ADVENTURES
The Vinod Patel Memorial Limb Centre in St Thomas Hospital, Changanacheri, Kerala
When PDG Ganesh went on his annual trip to India for six weeks he was joined by a group from his club for the last two weeks. The group consisted of President Anthony Wade, his daughter Beverley, President of the Inner Wheel Club of Merthyr Tydfil Gillian Rowles and Rotarians Peter Brill, Keith Jones and David Nash. They joined Ganesh in Bangalore just after New Year, where they were hosted by sister Club Bangalore Peenya. They stayed in the guest house of the State Cricket Club at the cricket stadium for four days. They visited the annual mega limb camp run by RC Bangalore Peenya every day and spent some time there observing the work being done there and talking to the beneficiaries, volunteers helping out, technicians and Rotarians.
The intrepid adventurers in Mysore.
and scope of these projects and the dedication and commitment of the Rotarians and the staff working at the various projects. Sightseeing visits in Mysore included visits to a bird sanctuary, the magnificent palace in Mysore, a silk factory and a bonsai garden and aviary with over 2000 birds.
From Mysore the party travelled to the Kabini River Lodge, a resort situated on the banks of the river Kabini right in the middle of the forest, for an one night
stay.This used to be the hunting lodge of the old Maharajas of Mysore and provided luxurious accommodation and all amenities in a number of buildings situated in well kept gardens. The group enjoyed a three hour safari into the forest. While they saw many different animals and birds they were disappointed not to see any tigers or leopards.
Mums teaching children to lip read. The mother does not teach her own child ( in case she gets frustrated and punishes her child!) but several other children and each child is taught by several different ladies.
On one afternoon they helped to serve lunch to the people attending the camp, a task that took about two hours during which they served over six hundred meals! The camp which lasted a week helped over 2400 beneficiaries with artificial limbs, crutches, calipers and LN-4 forearm prostheses.
Other Rotary projects visited in Bangalore included a renal dialysis centre and a diabetes education and treatment centre both run by the same Rotary Club. They also visited an artificial limb centre run by another Rotary Club. Another visit was to The ISKCON temple from whose kitchens nearly 200,000 midday meals were prepared and served every day to schoolchildren in Bangalore and the surrounding area! RC Bangalore Peenya had donated three vehicles to transport the meals. From Bangalore the party travelled by road to Mysore where they stayed for three days in a hotel, being looked after by members of Rotary Mysore, the oldest club in the city. During their stay the group visited numerous Rotary projects including an artificial limb centre, a school for deaf children where the mothers taught lip reading to the children, a school for children with learning problems and children with autism, a children’s library and a blood
bank.The group were amazed and impressed by the variety
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The next day saw an early start with a five hour journey through forests, busy little villages, banana and coconut groves, tea plantations and paddy fields. There was also a tortuous descent of the western ghats before they reached Calicut in Kerala. From there a five hour journey by train and another hour by road saw them reach their hotel in Changanacheri in Kerala. The group was warmly welcomed by PDG Scaria Jose. The following day was spent visiting and observing the work of the Artificial Limb Centre at St Thomas Hospital. The centre was run by RC Changanacheri and a limb camp was in progress. The next day, the group left Changanacheri and went on a 24 hour lazy cruise of the backwaters of Kerala. The group boarded three houseboats and sailed in convoy. The houseboats were luxurious with en suite air conditioned bed rooms. The group disembarked and trav- elled to Kochi where they visited Fort Cochin with its chinese fishing nets. From Kochi it was a flight back home after a tour that left the group impressed by the service projects undertaken by Rotarians in India and fascinated by the sights and sounds of an exotic country.
Above, We help serve lunch. On any day there are over 500 people in the camp including beneficiaries, attendants, staff, technicians, volunteers, Rotarians and visitors. They are all served the same food. While the catering staff prepare the food, volunteers are needed to serve it. Other volunteers collect the food on behalf of those who cannot stand or walk and deliver it to them. We decided we wanted to help and one afternoon helped to serve over 600 meals over a period of two hours.
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