The Rotary Club of Singapore held their weekly meeting on May 2nd 2012. Special guests included Mrs. Kanak Mehta and teacher advisors from local schools. Vice President Ashi Sarwal presented the 5th annual K.S. Mehta Essay Award. The winners were announced with Sneha Gupta from Global Indian International School winning 1st place and three students from Raffles Institution Junior College winning 2nd place. Visiting Rotarians from Japan also spoke about earthquake recovery efforts. The meeting announcements included upcoming Rotary events and the club's community service focus for the month of May.

1. 4th May 2012
CROSSROADS
Rotary Club of Singapore Vol. 48 / 40
“KS MEHTA AWARD Presentation”
Lunch meeting of the 2nd may 2012
Happy Vesak Day ! On 5th May
Find your bulletin on the Facebook page of “Rotary Club of Singapore”
Joke of the week !
“My wife goes through my cheque book like a bestseller. She will not put it
down until she finishes it.”
From the book of Humour compiled by Rewa Mirpuri
HAVE MANY LAUGHS AND HELP THE NEEDY
http://www.rotary.org.sg/bookofhumour.html
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2. Introductory remarks Toast
President Tapan Rao welcomed members to the Toastmaster, Rtn. Keizo Fujitake translated on
first meeting for the month of May, celebrated in behalf of Past Assistant Governor (PAG) Nobutake
the Club as “Community Service Month”. He Sugwara from the Rotary Club of Ishinmaki East
extended a warm welcome to special guest, Mrs. from District 2520 in the Miyagi
Kanak Mehta and to the Teacher Advisors from Prefecture, Japan, one of the most damaged areas
Raffles Institution Junior College (RIJC) – Mrs. Poh of the recent earthquake. PAG Nobutake was on
Shu-Jia and Global Indian International School his way to Bangkok to attend the RI Convention.
(GIIS (Queenstown) – Ms. Geetanjali Kannan and He advised of the huge loss of lives from the
Mrs. Sanghamitra Gupta (mother of Sneha earthquake and subsequent tsunami, including 4
Gupta), and Interactors Amanda Choo (RIJC) and Rotarians from his club.
Sneha Gupta (GIIS).
80 years & beyond...service above self
President Tapan announced that 150 copies of the
“80 Years & Beyond…Service Above Self” book
were available with compliments from the Club.
He requested members to collect their copies of
the book. 2

3. Welcome of visiting “The Award for the Essay
Competition was initiated in January
I am proud to announce the winners
– but must add that I feel all the 11
Rotarians and guests 2008. The competition has since final essays writers were already
been held every year and has been winners.
Rtn. Ronald Wong welcomed our well received by our Club sponsored The 2nd Winners are Eugene
guests and visiting Rotarians 10 Interact Clubs. Lim, Koh Liang Ping and Amanda
For the first three years the topic for Choo
the essay was a standard: “Service from Raffles Institution Junior
- Guests :
Above Self”. Last year it was decided College Interact Club
Ms. Bhuvana (Rightfocus) to change the subject, and let the The 1st Winner is Sneha Gupta from
Mr. Martin Edwards NGS Committee and IPP, the Global Indian International
Mr. James Iant Chairperson for the Award, select a School, Queens Town, Interact Club.
Mr. Paul Nash fresh topical theme every year. On behalf of the Rotarians I offer
With this in mind, the topic of this our heartiest congratulations to the
Visiting Rotarians : year’s essay was: “INTERACTION Winners. Equally, thanks to all the
PAG Nobutake Sugwara – BETWEEN THE ELDERLY AND THE Interactors who participated and
Ishinmaki East, YOUTH IN MODERN SINGAPORE: helped to make the event a grand
Katsuo Oe & Yoko Takakuka – THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS”. success. We look forward to all 10
Out of 10 Interact clubs sponsored Clubs participating next year.
Sendai Aoba, Japan
by the Club, 7 participated this year. We are fortunate to have with us
This meant a higher percentage of today Mrs. Kanak Mehta, wife of late
participation in comparison to the K S Mehta, who has kindly
KS Mehta Award previous years. A total of 11 essays consented to present the awards to
were submitted for final the winners.
consideration for the award. The Award is a Certificate of
President Tapan called upon Vice Most of the essays were written by Achievement to the winning
President Ashi Sarwal to conduct individual Interactors, but a few writers, a Certificate of Citation to
the K S Mehta Award presentation were co-authored by a team of 2 or the Winning Interact Clubs with prize
on behalf of the New Generations 3 participants. money of $1000 to the 1st Winner
Service (NGS) Committee. The suggestions and ideas some of and $500 to the 2nd Winner or
VP Ashi advised that In April this them put forth about bridging the runner-up.
year, the NGS committee gap between the two Special gratitude to the Award
successfully completed the 5th K S generations, were very Committee for organizing and
Mehta Essay Award event, which practical, sound and significant. managing the event. And thanks to
has become an important annual The essays were of very high NGS members for their strong
activity of NGS. He added that the caliber, and each of the 3 Rotarians support and in conducting this
event gave members an who evaluated the essays on four endeavour every year.”
opportunity to fondly remember criteria: VP Ashi then invited Interactor
our dear Rotarian the late K S Content, Organization, Relevance Amanda Choo to read her team’s
Mehta, and his great commitment and English – and scored them gave essay, followed by the 1st
with and contribution to the Club the following feedback. Quote Winner, Sneha Gupta. After reading
and to Rotary at large. It also :"Each essay was of high quality in their essays, both Amanda and
allowed the Club to keep a closer content, expression and English." Sneha, answered questions posed to
ongoing engagement with the "It was indeed very tough as there is them by members.
Interactors. very little to separate them. "
Following is an extract of VP Ashi’s and, finally, "It was a difficult
commentary on the Award: task...all the essays were excellent"
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4. DVD presentation from Rtn. Rotarian Family
Katsuo Oe
Once again, Rtn. Keizo From Rtn. Indi Tulsi
translated, this time for Rtn.
Katsuo Oe from the Rotary Club “I was wanted to share some
of Sendai Aoba. Rtn. Katsuo good news. Well officially i now
accompanied the Club’s live in Krabi and I must admit it
delegation when it made its nice.June and I welcomed our
volunteer trip to the tsunami new boy, Gerrit Tulsi on the 1st
stricken areas. He reported on April. Things are just busy but
the progress of the Club’s enjoyable and finally i got a
donation towards the Japanese chance to be boss but in actual
drum sets and presented a DVD fact I just hang around, just
presentation of the drums being waiting for the next change of
used. He advised that the people diaper.”
in the area were mostly His new email address :
fishermen and following the indikrabi@me.com
devastation of the tsunami, did
not look forward to the future.
However, Rtn. Oe stated that with
the presentation of the drum
sets, and the sound of the
drums, this had spurred the
people now to look towards the
future.
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5. The Guide to Daily Living
MARK YOUR DIARY Before doing the things we COMING ROTARY EVENTS
Birthday celebrants want to do, consider first, the
RC wishes Happy Birthday to precept of the guide. Ask
celebrants this week: ourselves these 4 questions May
May 8th – Peter-Paul Nijsten and act upon them:
Community Service Month
First: Have I spent some time
May 14th – PN Dr. Shahul
in self-examination?
Hameed Second: Have I spent quality May 6th – 9th
Anniversary Celebrants time with my family? Rotary International
RC sends best wishes to Third: Have I given my best to Convention in Bangkok
my work?
Wedding Anniversary
Fourth: Have I given some
celebrants this week June
time to someone near and
May 12th – Subhash & Kanak far? Rotary Fellowships Month
Pritmani The Guide, in
May 14th – PP Paliath & fact, encompasses the 4 parts June 30th
Vatsala Mohandas of the Object of Rotary. Installation Dinner
This week
May 9th 2012 Next week
May 16th 2012
Reception Desk duty: Kavita
Singh, T.K. Chew Reception Desk duty: PP
Sunshine Box duty: Chiang Shih Fang, Robert
Jean-Philippe Lionnet, Jayant Craiu The Four-Way Test
Gadgil Sunshine Box duty: Of the Things we think, say
S. Malaiappan, Noshir Mistri or do:
Speaker: Mr. Terence * Is it the truth?
Fernandez, Managing Speaker: H.E. Mrs. Amira * Is it fair to all concerned?
Director, Scotwork Asia Pte. Arnon, Ambassador of Israel * Will it build goodwill and
Ltd. Topic: To be advised better friendship?
Topic: “If your solution is a * Will it be beneficial to all
International Service concerned?
hammer, you may make every
problem a nail” Date: Thursday, 17th May
Time: 7.30pm
Vocational Service Queries, comments and
Venue: 11 Ewart
Date: Thursday, 10th May articles request can be
Park, S279744
Time: 7.30pm sent to
Hosts: Rtns. Mohan
Venue: Bottle Tree Park Jean-Philippe Lionnet
Vaswani, Dr. Albert Wee, PP
Seafood Restaurant, (Bottle bulletin@rotary.org.sg
Peter Tan, Kannan Krishnan
Tree Park Yishun), 81 Lorong
Chencharu, S769198
Hosts: Rtn. Jamshid
Medora, PP Dr. Yap Lip Kee
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