Riding the wave with Inner Wheel
At this club, joy overflows as the members embrace their sisterhood and serve their community together.
THE children have grown up. They have moved on to new adventures.
I wondered how I would fill the void. I did not relish the idea of not having direction in life. I did not want to be like some women going through this phase with a jaded expression!
A friend invited me to join the Inner Wheel Club of Taiping. I did.
It is an organisation made up of high-spirited ladies with service on their minds. I stepped in, a little unsure. They embraced me with warmth. I dived in and adjusted to the way things are done in the club. There were meetings to attend. Everyone had a voice. We would plan and execute projects.
Vinder and Karen have been wonderful presidents. They steer us to achieve what we set out to do.The ladies in the club are all dynamos. Throw a challenge at them and they gladly accept it. Secretary Susan is always succinct with the minutes. Harbajan and Bok Kin balance the accounts to the last sen. Kuna corresponds with headquarters pronto. Siva and Vishal add wonderful flavour to the English language as they are from India and have settled down in Malaysia. Datin Norish and Linda are spot-on during conservation projects. Jagdish, Keshmin, Pushpa, Jaime and Kalpana are hands-on when things need to be done.
To date, we have hosted 40 underprivileged children below 12, at the Taiping Zoo. We introduced new information about wildlife. The young minds soaked up our simple sharing of how the huge arapaima gigas (a type of freshwater fish), also known as pirarucu, has scales so hardy and sharp that some people use them to scrape out the coconut flesh. The members of the Inner Wheel Club and the young children connected that day.
Another project that is etched in my mind is a meet-and-greet event with those convalescing inmates at the Taiping Red Crescent Society. The club donated an air-conditioner unit for the common room. The senior citizens gave us curious glances and were surprised by our ready smiles and easy chatter. We had lunch with them.
I learnt a valuable lesson: Time and tide wait for no man. You can lose your health in the blink of an eye. I told myself that I would live with no regrets.
On a sunnier note, the members also performed at events by other Inner Wheel Clubs. We did the twist to P. Ramlee’s songs, cha cha to Chinese numbers, surrounded by colourful fans as props, twirled to Dancing Queen with bright blue pom-poms, and glided gracefully to popular Tamil hits. The choreography is often inspired by Karamjit, Malini and the president herself. Vivacious Rathy is in her 60s, Jezznip is 25, and the rest of us fit somewhere in between. Age is just a number.
We share much joy and sisterhood. Not a dull moment when we get together. So much to look forward to as we work in tandem to serve the community we live in.