The Lifeline Express' 59th Project at Lonavla was the closest that the LLE has come to Mumbai. This provided a rare chance for the many benefactors, donors and sponsors to personally view the LLE in action. Not to miss this opportunity, Impact's CEO Zelma Lazarus gave a presentation on Impact India to nearly 250 members of the Rotary Club of Bombay on Feb. 25, 2003 at the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, on the recommendation of Impact India's Chairman A.H. Tobaccowala, and former president of Johnson and Johnson and Impact India Trustee V. S. Palekar, both of whom are highly active Rotarians. 

The Rotarians were greatly enthused and less than two weeks later, a bright Sunday morning saw us travelling with thirty-odd Rotarians to see the Lifeline Express at Lonavla! These included Rotary Club of Bombay President, Rotarian Sandip Agarwalla, as well as Rotarians Burjor Poonawala with wife Amavaz and son Khurshed Poonawala, Anil Shah with his family, Shyamnivas Somani, Mrinalini Kher and Dr. Mala Jagtiani.

Other special visitors included Vikesh Wallia from The Times of India, Chief Operating Officer of Air Tel Atul Jhamb, G. K. Tulsian, Executive President of Grasim Industries Limited, Commissioner for Disabilities Government of Maharashtra, Dr. Sanjay Chahande, and Dr. Zulie Nakhooda and Dr. Usha Krishna from India Sponsorship Society. Members of the media also tavelled with Impact to Lonavla - these included Gene Parker and Meera Balachander, from Success and Ability magazine, as well as press persons from Maharashtra Times, Indian Express and Electronic media (ETV).

Braving scorching heat and sun, they walked across the sprawling layout of the Lonavla Project, appreciatively observing the arrangements and the level of coordination undertaken by Tata Power, the sponsors of the Project. They were shown around the facilities on the Lifeline Express and the arrangements for the OPD and post-operative cases at the Project. 

They were however most impressed by the large number of villagers who had travelled from far corners of the State for Cataract surgeries done. Thanks to the CCTV installed in the conference coach of the LLE, live surgeries were viewed by the visitors. 

The generosity of the Rotarian Ashish Vaid was manifest in ample measure when he hosted lunch for all in his beautiful bungalow nearby.

The Rotary Club's association with Impact India goes back to the formative years of the LLE when they awarded Zelma Lazarus the Rotary Club Public Award for Leadership in creating India's first mobile Hospital Train. As V.S. Palekar said at the meeting in the Taj, "There are not many present in the audience today who would recall that in the early 90s, our club played a very significant role in seeing that this train ran - that this train brought the hospital to the patients rather than the patients having to be brought to the hospital". It has been several years since that day in 1991…and all we can say is that we hope that there will be many more in the near future!