Rotary International Group Study Exchange 2007-2008 R.I
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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL GROUP STUDY EXCHANGE 2007-2008 R.I Dist. 3060, India Visiting R.I Dist. 1580, The Netherlands - 1 - Catalogue 01) Tête à tête 02) Hand Picking 03) Grooming 04) The TEAM 05) Exposition 06) Messages 07) Itinerary 08) Team Experience: Rotary In The Netherlands : Dineshsinh Thakor Stay With Host Families : Dhara Shah Tourism In Netherlands : Sunil Shah Life & People In Netherlands : Deepa Shah Economy in Netherlands : Tanuja Mungarwadi 09) Gratitude - 2 - Tête à tête Rtn. PP. Dineshsinh P. Thakor Team Leader “There is a Difference between knowing and understanding, like there is a difference between the camera and an eye” Though I have been traveling very extensively and have been to Europe four times, I never had a chance to peep intimately into the heart, mindset and life of a hardcore European. To know how people in different places live, think, behave, aspire and react to different situations is always an appealing and irresistible preposition. Group Study Exchange is one program of The Rotary Foundation, whereby a team of young professionals, men and women from two mutually paired R.I districts in different - 3 - countries exchange visits under the leadership of an experienced Rotarian. During such visits the members are home hosted by the local Rotarians of the host countries with the aim to explore, observe, study, understand and exchange the cultural and vocational ideas. I knew about GSE from my rotary exposure. I also understood from fellow Rotarians who had been team leaders of several GSE teams, as to how they were hosted in the homes of local Rotarians where they not only stayed but lived with them. This made me desperate to lead a GSE team and plunge or rather nose dive in this wonderful experience of life time. Of-course it was an experience of life time plus much more and I can vouch that no money on the earth can buy this honor and hospitality. Thanks to Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. Only Rotary can provide one with this experience and exposure. However powerful, influential, elite or affluent one may be, one cannot derive love, respect and dignity which a group study exchange program can offer. This can be understood by the fact that one of my host was a director of Coros Steel Plant, one of my host was a director of Philips Electronics and with one of my hosts I had a previlage to have drinks and dinner with Lieutenant General (RNLMC) R.L. Zuiderwijk, Commander of Royal Netherlands Navy. My team could sail on the life boat of KNRM Coast Guards of The Netherlands, we could drive in Vintage cars, have lunch in the Board room of DSB football stadium of Alkmaar and have dinner in the Royal Bar of AIOX football stadium in Amsterdam. In fact we were ambassadors of - 4 - goodwill from India sponsored by Rotary which made us the esteem guests of honor. You don’t find poor in Netherlands, however very rich people are also rare. The costs of living are very high but the salaries too are relatively high. People speak Dutch but almost all can manage English so language is not an issue. We found our selves in a different climate and we also talked daily about the weather like all real Dutch people do. We ate Dutch food and enjoyed some delicacies such as Stroopwafels, Hagelslag, Pindakaas and Vla. One of my host’s daughter joked, “The difference between a Dutch breakfast and Lunch is only the time when you have it.” Dutch people eat cheese, butter, eggs and smoked meat with bread both for breakfast and lunch and usually have hot meal only for dinner. I am grateful to Dist. Governor Ashok Panjwani, Dist. GSE Chair. PDG. Devendra Shastri of Dist.3060 and also to Dist. Governor Eduard Nieuwenhuijzen Kruseman and Dist GSE Chair. Greet Van Gorsel of Dist.1580 for organizing such a beautiful exchange with one of the richest and the most beautiful country on this planet, and giving us a wonderful opportunity for gathering memories which will always fill us with Nostalgia, “Memories are funny and confusing. They make you laugh when you remember the times you cried together and they make you cry when you remember the times you laughed together…!!” D.P.Thakor… - 5 - Hand Picking Process Selection Committee: 1. DG. Ashok Panjwani: District Governor 2007-08 2. PDG. Devendra Shastri: Dist. GSE Chair 3. IPDG Bipin Vadhar: Member 4. CDG Ashok Kapadia: Member 5. PDG Ashis Roy: Member (Rep. Of DGE Surendra Parmar) 6. PP. Sunil Vakil : Member (Ex- GSE Team Leader) 7. PP. Deepak Agrawal: Member (Ex- GSE Team Leader) The Selection process was completed within the guidelines of Rotary on the basis of individual merits. On behalf of dist. Governor the Dist. GSE chair PDG. Devendra Shastri invited nominations for GSE team leader and GSE Team Members. The applications for the team members were received by many Rotary clubs in response to their seeking the same from community in which they function. The applications thus received were primarily screened by the clubs and outstanding candidates were sent at district levels. Twelve such nominations were sent for final selection to the district. For team leader six nominations were received from various clubs. After interviews the team was selected unanimously with one leader, one alternate leader plus four members and two alternate members. - 6 - Grooming Three structured orientation programs were conducted plus the team leader and the members met a few times informally to strengthen the group dynamics and chemistry. Interviews for team selection and primary orientation program was held on 13th January 2008. 1st Orientation Program – 10th February 2008 at RC, Navsari. 2nd Orientation Program – 06th April 2008 at RC, Vapi Riverside 3rd Orientation Program – 13th April 2008 at RC, Surat West Farewell Meeting - 13th April 2008 at RC, Surat West The Orientations programs were devised by Dist. GSE Chair PDG Devendra Shastri from a long and varied experience of people involved with GSE. The program inducted all necessary knowledge, mindset, grooming and traits required for a successful and relevant exchange process. The material received from the Foundation and District further supplemented the process. The entire team was motivated and charged up progressively as the training advanced. Even the obligations and responsibilities were gradually loaded on to the participants to equip them with all physical, mental and emotional frame required to perform effectively in a foreign land away from home. The purpose and preparation for the visit were religiously pursued, power point presentations were rehearsed to perfection, a quiz on India and Netherlands was conducted to upgrade - 7 - knowledge. Brochures, web-links literature on Rotary and Netherlands was referred. Final check list of do’s and don’ts and items required to be carried in luggage was sort listed. Ultimately an awesome! Team was formed to go and conquer the hearts of Dutch people. - 8 - Dineshsinh P. Thakor Industrialist (Textile Manufacturing) 1, Ashirwad Villa Tighra Road. Navsari-396445, Gujarat, India. E-mail: [email protected] Ph: +912637324636 (R), +912637265163 (O) Cell No: +919375937267 Sponsor club: Rotary Club of Navsari (RI District: 3060) Dinesh (51) is engaged in manufacturing of textile products since 1991. He has four manufacturing units employing around 200 people to produce 180 thousand kilos of singied double yarn and 2 million meters of cotton fabric per annum. His infrastructural facilities are specialized in manufacture of Swiss Voile for export purpose. He was born in Kenya, started his schooling in Nairobi and completed the same from St. Joseph’s Convent school, India. He earned his degree in Engineering with major in B.Text.(Tech.) from Baroda and completed MBA in Production and Marketing from Ahemdabad. He has worked with Voltas Ltd., a TATA group company, where he was responsible for marketing of Textile machinery. During the tenure of service with Voltas he has traveled very extensively across the length and breadth of India and has also been to countries abroad like Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, USA and Canada. - 9 - Dinesh was invited to join the Rotary club of Navsari in the year 1996. He was the club president in the year 2005-06. He was the host to GSE team member from Germany and current Dist Governor, Dist. 7670, USA. He has been chairman AGTS, chairman Out Bound GSE team orientation, Dist. Chair. Talents committee and currently is the Assistant Governor. His wife, Veena is a Science Graduate and a home maker. His daughter Khyati, M.Tech in Town and Regional Planning is currently married and settled in USA. His son Harshraj is pursuing his degree of Civil in 2nd year of Engineering, at Pune. Dinesh loves music, reading, cooking, interacting with people and traveling. He is interested to understand various cultures and traditions. Vegetarian at home, however Dinesh also takes non vegetarian food. - 10 - Deepa Shah High School Teacher in English Delhi Public School Surat 1-B, 1/1332, Rajnigandha. Babu Niwas Lane, Timaliyawad, Nanpura, Surat, Gujarat, India Email: [email protected] Mobile: +91- 93280 71455 Landline: +91-0261-2465250 Sponsor Club: Rotary Club of Surat West (RI District: 3060) Deepa (37) is currently a High School teacher of English at the Delhi Public School, Surat. She is a professionally qualified teacher and holds a Masters degree in English language and literature, as well a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She has been into this profession for more than a decade now, and has taught English to students at the school as well as the undergraduate level. Born in city of Surat, Deepa studied at the Lourdes Convent High School.