Important to Respect Traditions
Rotary International Leader &
Corporate CEO, Challenges All To Respect Traditions
• In Rotary, every religion is respected,
every tradition is welcomed, and every conviction is honored, for
in Rotary, we join in friendship and we are bonded by our dedication
to service.
Kevin Thorpe is an author and speaker who focuses on helping those
doing good in the world. He calls himself a "champion of social
good." As a Forbes Contributor he covers social entrepreneurship
and impact investing.
As I visit with social entrepreneurs around
the world, I often find that religion is a motivating factor for
their desire to do something that matters. Although rarely discussed,
taking religion out of social entrepreneurship would, for some at
least, rob it of its heart and soul. [
It has been my honor to speak at a few Rotary
District Conferences at discounted fees, but I've not been paid
by Rotary International.]
Of course, many people approach social entrepreneurship
from a purely secular point of view, including some who are religious,
but that does not negate the influence of religion for others.
This week, I am attending the 2015 Parliament
of the World’s Religions here in Salt Lake City, a gathering
of 10,000 religious people looking to advance world peace, many
through some form of social entrepreneurship.
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K.R. Ravindran, President of Rotary International,
a global organization with 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million members,
most of whom are business and community leaders, will speak at the
conference. He shared excerpts from his speech with me in advance.
Highlighting the importance of respect, he
said, “ In Rotary, every religion is respected, every tradition
is welcomed, and every conviction is honored, for in Rotary, we
join in friendship and we are bonded by our dedication to service.
”
Rotary’s motto is “Service above
self.” In a thought that is highly relevant for social entrepreneurs,
Ravindran connects that motto to religion in his remarks, noting,
“Service gives people a way to come together and a reason
to work together for the common good, regardless of their differences.
Charity and serving those with the greatest needs are ideas common
to every religion, which is what Rotary is all about.”
Thirty years ago, Rotary took on the challenge
of eradicating polio. At that time, there were about 350,000 cases
of polio each year. In 2014, there were just 356 cases, reflecting
a 99.9 percent reduction. The eradication of polio now appears certain
within this decade.
Of this effort, Ravindran says, “Rotary’s
decades-long fight to end polio is perhaps the greatest example
of a project that has united every Rotary member around the world
in pursuit of a single, shared goal”
On Friday, October 16, 2015 at noon Eastern,
Ravindran will join me here for a live discussion about the role
of religion in business and social entreprneurship. Tune in here
then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments
below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
More about Rotary International:
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated
to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs
in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves
lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families
in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free
world.
K. R. Rivindran, President of Rotary International, courtesy of
Rotary International
Ravindran’s bio:
K.R. Ravindran is CEO and founder of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed
printing, packaging, and digital media solutions company. It is
arguably the world’s largest supplier of tea bag packaging,
catering to nearly every major tea brand, with manufacturing facilities
in Sri Lanka and India. Printcare is the winner of national and
international awards of excellence. Ravindran has been a featured
speaker at several international print and packaging forums.
Ravindran also serves on the board of several other companies in
Sri Lanka and India and charitable trusts, including the MJF (Dilmah)
Charitable Foundation. He is the founding president of the Rotary-sponsored
Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association, the largest such agency in
Sri Lanka. During the country’s civil war, Ravindran was involved
in the business community efforts to find peaceful solutions to
the conflict and was a featured speaker at the United Nations-sponsored
peace conference in New York for the Sri Lankan diaspora in 2002.
A third generation Rotarian and a member himself since the age of
21, Ravindran has served on the Rotary International Board of Directors
and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees and as RI treasurer.
As his country’s national PolioPlus chair, Ravindran headed
a joint task force of the Sri Lankan government, UNICEF, and Rotary
and worked closely with UNICEF to successfully negotiate a ceasefire
with the northern militants during National Immunization Days. Aided
by Rotary’s efforts, Sri Lanka reported its last case of polio
in 1994.
He also chaired the Schools Reawakening project, in which Rotary
District 3220 raised more than $12 million to rebuild over 20 tsunami-devastated
schools to benefit 14,000 children. He continues to play a role
in his club’s project to build a cancer prevention and early
detection center in Sri Lanka. Once completed, it will be the only
dedicated national facility to offer comprehensive screening and
early detection services.
Ravindran is a recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s Citation
for Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service Award, and Service
Award for a Polio-Free World.
He and Vanathy have been married since 1975,
and they have two children and a recently born grandchild.
-KR, Trustee Chair 2015 - 16
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