Lyra Pinto installed as President of Port Town Advanced Toastmasters Club

Lyra Pinto installed as President of Port Town Advanced Toastmasters Club

Mangaluru: The new team of Office Bearers of Port Town Advanced Toastmasters Club for the year 2020-21 led by President Lyra Pinto was installed on Saturday11July 2020 at a meeting held online. Dr Derek Lobo, Rtd Regional Advisor, WHO, South East Area Region, was the chief guest of the occasion.

“Where is the India that I love?” asked the chief guest Dr Derek Lobo rhetorically and then emphasized that a deeper understanding and analysis of communicable diseases is needed for a multicultural and multiethnic country like India for facing pandemics. The pandemic, he said, has provided all of us a different perspective of the importance of reaching out to each other. While providing instances from his experiences as a member of several international organisations on the forefront of providing succour to third world countries, especially with regard to diseases like leprosy, he said that if we genuinely desire the well-being of all our countrymen we need to have kindness as an important value by which we live our lives. “We must function with compassion so that the poorest of the poor are not left behind.” A pandemic is a time to reconnect and reach out, and that is what this Toastmasters platform provides, he opined.

Toastmasters Area F4Director Jyothika Shetty administered the oath of office to the new team of office bearers for 2020-21, led by President Lyra Pinto. The team includes Amita Shetty (Vice-President – Education), Anvesh Shetty (Vice-President – Membership), Frenil D’Souza(Vice President – Public Relations), Radhika Adappa(Secretary), Shivani Baliga (Treasurer) and Brian Fernandes (Sergeant-at-Arms).

Dr Oliver D’Souza offered the introductory remarks. Maria D’Costa rendered the invocation. Geeta Periera welcomed the gathering, and Dr Chandra Kumar Ballal presented the annual report in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation highlighting the achievements done by the
club during the past year. Frances Pinto introduced the chief guest. Malini Hebbar presented a creative video of passing on the baton from the old team to the new, keeping in mind the theme of Spring, on which the program was based. Bharathi Shevgoor introduced Lyra Pinto to the audience. Shivani Baliga introduced Area Director Jyothika Shetty.

Outgoing President Preetham Kamath thanked her team and club members for their cooperation during her tenure. In her acceptance speech, Lyra Pinto expressed her vision and goals to be achieved by the club during her term. Division F Director Molly Chaudhury
inducted Anu Sharma and Dr Veena, who was introduced by Frenil D’Souza and Anvesh Shetty, into the club. Since ‘Spring’ was the theme of the ceremony, the functionaries referred to rejuvenation and resilience while taking the stage, virtually.

District Club Growth Director Savitha Salian, Division F Director Molly Choudhury, Area Directors Sapna Shenoy, Deepa Bhandary and Jyotika Shetty, and the Presidents/Representatives of clubs in Division F felicitated the new officer bearers. Richard Pinto, husband and Kum Kum, daughter of the newly sworn-in President too felicitated the team. Brian Fernandes conducted the session on felicitation.

Radhika Adappa delivered the vote of thanks. Vidya Shenoy and Amita Shetty compered the programme.