Vol. 59 Issue: 05 Date: 1 August, 2014

Today’s Program 1 August: RWM No 2680 & Club Assembly

Online Weekly Club Bulletin Published by Rotary Club of Calcutta South West

Upcoming Program RCCSW

8 August: RWM

15 August: No Meeting Holiday

22 August: RWM & Guest Speaker Mr B J Mozumdar Topic:

Investment scenario after Union budget 2014-15.

31 August (Sunday): RWM & HILSA FESTIVAL fellowship

Lunch

UPCOMING PROGRAMS RID 3291

9 August: Saturday ICM on “Light up Rotary” at Haldiram banquets

24 August: Sunday 10 AM Dist. Polio Orientation & Planning Meet at Rotary Sadan

30 August: Saturday President & Secretary Meet

RCCSW CLUB ASSEMBLY NOTICE Notice is hereby being given that the RCCSW Club

Assembly will be held on Friday 1 August, 2014 to discuss

the following Agenda:

Presentation by Club President on Theme 2014-

15 and the Dist. focus areas

Announcement of the Committees

Plans and Programs of the Committee

Club & Trust Budget presentation & approval

Address by Assistant Governor

Any other matter

Members are requested to make it convenient to attend

the Club Assembly and participate in the discussion.

Sd/-

Hony. Club Secretary, RCCSW

TODAY’S PROGRAM RCCSW Assembly 2014-15

AUGUST: MEMBERSHIP & EXTENTION MONTH

CELEBRATIONS BIRTHDAYS

2 Aug: PP Rtn Joyanta Kr Mitra

3 Aug: Mrs Srirupa De (w/o PP Rtn Debasis De)

8 Aug: Mrs Rakhee Sen ( w/o Rtn Dilip Sen)

ANNIVERSARY

8 Aug: Mrs Kajol & PP Rtn Subhasis Bandopadhyay

Wishing you all “Many Happy Returns of THE DAY”

Rotary South West Hilsa Festival

Sunday 31 August, 2014

@ Lunch with Hilsa

COMMUNE : 12.30 PM onwards

RSVP: PP Rtn Subhro Banerjee

Online Weekly Club Bulletin Published by Rotary Club of Calcutta South West

WORLD POLIO UPDATE as on 23July 2014

The Status of Polio cases across the world

World Total: 128

Pakistan: 99 Camaroon: 3

Afganistan: 8 Iraq: 2

Nigeria: 5 Syria: 1

Equatorial Guinea: 5 Ethiopia: 1

Somalia: 4

Data source WHO for 2014

Pencil and Eraser's story my all time inspiration !

A conversation between a Pencil and an Eraser is very

inspirational.

Pencil- ‘ I’m sorry…’

Eraser- ‘ For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.’

Pencil- ‘I’m sorry because you get hurt because of me.

Whenever I made a mistake, you’re always there to erase

it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of

yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.’

Eraser- ‘ That’s true. But I don’t really mind. You see, I was

made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do

something wrong. Even though one day, I know I’ll be gone

and you will replace me with a new one. I’m actually happy

with my job. So please stop worrying, I hate seeing you sad.’

The Conversation above is very inspirational and reminds

me of the parents who take great pains to raise their

children. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children

are the pencil. They’re always there for their children,

cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way they

get hurt, and become smaller (older and eventually pass

on). Though their children will eventually find someone new

(spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for

their children, and will always hate seeing their precious

ones worrying or sad. This for all Parents out there……. And

for children to realize their parents' worth.

- Contributed by PP Rtn. Srikanta Basu Mallik Zonal Secretary- Zone 35 (District-3291)

Club Editor of Rotary Club of Calcutta North East.

UPCOMING CLUB PROJECT

Independence Day Celebration

15 August, 2014 : RCC Hussain Shah Road Bustee Welfare

Society at 10 AM. Program: Hoisting of National Flag and

Distribution of Food packet amongst the children of the

locality.

Members are requested to make it convenient to

attend this project.

CLUB OFFICERS TRAINING PROGRAM (COTS)

OF ZONE 25 CLUBS RID 3291 Saturday 2 August, 2014 : The Commune

PP Rtn Deb Kumar Mitra, Assistant Governor of Zone 25 Clubs

is organizing a COTS for the Zone 25 Clubs on Saturday 2

August, 2014 at The Commune at 7 PM.

All the office bearers of RCCSW RY 2014-15 are requested to

make it convenient to attend the same.

GUEST COLUMN

ZONE 25, RID 3291 EVENT

Dist. Polio Orientation & Planning Meet

24 August, 2014 at Rotary Sadan, 10 AM RI Polio Plus Comm.

Member & Past RID Ashok Mahajan will be the Chief Guest.

Club Presidents, Polio Plus Chair, Club Routine Immunization

Coordinator must attend this important meeting.

RID 3291 Event

EDITORIAL In this month of August as we approach towards the 15th day,

I suddenly see the TV & radio channels, magazines and

newspapers start offloading information on Independence

day, freedom struggle and patriotism to reinforce the fact that

we should take pride in the fact that we are a free country.

I just wonder, how short is the public memory!!! It fades away

just after the Independence Day celebration and thereafter

every second day there is a case of honour killing, caste

discrimination, female foeticide or gender discrimination.

What freedom are then really we talking about!

India will celebrate the 68th year of indpendence this year on

15th August.

It has perhaps the greatest potential to become the most

developed nation.

While our Constitution provides for and officially facilitates

the most humane and people-friendly development

programmes, unfortunately all our development works,

governance, science, agriculture, art and almost all day-to-day

habits are mimicries of the Western world systems.

Birthday celebrations of dear ones are conducted in an alien

practice of 'cutting the cake' and singing 'Happy Birthday…'

Our Pre-schoolers are still taught … “London Bridge is falling

down” …

Builders and Real Estate people showcase their Apartments

using names such as “Maple” … “Oak Ridge” … “Magnolia

Boulevard”!

Anchoring in TV programs have Men in high-class Western

style Suits with Ties, and the women in scantily clad styles.

Musical and dance programmes look like some sort of

acrobatic drills with all sorts of weird gesticulations that have

no relevance to our INDIAN concepts and culture.

Our entire education system including higher education is

tuned to support Western development, having hardly any

relevance to local systems and needs.

Even our Banking systems and money transactions depend on

the Western world.

Could we, therefore, proclaim that we are Independent?

Definitely NOT!

India’s population at this moment is close to 1,236 million.

If each one of us put in a little effort towards making India a

better place for living I still believe India does not require

outsiders to support us for our development. Let us develop

ourselves. Let us not allow those 'armchair economists' and

other 'glass housed theoreticians' to hijack our development

processes.

Yes, we too can!

Rtn Ananya Banerjee, Club Editor

Kolkata Tram Service

Kolkata is the only city in India that still has trams. The city’s tram service will soon be celebrating its 150th Anniversary.

The first tramway service in Kolkata was run between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street on 24 February 1873. The service was discontinued on 20 Nov. Again Metre-gauge horse-drawn tram tracks were laid from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat. The route was inaugurated by the Viceroy, Lord Ripon, on 1 November 1880. By the end of the nineteenth century the company owned 166 tram cars, 1000 horses, seven steam locomotives and 19 miles of tram tracks.

Electrification of the tramway was done in 1900. Calcutta Tram is the oldest operating electric tram in Asia. By 1943, it had a total track length of 42 miles. Soon, tram became the lifeline of Kolkata.

Currently there are seven tram depots and nine terminals and one workshop. Today, the fleet has a more than 300 trams, but rolls out around 125 trams a day because of low passenger traffic & lack of funds for maintenance. The trams in the city carries around 16,000 passengers a day, but the traffic continues to fall. However, over the last two decades, lack of investment, inadequate maintenance & a sharp fall in passengers led to a decline in their status. Due the fast lifestyle the motor vehicle gradually became an obvious choice for the passengers over tram.

But, now the importance of this environment friendly communication system has been realized. A major facelift has really made the Kolkata trams very attractive. Further in a bid to rescue and revive its old glory, the CTC has recently rolled out air conditioned trams.

It has to be seen if this struggle for survival yields any result.

Contributed by PP Subhro Banerjee

For internal circulation only

Online Weekly Club Bulletin Published by Rotary Club of Calcutta South West

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