"You and I are created for goodness"

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu says, ‘You and I are created for goodness’ during his keynote address Thursday, 18 June, at the Rotary World Peace Symposium as a part of the RI Birmingham Convention.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said Rotary's dedication to peace in the world makes God smile.
He said how he envisions God looking down on His creation and crying when He sees all the bad things His children are doing to each other. But, Tutu said, then God looks again and sees Rotary. Rotary's dedication to peace in the world makes God smile.
More on RI Convention Update

Arnab Goswami, chief editor of India's English-news network Times Now, which broadcast three days of live coverage of the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, used the incident as a case history of how media coverage shapes government response. Goswami said that in India and Pakistan, pressure from the media influenced how both countries' governments handled the crisis.
Goswami advocated a global perspective for the decision makers in the media. "The attacks weren't just an Indian story. When we look at conflict, we often look at it as someone else's conflict," he said.

Past RI President Rajendra K. Saboo encouraged attendees to forge stronger ties with the media to help get the good news out about Rotary's contributions. In addition, he suggested that media professionals apply to the certificate program at Chulalongkorn University, home to one of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. The program has already trained five journalists and several other professionals who regularly work with the media in peace and conflict resolution.

Accountability and telling it like it is are critical components of building peace, said Jan Egeland, director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Egeland was the UN secretary-general's special adviser for conflict prevention and resolution from 2006 to 2008.

Important Dates

28th June
10am District Awards Function at Yamunanagar

2nd July
6pm DG Chetan Aggarwal's Installation: Ropar
7pm Rotary Club Panchkula Installation, RVTC, Panchkula

4th July
7:30pm Rotary Club of Chandigarh Central Installation,
PHD House, Sector 31, Chandigarh

13th July
6:30pm Rotary Club of Chandigarh Installation,
RVTC, Sector 18, Chandigarh

Joint Meeting

I had discussed earlier about holding a joint meeting of the Clubs in Zone 3. The opportunity is coming on 3rd August itself. Since you must already be planning your weekly meetings, if you so desire, you can have your regular club meeting shifted to 3rd of August, Monday. On that day we are going to have Rotary International Director K.R. Ravindran, visiting Chandigarh, and we can make use of the opportunity of getting together.
Just in case you are unable to shift your regular meeting to this day, my request is to mark this date so as to be here together.
Best wishes to you all. It is just 14 days more to go to your year.

DG's Installation

Our incoming leader Rtn Chetan Aggarwal shall be formally installed on 2nd of July at a function scheduled to be held at G.S.Estate, Bela Road, Roopnagar at 7pm. Rtn. Rajendra K. Saboo, Rotary International President 1991-92 shall be the chief guest. Let's all join there to assure our full support as we walk together into the new Rotary year with renewed commitment and dedication.

Your Essential Communication Tools

As you get ready to pick up the baton from your running mate this year to the lead your Rotary Club in a few weeks from now, I am sure the planning would be at full swing at your end with various functional committees setting their goals for the year ahead.
Please send per courier a copy of your Club bylaws, a copy of your current club bulletin, and detail of your board of directors and the committee chair, and soft copy of the club roster.
I am also awaiting from some of my club members the names of probable speakers whom each club in our zone can invite for speaking assignments.

Register Your Club with Chandigarh Administration

In a meeting held on May 22^nd 2009 under the chairmanship of Home Secretary, the UT Administration has decided to launch various social initiatives in partnership with various NGOs. The nodal officers concerned for each of the five programmes are listed below :

Female Foeticide and Drug De-addiction Programme: Dr. M.S. Bains, Director Health Service 2700255

Sanitation and Removal of Garbasge Programme: Dr. G. Dewan, Medical Officer Health, MC, Chandigarh 5046069

Tree Plantation Programme: Sh. Ishwar Singh, Conservator of Forest 2700217

Alternates School Education Programme for out of School Street Children: Sh. Samwartak Singh, DPI(S) 2740411

Rehabilitation of Differently abled persons Smt. Amandeep Kaur, Director, Social Welfare 2700372

Each Rotary Club in the Chandigarh region is requested to register themselves with the Chandigarh Administration and send in applications to the nodal officers concerned for the programme/s in which your club shall be interested to participate. The last date for Registration is 5th June 2009. Please hurry.

Later on 10th June 2009, Chandigarh Administration shall be holding a seminar on this subject at 10am and all participating Rotary Club representatives including the current and incoming leadership is requested to attend.

Checklist for this Week

Have you ever watched a relay race? The athlete waits with eager eyes as his fellow athlete rushes up the track holding the baton while another just waits to hold it quickly and rush with ever more speed, zeal and verve.  

The time has started ticking now. And it is just 30 days from now that you will be holding this baton of leadership for your club and start your race for the next 365 days to give your best, to take along the entire club, and make it to the finishing line with flying colors. 

It is time now to have a relook at your diary and goals list and check out that needs to be done this week. 

1. You have filled out the proforma listing out your goals and plans for your year under each Avenue of Service. Kindly send it across to me at the earliest. 

2. Your list of committees under each Avneue is final and you are already having the meetings with the committee chairs to finalise the plans for your year. Please share this committee booklet with me. 

3. You have finalised your joint Board of Meeting, and the Club Assembly in which all your Directors and committee chairs would go over the club's plans for next year.  Please ensure that each committee has a well-defined goal, a clear objective, a timeline, approximate budget, and how the committee generate funds to complete the project.

4. You have finalised the date of your club's installation which should preferrably be within the first two weeks of July itself. Please do not delay it, and whatever the date may be for formal exchange of collar, your year in any case would be starting from 1st of July, so be ready with your programmes from day one. 

5. You have finalised the programmes for at least first three months for your weekly meetings as well as the major projects.

6. And of course, you have had a meeting with your current Club President and Secretary to ensure that the bills for the next year have gone to the members so that they are able to pay up in time.

I am just trying to send this as a gentle reminder but am sure, there is much more activity going on in every club with every member looking forward to new challenges, ready to rededicate and affirm that future of Rotary is indeed in your safe and strong hands.