A memorable meeting- making people happy!

I was a guest speaker at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Chennai Spotlight, an all-women club in which my elder daughter Kavitha is a Board member. I spoke on my favorite topic `Thinking out of the box`. I recalled many instances where I found solutions to problems by thinking out of the box. The most outstanding solution related to my wife, which became a turning point in her life and our relationship. The story about what I did with an explosive letter she wrote to me pouring her heart out about her position in the joint family. Story of how that letter became the starting point of her becoming an accomplished writer in Tamil.

 I also shared some insights from my forty-six-year association with the Rotary Club of Madras South of which I am a Past President. Addressing the three new members who were inducted at the meeting and the other members of the club in the audience, I shared the following piece of advice I had received when I joined Rotary.

 `Please get involved in any of the avenues of service in Rotary that appeals to you. Don`t join Rotary expecting immediate rewards. First, get involved, and give your time and resources that you can spare. Enjoy Rotary. Results and rewards will follow. The biggest reward you can get is the satisfaction and happiness you feel when the project that you are in charge of is successfully completed and appreciated by others.

 I also told them that they are in Rotary because of their vocation But they must remember that Family comes first and only then the Job ( Vocation) before service to society. They will make new friends through Rotary who could become their lifelong friends.

 Obviously, the inspirational talk I gave was a resounding success judging by the following short Whats App message I received from my daughter after the meeting

 “Appa the talk was a super hit! Everyone is speaking about it. Many were emotional saying that you reminded them of their dads…. Of course, that bit about Amma was as usual the clincher!”

 I felt like a celebrity when after the meeting many members were keen to take selfies with me. I went home satisfied with the fact that instead of making one person happy every day, as I usually do, I could make a bunch of vibrant members of the Rotary Club of Chennai Spotlight happy this evening.