It has indeed been a memorable three years and eight months since I joined Tabling! Today I stand before you, to thank you for the support and encouragement received over these past few years before I move on to another phase in my life!
Tabling has given me the most wonderful gift of a lifetime – that of Friendship! Of Friends, across the country, any time, and at all times, without bias or prejudice, with unbound and infectious enthusiasm! I shall treasure each and every Friend I have made, and every moment I have spent amongst you, for years to come.
The time as a Tabler has been a great Learning e\Experience. It has taught me to Think and Dream Big! Big enough to think of educating One Million Children - A target that inspires you to aim higher than most can ever dream off! The fact that RTI has achieved so much with so little resources and time is in itself an inspiration! FTE in turn drove me to pursue larger, impossible goals, both within and outside Tabling! It helped me dream of FTE+ project and RecycleCartridge alliance, among others, only proving how the true sense of our motto - “Adopt. Adapt. Improve”.
Tabling not only gave me the confidence to dream, but also Plan, Execute and Deliver BIG! The year as Chairmanship was possibly the most memorable year where I pushed my limits to points that I never imagined I could! Chairmanship taught me Team dynamics, Leadership amongst Peers, and a host of Learnings that I would never get in anywhere on this earth in such a short while! There were highs in that year that only got higher as we went on!
I had the delightful support of my Table throughout the year that only made things better for me! We had great some superb performances in all facets of Tabling, be it Fellowship, Projects, Fund-raising or the Table Magazine. We started the “Share your Joys” initiative, which opened our eyes to the plight of the really underprivileged and the participation by the Table was indeed a revelation. We followed this up with the Lingarajpuram School and the FTE+ at the Gurudwara School. Despite the additional surprise of National Convenership, midway, the Table support and enthusiasm was awesome to lighten my load while handling both the responsibilities with vigor and aplomb. I am indeed indebted to BNRT 25 for the unbridled support !
The National Corporate Alliance Convener-ship came as a bolt from the blue, in the same year as my chairmanship! My dear friend and Area Chairman, Gopal Chopra, had a “heavy” hand to play!! I was introduced to the Ever Amazing NP Shiv, who brought me into the NEX after the second NEX that year to get me started on another roller coaster ride! That was another phase of tabling that I enjoyed thoroughly! I made friends across the country and was Learning at a whirlwind pace. The Alliances required perseverance, patience and constant communication. It involved subtly branding RTI and its projects. Meeting new people and presenting FTE and its achievements enlarged my perspective of FTE and it’s impound. As the intensity of the FTE mission sank in, I couldn’t stop wondering the vision of those who propounded FTE and its goals. The power behind the motto of “Service Through Fellowship” became visible in many ways on visiting the many projects that Tablers had participated in over the years, while we claimed we were away partying! It was these meetings with the prospective sponsors, that caused me to reflect on the achievement of having touched a half a million children’s lives and done our little bit for their lives, while we were enjoying fellowship amongst our fellow Tablers, little realizing the impact we were making to those impoverished lives, out there! The awe and the respect that Round Table India commanded on presenting our underrated achievements to corporate and sponsors can only be experienced , not explained!
FTE+ was a project conceived while playing a round of golf! It was indeed a proud moment to see the results after implementation at the Gurudwara school! I would like to thank Satish V and SAP for having provided funds for the first round of implementation. It was indeed the icing on the cake for RTI to have won the Best Service Project Award for the year 2007-08 at the RT international AGM at Cyprus. I do hope the children under FTE+ will derive ample benefit from the project and become successful in their lives and careers ahead! I will dedicate some of my time for the rest of my life towards this project! It will be a proud day for RTI and me in particular, when we achieve the One Million mark and move to the next milestone!
As I enter another phase in my life, I cherish the Movement for what it stands for and for the Values, Learnings ad Experiences that I and my family have gained from it. I will certainly wish and pray for my friends that you gain the same rich experience for Service and Fellowship, many time over. I have tried to repay the debt in the little way I could by means of offering the Round Table Portal. I do hope that the Tabling fraternity will use the Portal to the fullest.
With these words, I would like to thank all those with whom I have had the opportunity to interact in the movement, directly or otherwise. I would like to thank my better half, Sharmila, for the support and the encouragement throughout my Tabling period, and to my kids, Sharadh and Shwetha, to have actively participated in whatever we did!
Today, it is with profound sense of satisfaction I step down as a Tabler!
EnJois!
Subbu Jois
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