An Evening with History By Mrs. Usha Kumar - Can over 300 years of history be brought out through 25 photographs? Something close to impossible for most of us, but when it comes to Mr. S. Mu- This Month colour thiah, this turned out to be, child’s play. For, he told us the story of Madras with theme is Green. the help of 25 well chosen slides, where the story of one, overlapped into that of Look out for our another and thus the crowd got to live in the era of the slide as well as were tu- “Go Green” Initiatives tored on that slice of history. this month If you consider inviting your friends to join our club, please share this e-bulletin with them to introduce Rotary and our club’s activities with them. An Evening with History (contd.) r. Muthiah is the main chronicler of Nawab of Wallajah that the British Empire was Parry, the first industrial house in India. M that part of history which happened established. He made sure that he showed us He had a story for every slide and the audience after the British landed in Madras with the pur- the school (St. George’s Orphanage which com- lapped it up like a bunch of school children. chase of a sliver of sandy land on the beaches of pletes 300 years in 2015) where Western style There was a written quiz in which the audience the Marina. This happened on that historical of education was introduced, to the College of was asked to name the buildings projected. It date of the 22nd of August 1639. Mr. Muthiah Engineering, the pioneering engineering college was moment of pride when all the three win- terms this event as the beginning of the growth in India, to the High Court, to the lavish Ban- ners of the quiz were from RCMM. It was a thor- of modern India. Every first in the various ave- queting Hall built by Edward Clive in honour of oughly enjoyable evening and by the end of it, nues be it education, health, industry and devel- his father Robert Clive, to the tomb constructed Mr. Muthiah was able to instill in each of us a opment had its beginning in our blessed city. by Elihu Yale (Founder of Yale University) for his sense of pride in being able to call Chennai that Mr. Muthiah started his presentation with the son and the husband of his second wife, to the was Madras our home. As for the History Buff in slide of the Chepauk Palace, for he said that it majestic Ripon Building, home of the first corpo- me, the evening was the crowning glory of this was with annexing of this property and along ration (started in 1688) outside of the United year’s Madras Week Celebrations. ▪ with it the whole of the Carnatic from the Kingdom and the Dare House home to E.I.D RCMM MEETS EVERY MONDAY @ HOTEL VIVANTA, CONNEMARA, @ 6.30 PM CLUB LEADERSHIP FOR R Y - 2014-15 President During the month of August we had a hectic schedule with the Installation of the Interact Clubs Rtn.PHF PP Shankar Duraiswami and the Rotaract Club of SKP College. There was a lovely family gathering together with the ladies 99400 51986 Vice-President-1 of the Innerwheel of Madras Midtown for Raksha Bandhan evening. Rtn. PP. K. S. Nagarajan 93810 14485 Vice-President-2 During this month, we started the Dr. C.S.R memorial lecture, on his first death anniversary. We Rtn. PHF Javeed Ghatala 98400 20062 truly wish that in future years this can grow into a significant program for Rotarians and the rest in Secretary furthering the cause of Service above Self. Rtn. M. Ambalavanan 98401 87578 Treasurer Rtn.PHF PP R Ramachandran The Chennai Day we celebrated in excitement and wealth of knowledge pampered with a witty and 98410 23299 wise Mr. Muthiah giving a tour of Chennai with interactive slides. Imm Past President Rtn. Krishna Routhu 98400 39568 As we move ahead, we also have our first addition to the membership for the year. We expect the Director - Club Service Rtn. Vikram Jindal momentum to increase and we can look forward to more new members coming into our club. 98400 42553 Director - Comm Service Health Rtn. D.Narayanan Thanks to all the members for making a wonderful month of Rotary values, activities and educa- 97899 15555 Director - Comm Service Dev tion. Rtn RR Kumar 9382342357 Director – Vocational Service Shankar Rtn.PHF PP. H. Radhakrishnan 98400 69394 Director - International Service Rtn. PHF PP. N M Ilangumaran 98400 28615 Director – Youth Services RI PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE – SEPTEMBER Rtn. Anita Devi 72999 33177 Club Trainer One of the great privileges of being presi- Rtn.PHF PP Shankar Duraiswami dent of Rotary International is having the 99400 51986 chance to visit so many parts of the Ro- Sergeant-at-Arms Rtn. PHF PP. G Sudhakar tary world. Usually I travel to participate 98402 89897 in Rotary events; speak at Rotary clubs, Public Relations Chair Rtn. IPP Krishna Routhu conferences, and institutes; and encour- 98400 39568 age Rotarians in their service. But as T R F Chair president, I am responsible for all Rtn.MD PP Ashok Kumar Shetty 98400 97637 branches of the Rotary family. This Polio Plus Chair means that it is also my privilege to sup- Rtn. PHF V Karthik 99401 22000 port the service of Rotary's youngest Membership Development Chair generations: our Rotaractors, Interactors, Rtn.PP. M S Arun Rotary Youth Exchange students, and 98409 95243 Fellowship Chair Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participants. Rtn.PHF PP. A Arunachalam 94420 47668 When I see the work Rotarians do, I am always impressed, always excited, and always inspired. When Fund Raising Chair I see the work of our New Generations, I am all of this – and frequently I am surprised as well. Not by Rtn. PHF PP. N M Ilangumaran 98400 28615 the quality of their work – for I have learned to expect great things from them – but by the creativity Go Green Chair and ingenuity of their thinking. I look at what they have done and think not just "What a great job!" Rtn.PHF PP P Saravanan but "What a great idea!" Because every generation sees the world in a unique way, and every individ- 98400 98234 Cancer Foundation Chair ual has a unique point of view. Faced with the same problems, we arrive at different solutions. This is Rtn.PHF PP. Kailashmull Dugar why, in Rotary, our diversity – of culture, language, expertise, gender, and age – is our strength. 98410 08585 Happy Village Chair In Rotary, we try to take the long view in our service. We aspire to serve in ways that will make a last- Rtn.MD. PP. SP Chintamani 98409 89701 ing difference, that will continue to have an impact after our participation ends. Our younger genera- tions, in my experience, share this sentiment, and apply it globally, by focusing on environmental Advisory Committee issues in new and innovative ways. When I became a Rotarian, environmental issues were barely on Rtn.PHF PP K. R. Vijayakumar Rtn. MD PP. Ashok Kumar Shetty our radar. To young people today, these concerns are front and center. Their perspective is a valuable Rtn. MD PP. J H Asher contribution to the world of Rotary service, and it is one that we should all encourage and support. Rtn. PHF PP. Baboolal Rathore Just as they are learning from us, so should we be learning from them. The young people who are serving in Rotaract and Interact, and participating in Youth Exchange and EDITORIAL TEAM RYLA today, are the Rotarians of tomorrow. When we support them, we are supporting the future of Annet A. Harishwar Rtn. M. Ambalavanan our entire organization. We are helping to train the men and women who will be the club presidents, district governors, RI directors, and RI presidents of tomorrow. Web Master Gary C K Huang Annet Ramya Narayanan President, Rotary International Rtn. D. Narayanan The Terry Fox Run The Terry Fox run is organized by Rotary Club of Madras East. There were more than 20,000 participants comprising of boys, girls, students, Rotarians and fitness loving citizens. The Participants ran, walked, roller skated for 6 kms joyfully at the IIT Madras Campus. Since the time it was started in Chennai, it has grown multifold. The purpose of this Terryfox run was well achieved, which is Cancer Awareness. Through the run, RCME could raise Rs.25 lacks and it is going to be given to Sankara Netralaya to fund Cancer Research. The event was flagged off by Lt. General. Jagbir Singh, Dr Baskar, Director of IIT, Dr. Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Netralaya and Rotary District Governor ISAK Nazar. We had one soul filling & satisfying project completed. As in the earlier years RC Madras Midtown was represented by Rtn. Ilagumaran and Rtn. Shankar with their families. The lovely Rotaractors of SKP College were in large number: 200 of them came to participate and also undertook volunteering work. It was nice to meet Rotaract President Kavitha and the Award winning secretary Krithiga Bhavani, with the volunteering duty. As photojournalist Allison Kwesell walks cal therapy, he can run and play with the rest more cases of polio than any other nation in through the narrow streets of an Indian vil- of the children in his village on the outskirts the world. This milestone means that 80 lage, familiarity sets in. She visited here four of Moradabad. Samir is one of the last chil- percent of the population worldwide lives years ago, when she first met Samir and his dren in India to contract polio.