It was a fabulous evening at the Hyatt Kilimanjaro when more than 150, different and distinguished people gathered to witness the installation of Nikki Argawall as President of the Oldest Club in Sub-Saharan Africa, The Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam.
Among many dignitaries, the night was graced by Past District Governors, Harish Bhatt, Sharmila Bhatt and Robert Nsibirwa (with his partner), who was also accompanied by President Henry Rugambwa. The latter two gentlemen and lady came across, all the way from Uganda to witness the installation of their friend, Nikki. Assistant District Governor Sophia Chamzigo, The Country Chair of Rotary Tanzania and District Governor Nominee Designate Agnes Batengas and Presidents from other Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in Tanzania also attended.
The theme of the night was ‘Formal with Sneakers’, which well-matched the character of the President to be installed. Nikki Arggawal, a member with more than 12 years of service, was described by various speakers of the night to be an ambitious business-woman and a dedicated member of the club, also having taken up various responsibilities, serving The Country and District, with seriousness and purpose of a CEO, whilst carrying youthful flair. You could truly see those words on display when she stepped on stage to deliver a powerful speech, outlining the plan for her year in service, wearing a graceful blue gala-dinner dress, complimented by dynamic white sneakers. Behind Nikki, as she was speaking about the serious club business ahead, hung a backdrop displaying the city where she gained her degree in business, the hip city of Los Angeles.
One of the moving moments of the night happened when a key member and Past President of the club, Anverali Rajpar, stepped up on stage to receive the club’s honor in his service, a donation to support a number of eye-surgeries to needy citizen of Dar es Salaam through The Charitable Kojan-Shia Eye Clinic that he heads up as Chairman. He took the chance to thank the out-going President Sati Ghadvi for her excellent service, taking up the leadership of the club with virtually no experience of the intricacies and traditions of Rotary and the Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam itself. Through her dedication in service, she steered the club to regain momentum from the challenges brought about by Covid-19. President Sati herself expressed immense gratitude to the members for the experience she gained and the service she was able to give to the community by leading the club. The chain hand-over ceremony from President Sati to President Nikki was then performed with the immaculate dignity that the occasion deserved by none other than PDG Harish Bhatt.
The night will also be remembered by the entertaining program which featured an impressive laser performance and a soulful performance by musician, Frankie Mason and a well-contested auction of paintings, which raised a whopping 7 Million TShs towards community service projects.
