch roofs or keep animal feed dry instead of for cooking.
If we are trying to bring about change, it's not enough to say, "My way is the better way." We have to be listening and watching, not just talking. We can only help others if we reach out with an open mind - and with the knowledge, the commitment, and the perseverance to deliver on what we promise.

Kalyan Banerjee
President, Rotary International


PRIP GLENN ESTESS SR. PASSES AWAY
Glenn E. Estess Sr., RI President during Rotary's centennial year 2004-05, died on 7 February. He was 84. A Rotarian since1960, he was a member of the Rotary Club of Shades Valley, Alabama, USA.
He was a recipient of the RI Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He was a Foundation Major Donor, a Paul Harris Fellow, and benefactor.
Through the RI theme Celebrate Rotary, Estess encouraged clubs to implement a Rotary centennial community project, form twin clubs and support the "Every Rotarian Every Year" effort, which aims to achieve an annual US$100 per capita contribution for TRF's Annual Fund.


RI BANGKOK CONVENTION
________________________________________________________

HERE WE COME

RI CONVENTION - MORE THE MERRIER
More and more sign ups.
RI Convention 2012 is going to be hot
PP Dr. SK Sharma
Rtn. OP Malhotra
Rtn. Dr. Dilip Saha
Rtn. Subrata De
Rtn. Debasish Mitra
Rtn. Kirit Patel
Rtn. Saumen Ray
Rtn. Dr. Sujit Chatterjee
Rtn. Ritwik Gupta
Rtn. Rachna Nahata
PP Vikram Somany
PDG Dr. Somendra Chandra Nandy
Rtn. Purnendu Roychowdhury
Rtn. Dr. Debnath Chattopadhyya
Rtn. Raghunath Dey & R-Ann Debjani Dey
Rtn. Dr. Niranjan Bhattacharya & R-Ann Prof Sanjukta
Watch this space for more updates



THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
________________________________________________________

IT COMES BACK 100%
BENEFITS:
$500 counts for PHF/Major Donor
gets $500 matching contribution towards PHF/Major Donor
your contribution comes back to the club for MG Projects 100%, so you can contribute your part in all our MG Projects
Use 80G Tax benefit
SO:
become a Paul Harris Fellow
gift a PHF to a family member
Donate even only $100




MINUTES
________________________________________________________

OF THE 4384 MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 14TH FEBRUARY 2012
(District Governor's Official Visit)

Total Members 269
Members Present 65
Exempted 87
Visiting Rotarians 7

Minutes of the previous Regular Weekly Meeting of the Club

Total Members 269
Members Present 69
Members Exempted 86
Visiting Rotarians & Guests 37
1. President OP Malhotra, called RWM 4385th RWM to order at 7pm on Thursday 23rdFebruary at Rotary Sadan. National Anthem was led by Rtn. Sujata Pyne. Minutes of the 4384th meeting were confirmed.
2. President welcomed the Chief Guest Prof. Barun De, Eminent Scholar and Historian as, District Officials, Visiting Rotarians Arjan Vaswani, Dr. Sukanti Taraphdar and Dr. Bimalesh Mazumder, and greeted members and guests.
3. President reported the sudden demise of our Past President Rtn. Milan Sen on Wednesday 22nd February 2012. A minute of Silence was observed as a mark of respect to the departed soul. PDG Dr. Somendra Chandra Nandy spoke about his memories of Late PP Milan Sen.
4. At President's request
a. PDG Dr. Somendra Chandra Nandy introduced and welcomed the Chief Guest Prof. Barun De.
b. PDG Vijay Bhandari reported on the Symposium "Peaceful World without Polio" held on 21st February at Rotary Sadan where Robert (Bob) Scott, Chair RI Polio Plus Committee and TRF Trustee Chair (2007-08) was the Chief Guest.
5. President announced:
a. The appointment of PP Sutanu Ghosh as Assistant Governor of our Zone for the Rotary Year 2012-13 and congratulated him.
b. Conveyed invitation of Rtn. Dilip Kumar Jaiswal and R-Ann Padmini to all members and spouses to a brunch on Sunday, 26th February 2012 at TOPAZ , Hotel Hindustan International.
c. Arrangements made for the RI Convention in Bangkok in May 2012 and for making payments for registration as well as travel through the club. He reminded members that the registration charge for the Convention will go up to US$245 after 1st March 2012.
6. Hony. Secretary greeted members celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries falling till the next RWM.
7. Hony. Secretary then announced that no meeting will be held on Tuesday 28th February 2012 on account of the proposed Bharat Bandh on that day. The next RWM will be held on Tuesday 6th March 2012 at 1 PM at Rotary Sadan.
8. Hony. Secretary reported that our club had very ambitious programmes and objectives at the start of the year, most of which are met with over 70 Rotarians participating and many Donors contributing. The Club has new projects in hand and Hony. Secretary made a presentation appealing for funds for these projects as circulated with The Chaka. He also showed a movie clip on the feedback obtained from the children of Birbhum Nityanagar Model Village project
9. President invited the Chief Guest Prof. Barun De to deliver the Rotary Oration. Prof. De praised RC Calcutta for our projects and publications. He then delivered an insightful address on History of Globalisation, Economy, Electronic Revolution, Development and Recession, Sense of Happiness, Corruption and interrelated factors, and most importantly the need for a square meal a day for the needy ones. He encouraged Rotary to lead by example. PP Sutanu Ghosh proposed the vote of thanks and the audience carried it in the usual Rotary manner. President presented the Chief Guest with a memento as a token of the Club's appreciation.
10. Special contributions to the Sunshine Box totalling Rs.501 were made by Rtn. Sushil K. Bagla, Rtn. Nilima Joshi, Rtn. Rear Admiral Rajiv Paraliker (Retd.), Rtn. Haladhar Dey and Rtn. Asoke Kumar Basu (Senior).
11. The Club remembered with good wishes Rotary International coupled with RC Cossipore, RI District 3291.
12. President invited all members and guests to join the Fellowship (offered by Rtn. Saumen Ray) and Dinner
13. The meeting closed at 8:30 PM.

O.P.Malhotra
President

Saumen Ray
Hony. Secretary




CONTACT US
________________________________________________________

WE MEET EVERY TUESDAY AT 1:00 FOR 1:30 PM
Rotary Sadan 94/2 Chowringhee Road, Kolkata 700 020
Tel: 2223-8686 / 8787, Fax: +91-33-2223 2573
Email: rccalcutta@gmail.com  Website: www.rotacal.org 

Editor eChaka: Rtn Dr Dipak R. Sarbadhikari deares@gmail.com
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