Chennai and Tsawwassen
Sisters in Rotary
Sumir Saproo
Dinesh Krishnan
Blake Cowan welcomed the members of our sister club from Chennai and introduced its president Sumir and past president Dinesh. Recalling his trip to Vancouver two years ago Dinesh remembered fondly attending our breakfast meeting live. Although Covid has made our lives difficult on many levels it also offers a number of possibilities. The ability to meet in a cross-continental fashion is one such opportunity. The Chennai club that was chartered in 2013 is composed of 42 members many of whom joined this Zoom gathering. Dinesh introduced these members of his club before commenting that his group is part of the Marco Polo Project, a consortium of Rotary clubs that were formed by James W Davidson, Leslie's husband Don's grandfather.
Dinesh then presented a video describing the joint project put together by the sister clubs, the creation of sanitary bathrooms for the local school. This undertaking has changed the experiences of the children and dramatically improved their lives. The video featured some "before and after" images and the celebrations that were held at its opening ceremony. Of note was an eye-catching plaque that recognizes the contribution of Tsawwassen Rotary.
President Sumir also expressed his thanks to our club and especially for the initiative displayed by Blake who spearheaded the project. He also appreciated the opportunity to thank our club members personally for their generosity. His presentation consisted of a collage of photos that gave a sampling of his club's many events and activities including club meetings, blood banks, parades, science fairs, vocational projects, parades, car rallies, peace scholarships, group study exchanges and global projects. Of special interest was its involvement in supporting SCAW (Sleeping Children Around the World), a Canadian initiative that provides a child with the basics needed for a good night's sleep.
After a lively question-answer session president Sumir expressed his view of the meeting being an opportunity to learn from one another. Liz Ellis thanked Dinesh and Sumir and their club members for participating in this truly international event and demonstrating the power of Rotary.