Lifetime achievement awards presented – The Hindu

V Lakshminarayanan, Judge Madras high Court presenting Lifetime Achievement Awards.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to V. Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras; N. Murali, director of The Hindu and President of The Music Academy; and N.M. Veeraiyan, Saveetha University Chancellor, by the Rotary International District 3233 on Saturday.

Madras High Court Judge V. Lakshminarayanan, who presented the awards, commended the Rotary District for their choice of awardees.

Mr. Kamakoti announced the setting up of the Rotary – IIT Madras Centre, along with two clubs in the district that would research on seven sustainable development goals, including no poverty, good health, gender equality and affordable and clean energy. He urged Rotarians to approach IIT-Madras to set up online centres where alumni and IITians would spend time with students to clear doubts and teach lessons.

Mr. Murali said that long before the concept of CSR entered our vocabulary, the Rotary has been helping many societal causes and that it was one of the largest and earliest service organisations. He was fortunate to have known several Rotarians, who are passionate about serving the needy such as Ramakrishna Raja. He explained how as part of several newspaper organisations, he had served the cause of the industry. At the Music Academy, he and his team had worked to ensure that it was financially strong, and the 96-year-old organisation stands for inclusivity, excellence and authenticity.

Mr. Veeraiyan said that their hospital helped serve at least three lakh people free of cost every year. Even during the pandemic, the hospital remained open and helped those in distress. He urged Rotarians to join hands with the institution to serve more people.

District Governor Mahaveer Bothra urged Rotarians to serve better and encourage club members also to contribute to projects. He said that his pet project was to provide smart boards to thousand government-aided schools. Awards were also presented to 83 clubs belonging to the District.