An Open Letter to My Rotary Family in the United States

“Service Above Self” knows no borders.

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

A week ago, the flag of my club - the Rotary e-Club of Bangalore District 3190 - travelled with me from Bengaluru, India, to the United States.

To me, it represents far more than a Rotary club. It represents friendship beyond borders, service beyond communities, and the timeless belief that when people come together with a spirit of service, geography becomes secondary.

Over the coming weeks, I hope this flag will find a place in Rotary clubs across New Jersey and North Carolina - not merely as part of a cherished Rotary tradition, but as the beginning of new friendships, meaningful conversations, and shared ideas.

I am currently in the United States spending precious time with my family. Alongside this personal journey, I also hope to reconnect with another family - the global Rotary family.

My association with the Rotary family goes back decades - from my Rotaract days to serving as a Rotarian in a leadership role. I experienced firsthand how ordinary people, united by a common purpose, can create extraordinary impact in their communities. Like many professionals, life’s responsibilities gradually demanded more of my time, but the values that Rotary instilled in me never faded. Rejoining through the Rotary e-Club of Bangalore has felt less like starting over and more like coming home.

Professionally, I have spent over two decades in IT Services and technology leadership. Throughout this journey, one belief has remained constant: our profession becomes most meaningful when it is placed in the service of society. Rotary has always encouraged us to place our vocation in the service of others - a reminder that every profession carries with it an opportunity to create positive change.

This journey gives me the opportunity to bring together two important parts of my life - my commitment to Rotary and my professional experience - in the hope that both can contribute, in however small a way, to the communities we serve.

If I could summarize my hopes for this journey in just three words, they would be:

Flags. Friendships. Ideas.

Those three words capture everything I hope to carry home from this journey.

Flags, because every club flag represents not just an organization, but a community, its people, its values, and its stories.

Friendships, because lasting relationships are the foundation upon which meaningful collaborations are built.

Ideas, because when Rotarians from different cultures and communities come together, we do not simply exchange experiences - we inspire one another to serve better.

Every Rotary club has a story worth telling. I hope to listen to as many of those stories as I can during my stay.

Every community faces unique challenges, and every club has developed its own way of responding to those needs. I believe some of the best ideas emerge not from presentations, but from conversations over breakfast, lunch, or fellowship after a meeting - and perhaps a few of those ideas will travel back with me to India to inspire service in our own communities.

If, along the way, my professional experience can be of value to a club or one of its service initiatives, I would be honoured to contribute in whatever way I can.

If you are a Rotarian - or know a fellow Rotarian in New Jersey or North Carolina - I would be delighted to connect during my stay. It would be a privilege to visit your club, learn from your service journey, and celebrate the friendships that make Rotary a truly global family.

If, at the end of this journey, I return home carrying more than a collection of club flags - carrying new friendships, fresh ideas, and a deeper appreciation of how Rotary serves communities across the United States - I will consider this journey a true success.

Service Above Self.

Warm regards,

Uttam Kumar Jaiswal

Member, Rotary e-Club of Bangalore District 3190 (Rotary District 3191)

Bengaluru, India

This article marks the beginning of my Rotary journey across the United States.

Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing the stories, ideas, and friendships that emerge from every Rotary club I have the privilege to visit.

Flags. Friendships. Ideas.