Social Evening at Lanterns

Adliya Echo.As is customary, the Rotary Club of Adliya enjoyed a wonderful social evening on the third Monday of the month. This time, we met at Lanterns Restaurant, one of the leading Indian restaurants in the Kingdom, who laid out a sumptuous buffet spread which satisfied our pallet.

What was even more fun is that this time, we actually had a number of Rotarian families and guests and a great many laughs were heard and the conversation was non-stop.

To view the pictures, please read the

Rotarian Hameed Karimi was the Terminator!

We had a wonderful evening having fun “attempting” to bowl at the City Centre’s Magic Planet bowling alley. Many of us have never bowled before, so that made the occasion even more fun, mixed in with that was much camaraderie and competition too!

Rotarians enjoying dinner at Fudruckers

After the strenuous activity of bowling, we all adjourned to the adjoining Fudruckers for dinner.

We look forward to the next social event coming up in November.

The effect of India on Bahrain and the Gulf discussed at weekly meeting

The Rotary Club of Adliya hosted H. E. Abdulnabi Al-Sho’ala in their weekly meeting in which the twice ex-minister discussed the high impact of India and Indians is on the Kingdom of Bahrain specifically and the Gulf generally. 86% of the Club’s membership attended the evening, along with many other Rotarians and guests, special amongst whom was Rotarian Ms. Peri Deeb from the Rotary Club of Alexandria & Nozha.

H. E. Al-Sho’ala explained in detailed numbers the constitution of Indians in Bahrain and how they, in their various skills and professional qualifications added huge value to the progress and economy of this country, as well as adding positively to the social fabric in Bahrain. He explained that from a total population of approximately 1.1 million people, approximately 420,000 are Indians. He gave examples of the trades they were involved in, which was eye opening to those present. For example, he said that 550 were chartered accountants – stating that due to this, and the addition of other chartered accountants from other nationalities – Bahrain probably enjoys the highest per-capita of chartered accountants to citizens in the Gulf, if not the world!

The Indian’s vocations in Bahrain didn’t stop at being chartered accountants of course, but he emphasised that they are involved in just about every facet of life here, from building the buildings, to caring for the population medically, to cleaning our streets to tailoring and beyond.

He explained that even though that their foreign transfers now is approximately BD 1.5 billion annually, with the government’s expectations of doubling the population by 2030, expatriate labour of which Indians constitute the majority will also double, leading to an expected foreign currency transfer to reach or exceed BD4 billion by then.

That money, he was at pains to explain, is not “lost”, but a fair value for the expertise and hard work expended by Indians to maintain and further develop the Kingdom.

Speaker’s Bio

Mr. Abdulnabi Al-Sho’alastarted from very humble beginnings, he toiled long and hard at not only establishing himself, but also helping in taking care of his family, having lost his father at 9 months old. By necessity he had to devise new and creative ways in cutting a path for himself, never shying away from opportunities presented to him.

The turning point of his life happened by accident when he recognised an opportunity in adversity. Discovering that a medical trip accompanying his step-father to India would extend beyond what he initially anticipated, he decided to seek further education, and as the prestigious St. Xavier College in Bombay was accepting new enrollments, he boldly strode in his suit and briefcase past the hordes of hopefuls to demand a direct audience with the principal. By virtue of him being a little older than other applicants, his attire and demeanor, he gained an audience with Fr. D’Cruz, the ultimate result of which was his acceptance into that university.

Upon returning to Bahrain, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an attaché, a position he held for just under a year, giving way to the call of his entrepreneurial spirit and his establishment of Gulf Public Relations, which was the nucleus of a multi-faceted business empire.

Business success wasn’t enough for Mr. Al-Sho’ala though; driven by a sense of duty to give back to his community, he strove to be in a public office to do so. This drove him to challenge people’s perceptions and stand for a seat on the board of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce, riding on the promise of much needed change, and a younger infusion to what was a stagnant board. He was elected with the highest margin of votes ever to that point.

After serving for three terms ending with him becoming the 2nd vice-president, he was appointed to the consultative Shura Council. Three years after that he was asked to step up and lead the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as Minister, and thence on to becoming a Minister of State.

He returned to the business world once his tenure was completed and he now once again leads the various enterprises of Al-Fanar Holdings to greater heights, which now encompasses twenty companies catering for everything from regional investments, financial, industrial, trading and service sectors.

Mr. Al-Sho’ala is undoubtedly a great success story and an incpiration. He is indeed the embodiment of the Bahraini Dream.

Ladies and gentlemen, the lasting and positive impact India has had on Mr. Al-Sho’ala is common knowledge, especially as he is now the head of the Bahrain India Society; what is also known is his tangible and deep understanding of that sub-continent and its impact on many other economies. He did not subscribe to the derogatory attitudes some have had about that great country, in fact quite the opposite, he saw ready opportunities which could be applied for the benefit of this Kingdom specifically, and the surrounding region in general.

The Club was privileged to hear some of Mr. Al-Sho’ala’s thoughts and experiences on this sphere relating to Bahrain, being the freest economy in the Middle East and India, the fastest growing free market democracy, and has also touched upon his own personal experiences which we as a country and people can benefit from.

Berlin Visit

Rotarian Mahmood Al-Yousif, the current Honorary Secretary and Incoming President (2010/2011) was the featured speaker at the Rotary Club of Adliya’s regular meeting held on 24 May 2010.

Rotarian Mahmood has just returned from a trip to Berlin, Germany where he was at the invitation of the German Federal Foreign Office on an organised workshop for citizen journalists and bloggers from 15 countries extending from China to Costa Rica.

While in Berlin, he took the opportunity to visit two local clubs: the Rotary Club of Berlin Humboldt who meet at the same time that our own club does – on Monday evenings at 6pm at the Berlin International Club, and the Rotary Club of Berlin International who meet for breakfast every Friday at the central train station. Mahmood took the opportunity to extend RC Adliya’s regards to both clubs visited and informed them of RC Adliya’s activities and programs.

On his return, Mahmood presented the exchanged flags of both Berlin clubs to the RCA President and did a short presentation on his experiences in the German capital.

E-Waste: Challenges & Opportunities

These days, it’s often cheaper and more convenient to buy a new PC than to upgrade an old one. But what happens to those old computers once they’ve been abandoned for newer models?

The refuse from discarded electronics products, also known as e-waste, often ends up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. And that means toxic substances like lead, cadmium and mercury that are commonly used in these products can contaminate the land, water and air.

Fareed Bushehri, the UNEP’s ROWA DTIE officer, and an acknowledged expert who provides technical assistance to countries of the West Asia Region to promote Sustainable Development, will be speaking to us at our regular meeting tomorrow evening (April 19th, 2010).

Mr. Bushehri covered:

  • What is E-Waste and Why E-Waste is an issue?
  • The Arab region and Its ICT Industry
  • E-Waste Projects & Initiatives currently undertaken by UNEP
  • Results of the Desk Study on E-Waste Management in the Arab Region
  • Potentials for Environmentally Sound Management of E-Waste in the Region.

Please listen to the podcast of the meeting and Mr. Bushehri’s talk by clicking Play below:

[audio:RA-100419.mp3]

You can also download Mr. Bushehri’s accompanying presentation by clicking here [pdf].

disclaimer: some text copied from Wired.com