2020 was a difficult year from the point of travels and meet up with our Friendship Link Clubs, due to the lockdown and curbs on travels.
Our old time friend and regular visitor Dianne Stout from SI Dundee also couldn’t make to to Kolkata.
But thanks to innovations in technology we were able to reach out to most of our FL Clubs by internet and Zoom meetings.
On 23rd July Anuradha Kanjilal,the coordinator of FL was an invitee at the virtual 98th Charter celebration party of SI Los Angeles our Friendship Link Club from the American Federation . The history of the club’s glorious journey was shared through a PPT. Anuradha spoke about the different projects undertaken by SISK. This particular Link with the US club was formed by Dr. Laxmi Parasuram.
The highlight of our Friendship this year was the virtual Charter Day celebration with all our Friendship Link Clubs.
SI South Kolkata has Friendship Link with nine clubs across the three Federations. To celebrate 15th Charter Day on 21st September, SISK were joined by a member from each of the five clubs to speak on SI President’s Appeal Road to Equality
Dr. Sanjukta Bhattacharya one of our members set the ball rolling with her talk on ‘Towards Gender Equality in India’.
Introduced by Anuradha Kanjilal, the FL Officer of SISK –
President Wilkiria Maseda Kiss SI Curitiba Batel, Brazil;
Dr. Naseem Chowdhury, Treasurer SI Dhanmondi, Bangladesh;
President Frances Menter SI Dundee, Scotland;
Charlotte Lerchenmuller SI LosAngeles and
Eileen H Kane SI NewYorkCity from the USA enlightened the Soroptimists on the work taken up by each club.
Earlier SIGBI FRIENDSHIP LINK COORDINATOR Bhaswati Biswas spoke on the role and importance of Friendship Link.
Besides the speakers other members from our Friendship Link Clubs participated in the webinar.
SI New York City, our Friendship Link in the United States celebrated the 100th Birthday of their oldest living member Katherine Mayer on 20th November. A Charter Member of the club, who is now in a nursing home for the elderly.
Anuradha Kanjilal, Friendship Link Coordinator of SI South Kolkata sent her a Birthday Card on behalf of the club. We all wish Katherine Mayer good health and happiness.
Lastly I would like to conclude by saying that this year we have been able to establish new Friendship Links with SI Chennai Downtown and renew and re-establish our link with SI Bangalore. Both these Clubs belong to SIGBI
We have also been able to establish a FL with SI Maseno Kenya, a club which is a member of the new Africa Federation.