BULLETIN OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BOMBAY for private circulation only | www.rotaryclubofbombay.org Vol. 55 Issue No. 22 Mumbai November 26 to December 2, 2013 Pages 8 Price R3/- “The cell phone is not a toy” ─ Juhi Chawla I n her life, my friend Juhi captures chances like a child gathering sand and making a dream sand castle. She won a scholarship at Bombay University but, one day, a friend filled a form for a beauty contest. The Miss India 1984 title was hers, the best costume at Miss Universe. A chance meeting with Director Mukul Anand who offered her a debut in the film Sultanat The movie did not do well but Juhi shone. Who can forget her smile in QSQT? With Aamir Khan, she became the spectacular star of the 1980s A small ugly duckling in the film Aiana, Juhi ban gayi regal, a beautiful swan She was a runaway, a lovable girl or an imp. She was fabulous in each of her diverse roles. Yeh Khiladi, Yeh Deewaani Mastaani, Chalte Chalte, Juhi started a company with SRK for the first time Filmistan became Companistan because Juhi reinvents herself With beautiful period pieces, bi-lingual films with a conscience like My Brother Nikhil. Her awards, if I list, would take all day. But so enough said on her public face, her own spirituality is a powerful force. Her courage to take up on popular social issues, not just From left: Dr. Swati Piramal, Ms. Juhi Chawla, President Nirav Shah, Rtn. Deepak Kapadia and Mr. Anuj Jain activism that stops everything but activism that constructs that builds, that builds trust. She brought awareness on issues of radiation for the safety of friends and family. I thank you I was one of the beneficiaries. A natural beauty, she does not need artifice because she is beautiful inside. A friend, a mother, a wife who is trusted, a true giver, honest and gentle. When she smiles, ladies and gentlemen, fellow Rotarians, when she smiles, it is as if the sun comes out. I present my friend Juhi Chawla – Dr. Swati Piramal Good afternoon, friends. Swatiji, thank you for such a glorious introduction. You always surprise me with your poetry whereas you had told me that you are a scientist. I am not here to show you how smart I am. I am not against any cellular phone company and I am not here to tell you to throw away A section of the audience listens in rapt attention those phones. I am here only to draw attention to certain aspects of radiation which we may be overlooking. Electromagnetic field radiation — EMFR — can damage health and your cell phone is not a toy. The World Health Organisation had initially said that there is no substantial proof that EMFR can damage health. However, in 2011, it changed its stand and now says: “Possibly carcinogenic, Class 2B”. The cell phone is a fantastic piece of technology. You dial a few numbers and it shoots off radio wave beams to an antenna. The antenna then shoots off another radio wave beam to a switching centre, which authenticates the call with ‘call from so-and-so number and looking for so-and-so number’. It then shoots off one more radio wave beam to another antenna that is closest to the receiver’s cell phone. Have you ever thought how dialling a few buttons can connect you to a friend in Australia? You talk in real time and there is not even a wire! If you were to fly to From left: President Nirav Shah, Ms. Juhi Chawla, Dr. Swati Piramal and Mr. Anuj Jain Today’s Speaker (November 26, 2013): Vinod Shetty, Winner of the Rotary Award for Social Service November 26 to December 2, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay 1 Australia, it would take you two days, whereas your friend takes your call in four seconds. Now, think of the speed and the strength of that radio wave. Radio waves are just waves in the air and man has figured out how to use them. Technology powered by electricity can generate a wave. Now these waves can be both gentle as well as of high frequency. Radio waves that are used for cell phones are closest in range to microwaves that heat food without fire. How does this happen? Microwave oven technology is powered by electricity and in that box radio waves are generated that make the molecules of food vibrate faster and thereby create heat energy. When you warm your food, you will find the curry heating up faster than the container. This is because molecules of liquid vibrate faster. Again, what would happen to the food if you put it in the microwave oven for ten minutes or an hour and not just one or two? Let us explore the antenna of the cell phone. You must have seen them mushrooming on buildings, in slums and even along highways. The white part of the antenna has electricity running through it and emits maximum radiation. These antennae are on 24x7 and during peak hours, in order to manage traffic, cellular companies increase the power output to these antennae so that they radiate more. What then happens to people who are living in close proximity to these mobile phone towers?! A cell phone is powered by battery and every 60 seconds sends out a radio wave beam to the closest antenna to say, “I am here”. The antenna knows where to find this number if it needs to. When we were checking these radio waves, we realised that phones with WiFi radiate even more because they are constantly downloading data. Have you ever noticed how your ears grow warm after a long call? It is the same microwave effect. Your ears, soft tissues, earlobes, blood vessels, fine nerves going to the brain and the liquid which balances you are being cooked. When we give them rest, they bounce back. But, what about the day when your ears refuse to repair because they have been abused too long? The BlackBerry manual says: Hold the BlackBerry 15 mm or 0.5 inches away from your ears. How many of us do that? The International Commission on Non Ionising Radiation Protection, the guidelines to which we all pay attention to, advises: “Six minutes per day for cell phone use!” When children play games on iPads it should be put on airplane mode. We have lived our lives; what about our children and grandchildren who will grow up in a world surrounded by radiation? A hundred years ago, there were a few, the elite, who could afford cigars. Several years down the line, companies started making cigarettes more affordable for the masses and people began to smoke. It became a fashion statement and business grew by leaps and bounds. Every hoarding one saw had a cigarette packet. Around that time, maybe one little voice said: “Something is not right about this.” As years went by, however, the voices started to grow and approximately 10 years ago, the government had to ban smoking in public places. Twenty years ago, only a few people used cell phones. Today, in a gathering of 100, we would have 150 phones. The cell phone is a fantastic piece of technology, but it must be used with care. It must be used with restraint and to your advantage. Do not let the cell phone consume you. Just remember EMFR can damage health and your cell phone is not a toy. Many of us make calls sitting in the car because that is the time when we are free. The car is the microwave oven and you are the food. Radiation and radio waves from phones bounce back at you From left: Rtn. Mudit Jain, Rtn. Sameer Tapia, R/ anne Devina Shah, President Nirav Shah, Ms Juhi Chawla, Rtn. Anar Shah and R/anne Swapana Murarka 2 and intensify radiation. Also, cell phones should not be kept by your bedside as an alarm clock. There is constant radiation. Last but not the least, do not keep your WiFi routers in your bedrooms. Excerpts from a Q&A session Q: I have friends who stayed in Usha Kiran and three of them got tumours. Does any study say that cell phones or towers cause tumours? Some cell phones have stickers that say it reduces radiation. Is that effective? Juhi Chawla: Radiation cannot be seen, tasted or heard and this is the grey area. Damage can be caused by proximity to radio waves. It is a simple science. But, since this is a new technology and business has boomed around it, research has fallen behind. Forewarned, however, is forearmed and that is why we are asking you to be at least aware and cut out unnecessary calls. I have such a chip/sticker on my phone. I was told that radio waves exist at random in nature while what we create with technology and electricity are systemic and interfere with the waves. You have waves because you have cells vibrating in your body. This chip from Environics has rare earth elements that convert systemic rays that come into the phone into random waves and thereby reduces radiation. Q: What about radiation from TV tower antennas? Juhi Chawla: Fortunately the TV set-top box and antennas remain at a distance. Radiation decreases as distance increases. Q: There are advertisements that say that one can now watch movies on cell phones. What is going to happen to the entertainment industry if these cell phones are banned? Has any research been done on movies on the phone? Juhi Chawla: One would be watching movies on a phone from a distance. I am not a scientist but Mr. Prakash Munshi, a member of Ms. Juhi Chawla's team this is what good sense tells me now. It is a new technology and we have to see the effects. I only hope we do not have to wait too long and have to suffer before we are able to convince authorities to do something about the ill-effects, if there would be any. Q: A lot of work has been done on electromagnetic radiation and its effects on human beings. However, cell phones have been around for 15-20 years and a lot of the effects of electromagnetic radiation can be seen over a period of 30-40 years and longer. So, we should not have cell phones near schools and not restrict the usage of cell phones. Children mostly use it to play games and that is something that parents can stop. Dr. Swati Piramal: Public health never knew about the ill effects of cigars or cigarettes. It took a long time before it could be proven as cancerous. I measured radiation in my offices, which happen to be opposite Vodafone and Airtel towers and 15 antennas in a slum. I was amazed at the level of radiation and decided to shield all employees who were sitting in the offices and every plant and every place where we have offices. It is a big problem; only, we have not measured it. We can also do simple things such as using headphones and not letting a child play games on a cell phone. Why is it a problem in Bombay and not in the US or UK? We are densely-populated and the number of cell phones in our country is more than in the UK or US. I think it is our responsibility to shield our family and our children, particularly because we do not know its long-term effects. Q: We have a tower in our building and had a radiation survey done once. We were given a certificate stating that radiation was well within range. How authentic was that survey? Is there any way we can at least protect our flat from that kind of Ms. Juhi Chawla and PP Rtn. Ashish Vaid THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay November 26 to December 2, 2013 radiation? Juhi Chawla: You have raised a concern that multiple people have. You need to pursue this matter with the government authorities. Prakash Munshi: Juhi and I have been working together since 2010, knocking at the doors of the government. A policy had been finalised by the BMC but after cellular operators approached the state government, it is the latter that will formulate a policy, incorporating Government of India guidelines announced on August 1, 2013. We have done follow-ups with the state government and are now waiting for a reply. You can get the antenna removed if it does not conform to the August 1 guidelines. R/anne Ekta Shah asks a question to Ms Juhi Chawla EMFR sets the audience thinking Excess radiation causes damage ─ Anuj Jain R adiation is like energy; something that you cannot touch, feel or taste although it is everywhere. When you hit upon a lot of energy in your body, electrons start coming out and that is radiation. Excess radiation causes damage to the human body. Take your cell phone, put it under your armpit and try to call. Your phone will still work. This means that cell phone radiation passes through the body. When we take in a lot of electron radiation, we need to discharge it. It is similar to electron relaxation. If we do not give it time to discharge, there will be health problems. Take the example of the sun and the moon — an excess of both could cause problems. Radiation 24x7 is, thus, a problem. I frequently go to a dietician and she asks me, “How much food do you eat?” I say I do not eat much, but when I start writing, I realise I eat a lot. Since incoming calls are free, we often do not notice how long we are on the phone. Unlimited talking creates problems. Wired headsets are a fantastic way of talking to people because they convert the radio waves to sound waves and they are one metre away. One metre distance reduces radiation at least 10 times. Also, using a wired headset is much better than using Bluetooth because Bluetooth adds one more source of energy. Do not sleep with your cell phone and do not keep the phone in the pocket of your pants or shirt since, in both cases, the cell phone would be near sensitive organs. The best option is to keep it at your desk and college students can keep it in their backpacks. Cordless phones can emit high levels of radiation even without being connected. When a call is made, the level of radiation shoots up multiple times since it is talking to its own tower, which is right inside the house. Wireless baby monitors also emit radiation. Keep them at a distance if you have to use them. In the US, it is kept on the wall, far away from the baby. There are two types of antennae that we need to understand — the round and the long. It is the long antennas that we need to be careful about. If the antenna is facing you directly, you are going to be affected the most. There is no radiation monitoring and we do not know how much radiation is being thrown at us. Telecommunication is converging to data communication. There is no telecommunication left in 4G too. Your phone call is treated as data and going at a super high speed with the highest priority. So, the cell phone will cook your body parts at a higher speed. Ionising radiation causes cancer. But, oncologists will also say that it is not the only factor that causes cancer. So, that is where Juhi mentioned ‘Class 2B, Possibly Carcinogenic’. The ideal way when you get a call is to wait for a few seconds; the idea is that radiation level stops a few seconds after you are into the call. Also, if you do not like to use a headset then take your call on the loudspeaker. Nowadays, you also have new kinds of headsets like music headsets. When you are trying to make a call, your cell phone is talking to three towers and when a call is established it breaks its links with two towers and maintains it with one. This is how radiation levels fall. Juhi Chawla releases the new Rotary Club of Bombay brochure that is resplendent in all the colours of Rotary. The brochure took two months to complete and covers all Club projects. (Standing top): Dr. Swati Piramal, Ms. Juhi Chawla, President Nirav Shah, PP Nowroze Vazifdar, Rtn. Deepak Kapadia and Mr. Anuj Jain (Standing bottom): Mr. Zoeb Kanorwalla,Head Design Center, Piramal Glass (second from left) and President Nirav's staff November 26 to December 2, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay 3 Merriment and bonhomie at Alibaug A t 9:30 am on Sunday, November 17, an enthusiastic group of more than 100 Rotarians, Rotaryannes and their children assembled at the Gateway of India for a catamaran ride to Mandwa Jetty in Alibaug, where a day of fun, frolic and bonhomie awaited them. The group was joined by a few ACE 13 Rotary Club presidents and their spouses, besides a few friends of President Nirav Shah. Excitement hung in the air as the group aboard the vessel chatted and munched on snacks and the catamaran cut through the calm waters of the sea. It dropped anchor at Mandwa Jetty and the warm welcome accorded by First Lady Devina, who garlanded each member of the group as they stepped off the vessel, matched the animated mood. The group was then ushered into buses, and over another round of snacks and beverages, set off for the final leg of the journey to the picturesque weekend home of Honorary Rotarian Ajay Piramal and Dr. Swati Piramal. Many Rotarians who had reached Alibaug the day before 4 also trickled in to enjoy a leisurely afternoon. The soft sounds of music filled the lawn as Sunny Rodrigues and Bernice crooned retro numbers of different genres. Rotarians, Rotaryannes and friends sat around tables, many wearing colourful hats, as sangria, beer and laughter flowed. An activity on the theme “Whatever Gives Us Happiness” began, with prizes for three of the most creatively-painted porcelain plates. It was not long before colourful plates lined the tables, a veritable rainbow glistening in the sun. Prizes were given to the best three adjudged by President Nirav’s daughter, Supriya, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Parsons New School of Design in New York. A diverse spread was laid out to tantalise the tastebuds. There were 12 kinds of salad — from THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay November 26 to December 2, 2013 asparagus mousse and seaweed salad to fenugreek leaves with pine nuts. In the main course section, the mouth-watering matla nu undhyu, a typical Gujarati dish sans oil and made over wood fire, ruled the buffet table. There was also a choice of biryani, pani puri, pandoli, raclette, a made-to-order pasta counter and more. Lychee, mango and raspberry sorbets, peach pastries, chocolate truffle cakes, raspberry parfaits, nougat baskets with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce waffles enticed those with and without a sweet tooth. November 26 to December 2, 2013 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay After enjoying a sumptuous meal, the group soaked in life in a laidback mode, lazing in and around the Infinity Pool to beat the heat or lying in the shade of tall trees. Harry, Ashish, Bijal, Gopi, Kalpana and many other Rotarians and Rotaryannes decided to make merry by dancing to foot-tapping numbers. But, as the sun began its descent, it was time for the group to break up and head for home across the sea. It was past sundown when the catamaran reached the Gateway of India. It was truly a day wellspent — an enjoyable affair with happy memories of the hospitality of President Nirav, First Lady Devina, their family and staff. Of course, the enjoyment would not have been half as special without the intense efforts and planning by the Fellowship Team, President Nirav’s father Niranjan Shah’s meticulous attention to detail and mother Arunika Shah’s efforts to satiate all tastebuds. The trip was also made extra special by President Nirav’s sister, Swati, and brother-in-law, Ajay Piramal, who opened the doors of their beautiful bungalow to host the fellowship and made arrangements for 150 people to enjoy a relaxing afternoon. It was a day of rejuvenation — quite like the beautiful samudramanthan sculpture at the Piramal Villa that depicts the distribution of rejuvenating nectar among the devas. 5 “We had a great time during the Alibaug fellowship! Thanking you and all your family members.” — Rtn. Samir Mogul and family “Thank you so much for a wonderful, fun-filled and chilled-out day at Alibaug! Comfortable boat ride, enjoyable bus ride and a welcome with golden garlands made us feel like devas. Painting on plates was interesting and drinking, dancing and swimming in the Infinity Pool was awesome. The food and dessert was delicious... Thank you so much for your warm hospitality... a fabulous and exciting day which all of us will remember whenever we think of having a good time in Alibaug.” — Arwiend Lakhmana, member of the ACE 13 Presidents “Thank you so very much for organising a fun-loving picnic. We all had a wonderful time being with everyone and it was a beautiful Sunday spent together with the family.” — R/anne Dhvanika, Aaryan and Rtn. Ashwin Thakkar 6 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay November 26 to December 2, 2013 Screening test for anaemia at Lower Parel school A n anaemia test for 68 Bhavishya Yaan children of G. K. Marg Municipal School at Lower Parel was organised by PP Kalpana Munshi, Chairperson, Maternal & Child Health Care Committee, with the support of Rtn. Rajesh Shah and under the guidance of Dr. Asha Dalal, endoscopic surgeon and Professor and Head of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Nair Hospital. Dr. Devaki Desai enlightened the children on anaemia and the importance of a healthy diet. The test found seven children with haemoglobin counts below 10 and three children with counts below eight. Four USV Pvt. Ltd. technicians with two anaemia machines conducted the test. Dr. Asha Dalal suggested that all the 10 children diagnosed with anaemia be treated free of cost at Nair Hospital. President Nirav Shah tried to motivate the children to strive for good health with his signature phrase, “Jai Ho”. Nutritional chikki and snacks were served to the children and Chairperson Kalpana spoke about all the activities undertaken by the Maternal & Child Health Care Committee. Rtn. Shyamniwas Somani, Rtn. Naresh Kumar Jain, Rtn. Peter Born, R/anne Erika Born, Bhavishya Yaan mentor Feroze and teachers of G. K. Marg Municipal School were also present. These children have haemoglobin counts within the range Paramedics conduct tests as students line up Dr Devika Desai enlightening the audience on anaemia Rotarians look on as a child holds out her hand for a blood test President Nirav Shah motivating those present with his signature 'Jai Ho' &Summer Wine Emerald Slopes THE MAHABALESHWAR ESCAPADE January 2 - 4, 2014 LAST FEW ROOMS LEFT With its scenic beauty, oxygen-filled air and fresh strawberries, Mahabaleshwar serves as the perfect retreat for RCB’s fellowship. To make this fellowship even more interesting, we have planned early-morning forest walks, breakfast meets, exotic lunch spreads and musical evenings. Further, we will spend an entire day at Greenwoods, the Piramal Villa, where Dr. Swati Piramal will keep you enthralled. Our Alibaug fellowship was a smashing success! We would like to bring to your notice that our "Mahabaleshwar Escapade" from January 2 to January 4 is also nearly SOLD OUT. All the rooms at the Mahabaleshwar Club are taken and we have just a few more rooms left at the Citrus Hotel. Kindly confirm your names to avoid last-minute anxiety. We wish to offer a wonderful time during your stay in Mahabaleshwar. November 26 to December 2, 2013 For further queries: Rtn. Ashok Minawala ─ Fellowship Chair Rtn. Manoj Murarka ─ Fellowship Co Chair THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay 7 Published on Tuesday, November 26, 2013. Regd. No. MH/MR/South-109/2012-14; R.N.I. No. 14015/60 Posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai 400 001, on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 rotary club of bombay Happy Birthday Founded 19 march, 1929 Charter No. 3128, Dated 08 May, 1929 97-B Mittal Tower, Nariman Point Mumbai 400 021, India Tel.: 91 22 22024089 Fax.: 91 22 22024509 [email protected] Natwarlal Brahmbhatt November 26 Sameer Kaji November 27 Spouses Rotary’s six areas of focus Sandra Merchant Peace and conflict prevention/resolution November 26 November 29 Arti Sanghi November 29 Kashmira Dalal November 30 Renu Chokhani December 1 Malini Agarwalla December 2 Ayesha Soonawalla December 2 Disease prevention and treatment Sudha Motwane November 30 Dr. Sharukh Golwalla December 2 PP Nandan Damani December 1 Forthcoming Meetings Chandrakanta Juneja November 28 Alpana Chinai Dr. Aashish Contractor November 29 The statistics for the meeting held on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 are as under: Members present 141 Visiting Rotarians 02 Rotaryannes 17 Guests 05 Total attendance 165 December 3 Dinesh Vazirani (Saffron Art) December 10 Annual General Meeting December 17 Nitin Nohria (Dean, Harvard Business School) on Relationship between Business and Society Donors to the Rotary Club Bombay Charities Trust No. 3 SILVER DONOR Water and sanitation Rtn. Ashok Advani Birthday donation of R1 lakh Maternal and child health Generous Donors S. No Basic education and literacy Economic and community development Doing good in the world 1 2 3 4 5 6 Name Rtn. Sohel Shikari Rtn. Anil Goyel Rtn. Manish Kejriwal Rtn. C.K. Srinivasan Rtn. Akil Hirani Rtn. Freyaz Shroff Area of Focus Cause Amount Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus Birthday Donation Birthday Donation Birthday Donation Birthday Donation Birthday Donation Birthday Donation R25,000 R10,000 R10,000 R5,001 R5,000 R2,000 Be in the loop ... or be left out...... Join our very own official Facebook group at https://www.facebook. com/groups/rotaryclubbombay/ to view photographs of fellowship, meetings and more. You may also start a discussion or opine on one. Need a phone number of a fellow Rotarian, or the birthday of a Rotary friend ??? Have all information at the tip of your fingers when you download our own official Roster app 'Roster on Wheels' on your mobiles from the app stores. Available on Blackberry, Android, iPhones and Nokia mobiles, and best of all... its free !!! Editorial Consultant: Monideepa Choudhury, Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Mathuradas Mill Compound, N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013. Landline: 022-24811010 E-Mail: [email protected] Regd. No. MH/MR/South-109/2012-14, R.N.I. No. 14015/60 Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 Printed, Published by Rtn. Arjun Bulchandani on behalf of Rotary Club of Bombay and printed at Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Mathuradas Mill Compound, N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai 400 013 and Published at 97/B, Mittal Tower, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021. Editor: Arjun Bulchandani 8 THE GATEWAY, The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay November 26 to December 2, 2013
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