Above, team leader Venkatraman Govindarajalu and team member Roopali Natesh listen as city officials explain how government works in Bullard. Below, the group, which featured Govindarajalu, Natesh, Nantha Kumar, Nallini Raman and Shimmy Unnikrishnan, toured the monument in front of the Bullard City Hall. (Banner Staff Photos by Don Treul The Bullard Rotary Club along with other Rotary Clubs of Rotary District 5830 is participating in a Group Study Exchange program with Rotary District 2980 from India during April.

The five-member team from India will spend a month in Texas, and Bullard Rotarians hosted the members this week during their stay. While they are here, the team from India will experience Texas culture and have vocational days in which they will visit businesses and schools that relate to their career field.

The team representing India includes Team Leader Venkatraman Govindarajalu, and team members Nantha Kumar, Nallini Raman, Shimmy Unnikrishnan and Roopali Natesh.

“The purpose of the visit is to provide a vocational exchange experience,” said Amanda Chesshir, GSE inbound chair for Rotary District 5830.

The Group Study Exchange program of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is a cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 in the initial years of their professional life. The program provides travel grants for teams of participants to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries.

“Rotary International promotes the study of economic, cultural and social elements,” Govindarajalu said. “I will inform various Rotary Clubs what I learned here.”

Govindarajalu also said he and the group are enjoying the Texas scenery.

“It’s very nice here. I appreciate how green it is,” he said.

For four to six weeks, team members study the host country’s institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. Team members can come from corporations, small businesses, community organizations, medical and educational facilities, government offices, and nonprofit agencies. Each year Rotary District 5830 (which includes 45 Rotary Clubs in North East Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma) has a GSE Program to a foreign country.

The team visited the Bullard City Hall Monday, April 12. Several city officials explained how city government operates, including City Manager Larry Morgan, City Secretary Doris Crockett, Municipal Judge Danny Ray, Municipal Clerk Diana Fulmer, and Bullard Police Sgt. Jeff Bragg.

The group also tourned Bullard and the surrounding area Monday.

“I want to thank the school system for letting us use their fan and for providing a driver,” Morgan said.

The most recent exchanges have been to (2010) Eastern Africa & Southern India, (2009) Finland, (2008) Western Australia and Dominican Republic, (2007) Switzerland and (2006) Argentina.

The next GSE Team will be going to Sydney, Australia, in the spring of 2011. Trip and application deadlines will be available after April 1, at www.rotary5830.org. Non- Rotarians between the ages of 25-40 who have been established in their profession for at least two years are welcome to apply for the Group Study Exchange to Australia. For more information, contact Tammy Taylor at kntcattle@, yahoo.com.