My Journey as the President of Rotary Bangalore Yelahanka 2014-15

It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive.   -- C.W.Leadbeater

So much anticipation was built way back in early 2014 on the need to take the responsibility and bring lots of change and accomplishments that would serve the larger community  The year was very promising with a very dynamic District Governor RI Dist 3190 Rtn Manjunath Shetty who actually managed to create spaces for people to participate actively and under his leadership things became so full of promise and robust.The Installation ceremony of the team for 2014-2015 finally pushed me into the fire on 27.07.2014  

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar with District Governor Elect Rtn K P Nagesh -Dist 3190 2014-2015 

Set out with a lot of plans for the people of Yelahanka and our adopted village Hegdehalli near Nandi Hills.With Primary agenda being :

1) Health & technology Sector

a) Digitization of health care of Hegdehalli village and surrounding 100 villages at the foot of Nandihills.

The centre will share the traditional know how of herbal and ayurvedic mix with modern state of heart diagnostic solutions, this model combines innovative medicine like ktwo, from ktwo with IHST(The Institute of Trans disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology) knowledge repository and enables people to access primary health care remedies at the door step which in turn will be the face study for a whole of Asia. The goal is to bring down e primary health care cost by 40% to the beneficiaries.

The primary project is estimated at a value of Rs 8 crores

C)A robust cervical and Breast cancer diagnostic Facility at Yelahanka and also camps for Yelahanka and surrounding 200 villages

d) Jannani Integrated medical health care for pregnant women from conception to delivery.

e) 50 Heart pediatric surgery for Children of Yelahanka 

f) Proposed 8 veterinary camps covering- 30,000.00 live stock will be provided free in Bangalore Rural.

2) Education Sector

a) Teach Initiative programme to enable for 100% literacy drive in the Yelahanka vicinity and nearby localities with SMART classes technology.

It turned out to be a glorious year with so many new things to learn and many of my perceptions and inhibitions melted away. Gradually discovered a new self in me that learnt to understand the leadership form in a completely different way

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar at Gandhi Seva Ashram for the senior Citizens at Kanakpura Road

What is the real meaning of servant leadership? this came out in me ....and taking that forward I moved on. The lessons were transformational in the sense that it made me stronger and independent. The way I was groomed in the corporate experience was leading with commitment with the end in mind. Foremost motivation in the past had always been financial incentive as a carrot to propel ahead. Here the situation changed!!!. Lots of tasks and goals ahead alright !! . But the nature of commitment and energy flow is totally different in perception, largely being a voluntary organization and the hierarchy doesn’t guarantee powers by default. Its all about who I am and how I deal with the circumstances with the need to be largely a democratic set up. 

So therefore the operating formula for a community based organisation is quite different though the larger format is alike.The ability to deliver in the corporate is more out of fear of losing or gaining in a limited defined sphere. Here its more with passion unplugged in the joy of giving and self drive in a border-less space of beneficiaries whom perhaps we may never even come in contact with yet touching their lives. Ultimately what has been promised has to be delivered.

Its not about creating homogeneous eco systems but to thrive and excel in a diverse environment with diverse abilities of people and thought process. Its creating cohesion by handling conflicts being right in the heart of it and then channelizing it to constructive energies. Popular beliefs may not always be the most ethical or the right thing to do in life.How do i stand up to it to what I hold as ethics despite terrific resistance and create support for it by convictions is a deep ability of Servant leadership. Sometimes as  Rtn Ravindran RI President for 2015-16 puts it - "Its not necessary to get every  ones acceptance or support. As you cannot please every one. Whats important is to stand up and do whats the most right thing to do and be unshaken in that act"

Rtn Kishor jagirdar Installation of the Rotaractor team 

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar in deep conversation with the District Governor  Rtn Manjunath Shetty 2014-2015

We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.     -- Epictetus

Went through so many rings of fire , frustrating moments , fear , embraced all the cynics and critics, resistance , communication challenges, excruciating moments for funds raising and getting a buy in from the team.

At the end of the year I may not have accomplished everything , yet managed to pull off most of the dream run projects and roll out the pilots . The club was recognized for the 40 heart surgeries accumulated previously, the cancer detection camps for women , launch of iSET iLab an incubation facility for social entrepreneurship, medical camps, vocational training, the science exhibitions, re-use shopping mela, Swatch Bharat campaign and the list goes on.

I thank the club for standing by my side and bearing with all my maverick adventures. Being there for me to climb and learn to fly. I thank Dr Radhakrishna for his gracious mentorship and all those stake holders from the community who helped in collective achievements.   

On the 1st of June 2015  when I stepped down from my responsibility ...I was a different man. Humbled and disciplined, it pushed me to a new frontier of competencies and in the process made peace with many of my past demons, made lots of new friends and the old ones became deeply bonded , cohesive . I learnt to embrace conflicts as a healthy differentiator , collaborate and enable ones inner strength towards constructive energies in the adversities. Respect people with different point of views and grow empathy in relationships that gave me a new discovered sense of inner freedom.

In 2015-2016 - I took over the Chairmanship of the RI District 3190 for CSR  Corporate Liaisoning Committee in dignity covering over 105 club activities which is a big leap for me from where I began as a young rotaractor in 1993

The take away from this experience - To set GOALs that are so difficult and large that it can never be achieved - unitll I grow into the person Who can !!!

Recognition for 40 pediatric heart surgery conducted for poor children from Needy Heart Foundation

Governors Citiation and award / the Best Club for Vocational Services in Dist 3190

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar giving away prizes for sports excellence at the Govt Primary School 

Kishor Jagirdar administering Polio Drops at the local Govt Hospital 

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar addressing youth on career planning and goal setting

Rtn Kishor Jagirdar and Rtn Govindan N receiving the award for recognition towards the 40 Heart Surgery for children

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Rotary, a global network of community volunteers is one of the largest and most influential international humanitarian service organizations worldwide. Founded in Chicago on February 23, 1905, today over 1.2 million members belong to 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. 

Rotary members, as volunteers, conduct projects to address today’s humanitarian challenges, including illiteracy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water, and environmental concerns while encouraging high standards in all vocations. Rotary members strive to build goodwill and peace, and provide humanitarian service in their communities and throughout the world. Rotary Yelahanka club joins Rotary clubs around the world.