Our Own Mohan Viddam: A Rotary Ambassador to India
Dear Friends,
I recently made a trip to Hyderabad, India. As part of my journey, I wanted to spread the word about four social projects dear to our Club. Before leaving for India, I spoke to the Rotary District Governor of the State of A.P., to recommend a suitable Rotary in Hyderabad to work with our Rotary to implement these projects. After he recommended Rotary Banjara, I spoke to its President, Mr. Suresh Reddy. I met him initially at his business office and later attended their regular club meeting, which also included a board meeting. I spoke to the board about our programs and gave them samples of the LN4 prosthetic, a water backpack and our pennant/flag. They are all interested in partnering with us in implementing these programs. I have given them the water backpack brochure, and emailed all relevant information/videos about LN4 and water backpacks. I have not yet involved them in the Intervention Radiology program, as they may not add value at this time. I’ll continue to facilitate between Apollo Hospitals and Nationwide Children’s hospital for now.
The connections I made are too numerous to report here, but I'd like to to tell you about one person I met. He was a 7th grade kid from a village, through a friend. While playing cricket and trying to locate a lost cricket ball, he got electrocuted by an electrical transformer and lost both his arms. He is from a poor family who had previously lost his father. He and his mom visited me in Hyderabad, just to try LN4 on him. As the portion below his elbow is short, LN4 fitted him, but not firmly. He is still keen on getting LN4s for his arms. When we send more quantities of LN4 from here, he can be given a couple of them. Photos of him are posted in our Rotary Flickr stream.
As prosperous as India is becoming, it is still a country that needs Rotary's support. I hope to tell you more about my journey at an upcoming Rotary meeting.