Honours for Veteran Bollywood Star Prem Chopra

Rotary Club of Bombay West honoured veteran bollywood actor Prem Chopra with Vocational Appreciation Award on Wednesday, 19th July, 2017.

 

RI Honours Rtn.Arvind Shah

Our Past President Rtn.Arvind Shah received a pleasant surprise on his 80th birthday!  President Aslam Merchant, in presence of Chief Guest - District Governor Nominee Designate Harjit Singh Talwar, presented him with a AVENUES OF SERVICE Citation received from Rotary International President John Germ.

It was an evening to remember...  Wed 7th June 2017.  Rtn.Arvind Shah celebrated his birthday in a grand style - sponsoring a well spread out sumptuous dinner for the members and his family and friends.  And to top up the happy occasion, Rtn.Arvindbhai handed over a cheque of US $ 1000/- favouring The Rotary Foundation (India) as his contribution towards the Annual Fund.

The celebrations continued with an avalanche of inexplicably beautiful and humorous shayaris by Chief Guest Harjit. His inspiring and soothing shayaris on friendship, time, timeless love, happiness etc.. were well enjoyed by the members. 

Later, two inbound RYE students, Tomas Juarez from Argentina and Finn Petermann from Germany exchanged flags and gifts with President Aslam. They also made presentations on their stay in India. Tomas, from Argentina mentioned it was a memorable stay in India and that he is taking back many memories which he will cherish always. Finn, from Germany also spoke about his adjustments as well as pleasant experiences while in India. They both thanked their host families, RCBW and all the members for their continual support.President Aslam wished them good luck in their future endeavours. 

A special recognition for Rtn.Poorna Doshi, daughter of Rtn. Rajul Doshi was to appreciate Poorna’s goodwill and relationship she has still maintained with her Host Club and Host parents as an RYE student, which helped RCBW in getting first international partner for Global Grant. 

Report by Rtn.Shefali Shah

RCBW Honours Brand Guru Shri Jagdeep Kapoor

Rotary Club of Bombay West awarded Brand Guru Shri Jagdeep Kapoor with Kalyan Banerjee Leadership Change-maker Award 2016-17  by President Rtn.Aslam Merchant in presence of Past Rotary International President & Trustee Chair (2016-17), The Rotary Foundation, Rtn.Kalyan Banerjee and RI District Goveror Rtn.Gopal Mandhania.

The Award function was held at Rotary Service Centre yesterday as a part of Kalyan Banerjee Leadership Lecture delivered by Brand Guru Shri Jagdeep Kapoor titled : LEADERSHIP BRAND. BRAND LEADERSHIP.  A packed audience, consisting of members of RCBW, Rotarians from other Rotary Clubs in Rotary International’s Dist.3141 and invited guests from business and industry, applauded and also gave a standing ovation to Shri Kapoor for his lucid oration delivered with a flair and finesse he is known for.

Shri Jagdeep Kapoor shared some of the Leadership Mantras and co-related beautifully with the Brand Mantras which we usually associate with products and services.  A Leader can create his own Brand by following these Mantras like Forward Thinking, Integrity, Leading by Example, Staying Ahead and Acknowledging the team members.

Earlier, Rtn.Kalyan Banerjee shared his pleasure at being invited as a Chief Guest to the event which was named after him and hoped that RCBW will keep inviting him year after year, even after he relinquishes the highest office in The Rotary Foundation.  He was formally introduced by Rtn.Mandhania in his own unique style.

Brand Value for an NGO

Since we decided on this year’s oration under Kalyan Banerjee Leadership Lecture by Brand Guru Shri Jagdeep Kapoor titled Leadership Brand. Brand Leadership, it set me thinking about the value of having a good Brand for an NGO in achieving its vision and mission.  A little search on ‘Google’ and I came across some very interesting stuff!

A key factor in people deciding which charity they want to support includes the emotional stimulation that NGO can provide. Supporters expect an NGO to have certain core values; that they are compassionate, caring and ethical. If you think of a charity that has a strong brand, at the heart of it you’ll find they are exceptionally good at expressing what their core values are.

As an NGO we need to define our vision, mission and values and what it is about our Club that is different from other Rotary Clubs and other NGOs.  This will help every one of us to deliver a clear message which will inspire and motivate people to join us as members or partners in our community service projects.

A strong visual identity also plays a vital role in brand building. Our visual identity is made up of many components; our logo, the colour palette, images, fonts, typography, illustration and much more. All of these components when put together help to convey the personality of our club and most importantly allow the community to instantly recognize us.

It’s time we at Rotary Club of Bombay West formulate a strategic plan to build our Brand by developing our own vision, misson and values which are realistic and achievable and design a robust visual identity in sync with Rotary International but at the same time differentiating us from other Rotary Clubs and NGOs in our neighborhood.

- Aslam Merchant, President 2016-17

Etiquette Workshop for Spouses

Essential Personal, Social and Professional Etiquette Workshop, one of its kind was held on May 25^th at the Rotary Service Centre for spouses and lady Rotarians by Rtn.Girijaa Deshpande (Director DG Consulting) - a professional transformational coach and trainer.

The Workshop hosted by Rotary Club of Bombay West and arranged by District First Lady, Seema Mandhania and R/Ann Shahin Merchant. The workshop was well attended by twenty-four ladies from District 3141, including First Lady Shahin Merchant, Rtn.Shefaali Shah, R/Ann Nita Sanghvi and R/Ann Vandana Joshi. The positive feedback received from the participants was overwhelming.

Certificates of Participation were given to the participants at the end of the day at the Closing Ceremony which was graced by DG Gopal Mandhania, AG R.R.Singh, District Secretary Virendra Widge and President Aslam Merchant.  

- Report by R/Ann Shefali Shah

Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof KCR Raja

Rotary Club of Bombay West conferred Lifetime Achievement Award on its Past President Prof.KCR Raja at a function held on 24^th May 2017 at Rotary Service Centre, Juhu, Mumbai.  Rtn.Kalyan Banerjee, Past Rotary International President and Trustee Chair 2016-17 as the Chief Guest.

Prof KCR Raja, an excellent management educator and counselor has, during his career, displayed exceptional commitment towards is profession. His remarkable contributions to the management education are the pioneering efforts at establishing University of Mumbai’s Garware Institute of Education & Development, The GIDC Rajju Shroff ROFEL Institute of Management Studies and GR Business School with funding support from The Rotary Foundation, the United Phosphorous Group and the GIDC.  Shri Raja was also associated with Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Somaiya Institute, S.P.Jain Institute of Management Studies & Research, Tata Insitute of Management, Tata Training Centre, Bombay Management Association and Ahmedabad Management Association. 

Also present at the event were his close friends and family members including Rtn.Gulam Vahanvaty, Rtn.Madhav Mohan and Shri B.Banerjee.

A citation and plaque was handed over to Prof KCR Raja on behalf of the Club amidst a standing ovation by the audience present to witness the event.

63rd Anniversary Celebrations – A Grand Success

On April 26^th Rotary Club of Bombay West celebrated its 63^rd Anniversary at Vile Parle  Medical Association Hall, Juhu, Mumbai. Our Club was chartered on 22^nd April, 1954 by Rotary International and was sponsored by Rotary Club of Bombay when they were celebrating their silver jubilee.

The gala celebrations began with an entertaining music program by Sargam Musicals – a troupe of talented physically challenged artists founded by Lakshya Art Foundation, an NGO established by a group of people who strongly believe in the need to support communities and families of physically challenged people including children , women , student and old people who are suffering from some kind of physical disability. Sargam Musical recognizes the musical talent of the physically challenged people and helps them master their talent. They have many artists who are talented singers as well as dancers. The Foundation has been organizing shows at various places like at Corporate firms and offices, NGOs like Rotary District 3141 at Mumbai also at Old Age Homes, Blind home and Mother Teresa Missionaries. They also arrange Art shows at various places in Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur.

The evening also saw conferring Vocational Appreciation Awards on Ms.Divya Nair, Principal, Rotary’s KDN Shruti School for Hearing Impaired, Rtn.Dr.Vinod Shah and Rtn.Shrikant Sathe for their exceptional lifelong contribution to their respective vocations.  Ms.Vasavi Dave, the incoming Principal of Rotary KDN Shruti School was also felicitated.

Introducing Ms.Divya Nair, PP Rtn.Anil Ganu said that Ms.Nair joined the School in 1981 as a Teacher and in 2013 was promoted as a Principal of the School.  During her 36 years of illustrious career with Shruti, she implemented several creative and innovative measures to improve the learning environment and enhance the overall experience of the students and parents. Her Professional recognition includes an award-winning Paper on Innovative Teaching Practices at the All India Competition of NCERT, New Delhi in 2007. A Citation Plaque was presented to her by President Aslam Merchant in presence of her husband and family members, PP Rtn.Ramesh Oza and Rtn.Naresh Merchant.

Rtn. Prakash Trivedi introduced our very own member Rtn. Dr. Vinod Shah, Chairman Emeritus, Chembond Chemicals Limited. Dr. Vinod Shah is a Chemical Engineering from UDCT, Mumbai, MSE in Chemical Engineering from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA and Ph.D Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit, USA. He gave up his cushy well-paying job and turned an entrepreneur at a very early age. He set up Chembond Chemicals - first amongst the pioneers in establishing metal pre-treatment and water treatment chemicals in India.  A member of our Club since 1975, he has chaired various committees including Prevention of Drug Addiction, Vocational Awards, Youth Service and Environment.  The family is running a Children’s centre at Tarapur for the benefit of tribal children.  President Aslam invited PDG Rtn.Ajay Gupta to handover the Citation Plaque to him in presence of his family members and PP Arvind Shah.

Rtn. Rajul Doshi introduced our own member Rtn. Shrikant Sathe– Architect. Rtn.Shrikant Sathe began architectural training as an apprentice at Master, Sathe and Bhuta and later joined the firm and worked under Architect G.M.Bhuta and later formed his individual firm Sathe& Associates. Some of the iconic buildings designed by Shrikant Sathe include New India Assurance Building at Santacruz, Vulcan Insurance Building at Churchgate, Indian Dyestuff Industries at Kalyan, Education & Media Research Centre, Pune, Reserve Bank of India, Patna, New Sharrock Textile Mills, Nadiad, and Reserve Bank Staff Quarters at Patna.Shrikant Sathe life, philosophy and works has been beautifully recorded in a coffee table book published in 2016 titled Through The Decades – The Architecture of Shrikant Sathe which will serve as a guide to the young professionals from the field.Shrikant Sathe has been a member of our Club since July 1962.  The Citation Plaque to Rtn.Sathe was handed over by our Assistant Governor Rtn.R.R.Singh in presence of his family members.

PP Rtn. Rajendra Ruia with support of PP Rtn, Ashok Deorah, PP Rtn. Mohan Joshi, PP. Rtn. Shirish Rege, Rtn. Hima Dalal, Rtn. Rajul Doshi and President Aslam Merchant successfully carried out the fund raising for Sanitation At Schools global grants project.

The final act of the day was cake cutting ceremony by all the Past Presidents of the Club to mark the occasion which was followed by a happy hours and sumptuous dinner.

The grand event was superbly compeered by Secretary Dr.Usha Jayachandran and Dr. Kamal D’Mello.  Dr.Manoj Patel and Dr.Bhavna Patel were instrumental in arranging the venue, catering and sponsors for the event.  Rtn.Arjun Hardasani sponsored the Happy Hours.  Vice President Dr.Anand Gupta proposed a hearty vote of thanks.

Charter Nite Celebrations were enjoyed by one and all. Some of the feedback about the event  -  Assistant Governor R.R.Singh says  "Excellent Charter Night Programme.  Am impressed with the generosity of the members who made large commitments for funding Global Grant Project."  PP Rtn. Saroj Rao says "Very well structured programme, well planned and well executed". PP Anil Ganu said "Both Usha and Kamal did a fantastic well-coordinated job as MCs."!! PP Rtn. Ramesh Oza- “ Wonderful Charter Nite Celebrations”!! Rtn.Rajul Doshi summed up beautifully – “Great & Unique Celebrations”.  Similar responses from many of our members! A huge applause for RCBW!! Cheers!

Screen for Cancer for Early Detection

Screening for Cancer should be started early when there are no symptoms to ensure early detection and cure, said Dr.Bhavna Parikh, a renowned Oncologist from Mumbai, while speaking recently at Rotary Club of Bombay West on Understanding Cancer.

According to Dr.Bhavna Parikh, males after age of 50 must go for screening for Colon Cancer – per Rectal (internal examination), stool examination for bleeding and s.CEA – Tumor Marker test and for Prostrate Cancer – s.PSA Tumor Marker Test.  For females, she suggested PAP Smear to be done by a Gynecologist for detection of Cervical Cancer, after age 45 Self Breast Examination, Mammography and annual breast examination by a clinician.  For screening for Cancer of Ovary, she suggested Sonography of Pelvis and CA 125 Tumor Marker Test.

Giving a glimpse of the Cancer scenario in India, Dr.Parikh said there is a significant increase in the number of Cancer cases in last one decade. This is expected to increase in coming decades. India has all the facilities to treat Cancer including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Standard of care in India is at par with international standards in dedicated oncology centers. Cancer can be cured if detected in early stage (e.g. Cure rates for breast cancer in stage I and II is about 90%). Cancer if detected in advanced stage, may not be cured but can be controlled with a reasonably good prolongation of life.

In her closing remarks, she advised the members and guests to have a healthy life-style, go for regular screening, consult an oncologist whether cancer is detected in early or advanced stage and never lose hope!

RCBW Celebrates Success of DTA 2017

Wednesday 5th April, 2017 brought together over 105 Rotarians and Spouses from Rotary Club of Bombay West and District Teams 2017-18 to celebrate the successful hosting of DTA 2017 with Hasya Kavi Navneet Hullad Moradibadi's exclusive humorous performance in presence of Chief Guest DGE Prafull Sharma.  Also present at the celebrations were DG Nominee Designate Harjit Talwar and District Trainer 2017-18 PDG Vijay Jalan.

An enjoyable evening one would remember for a long long time to come.

Successful Hosting of DTA 2017

Hosting District Training Assembly 2017

Sunday 26^th March, 2017 was a very special day…  Rotary Club of Bombay West, after 15 long years hosted a major District Event – District Training Assembly 2017 – at Hotel Taj Lands End.  Over 700 delegates from various Rotary Clubs in Rotary International District 3141 attended the Training Sessions conducted by around 90 Trainers and Guest Faculty led by District Trainer PDG Vijay Jalan with support from the District Core Team.  A galaxy of over 20 Past District Governors and College of Governors graced the event.

The Club received several accolades for hosting the event flawlessly.  The Core Team led by the Convenor worked tirelessly for several months to ensure meticulous planning and execution. 77 Members and Anns from our Club attended the DTA 2017…. and everyone of them volunteered  as Team Leader or Team Member of the several teams formed to oversee various aspects of the event.  Each and every Team performed exceedingly well.  Reminds me of a quote – “INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE DROP….. TOGETHER WE ARE AN OCCEAN ”

The Club’s Core Team and Volunteers received tremendous support from the District Governor Elect Prafull Sharma, his Core Team 2017-18 and the District Sergeat-at-Arms Team 2017-18.

We sincerely thank each and everyone who made hosting of DTA 2017 a success.  A big thank you to DGE Prafull Sharma for having the faith in the the abilities of our Club to Host DTA.  

- Rtn.Aslam Merchant, President 2016-17

Union Budget Analysis @ Rotary

On 1 Feb. 2017, our Hon. Finance Minister presented the Budget 2017-18 to the Nation.

As is the tradition of our Club, this year too the Club had arranged Union Budget Analysis Meet with the help of our Rtn. CA Shalin Divatia and PP Rajendra Ruia.  The meeting was organized in association with Bombay Industries Association, Christian Chamber of Commerce & Industry and MIDC Marol Industries Association.

We had two eminent expert speakers viz. CA Rajan Vora and CA Sunil Gabhawaala.

Rtn. CA Rajan Vora is  a Partner of Tax Litigation Advisory Group, SRBC & Associates LLP (An affiliate of Ernst & Young). He has over twenty years of experience in practice of Direct Tax Laws. A Gold Medalist CA with first rank at all India level, Mr.Vora has been rated as one of the leading tax advisors in India by International Tax Review and by the Legal Media Group Guide.

CA Sunil Gabhawalla is in practice with third rank at the All-India Level. Mr. Gabhawalla practices in the entire field of taxation with a specialization in Indirect Taxes. He is one of the leading consultants for Service Tax and VAT related matters. Sunil has been actively involved in the policy formulation process of GST and keenly follows the developments of this emerging law.

Mr Vora’s presentation covered Rate of tax, Filing of the Returns, Capital Gains, Cash Transactions, Presumptive Taxation & Tax Audit, Various rationalisation measures – MAT and Indian Accounting Standards, Taxation of housing & real estate, Procedural changes, International taxation and Transfer pricing.

CA Sunil Gabhawalla informed the audience that indirect taxes were by and large left untouched by the Finance Minister in view of the impending implementation of GST law. He therefore chose to recap the provisions of proposed GST and the recent changes in the law.

- Report by Rtn.Haituk Desai

Drug Addiction & General Physicians

Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of drug addicts, all over the world, are leading miserable lives, between life and death.

India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse, and the numbers of drug addicts are increasing day by day. What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high-income group youth in the metro has permeated to all sections of society.  Apart from affecting the financial stability, addiction increases conflicts and causes untold emotional pain for every member of the family. With most drug users being in the productive age group of 18-35 years, the loss in terms of human potential is incalculable. The damage to the physical, psychological, moral and intellectual growth of the youth is very high. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major areas of concern in adolescent and young people’s behavior.

Addiction is defined as a disease by most medical association.  Like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, addiction is caused by a combination of behavioural, environmental and biological factors. Genetic risks factors account for about half of the likelihood that an individual will develop addiction. With increasing pressure on general physicians to treat and advocate for drug and alcohol addicted patients, it is more necessary than ever that physician have the knowledge and skills to appropriately address this segment of the population. Physicians need training and practice in referring patients to treatment teams, monitoring patients in recovery, and providing interventions that will eliminate or reduce substance abuse before it becomes addiction. Addicted individuals are both stigmatized and marginalized, and many are too ill to advocate for themselves. Widespread recognition in the medical community of addiction as a treatable illness will contribute to a greater understanding of addictive disorders and reduce the stigma attached to the diagnosis and treatment of addiction. [Extracts from various Articles on internet]

Rotary Club of Bombay West and Muktaa Charitable Foundation have organized an Addiction Medicine Workshop for GPs in association with KEM Hospital’s Dept. of Psychiatry & Deaddiction Centre of Excellence and Vile Parle Medical Association.  This 7 – Session Course on every Wednesday afternoon from 18^th January 2017 to 1^st March 2017 is aimed at training General Physicians to identify, counsel and treat drug addicts.  Over 90 GPs who have registered for this Workshop will benefit from this initiative.

Addiction Medicine Workshop for GPs

Rotary Club of Bombay West in association with Dr.Madhu Oswal, Founder Volunteer &Muktaa Charitable Foundation, Pune, Department of Psychiatry and De-addiction Centre of Excellence, KEM, Mumbai & Vile Parle Medical Club Public Health Trust once again organized a Certificate Course / Workshop on Addiction Medicine for family physicians / General Practitioners from the Mumbai and surrounding areas.  On January 18, 2017 the Inaugural Session of "Addiction Medicine Workshop for GPs" took place at Rotary Service Centre, where the Chief Guest was District Governor Gopal Rai Mandhania. The objective of this Course is to expand knowledge, add skills and motivate doctors to work in the field of addiction.  Legal and illegal drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, opium, cannabis, club and designer drugs will be discussed in detail. Skills needed to take history, make an assessment and manage addicted patients will be imparted during the interactive workshop. Empowering the General Practitioners would result in combating this health hazard called ‘drug abuse’ which has gripped our society, with more and more youngsters falling into the trap.There are 7 sessions of 2.5 hours each on every Wednesday starting from 18^th January till 1st March, 2017.  These sessions are in a workshop format, making them interactive and enjoyable. 

The first session of the workshop saw more than 80 doctors participate. Interestingly, the doctors were across the spectrum, i.e. Homeopath Doctors, Allopath Doctors as well as Ayurveda Doctors. The most common query was how to handle the patient, who is an addict, what medicines to prescribe? How should the doctor counsel that patient as well as his immediate family since the therapy must include a balance of medicines as well as counselling. The response received from the participant Doctors was very positive and they were happy to receive inputs given by Dr.Shubhangi Parkar, who was the key note speaker for this session.

Project Co-ordinators for the workshop are IPP ShirishRege, Rtn.Dr.Manoj Patel, R/Ann Dr.Bhavna Patel and Rtn.ShardulKulkarni.  Project Advisors :Rtn.Dr.ShyamlalKhanna and PP Rtn.Mohan Joshi.  District Avenue Advisor (Substance Abuse Prevention & Healthy Minds) :Rtn.YogeshZaveri

Rtn. ShardulKulkarni

Sangam - a Fusion Music Concert @ Rotary

Rotary Club of Bombay West in association with “Sur Aaur Saaz” presented ‘’SANGAM”, a Fusion Music Concert  on Sunday, January 15 2017, by internationally acclaimed artists Anuradha Pal on the Tabla, Veena Chandra on the Sitar, Phil Scarf on Saxophone and Snehal Muzoomdar on the Santoor.  Sangam is a meeting of various streams not only Sarita but also Sur. 

The programme started by Star Tabla virtuoso and Percussionist Pandita Anuradha Pal briefing the audience about taking sounds from nature and weaving the sounds through different continents of Latin America to Arabia to India. The melody was a mix of different regions with semi classical ragas used and also interestingly incorporated a Bollywood piece as well. Pandita Veena Chandra, internationally renowned Sitarist, composer, teacher and choreographer enthralled the audience with the gentle, fluid and classical notes on the sitar. CA Snehal Muzoommdar, professional Santoor maestro for more than three decades (and a Rotarian from RC of Bombay Harbour), using a folk raga from Rajasthan and Gujarat spell bound the audience playing the Santoor  which communicated the emotions of a young a girl carried in a Palkhi with the backdrop of a flowing river amidst tall mountains. Saxophonist  Phil Scarff has beautifully moulded the saxophone to Indian classical music, and he played a piece by the world renowned Saxophonist and Composer Sonny Rollins, based on the Caribbean rhythm. The final piece of the programme was the jugalbandi of all four artists based on the Carnatic Raga known as Raga Hamsadhwani.

Sangam was unity in diversity of different instruments of different nature – percussion, string and blow instruments from different origins. It was a treat for music lovers. Much of the success of this music lay in the beautiful and fluid rendering of the performances.

The Fusion Music Concert was sponsored by Union Bank of India and co-sponsored by DCB Bank.

Padma Shri Dr.Deepak Phatak honoured by Rotary Club of Bombay West

Rotary Club of Bombay West conferred Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award on Padma Shri Dr.Deepak Phatak for his outstanding achievements as IT Professor, Researcher, Application & Systems Developer and Mentor.  

President Aslam Merchant presenting citation to Dr.Phatak

Padma Shri Dr.Deepak Phatak’s devotion and dedication to the teaching profession at IIT Bombay since 1971, as Head of Department of Computer Science, as Dean of Resource Development, as Head of Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology, Head of Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management and currently as the Subbarao Nilekani Chair Professor has been truly exemplary, having guided several Ph.D candidates, Masters’ level students and thousands of Bachelor level students. His contribution in research work in databases and systems, software engineering, IT enabled education and IT strategy planning is noteworthy.  His leading role in development of aircraft maintenance training simulator, smart card technology and surveillance system for SEBI are undeniably commendable and benefiting a wide section of our society. Through his Eklavya Project and Outreach Programmes, Dr.Phatak has created an open platform to help students and teachers of engineering colleges use modern technology and dissemination of open source audio-visual content to train them.

A recipient of Padma Shri from Government of India and several national and international awards, Dr.Deepak Phatak has truly displayed an exceptional commitment and high achievement in his profession which has not only resulted in advancement of the vocation but has also positively impacted our country’s development.