Rotary Club of Bombay West

This was during the inaugural function on 24 December 2011 at the Jamnabai Narsee auditorium, Vile Parle West, Mumbai. Dr R A Mashelkar inaugurated the series with a lecture on Reinventing India

Two decades ago, in a hall not far from here, an Indian R I President inaugurated one of Bombay West’s most prestigious projects- a Chair in Management of Non profit Organisations at a leading management institute in India. Today, twenty years after, we have another RI President, an Indian R I President-and I take the liberty of saying our own- President Kalyan Banerjee not to inaugurate but to witness the launch of a program in his name – the Kalyan Banerjee Leadership Lecture series. The Chair in Management was a momentous steo and has helped produce scores of young social entrepreneurs. It is our belief that today’s launch of the annual lecture series will prove equally auspicious and will have a significant social impact.

One of the most satisfying projects that I have seen in my Rotary Club has been the Vocational Loan Scholarship Scheme. It has changed the lives and fortunes of many in a way that neither they nor we had visualised. The Scheme was conceived and launched in 1994 by one of the Past Presidents, Subhashis Bhattachary, soon after he became the President. During the last sixteen years it has worked very well for us and for the loan scholars.

I have had my interactions with the loan scholars. One event where they were brought together was documented by Subhashis himself. I reproduce it below, not merely because I figure in it but for the touching words of a scholar that moved many of us. Continue reading