Bon voyage and so long . . .

Our GSE Bangalore District 3190 friends departed Minnesota on Sunday, May 10.  I greatly enjoyed seeing them and spending time with them while they were here in Minnesota.  I remember the wonderful people who hosted me and my GSE team in Bangalore back in February and March earlier this year. 

This chapter of Rotary GSE now comes to an end for me.  I look forward to helping and hosting future visiting GSE teams in our Rotary District 5950.  Now I bring this "My Rotary GSE trip to Bengaluru" blog to a final close. 

You can now follow my NEW blog which is a daily photo from my city of Eagan.  Please logon to my new blog and tell your friends too!   www.EaganDailyPhoto.blogspot.com 

Kindly keep in touch!

All the very best to you and yours!

Warmest regards,

Leif Hagen  

GK's final dinner

On Saturday evening, May 9, our friends Steven and Allison Butler invited us over for a final dinner with GK.  We drank yummy red wine, made silly poses, lingered over a delicious meal and had a memorable time with our Bangalore pal "GQ GK." 

Farewell GSE party at DG Chris Holm's house

We'll remember for a long time: Harsha the disk jockey, Manju the Bangalore airport guy, GK the printer and wonderful GSE team leader, Preeti the attorney and Manasa the HP employee!

On Friday evening, May 8, Rotary District 5950 governor Chris Holm and his wife Jessie invited us to their scrumptious house in Wayzata near Lake Minnetonka.  The potluck food was delicious, the "fellowship time" was entertaining, the drinks were chilled and the company and conversations were marvelous!  It was a truly wonderful finish to a most memorable month with our dear new friends from Bangalore Rotary District 3190.  We wish them fun and safe travels and a good return home.  Until the next time!  God bless you! 

My friend Vicki at the Taj Mahal

Vicki and I serve on the Rotary District 5950 youth exchange district board together.  She's an amazing expert on youth exchange and an inspiration to our entire board!  She was also recently in India to attend a wedding.  Vicki was lucky to have the water fountains flush with water at the Taj Mahal! 

Watermelons in Bangalore

Apparently, it's been quite hot in Bangalore these days. What could be better than some fresh, juicy watermelon to cool one off?

This photo is borrowed from Rajesh Dangi's "Bangalore Daily Photo" blog. I tried to meet him a few times in Bangalore in February to take some pictures but he was too busy.

India couple pledges US$2 million to The Rotary Foundation

A desire to improve literacy in India motivated Rajendra R. and Shubha Laxmi Chhapwale to recently commit US$2 million to The Rotary Foundation over the next three years.  Rajendra made the announcement during the couple's induction into the "Arch C. Klumph Society" at the Rotary International world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.  

"It's our concern for the deprived and unprivileged children in our country that made us come here, " Rajendra said to the assembled Rotary leaders, dignitaries, and guests.  "Rotary is doing such meaningful work through its programs, like polio eradication, Matching Grants and Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants, throughout the world.  I realized that The Rotary Foundation is just the right organization, where proper justice is done to the donations. 

The couple had already contributed US$250,000 to the Foundation and established an endowed fund.  The new pledge will go toward increasing this endowment fund. 

Rajendra is the founder of Monarch Realty Developers Pvt. Ltd, a property development company that has constructed more than a million and a half square feet of commercial and residential space in and around Mumbai.  

In 2007 - 2008, Rajendra served as president of the Rotary Club of Mumbai North Island, Maharashtra.  Shubha is a member and past president of the Inner Wheel Club of Mumbai North Island and will serve as district chair in 2011 - 2012.  

Congratulations and bravo to them for being such excellent philanthropic  examples to their fellow Indians and Rotarians around the globe!  

Bangalore GSE team in Duluth

Here you see the Rotary District 3190 GSE team standing on a rock in Lake Superior during their visit in Duluth last week.  Duluth is a large shipping port city in northeastern Minnesota. How did they get to the rock without getting wet?!  The five "great lakes" of the US are:  Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.  (Hint:  HOMES)