MTM is almost here.

Yet another flyer from the MTM team from Trivandrum. By the looks of things they are having a blast churning out flyer after flyer. The drool factor is way up there this time.


This time they have included more details including the registration and accommodation details. The venues all seem to be fantastic. Make things easier for the workaholics at Trivandrum and register now.



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Mid Term Madness is Coming to Area 1!!!

Hi Area 1!

Its been a while since my last blog post but I hope you have been following some of the action happening in Area 1 on Twitter and Facebook. But lets put that aside for the moment. We have been having a great tabling year so far with a very successful RTI Week. Fantastic Joint Socials organised as part of National Fellowship Day and of course the really big one the charter of a table in Area 1 after seven whole years. Yes folks ERT is now officially part of the family, but that is a story for another post.

What has me really excited though is the up coming mega event in February. We had a blast last year curtsey Area 7, this year around its our turn to play hosts and I could think of few places better for Area 1 to host the Mid Term Madness than the Leela Kempinski Beach Resort in Kovalam.

I've been in close contact with the organisers that they assure me that its going to be an event to out do anything the tablers of Area 1 have experienced in recent years. So lets support them and register in numbers. The registration is low and so are the rates that the tablers have managed to get for accommodation. Check out the attached fliers for more details.

I'll be there for the party of the year will you?

Mid Term Meet Flyer

I'm super excited to post the flyer for the mid term meet on the blog. I have always considered the mid term meet as the most fun event of the round table year. The last time we had an Area event of this scale in Trivandrum was for the Poovar AGM, and I had a real blast.

This time its bound to be even better and even grander considering its being held at the Leela Kempinski Bech Resort, Kovalam. So get yourselves registered guys. Its going to be a real blast.

The wait is over!

It has taken seven years and a lot of effort by CBRT 131, but it is finally happening. A new baby is joining the family and that too in Cochin,or should I say Ernakulam.

On the 20th of November 2010, Area 1 will officially be 17 strong with the addition of Ernakulam Round Table to the fold. Make sure you are part of this historic moment in our Area, make sure you make it to the charter of this new a vibrant table in Cochin.

The invite says it all, its going to be one seriously exciting night so be there to party with ERT on their charter night.

Chairman's Message!

Dear Tablers ,

Let me first wish you a very Happy Diwali in advance.

Two  months have gone by after our great AGM at Madurai. I am sure each one of you still cherish the great time we had at Madurai. All Tables have started their activities with Fellowship / Projects / Fund raising / Extension. As we move towards November, a month where the Table activity increases, I request each and every Tabler of Area 1 to participate in the activities.

Projects :-

The  RTI week falls between 7^th – 14^th  November. I am sure your Table has decided the week you are planning for the small projects. As a reminder I would like to highlight that every Table should do a minimum of  seven small projects, thus reaching out to the community. With all 17 Tables doing 7 projects in the month of November, Area1 together would do 119 projects in one month. Your Area Project Convenor, Tr Pramod will be happy to assist you for the RTI week.

Fellowship :-

November is also the month where every table takes an initiative to do a joint social with another Table other than the Tables of Area 1. This is a great opportunity to reach out to Tablers outside Area 1 and have a great fellowship. The National fellowship day is on the 20^th November. But in my earlier mail I requested each Table to have the national fellowship on 13^th November (if possible ) so that all can attend the charter of the new Table in Area 1.

I also would like to remind you that November is the month to have fellowship with the 41ers of your Table. So another social with the 41ers is also required to complete the fellowship month. Your Area Fellowship convenor, Tr Mathan, will assist you in getting Tables from other Area for a joint social or anything to make the national fellowship day and 41ers day a great success.

Publicity :-

Round Table India has been doing a lot of projects and the work each one of you have put in with the small projects which you would do  is a stepping stone to reach more underprivileged children. For this there has to be publicity and hence request each table  to make one article about the projects your table has done during RTI week and ensure the same is published in the news paper. Your Area 1 Publicity  Convenor, Tr George M George, will assist  you .

Extension :-

Area 1 will reach another milestone in the month of November 20^th. Thanks to the Tablers of CBRT 131 for the initiative to extend a new Table called Ernakulam Round Table. On 20^th November at Casino Hotel , Ernakulam Round Table is getting chartered. This is a very special moment for all of us at Area 1 and our National President Tr Vivek Vardhan Prasad will be present for the event to charter ERT.

Also as discussed at the AEX our target to have minimum of 15 Tablers in every Table of Area 1 must be looked into. I am sure all the Tables have started finding prospective to reach our dream. Our Extension convenor Tr Faraz will assist you .

Greeting Cards and Supply House :-

The festive season is around the corner . Let it be Diwali or Christmas or New Year, it is time to greet your friends with a card or gift . The supply House and Greeting card catalogue has been circulated. In case you have not received the same please do get in touch with Greeting cards and Supply House Convenor Tr Priemal ( ART 103 – 9447030776) and he will send the same to you. Please remember every card or gift you purchase will help change  the life of a child .

Once again it is my humble request that all the Tablers of Area 1, support the initiatives and make all the events a great success .

Let it Grow

Thanks

Tr Sejoe Jose

Area Chairman

Blue Blaze!!

The AEX team having travelled from far and near where in high spirits for the all Blue Social "Blue Blaze" organised by the tablers of TMRT 108. 

Area Chariman Tr. Sejoe Jose took the opportunity to make this his official visit to Trichy Mookrock Round Table 108. The chairman of TMRT 108 Tr. Madhu gave a brief introduction to his plans for the year as he was presenting a more detailed report the next day at the AEX. This was followed by AC Tr. Sejoe's speech. The Area Chairman touched upon the great work that TMRT has been doing and encouraged them to pursue extention, projects and fund raising this year. The meeting was adjourned for fellowship and thats when things got crazy!!

It could have been the Tequila shots or the Sake (Japanese Rice Wine), or it could have been the flood of snacks, or maybe it was the DJ (who stood testament to the saying - appearances can be deceptive), or it could have been the company. Whatever the reason, everyone had a blast and if my memory serves me right the party was rocking way past midnight.

Thank you TMRT108 for taking such good care of us and showing us such a great time on Saturday night.

First AEX Area 1 2010/11

The first AEX for the year 2010 - 11 was held at Royal Southern, Trichy on the 10th of October 2010 at 11:00 am. The AEX was hosted by Trichy Moonrock Round Table No. 108 and Tr. Sathiyaprabu was the convener. Though most of us were reeling after over indulging our greed at HT Sq. Leg Prem's house we managed to assemble and get the meeting started without much fuss.

I had the dubious honor of being made the sergeant for the meeting and on appointment I set out clear rules that ensured that everyone had a drink in front of them with their mobile phones switched off or in silent mode. Area Chairman Tr. Sejoe got things rolling by requesting the table chairman present, to highlight their plans for the year. As usual each chairman focused on the shirt comings of his club in previous years and promised to work on them. Most chairmen focused on extension, fellowship and FTE, and pledged their commitment to participate in Area events.

The conveners placed on record their plans for the year as well as what they have already done. A lot of discussion was centered around the Area Mass Tour and the Area Sports Meet.

The AST Tr. George gave a brief on the happening in Area 1. He informed the tablers present on the status of MOM's received, C form and D for dues received, etc/

AVC Tr. Bejoy thanked all the AEX members for making it to Trichy and wished everyone luck to the year ahead.

AC Tr. Sejoe requested clubs with low membership to focus on extention as he hoped to end his year with all clubs having a minimum of 15 tablers. He also requested clubs looking to do FTE projects speak to Tr. Pramod (Projects Convener) regarding the P&G tie up. He reminded the AEX that participation in Area events was integral to making tabling successful in Area 1. He made special mention of the @RTI_Area1 twitter page and the blog and mentioned that these mediums will be regularly updated with the latest news and happening of Area 1. 

Though several other relevant points were discussed, I'll leave it to Jeeth to circulate the minutes online. Safe to say, we have an actioned packed year and everyone is excited. Check out the video to catch a glimpse of the action ;)

Ashes to Glory

Every great organisation, be it corporates, institutions, or clubs leave behind a legacy. Round Tables Legacy is its drive to bring Freedom Through Eduction for children all over India. Area 1 has many instances where tables and tablers have put in their all, to make this dream possible. One such story of pain, sorrow, hardship, success and joy comes from Trichy.

Trichy RT 54 and Trichy LC 33 have been associated with a school, 'Kalaipalli Elementary School',

for the last 6 years. This school having been in existence since 1892 was delt a fatal and cruel blow in 2003, when in a fire accident the entire school was destroyed. With the school literally in ashes the children and management had nowhere to go and were asked to shutdown by Government of Tamil Nadu. That was until TRT54 and TLC33 stepped in.

Brick by brick the school was rebuilt. It involved planning and support, not to mention money, but today it is a fine structure with 12 classrooms, a Kitchen Block, a Toilet Block and a Temple. Over and above this, the uniforms for the students are also being supplied by TRT 54 and TLC 33.

But the story doesn't end there; this school has now been declared 'Best School' by Government of Tamil Nadu. This award was handed over by the Honorable Minister, Govt. Of Tamil Nadu, Shri KN Nehru. In his speech, the minister was extremely grateful to RTI and was very emotional about all the good work being done by RTI for the benefit of children and their education.

The drive to make a difference continues to motivate the tablers and circlers of TRT54 and TLC33. They are now constructing five more classrooms at the Ramakrishna Middle School and on October 9th the Ntnl President of RTI and our Area Chairman visited the school.

All this and more have been achieved by a table that celebrated its 800th meeting last week. Kudos to TRT54 and TLC33

A Breakfast for Champions

Every once in a while, as tablers, we get to experience true hospitality. The tablers, circlers and ladies of Madurai took things to a whole new level when they personally served lunch for us after the last session of the AGM. This time around it was Area HT Sq. Leg Premnathan and his gracious wife Circler Rathnamala who did us the honor of hosting breakfast for the AEX members on Sunday morning. 

Trust me when I say this, the title is no joke. It truly was a breakfast for champions. To start with we were greeted with fantastic coffee (something a mallu very seldom has access to). This was followed by a feast no man should ever be denied in this life. For the vegetarians (very few in the AEX) there was traditional Idilis, Appams, Dosas, Chutney, Samabar, etc. and though I didn't try any of it, I heard from very reliable sources that it was awesome. As for the carnivores, well we feasted on Egg Appams, Egg Dosas, Keema Dosas, Mutton Keema, Mutton Chukka, Chicken, etc. If your mouth is watering like mine was, you are excused. The fabulous meal was washed down with fresh juice by some, coffee by others and beer by a few. 

I have the guilty pleasure of doing this the second time, and to tell you the truth I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Thank you Prem and Rathnamala for your hospitality, our trip to Trichy and the AEX wouldn't have been the same without your hospitality. 

Round Table India Online!

It quite amazing what you'll find if you search the internet. Take the example of the two attached videos, the first one is a compilation of Round Table India, Freedom Through Education promotional videos. I am personally seeing these for the first time and I am sure there are more than a few tablers like me who have never seen these videos. They are superbly put together ads that we can strive to live up to.

The second one is a short movie, again on RTI and FTE. It seems to have been made by a tabler in dedication to his friend and has been edited beautifully. It manages to capture the essence of our movement, while maintaining a certain degree of humility.

I hope you enjoy these videos and I hope they remind you what RTI is capable of. "Together We Can, Together We Will", "Let it Grow"

NEX 2 - The meeting of the minds!!

Yes tablers! Area 1 hosted the second NEX in Cochin and what an awesome NEX it was!!!

I thought I'd some spice to the juicy details I managed to get off our our little insiders, Area Chairman Tr. Sejoe and AVC Tr. Bejoy

The 2^nd NEX was conducted at Ramada, Cochin on the 17^th and 18^th of September. It was great success due to the support offered by Ernakulam Round Table, CBRT 131, GCRT 102 & CRT 71. A special mention must be made of Tr Bejoy, our AVC who was the convenor of the event. He made sure that all the delegates attending the NEX had a great time. Tr Bejoy was meticullous, getting into minute detailing and leaving absolutely no room for problems. As usual the hospitality shown by Area 1, through the Cochin tables was much appreciated by all the National Board members. 

Following is the brief gist of two days:

17th Sept 2010 :

Day one started quite early for Bejoy and the tablers of Cochin who agreed to transport the National Board members to the venue. Through delayed trains, planes and cabs, Tr. Bejoy managed to maintain an almost buddha like calm (no reference to his appearance). In the end everyone reached on time, but on time for what? Bejoy was made to understand the the NEXT was to start immediately post lunch, but he was in for a rude shock when the National Board decided to take over the Ramada Pool. What ensued was three hours of awesome fun (damn I wish I was on the Board). Any ways the Trainers and Bejoy along with the HRD convener (Tr. Pramod of Madurai) managed to finally ge the team out of the pool and into the training session. Though it was meant in part to help NEX members get to know each other better, this task was more than completed in the pool (or so I'm told). The NEXT finally started at  approximately 5 pm and the continued till 8 pm. The session included one to one meetings with the respective national conveners/committee members and our Area Chairman made full use of his opportunity to interact with all the conveners/committee members. Ideas and plans were exchanged, leaving everyone happier and more relaxed about the year to come. The Board also decided on the budget for the 50th NAGM presented by Convener Tr. Suman from Chennai.

After the NEXT was over and done with for the day, it was time to unwind and there was a relaxed get together at the venue for the members of the national board.

18th Sept 2010 :

Partying has its side effects and the day two started quite late @ 12 noon. The trainers felt the need to complete the NEXT and ensured that every body participated in one round of team building exercises. NEX session finally commenced @ 1 pm with each of the conveners and Area Chairmen presenting their report. I've been informed that a detailed minutes of the meeting will be sent by NST Tr. Vineet Parikh in due course.

The NEX session continued till 8.00 pm after which the entire NEX board attended the historic 700th meeting of Cochin Round Table # 71. Having attended it myself, I'd like to appreciate Tr. Mitesh, Chairman CRT71 and Tr. paul, Secretory CRT71 for holding a superb meeting. A special mention goes to Tr. Eldho, the sergeant for the evening. He truely has the gift of gab! The fellowship and live band made for a lively atmosphere that the tablers of the national board won't forget for a long time to come.

I am still waiting for the Photos and will have it up soon enough.

Update: I have compiled the photos into a video. Check it out

The Pandi style performance by the Pandimonium hosts!

Fantabulous! Its the only word I could find to describe the performance by the hosts of Pandimonium. A pattikadu performance that brought out the country side in the audience was followed by a really well choreographed pattanam performance. Check out the videos to see what I'm talking about.

Foot Loose!!!

QRT 85 had a fabulous surprise in store for us when they decided to participate in the dance competition. Tr. Raj was a revelation on the dance floor and I'm not kidding when I say that I saw atleast a few open jawed expressions at this performance.

Fabulous stuff guys!!

The Pattanam Babe marries the Pattikudu Dude

Once again CBRT131 managed to capture our imagination with a well thought out performance. The costumes and story line were superbly executed. Look out for Rakesh and Chacko doing the Emotional Atyachar number. Fantastic!!

The Pattanam dudes managed to get the pattikadu girls!

I have to admit I have been waiting to post this video online for a while now, and I have selfish interests at heart. After all, team GCRT102 managed to put on a truly mesmerising performance and I got to be part of it.

If you missed the performance, check out the video!

Ushering the AC and FL in Style!

The tablers of Madurai have shown us how to do things in style and do things differently. A true example of this was the entry of the then Area Chairman Sujay and his better half during the 4th September Social (Informal Night). For all those who missed it, check out this video.

The stars were twinkling on the 3rd of September

It looks like these Pandimonium posts will not stop coming. This time I have the video of the Twinklers dance during the optional dinner. If you read my first post, you'll know how much I enjoyed this performance. This is your tern to relive the performance or see it for the first time. It is fairly obvious that a lot a thought and practice has gone into this dance and I'd like to personally applaud the twinklers for putting on such a fantastic performance.

Pandimonium - AGM Session 2

This will be my final post in connection with Pandimonium. Its been a blast, sorting the pictures and creating the videos. I hope you guys liked it.

The final video captures the champions of Area 1 getting awarded for all their hard work and the installation of our new Area Chairman. Yenjoy!!

"Pandimonium" - AGM and Social

Wow! The groups has been really busy this week. Thanks to the Amarnath brothers for organising the pictures and posting them online for the Area to see. Being the geek that I am (at least I'd like to think so), I figured that I'd do some value addition and I have created another video.

As the titile aptly puts it this time around I've tryed to capture some of the moments that defined the first day of the 2010 AGM. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did making it.

"Pandimonium" - TGIF

The tone for any AGM is actually set on Friday night. The informal night is a great tradition and the tablers of Madurai added their twist to the concept.

As usual the evening started with the AEX. While everyone else was resting and relaxing, the incoming and outgoing teams were toiling at the AEX trying to ensure that there is a smooth transition. Ehm!! I'm just kidding, in reality it was probably the shortest AEX in recent history with everyone focused on getting the party started.

The informal night kicked off with several performances by the twinklers of Madurai. Trust me when I say that the performances where mind boggling. You had to be their to experience it. I especially like the bouncing skull. I'm sure at least a few drunk tablers must have thought they were hallucinating. This was followed by fellowship and dinner. The dosas were moving as fast as the booze and by the end of the night everyone was content.

I have created a video using pictures taken on the 3rd of September, during the informal night at "Pandimonium"

A special thanks to Vijai for forwarding the pics so promptly. Too bad you aren't in any of them!

"Let It Grow" Area 1

I have been inundated with requests to upload the inspirational video our Area Chairman chose to launch his theme "Let it Grow" for the year. So here it is folks, Yenjoy Madi!

2010 RTI Area 1 AGM - Pandimonium

What better way to start the 2010 RTI Area 1 blog than to speak about the absolutely fantastic weekend that was Pandimonium. The area groups has been inundated with scores of mails from all over the area thanking and congratulating the tablers, circlers, ladies, twinklers, and square legs of Madurai for hosting a superbly organised AGM. A lot goes into making an AGM successful. Be it the name, the venue, the  liquor, the theme socials, the AGM sessions, the liquor, the transportation, the accommodation, the liquor, the games for ladies and twinklers, the food, oh and did I mention the liquor?!?!?

Starting with the name "Pandimonium", I feel the tables of Madurai had a winner on their hands. It was so inviting that I didn't need to think twice before registering. There is an element of fun and mischief in the name and it manages to capture the attitude of the Madurai tables.

The two venues; The Gateway Hotel (hence forth referred to as, The Taj) and Heritage Madurai (hence forth referred to by its original name, Heritance) were inspired choices. The Taj, with its very own hill, was the perfect place to host the AGM. From the moment you climb the hill you know you are in for some real fun, with photoshopped pictures of the AC, AVC and IPC (present), peppered all the way up to the reception. While the Heritance was ideal for the informal night and the themed social, with its blend of old and new. While the amphitheater was put to good use during the informal night, the stunning pool side dance floor was the highlight of the social. The themes for a change were relatively easy to stick by and added colour to socials.

The AGM sessions were hosted with ease and every whim and fancy of the head table was catered to. The sessions were more or less conducted on time and the lights, projectors and computers more or less managed to work. But the overall effect was great with several of the tablers, ladies and twinklers choosing to participate in the sessions. Of course this would never have been possible without the incredible effort put in to co-ordinate transportation between the different hotels and venues. Vehicles were at our beck and call at all times of the day or night. Kudos to the transportation team. The same goes for the accommodation team. The hotels selected and the rates were out of this world. Tablers staying at the Taj and Heritance were truely amazed by the shear size and opulence of the rooms and the properties themselves.

The ladies tea party was a roaring success with most of the Area 1 ladies making it back just in time for the saturday night social. The games and interactive sessions were truely inspired and everyone had a ball of a time. It was a great way for ladies from all over the area to meet interact and socialise.

Now the important stuff, the food and the liquor. Admit it! If these two elements fail, then nothing else matters. But this is Madurai we are talking about, the land of mutton biriyani, brain fry and mutton chukka. From the awesome mutta keema dosai on friday night to the homely ela sadhya on Sunday, every meal as a delight. The highlight of course was the Sunday afternoon lunch. To everyones surprise and delight, the tablers, circlers and ladies of Madurai decided to redefine hospitality by personally serving the food. This made the already awesome food taste even beteer, and for that I solute each and everyone of you.

Moving on the last item in the agenda, the Liquor, what can I say except it was cheap, it was flowing and it was everywhere. It didn't matter whether, you were are the AGM hall, the lunch counters, the dinner counters, or in your room, the booze was flowing, and served more often than not by the tablers themselves, always with a wicked smile and a cheerful salute. I hope the collections were good guys!

What more can I say, except thank you to Anachi and his whole team. every element was perfect and you have set the bar high for the rest to follow. This AGM clearly proved that "Together We Can, Together We Will", "Let it Grow".