We went to Angaon School today. The weather was unusually unfriendly. It was raining incessantly.
We had decided to assemble at Korum Mall and then proceed together. Before I could reach, Sridhar had already arrived. I looked for him. He was standing under a canopy to protect himself from the rain. There is something about Mumbai’s culture – it teaches you to value punctuality.
As we chatted Pooja called up to say that Sandeep and she would arrive in three minutes. They did. Sandeep turned and reversed his car so that we can get in to it without getting wet. Then came Gopal, and Mondkars. Kulkarnis followed in their red M&M car.
I hopped in Kulkarni’s car. The road was not bad. We reached Angaon.
The school trustees were waiting for us.
Rotary Club of Thane Metro gifted an e-Learning product to the school. It is one of the best products, if not the best. It is also expensive – it costs over Rs 2 Lakhs.
In my brief speech I also announced that we were giving the contract for fitting two Solar Power Systems to Powermax Ltd. It is a contract worth Rs 15 Lakhs.
I mentioned that any Rotary Club will give you such products, and we had really done nothing different from other clubs. Our distinction lied in our approach. We are looking at partnering with the school to develop the character of students and not providing teaching aids or amenities.
This thought clicked with the trustees. Within our club we have a wealth of talent which can be utilised by the school in increasing the effectiveness of learning, or in educating the students. The trustees said they looked forward to long term association with us.
We have also learnt some important lessons. Firstly, there is no dearth of money if you wish to do good work – good selfless work. Secondly, things work well if you spend sufficient time planning it. Thirdly, listening to the ‘customer’ tells you what needs to be done.
We know these lessons. It is just that when everything works well, you rediscover them!
Vivek Patwardhan
We had decided to assemble at Korum Mall and then proceed together. Before I could reach, Sridhar had already arrived. I looked for him. He was standing under a canopy to protect himself from the rain. There is something about Mumbai’s culture – it teaches you to value punctuality.
As we chatted Pooja called up to say that Sandeep and she would arrive in three minutes. They did. Sandeep turned and reversed his car so that we can get in to it without getting wet. Then came Gopal, and Mondkars. Kulkarnis followed in their red M&M car.
I hopped in Kulkarni’s car. The road was not bad. We reached Angaon.
The school trustees were waiting for us.
Rotary Club of Thane Metro gifted an e-Learning product to the school. It is one of the best products, if not the best. It is also expensive – it costs over Rs 2 Lakhs.
In my brief speech I also announced that we were giving the contract for fitting two Solar Power Systems to Powermax Ltd. It is a contract worth Rs 15 Lakhs.
I mentioned that any Rotary Club will give you such products, and we had really done nothing different from other clubs. Our distinction lied in our approach. We are looking at partnering with the school to develop the character of students and not providing teaching aids or amenities.
This thought clicked with the trustees. Within our club we have a wealth of talent which can be utilised by the school in increasing the effectiveness of learning, or in educating the students. The trustees said they looked forward to long term association with us.
We have also learnt some important lessons. Firstly, there is no dearth of money if you wish to do good work – good selfless work. Secondly, things work well if you spend sufficient time planning it. Thirdly, listening to the ‘customer’ tells you what needs to be done.
We know these lessons. It is just that when everything works well, you rediscover them!
Vivek Patwardhan
