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.