Issue : 06Vol. : 33 14-08-2013Date : Pages : 04

Friendship day celebration with InnerwheelInternational Friendship Day is a day for celebrating friendship. The day

has been celebrated in several southern South American countries for many years, particularly in Paraguay, where the first World Friendship Day was proposed in 1958.

Initially created by the greeting card industry, evidence from social networking sites shows a revival of interest in the holiday that may have grown with the spread of the Internet, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Digital communication modes such as the Internet and mobile phones may be helping to popularize the custom, since greeting friends en masse is now easier than before. Those who promote the holiday in South Asia attribute the tradition of dedicating a day in honour of friends to have originated in the U.S. in 1935, but it actually dates from 1919. The exchange of Friendship Day gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.(Source: Wikipedia)

Whoever created the day for whatever reason, it surely is a great thought to remember and share the great moments with friends. As Aristotle once said “Friendship is one soul dwelling in two bodies”. It is time to celebrate Friendship day with Innerwheel members. Let us join the friendship frenzy and celebrate.

ROTARY IN INDIA – BEFORE INDEPENDENCEŸ First Rotary Club in India was started in the year 1920 by R.J.Coombes, a manager

in a steel companyŸ First Indian member was S.C.Rudra joined Rotary in the year 1921Ÿ The first Indian to become the club secretary was Nitish C. Laharry (1926) who

climbed all steps to reach Rotary's top slot viz. R.I. Presidentship in 1962-'63Ÿ A.FM.Abdul Ali was the first Indian to adorn the collar of a club presidentŸ Of the 38 charter members of the club in Bombay, 37 were non-Indians. The only

Indian was Sir Phiroz Sethna, a legislative memberŸ Mahatma Gandhi addressed Rotary Club of Calcutta which had only non-Indians

on the rolls even thenŸ First Rotary club in south India was started in 1929 at Madras. All the charter members were non-IndiansŸ As many as ten clubs were chartered in 1947Ÿ By the time India became independent, there were 71 Rotary clubs (14 in Gujarat, 10 in Maharashtra, 10 in UP, 7 in Tamil

Nadu, 7 in Karnataka and 23 in another 10 states) with a total membership of 3121 members (today India has more than 3191 clubs and 1,23,941 Rotarians)

“About Us” wishes all readers a very happy “Independence Day”. Jai hind.

August is Membership and Extension month - emphasizing Membership development and the creation of new Rotary clubs. Introduce your friends and acquaintances to Rotary Midtown.

A deserving student was sponsored with 2

years tuition fees for his ITI course in

Vishweshwaraiah Industrial Training Centre,

Mysore. A cheque of Rs.15000/- was

presented by Rtn.PP.Alagappan and thSec.Rtn.Dr.Prahlad on 8 July 2013.

K.R. (Ravi) Ravindran, of the

Rotary Club of Colombo,

Western Province, Sri Lanka,

is the selection of the

Nominating Committee for

P r e s i d e n t o f R o t a r y

International in 2015-16.

Ravindran will become the

president-nominee on 1 October if there are

no challenging candidates.

Rtn.Ravi had addressed Midtown during the

president ship of Rtn.Prakash S (1999-2000).

–By Rtn.Harish

Community Service project RI President Nominee 2015-16

Community Service project

Inadvertently the months were wrongly mentioned in article "RMA News" (page 2) in the previous issue of "About Us". The first two projects were in July and not in August. The error is regretted. - Editor

Quirky facts on Indian Independence DayQ: Do you know why Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy and the first Governor General of India decide on Aug 15 as the Indian Independence Day?Ans: Mountbatten chose the day since Aug 15 also commemorated the second anniversary of Japan's surrender to the Allied ForcesQ: Does India share its Independence Day with any other country?Ans: South Korea won its independence from Japan on 15th August 1945, Bahrain from UK in 1971 and Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.Q: What was the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi doing on the day of Indian Independence?Ans: Gandhiji was away from all the celebrations and was fasting and negotiating with communal leaders after a Hindu-Muslim flare-up in Bengal.Q: Why did Lord Mountbatten decide on Aug 14 as Pakistan's Independence Day as the last Viceroy of undivided British India?Ans: In the capacity of the Last Viceroy of British India, Mountbatten was forced to attend both the independence day functions in both countries. To avoid inconvenience, Mountbatten shifted Pak Independence Day to Aug 14, making it one day ahead to India's.Q: Was Pandit Jawaharl Lal Nehru the Prime Minister when he delivered the famed “Tryst with Destiny" speech?Ans: No he was not technically the Prime Minister when he delivered the speech because he was elevated to the role only on Aug 15 while he delivered the speech on the midnight of Aug 14.Q: How long has India been independent compared to the super power US?Ans: USA has been enjoying its independence since the last 225 years while India has been a free bird only since the last 64 yearsQ: What inspired Gandhi to go on a Civil Disobedience movement?Ans: Gandhi got his inspiration from famous American philosopher David Thoreau who wrote a book that declared that no one ought to pay taxes. Gandhiji so inspired by the book that he used the same tactic in the struggle for Independence. He employed the method in the boycott of foreign goods and abolish taxon salt and led his followers to make salt themselvesQ: Who was the first person to have raised the Indian flag in foreign soil?Ans: Bhikhaji Rustom Cama is the first person to raise the tri-colour in Germany on 22nd of August 1907. But this flag was a different version than the original one. This flag consisted of three colors- the topmost being green followed by golden saffron in the middle and the red color at the bottom. It had 'Vande Mataram' inscribed on it.Source: http://www.oneindia.in/independence-day/2011/english-interesting-facts-on-indian-independence-day-080811.html

District Polio plus & Membership Development Seminar

Polio Plus and Membership Development Seminar was held at Manipal, Udupi on 10th & 11th August 2013. Rtn.Nandakumar, Rtn.Bheemesh, Rtn.Bhanuchandran and Rtn.Dr.Prahlad represented Midtown.

New team of Rotaract installed at Mahajana's CollegeRtr.Nikhil Maruthi & his team were In his address Rtn.Raghu stressed on the

installed at Mahajana's First Grade College importance of focusing on “Resources”, his th interesting & inspiring talk included jokes, on 7 August 2013. The regular meeting of

quotes and even cricket incidents drawing Midtown was called to order by President inspiration among the young ones. Rtn.Bhanu chandran. Heart touching Rtr.Nikhil in his acceptance speech assured national anthem was played moisting most to try his best. Rotaractors donated sports of the eyes. Rtn.Bhanu chandran welcomed equipment to few government school the gathering before Rtn.Prahlad spoke on representatives among other projects. Rotary and Rotaract movement. It was then Dr.Naga Srinivas shared his thoughts before time for the installation of the new team, Chief guest R.Vasudeva Murthy addressed Chief guest Rtn.R.Vasudeva Murthy, the gathering, he said that the Midtown is President, Mahjana Education Society, doing commendable job in supporting Instal l ing off icer Rtn.M.S.Raghu, Rotaract and wished that the 16 year old Rtn.S.Bhanu chandran & Dr.P.R.Naga association lasts for a long time to come. Srinivasa- Hon. Secretary, Mahajana Closing remarks were given by Rtn.Bhanu Education Society – guests of Honour, and a formal vote of thanks was given by Prof.K.V.Prahakara-Principal of Mahajana's R t n . P r i y a P r a s a d . M e a n w h i l e College, Rtn.Raju Baliga-Chairman of Rtn.Bhanuchandran announced Rs.5000/- Rotaract Club & Prof.Mary Eapen – as seed money for Rotaract projects and Rotaract co-ordinator were seen onstage. assured to assist as the project needs arise.After the invocation, welcome speech by

Rtr.Shivendra Urs the dignitaries lit the End note: Rtn.Raghu in his address b e a u t i f u l l y d e c o r a t e d l a m p . mentioned that he had 30 plus years of

R tn .Ba lak r i shna Kin i i n t roduced experience in Rotary. Taking a cue on this Rtn.Raghu. Rtn.Megha read out the when Rtn.Vasudevamurthy spoke, he impressive report of 2011-12, Rotaract mentioned to the gathering that he is Mahajanas were recognized at District level currently the oldest Rotarian with maximum for their outstanding projects. Rtn.Raju gave years in Rotary in entire RI District.3180 the oath to new Rotaract members. The new with 60 plus years of experience in Rotary. team was installed by Rtn.Raghu before We are proud of you Rtn.Vasudevamurthy addressing the gathering. sir.

· Fourteen Rotaractors attended the Webinar on E-hacking, organized by Midtown on 27th

July 2013 at Bahadur Institute Of Management Sciences

· An amount of Rs 12700/- was presented to Mr.Naveena B towards his admission fees th· Sports materials were distributed to various Government schools of the city on 7 August 2013

· As a part of ongoing “Go green project”, guests at the Installation ceremony were presented thwith indoor plants on 7 August 2013

Rotaract Mahajana's Projects:

Rotary Quiz

Answer: Gustavus Loehr

Room 711 of the Unity Building in Chicago was thesite of Rotary's first meeting. At that time, it was the

office of which founding member?

a.Paul Harris b.Paul Hewson

c. Gustavus Loehr d.Arch Klumph

Rtn.R.Venkatesh17th August

Birthday Wishes

Rtn.P.S.Chengappa20th August

1. Is it the TRUTH ?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned ?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned ?

Rotary InformationFree Eye Screening

for all and free cataract surgery for the poor.

T h e R o t a r y E y e Centre is the only one of its kind in District 3310. The Eye Centre is owned and funded by the Rotary Club of Pasir Gudang Eye Foundation. The Foundation is a tax exempted body. The Eye Centre is opened 5 days a week providing free eye screening for all. For the

poor, the Eye Centre provides free cataract surgery, cornea transplant and reading glasses. To date more than a 1000 patients have been screened and about 400 cataract surgeries and 10 cornea transplants carried out free and 100 reading glasses given free. Through this about 500 people had their eyesights restored. Project location: Malaysia

Anniversary Wishes

Rtn.Kumaraswamy21st August

Rtn.N.Narendra19th August

Visit to Community Centre – 'Ajitha Nele'

Time: 6.30 pmVenue:

'Ajitha Nele' , Bogadi

Please Attend

Next Week

Practical Innovation

Most of us consume way too much sodium, either sprinkling it on fries or gobbling it unawares via prepared and processed foods. We'd all like to cut down to avoid high blood pressure and heart disease, but apart from reading nutritional information labels, it's hard to determine how much sodium a dish contains. Well, the mighty gadget-spawning samurai at Japan's Thanko have unsheathed the Handy Salt Meter for hot liquid foods.

This portable salt content thermometer, as it were, works with soup broth and is geared to people who love dishes like ramen or udon noodles. It also works with curry and pasta sauce. The device can be inserted into liquid or semi-liquid food with a temperature of about 140 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Stick it in and the sensors measure salt content in less than a second, displaying results on an LED scale from 0.3 to 2 percent. If you're having salty foods like soup or pasta, expect a high reading.

More details at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57596582-1/want-salt-with-that-sodium-meter-checks-soups-sauces/

Today's

Tea

Host

Mrs.Uma Vivek

HumourWhat would have happened if Rajnikanth was born 150 years ago? The British would have fought for independence!Why did Superman and Batman visit Rajnikanth? Because it was Teacher's Day.Rajinikanth is the only person in the world who can make his girlfriend admit her mistake.Rajinikanth once ordered idli in McDonald's and got it.Rajinikanth can eat dosa with chopsticks.Rajnikanth got his driver's licence at the age of 16 seconds.Whenever Rajnikanth makes an error, it is an invention.If Rajnikanth was born 100 years earlier, British would have fought to get independence from India.An email was sent from Pune to Mumbai but Rajinikanth stopped it in Lonavala.Rajnikanth killed a terrorist in another country via BluetoothThe apple which fell on Newton was actually thrown by Rajinikanth.Rajinikanth knows Victoria's secret.Rajinikanth can answer a missed call.Rajninikanth can sneeze with his eyes open.People update Facebook status via BlackBerry and iPhone. Rajinikanth updates his status via calculator.When Alexander Bell first used his telephone, he realised he already had two missed calls from Rajinikanth.Rajnikanth has a statue of Madame Tussauds in his house!Rajnikanth's next movie is called Twitter. He plays 140 characters.