Visit to Pattaya Orphanage a moving experience for the international group
Binota Banerjee presents a
donation for the welfare of the orphans to Father Michael.
Elfi Seitz
At the end of a most successful Rotary International
Convention held in Bangkok May 6 thru 9, President Kalyan Banerjee led an
entourage of senior Rotary leaders, which included directors of Rotary
International, for a special board meeting at the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel in
Pattaya.
While the leaders of the world’s foremost service
organisation were busy going about their business of service to mankind, the
spouses took time to visit some of the humanitarian community projects that
are supported by Rotarians in Pattaya.
On May 12, the group of 25 ladies, led by Binota
Banerjee, wife of the RI president, together with Kyoko Tanaka and Jetta
Burton, spouses of the incoming presidents of Rotary in the years 2012-13
and 2013-24 respectively, paid a visit to the Pattaya Orphanage.
Binota Banerjee expresses her
feelings to Radchada Chomjinda during the briefing session.
On their arrival they were welcomed by Father Michael
Weera, director of the orphanage, and Ms. Radchada Chomjinda, director of
the Human Help Network Thailand.
Guests were given a brief introduction to the orphanage
and how it was founded by Father Raymond Brennan, a priest from Chicago who
gave his life in the service of all children. Father Ray was also a Rotarian
and served as president of the Rotary Club of Pattaya in 1977-78.
The highlight of the visit was when the ladies were
permitted to visit the nursery where they were able to meet, hold and give
love to the little babies.
The benevolent ladies were then led into a playroom which
looked like a mini Disneyland. Here they played with the children who rode
around on their tricycles and jumped around in the air-filled castles,
squealing and laughing with happiness.
In an exclusive interview with Pattaya Mail TV,
Binota Banerjee said, “I have been to hundreds of orphanages in the world,
but I have never seen a cleaner and more hygienic home than this one. You
have really organised this home well and I see that the children are so well
taken care of. I am truly impressed.”
Jetta Burton (right) claps and
sings together with a very happy child.
As part of their tour, Radchada took them on a private
visit to Father Ray’s office. Very much like the original office of Paul
Harris, the founder of Rotary, Father Ray’s office is preserved in its
original layout with all the furnishings and documents remaining where they
were as if Father Ray would come to work every day.
Meanwhile, the ladies did not come to the orphanage empty
handed. A collection had been taken beforehand and Binota ji presented a
token of love and care to Father Michael to be used in supplementing the
children’s needs.
Binota Banerjee spoke to Pattaya Mail, telling us
of her life as wife, mother and first lady of Rotary International. “My
husband and I are originally from Calcutta, but because of his business we
moved to Mumbai and then on to Vapi in Gujarat state where he set up a
business and joined the Rotary Club of Vapi.
“The past three years have been a very hectic period of
our lives as we had to move to Rotary International headquarters in Chicago,
USA, to prepare for taking up the responsibilities of the president and
first lady.
“Our travels have taken us far and wide and we have
visited many countries in the world where Rotarians are very busy serving
the needy and underprivileged.”
Binota spends a few happy
moments playing with a little girl.
Asked in which country Rotarians impressed her most,
Binota said, “Having travelled to so many countries, our lives are like on a
roller coaster. Rotarians are very active all over the world. Basically
Rotarians anywhere in the world are all the same. They may look different
and speak different languages but they have the same ideals and follow the
same motto, ‘Do good, do good for the poor, do good for the other people.
There is absolutely no difference amongst the Rotarians anywhere in the
world.’
“Rotarians are helping in many fields. Because of the
diversity of membership, our organisation’s has 1.2 million members from
practically every vocation. That is the good thing about Rotary.
“There are many countries which desperately need help,
though. Places like East Timor, South Sudan, Afghanistan, to name but just a
few. Haiti needs a lot of medical help, so my husband established a hospital
there.
“South Sudan needs practically everything. They don‘t
have any infrastructure at all. Indian engineers are helping with a lot of
construction work in Afghanistan. Rotarians are helping to give education
and health care to people in India and many other countries where they are
most needed. In India, Rotarians have helped set up schools at railway
stations, where the platforms are converted into classrooms. The youth are
taught simple vocations such as becoming good shoe shine boys or even to
learn how to make sweets and snacks to be sold to the hundreds of thousands
of people who use one of the world’s largest and most intricate railway
systems.
Kyoko Tanaka gives a gentle
push to the little boy’s tricycle.
“Another area of high concern is the trafficking of
women. In Nigeria, local Rotarians are fighting vigorously alongside the
authorities to help eradicate these immoral practices.
“Even the affluent societies need our help. In Australia
I was saddened to see that the youth who have practically everything are not
happy for one reason or another and sadly there is an alarming rate of
suicides amongst the young people.
“In Chicago where we are based, there is an area where
even though the people receive a lot of welfare care, they are not happy. My
husband and I visit these unfortunate people often, spending time with them
and making them feel loved.
“But of course Rotary’s foremost campaign is the
eradication of polio. We have had no cases of polio in India for over a year
and we are watching the situation closely in Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Nigeria. We are ‘this close’ to ending polio and Rotary will not stop our
fight until we have achieved that goal.”
Binota said that she is looking forward to going back
home to India at the end of President Kalyan Banerjee’s term of office on
June 30. “It will be good to go home, but believe me we will be as busy as
ever. We run a 300 bed hospital for the poor where no medical fees are
charged. We also operate a nursing college, a pharmaceutical college, a
commercial college and an arts college amongst the many other projects that
my husband has set up.
Everyone gathers for a
photograph in front of Father Ray’s statue, the beloved father and founder
of the Pattaya Orphanage.
“We are also looking after more than 200,000 tribal
people near our home town. We care for their medical wellbeing and teach
them modern agricultural methods for a better yield. We also manage the
marketing of their produce so that they will not to be taken advantage of by
the middle men and get a fair price.”
At the end of their tour the ladies were treated to lunch
at the Indian by Nature Restaurant. Av Khanijou, the charming and
multi-talented landlady of the fine dining establishment, ensured that the
group of international ladies received the best of Indian cuisine and
hospitality.
Binota expressed these feelings on behalf of the group,
“The past week has been one of the most memorable periods of our lives. We
are overwhelmed by the kindness and love afforded us by the Thai people.
“We are also so moved to see that Thais are benevolent
and their good work for humanity can be seen through the thousands of
Rotarians who are networking in their communities, doing all they can to
help bring education, better health and sustainable livelihoods to their
fellow man.”
Asked whether she would come back to Thailand again, with
a gleam in her eyes Binota exclaimed, “We love Thailand and will definitely
return to meet you again someday. After all my daughter-in-law is a Thai.”
PDG Peter Malhotra informs
the ladies of the R.O.S.E. (Rotary Orphans Student Exchange) program which
gives orphans a chance to study for a year in Australia. This is a project
between the Rotary Club of Eaglehawk in Bendigo, Australia and the Rotary
Club of Jomtien-Pattaya.
Binota Banerjee is thrilled as
she receives a gift of love and appreciation from the Rotary International
directors’ spouses.
After a strenuous day, the
Rotary spouses sit down to an exotic meal at Indian by Nature.
Binota thanks Betty Rozanski,
who was instrumental in organizing the visit to the Pattaya Orphanage and
the lovely Indian lunch, and Av Khanijou (2nd right) proprietress of Indian
by Nature for her superb hospitality. On hand to ensure that all went well
were Sue Kukarja (right), PDG Pratheep Malhotra and PDG Premprecha
Dibbayawan (back row).
Rashi Metha has her hands full
with these two super active boys.