Inner Wheel Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

'A friend in need is a friend indeed.'
Friendships are the way of mutual helps.
Without friends a person is an island.
Be a friend for the friendships to grow.

To serve the people is to serve the God.
Service is the way of societal good,
Without which the weaker sects will limp.
Be a servant to feel the feet of God.

To understand is to be tolerant.
Understanding is the human bondage,
Without which harmony will not exist.
Be the one for the public tolerance.

Each of us is a chimp or a bonobo
In characters inherited from them,
Who are our closest ancestors,
With variant characters in display.

Chimps rely on cunning and competing,
And Bonobos, on collecting and sharing.
Bonobos are tolerant, cooperative
And with a big heart with an eye on peace.

We display the trait of both ancestors
With variant degree at variant time.
By toeing friendships, understanding
And service we'd emulate Bonobos.

Inner Wheel, the largest international
Women organization in the world,
This January 10th, sees a hundredth year.
It stands for Friendships, Service and Understanding.
06.12.2023