Gujarat Mega Social at Baroda

It is our immense pleasure, to report on first of its kind Mega Social in Gujarat (Future Area 11), where 6 tables, 3 Circles were present; there were more then 150 heads present, more then any Area MTM.
Hats off to Baroda Round Tablers, for great arrangement, excellent Booze, and fantastic venue thanks to Tr. Sumeet & Tr. Ameet Bhatnagar. Baroda Tablers took great personal care of every body, they called all tablers number of times for confirmation, billeting or any other arrangements required. The idea itself was of Tr Hemant, which was conceived & executed perfectly. It is not easy to arrange and coordinate such a event so perfectly, once again Hats off to Tr Hemant & his team who took great pains to see to that every thing went smoothly.

Special Thanks to national President Tr Ajay Handa, Area III Chairman Tr Pritam Sanghvi, National Extension convener Tr Jaspreet Kohli, Project Convener Area V Tr Ameet Bansal, NST Elect Tr Manish Bhanushali, Vice Chairman Area III Tr Vinit Parikh, City Chairmen Tr Satyavrat Arya & Tr Naitam Kapadia, All Tables (40,49,135,170,193,195) & Circle (64,72,76) Chairman & Chairperson were present.

The special mega banner was prepared for remembering the event, where everybody gave their signature.
Variety of biting were served constantly, as I told you earlier also, it was an excellent arrangement for food etc. During this ladies Invited Tr. Ajay Handa for introduction among themselves & few pictures were taken with president & in different groups, all in all the purpose of get together or in other words true fellowship was on when Area Chairman & Tr. Hemant, disturbed fellowship by announcing a 15 minute meeting, which as usual took more then an hour.

During the meeting, all table joint raised the toast for the meeting & differed the routine agenda, then Area chairman took over and informed about happening in Area, National & Gujarat, Tr. Pritam & Tr. Hemant recognized all chairman’s of Gujarat & dignitaries present, All were given mementos by national president, then all 41rs were recognized by Tr Satya & were also given Mementos.

National president Tr Ajay Handa gave a brief speech, and also updated about publicity initiatives taken by National, fortunately the same time news came in that Ajay & Kajol, spoke at length about Round Table in Choote ustad, in Zee TV.
Tr Manish Bhanushali was recognised as Best Floor Tabler of India, Tr Pritam gave him Golden LMF award by paying Rs. 25000/-, he also became Pacart region HRD convener.

During the meeting All tablers, circlers & 41rs of Baroda were introduced and thanked for excellent arrangement done in Baroda.

The Proposed tablers of Baroda & Ahmedabad were introduced. Tr Satya invited all to inauguration function of Ahmedabad Frolic Round Table inauguration function, which was scheduled on next day in Ahmedabad.Surat Tablers came in numbers they booked two buses to reach Baroda, it took around 6 hrs as road expansion work was going on.

Beautiful arrangements were topped by excellent fireworks.The function was marked by a cake cutting of Mega Social & one Tr’s Birthday & another Trs belated Birthday.

This idea of joint social of all tablers of Gujarat once in a year was liked by everyone & Tr. Deepak (ART-40) promised to continue the same next year in Ahmedabad.

SpOHI 2008 Special Olympics for Hearing Impaired children

SpOHI 2008

A sustaining project since 1977 by BOMBAY ROUND TABLE 19

There are more than a million ‘Hearing Impaired’ people in India. Of these, more than 30,000 are in the western region. For most, their debility is irreversible. They must confront this mischance of fate for as long as they live, confined to a destiny of neglect because their plight is not exactly front page news. Yet these are the very people who with minimum sustenance can contribute to society quickly and efficiently.

Bombay Round Table 19 (“BRT 19”), in collaboration with other agencies has prompted several initiatives towards our goal and mission for the assimilation of the hearing impaired into the mainstream of our society and empower these special children. The ‘SpOHI’ – sports meet for hearing impaired children conducted annually since the year 1977 has been the most successful and rewarding of our endeavors.

How did SpOHI happen?
The 1st sports meet was organised for the entire handicapped community. It was then that BRT 19 felt that focusing on one particular section of the community would result in more efficient management and would make more of a difference. After exhaustive discussion, studies and debate, BRT 19 concluded that the hearing impaired needed immediate support and awareness.

How have the hearing impaired gained from SpOHI?
SpOHI has provided a platform to prove that what is often perceived as “an impairment” need not come in the way of being contributing and capable citizens, and the fierce determination demanding to be accepted as equals. SpOHI has also given them the opportunity to interact one to one with heads of states, bureaucrats, out-standing personalities within and outside their community. It has enabled them to be heard, loud and clear and to compete and aspire for a more meaningful future.

How has SpOHI influenced Round Tablers?
SpOHI was the gateway to realisation about the hearing impaired debility and the fierce competitiveness and determination with which the so-called impaired want to be, and are forming, an increasingly contributing part and parcel of our community.

How else has this realisation made a difference in the Table’s activities in this regard? Amongst others,
a) BRT 19 has donated a bus to a school for the hearing impaired in Mumbai to enable students to commute to school from distant suburbs of the city.
b) BRT 19, along with Round Table India and Table 19 of Netherlands, has refurbished a school for the hearing impaired in Ulhasnagar (a suburb of Mumbai). This school, from a dilapidated state, was transformed into a state-of-the-art school. Over 90 students have benefited from this project. This project entailed an expenditure of Rs.3.5 lakhs.
c) BRT 19 contributed, organized, set up and inaugurated, on Indian Independence Day (15th August) 2006, a new class-room, equipped with chairs, tables and teaching-aid at the hearing impaired section of LTMG School, Wadala. BRT 19 is now lending support to the students of LTMG School on continuous basis

How has SpOHI grown over the years?
The 1st sports meet had around 150 participants and over the years this event has grown, in size and dimension, manifold.

This February 2008 witnessed an incredible turn-out of over 800 special children and participants from about 40 schools, in addition to the teachers, parents and well-wishers, from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The enthusiasm and competitive spirit on display are a mute testimony to their grit and a fierce determination to be accepted as equals. The outstation participants typically come in early in the morning on the Friday before the actual sports meet on Saturday (this year, about 100 participants came in a day even before that, i.e., on Thursday), and from that time on, they are our joyful responsibility, till they leave – most by the late evening on the Sunday after the sports meet (this year, about 50 stayed on till Tuesday), and during this entire time, they are fully taken care of, including food, stay, entertainment (movies and magic show), a little sight-seeing (time permitting) and of course, the high-light – the sports meet itself on Saturday.

This year’s Chief Guest was Mr. Amole Gupte (who recently did the story, script, screen-play and dialogue and is the creative director of the runaway hit movie – Taare Zameen Par, and has won various accolades, including 2 Screen Awards). The Guest of Honour was Mr. Prahlad Kakkar – the “ad-hatter” - ad-guru, ad-film-maker, restaurateur, scuba diver and well know personality, not least of which is that he is one of the brand ambassadors of Round Table India, who, through his production house, has made the RTI ad-films.

This year, the first of the newspaper reports appeared a week before the event, and since then, numerous billboards/ hoardings started appearing all over the city of Mumbai (including at such prominent places as Churchgate, J.J. Flyover, Mahalaxmi Race Course, Grant-Road Station Road, Chinchpokli Flyover, Dadar Railway Platform and Entrance, Bandra, Juhu and Jogeshwari). Reporters from various media, including Mid-Day, Indian Express, Maharashtra Times and E-TV covered the event, recording interviews and taking photos of the celebrities and the special children. Extensive newspaper articles appeared in the Times of India and the Indian Express.

The add-ons this year were a dedicated doctor and paediatrician throughout the event on site, cash scholarships for participants, individual gifts for accompanying teachers and individual photographs of each school-team, which was framed and handed out same evening at the time of the prize-distribution.

Kudos to the Project Convenor Tr. Rajiv Gaur and his team of BRT 19ers headed by the Chairman Tr. Divya Gulati, and of course to ex-BRT 19ers - the Square Legs and 41ers (Club 48) of BRT 19, without whom this event may well become a dream. The circlers/ wives and twinklers/ children as also friends of BRT 19ers/ ex-19ers pitched in, with even the prospectives of the Table, to make this event the success that it was.

This unique event brought joy and smiles to the faces of those who have the will and courage to be equal!

NART & NRT Fellowship Cricket

What a bright Sunday morning like none another!
Most of us, Tablers, woke up at 8:30 instead of 11:30 like other Sunday’s, when we had to reach the ground at 8:30 am itself. Well, no wonder, most reached there by 09:40 am, enabling us to start the Match by 10:00. We were just an hour late! Who cares, its a Sunday!
What a fellowship! Tr. Rohit Sial’s 11 V/s Tr. Harbir Lamba’s 11( Tablers of NART and NRT played together), it was straight & simple, India V/s. Pakistan! The two chairmen looked into each other’s eyes, tossed the little coin and none other than NRT 83’s Chairman; Tr. Rohit Sial lost the TOSS for good and Tr. Lamba’s 11 decided to BAT like any other child playing cricket in a GULLY would do.! But trust me, they forgot this was no GULLY cricket and they were playing against real professionals who had winning TROPHY (CHAMPAGNE bottle) in their eyes and destiny! Anything for trophies.
The two teams started to play the match, like true professionals, with all their GUARDS, guarding the right places of their anatomy! A few used extra guards in the near and dear places which defiantly made them look bulkier!
Tablers like Tr. Madhu, Tr. Ritesh, Tr. Pankaj, Tr. Romi, Tr. Rishab, HT Ajay, Tr. Ujwal couldn’t get their hands off the mic, trying their commentating skills on the mic started their commentary which really helped boost up every ones moral and all cheered throughout.
On the fielding side were Tr. Rohit Sial’s 11 with every one standing where they felt like, now that’s a true captain, no forcing, no rules, just believe your heart’s strategy! Then over after over and over after over, Tr. Lambas’s 11 kept on hitting and kept on scoring, with definitely help of Tr. Sial’s 11’s bowlers, who just followed to their heart, did not hesitate to give extra 40 odd runs with wide’ss and bye’ss! Tr. Lamba’s 11 managed to reach a fantastic & unbelievable score of 203 for 7, which was, a record in Nagpur’s Tabling history and maybe for the future also! Mistakes don’t happen every day, they are just Mistakes!
Sides Changed – Times Changed!
· Tr. Sial’s 11 wore their dirty pads and guards like they would never get a second change. It was their first two batsmen Tr. Ashu of NRT 83 & Tr. Dushant NART 180 who went on to the pitch and stood there like pillars under the TAJ! They made 100 + score and then, taking pity on their fellow Tablers, gave their wicket away for the next player to come. Scores kept on running like Michael Schumacher ‘s Ferrari and there was no looking back.
Tr. Sial’s 11 player future Tabler Chaitanaya Jain ( son of our very own, most dedicated HT Sandeep Jain) played Dravid’s role in the team and finally Rohit’s 11 team won the Match with just 8 balls remaining, and still lots to go! Lot of them were disappointed, but finally convinced themselves with facts and figures (standing on sides of the ground).
Man of the Match was awarded to Tr. Dushant from NART 180, Best fielder award was given to Tr. Randir Ashar, Best Bowler to Tr. Madhu & Best All Rounder to me (now that’s a fake)!!

The trophies, were distributed to the winner and the winning team and without losing any time; IPC Tr. Siddharth Saraf opened the trophies and distributed the credits flowing out in bubbles straight to the winner’s mouths,
without wasting any!!
At last it was time for the mouth watering, food for all Tablers and Circlers and Guests and Kids! No one could wait any more but jumped on the feast!
Ever one had an unforgettable time and it will be remembered for months to come till the next match, I sign off with “Khelo Tablers Khelo – Kabhi Kabhi Cricket Bhi Khelo, khali Table par Mat Khelo!!!!!. This goes to all my dear friends and winners!
Sportsmen Present were : HT Sandeep Jain, HT Ajay Sharma Tr. Rohit Sial, Tr. Rahul Sharma, Tr. Siddharth Saraf, Tr. Rahul Dalmiya, Tr. Manmeet Singh, Tr. Madhusudan Pacheriwala, Tr. Ritesh Singhania, Tr. Sarvesh Agrawal, Tr. Randhir Ashar, Tr. Ashish Khanna, Tr. Sorabh Tayal, Rajan Minocha, Tr. Ritesh Saraf, Tr.Vinod Sahu, Tr. Pankaj Tapadiya and Tr. Nilay Verma....
Sportsmen from NART were: Tr. Lamba, Tr. Alkesh Saraf, Tr. Bobby Sabarwal, Tr. Ujwal Kothari, Tr. Jamash Bapuna, Tr. Dushant, Tr. Ajay Agrawal.
Special Guests : Cr. Meenakshi Sial (without whom our captain would not put as much efforts as he did), wives of Tablers – Divya Sharma Rishita Agrawal, Kavita Saraf, Heena Saraf, Twinklers and Guests

SMRT155 from TWINKLER’S EVENING

Dad! When are you forming our Twinkler’s club? Mom! When are you forming our Twinkler’s club?
These are the questions which the children of the Tablers & Circlers of SMRT 155 have been asking since a long long time. They figured, if dad can be part of a wonderfull movement called Tabling… mom can be part of a wonderfull movement called Circling… why aren’t we part of the wonderfull movement called Twinkling?
Finally their prayers were answered. Christmas eve, 24th December 2007. Venue: Cr. Jaanvika’s (Chairperson SMLC 102) residence. Time: 5:00 pm. Participants: The heir’s to SMRT 155 & SMLC 102. Audience: Mothers of the Twinklers. Father’s?? Well all of us decided to walk in at 7 pm. Till then give the quality time to the mothers. The twinklers were in the best of their mood knowing that this was the day their own club is getting formed.

Their enthusiasm was unmatched. The zeal with which they played the games, made us think that there was no tomorrow. Each and every child participated knowing that from now on, they are going to be part of a club called the Twinklers’ club. Games like straw, hoola hoops, dumb sharads, four corners were organized. Christmas tree, chocolate fountain with biscuits, cakes were part of the décor and snacks adding to the fun of the evening. Santa (Tr. Pankaj, Chairman SMRT 155) walked in with a bag full of goodies driving the kids into a frenzy. Chocolates, distributed by the Santa immediately found its way onto the children’s clothes. Seeing the children enjoying themselves to the hilt, ensured that the mothers’ did not get in their way and the Circlers kept to themselves. The Tabler’s when they walked in walked in with the usual luggage of adulterated Pepsi’s and Thumbs Up. What surprised us in the end was that the mothers also wanted to quench their thirst with the same. J. Well, who were we to say a no. After all the fun and games, the official ceremony was conducted. Twinklers’ Club certificate designed by none other than Cr. Jaanvika were handed out to each and every twinkler along with the twinkle pin and a gift. This was followed by a meeting of SMRT – 155 and from the snap included, I wonder how our Chairman was even able to conduct a meeting??? J J J… What a pot luck it was. Each mother came and pitched in with money instead of food and at the end we had pizzas and pav bhaji followed by “Khaike paan banaras wala”….. J J J
Tr. Vaishal Kapadia
Project Convenor, SMRT 155
IPC, RTI A3.