Mr Vipul Joshi, Mr Manilal Simaria, Mr Bhavesh Vora, Mr Yatin
Vyavharkar, Respected Past Presidents, Seniors and Friends,
A very good evening to you.
Let me welcome you to the 79th Annual General Meeting. I
congratulate Vipul Joshi on being elected as the President of the Chamber and
also convey my hearty congratulations to his team on being elected to the
Managing Council. I wish them success and assure them of my support in their
endeavours.
I am not going to begin with a clichéd phrase that I have
mixed feelings or with a heavy heart. But I say with immense pride, and
happiness that I was a President of this great Institution. At the outset I
convey to one and all my sincere thanks for all your support and cooperation.
Nothing would have been possible but for you. I realized the greatness of the
Chamber, its tremendous potential and its strength. The M.C. has been a good mix
of the youth and age. The traditional continuity and youthful change has blended
well.
Let me begin where I ended last when I assumed office last
year.
My agenda was long and my keen desire was to initiate a
change- a thought process of change. It was a challenging and a very daunting
task. I made humble beginnings.
The greatest responsibility was to sensitize the members to a
sense of belonging.It has been my endeavor to sensitize you about the sense of
belonging and ownership.I believe success lies in the sense of belonging. I want
all of us to accept the Chamber as a part of our own extended family. Let us own
it in the process.
The other item on my agenda was to gain more visibility for
the Chamber. My efforts should have been more focused however. I had however
empowered my Chairmen to carry on the Chambers activity. But empowerment can
only be complete when accompanied with responsibility and accountability. I
believe this area needs more focused attention and greater efforts. We need to
serve the underlying goal of enhancing values, develop expertise and skills of
members, so as to deliver good professional service.
Let us be action driven. The Chamber is an institution with
great inherent and intrinsic strengths. We have people with great ideas and
tremendous zeal and enthusiasm. However, the power and much needed time to
execute the programs is an area of concern. We will have to find time to put our
ideas into action. Gentlemen, have the pleasure in participation.
A strategic move will be to enable the Chamber to effectively
meet the challenges of a rapidly changing and evolving business
environment. The programs are designed to foster efficient learning through
interaction and participation.
The introduction of a corporate culture will be immense help
to evaluate the performance and effectively prepare a corporate score card. A
very humble beginning was initiated but the effort needs to taken forward. We
are gradually moving to a new level of capability as an Institution and we need
to project the Chamber as a formidable Institution and force to reckon with.
Your enthusiasm and desire displayed at the meetings and my interactions with
you on various occasions gives me high degree of confidence that the programs
and activities can only get better. You bring to the Chamber your rich and
valued experience and I am hopeful that the Chamber will benefit out of your
contribution. Your association and contribution will enable the Chamber to
become a more vibrant and a dynamic organization. We have to unlearn old habits,
which have outlived whatever usefulness they may have had. The challenge before
us today is to resolve the basic paradoxes, which it faces, to adapt to changing
social values and revolutionary technology. Please continue your interest and
enthusiasm but a lot more is desired.
Let’s have a wider Vision and future plan of growth. Let us
have a road map for the future, for the next decade. Let us have more members
from other allied professions.
Just like Institute of Chartered Accountants if India has CPE
programs our action should be C P E driven.
C = means Conceive the program
P = Plan for the program
E = Execute the program.
Let me remind you friends we have no time because we have the
3‘P’ status the three ‘P’s are Power, Position and Profit. Let our mantra
change. Let us be need driven and not greed driven.
While at the Chamber, I Learnt that
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Challenges are disguised opportunities |
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Differences are a gifts |
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Mistakes are learning
opportunities |
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When we try our
best and are willing to learn, we always succeed, even if we don’t achieve
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the results we hoped for.
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Do all the good you can |
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By all the means you can |
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By all the ways you can |
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In all the ways you can |
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At all times you can |
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For all the people you can |
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As long as you can |
Friends I consider Chamber a part of my extended family. I am
emotional and My emotion became my devotion.
I must have made mistakes, erred on occasions. I am grateful
to my Managing Council for having guided me through. To you members to have over
looked it all in the best interest of this great institution to which we all
belong. This agenda will hopefully be carried forward and be built upon. I am
sure in the days ahead we will see more things happening with a great new team
who are all so very able and enthusiastic.
My Dear friends let me acknowledge and thank you all. To my
seniors Members in the Managing Council, Patil Sahab, Narayanbhai, Arvindbhai,
Keshav Bhujleji , Kishorebhai and Vipinbhai for your gracious and benevolent
guidance. To all my committee Chairmen for the good programs that they conceived
and conducted. To Shobha, Hiro and Deepak for the support and to all you members
a sincere thanks to you from the bottom of my heart.
To my office bearers I have no better words but to say a
simple Thank You .Two small words which come sincerely and genuinely for all you
did even when I was not around. Vipul, you have a great team. I am sure you will
be successful...as you have the past Presidents in your family to guide you
through…Bhavesh, Yatin and Manilal thanks for your support. To all the staff a
big thank you, you have been so very cooperative to tolerate me.
I would like to acknowledge the members of my M.C. Members
may I request Yatin to call the names as I step forward to honour them with this
small gesture.
Thank you.
