Meeting of May 20, 2014. New member induction - Steve Sharlow; Perry on Mumbai

Report by John Jordan

It was another beautiful day along the shores of Oak Bay as members and guests gathered for a perfect lunch of quiche, salad and bean soup. David Newberry of the Victoria Club was visiting as well as guests Jean Sharlow, and Sandy and Mike Sharlow, who came to celebrate the induction of their son and brother/in-law, Steve Sharlow, into our club.

Jean Sharlow (widow of former club member Bill), with son Steve and President Pete Lawrie at Steve's Induction

Steve graduated from SFU in Criminology and Anthropology from which he built a notable career, much of it in public service among offender and victim populations, especially youth and those involved in sexual abuse.  Steve was a member of Nepean Kanata Rotary in Ottawa, and served a term as President. One of his many claims to fame in Ottawa was when he raised more than $14,000 for the Kanata Food Cupboard by losing a substantial amount of weight. (Watch the video at the bottom of the page!) He did it through social media and online donations. We're hoping Steve can work wonders on this side of the continent as well. He and his wife, Karen, moved recently to Victoria to join the greater family and enjoy the gentler climate here. Already, Steve has demonstrated an active involvement in Club meetings and volunteer activities.

Announcements:

On Lincoln Street

Joan P acknowledged the members of the Canada Flag Project Committee who have organized this successful campaign that projects so well the image of Rotary as good-hearted, patriotic servants of the common good.  Along with much good will in the community – thanks to the excellent publicity – the project has earned $8,000 from the sale of 170 flags in 2014, which will fund many of our service activities throughout the year.  The Club has 70 flags remaining to be sold which can be subscribed for $35 for the two remaining holiday weekends this year (Canada Day and Labour Day). 

Heather reminded us to sign up now for the coming year’s Thrifty Food’s “Smile Program” which brought $1,500 to the Club last year.

Mary Canty reported that Don O’keefe is undergoing a challenging course of chemotherapy but is heartened by greetings from club members.

Today’s speaker, member Perry Bamji, was born in Mumbai (Bombay), earned a degree in Electrical Engineering, and worked 28 years for Alcan, ultimately as Technology Licensing Director. He then joined Queens University  for 11 years as Associate Professor and Director of the Small Business Consulting Program. His dedication to service was exemplified by membership in many community boards and associations.

His capacity for direct engagement is further demonstrated by his fascinating presentation today of his study of the economic profile of Mumbai street vendors, called “wallas.”  They carve out their niches by astute insight into the needs of the marketplace and clever adaptation of their limited resources and skills to satisfy it. 

There are 250,000 wallas in Mumbai: chaiwallas, who serve tea on trains and in shops for $2.50/day; productwallas, who sell from their specialty items at select spots on the street for $5-6/day; mobilewallas, like the 5000 dubbawallas who deliver 200,000 meals on heads, bicycles, and trains for $6/day; and documentwallas, who offer secretarial and semi-legal services from their portable table and stool near administration and justice buildings. Most wallas have little or no education and have immigrated from the countryside to Mumbai without their families, to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week while commuting 1½ hrs a day by train. They do it all to fulfill a dream of a better life for themselves and their families.  Perry’s experience with them left him with a deep appreciation for their entrepreneurial capacity, their determined application of limited skills and their cherished dreams of better lives – all values shared by us who live far away and above the streets of Mumbai.
[Editor's note: Some people wanted to know the name of the book that I recently read which was set in the Annawadi Slum near the airport in Mumbai. It's called "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katharine Boo.]

The Meeting ended with a solemn rendition of God Save the Queen, to a video of the latest Royal wedding.