MB#47: 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙤-𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮: 𝙍𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮’𝙨 𝙑𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙.

[MemoirBlogthon #47] In 2011, as president of a Rotary eClub, I organized a Vocational Service Award for the head of J & J DeChane Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company whose herbo-mineral medicines our family had trusted for decades, thanks to my father's early adoption. To honor their ethical business practices, we presented the award at their company premises. The moment was made unforgettable by my father’s presence as the guest of a loyal customer, whose "golden comments" on the products validated my professional recognition with decades of personal experience.

MB#47: The Wisdom of Service: Awarding Our Family's Medicine Makers.

For decades, our family's medicine cabinet has relied on herbo-mineral preparations. This lifelong trust originated with my father's methodical preference for "slow and steady medicine" (as noted in MemoirBlog #18). This history made a particular Rotary event in 2011 deeply personal and memorable.

The event was the presentation of the Vocational Service Award by the Rotary eClub of District 3150 (of which I was the president) to the Chairman and Managing Director of J & J DeChane Laboratories Private Limited. This 94-year-old pharmaceutical company, with its motto of "Economical drugs for the masses," was a business my father had faithfully supported for generations.

### The Ethic of Honoring On-Site

I deliberately decided to break from tradition. Instead of having the awardee travel to a Rotary meeting, I proposed that the Rotary team come to the company. My email to Dr. Wilfred J de.Souza explained the concept: we wished to honor his contribution to the community and his excelling in a vocation admired by many by presenting the award in the presence of his staff at the company premises.

Rotary members, company executives, the awardee's family, and factory employees attended the function in the administrative building's conference hall. My parents were my guests of honor. As President, I read the citation, recognizing a fourth-generation doctor who had championed herbo-mineral medicines.

The Golden Comments

The award was a huge success, thanks in large part to the presence of my father. The third-party validation in our Rotary guest book captured the unique significance of the event:

Dr. Wilfred J. de.Souza (CMD): "This is the first time I received such a huge honor on behalf of the company. We were delighted to host this in our company premises."

Dr. Kilambi Pundarikakshudu (Director, R&D): "I personally got elated when our CMD received the award in the presence of a loyal customer and respected Sri SS Sastry garu, even though [he] felt it was difficult to climb stairs at his age... [I was] glad to hear his golden comments about our company products."

Anand (Rotary District Governor): "This Rotary eClub made a mark in history by coming over to the company premises and giving this award to their boss, reflecting a true spirit of Rotary objectives."

The local media—radio, TV, and newspapers—gave the event wide coverage, validating the unique approach to vocational service.

The Lasting Legacy

My parents expressed their pride: "We are proud of our son Suryanarayana for such a thoughtful way to recognize the fourth-generation doctor in herbo-mineral medicines we have been using for decades."

The crucial contrast here is the method of recognition. My father complimented me, wishing that this project concept of honoring a professional in their own domain would receive attention from other Rotary clubs worldwide.

The deeper ethical reason for this story is the principle of valuing human endeavor by meeting people where they serve. We often recognize community-service-oriented people, but doing it in a way that includes their colleagues and family is a far greater way of honoring their worth.

My father, the loyal customer who introduced our family to the medicines, witnessed his son, the Rotary President, honor the company's head. It was a beautiful, full-circle moment that affirmed the wisdom of his ethical choices, leaving a lasting footprint on our family history.

MB#47: Quiz

MB47: Question: What type of Rotary award did the author organize for J & J DeChane Laboratories in 2011?

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• A. The Corporate Integrity Award.
• B. The Community Service Award.
• C. The Vocational Service Award.
• D. The Environmental Leadership Award.

MB#47: Quote

"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it." – John Ruskin