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Cochin - Queen of
Arabian Sea
Set on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, the
port city of Cochin on the south west coast of India, reflects the eclecticism of Kerala perfectly. With a rich past
and a bustling present, it has been the business hub of the region from the very early days.
From times immemorial, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British
and Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Cochin and left their impression in the town and their influence
evident in Cochin and its people. The oldest church in India, 500-year-old Portugese houses, old tiled houses built in the
Chinese pagoda style, the famous Chinese fishing,nets, believed to be erected in 1350 AD, a Jewish community whose roots go
back to the Diaspora with the oldest synagogue in the commonwealth and mosques all tell the fascinating story of this
harbour town.
The harbour is still at the heart of the city and pepper,
tea, sea food, rubber and coir are exported from here. Despite this, Cochin is an attractive city with serene back-waters,
lagoons overhung with feathery coconut palms and picturesque islands.
Cochin consists of the mainland Ernakulam, the man made Willingdon Island, Mattanchery, Fort Kochi,
world's most populous area of Vypeen Island, Bolghatty Palace etc. It is the most modern city of Kerala where the best
shopping, markets and bazars are located.The older parts of Fort Cochin and Mattanchery are an unlikely blend of medieval
Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted onto the tropical Malabar coast.
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| Chineese fishing nets at the entrance to the harbour |
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| Paul Percy Harris - Founder of Rotary |
| About Rotary |
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| Rotary is a worldwide organization of business
and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps
build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located
in 166 countries. |
In nearly 100 years, Rotary has grown from a small club of four
members to a worldwide network of men and women who share a common vision for a better world. The world's first service organization,
Rotary has a long history of helping those in need and uniting people of different cultures and beliefs. Through the work
of individual Rotary clubs, and through the programs of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation, Rotary is making the
world a better place.
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Object of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal
of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity
for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions,
the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity
to serve society;
THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's
personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH.
The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional
persons united in the ideal of service. |
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