Rotary Club in Dehradun

I made first contact with Rotarian Sameer Berry, President of the Rotary Club Dehradun Central, on Friday afternoon. Another Rotarian picked me up at the Latika Roy Center and we drove to the office of President Sameer Berry. I met about 4 other Rotarians and we chatted and had tea for a couple of hours. One of the gentlemen in the group belonged to the Lion’s Club organization, and he invited me to his meeting that very night. I was also invited to attend/speak at the Rotary Club on Saturday night.

Rotary Club of Dehradun Central President Sameer Berry and I.

The Lion’s club meeting was spoken in Hindi, so I did not learn too much there. The food was excellent, and I met many wonderful people. I was introduced and told the audience my purpose for coming to Dehradun and a little about myself. I was told not to reveal that I was a Rotarian, which was a bit hard to remember because Rotary is such an important part of my life! I talked a bit about Latika Roy Foundation and all the wonderful work that they do. I am by no means a spokes person for the organization, but I sure know a good and needy organization when I see it. The Lion Club meeting was 9pm to 11:30pm; much later than our meetings in the US!

Exchanging the Rotary Club flag.

Saturday night I went to the Rotary Club Dehradun Central meeting. I was picked up by President Sameer Berry at 7:45 and brought back at midnight. The meeting was conducted in English, so it was very interesting. They have 5 Rotary exchange students here from Germany for one month and there was a presentation on Germany given by one of the students. Last year, 5 of the India students participated in an exchange to the homes of these German students. I spoke for about 15 minutes about my Rotary experiences doing polio immunizations in Ethiopia, my service in Uganda, and my volunteer work at Latika Roy in Dehradun. I sure would like to connect Rotary to Latika Roy Foundation because it is such a great cause. After the meeting, we had a most delicious meal, and of course, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, the famous fried honey that I couldn’t stop eating!

The Dehradun Clock Tower in the middle of town.

A view of the slums along a river in the mountains.  This scene is common in every Continent.

President Sameer Berry picked me up on Sunday afternoon for a drive around town and into the mountains. He showed me some of the slums in the city, which is common to every city in the world. I also saw the six sided clock tower in the middle of the town. The clock tower is the symbol of the town and is on the Dehradun Rotary Club flag, which they gave me at the meeting. I forgot to bring my Kapolei flag for them, but I told them I will return next summer with it. After the drive, we met other Rotarians at a private club for drinks and conversation. They are a great group of Rotarians. Their biggest project is the adoption of a school in the area and the formation of a brand new Rotaract Club there. They are raising funds for the repair and improvement of the facilities. We exchanged ideas about how my own club raises funds and conducts their meetings. I had a fantastic time and exchange of information. Rotary is all over the world, and it is like having a family everywhere you go !