Koramangala Club 25.02.10

Follow the link below for pictures at Koramangala Club on our last evening all together before our de-brief tomorrow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/GSETeam1080/OurLastTeamEvening250210#

Narayana Hrudayalaya Heart Hospital 23rd Feb 2010

The name of this hospital literally translates to "Temple of the Heart" and it was founded on 8th May 2001 by Dr Devi Prasad Shetty. Since opening, over 11,228 open-heart surgeries have been performed of which half were paediatric. We visited the paeds wards and witnessed close hand the results of Dr Shetty's philosophy in action - 'treat all, no matter how poor or how remote'. It was an experience I will never forget. The tele medicine faciltiles were impressive with 323 centres currently in operation. What also stuck us about Narayana was the comittment to equality in terms of employment of women as drivers and security guards around the complex (pictured). We learned that over 300 babies are born each day with heart defects and not even 10% have access to adequate facilities. The work of the Health City led by Dr Shetty in Bangalore is unique and inspiring beyond words. This is truly an example of how one individual can make a real difference in this world.

Host Family Photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/GSETeam1080/HostFamilies#
During my time in Bangalore I was hosted by five different couples. They all had children but two of the couples lived on their own as their children had grown up and flown the nest.
1. My first host Mr P.N.S (it is a sign of respect to call elders by their initials in India) had built up a property empire and his youngest son manages this. His elder son is a wizard on computers and worked for a multinational in the C.B.D (Central Business District for the non-Geographers amongst us).
2. My second host, Mr Reddy (he didn’t give me his initials which I think meant he didn’t want my respect?) was a millionaire on account of Real Estate deals which was a leisurely pursuit as he informed me. His trade was the Sugar Industry where he had worked hard to ‘earn his position in society’ as he put it. His son was an Orthopaedic Surgeon who had trained and qualified in Manchester and lived with his family in a house the floor above.
3. Mr B.N.K and his wife are a lovely couple in their 60’s and their two children are successful doctors who live in the States. Every morning I met my third host at 05.30 for a quick coffee and then we went to the local outdoor pool to join the 06.00 batch for an hour’s dook (swim for the non-Scottish amongst us). His children are successful Doctors in the States.
4. Kapil Cupta is an International Manager for IBM and turned into a good friend after four days staying with him. His wife is a Power Suit and manages her own Tutoring Consultancy which requires her to work seven days a week. They are a successful and affluent couple with a young daughter who lives at home in Palm Meadows, a gated community. In fact, they don’t actually live there but in the fenced housing estate next door (the name of which escapes me). They bought a house in Palm Meadows so that they can use the superior club there; the building is rented out to someone else.
5. My last host Noah is a Christian which was a change after living with devout Hindus previously. His house was aptly named ‘Noah’s Arc’ and all three of his children lived in it. His eldest son (27) was a Psychiatric Doctor who practised locally and the younger two children (a boy and a girl of unknown ages) were both involved in computing: he was a Software Engineer and she was a lecturer at a local College.
I really enjoyed staying with Rotarians in another culture and feel it is possibly the best way to experience a new country. The hospitality I was shown was immense and my life has been changed dramatically by this experience in two ways:
· Firstly, I’ve become a committed Vegetarian after Mr Reddy explained the supposed mind-set change that happens once you stop eating meat. The thinking is that there is a lot of bad karma involved in eating slaughtered animals which gets passed on to the consumer. ‘I can do without anger and aggression in my wee life’ I thought and am having a go at living on the green stuff.
· Secondly, on a more personal level, I’m getting a tattoo of Hanuman the flying monkey God on PNS’s recommendation but I’ll bore you with the details face to face when I see you.
All the best for now, Magnus

IT Corridor Meeting and Cultural Entertainment Show

On the 18th Feb, Rotary IT Corridor hosted a joint meeting with Whitefield Central and Lakeside clubs and treated us to a cultural entertainment show, X-factor style with the four of us judging best costume and act. The club members represented 16 different states between them and we enjoyed some excellent dancing - Punjab even got us up on our feet - the singing and acting were worthy of Bollywood Oscars. The whole evening was a great occasion, we must thank Sumil, the man from Himachal, for attempting to swing the judges vote with gifts of traditional hats (as modelled by Gasper above), but Orissa stole the show with Freya's tradiational dancing which was both moving and graceful.

Toilet Inauguration IT Corridor

Following our Mid Tour Rest at Horsley Hills we set off back via Kolar where we met up with our host from Horsley Hills who wanted us to have a look at his School. when we eventually arrived back In Bangalore, we met up with our fourth host IT Corridor, whose President advised us that we had half an hour to get to a school where the DG was going to be opening a Toilet block. This did not seem at first to be a major project until you realise that these Government schools were built with only one toilet if they were lucky, which meant that Girls would refrain from going to school when they got to a certain age. This new toilet block would enable girls to continue with their education which is so important. The toilet projects at these Government schools has meant that 50% more girls are now finishing their education, for a cost of £4000. The Rotary club had also given the children two pairs of socks and a pair of shoes each at Christmas. Two of the children then told us how much the Toilets would mean to them and the Girls did some dancing which was very colourful. Just as we were leaving the DG and Myself were asked to plant a tree each which was a real honour, i only hope it survives!!.

NC

Rotary South West 10.02.10 - 14.02.10

Thank you Rotary South West - we have wonderful memories of our time with you at Bannerghatta National Park, Vellore Temple, visiting local markets and most importantly getting to spend time with you, our hosts.
http://picasaweb.google.com/GSETeam1080/BannerghattaNationalParkAndRotarySouthWest#

International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians by Amy

During our visit it so happened that 19 IFMR members set out on a 10-day state tour of Karnataka, returning to Bangalore on 18th Feb. Of course, had I known this were happening, I would have loved to have joined in, but instead I have enjoyed meeting some of the team at District Conference and thank Rtn Ramdas Pai for sharing his photos of the experience.

http://picasaweb.google.com/pairamdas/DropBox?feat=email#

Visit to Biocon Ltd biotechnology 18.02.10 by Amy

Biocon was established in 1978 and now employs over 4000 people, led by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. The company manufacture many products including human insulin and statins and one of the most exciting innovations is an oral insulin tablet to replace injections which is currently at phase 3 clinical trial stage. The UK and US teams were taken on a tour of the plant and shared lunch together before we said our farewells as this was the last time we would all met together. I returned to Biocon the following day for my vocational visit. Dr Sharmitha and Dr Sarika had prepared an excellent presentation covering everything I had asked for and more, from the food and dietary patterns in India to the mechanism of action of Biocon's products. I really was impressed by how much work had gone into researching the information for me. Thanks also to Rtn Ravichandran for assisting me on the day. I also met Sam, who works for the Winning with Diabetes scheme which is a helpline and promotion for active screening of diabetes with the community to help raise awareness of the condition. Since January 2010, 2500 people have enrolled and I wish her continued success with this venture.

Silk worm rearing and silk cacoon market

Follow the link below to see pictures of the silk worm rearing which we visited on 20.02.10 http://picasaweb.google.com/GSETeam1080/SilkWormRearingAndSilkCacoonMarket200210#

Our hosts from the old part of Bangalore who looked after us with exceptional care - thank you to Vijay and Maulik and your families. We miss you and will keep in touch.

Lunch at Barbeque Nation 24th Feb

Sharada Dialysis Unit, Rotary Bangalore West

On 10th February we visited kidney dialysis units at Sharada and Rangadore memorial hospital where 190 patients can receive dialysis daily thanks to rotary international. In additional laser eye surgery and dental care are provided for the needy.

Kolar Rotary Club Meeting 14.02.10

We were greeted with an opening Puja (prayer) sung in local language to welcome us to Kolar Rotary Club. After lunch we set off for the mid tour break to Horsley Hills.

Room for one more?

Amy's trip to Chennai

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to travel by overnight train to Chennai. I was met by Rtn Raj Devarajan who is GSE chair for district 3230. I met the UK team leader from district 1260 (Northampton) who are currently visiting Chennai and randomly discovered that one of the GSE members could be a distant relative as we share the same surname! We subsequently talked on the phone and plan to stay in touch. See what Rotary can do...

The purpose of this special journey was to meet Dr Ramachandran and Dr Snehalatha (pictured) who are authors of the Indian Diabetes Prevention Study. I had a fascinating tour of the India Diabetes Research Foundation with Mary Simon and listened to a presentation by a diabetes educator. I was also given a whistle stop tour by Rtn Paras Sethi of the sights of Chennai, including the beach which is the second longest in the world apparently. It was a glimpse of the diabetes prevention work which is prominent in Tamil Nadu and I look forward the reading the results of the I-DPP 3 and 4 when they are published. A big thanks to all the Rotarians who made this trip possible.

TTK Blood Bank and Karunashraya

We visited TTK Blood donation bank whilst being hosted by Rotary club Indiranagar. We had a fascinating tour of the facility and met Rotarian Latha Amashi who is leading the blood donation campaign with great passion and success.

Karunashraya literally means 'House of Compassion' and provides palliative care services to 50 residents. There is no finer example of what can be achieved with a 3H (Heath, Hunger, Humanity) Grant. Rtn. Dr Simha took great care showing us around and we shared a lovely lunch together. This is a tranquil place of rest where dignity and humility are in abundance. It truly is a house of compassion and a very humbling experience for the team.

District Conference Tattoos for the Ladies...

Slum Clearance and Development Projects

Pandu arranged for me to look at two Slum projects both of which had one type of house and one that had what was referred to as phase one housing and they have 1000 of those on the site, which will eventually consist of 2500 units. From the pictures you can see the Phase one housing and the slums next door. A unit in phase one is 270 sq ft with a central communal passage way running from one end of the building to the other. I have to say i was appalled and even the construction manager and the Architect i was with fully understood the problems. We were then quickly shown phase two which were slightly better, but i have a real fear that these units could easily turn into the ghastly high rise flats that were built in the sixties in England!!.

To qualify for one of these units you have to be classified as a Scheduled Cast or Scheduled Tribe, and you have to have lived in a slum for 15yrs. You then qualify to purchase one of these units for around £400 (10% of the construction price). Once you have purchased your unit you can not sell it for 15 yrs. I left feeling somewhat concerned, but the main engineer was reassuring me that they hopped to clear the slums in the next couple of years. I look forward to revisiting the site in years to come!!!

Nick and Tracey Visit Karnataka Housing Board

Vocational visit three for Tracey and myself was to the Karnataka Housing Board which i know was a lot more interesting for me than Tracey. We met with the board in their board room and were given a PowerPoint presentation on their role within the city. But when asked about the Slum,s they immediately referred us to the Slum Clearance and Development Board - which i found interesting. We then drove to one of their many developments on the outskirts of the city, taking in a little lunch on the way. They are building somewhere in the region of 2500 houses on the site for the LIG (Low income Groups) MIG (Middle Income Groups) and the HIG (High Income groups) and i have to say that i could easily live in the HIG but certainly not in the other two. A long day especially for Tracey, but it made me twice as determined to see the slum projects.

Summary of Amy's Vocational Visits to date

India has been described as the Diabetes Capital of the world with an estimated 70 million people diagnosed. Prevalence in South India and Bangalore is especially high, in part due to the increasing Western lifestyle which has been adopted since the IT boom in the eighties.

I met Dr. Prasanna Kumar at MS Ramaiah hospital on 4th Feb and we discussed the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in relation to his epidemiological studies. His latest trial is investigating the efficacy of yoga and a supplement of curcumin seeds versus a placebo and lifestyle intervention.

Dr Mohan Badgandi is a leading consultant diabetologist at Manipal Hospital and has also studied and worked in Leeds and Newcastle. I was grateful for the experience of sitting in clinic (9th Feb) and observed his patient consultations. These were routine appointments for endocrine conditions, the vast majority were people with diabetes having routine check ups. I also spent some time with Varsha Koppikar, Nutrition Consultant, who enlightened me in the ways of online data capture for clinical trials.

Through a matching grant, Rotary Club JP Nagar District 3190 and Rotary club Minneapolis University USA District 5950, opened a diabetes diagnostic centre known as 'Samatvam'. I spend time on 11th Feb with two of the diabetes counsellors and learned that many of the issues in prevention of diabetes are common between our countries. It was particularly touching to see a patient, overwhelmed with gratitute to one of the ladies who had taught him, almost fall at the lady's feet in reverence for her and showering her with blessings for her continued work.

With two more visits and my special trip to Chennai, I feel so very lucky to have been given this opportunity to learn new things every day, and meet the most inspiring people, which I look forward to sharing when I return to work.

Joint Meeting 3: South West with Rotary South, South East, Jayanagar, Cubbonpark, Hanumantyhnagar, National park, Vidyapeeta and Banashankari

Another warm welcome by Rotary Club South West and the other clubs, rotarians and guests present. The team was presented with roses, silk purses and a plaque depicting the four way test.

Joint Meeting 2: Rotary Indirianagar with Jeevenbimanagar and Cantonement

Second joint team meeting at Rotary House, Indirianagar. Presentations by team well recieved by clubs in attendance. Flags and pins exchanged with Club Presidents.

Quote of the day

"Achievers never expose themselves, their achievements expose them"

Group Study Experiences by Magnus

1.Homing cows: I was expecting to see the odd bovine wandering around India as I gather that they’re sacred and holy animals and worshiped in the Hindu religion. However, they’re all over the place and are absolutely fearless with regard to the mental traffic in Bangalore. With two and three wheeler vehicles swerving around a sea of battered old bangers it feels like you are travelling in a computer game. To make things even more hectic, cars don’t need to get tested until they are 15 years old. Consequently, I’ve seen vehicles stall and die in front of the car I was in and people frantically pushing an ancient Suzuki to jump start it. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that despite manic traffic conditions, you frequently see a placid cow wandering down the central reservation, udders swinging in the breeze. They spend the day roaming around the city eating whatever scraps and rubbish they can find and then make their way back to their shed to join three or four of their stable-mates where the City Farmer milks them and locks them up for the night.
2.Yoga: Tracey and I were taken to the meditation pyramid outside Bangalore by a Yoga Guru Rotarian to practise the great Indian art that has recently become very popular in the west. This was at our request to Manju who is organising our teams time in India and proved to be exactly what the two of us were after. We arrived after about two hours on the road from the city centre with a brief stop on the way to enjoy two Tender Coconuts each sold by a bloke beside the road with a bike loaded with the fruit. The vendor hacked the scalp off each one and then stuck a straw in the top, handing it over to each of us to drink the juice. Feeling energised, we were both in the mood for some stretching and bending when we arrived at a beautiful green tranquil lawn in the middle of the jungle. We were taught the basic principles of yoga, which basically involve posture and deep breathing. After teaching us a few basic poses our teacher went on to explain that the highest level of yoga involves focus and meditation and he explained how to sink into a state of elevated relaxation. This I managed perfectly as I started snoring much to Tracey’s amusement. To finish our experience we were taken inside the huge pyramid to have a go at some energised meditation, which would be aided by the concentration of cosmic power that happens inside the specially shaped building.
3.Orthotic Ankle Support: when I visited the Limb Centre Hospital that Rotary helps to fund in our first week in Bangalore the Doctor in charge identified that I should be wearing a support to correct my gait as I stumbled around the workshop with the Team from Britain. I explained that I’d tried wearing one that the NHS had made me, but it had been more painful than enduring the pain inflicted by the lack of lateral support from my leg muscles following a brain injury ten years ago. Without any hesitation, a team of experts quickly took a cast of my leg and to my surprise made me stand on the wet cast allowing my foot to expand and they constantly smoothed the Plaster of Paris coating to get a good fit. ‘They never did this in Ipswich’ I mused as I watched the excited experts execute their trade. I wasn’t at all surprised when the Orthotic Ankle Support fitted perfectly when I collected it a week later and the difference it makes to my walking is amazing. Many people have commented about how upright I walk now and I feel like this is going to make a huge difference to my life – both professionally and socially.

Vocational Visits by Magnus

By utilising the Rotary system of family, friends and favours, a trip to a large engineering consultancy had been arranged where I could witness Project Planning in action and compare it to similar work in Britain. The manager who had been tasked with looking after me for the day was very welcoming and took time to get to know me in his office before giving me a tour of the site. He talked of his company’s main product which he proudly called ‘Ball Walls’ and described their best applications in Nuclear and Hydroelectric Power Stations. ‘Very relevant to my job’ I thought but ‘what the hell are they and how do they work?’ I’m not an engineer but am normally quite pragmatic and can visualise working pieces of plant and machinery. Unusually this time, I couldn’t imagine how a bunch of balls could possibly stand nuclear pressures without moving all over the place.

I soon realised that there was a slight communication problem between us as I was shown a circular valve on an axis that rotated between two separate outlets. ‘Ah ha’ I announced proudly, ‘a Ball Valve’. We continued past the finished products into the workshop area where I was impressed, shocked and embarrassed at what I saw.

Firstly, I was impressed at how industrious everyone was. It was like watching ants at work as numerous people scurried about hoisting huge pieces of metal plate and grinding and welding.

On closer inspection, I was shocked to realise that despite tonnes of metal swinging about from cranes at head level, no one was wearing a hardhat or protective footwear. The majority of the workers were in sandals and several of them were barefoot. In addition, there was a man busily grinding the surface of a weld down to perfection. He took pride in what he was doing and frequently stopped his tool and leant back to get an overview of his handiwork. I was very impressed by his work ethic but felt worried that he wasn’t wearing safety glasses.

It’s too easy in the west to hide behind the ‘Health and Safety’ regulations and find an excuse not to get on with your job. This wasn’t being done by the hundreds of workers in that manufacturing warehouse and I felt embarrassed that I’m not as dedicated and committed to my job in Britain.

15.02.2010 Mid-Tour Rest

Monday the 15th of February, the official mid-exchange rest day.

However, like every other day we’ve had in India so far, it has been an emotional roller coaster and whilst being relaxing, I personally feel like I’ve been bombarded with new life-changing experiences that I’m not going to forget.

The most significant event today was the full-body Ayurvedic massage that Nick and I enjoyed which involved a young man with very strong arms, lots of sweet smelling oil and a barely modest string and towel dressing arrangement that only just contained Mr Johnson and the Crown Jewels. It took an hour and a quarter and I left feeling like the angels had wafted their wings over my limbs and rejuvenated my tired and aching muscles.

Nick and I were both absolutely knackered the following day!

Quote of the day

Wherever we go, whether it is a school or hospice, there are usually little positive quotes written down somewhere that make us smile: I thought we could share some of these with you...

"Being happy does not mean everything is perfect, it means that you've decided to see beyond the imperfections"

Alders Vocational Day: Commercial food waste and e-waste management

Hi all,
I had a fantastic day that day. The morning was spent at the State Bank of India and the famous Bangalore Club (one of the oldest in India, founded in 1868. Winston Churchill was a member and apparently still owes Rs.13) to look at food waste composting. Both these organisations have inititives in place to compost food waste and garden waste on site, solving both a potential waste problem and creating employment and a valuable compost. This compost is used to maintain the lawns, trees and gardens and surplus is either sold or given away free to members. Both projects are self sustaining and use very simple low tech solutions that could be easily adopted by many businesses.

In the afternoon I visited an E-waste recycling enterprise. 10 years ago a one-man band scrap dealer saw the huge quantities of E-waste being scrapped when only a few components within the machines were actually broken. He now has a city wide scheme of bins for e-waste that is collected and either repaired or broken down to the very last screw for recycling. The scheme creates local employment and provide training and counselling services for women in the local community.

I also met a group of rotarians who have personal projects in place to raise awareness of the benefits of composting at home.

10/02/2010

Message from Rtn Thumatiprafulla:
Dear all,we had a great day on 10/02/10 with the visiting GSE team from UK. I sincerely thank Rotary South East, South West, Jayanagar and National park for joining for the Joint meet on that day. The visiting team gave beautiful insights in to there culture and as well their experiences in Our place. Thanks to Rotary Intermational for this movement.President Rtn Prafulla Thumati, Rot Bangalore South.
http://picasaweb.google.com/thumatiprafulla/GSEUKTEAM?feat=email#

Manipal Hospital

We were shown around the fantastic facility at Manipal Hospital - where the Easy Heart Foundation is based. This project is run in conjunction with Rotary Indiranagar where they can harvest heart valves from donors, cryrogenically

freeze them and store them for use for upto 10 years. Pictured here is the cardiac surgeon at the hospital and Rtn O P Khanna who is instrumental in administering this scheme plus many others across Bangalore. We were also shown the different wards - the public, free-of-charge area which was bright, clean and airy plus the deluxe and super-deluxe wards where living space and beds are made available so that family can stay with the patient and lessen the stress of their stay in hospital.

Tippu's Palace - 10.02.10

We changed to our new hosts today - Rotary South West - and were treated to one of the cultural / conservation sites in Bangalore - the Sultan Tippu's summer palace. He wasn't overly keen on British people apparently and there is quite a gory tiger statue attacking a British soldier in the Victoria and Albert Museum with a small replica in the palace itself. The palace is an oasis of calm in the midst of a very busy city with green lawns and lots of flowers. Cool and airey with lots of dark wooden composite columns and ornate patterns with highly polished ceilings which capture and play with the sunlight. It is next to a large temple with fantastic statues and carvings.

District Conference - Days 1 and 2

We were told that on the first day around 2,800 people attended the District Conference and it was opened with a procession of dancers and lots of music before the serious work began. We listened to a very interesting speech on the way forward for education in India and a very motivational talk about what being a Rotarian actually means by the RI President's representative (from Chennai) - he defined it as everyone needing a "rotary moment" to change from merely being a member of Rotary to actually becoming a Rotarian. He explained that a small girl repeatedly refused to leave a bench seat to drink tea on the day the bench had been donated to a local school and finally when we spoke to her, she replied - sir, I have never sat on anything but the floor before in my life - please let me enjoy sitting here for a little longer. He defined this as the moment he truly became a Rotarian when he saw what a difference Rotary can make to a life.

The rest of the day was spent meeting and talking to Rotarians from all over the district plus their families and children. On the Sunday the nerves kicked in slightly at the thought of speaking in front of 1,500 to 1,800 people but fortunately it seemed to go well. We were presented with beautiful sandalwood garlands as a thank you and were treated like VIPs for the entire weekend. It was an amazing experience and hearing about how many projects are being carried out here with such energy and passion is also truly inspiring.

Visit to Infosys Campus on 05.02.10

We were invited to tour the Infosys campus on a joint visit with the American team to see how this Indian company had grown at a phenomenal rate since its creation. It is now one of the most sought after IT companies to work for - both in terms of innovative solutions for IT but also because of their ethical standards and the way they value their staff. We were shown a fantastic campus full trees, a gym, health centre, swimming pool plus one of the most famous meeting rooms in the world - the Tata Room (named in the book Flat Earth).

Amy's Vocational Visit to Bangalore Cheshire Home 09.02.10

My visit to Bangalore Cheshire Home was wonderful, a place where love and joy are in abundance, despite the challenges the residents face on a daily basis. The older girls treated me to uplifting songs and the younger girls were intrigued by my photo album which proved to be a great method of communication.
I was immensely proud to present a cheque for Rs 30,000 (about 400 GBP) and be given a guided tour of the home. I know I'll be staying in touch and coming back to visit as these ladies have a special place in my heart and I will treasure the memories of this visit for the rest of my life.

Mid Day Meal Project

Today I was taken to the Hutting Mid Day Meal Project, which is a project that my Hosts club have been involved in since they came across the school in the middle of this slum area. Initially the school was falling apart and they have rebuilt the original Class room and added four more. The school has increased its attendance from 13 to over 100 and the Rotary club now provides a Mid Day Meal for all the kids Five days a week one of which will contain and Egg, which they certainly would not get if it was not for the Club. The Rotary Club also pays for the children to go to their next school when they reach 12.

Doctor Corke at Work

On Sunday morning on my way to the District Conference i was taken to one of the thousands of vaccination Clinics to see how the National Immunisation day works. Whilst there I was asked to administer two drops to this sweet little child. I am not sure what it had done to deserve having Doctor Corke administer its medicine but at least it did not cry. Once each of the children has been given the vaccine it has its little finger marked with a black marker pen which then enabled the teams to go to the slum areas and find out which children have and have not come forward for immunisation.