Follow Ramesh's Journey - Archives
Day 7 - Departure from India and Final Thoughts
- Tue, November 18, 2008
The wake up call at my hotel room came at 2:30 am, and I was in a taxi en-route to the Indira Gandhi International Airport an hour later. I boarded a plane for London Heathrow at 6:30 am for a nine-hour flight and then another 13 hours of flying back to Whitehorse, Yukon. The journey back to Canada provided a lot of time to reflect on the past week in India. It was a great opportunity to be able to travel back to my country of birth and witness such caring, compassion and generosity from so many people from so many walks of life.
Day 6 - House-to-House Participation in the Sub-NID - Moradabad, India
- Mon, November 17, 2008
Today started with a pleasant visit with past District Governor of Rotary District 3100 and member of the India National PolioPlus Committee, Mr. Sudhir Gupta. Mr. Gupta was pleased to hear of the success of yesterday’s Sub-NID activities. After our meeting, Dr. Khan, Nima, and I drove to a rural village where we visited participants at a community centre. We were greeted with an overwhelming standing ovation and were welcomed with flowers. The villagers were very excited that we came to visit with them.
Day 5 - Participation in the Sub-National Immunization Day- Moradabad, India
- Sun, November 16, 2008
Today was the reason for my travelling to India: to participate in the Sub-National Immunization Day here in the District of Moradabad. Dr. Khan, Nima and I all went to participate in the immunization activities which were occurring at the railway station. I vaccinated my first child in the morning and wow – what an amazing, overwhelming, experience. Giving those two drops of the polio vaccination to that child this morning was a miraculous dream come true for me. Those two drops will protect him for life against a disease which is so debilitating and socially isolating.
Day 4 - Arrival in the District of Moradabad in the State of Uttar Pradesh
- Sat, November 15, 2008
I want to start off by thanking Rotary Zone Institute Chairman Deepak Kapur for allowing me to attend the Rotary Zone 5 & 6A Institute. It was a pleasure to meet so many committed, caring, and generous Rotarians who are working so hard towards making our world a cleaner, healthier, safer place to live. After saying goodbye to Lokesh Gupta, Manager of the Indian National Polioplus Committee, Nima and I headed towards Moradabad via taxi for the Sub-National Immunization Day which will occur tomorrow.
Day 3 - Rotary Zone Institute - Agra, India
- Fri, November 14, 2008
Today I visited with Dr. Bob Scott and his wife Ann before attending a number of meetings. Dr. Scott is the Chairman of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee and past Chairman of the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation. We first met in May 2006 at the Rotary District 5010 Conference in Juneau, Alaska. I had attended that conference with Dr. Allon Reddoch from the Rotary Club of Whitehorse. Dr. Scott was very pleased to hear about the success of the Cycle to Walk campaign. Rotarians around the world – all 1.2 million of them – have always been known for their generosity towards both local and global humanitarian service projects.
Day 2 - Journey to the Rotary Zone Institute in Agra, India
- Thu, November 13, 2008
This morning Nima and I departed Delhi around 8am destined for the Rotary Zones 5 & 6A Institute in Agra, which is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. We spent 6 hours driving through streets littered with garbage, beggars, wandering cows, cars, buses, motorbikes, cyclists, and pedestrians going every which way.
Day 1 - Arrival in Delhi
- Wed, November 12, 2008
I have safely arrived in Delhi, India after spending the last 35 hours waiting either on a plane or in an airport. I’m ecstatic to be here and to meet some of the people who have been working so hard to make India polio free. After clearing immigration and customs, I was welcomed by Mr. Stanley Samuel who is in charge of Logistics and Operations with the Indian National Polio Plus Committee. Stanley took me from the airport to the Rotary office, and on they way, he pointed out a banner hanging over a busy street that was promoting the recent Immunization Day that took place on November 9. One of Stanley’s responsibilities is to ensure the promotion of Rotary Immunization Days.
Off to India!
- Mon, November 10, 2008
Today I am travelling to India – my birth country – to work with Rotary International and help them in the crusade against polio. Polio paralyzed my legs for life 28 years ago, but cases of the disease have dropped 99 per cent since then. It’s an exciting time in world history and everyone has a choice to be a part of it. Rotarians around the world – 1.3 million of them, from 33,000 clubs and 200 countries and geographical locations –continue to demonstrate their leadership and commitment towards a polio-free world.
