Twin club celebration of Valentine’s Day with the loved ones

Twin clubs Rotaract Club of Behala and Rotaract Club of Calcutta Lansdowne celebrated valentines Day on the 14th of February, 2010 at Santi Niwas-an old age home and spent some quality time with the inmates.
To start of with, the twin clubs presented all the inmates with Red roses which was followed by the cutting of a violin shaped cake. The surprise was though that the cutting of this cake was done by the “Oldie couple” at the home, which was applauded by the other inmates. Munching on the chips, dhoklas and the sweets, the grandparents could not stop blessing us for this wonderful time we had dedicated only for them. Though a test match at Eden was underway and so was the enjoyment of the youths celebrating Valentines Day, the twin clubs were more then happy to bring a smile to the anxious faces of our grandparents at the home.
Not to miss was the inmate’s favourite thing- taking snaps with us and when love was in the air the snaps were only to be romantic ones. Through our time the only thing we did was to enjoy ourselves- but not to forget that our treat from the inmates- chips and sweets which we all liked a lot.
As like always we had a gala time interacting and having fun with our so very loved ones at Santi Niwas, with RC Behala completing its 50th Project this Rota-year (2009-10) and yet another successful project from the twin clubs with 9 members turning in from RCC Lansdowne to RC Behala’s 5. Assistant District Secretary (avenues)- Rtr Rahul Banerjee also joined us in our celebration of Valentines day

AIRTEL DIGITAL TV FOR SANTI NIWAS

Rotaract Club of Behala along with parent Rotary- Rotary club of Behala provided digital cable connection to Santi Niwas. The initial checking and paying of advance and finalizing of all the things was done on the 13th of Feb ,2010 resulting in the final installation of Airtel Digital TV at Santi Niwas on Sunday - 14th of Feb,2010.
The handing over of the Set-top box was done by the members of Rotaract Club of Behala to the inmates and it could only generate a sense of joy and satisfaction among the members of Rotary and Rotaract Behala. ADS Rtr Rahul Banerjee was also present on the occasion to be a part of Rotaract Club of Behala’s one of the most satisfying project of the year. Though a good amount of cost was involved for this project, yet the sense of satisfaction never stopped Rotary Behala family to miss on this opportunity to be a reason for the so very innocent smiles on the faces of the inmates of Santi Niwas. It is needless to mention how overwhelmed they were to receive this gift from us as it was a long time concern for them on missing out on the current affairs along with their favorite serials, soaps and games for so long now.
This would be a continuous project for Rotaract Club of Behala as the recurring charges (monthly subscription to renewals) would all be borne by us. A pre valentines day gift with the installation being on the Valentines Day was a gift very precious to the inmates as they expressed their joy and happiness to us and blessed us with all their heart. This was yet another successful event with the joint initiative of Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Behala.

Emergency lamps for the Grandparents

On 6th February,2010, Rotaract Club of Behala along with the newest member of Rotary Behala family-Interact Club of DAV Public school visited the very familiar Santi Niwas and gifted the grandparents with two emergency lamps.
The event started from around 10am when the Interactors along with the Rotaractors stepped inside Santi Niwas to once again bring the so very familiar smile on the faces of the Grandparents, who very eagerly wait for our visit to them. This year Rotaract Behala has been taking extra responsibility for the welfare of this so very sweet Old age home at Oxford Mission and this time going as per their needs, we decided to gift them with two emergency lamps. But the different aspect of this event was that the initiative came in from the Interactors first which we together implemented.
We also had taken their favourite strawberry cake- this times two-one for the granddads and one for the grand moms. They cut the cake with equal enthusiasm and did share it with us. We did chat with our dear grandparents for long before taking their kind permission to leave but again with the very same promise to visit them soon and this time with a big surprise.
We spend around 4 hours with them and in all the event emerged as a very successful one, bringing in smiles to the their faces.

ROTARACTORS ON A DAY-OUT TO PANCHLA

On a Sunday morning when winter’s busy welcoming spring, a stream of refreshed young minds splashed out their emotions of camaraderie amidst the landscapes of ‘Country Roads’, 30km from the heart of Kolkata.
We packed our bags for a day-outing to Panchla today. A few fifty uncomplicated minds in the mood of fun and frolic reached the venue around half-past ten. Luchi and sabzi welcomed us to a setting quite unforgettable. A bungalow with lush green lawns on both sides, precisely bordered with sprightly chrysanthemums, a kitchen garden at the backyard, a clear blue sky and a soothing winter sun – it seemed the décor was perfect for a day worth to be etched in the memories.
The lighter moments of life are the rarest to experience. Refuting the statement would be the unending enjoyable activities that time crafted for us today: from playing soccer to identifying the dumb charades, from the lazy strolls on the country-side lanes to the odd experience of playing kho-kho, and from the continuous cracking of jokes to the lengthy just-like-that chat sessions.
When we finished with the day-out we had a stomach-full of chowmein, fried rice, chilli-chiken, paneer, vegetable manchurian, gurer-rasgolla, a heart-full of satisfaction and a winter sun creeping down the horizon. As our bus sped down the National Highway towards the city, the realization of ‘life with friends’ was written all over our faces with the alphabets of smile. It was a day well-spent, with friends, whom we were all introduced to by the Rotaract Movement.
The script of today’s events has a very special place for our dear friend Rtr Sreyoshi, who provided us with the picturesque venue at Panchla ‘Country Roads’. The refreshed minds together thank her for the friendly gesture.

GRAND CLUB FELLOWSHIP AND DINNER

On 30th, January, 2010, Rotaract club of Behala organized a grand club fellowship followed by a sumptuous dinner from 5:00pm onwards. The venue was Rtr Aditi’s Basdroni home, which from 5:00pm onwards became the temporary gathering of Team Behala Rotaractors.
Team Behala organizes fellowship not only to fun around but to maintain and strengthen the friendship and bonding of its members. It becomes a common room for all topics, discussions and learning for few. The fellowship in our club is always filled with fun and enjoyment, as according to one of the members “we are the youth brigade and always restless and hungry for more”.
Started off with trade marked game”UNO”, while munching some snacks and ended with the lavish dinner. On our behalf we presented Rtr Aditi’s mother with a token of love from our end. The whole fellowship was well co-ordinated and Rtr Aditi played a perfect host. The dinner comprised of a total vegetarian menu, palak paneer, raita, paratha, polou, achar, chutney, papad, Aloo Gobi, sabji, sweets, salad, kheer (payesh). We had a wonderful and stomach full of delicious items.
Finally we bid goodbye to our club members and thanked the host. We parted towards our destined homes. Good Knight.

2ND CLUB ASSEMBLY AND CLUB MEETING ALL THE WAY…

On 24th, January, 2010, Rotaract club of Behala organized their 2nd Club Assembly at Calcutta Blind School from 5:00pm onwards. The assembly had a compact gathering which included Rotarians, Inner wheelers, Rotaractors, Rotaract Council members and guests.
Our club president and secretary greeted all the guests and kick started the assembly. Club secretary informed that Rotaract club of Behala (09-10) has taken a lead from rotaract club of Behala (08-09) in every field of activity.
As always we were privileged to have Rtn Deepnath Roy Chowdhury, President, Rotary Club of Behala at the meeting. With a brief discussion over the past projects and few future events, Rtn Deepnath uncle encouraged us for more quality projects. His encouraging words were marvelous and full of passion towards the movement. He also told us to keep up the good work because we ourselves have set a high standard for us to follow. PP Rtn Dedabrata Joardar, Rotary Club of Behala was welcome to the Dias. We are very fortunate enough to have him because 17(seventeen) years ago when Rotaract club of Behala was been chartered he was the then president of Rotary club of Behala and his son was a charter member and director. He enlightened us about different rotary projects and how can we become a part of it. His speech covered all the different aspects of Rotary-Rotaract relationship. We spoke about Rotaract news in GML. Rotarians gave us an idea of publishing a DRR’s monthly letter in consultation with all the clubs and council members. We informed that our district website is a very vibrant one and a good source of information gathering. We also thanked and praised our parent Rotary for being the perfect parent we could ever dream of.
Rtr Vishal Pandey, District Secretary (Rotaract District Council), gave a wonderful speech about the functioning of our club and encouraged us to do a lot of good work for the society. On our part we are also thankful to him in everyway he helped us from the very beginning and we pledged that our relationship will stay strong forever. Rtr Shankar Narayan Saha, District Advisor (Rotaract District Council), was our next and energetic speaker. His words were as kind and encouraging as always. He discussed with us different projects and praised us for our work and “ALL THE BEST”- his everlasting boosting words for us.
Our last speaker was Dr Sudipta Chakraborty, President, Inner wheel Club of Behala. She was all praised for us and wished us luck. We discussed about our much awaited project “REDCELL” with others in the assembly and gave a brief account on how it will work. Our president made his announcements and updated members about upcoming projects. The 2nd Club Assembly and club meeting were terminated. Snacks and cold drinks were served to all the persons present. Last but not the least we felt the absence of Rtn (Dr). Siddhartha Chakraborty, who was outstation. Our DRR Rtr Ayesha Alam was hooked up with some last minute important work so could not turn up.

GREETINGS TO SOLDIERS ON ARMY DAY

On 15th January, 2010, Rotaract club of Behala sent greetings to our brave soldiers to mark “Army Day”.
We handed over a letter and card to Lt.Col.Pandey, Divisional Head 90 Battalion Infantry. The handing over program happened at Fort William. Lt.Col.Pandey assured us that the letter and the card would reach the soldiers posted at LOC, Kaksar, Jammu and Kashmir and also appreciated our effort and thoughtfulness.
He gave a brief introduction of his battalion and the significance of “ARMY DAY”. We in return thanked him for his generous gesture in letting us thinking about the persons who are risking their lives just to keep us safe and happy.
The whole place was a restricted area and we were under camera surveillance, so photography was strictly prohibited. We will have the memory intact irrespective of no photos.

SHAWL DISTRIBUTION TO MARK WORLD YOUTH DAY

On 15th, January, 2010, Rotaract club of Behala distributed shawls to the farmers of Nalgora to mark “World Youth Day” from 11:00am onwards.
We assembled at Ballygunge Station at around 7:30am to catch a train to Mathurapur. Reached Mathurapur in time and took an auto to Joynal, then by cycle van 5 minutes to our final destination Nalgora. A representative of the RCC was there at the station to attend us. The cycle van was driven by them. We were welcomed with warm hands to RCC NALGORA. We were served with tea and snacks.
The farmers were already waiting for us to distribute the shawls. Rtr George gave a small speech on why we are here and the significance and vision of Rotaract Club of Behala towards such an act by our club on a preferred day with a niche. The whole body of the RCC was present and gave a small introduction because we were not visitors but a family. It was 11:30am and we started the distribution. The co-coordinator softly called out the names from her list. We one by one gave the shawls to them. The shawl receivers were mainly farmers which included male to female to handicapped persons.
15th January was a special day for the Hindu pilgrims for bathing in the Ganges, so few were unable to receive the shawls. But we handed over the extra shawls to the secretary of the RCC. In total we distributed 20 shawls. Finally the program was over and we spoke to the in charge persons on how can we help them better; we discussed few more plans and programs for the future. This visit to Nalgora will be counted among the many visits to this place earlier. We left by 3:00pm and reached Kolkata by 5:00pm.
All the persons present thanked us and wished us so that we can carry our good work for our society under the proud banner of “ROTARACT CLUB OF BEHALA”.

CHUMUKEDIMA (RID 3240) VISITS KOLKATA (RID 3240)

On 10th, January, 2010, Rotaract club of Behala hosted Rotaract club of Chumukedima of RID 3240 in Kolkata.
Rtr Shuvranshu coordinated with the members of Chumukedima and directed them into the city from Howrah to Sealdah. He meets them at Sealdah and arranged a hotel for them near the sealdah station. The Rotaractors freshened up at the hotel and took lunch. We gave them many choices of side seeing and places of interest in Kolkata, the common answer were Kalighat temple. So we made our way towards the central metro station to catch a train to Kalighat. On our way we pointed out the Presidency College, College Square and Calcutta University and took a shortcut from Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. They were excited to get inside the metro station except for few who have previously visited the city in the past. We reached Kalighat Kali Temple and gave puja. They purchased many pictures of Kali and other goddesses from the market near the temple.
Our next destination was Victoria memorial by majority. Again we went to the metro station and reached Maidan. With a little stole through the footpaths we reached the Memorial. But there was a huge queue at the ticket counter for entrance. We were also supposed to reach Park Circus by 5:00pm where we organized a getogether with the IDYEP Team with the Rotaractors of our district. So we came to a collective conclusion that we will take pictures fro outside and leave for the getogether venue. We were really feeling said for them but moved on as they were also making their way for the next destination. We walked down a few crossings and finally reached Rabindra Sadan Crossing after watching Birla Planetarium and Rotary Sadan. We reached Malu Motors in time to see others waiting for us. They distributed club book mark to all the Rotaractors present. They also gave a brief account of their district conference and were very happy. We had snacks and proceeded with the getogether. We exchanged letter head, bulletin, and badges and presented them with a memento as a token of love and fellowship. Rtr Soummojit escorted them to their hotel and bided a warm goodbye to them and promised them to catch up as soon as possible. They were very happy and excited to visit again, because last time we hosted them when they came to Kolkata.
We wished them good night and wished them safe journey back in the very next day in the morning train in which they were leaving for their home from Sealdah station, i.e., Chumukedima in Nagaland.

NEW YEAR’S GIFT TO AN ORPHANAGE FROM INTRA-DISTRICT TWINS

On 10th, January, 2010, Rotaract Club of Behala and Rotaract Club of Calcutta Lansdowne, the intra-district twins distributed stationary’s to an orphanage at lake gardens from 11am onwards through a joint project.
The two clubs came face to face for the first time in this New Year for a good cause by distributing 200 excise copies, pencils, erasers and sharpeners.
Both the clubs meet at a designated place and migrated towards the orphanage. After reaching the residential orphanage Mr. Chandan Das, co-coordinator welcomed us with New Year greetings. We were escorted and were served with tea. We then handed over the stationeries’ to him. He took us to a little tour of the orphanage and provided us with detailed information about the working and functioning of the home. The inmates were introduced to us and we interacted with them.
The inmates ranged from a 4year old to a 20 year old. The schooling is also provided by the orphanage with professional teacher’s educating the children. The home also provides computer and other extracurricular activities and program for the inmates. The school has different buildings for boys and girls, the different floors are divided according to age. A fully equipped gym is also their for the inmates. We befriended many and enjoyed a splendid sunny winter morning playing cricket and basketball with them inside the campus. We were surprised to see such good talents at the orphanage. There was a well constructed Basketball court inside the campus and students play pretty well and were above our expectations. It was real fun and everyone enjoyed at their fullest.
We really liked the way they are taking care for the unfortunate’s in the society and nurturing them and assisting them in setting goals and a good future for themselves. The coordinator thanked us all the way for our gratitude and compassion towards the society, to make it a better place to – play, learn, enjoy and live.