Message from
District Chairman 2021-2022
Shamini Nair

LOOKING ON THE PINK SIDE OF LIFE

It feels like the year 2022 has just started but we are already into March. The District and Clubs have been busy with their own activities and being a part of all these activities has left me a little breathless.

I would like to thank all the Clubs who stepped up to help the flood victims and are still doing their part. Let’s continue to do all that we can do. I would also like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to Inner Wheel Club of Singapore West from District 331 for reaching out to us to offer their assistance to help the flood victims. This then saw a collaboration of Inner Wheel Club of Klang from District 330 and Inner Wheel Club of Singapore West from District 331 working hand-in-hand to help these flood victims. Great work Ladies.  Let’s not forget,

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" – Helen Keller.

January saw two monumental events take place, one of which is International Inner Wheel Day and the second being the Charter Installation of the Inner Wheel Club of Johor Bahru.

Why do I say monumental??? Firstly, the International Inner Wheel Day was hosted by Club ISOs from the various Clubs in District 330 and the District ISO Datin Pathma, and secondly, we had as our Guest of Honour, International Inner Wheel President Ebe Martines, along with District Chairmen from various Districts and their members. Our President Ebe rendered us her speech where she made a request to all of us to help her and future IIW Presidents to eradicate Cervical Cancer under the theme “Wheel Can Cerv”. Let’s do our part to help. Thank you Club ISOs and District ISO for organising this event.

The Charter Installation of the Inner Wheel Club of Johor Bahru was definitely a monumental event because after three years of overcoming their hurdles and waiting patiently for COVID-19 to give them a break, they managed to do it. Obviously, they would have wanted a Gala event; nevertheless, President Sumathi and her members made it an event to remember. The pleasure was all mine when they sent me an invite to attend this beautiful Charter Installation. Thank you President Sumathi and Members of IWC of Johor Bahru. Wishing your Club many, many more years of friendship and hoping to see you one day in the District.

Well Ladies, we have four months left in this term before we hand over to our successors. Let’s make this last few months count. Friendship is our Motto. Let’s not forget that. Let’s encourage, respect, include and stand by one another. Let’s not judge one another.

Finally, I recall reading somewhere that  as long as there is PINK in the world, it will always be a better place. With that thought provoking quote in mind, let us all continue looking on the PINK side of life.  

Shamini

Message from
District Chairman 2021-2022
Shamini Nair

LET'S ALL HAVE A PINK NEW YEAR

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life, just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you cannot stop. Someone who makes you believe that really, there is good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open. This is forever friendship. This is Inner Wheel. It is a friend for life. It changes you for the better. It brings you laughter through fellowship. It gives you the belief that by doing good, the world becomes a better place. And finally, through Inner Wheel, you can unlock the door that is within you to something so amazing within yourself.

It did for me. On reflection, joining Inner Wheel has been the best thing that has happened to me. For this, I am thankful to Charter President Thana. It has made my life more meaningful. It has allowed me to do charity work, and at the same time, have amazing fellowship with my fellow Club members and other members in the District. I have more friends than I can count. Friends who have become family.

Did I think that I would gain so much from joining a club??? Definitely not, but along the way, I have and am still gaining from Inner Wheel. So my dear Friends, let us take a moment and appreciate this beautiful organisation called Inner Wheel.

Six months have gone by and we are at the end of 2021. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was installed as DC? How time has flown! I have already had 19 Clubs visits and look forward to four more before I end my term. I thank my ExCo team, truly an awesome bunch of ladies who have rallied together to hold webinars and training programmes. Clubs have been busy helping those in need and also forging friendships with other Inner Wheel Clubs locally as well as Internationally. The District ISO and her merry ladies have been on the go hosting events for National Day, Malaysia Day and Diwali, and are now putting their pretty heads together to organise the upcoming International Inner Wheel Day on 9th January 2022. DEO Peggy recently concluded an inter-district meet with District 331, a long overdue event to forge international understanding and friendships. The third issue of our District newsletter, A TOUCH of PINK is up and I thank DE Padmini for her relentless efforts to keep this newsletter going. The way Clubs have been going about to bring cheer to ensure health, education, empowerment and opportunities for women and children through their projects, I sit back and am so gratified that there are so many positives to look forward to, in spite of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

I hope every Club President and her members have enjoyed the past six months and are looking forward to the next six. Thank you Ladies for your unending support to the District.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Put on your pink lipstick, a pink dress, a pink scarf, a pink pair of shoes and carry that pink handbag  – let us celebrate PINK FIRST   for what it truly stands for – putting women and children first and women helping women. Let us together build that stronger world.

With much love.

Shamini

Message from
District Chairman 2021-2022
Shamini Nair

PINK IS NOT JUST A COLOUR

I would like to begin my address with a poem:

“…..I no longer have the patience
to stand absurd people who,
despite their chronological age,
have not grown up.

My time is too short:
I want the essence,
my spirit is in a hurry.
I do not have much candy
in the package anymore.

I want to live next to humans,
very realistic people who know
how to laugh at their mistakes and
who are not inflated by their own triumphs
and who take responsibility for their actions.
In this way, human dignity is defended
and we live in truth and honesty.
It is the essentials that make life useful.

I want to surround myself with people
who know how to touch the hearts of those whom hard strokes of life
have learned to grow, with sweet touches of the soul.

Yes, I'm in a hurry.
I'm in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.
I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts.
I am sure they will be exquisite,
much more than those eaten so far.

My goal is to reach the end satisfied
and at peace with my loved ones and my conscience.
We have two lives
and the second begins when you realize you have only one.”

(excerpt of a poem “My Soul Has A Hat” from the Internet)
 
This is a poem I keep on my phone, and ever so often, I go back to it and read it as a reminder that this is my ONE life. Let us live our life to the best of our ability.

So much has happened since my last message. Inner Wheel Clubs have been busy fostering friendships with Sister Clubs locally and overseas. My Club ISOs are definitely the busiest members with Zoom Meets of all kinds. My District Editor and District Webmaster have come up with some interesting training programmes, and the websites of both District and IIW, as well as Facebook and Instagram, are literally bursting at the seams with news of Club and District activities like never before. Clubs are continuing to go the extra mile to help the marginalised, and it is so heart-warming that the forthcoming Festival of Lights will not be so bleak for the many families that the Clubs have generously donated to. As Clubs continue to focus on women through charitable acts, webinars and fellowship, I know that District 330 is right on target in evincing that Pink is not just a colour.

We had our 41st AGM which I must say went well despite it not being a physical meeting. Hopefully, we will be able to meet for our District Committee Meeting scheduled for March 2022.

Well my Dear Sisters, we still have a long way to go before the curtains come down on our Inner Wheel year of 2021-2022 . As I always say during my Club visits, District 330 is here should anyone of you need us.

My ExCo and I would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a very Happy and Blessed Deepavali. This Festival signifies the victory of good over evil and I look forward to the time when we, working together, can triumph over this virus which has wreaked so much hardship on all our lives.

Thank you my dear Sisters.

Shamini Nair

Message from
District Chairman 2021-2022
Shamini Nair

THINK PINK

Dear Friends

Wow! Two months have gone by and we are already in the month of September.

Pandemic and lockdowns it may be, but Busy is what the last two months have been. I have witnessed Installations, Clubs helping those in dire need, Zoom talks on various topics, the forging of virtual international friendships and Zoom training for Presidents and Vice Presidents, Club Correspondents and International Service Organizers. All the training sessions have gone down so well, with Club Correspondents moving on to a refresher course on what Inner Wheel is all about, the Constitution and registration requirements, and the ISOs gaining invaluable insights into the fascinating world of Zoom and its many features. Training programmes have brought in almost full numbers. At the first sessions, encouraging numbers saw 18 Presidents together with their Vice Presidents, while it was 21 Club Correspondents and 21 ISOs at their respective sessions. A blessing in disguise during this pandemic has been that members are now focused on the need to be more IT-savvy, congruent with the need to be able to do almost everything virtually. I am also so proud of all the Clubs who have not allowed COVID-19 to dampen their spirit of giving to those in need of a warm meal, provisions and face masks. Thank you Ladies for always being there for those who need us. To me, PINK symbolises hope, love and empathy in a pandemic-ravaged world.

I was indeed thrilled to learn that one of our two young generation Clubs, IWC of Azul, mentored by IWC of Butterworth, was finally given the green light by the Registrar of Societies. I thank Immediate Past President Daisy, IPDC Shanti Menon and District Extension Organiser Peggy Khoo, for their untiring efforts in making this much awaited event a reality. Heartiest congratulations and welcome President Nor Ilyani and her young and enthusiastic members.

The highlight of my term thus far is that of the Margarette Golding Award conferred on our very own PP Girija Menon from IWC of Petaling Jaya. From the time I joined Inner Wheel, I recall seeing her as the Star of skits or musicals that IWCPJ puts up for any function we have. She is a very selfless person and so worthy and deserving of the award. Thank you PP Giri for everything you do for the children.

I have also lined up my Club Visits via Zoom and look forward to each one of them. Virtual visits may not be the best way, but to me, I can get to see everyone from the comfort of their homes.

Moving forward, our 41st AGM has been set for 25 September 2021, with all likelihood of it being a virtual one. I do hope all Club delegates and observers have pencilled in the date on their calendars and give their full support.

Blessed is what I am with such a dynamic ExCo. The team has been burning the midnight oil and rising before the rooster crows; I know this because my phone beeps in messages as early as 5.30 am. It thrills me that they are just as excited as I to serve in District 330 and will be the driving force that ensures we continue to forge ahead in spite of the numerous control restrictions. My ExCo is my Legacy and I am sure that by the end of my term, we will succeed in giving District 330 greater visibility and a plump position on the Inner Wheel map. The proverbial “There is no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’, is ringing loud and clear, as together, we rise above the relentless pandemic and move closer to attaining the goal of ‘WOMEN HELPING WOMEN’ and in the process, to building a stronger world.

Well Ladies, that’s all for now. Thank you all once again for having faith in my ExCo and me to do our best for all of you.

“One of the most beautiful qualities of True Friendship is to Understand and to be Understood”
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

With Love and thinking PINK FIRST,
Shamini