Rotary Peace Pol

A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
May Peace Prevail On Earth is an all inclusive universal message. It is a meeting place of the heart bringing together people of all faiths, backgrounds and culture to embrace the Oneness of our planetary family.

Poles usually include the saying in the language of the country where it has been placed, and usually 3 to 7 additional translations. The message is referred to as an affirmation of peace.’
Peace Poles are intended to inspire unity among people of all cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds
Peace poles are often planted at schools, businesses, parks, beaches,municipal offices and houses of worship. A Peace Pole is an internationally-recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth.
  The Peace Pole Project was founded in 1975 in Japan by Masahisa Goi author of the Universal Message and Prayer, May Peace Prevail On Earth, and founder of The World Peace Prayer Society. The official Peace Pole Project is located at The World Peace Sanctuary in Wassaic, New York which is the International Headquarters of The World Peace Prayer Society.
Since the theme during February in Rotary Calender is the Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month it will be great if rotary clubs could Place some peace pols in some relevant places to promote this great idea

The Green Initiative by Rotary Club

Rotary initiative to a healthy Community

It is a fact that Rotary Clubs the world over are contributing so much for the betterment of the humanity. Projects that touched the lives of millions of people around us.

I think it is high time that each individual clubs have to fine tune their resources in doing projects that is worthy of making a change in the community more than an individual, Projects that is remembered for a long while.

Club service committee is the most important avenue whose main mission is to implement a project which is most beneficial and is a real need of the community around or internationally. I believe it also should increase the image of Rotary in the community. You can also conduct these projects in association with other clubs or organizations. It is because of the magnitude of the job Rotary has suggested various subcommittees to it namely vocational, community, international,New Generations, fundraising etc

As far as Rotary Club of Alleppey East is concerned we have a number of great projects worth remembering like the community water projects, Solar light installation at the beach etc.

We all are aware of a major problem that we face in Alappuzha is that we rely on vegetables imported from other states which reportedly contains a lot of poisonous pesticides making us totally helpless. Even if some people sell some vegetables in the name of “pesticides free” it is not reliable and hugely expensive.

This is happening even after various initiatives by the government to promote home grown vegetables like supplying 25 grow bags with plants to the homes at a meager price of Rs. 500/- and awareness and training classes at community levels etc.

The main issues I find is lack of time to go for these things and periodic maintenance of the plants like giving a support to a growing plant or application of some fertilizer etc. Also there is an issue of managing the excess.

I believe Rotary Club can coordinate the whole programs and creating a project worth full.

Start a project only with Rotary members first (to make sure the authenticity about the quality of the product regarding pesticides usage.

If each member gets 25 bags  and if 50 people joins in,it makes a whopping 1250 bags.

Employ a person dedicated for this project who will look after the plants in every member's house

Government is starting a cold storage facility to store excess product or planning to buy it also

Also you have the option of our members who have shops can give a small section to sell our products (definitely with a profit for them)

So the main advantage is that you can have tasty and healthier vegetables for free and you are doing a great service to your community.

Periodontitis, the Silent Killer

Yes I am talking about a disease which is mostly neglected by patients and even some physicians. I am talking about Periodontal disease otherwise known as gum disease the number one cause of tooth loss in the world.

The high prevalence of diabetes, with poor control of blood sugar, blood pressure and lipids is believed to be the reason for the highest rate of heart disease , the largest killer disease in Kerala. You will be surprised to know that this is double that of USA and six times that of Japan and China.

It is now a well established fact that Incidences of macroalbuminuria and end-stage renal disease are increased twofold and threefold, respectively, in diabetic individuals who also have severe periodontitis compared to diabetic individuals without severe periodontitis.

Furthermore, the risk of cardiorenal mortality (ischaemic heart disease and diabetic nephropathy combined) is three times higher in diabetic people with severe periodontitis than in diabetic people without severe periodontitis.

Periodontitis is also linked in those over 60 years of age to impairments in delayed memory and calculation abilities

Now some other studies indicate a reverse mechanism where people with severe Periodontal disease causing an increase in long-term blood sugar level leading to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and in long run to heart disease.

The early warning sign of gum disease is the temporary bleeding from gums while brushing which if left untreated can progress into Periodontal disease. Since there won't be any pain while the disease progresses people won't notice it exists

So it is high time that we should make sure that this silent killer is not on you.

“ Ignorance is not a bliss but knowledge is”

The Gift of life

Almost all of us do not want to die. But It is the ultimate truth that the only certain thing in this world is death. We all die timely or untimely and our bodies are turned to ashes and dust and it is a reality.

But modern science is so advanced that most of our organs and body parts can extend it's life through a host body. And also thereby giving life to a fellow human being, it can be your spouse, child or a family member or someone unknown to you who otherwise would have less chance of living longer. Yes in other words you are giving the most precious gift that you can offer to a fellow human being who will also remember it with gratitude throughout their life.

Earlier when we used to talk about Organ donation it used to send a chill through the spine mainly because it's connected with the fear of death. But the continuous awareness campaigns by NGOs and Governments have made a lot of people come forward to help their fellow human beings.
The Kerala government has rightly named the project as Mrithasanjeevani, the mythical remedy to bring back the dead to life. The program was started in 2012 and in a short time it has become a big success. A number of people saved their life through the program.

It is commendable that the Rotary Clubs of District 3211 has joined with the Program and taken it as one of their focus projects.

The Rotary District is planning to create awareness about the program among the members and public and create a database of wishful donors.

One of the main features of the project is the transparency in maintaining the list. And all the members who join the program will be given a donor card which they can keep with them.

Even if one gives consent, according to Indian law if any family members objects, the organ cannot be donated.

The organs like liver, kidneys, lungs, heart etc are donated only from brain dead persons. But cornea, skin, bone etc could be donated from persons who had a natural death.

It is found through studies that a person's life expectancy increased to 80% from 20% after receiving organ transplant.

In India it is believed that we have almost 7 lakh blind people who could be given the ‘Gift of Vision’ by organ transplant. 10% if which are children.

Another interesting calculation is we have a daily death rate of 85000 people and if, only half of these people donate their eyes, the whole India will be free of those blind people in 3 weeks!

So how your decision can bring about a huge change in someone else's life.

Let me quote from ‘Manusmriti’
“Of all the things that it is possible to donate, to donate your own body is infinitely more worthwhile.”

The 4th Objective of Rotary

We all take the oath of ‘strive to establish peace and goodwill among all’ before every meeting but how many of us are really thought about it or worked on it. Are our district leaders thinking about it?

I believe the world is facing unrest in different forms of conflicts, large number of people have lost their lives and a large number are living in misery and fear and it is high time that Rotarians do justice to their oath.

Rotarians have long been active in efforts to encourage and promote peace. The fourth ‘Object of Rotary’ is to advance” international understanding, goodwill and peace”. In 1942, prior to the creation of the United Nations, Rotarians from 21 nations organized a conference to develop  ideas for advancing education, science, and culture across nations. This meeting was the foundation of what is now UNESCO.

Rotarians were involved in the creation of the United Nations at the founding meeting in 1945 and continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the UN.

Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships to pursue a Certificate Program or Masters Degree program related to peace and conflict resolution and prevention at one of the participating peace centers. Each individual Rotary Club or Rotary District can endorse a member for the Peace Fellowship Program.

It is believed that 65million people are displaced by armed conflict and 90%of them are civilians and half of them are children

So what a Rotary club can do is to address the underlying structural causes of conflict like poverty, inequality, lack of access to education,ethnic tension etc in their location

Also support and endorse an eligible member for the Rotary peace fellowship program so that they can work towards building peace and goodwill.

Being a rotarian representing the land which taught the world about nonviolence and peaceful resolution of conflicts also have a moral responsibility. Let me end by quoting from the champion of nonviolence, our own Bapuji

"It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."

Government 1Kw Solar Program for ten thousand homes.Is it for you?

Solar technology has been around for quite some time but the recent drastic fall in the price of Solar panels have created interest even in the strongest critics of the program.
Even though the project was expected to cost above one lakh thirty thousand rupees after subsidies initially was finally launched at a far lower price of around 92 thousands after subsidies.
Now one of the main attraction of this program is the warranty of 5years for the system including the batteries. And 'Anert' is supposed to make sure that the company keeps it's words.
Now as an individual who likes to go for solar power, this is an advantage.
Another advantage is the price factor. If you split the approximate price of the major components of the package for a similar system in the local market it comes like
4 batteries of 150ah costs about Rs.56000/-
A 1kw solar inverter costs about Rs.16000/-
At the rate of Rs.65/watt the 1200 watt solar panels should cost at least Rs.78000/-
So totally the costs for the equipments itself will come about Rs.150000/- (approximate) and you get it for a price of around Rs.92000/-
Now the disadvantage or the matter of concerns are what if the system is not performing as promised?
Already most people are complaining that the promised amount of electricity cannot be achieved and after complaining to the company or the Anert nothing has happened.
Now when you consider the cost of electricity, the company assures a daily average production of minimum 4units of electricity.But according to most consumers they get far less as an average especially in the rainy season. Suppose if the system can generate the promided 4 units per day, In that case when you consider 5years the cost of electricity becomes approximately Rs.12.77/unit which is not economical at the present scenario as we are getting electricity at a far cheaper rate from the grid.
So the cost of electricity decreases provided we can use the system for more than 5years.
Another aspect is that usually only the battery gives trouble on usage and the panels have a performance warranty of 25years.So in effect the recurrent cost is for the batteries only and that will also bring the price/ unit down in the long run.
Now if you consider the practical use of this particular system, I should say it needs modification. The main problem is the capacity. I think when you buy a system worth so much money (Almost 2 lakhs according to Anert without subsidy) you expect at least your television and a medium refrigerator to work on it.So a minimum of close to 2kw should be sufficient to depend solely on solar power for a middle class home.
Another major disadvantage with this system is that the 1000wat solar panel won't completely charge the accompanying 600ah battery bank even on the sunniest day. This means the battery will never charge completely if you use it regularly that means a shortened battery life.Most of the companies agrees to that privately and says the system need at least 1500 watts solar panels for the batteries to charge completely in a day especially if you use it day time also.
Another myth is that you get 1000watts output from the system but in effect most of the systems provide only up to 800 watts of power output at a time.
Another biggest concern is that how far will be the involvement of Anert in case the service provider defaults.
All the above observations are my personal views on the system.

Are you a Role model for your Kids?

Notes on Adolescent Child This is being a recent trend that you hear from mothers saying their boys are not listening to them and wants the father to do the task. But  nowadays we see kids are not listening to Father also. Have you ever wondered why? Adolescent age is transitional period where children undergo a lot of Physical as well as mental changes. Generally all growing young children would like to have a role model for them. Their first role models are their parents only. Mostly all boys will mimic everything their father does believing his father always does the right thing and he is the best. I have seen a lot of changes in the concept of leadership in the family. Before‚ husband or father is a revered or respected person and the main earning member in the family. So as the head of the family his words were respected by all in the family. But in the new family concept this system no longer exists in most places where wife is also an earning member and she openly challenges the decisions of the husband and even belittles husband in front of the kids. This has ruined the concept of role model for them. This is the major reason we see a lot of battered children whose parents are either divorced or quarrelled at their home. The best thing parents can do is understand the Physical and psychological changes in growing children and be good role models at least in front of them. Shared from Google Keep

Enable the Right to Information Act

The Right to information act (RTI) is one of the most significant acts of modern india.This has made life a lot easier for the common man and at the same time exposed many a scam to the public.
I Strongly believe that if any one can get an  information on request it is as good as a public information. Then why don't the concerned authorities publicise it on their own. So at least the public consisting of the bedridden to the newborn will save the cumbersome job of going to the concerned departments and filing on a stamped paper and waiting for the results which sometimes need legal follow up.
If gathering information is a cumbersome job then it is questioning the very spirit of the law.
The recent 'solar scam'  should be an eye opener in this regard. The Chief Minister or his office didn't know that they were dealing with known criminals who were arrested before.
If you want to know about the thieves, rapists,goons or other criminals around your community who got arrested or convicted you have to go to a Police department and find out. How many of us will do that? When someone is arrested officially then it is a fact and a public record on which the public have a rite for information. There are modern democratic governments do that for public safety and awareness. Please check the following link to know about the details of criminals arrested on a daily basis with their charges from a county (Police station)
http://www.gwinnettmugs.com
I strongly believe the government should take initiatives to compliment this great act (RTI) by making it mandatory for departments to publicise all information's which are of public benefits.