JULY 2013

ALTER EGO

THE INDIAN 41ERS WEBZINE

SEPTEMBER 1983
ROUND TABLE INDIA HOSTS FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
One could well argue that in these times, history is best viewed on The History Channel, YouTube, Wikipedia and the omniscient Google. But there are still fragments of history that havent caught the attention of these venerable icons. WOCO83 is one ne example. To the uninitiated, WOCO, was the acronym of the World Council of Young Mens Service Clubs. Now disbanded, it primarily consisted of Round Tablers, Apexians and a few other organisations. It had annual shindigs, much like our AGMs, except, they were international. WOCO83 was bid for by RTI , against a formidable contender, Apex, Australia. RTI won the bid & Bombay, chosen as the venue. The brain-child of Bob Chandran, it was pulled o under the most daunting and demanding circumstances by a team of young Tablers from Bombay Tables, 2, 6, 19 & 26. Babu Raman, Chairman of the organizing committee, led by example & believed that God lay in the details. And in the times before computers, cellphones & e-mails there were a gazillion details to be taken care of. In person. So why has WOCO83 caught my fancy? Simply because it is a story waiting to be told. This issue of Alter Ego is a nod to those pioneers of Round Table who, in the course of a few months became men from the boys they perhaps were. Im also hopeful that an important fragment of history will be restored to our collective memories.

!"

India certainly was the toast of the mid-20th century, thanks largely, to the messiah of non-

Henry

Kissinger

complained of stomach cramps for weeks.

violence, the loin-cloth clad, Mahatma Gandhi. Before him, the country was seen as wildly exotic, prodigiously populated and colic. Mrs. Indira Gandhi forced the world to re-look at India in 1971. Right under Uncle Sams bristling brows, not only did she decimate Pakistans armed forces in quick time but also carved out a new n a t i o n , B a n g l a d e s h . Th e world was now certainly looking East. Couple of ye a r s l a t e r s h e h a d t h e world in a flap again when Pokharan exploded. India now had the Nuclear Bomb & in the land of the Mahatma, it was obviously for peaceful purposes!

#"

Then India did make it to the headlines but off & on. That changed forever with the release of Sir Richard A t t e n b o r o u g h s c i n e m a t i c opus Gandhi. The Mahatmas ghost just wasnt giving up. Winning 8 Oscars, it had everybody from Texas to Tokyo applauding. And just months later, at the Mecca of cricket, Lords, the stragglers of limited overs cricket, India, pulled off a miracle. They won the World Cup. The erstwhile colony of the British Empire had finally come of age. Perhaps the circumstances were right for Round Table India to also strut its stuff. Was it clairvoyance on Bob Chandrans part or just a series of happy accidents? Notwithstanding conjecture,

organizing, its very first, homegrown International event. WOCO83.

RT India was on it way to

$"

If Time Machines were a reality, a peek into the past would be instantaneous & immersive. Lacking such a gizmo, I had to depend on fragments of memory, coherent & hazy ashbacks, stu preserved in dusty drawers & the like. The reconstruction of WOCO83 may not entirely stand the scrutiny of academics & historians but who cares. Oral history has been our tradition & replete as it may be with inaccuracies, myths & folklore, I am for it. But this time in print.

RO U

ND

TABLE

IN
A DI

PT

ADA

PT

R IMP

TIMELINE...
Sept 1978:
WOCO78 is held in Nairobi, East Africa. Tr. Bob Chandran of RTI from RT 20, Coimbatore is elected Vice-President. A group of Indian Tablers attend. Tr. Babu Raman of RT 19 is one of them.

Sept. 1979:
Tr. Bob Chandran, the WOCO VP attends a meeting of RT 19. He is on his way to take over as President of WOCO at Christchurch, New Zealand. WOCO can happen in India is rst whispered here.

Dec. 1979:
RTI AGM held in Bangalore. WOCO President attends. WOCO80 is to be held in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jan-June 1980:
A group of Tablers in Bombay hold confabulations. Tr. Babu Raman leads the pack. RT India has had two WOCO Presidents. Tr. Deepak Banker being the rst. This despite RTI having a strength of less than 1000 members. Babu asserted that RT India must show their appreciation by hosting a WOCO. The four Tables of Bombay RT 2, RT 6, RT 19 & RT 26 decide to bid for WOCO83. RTI evaluates the proposal. A bid committee is formed in Bombay.

Sept. 1980:
Tr. Shirish Nadkar, RT 6, leads a team of three, Tr. Rajen Menon, RT 19 & Tr. Vijay Kumar, RT 19. They carry the bid papers. ITDC helps out with brochures and pamphlets. The run up to Stockholm draws the best out of the Tablers.
%"

O VE

AD

WINNING WOCO
Finance was the biggest challenge that the members of this young association had to grapple with. Everything from printing of campaign materials at Babus Inland Printers, supported by printing blocks, provided by Asif Hussains Express Blocks; to convincing Government of Indias Tourism Department to provide adequate India Tourism literature if not declare WOCO 83 as a prospective Tourism event; to self-bearing the expenses of the Stockholm trip; to getting Lufthansa to airlift the over 100 kg campaign baggage; to coercing the Director of India Tourism in Stockholm to loaning the 8mm Discover India lm and a projector for screening at the convention, etc. were proof of the Tablers resourcefulness. For RTI, making a bid for a convention three years down the line had signicance; a victory would have given Tr. Jagdish (Bob) Chandran, the then President of the World Council of Young Mens Service Clubs, an opportunity to express his gratitude to the world body by formally inviting the delegates to India in 1983. The revelation that Brisbane was backed by Australia Tourism, replete with the best of Down Under models for campaigning and 16 projectors for simultaneous screening of their promotional lm, gave the RT India delegates the jitters.

An emergency session of RTI delegates was called & it was decided to: Promise the delegates an unmatched Rich Culture of India through interesting pre and post conference tours; Have the entire Indian contingent engage delegates, assuring them of an unforgettable WOCO week; Ensure maximum visibility by having WOCO83 Bombay, stickers stuck on the attires of every delegate day in and day out & distributing India tourism literature liberally. Plan a grand nal day (before the vote) stage show that would exhibit the cultural diversity of India.

&"

And it worked. The impact could be felt as the days went by. The stickers were a hit, as delegates kept asking for more and more. Yet, as the nal day dawned, the nervousness was quite apparent. Australias simultaneous screenings, lled up the stage and were received with intense curiosity.

Then came RT Indias time. In trooped the Tablers and Circlers, attired in every possible colorful yet traditional costumes of India. And as each one of the delegates introduced themselves in their respective languages, the eect was electrifying.
'"

The 800-strong audience was held spellbound, first by Shirish, as he outlined what they had in store by voting for Bombay and then by the well made Discover India film. Vo t i n g a n d counting remained a mere formality; India had won hands down!! WO C O d e l e g a t e s , almost unanimously preferred to experience the cultural diversity that a developing country had to oer. The opportunity to be wined and dined in the Blue Hall of Stadshuset, the site of the Nobel Banquets did keep the In d i a n delegates spellbound. But what real l y mattered wa s: They had won the bid to host WOCO83. With inputs !om: Neta & Rajen Menon

("

Pre-Production
A committee of Bombay Tablers was formed and
named the WOCO83 Board . Change being constant to Tabling. Tr. Shirish Nadkar (Chairman) & Tr. Rajen Menon (Secretary) of the rst Board quit to take up assignments in the Middle East. They were replaced and the new Board worked eagerly to make the event memorable. 1. Tr. Babu Raman ........ RT 19, Chairman 2. Tr. Keshav Rao ........ RT 6, V. Chairman 3. Tr. Netha Viswanatha ........ RT 19, Secretary 4. Tr. Prakash Apte ........ RT 2, Treasurer 5. Tr. Rohit Shah ........ RT 26, Director

The committee met, rst Monday of every month at the Inland Printers oce at Nariman Point. It belonged to Babu Ramans family. It was the WOCO83 address. The committee had serious cash ow issues for expenses till it started the Registration process. A budget was prepared and the committee came up with a brilliant solution. At the 1980 RTI AGM in Dec. in Calcutta, a Fixed Deposit scheme was announced, at the then existing bank rate of 9% p.a. for three years. The committee took the pledges made and called for the amounts.The scheme ensured the participation of the Floor Tabler. Once the Registration money started coming in, the xed deposits were discharged. NO LOSERS. Any number of items needed to be printed for an AGM planned so well in advance. WoCoConut was a monthly issue started in July 82. Edited by Neta Vishwanathan until the conference, it was printed by Gopu Raman, on time, every time. Tr. Shivaji was working with Taj Trade and Transport and had an oce on the ground oor of the Taj Mahal Hotel. The committee took over his oce and called it the WOCO liaison oce.

)"

The dates were frozen. Monday, 26th Sept. to Saturday, 1st Oct. 1983.
The Taj Mahal Hotel was chosen as the venue for the week long event. Hotel Oberoi was chosen for a big fat Indian wedding. To have a rst hand understanding of the event, members of the Board & Conveners attended WOCO81, in Los Angeles & WOCO82, in Cape Town. Closer to the convention, European AGMs in the summer of 83 were covered and invitations extended personally, by committee & RT India members. Every RTI member going abroad was a brand ambassador of WOCO83. Air India were appointed the ocial carrier. They helped the committee with freebee tickets in promoting the conference.

*"

Conveners:
Registrations # Tr. Rajiv Bhambri RT 19 Tours & Travels Tr. S.K.Raja RT 19 Transport Tr. Ashok Garg RT 26 Bombay Duck Bar Tr. Asif Hussain RT 6 Tr. Usman Millwalla RT 6 WoCo Shop Tr. Rajinder Gupta RT 19 Publicity Tr. Uday Kamat RT 26 Printing Tr. Gopu Raman RT 19 Catering Tr. Yadish Chander RT 19 Airport Reception Tr. Eapen George RT 19 Taj Liaison Tr. N.Shivaji RT 19 Entertainment Ms. Indu Raman Regional Director (East) Tr. Bhupinder Sabharwal RT 17 Regional Director (North) Tr.Ravi Nath RT 5

The s ner conve te the a celebr0th 50 n ratio regist

TOT
! !

TION A R T S I G E AL R

S:

ladesh g n a B , ; India RTI-Apex nka: a l i r S & ! !

642

260
!+"

COUNTDOWN COUNTDOWN

During the conference, additional man power was needed. This was achieved by roping in the members of an Amateur Dramatics Club. A daily news-letter The WoCoCoNut, edited by Baba Raja was published every morning with highlights of the previous days events. It was more popular than The Times of India. The teetotalers Asif & Usman were assigned to man the Bar, 24 hrs, 25th Sept 1st Oct 83. This was called the Bombay Duck and housed in the Gateway Room. Indias vast variety of ethnic garments could not be matched by other countries. Rajinder Gupta, was the man behind the WOCOSHOP. The silk ties with the WOCO83 logo, the snake-charmer Tees were sold o in no time. What made WOCO83 unique was its cultural entertainment. The Indian sub-continent oered such variety, one had to be choosy. Ms. Indu Raman, Babus wife was eminently suited for the role. An alumnus of Kalakshetra, the temple of Indian Art & Culture located in Madras, she was a n e x p o n e n t o f B h a r a t Na t y a m & h a d tremendous connectivity with the performing artists.

!!"

5 4 3 2 1...
The committee had acquired special entry passes to receive the delegates at the Customs enclosure. B.E.S.T., the ecient city transport provider was roped in for special services at WoCo83. Pre & post conference tours to Nepal, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi & Goa featured on the favorites list. Tours were well taken and Tr. couples were assigned to accompany the tour as guides.Local tours were operated to Elephanta Caves, and most of delegates signed up for the See the Need tour on two days, to the biggest slum in Asia: DHARAVI. Poverty Tourism then! It was customary to place a bottle of Champagne on the Banquet table. To ensure quality, the delegates were asked to carry a bottle which they handed over to the Registration counter for a set of bar coupons. A delegate directory featuring key information of the delegates was printed.

!#"

ALL SYSTEMS ON

GO FOR THE LAUNCH..

AND THE WEATHER IS GREEN % IN BOMBAY

Monday,26th Sept.83

The WELCOME PARTY

at the Taj Crystal and Ball Rooms was a fabulous opener.

Everybody was given a printed khadi Gandhi topi with Welcome to WOCO83 & the emblems of the ve Clubs constituting WOCO on it:

RT, Kinsmen Clubs, Active 20-30, APEX Clubs & Junior Executive Chamber Clubs.

,!$"

I met Babu Raman only once. At the 500th meeting of RT 19. But his reputation as a visionary & thought leader was already entrenched. He wanted to insure WOCO83 but no insurance company would buy that. The Taj Hotel was paralysed by a ash strike & the event was under a cloud. The Taj ew in sta from Jaipur & Udaipur & closed its doors to all except WOCO delegates. Babu must have wryly smiled & got on with ne-tuning the ner details.
,!%"

EK THAT WAS

Later that WEEK;

Tuesday 27th Sept83:

day: Regional conferences at the Venue. Evening: Inauguration - the Homi Bhabha Auditorium, Colaba.

Wednesday 28th Sept83:

DaY: Two sessions of THE AGM with the Peacock Lunch during the break.

Thursday 29th Sept83:

Day: Third & fourth session of THE AGM. evening: Festival of India at the NCPA auditorium. traditional Baraat. decorated chariot carried WoCo Vice-President Tr. Joseph Tabona & his wife Susan as groom & BRIDE to the wedding hall at the Oberoi Towers.

Friday 30th Sept 83:

Day: Post WoCo Regional Meets and evening free.

Saturday 1st Oct 83:

DAY: Womens Forum: Chief-Guest, Ms. Rohini Hattangadi. Indian Cookery Lec-Dem - by Taj Master Chef Satish Arora. EVENING: The Banquet. Tr. Joseph Tabona of Malta , installed as the WoCo President 83-84.

ANd then.......

,!&"

Regional conferences at the venue.

T u e s d a y 2 7 Sept.83
t h

Inauguration: At the Homi Bhabha Auditorium, Colaba.This started with a Welcome Lamp Dance choreographed by Indu Raman, followed by Chenda Vadhyam. Mr. Vijay Raghava Rao then conducted a 30 piece orchestra in Indian style. WOCO83 Chairman Babu Raman welcomed the gathering and WOCO President Tr. John Bennett of Scotland said he was Proud & Privileged to Inaugurate WoCo83. Children of Bombay Tablers, all below ten years, sang the WOCO song to thunderous applause. Sita Swayamwaram episode epic Ramayana was performed. from the

Post-inauguration the delegates were divided into 20 groups. They were then taken to their ARTY PARTYS.

,!'"

Wednesday, 27th Sept. 83

Two sessions of the AGM with the Peacock Lunch during the break. Specially festooned boats left in the morning for the Elephanta Caves Excursion and returned just in time for lunch
((((

The

evening was for the

Associations. Quite a few participating associations hosted cocktails and the rest were invited pub hopping in the Taj, an intoxicating experience.

,!("

rs able transit T n frica e week nted to A a n th al Sou y get o they w S p e c i e h onl a. But d i a . y t e d l i b u n d o I n c a d e n of th to I e o f m s a o vis or e r e extensi i n a r y m w s e e i s i o n s try for a o r d . s s v x t r se day p r o e Mini e o n Hom a s . A nt in th e v i s ievem ach

r of o d l E iel single a Tr. Ar e on on going m a c d Israel a & insiste . vis s pal entry andu, Ne t he wa ha tm ting t t his own to Ka i r w a in tour Gave e h t g ck to joinin u r t s r e wond a t t h e risk. l l a k ere We w i m b a c ay be with h m was see . He t e c a n h e r confe a d i s w s M o s ered... whisp

NETA VISHWANATHAN

re Th e bate e d . tense erization n i s t was mpu h . S k i l l o c t ig abou were h bri with am s, s Cost ajiv Bh o r f a c e R f and low. e m o r y s r e b a m num n g d a t his , s e i e nam s p o n d f o r t h re m c o r t i t u t e d alled hi c s th a s u b ter. We i w r pu com c o m p u t e e. the n fac a m hu

Th e r e egistered R 0 6 e r we .Box, with .O P r u o to s Mails & cheque s m r fo n aid registratio ceptable s c a t o N . for $ 150/- r & returned them to aste delegates the Post-M e th ll A rs. the the sende d to send e is m o r p arrived & g home. in n r tu e r n money o RES! NO FAILU

,!)"

Thursday, 29th Sept 83

Third & fourth session of AGM.

In the evening, Festival of India was held in the NCPA auditorium. Shantha & Dhananjayan Dance troupe performed Folk Dances of India for an hour and half covering a piece from various parts of the country at the NCPA auditorium. This was followed by a traditional Baraat. A very colorfully decorated chariot carried the WOCO Vice-President Tr. Joseph Tabona & his wife Susan, as groom & bride, to the wedding hall at the Oberoi Towers, with a brass band, re-crackers and uninhibited street dancing. A complete trac stopper with over 300 Goras & 250 Asians on the Marine Drive promenade. At the Oberoi wedding hall, a priest performed the wedding rites and WOCO President John Bennett performed the KANYADAAN. Tr. Prakash Nair of RT 20 , the master of ceremonies, explained the signicance of the rituals. The wedding was followed by Foods of India Festival, a food spread unmatched till then: a claim made by the Oberoi chef..

BARAAT

,!*"

Friday 30th & Saturday 1st Sept.83

Friday 30th Sept 83: Post WOCO Regional Meets and the evening free for shopping. Saturday 1st Oct 83: Womens Forum was addressed by Ms. Rohini Hattangadi. Obviously the lm Gandhi had worked. There was also an Indian Cuisine & Tastes Lec-Dem, by Taj Master Chef Satish Arora. The Banquet was a stately aair. Tr. Joseph Tabona of RT Malta was installed the WoCo President 83-84.

the And

n...

,#+"

Babu introduced his team; Tablers & their wives who had
through their passion, astuteness & sheer hard work created history. It took a while for the ovation to die down.

And it still resonates today.

,#!"

NOT JUST THE LAST WORD

The man who squares his debts sleeps well. I intend sleeping well so here goes; My deepest gratitude to all my friends in the 41ers community for making this issue a reality. But lets face it, some are more special than the rest. To Neta, the best archivist alive, I owe the most. Indu Ramans meticulous preser vation of photographs proved priceless. Rajiv Bhambri, Gopu Raman & Rajinder Gupta are the friends that I want to meet in every lifetime. Rohit you are a sweetheart. Rajen & M. Jaikumar, I owe you a drink. Vaishalis patience & encouragement ensured this issue nally got done. If there is something that has guided me during the arduous days of compilation, it has to be the spirit of innovation & generosity that was at the very core of the Tablers who pulled o a historic event. May that spirit guide us all. Sanjiv Shah WordSmith

ALTER EGO
THE WEBZINE OF THE ! ASSOCIATION OF 41 CLUBS OF INDIA

MAY THE HINGES OF ! ! FRIENDSHIP NEVER RUST !

SANJIV SHAH +91 9819967357

chamaaila@gmail.com

,##"