On Sunday 11th. September Rotarians and partners from our club O T
n Sunday 11th. September there was a noticeable
increase of passengers on the District Line as quite a few members of our club together with their partners set out from Upminster to visit South Kensington.
he purpose of this mass exodus was to visit the
Ismaeli Centre which is to be found very near to South Kensington Station. The tour of the centre was arranged by PP Liaquat Govani and his wife, Past District Chairman of the Inner Wheel Shamim.
O
n a beautiful day the sun
glinted on the many travel passes that were presented at the
barriers in the sta-
tion as the excited travellers began their journey to the Centre. Upon completing the very simple journey to South Ken it was just as sim- ple to follow the directions to the Ismaeli Centre along the subway which leads to the Museums and the Royal Al- bert Hall! That is unless you are the President and his wife who upon emerging from the subway, asked direc- tions from a passing local (who just happened to be an American) as to the whereabouts of said Ismaeli Centre, only to be told that they were in fact standing right outside said building!
visited the Ishmaeli Centre in South Kensington. Quickly moving on after mum-
bling an embarrassed "Thank
You" they entered the centre where they were greeted by Shamin and Liaquat who introduced them to Almoor Sanji,the National Council member of His Highness the Aga Khan for Outreach. The most charming Almoor greeted all of the arriving Rotarians and partners and the Inner Wheel ladies and their
partners who had also been invited as we assembled in the very
impres-
sive entrance hall of the Centre.
T
he centre was in- augurated in
1985 by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in the presence of His Highness The Aga
Khan. For a building of some 25 years it still looks and feels new. There is a sereneness about the building and it contains many features that were ahead of it's time. a prime example being the
wheel chair ramp which followed the contours and flow of the staircase but which was hidden from view by a wall. The decor is so very simple but quite stunning and although there were many features that the onlooker might think were symbolic we were informed that they were open to many and varied interpretations. For me the most stunning feature of the first floor was the mosaic of the Aga Kahn.
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