President Blog

Very Good Evening Friends, First of all I would like to welcome today’s Chief Guest DG Rtn. Manjoo Phadke, First Gentleman Rtn. Vishwas, AG Rtn. Vasavi Mulay, DRT Rtn. Radha Gokhale. Other Dignitaries off the Dais includes many District Directors, Co-Directors and District Secretaries, Joint Secretaries other District Officers, my COPs mates, my relatives, friends, BOD  & all dear club members and their families to one of the most important event of my life I.e. installation! Accepting the post of president of this prestigious Rotary Club of Pune Phoenix and being one of the leaders of a distinguished Rotary District 3131 in Rotary World.

Leader is the person who guides such group of people, which thinks when this leader's work is done and his or her aims are fulfilled, group will say...we did it ourselves. He imbibe the culture of bearing the ownership of particular things to individual person. He gives them freedom to work at their best. Being Rotary Club President, is an action not the position.

We are entering in our Club’s 5th year. Our club has achieved many accolades in Rotary District 3131 in last 4 yrs. Thanks to a great leadership of our Charter President Rtn. Manasi for leading the club for 1st 2 yrs. and that too in pandemic in a very successful way. Rtn. Pradnya has done an amazing job to bring club in the first 25 amongst 145 club in the 4th year itself. So big round of applause for both of them.

Now we all know that our trust, which is the Rotary Phoenix Pune Charitable Trust is completely functioning. So we all have to aim big in carrying out various social activities needed for our community.

This year we have planned two big projects which involves District thrust areas also. We have initiated the process of "Pediatric Heart Surgery”. We will be doing 25 free Surgeries. We will take the help of Global Grant source for carrying out this project. It’s worth 45-50Lakhs, I hereby appeal you all to kindly donate for this project.

Also with the help of Mrs. Manisha Sanghavi, Director Sancheti Healthcare Academy and Our own member Rtn.  Pradnya Thakur's Shashwat Foundation, we have adopted 2 villages, Gonawadi and Pimpri. We will be doing Happy Village, Happy School, Happy Anganwadi, Borewell Recharge, and Rainwater Harvesting in these villages and will try to bring the happiness on the faces of villagers. We will be working for Primary Healthcare Centre. I also appeal you all to come forward and donate generously for this project too. We are also looking for CSR partners for above project. Kindly let us know the connects if any available with you. Other projects like Dental treatment camps, book donation, exploration of Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate project, MokshaKashta project are also in pipeline.Other District Thrust Areas like Aerators, Green Society, Green Friday will be implemented through our club members and in their societies.Yesterday RI director mentioned about revival of one health Project pertaining to one of the biggest convern of the society today:-Controlling Diabetes and Cholesterol. Project is “Do chamach kam, Char kadam Jyada”, we will exploring this project with our member Dr. Sonali Bhojane who is a Diabetologist. Under guidance of our member Dr. Sagar Wardhmane, Opthalomologist by profession, we will be working of “Cataract Surgery” Global Grant Project

Under very capable directors like Rtn. Deepti & Rtn. Amarja and their committee members; we have designed very innovative weekly meetings for you all in this year. Very happy to share that out of 52 weekly meetings, 36 have been confirmed and I assure you all that Directors will make our meetings very vibrant. And with the help of Sargent At Arms-Sanyogita, decorum of the meetings will be followed sincerely. This year, we will be organizing “Rotary Sahitya Sammelan” on 21st and 22nd October 2023. Details will be disclosed soon. We are host for District Cultural Event “Abhangwani” on 19th August at PYC. Also District level “Natya Chata” spardha will be organized in month of September for Rotarians, Anns, Annets, Interactors, Rotarctors of RD 3131. We will be also be the Host of District Event AGAC in the month of March 2024 for RY 24-25 under dynamic leadership of DGN Rtn. Shital Shah.

This year we will be having one more Interact and Rotaract Club under leadership of enthusiastic Youth service Director Swapnil, other activities like RYLA and team building actives will be conducted.

We will try our best to follow policy of "Each One Bring One" and make our Club more energetic and members with varied classifications, which will bring new ideas and innovation to club. We are hoping to cross membership of 60 by this year end. DG Manjoo’s club, i.e RCP Deccan Gymkhana, is our parent club for which we will be always thankful to them, especially to Archana and Vikas Tople. So this year we are planning to promote RCP Deccan Gymkhana by making them a “Grandparent Club”. Though it is still at preliminary stage, we are checking possibility of forming a new club.  We are certainly working on it and will update you in short time. Membership Director Rtn. Pandurang needs to work very hard to bring vibrancy in club and I am sure he will do it.

With the help of Global Grant Chairperson IPP Pradnya and Director International services Janmejay, I am 100% confident that International Avenue as well as developing connects for Global Grant partner will be easy.

All activities in service projects are possible when we have sufficient funds in Trust as well as in Foundation. Rotary Foundation is like that "Chirag" of Allahudin. Whatever we donate comes back to us in very high returns from RI. Very happy to share that Yesterday on DG Manjoo’s Installation Day, I have done $1000 contribution today towards APF and will be doing Rs 50,000 donation towards Rotary Club Pune Charitable Trust for our service projects in coming year. And I expect this year too we will achieve "Every Rotarian Every Year" citation. It is a citation that club receives when every member donates $25 towards Foundation and per capita is above $100. Our Foundation Dir. CA Veena Nagarkar has huge task to do, she has done it previously by brining Non Rotarian Donation to Foundation…so this year also she will manage this Avenue very well

I am very much thankful to Prajkta, finance expert for handling the post of Treasurer and very polite and always helpful Madhav as Secretary. He is very sincere and 100% dedicated Rotarian!

I can't imagine my Rotary life without my two Rotarian mentors, PP Rtn. Shantanu and PPRtn. Manasi. It was the dream of both of them to have such a vibrant and enthusiastic club and I am lucky to be the president in this club. Thanks PP shantanu and PP Manasi for accepting the post of Trainer and Vice president respectively.

When all Presidents had their first interaction with DG Manjoo, the thing which was taught to us was use our own resources at their best. Then the first person came in mind was the First Lady Rtn. Madhur. President ship cannot be completed without support of partner and she is doing whatever help she can do. She helps me arranging various activities for BODs, helping me in writing my speeches, arranging interesting programs as Program Committee Chairperson! And now she has huge responsibility at District level also as GML Editor.  My entire family - my father, mother, my in laws... who always must be having questions in mind like... nakki काय karto आणि सारखं meetings meetings काय असतात... I hope they will get the answer through our work by the end of this year! Aarohi & Antara are involved more than anyone else.. As far as my digital prescence is concerned. Our new member,Yogesh Nandurkar along with Aniruddha are also working upon over Public image part of club. Aniruddha is specialist in Digital Marketing and having prestigious clients like Chitale bandhu, PNG under his kitty…so they will bring our club to maximum possible way on digital front. Legacy of the club activities will be on able shoulders of PE Vinay Kumthekar and PN Madhav Soman,I am sure they will take club to the higher level than this RY. I am 100% sure that in coming years RCP Phoenix will its mark boldly in RD 3131 and in Rotary International

So thank you all my club members to be a part of my team and dreaming along with me to achieve goals for our Club. Let’s “Create Hope In The World”. Thank you DG Manjoo. I am really enjoying the learning process under your leadership.

Finally I want to conclude my speech by a Quote of Sadguru..." Integrity, Insight and Inclusiveness are the three essential qualities of leadership "... I will try my best to be a leader like this.

Thank you!