Impressed foreign Rotarians head back

CHENNAI: A ‘Kolaveri Joint Meeting’ of a number of Chennai-based wings of the Rotary International was held on Monday evening to bid farewell to a team of Rotarians from Los Angeles, who had spent a month in Tamil Nadu as part of the organisation’s Group Study Exchange programme. The meeting also conveyed its wishes to the team of five from Chennai, who are set to visit Los Angeles next month on a similar visit.The team from Rotary District 5280, in Los Angeles, comprised five people of varying ethnicities and walks of life. Their one month in Tamil Nadu, which began with Pongal, saw them visit a number of towns and villages and take up a number of service e-oriented activities. They stayed with host families of Rotarians, a tradition that will be extended to the Chennai team when they visit Los Angeles.The Americans told the gathering of their experiences over the past month and shared memorable incidents of their stay in India. “We have accorded excellent hospitality and have seen some amazing buildings. We have experienced such rich culture. And yes, all the unbelievable food. Indians have this beautiful obsession with food,” said Cesar Toledo, who works for an NGO.His teammates reflected his view and underlined it with their own experiences. “We visited some awe-inspiring temples and churches. We experienced the ease with which all these religions thrive among one another, and in harmony. The cultural displays were excellent. At Vaniyambadi, we were greeted by a band of musicians who led us through the streets. That’s something that I have never tried before,” gushed Nicole Wendy Smith, a employee of California County for Affordable Housing project.The other member of the group – team leader Ann Murakami, University of California’s Ing Phansavath and make-up artist Cynthia Conant – spoke of their experiences during the Pongal festivities and Republic Day. The Chennai team, which will include builder G Gnanavelan, Team Leader, graphic designer Ganesh Valayutham, motorcycle enthusiast Chitra Priya, journalist Gunasekaran, and management professor Uma Maheswari, is set to leave for Los Angeles on March 23 and tour the region till April 22.