Rotarians told: Light candle for the dispossessed

A candle must not be lit to drive away darkness but to give a flame of hope for depressed and dispossessed people. “Remaining silent in the face of social decline, disarray and social disorder, is not going to help. Make sure that the darkness in some people’s lives will go away, however small,” this according to Anand Ramlogan, attorney at law. At the time he was delivering the feature address, at the annual handing over ceremony of the Chaguanas Rotary Club, at Kam Po Restaurant, Chaguanas, Friday night. “As Rotarians people view  you as holding positions of influence. Think about that and form your own views and help to shape the opinions of society,” he added.

Ramlogan said that “remaining silent in the face of social decline, disarray and social disorder, is not going to help. Go where the darkness will disappear however small. In the same spirit of charity  and service above self  that allows you to reach out to those less fortunate, that allows you to help realign society and strike the right balance, that allows you the process of self-realisation, that  while you continue to reach out and realise that the conveyer belt, by which others define and measure their success, is not enough for you, go forward with passion, realising the truth within yourself, but assist in lighting the candle that exists in others, so that they too will  realise their passion and their truth.”

He congratulated the Chaguanas Rotary Club for being selected as the Club of the Year in District 0703   and said that “it was no small feat  and must be a special source of pride  for  distinguished service rendered to the community, in removing darkness that has enveloped the society.” He said that people educated themselves so that they would get  a good job, build a house, buy a car, and get married, and go overseas for holidays, but life was more than that. “It is to light a candle and create a flame of hope for those who live in eternal darkness,” he said.

“We cannot isolate ourselves from society  by imposing a limited definition of success that does not recognise  the need for peaceful co-existence in our society,” the attorney at law said. ‘“This growing discontent manifests itself  in all forms of life,” he added. He said that the elderly must  not only preach to the youths who go to the temples, the mosques and the churches but “to those on the outside who really need our help, and on whom we should measure our success by as they live in perpetual darkness.” The outgoing president Mike Ibrahim, gave an account of his stewardship, and said that the Club had done a considerable amount of work  in the centennial year and won much praise for the distribution of over 750 wheelchairs to needy persons.

The incoming president is Gayapersad Beharry, who outlined some major projects that he would be attempting, among which are the continuation of the wheelchair project as well as hampers for the needy at Christmas, and joining with Presentation College, Chaguanas, in organising the annual carnival dance. The new  member inducted at the function was Syntra Maharajh. Officers for the new year — Gayapersad Beharry, president;  Nagamuttu Arumugadasan, vice president;  Mukesh Ramdeo, secretary, and Lutchman Lalchan, treasurer.