Phew....! What a month that was?

I am sure it comes as no surprise to you that this issue is all about 'ANUBHAVAM' - the magnum opus most of you witnessed. I lost count of the accolades that I received from well meaning friends all over the District and from outside. I can only say 'Thank You', 'Thank You' and 'Thank You'.

I am grateful for the inspiring presence of PRIP Kalyan Banerjee to get the show moving with his scintillating inaugural speech and the presence of RIPR Vitt Gutirrez from Philippines and all the acclaimed speakers who made great effort to travel distances far and wide to be with us all, at this conference. I am particularly obliged to District Governors Nazar, Sasi Kumar and Vasudev who had to leave their own Districts for a couple of days at a time when it would have been so difficult to do so.

In the pages that follow you will re live some of the fine moments of this event that seemed to have caught the imagination of District Rotarians profoundly. Though a picture is worth a thousand words as they say, I would imagine the great ambience that attendees spoke about (and are still talking about) can never be captured in the still pictures.

While you enjoy the reading of this one of a kind of an event, I invite you to our next show- The Rotary Foundation Seminar slated for 15 March in Vijayawada. The Chairman of Rotary Foundation (India) PRID Ashok Mahajan will give the key note address and Rotary co-ordinator PDG Vijay Jalan of Dist 3140 will be the guest of honour. We are in talks with some exciting and erudite speakers to tone on the programme.The long awaited awards for performing clubs at this stage - the Last Lap Awards - will also be a feature of this event.

Look forward to meet you all.

As a small, but significant mile stone - the half way mark - is being approached you would perhaps agree with me when I say it’s time to take stock.

Stock of our promises, our performances and indeed our plans for the next six months. If nothing else, this landmark reminds all of us that we can still make up if we are lagging behind . It also reminds us that we should celebrate our performance if we measured up to the original plan or even surpassed as some of you did.

Talking of celebration, what better occasion than our district conference? It is my cherished dream that all of you who are reading this letter will be there.And more!

The ANUBHAVAM Team is on full throttle giving those last minute trimmings to the impressive facade that has already taken shape.

All the leaders and celebrities that you will meet and hear have firmed up their travel plans. For the first time four serving district governors from different Districts in South India are attending a conference in our district.

As you make travel plans I ask you to bring a good appetite both literally and figuratively.

I and Dr. Lakshmi Sudha wish you Merry Christmas, a very happy and prosperous new year.

As the finest weather of the year in this part of the world settles in, we are also looking at the finest part of our organization as Rotarians.

To do good in the world was, is and forever will be, the credo of our Foundation. Isn’t that a fine sentiment? It is very apt that we celebrate the fine sentiment in the finest weather that is just descending on us.

We embarked on a simple mission. Each club is to do just a little more than their best ever performance in giving to Foundation . I am positive every club will live up to that promise. A minnow like Rotary Club of Mandapeta showed us the way by mopping up Rs.3.70 Lakhs for polio fund from schools. Imagine what the bigger clubs and city clubs can do! Your performance is only limited by your imagination!

The month that has just gone by, however, witnessed the worst disaster that ever struck Vizag, our finest city in living memory. The Rotarians in the district rose to the challenge like never before in providing immediate succour to the worst affected. Our long term rehabilitation plans are on the drawing board at this stage. The RI website has posted a link to our appeal and hopefully we may see some funding support coming our way.

The finest occasion in the Rotary calendar is the District Conference. “ANUBHAVAM” (A fine feeling…) is planned in the grandest manner possible and you all need to be there to make it the spectacle that we are hoping it would be. We welcome past RI President Kalyan Banerjee, R.I. President’s Representative PDG. Vitt O.Gutierrez and Lady Mary Ann to "ANUBHAVAM”. The spatial limitations mean that we can not accommodate more than 1000 delegates and the seats are going fast. Please hurry to avoid disappointment later.

See you all @ ANUBHAVAM

THE MOST IMPORTANT MONTH

We have many designated months in Rotary. All of them are equally important. While it is not my intention to belittle other months, it is my firm belief that vocational month is the most important one of all.

Isn’t it true that the very origin of the organization rooted in the vocational service avenue?

When you look at a million organizations of our sort, you will straightaway recognize that there is not one that espouses vocational service in the multitude of ways as we do.

We are special because of our classification principle and we are special because of our 4 – way Test. We should be proud of that.

As you embark on this very special month let me ask each one of you to celebrate our unique identity in the way you see fit.

You may, perhaps.
Celebrate our Vocational Excellence Awards
Celebrate our Vocation at Work
Celebrate our Vocational Awareness
Celebrate our Commitment to Vocational ethics
Celebrate our Vocational Diversity
And more.

In a myriad ways that each one of you interpret our core existence.

While you are at it, let the world know our commitment to building a better community through our vocational service avenue.

The preparations for the 3-day District conference from December 19th to 21st at Vijayawada have started in right earnest. Guess who is coming to inaugurate the conference? KALYAN BANERJEE, the past Rotary International President himself. Who else? Well, for starters Sri. Venkaiah Naidu and Sri. K. Raghavendra Rao- Reputed Film Director. We have many more surprises for you. I don’t want to spill all the names now. I will let you know soon.

In the meantime, seats are going fast! You remember we are limiting it to the first 1000 due to spatial constraints. Unless you hurry, you may regret the lost opportunity.

“Ah, the elixir of life”

Youth! That’s what we are engaging with, in this month. Some of you readers, probably fit that description yourselves! Ours is a young district and I am proud of the fact that most clubs in the district have a number of 30+ age group members. Some clubs more, some less but almost all do!

Historically, our clubs are champions when it comes to engaging young generations in September. In fact, I was telling a past governor friend of mine recently, that some clubs believe in doing only that and nothing else. He has readily agreed!

It therefore stands to reason that I do not have to emphasize on the need to celebrate the new generations month with you! All that you have been doing is great. If possible, do a bit more this year! Have fun too!

This Year, we Propose to support the Global Polio Eradication Program by raising funds for it in a big way. For this we have launched the “Polio Fund – Schools Support Program”. Our support to this Rotary initiated program will not only help in keeping India Polio free but also in eradicating polio from other countries in the globe

The relevant brochures for this “Polio Fund – Schools Support Program” are already being dispatched to each club seperately. I am happy that many clubs are gearing up to mobilize support funding to polio through this program.

I request you to give a special push to this program and help realize the dream of Rotary to handover a polio free world to the global humanity.

Do Your Best!

“Towards 1.3 million goal”

Our International President Gary Huang did something that must be considered really brave. Against a backdrop of membership stagnation at 1.2 million over a protracted period of almost two decades, he has chosen not to talk about growth in abstract terms, but a definitive goal of 1.3 million to be achieved before June 2015. The 22 regional membership plans which are in place are now tweaked to align with this goal.

In our own district, we have made membership growth priority NUMERO UNO. Throughout the training cycle we spoke of starting 20 new clubs to aid in membership growth. I am happy to announce that the first new club this year is being chartered in Gollapudi sponsored by Vijayawada Midtown Rotary under the dynamic stewardship of president Datta Subba Rao.

I exhort many of you to start working on the promises for new clubs that you have made. It is not just about numbers. It is about touching new lives and offering the magic of Rotary to new communities.

Staying with the theme of touching new lives, my dear friend, don’t forget to invite at least ONE friend into your club. Surely, there must be ONE qualified friend you can think of!

Imagine the incremental good we can do with a 4000 plus membership and 100 Rotary clubs! Imagine the great legacy you leave behind as initiator of a Rotary club that will be spoken of in the scores of years that club will thrive and spread the positive influence in the community that harbors the club.

We will not fail President Gary and we will not fail ourselves by letting a golden opportunity to do good in perpetuity slip through our fingers.

I count on you to do this. I know you enough to know I am counting on the right person.

God speed!

From the days of first pre-pets in Kakinada last Nov-Dec, we embarked on a journey that is marked with hope and excitement. A journey you and I will take together and one which has potential to be an epic.

Our training cycle was complete as complete could be and a bit more. You will relive some of that experience on a pictorial journey inside these pages. A full 2-day PETS in the scenic Haailand (which is going to be the venue of our 3-day conference) will be remembered for a long time, as many of you told me, for the sheer energy and excitement it produced.

The proof of the pudding, however, is in eating. How you translate that energy and enthusiasm in to action in your clubs is entirely in your hands now. You have been given all the tools; we got some of the best speakers in the district and outside interacting with you and you exhibited remendous enthusiasm to learn and question and do!

The moment has arrived! It is time to deliver. I am available 24 x 7. So are the Assistant Governors. And the District Team. Will you make this year count in the history of your club? Will you be that leader who will leave a worthy legacy? Only time will tell.

But count on me to cheer you every step of the way. Before signing off, let me thank our leader during the last 12 months Dr. D.V.R. Poosha for his trademark quiet, unruffled but effective leadership of the district.

Begin with that one small step!