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Ireadthe article Kartarpur Sahib gives an opportunity to Indo-Pak Rotarians to meet and bond — a remarkable initiative of Rotarians of Ahmedabad and Pakistan. But following the inhuman massacre of tourists in Pahalgam, military action took place on both sides. I am not a believer in war, and welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire.
But ceasefire is not the end of conflict — it is the beginning of rebuilding. In this crucial phase, service organisations like Rotary must rise, not with slogans, but with sustained service and solidarity. Our soldiers have guarded our borders. Now it is our turn to guard the spirit of unity, compassion and resilience. Let us support the families of our defence personnel, reach
Iloved the article on solar energy lighting up lives written by Rasheeda Bhagat.
Especially, since over 25 per cent of our population lives in villages and remote areas where it is not possible to provide electricity from the grid.
A Rotarian’s plea for peace
out to the affected communities, organise blood donation camps and extend emotional and material aid wherever it is needed. Let us help our society heal the wounds — visible and invisible — left by days of anxiety and unrest. Fear must be replaced with fellowship. Anger with empathy.
The government continues to see Rotary as a trusted, apolitical force for good — ready to contribute to national healing through youth engagement, health initiatives, community outreach and morale-building. Patriotism in peace demands as much strength
Lata Desai, director, Community Services, RC Bombay Juhu Beach, has done excellent work to skill the students and provide solar lamps to help them study. More students and schools in remote areas which face erratic power supply or power shortage should be given such lights and help should be sought from corporates for this task.
TD Bhatia, RC Delhi Mayur Vihar — D 3012
An impactful story on Satara dam Ijust received the e-version of the May issue, and was delighted
as in war. Let Rotary lead this quiet, determined march towards harmony.
Let every Rotary club be a beacon of peace and purpose, and every Rotarian a silent builder of hope — serving the nation at all times, and beyond its borders.
Past RI Director Ashok Mahajan
to see the extensive and impactful coverage of the Satara water dam project implemented by our club.
Your thoughtful storytelling and visual presentation have beautifully captured the essence and impact of this initiative. The article will not only bring well-deserved attention to the community’s transformation but will also reinforce the power of Rotary’s service in action.
Thank you for highlighting this effort in such a meaningful way. On behalf of our club president and members, I extend my gratitude to you, Jaishree and Team
Rotary News for showcasing our work.
Uday Dharmadhikari RC Pune Central — D 3131
The Editor’s Note titled “Your words/ behaviour define you,” citing an incident of employer-employee relationship signifies the principle of empowering people in an organisation by giving due recognition and appreciation at the workplace.
One of the best ways to get people to achieve excellence is to inspire and encourage them whenever possible. This
kind of approach builds loyalty and results in retaining people for long. The views expressed in the editorial are relevant for Rotarians, as all of us are leaders in our professions. Respect is the foundation on which people’s trust and loyalty are built in any organisation.
I thank Muthukumaran and the editorial team for the good coverage (Madurai Interact raises `6L) on the innovative fundraising project implemented by the Interact Club of Lakshmi School, Madurai, in service of the community. Through this article you have motivated the Interactors and prompted them to undertake more projects every year.
R Srinivasan RC Bangalore JP Nagar — D 3191
Icould not turn the pages of the May issue as my eyes halted at the editorial which is unique and thought-provoking on a sensitive matter that everyone needs to practise as part of daily routine.
We are all humans, big or small, employer or employee, manager or subordinate, and the primary etiquette is to be humans first and foremost.
One’s personality can be judged not from physical health or wealth but
from how and what one speaks as aptly said by the editor, “Your words/ behaviour define you.”
Do good to others, help the poor, needy and ill, as Rotary’s motto is Service Above Self. A life of humility and selflessness will enable us to see the divinity in every person and live in harmony with others.
In short, happiness is all about living in harmony with oneself and others.
Raj Kumar Kapoor RC Roop Nagar – D 3080
Importance of DEI
DEI is indeed important. Many of the ills, including lack of ownership, inadequate team work, poor attendance in club meetings, lack of mutual respect etc can be addressed by practising DEI.
I have done a lot of research on DEI’s usefulness, but did not get an opportunity to practise it in Rotary. Having served as a consultant for Total Quality Management, I am confident that DEI can be implemented in our clubs. Apart from regular takeaways like improvement in effectiveness and efficiency, DEI can also contribute to transformational leadership, reduction of complaints, bringing down micro aggression, improvement in mutual confidence
and collaboration, better retention, attracting young blood to Rotary, better mindset for service etc.
Incidentally, I am a rocket scientist who worked for former President Abdul Kalam, and father of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai while serving at VSSC/ ISRO as GM.
NRUK Kartha RC Trivandrum Suburban — D 3211
Rotary News can attract new members
Two of my friends happened to browse through the April issue of Rotary News when they visited my house as I was not there at that time. When I returned, they enquired about Rotary and as they were from Tirupattur, they were interested in the cover story on Jawadhu Hills tribals.
Further, they asked me about the procedure to become Rotarians, the club fee and related matters. It struck me then that what we in Rotary clubs are doing to grow membership is being done in a nice manner by Rotary News. It is an effective tool in attracting new members. If you can set aside one or two pages for poems, short stories of interest to non-Rotarians, we can attract more members.
S Mohankumar RC Pallikonda — D 3231
Onthe issue of RI banning the use of the term ‘Rotary India’, it is unfortunate that senior people in Rotary resort to manipulation and dishonesty. RI should expel them; they are black spots on Rotary. Nobody is above the organisation.
Nathmal Nevatia RC Calcutta Mayfair — D 3291
On the cover: A boy participating with his mother in ‘Speed Walk’ event in a special inter-school sports meet organised by RC Agra, RID 3110.
We welcome your feedback Write to the Editor: rotarynews@rosaonline.org; rushbhagat@gmail.com. Mail your project details, along with hi-res photos, to rotarynewsmagazine @gmail.com.
Messages on your club/district projects, information and links on zoom meetings/webinar should be sent only by e-mail to the Editor at rushbhagat@gmail.com or rotarynewsmagazine@gmail.com. WHATSAPP MESSAGES WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED.
1. RI President
gets up close with Florida’s wildlife while preparing for the International Assembly. 2. Stephanie hitches a ride on a float at the Rose Parade 2025 in Pasadena, California. 3. While in London to attend events of Commonwealth Day, Stephanie greets King Charles Ill. 4. In Alabama at a Rotary Institute, Stephanie prepares for lift off at the US Space and Rocket Centre. 5. During a tour of Africa, she celebrates with participants at a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards event in Uganda.
Stephanie Urchick
Photographs: Tom Gump
6. Under snow in Istanbul, Stephanie dedicates a peace pole during the Rotary President Peace Conference 2025. 7. In her hometown, she prepares to throw out the first pitch at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. 8. On a visit to Peru, she explores Machu Picchu. 9. Stephanie meets with Zeijko Komsic, the Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency. 10. While exploring the pyramids of Giza, Egypt, she indulges in some photographic fun.
The best is yet to come
Ihave had so many wonderful experiences over the past year, but as comforting as it might be to dwell on the past, we must look toward the future.
We are closer than ever to ending polio, but that does not mean we can relax. We still have a promise to keep to the children of the world and their families, and we will only fulfil that promise through fundraising, advocacy, and the power of our collective action.
I was amazed at the capability and commitment of peacebuilders at the Presidential Peace Conference earlier this year. Our Peace Fellowship programme and our many other peace initiatives bring healing to a divided world, but they need our support to remain effective and relevant.
Amid a worldwide loneliness epidemic, Rotary offers friendship, purpose and belonging. If we hold true to our ideals — to The Four-Way Test and our spirit of inclusivity — we will remain a beacon of light even in the darkest times.
The Action Plan can serve as a guide to make our clubs and districts simply irresistible, but it is up to us to take that advice and put it to use.
Family of Rotary, there is nothing we cannot achieve when we come together and work toward a common goal.
You are The Magic of Rotary, and I can’t wait to see the lasting change you bring to the world.
Stephanie A Urchick President, Rotary International
First things first. Full marks to the person who thought of giving the name Operation Sindoor to the military assault launched on Pakistan by India to destroy its terrorist camps, mainly in Jammu and Kashmir. This was our government and armed forces’ response to the brutal killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. And that too after shamefully determining their religion. Sindoor evokes the agony and grief, as also the anger of the women whose husbands were murdered in cold blood as they watched on helplessly. Every memory of that horrendous act of terror sends a chill down the spine of every Indian.
War hysteria
can be replaced, can we bring back a single soldier who is killed in combat? It is easy for those, whose lives are not at stake, to raise cries of war from TV channels or on the social media.
As Pakistan responded to India’s military operations and missiles hit our border areas, forcing the closure of many Indian airports, there was fear and chaos in these parts. But calm prevailed when we we were first told by American President Donald Trump that thanks to US intervention and nightlong talks, a ceasefire had been agreed upon. We don’t really know what actually happened and there have been frenzied speculations ranging from Pakistan’s nuclear facilities being hit in the Indian attack to promises of trade and sanction of a hefty IMF loan compelling Pakistan to agree to a ceasefire. In war times governments do not divulge everything; that is the nature of the beast.
Sane people on both sides welcomed the cessation of hostilities, while the fanatics and warmongers took to various social media platforms to berate the Indian government for accepting a ceasefire, “before breaking Pakistan into pieces. Didn’t Indira Gandhi do that,” they brayed. The belligerent jingoists who spewed such nonsense have no clue about the reality today and terrible cost of war in a nuclear era, where sheer inventory of weapons doesn’t count. While loss of military equipment, however sophisticated or expensive, Rasheeda Bhagat
Even more terrible and shameful to watch was the warmongering and drum-beating on most television channels on both sides. Since I watched only some of our channels, I was horrified by the sheer stupidity, screaming, hysteria, chest thumping and worse that played out in these studios. Yet another dirge on the kind and quality of journalism that we knew once upon a time. The Economist called it “Indian TV channels’ outrageous coverage of the fighting. They achieved the astonishing feat of making social media appear sane.” I quickly switched to an OTT platform, being afraid that those baying for blood might actually spill some right there in the studio. Anybody who talked some sense or advocated restraint was shouted down and bullied by the hyper anchor, who seemed to be on steroids. Providing entertainment on the sidelines were a few witty tweets with short clips, with one of them saying: ‘This is not a comedy show, this is one of our premier news channels!’ Another stand-up comedian said: “The other day I watched xxx channel on mute and I was like: This is still too loud. I then searched for a button on the remote to see whether one of them could reduce the energy of that crazy person!”
Once the war hysteria dies down, perhaps our TV channels will consider sending some of their most volatile, mentally unstable anchors back to journalism schools.
Now that would be a service to the nation.
Director speak
Dear Rotarians,
As I sit down to pen what the publishers rather ominously call “the last word,” I’m struck not by melancholy, but by a peculiar cocktail of gratitude, pride and the tiniest twinge of relief — rather like finishing a marathon in dress shoes: one is thrilled to have done it, but also slightly surprised to have survived it. It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as your Rotary International Director over these past 24 months — months filled with discovery, delight, and a healthy dose of deadlines. Along the way, I have tried — most earnestly — to lead with four trusty companions: integrity, transparency, sincerity and humility. Admittedly, they’re not the sort you’d invite for a pub lunch, but they do make excellent travel companions on the road to service and leadership.
And what a journey it has been! From bustling metros to the quiet hum of rural classrooms, I’ve met the real heroes of Rotary — not just those in blazers and badges (though bless them too), but the club presidents, district officers, and indefatigable volunteers who’ve turned getting things done into an art form. Quietly, efficiently, and always with compassion.
To these unsung champions, I raise my metaphorical hat. You’ve conducted camps, built classrooms, empowered communities, and tackled challenges with goodwill, teamwork and at times, alarming amounts of WhatsApp. Your work is the very marrow of Rotary — noble, necessary, and far too often unnoticed.
As we transition from The Magic of Rotary to the wonderfully evocative Unite for Good, let us remember: Rotary has never been about solitary effort. It’s about finding one another, flaws and all, and doing something meaningful
together, sometimes despite ourselves. The coming year calls for unity — not the syrupy, everyone-hug-everyone kind, but the clear-eyed, shoulder-to-shoulder way. Let’s roll up our sleeves (figuratively and literally) and get on with it — making working together actually work.
It gives me great confidence to pass the proverbial torch to our incoming RI Directors KP Nagesh (KPN) and Muruganandam (MMM) — men of substance, sense and hopefully, sturdy shoes. I wish them brilliant adventures, wise counsel and good Wi-Fi. A very special thanks to my fellow Director Anirudha Roychowdhury.
To all who’ve stood by me, cheered me on, or gently corrected my spelling — thank you. And to those who didn’t — I daresay I still learned a thing or two.
A special note of love and admiration to my wife, Vidhya, who was often more admired than I was on the Rotary circuit — a fact I came to terms with early and somewhat gracefully. She has been a pillar of strength throughout this journey. So yes, this is the final page of this particular chapter, but not of the book. Rotary, after all, is less of a title and more of a lifelong state of mind. I shall return now to the comforting anonymity of a Rotarian at large, cheering from the sidelines and continuing to serve in my own quiet space.
Until we meet again, keep serving, keep smiling, and above all, keep your sense of humour about you. It will come in handy as you carry the spirit forward.
Attention last-minute adventurers: Many of you still have plenty of time to join thousands of members in Calgary for the Rotary International Convention, especially our friends, a short trip away in the US and Canada! Lots of members register in these final weeks leading up to the big event — or even pay at the door.
Prize, and climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, listed as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
Breakout sessions are a build-your-own learning experience on topics from using artificial intelligence in Rotary to recruiting young leaders and diverse members. The House of Friendship is like the town square where Rotary’s global community mixes with friends and percolates project ideas.
Governors Council
RID 2981
The schedule for Calgary June 21–25 is crowded with bold voices and big ideas to help you grow your club’s impact and membership. We hear it all the time: Everyone should attend the convention at least once. “A convention is where Rotary comes to life,” RI President Stephanie Urchick says.
The event, as always, offers worldclass speakers, including women’s rights advocate Tawakkol Karman, the first Arab woman to win a Nobel Peace
And your destination is downright fun to visit, with views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains on the horizon and a Western heritage that you’ll notice throughout the easy-to-tour modern city. “Calgary is a breathtaking mix of warm hospitality and natural beauty,” Urchick says.
Everyone at a convention is part of a family, says Elizabeth Villafranca, of the Rotary Club of Carrollton-Farmers Branch in Texas. “This has been something that has changed my life, my perspective, and has given me enough energy to continue working to make our world a better place.”
Learn more and register at convention.rotary.org
RID 2982
RID 3000
RID 3011
RID 3012
RID 3020
RID 3030
RID 3040
RID 3053
RID 3055
RID 3056
RID 3060
RID 3070
RID 3080
RID 3090
RID 3100
RID 3110
RID 3120
RID 3131
RID 3132
RID 3141
RID 3142
RID 3150
RID 3160
2025
Baskaran S
Sivakumar V
Raja Govindasamy R
Mahesh P Trikha
Prashant Raj Sharma
Venkateswara Rao M
Rajinder Singh Khurana
Anish Malik
Rahul Shrivastava
Mohan Parashar
Raakhi Gupta
Tushar Shah
Parminder Singh Grover
Rajpal Singh
Sandeep Chauhan
Deepa Khanna
Neerav Nimesh Agrawal
Paritosh Bajaj
Shital Sharad Shah
Suresh Heralal Saboo
Chetan Desai
Dinesh Mehta
Sharath Choudary Katragadda
Sadhu Gopala Krishna
RID 3170
RID 3181
RID 3182
RID 3191
RID 3192
RID 3201
RID 3203
RID 3204
RID 3211
RID 3212
RID 3231
RID 3233
RID 3234
RID 3240
RID 3250
RID 3261
RID 3262
RID 3291
Sharad Pai
Vikramdatta
Dev Anand
Satish Madhavan Kananore
Mahadev Prasad NS
Sundaravadivelu N
Suresh Babu S
Santhosh Sreedhar
Sudhi Jabbar
Meerankhan Saleem
Rajanbabu M
Mahaveer Chand Bothra
Saravanan NS
Sukhminder Singh
Bipin Chachan
Akhil Mishra
Yagyansis Mohapatra
Krishnendu Gupta
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Contributions are welcome but will be edited. Content can be reproduced with permission and attributed to RNT.
Board of Trustees
Raju Subramanian RID 3141
RI Director & Chairman, Rotary News Trust
Anirudha Roychowdhury RID 3291
RI Director
Dr Bharat Pandya RID 3141 TRF Trustee
Rajendra K Saboo RID 3080
Kalyan Banerjee RID 3060
Shekhar Mehta RID 3291
Ashok Mahajan RID 3141
PT Prabhakar RID 3234
Dr Manoj D Desai RID 3060
C Basker RID 3000
Kamal Sanghvi RID 3250
Dr Mahesh Kotbagi RID 3131
AS Venkatesh RID 3234
Gulam A Vahanvaty RID 3141
RI Directors-elect
M Muruganandam RID 3000
KP Nagesh RID 3191
Executive Committee Members (2024–25)
NS Mahadev Prasad RID 3192 Chairman, Governors Council
Akhil Mishra RID 3261 Secretary, Governors Council
R Raja Govindasamy RID 3000 Treasurer, Governors Council
Raakhi Gupta RID 3056 Advisor, Governors Council
Editor
Rasheeda Bhagat Deputy Editor
Jaishree Padmanabhan
Administration and Advertisement Manager Vishwanathan K
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Magazine
Message from TRF Trustee Chair
Transforming lives
This past year, my wife, Gay, and I have been privileged to witness the impact of The Rotary Foundation. From dialysis centres in India to environmental projects in Taiwan and educational initiatives worldwide, we have had a front-row seat to the life-changing results of your generosity. To see the work of our Foundation firsthand gives one a deeper understanding of Rotary’s power to transform lives by spreading peace, hope and health.
In Bangkok, we saw a specialised life-support machine for critically-ill patients with lung and heart problems at a public hospital — only the second machine of its kind available to the city’s 11 million residents outside of private care. Funded through a global grant, this technology is saving lives because Rotary members saw a need and responded.
Everything Rotary accomplishes through the Foundation — Rotary Peace Centers, Programs of Scale, global and district grants — relies on a strong and growing endowment. This is The Magic of Rotary that you make possible through your generosity.
That is the reason I am so passionate about our goal to build the net assets and commitments of The Rotary Foundation Endowment to $2.025 billion by June 30, 2025. The trustees set this goal in 2016, after exceeding earlier targets and recognising the growing interest in endowed giving. Thanks to your extraordinary support — including gifts from the estates of members — the net assets and commitments of the Endowment have grown substantially and are within reach of our goal.
To contribute to the Endowment, talk with your endowment/major gifts adviser or your major gifts officer, or visit rotary.org/donate. Your generosity can help us reach our goal, which we will celebrate at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary this month.
The fruits of these gifts may not be seen for several years. We are planting trees — trees that will grow to fund Rotary Peace Fellows and scholarships, put an end to polio, support high-impact Programs of Scale and global grants, and allow our Annual Fund to spread more hope.
During my 40-year journey in Rotary leadership, The Rotary Foundation has always been at the core. From leading a Group Study Exchange team in 1986 to serving as District Rotary Foundation chair, trustee, RI president, and now as trustee chair, it has been the honour of a lifetime.
I am fortunate to have experienced and been inspired by the magic that you have created through your dedication, service and action. Let us together continue planting trees that will provide fruit for generations.
Mark Daniel Maloney TRF Trustee Chair
IFun events cheer children in Agra
Jaishree aishree
Jaaishr h ee
t was heartwarming to look at the happy expressions on the faces of children, and hear their delighted squeals as they watched puppets perform to everything from the Naagin dance to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk. The joy on their faces, the way they responded... it’s something I’ll never forget,” smiles Namrata Panicker, president, RC Agra, RID 3110.
She was referring to the puppet shows the club had crafted for children with mental disabilities at Asha School and St Alphonso Institute in the city. As part of what the club calls the ‘Feel Good Year,’ “the initiative was meant to do exactly that, spread cheer where it matters most.”
At St Alphonso, the children led with a prayer dance and a song that was heard in pin-drop silence. What followed was no ordinary show; puppets swirled and danced to songs like Lakde ki kaathi and Shah Rukh Khan hits, drawing enthusiastic applause from both children and adults. Children swayed in their seats, clapping and giggling.
The children of Asha School gifted the club members hand-painted artwork. “We’re deeply grateful to be welcomed into their world,” says Namrata, thanking both school heads and their teams for their continued
support. Sr Alpho Mathew, St Alphonso’s principal remarked, “It’s not just the children who were overjoyed; even their parents were thrilled to hear about the event.”
Not long after, the club organised the ‘Brave Hearts Inter-School Sports Meet,’ exclusively for children with mental challenges. The event brought together 135 students from seven institutions across Agra, who competed in 27 sports events that ranged from relay races, balancing games and a heartwarming parent-child ‘speed walk’ event that turned the field into a festival of enthusiasm. “It wasn’t just about winning. It was about participating, trying, cheering and being seen. They loved every moment of it,” says the club president.
Additional police commissioner Sanjeev Tyagi, who inaugurated the event said, “This is the first time I am attending such a programme, and I’m truly impressed by the spirit here.”
St Alphonso Institute topped the medal tally with 74 medals, while Pushkal from Prayas Foundation stood out with four individual golds.
“This special sports meet was a window into what’s possible when we look past limitations and just let children be themselves,” notes club member Manoj R Kumar. Happy with the results of both the events, the club’s Community Service director Umesh Gupta says, “Inclusion isn’t just a concept, it’s action. And today, we’ve done just that. We are glad that we could make room
Children enjoying a puppet show.
Above: A little boy gives a peck on club member Gunjan Singh’s cheek as club president Namrata Panicker looks on.
Below: A child with her parents participating in a speed walk event.
for every child to feel proud, noticed and joyful.”
Namrata who is keen on organising more such events says, “While sports events are common for mainstream students and even physicallychallenged children, mentally disabled children often miss out on such opportunities. Today, we witnessed pure joy as they participated with unmatched excitement, and their parents shared in their happiness.” The incoming president Deendayal Agarwal is ready to take such projects
forward in the next year too, she adds.
The sports event was hosted by club members Shalini Aggarwal and Tulika Bansal. All participants were awarded medals and certificates.
This 87-year-old club, chartered in 1939, has its focus on education and this year the club has renovated several schools across the city, and installed computer labs in schools with children coming from underprivileged families. “We have been conducting ‘safe touch’ and self defence workshops in various schools to empower girl students to protect themselves from unwanted advances. This is our signature project and we will continue to reach out to as many children as possible in the coming years,” she says. This year the club chartered two Interact clubs, and sponsored the Rotary Club of Agra Royals with the Anns of Rotarians as charter members.
The special sports meet was a window into what’s possible when we look past limitations and just let children be themselves.
Empowering rural youth in Bengal with Bosch’s help
Rasheeda Bhagat
During its endeavour to improve employment opportunities for the youth, particularly those from rural areas and lower middle classes, Rotary Club of Calcutta Presidency, RID 3291, identified the Bosch Bridge Program, which is a CSR initiative of Bosch India in partnership with Rotary in India.
“This programme, which is part of the GoI’s Skill India Mission, is designed to skill unemployed youth and prepare them for the workplace. When we learnt about the unique initiative, with some help from RID 3192 PDG Jeetendra Aneja, we understood the significant impact this programme has made — training over 15,000 students and facilitating their placement through Bosch’s network,” says Dr Rina Malpani, past president of the club and the moving spirit behind this project.
through Rotary during his 30 years in the organisation. She oversees as managing trustee her family trust — the Tarachandra and Shanti Maheshwari Trust — which runs a project to empower women from lower social strata, and also sponsors the education of an odd deserving student.
She was hopeful that if her club could put a project in place to get skilling of unemployed youth under the Bosch Bridge Program, the trained youngsters would get an
A gynaecologist by profession she has inherited the passion for community service from her late father, also a Rotarian, who had done community service
But she soon found that there was no Bosch Bridge Centre in Eastern India. Turning this problem into an opportunity, the Rotarians of her club began scouting for ways to establish one such centre in or around Kolkata. After attending a Bosch workshop in
opportunity of employment through the 3,000 companies that Bosch has tied up with to absorb such trained talent.
From L: Club president Abha, District Vocational Skills chair Partha Pratim Chakraborty and project chair Rina.
November 2024, they identified Mallikpur in Baruipur district, a 45-minute drive from Kolkata, to put up such a centre.
“For this, we partnered with the Awareness Foundation for Environment and Skill Development, an NGO that is working in the area of women’s empowerment to set up such a centre,” she adds.
The Rotarian explains that this NGO owns a sprawling farmhouse, spread over an area of nearly 3–4 acres in Mallikpur, which was also the right location to identify rural youth who would benefit from this training. Bosch allows a maximum of 25 youngsters in one batch where eight weeks of theory classes and four weeks of practical skilling take place, which includes internship and training
RI Director Anirudha Roychowdhury with PDG Rajani Mukherjee, project chair and past president Dr Rina Malpani and club president Abha Lunia at the skill centre.
on how to write a CV for a job application, and mock interviews are conducted.
PP Mitra, who is part of GoI’s Skill India initiative, and who owns the farmhouse, allotted three classrooms for the Bosch course, provided the computers required for the training, and Dr Rina’s Trust agreed to pay the trainer’s salary — around `16,000. Her club members helped to identify 23 youngsters for the course.
When asked how the trainees were identified, Rina smiles and says, “Often, for such projects, it is easier to find the money than the deserving beneficiaries. But our club members helped and we were able to find these youngsters.” They were looking for those who had passed their Class 12, but found to their surprise an odd graduate also opting for the Bosch course. The main reason for this is the huge difficulty in finding suitable jobs, and the 60–70 per cent recruitment and a starting salary of around `15,000 were incentives
to join. The one-time fee charged is only `1,000; many colleges offer this Bridge course at a fee of `15,000, says Rina.
The training centre in Mallikpur was inaugurated by RI Director Anirudha Roychowdhury, who is credited with having played a major role in setting up Rotary’s partnership with Bosch. Over a threemonth programme, the students will receive instructions in computer basics, spoken English and soft skills which are essential tools for today’s job market. “They are taught etiquette, how to speak, how to behave and Bosch ensures 60–70 per cent placement opportunities upon course completion, because they have a tie up with around 3,000 companies who are looking for such skilled workers.”
Bosch at no cost, as this is part of the corporate’s CSR initiative.
There are standards set for the trainers also; trainers are certified through an intensive four-day programme conducted by Bosch and must pass an examination to qualify. The training kits and standardised
The Awareness Foundation, which works in the area of women’s empowerment, is in partnership with Singer in design and tailoring course. They also offer basic courses in jewellery design and beauty care.
Interestingly, Rina’s NGO has also set up a skilling centre for women in collaboration with Singer in Tiyali, about 50km from Kolkata. “I started it when I was president of my club in 2023. This offers a sixmonth tailoring course, and those successful are given both certificates as well as sewing machines. We also help them to get jobs. In my own small way, I help as I have ties with two or three companies who always need such skilled workers. I play golf with the owner of a company that manufactures garments for industrial use, and I approached him on the possibility of employing these women. Those who manage to get a job start with a salary of `15,000–20,000 which is a good deal for them.”
Rina also knows Shailendra Gupta, owner of Geeta’s Circle,
The kits and standardised course curriculum m are e supplied by y Gupta, owner of Geeta’s Circle, a boutique in n Kolkata; “he is s a
Rotarian too (from RC Calcutta) and he gives us the waste fabric from his boutique which we use while training our women. We had also organised a small fashion show for them, and two of our women walked down the ramp.”
On the streak of social service in her, Rina laughs and says, “I probably got it from my father; he was a very active Rotarian and though he might not have donated big money, he was very active and I remember him rushing diligently every Sunday to administer polio drops to children.”
She puts on record her appreciation for Roychowdhury, “who played a key role in forging the Rotary-Bosch collaboration, and has been a guiding force behind this effort” and club president Abha Lunia who was instrumental in marketing and handling critical project details.
Next on this club’s agenda is starting yet another Bosch Bridge course centre in the region. “PDG Aneja has asked us to look into this and next year, when I will be assistant governor, I will work hard to expand this skilling project which is the need of the day to make our youth adequately skilled for the job market,” adds Rina.
She is most happy about the fact that of the 23 youngsters at this Bosch centre in Mallikpur, the majority are women. Not all of them attend classes regularly, because many of them also have to do some work to earn some money. “This is the reality of their lives and we have to work around it. But we are sure that with collective effort and vision, this initiative will truly transform lives, empower communities, and create a lasting impact,” she adds.
Students at the Rotary Bosch Skill Centre.
Cabin Schools of Pune
Jaishree
For many children in the slums of Sangvi, Pune, the idea of sitting in a classroom and learning the alphabet was once a distant dream. But today, that dream is turning into a reality, thanks to the ‘cabin
school’ set up by the Rotary Club of Pimpri, RID 3131.
“There is no fixed syllabus or grade here. School dropouts, children, even adults can simply walk in and start learning to read and write,” says club president Santosh Giranje. The Porta Cabin School, as
it is called, was set up in 2024 after the club witnessed firsthand how children in these slums were squandering their lives when they should have been in school. “It is a classic case of an idle mind becoming a devil’s workshop. When children do not have a purpose in life, they get easily attracted to habit-forming vices, or resort to begging for easy money. The thought literally gave us sleepless nights. That’s when we brainstormed and came up with this idea of a rudimentary school that would spark their interest in learning,” he explains.
Set up inside a repurposed shipping container, the school stands on an open ground in New Sangvi, Pimpri-Chinchwad. Teachers from the Jan Seva Foundation with whom the club is associated for several years, conduct classes
“in a fun way so that they all look forward to coming back every day.” Lessons in Marathi, Hindi and Math are taught using a white board and colourful charts depicting alphabets, numbers and basic science concepts.
hiildren n ese reeli l eved dinng
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Currently around 50 children from the locality attend these classes. “Their parents are relieved that their children are spending time learning, rather than idling in the streets. Most of these children have never been to any formal school. Here they start from the basics — alphabets in English and Marathi, and simple arithmatic,” says Giranje. Books, uniforms and stationery are provided to the children, and the staff organise games to nurture camaraderie and teamwork. “They live in an environment where
When children do not have a purpose in life, they get easily attracted to habit-forming vices, or resort to begging for easy money. The thought literally gave us sleepless nights.
o any po p verty, illiiteracy and d tension n il I h di i i i
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schools. “Last year one of our students cleared her higher secondary exams and we helped her get a scholarship for college. Another boy, an alumnus of this school, completed his diploma and is currently employed. His mother, a domestic worker, is overjoyed that his future is secure,” says the club president with pride.
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Enthused by the success of this school, the club has installed Porta all look verry H Hindi a whiite depicctd basic
prevail. In such conditions, it is crucial for them to remain calm; their discipline and poise should inspire the adults around them,” he explains.
The school runs bridge classes for about 20 teenagers who had dropped out of formal education. The Jan Seva staff coach them for entrance exams and facilitate their re-admission into mainstream
Children aged 6–16 are admitted into the cabin school, where apart from academics, they also attend workshops on self defence, menstrual hygiene, safe touch and cultural behaviour. Older students even step up to conduct classes for the younger ones. Under the club’s Nanhe Kadam initiative, refurbished bicycles are gifted to deserving children who travel long distances to school. Medical camps are organised regularly to screen children for anaemia, eye disorders and dental hygiene. The club distributes nutrition-rich food to the students regularly.
Cultivation in one of the tribal villages supported by RC Pimpri.
Villagers with their yield.
Cabin Schools in three other slum localities in Pune. Bondioli and Pavesi India, manufacturers of agricultural machinery based in Navi Mumbai, is the corporate partner.
The Happy Villages project is our pride, and every incoming president commits to sustaining it.
the groundwater depletes,” recalls Dhananjay Bhinge, the project director.
Sahyadri Hills. “Over a decade ago, the village sarpanch requested our help to provide water. Although the region gets good rainfall, it does not have proper storage facilities. So
mber of ter of an Sevva nts, pen n senenti t al LPG is to
DGN Nitin Dhamale, a member of the club, is an active supporter of this project.
these villages enjoy y sufficien e t water onlly for four r mo t nthhs affter whi h ch
Beyond education, the Jan Seva team also helps local residents, many of them illiterate, to open bank accounts, apply for essential documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and get LPG connections. “Our next goal is to start vocational training for youth.
TWith global grant support, the club built farm ponds and check dams. Seeds, cattle and fruit saplings were distributed to the villagers. The club tied up with BAIF Development Research Foundation to train them in modern farming techniques. Tata Motors supported the club’s endeavour by providing `15 lakh for group wells. The progress has been deeply satisfying, beams Giranje.
A meditation class in progress in the Porta Cabin School in New Sanghvi, Pune.
Classes in tailoring, electrical and mechanical courses are being planned. We are determined to rewrite their future,” he says.
he club’s impact extends beyond the slums. Under its flagship Happy Villages project, it has adopted Kharpud and Khopewadi, two remote tribal villages near Bhimashankar in the
group wellls. s Th d satisfyin i
s
“Our members visit the villages every month to assess their evolving needs. The Happy Villages project is our pride, and every incoming president commits to sustaining it. Recently we installed a solar pump to draw water from the check dams directly to households.”
Medical camps are also organised in these villages. In April, the club identified 25 villagers in need of cataract surgery and facilitated their treatment at HV Desai Eye Hospital, providing transportation and food for patients and caregivers.
Bhinge, who has been over-
now a well-known figure in both the villages. “His continuity in the project has made a big difference. He knows the villages and their needs inside out,” says Giranje.
The club has renovated the two schools common to these villages and annually provides educational kits, uniforms and footwear to the students. “We support the higher education of meritorious students and help them pursue diploma or graduate courses in city colleges,” says Bhinge. Some of these students have even secured apprenticeships at Tata Motors, earning an annual pay package of around `3 lakh.
Most of these children have never been to any formal school. Here they start from the basics — alphabets in English and Marathi, and simple arithmetic.
two illag a es a ational r to the r uddentts m ma or r leeges, , ” e studeents s ceeships s annnual akkh g , seeing the project for six years, is ha h d dram two villaag
Eight years ago, the club, along with the Jan Seva Foundation and Cello as CSR partner, had dramatically transformed two villages in Velhe and Bhor taluks. Around 300 toilets were constructed in these villages. “We upgraded the schools with smart classes, classroom furniture and sanitation facilities.” Check dams were constructed and this is helping the villagers cultivate more crops. The club is still organising medical camps, both for the villagers and livestock.
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Club president Santosh Giranje (fifth from R) congratulates a past student of the cabin school, who got admission into a higher secondary school.
Meticulous planning behind a magical project
Rasheeda Bhagat
This was the first time in my life that I did Tirupati darshan without any Aadhaar card, PAN card or a security check and the experience was magical,” says an excited Mahaveer Bothra, DG of RID 3233. He is talking about the special darshan he had organised for 1,650 special children and their attenders soon after he took over as the newly carved district’s governor.
“I’ve always been passionate about doing some work with special children… compared to the hardships they face on a daily basis, we live in heaven. So many of them cannot hear, speak or see. When I was the president of my club (RC Madras T. Nagar) in 2014–15, I had organised a one-day camp for around 1,500 special children, and at that event all the children were given prizes,” he adds.
His Tirupati project, which had such happy pictures of smiling children dressed in bright yellow shirts donning a Rotary logo, had caught the attention of the local media in Tamil Nadu, with many publications and TV channels highlighting the story of how Rotary had
organised special darshan at the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam for over 1,000 special children from Chennai, who had been taken to Tirupati by a special train.
When Bothra recently dropped into the Rotary News Trust office, I casually asked him how he got the idea and how easy or difficult it was to organise such an event for a whopping number of 1,000 children. The details that he shared… the meticulous planning that went into the event, literally left me gasping for air! Rarely do we realise the complete extent of the planning and hard work that goes into executing Rotary projects.
“Oh, it was not easy at all, it was exciting alright but I was terrified thinking that while handling 1,000 children anything might happen. One of the children might fall or jump from the train, or get into an accident, and I might end up in prison. I couldn’t sleep for four nights.”
On the genesis of the idea, in a leisurely chat at our office, Bothra
Children enjoying the train journey to Tirupati.
recalled that when he had organised his PETS in Malaysia before his term, “I had no particular project planned for my year, but suddenly, on the last day of PETS, I simply announced we are going to do a special project for Tirupati darshan for over 1,000 special children. I made the announcement but I did not have either influence at the Devasthanam, or a definite plan of how I would do it.”
When he returned home from Malaysia, the announcement kept playing in his head and he asked his (ICICI) bank manager if he knew any senior officials in the Tirumala Devasthanam, and he said one of his account holders was a trustee there. He asked for a letter detailing Bothra’s plan. “I gave him a letter explaining about Rotary, our district and my plan to organise special darshan for over 1,500 special children and their attenders, and sought a special time, promising that we would take care of all the logistics.”
For a month, there was no response, and just as he was getting ready to personally visit this trustee, he got a reply giving special permission
for darshan on a particular day at a specific time. The thrilled DG thought the cost would be within `10 lakh; the return ticket would be around `500, and food for the children would be free as he could easily get some sponsorships in place. He was even prepared to go up to `15 lakh.
He quickly put together a five-member committee with each member contributing ` 1.5 lakh; already half the budget (at the upper ceiling) was in the kitty, and the nitty-gritty for the trip started. The Rotarians gave a letter to the Southern Railways GM seeking a train to take
DG Mahaveer Bothra
DG Bothra and PDG Raja Seenivasan share a lighter moment.
the children to the Renigunta station. But he responded saying that the Railways could not allot the Saptagiri Express which was meant only for the passengers. But they could take a special train.
When the Rotarians said they were ready, they were told that each coach would cost `1 lakh and as they had 1,600 passengers, they’d have to hire 16 coaches and a pantry car. That cost alone blew the entire budget of `15 lakh.
Apart from this cost, in accordance with the Railway rules, they would have to pay a deposit of `10.5 lakh which would be returned only six months after the event. Of course, additional cost on water, snacks, cleaning etc would have to be borne by them.
With a smile, Bothra says, “It just works like a marriage hall; the train is rented out to you from 6am to 10pm; if you return at 10.05pm, it costs `1 lakh more.”
He can now smile, but at that time, he was an extremely worried man; “we were wondering where the money would come from because the cost of the train itself, along with the deposit, was `27 lakh. We asked the Tirumala depot for free buses to transport the children from the Renigunta station to Tirumala, but they said ‘we cannot give you free buses from Renigunta;
our buses go only from Tirupati to Tirumala. You’d better contact IRCTC for buses.’ We did and were told each bus would cost `40,000. That cost came above `12 lakh, and an additional `4 lakh was needed as caution deposit.”
BIt was exciting but not easy! I was terrified that handling 1,000 children, anything might happen. One of them might fall or jump from the train, or get into an accident, and I might end up in prison.
y now the cost had spiralled to ` 50 lakh or half a crore only for the basic transport — train and bus — from the Chennai Railway station to Tirumala. Bothra quickly expanded his five-member committee to a 15-member committee, and sought `1.5 lakh from each member. He thus got `25 lakh to cover the train cost, including the deposit.
Meanwhile his team identified some 70 schools for special children which had children from all religions — Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc. “I personally spoke to the school
authorities that if you are interested, please send the children. There are no compulsions, and we are ready to take children from all religions. They said, ‘our children are very eager to go out.’”
Then started detailed planning by constituting separate committees; “we formed 16 committees, for food, planning, safety and security of the children, sponsorship, etc. Sponsorship money was raised for the morning breakfast and high tea in the train, lunch in Tirumala, again high tea in Renigunta while returning and then dinner. The catering was done by Arusuvai Sridhar, who had catered for Mukesh Ambani, Rajnikanth, etc,” adds a beaming Bothra.
More than the food, he adds, the packing material was much more expensive; as the food was to be served to children in a moving train, it had to be packed in such a way it would not spill and make a mess.
DG Bothra serving lunch to the children.
That morning, Chennai’s Central Station wore a festive look with over 1,000 special children, more than 400 attenders, and over 200 Rotarians and Rotaractors, all dressed in bright yellow t-shirts with the Rotary logo, marched towards the special train.
The planning was so meticulous, that even the pick up and dropping back of the children was organised; “we told the school to use their own vehicles but paid the cost. Some wanted diesel money, others wanted allowances. Whatever they wanted we gave.”
Letters seeking permission had to be given to Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, TN Chief Minister MK Stalin, the Devasthanam committee, Vigilance department, Commissioner of Police in Chennai… 18 letters were required and given; and the permissions came slowly but surely. “Next we had to plan a sit-down dinner (annadanam) at Tirumala.”
After intensive planning for four months, the special day dawned, but with heavy rain. “We were so scared about the children reaching the station in time, but with god’s grace they all came in time. Each child was given a backpack with water and snacks, and they virtually had a feast during the train ride. Each coach was allotted two housekeeping assistants… to help the children with their toilet needs. Each
Thanks to Rotary and its network, we were able to give this wonderful experience to some special children, and ourselves get wonderful darshan at Tirumala
Rotarians assisting physically-challenged women at the temple.
compartment also had its own security personnel and was locked so that no child would attempt to open the doors. There were also two Rotarians and two Rotaractors in each coach.
The Rotarians also had to keep in mind any medical emergency. “I wrote to Apollo Hospitals saying we need an ambulance and some doctors in case there is a medical emergency during the trip. Within one hour I got a letter, without having to use any ‘influence,’ that the request had been approved. They also gave ` 1.5 lakh for caps for the children, and said the hospital will station two ambulances, one in Chennai and one in Renigunta with 20 doctors, all free of cost.”
There was a flutter when at 12.30pm after entering Tirumala it was found two children were missing, but they were found quickly.
The group “got VVIP treatment; we got direct entry, accompanied by security detail, there would have been nearly 100 police/security personnel. And for the annadanam, we gave a donation of `1.51 lakh to the Devasthanam,” says the governor.
In all the trip cost ` 75 lakh but more than the money, it was the fear of something going amiss even for a single child. “In my mind, there were constant questions on what if somebody died during the trip, or if there is an accident, what would I do? In the last five days I was so worried that I sought insurance cover for all travellers; they offered a cover for `5 lakh but I raised it to `25 lakh, and paid the premium of `1.63 lakh.”
The smiles of the children, each of them carrying a precious Tirupati laddoo was his reward. “Thanks to Rotary and its network, we were able to give this wonderful experience to some special children. And I’d like to thank all the clubs of our district as they helped to plan and execute this very rewarding project,” Bothra adds.
A marathon for special children
Kiran Zehra
Cheers erupted as over 350 specially-abled children laced up their shoes and held hands tightly with their “buddies,” and set off on a 3km journey that “would redefine what a marathon means,” says Pramila Dugar, president of RC Calcutta Mahanagar, RID 3291, which recently organised Buddy Marathon, in partnership with Unmish Learning Centre and the Kolkata Police. The event brought together more than 1,200 participants, including
400 children with special needs and an equal number of volunteers who ran alongside them.
PRIP Shekhar Mehta, who attended the event, called it “one of the most meaningful projects the club has ever undertaken. We often measure success in numbers and medals. Today, success was measured in laughter, shared milestones and inclusion.” Flagged off by Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Verma, the marathon began at the Police Athletic Club and traced a route to Vijay Dwar and back.
The initiative, says Pramila, aimed “not to crown the fastest, but to celebrate companionship and inclusivity. This isn’t just about running but about showing up for someone. It’s about reminding all children that they belong — on the tracks, in society, and every celebration of human potential.” Participants could choose between a shorter marathon of 1.5km or 3km, making the event accessible for children with varying abilities and needs.
Among the sea of blue (participants) and yellow (volunteers)
A participant along with his “buddies” at the Buddy Marathon
t-shirts were students from MHSI, a local school that sent dozens of volunteers to serve as marathon buddies. “I thought I was here to help. But really, my buddy taught me how to celebrate every little step,” said Ananya, a 12-year-old student who walked the entire stretch with a speech-impaired boy named Aarav. “He didn’t speak much, but when we neared the finish line, he looked at me and just grinned. That moment said everything,” she smiles.
“For many of the children, this was their first marathon and they participated with determination and plenty of giggles along the way,” notes Pramila. Each child was paired with a buddy sensitised in communication, empathy and safety when dealing with differently-abled individuals. “These companions were more than just moral support, they ensured hydration, helped navigate physical barriers, and offered constant encouragement.”
A special child at the marathon.
At a time when “competitive events often centre on speed and personal achievement, the Buddy Marathon offers a counter-narrative. One where success is deeply human. We’re not just changing what marathons look like. We’re changing what they feel like for everyone,” she says.
A wheelchair-bound participant and his ‘buddy’ at the race.
From left: Rashi Mehta, club president Pramila Dugar and PRIP Shekhar Mehta at the inauguration of the marathon.
Ethiopian children get a new lease of life thanks to Rotary
PDG Rajendra Rai (third from L) and past president of RC Bangalore Midtown Atul Kaushal (second from R) with the first batch of Ethiopian children and their care givers on their arrival at Bengaluru airport.
Rasheeda Bhagat
he latest beneficiaries of a mega Rotary project in Bengaluru to mend little hearts are a group of children from Ethiopia. They have been helped through the Rotary Needy Heart Foundation (RNHF) based in Bengaluru, which is an offshoot of the Needy Heart Foundation (NHF) and was set up in 2021 by past president of RC Bangalore Indiranagar O P Khanna, whose dream was to provide a new lease of life to children and adults from economically disadvantaged families. Together, the RNHF and NHF have helped mend the hearts of over 12,000 children and adults since 2001.
Khanna started the NHF in 2001 and it was not a Rotary project at that time. Non-Rotarians and a few doctors from the Manipal Hospital were giving money to help with the operations. In 2007–08 when Rajendra Rai was the district governor of the undivided RID 3190, under his leadership, for the first time, the district applied for a matching grant for heart surgeries and with the help of those funds 48 children suffering from heart ailments were operated through Rotary. “Past trustee from Pakistan Aziz Memon was my batchmate, and he sent 12 needy children from Pakistan for heart surgery. In 2021 some of us felt that we should start a separate Foundation to take care of heart surgeries for the disadvantaged through Rotary, and hence the RNHF was started,” says Rai, who is the managing trustee of the RNHF.
When Shekhar Mehta was RI President in 2021–22, “he requested us in the RNHF to organise heart surgery free of cost to a few children from Ethiopia, as over 400 children see premature death every year in this
African country due to lack of medical facilities and the limited capacity in their hospitals to perform open heart surgeries,” he adds.
The Rotarians associated with the Foundation found this a challenge as there is no government support for conducting heart surgeries on foreign children in Indian hospitals. “This was a major challenge as the funds required were much larger than that needed for local children, as there are government schemes available for the medical treatment of poor Indians. But as happens in all the humanitarian projects done by Rotary over the years, if the intentions are good the magic of Rotary steps in to bring resources,” he smiles.
Giving a recap of this massive project, he says that in the undivided RID 3190, since 2001 the NHF and RNHF (2021), along with many Rotary clubs, have helped to do free heart surgery on over 12,000 disadvantaged children and adults who were the breadwinners in their families and were suffering from various heart ailments. The children mostly had congenital heart abnormalities which could be set right only through open heart operation.
These surgeries were undertaken mainly in three designated hospitals in Bengaluru — Jayadeva Hospital, which is a government hospital, Manipal Hospital and the Narayana Hrudayalya. In Rotary year 2023–24, the RNHF has helped around 1,044 children and adults from disadvantaged families to get free heart surgery, he adds.
In addition to this number, the NHF and RNHF have also helped
around 300 foreign children suffering from congenital heart diseases from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Nepal etc.
Reverting to the latest batch of children from Ethiopia who were helped by Bengaluru’s Rotarians to get their sick hearts mended, it was a proud moment for the Rotarians when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned in his recent Mann ki Baat episode about how Indian doctors and hospitals were performing open heart surgeries on Ethiopian children born with congenital heart diseases. “Indian NRIs in Ethiopia are helping such children get operated in Indian
hospitals so that they can live happily after that. And if the family doesn’t have the resources to travel to India, even that is being arranged for them free of cost,” he said.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister did not mention Rotary, but while he was speaking the visual content running through the live telecast beamed pictures of Rotarians in Bengaluru including PDG Rai, receiving the Ethiopian children and their parents at the airport, accompanying them to the hospital, etc. Rai says Rotary missed out on such an important PR moment probably because the Indian embassy in Ethiopia which had briefed the PMO about this heart surgery project must have focused on the NRI Rajiv Sharma, who does a lot of background work in Ethiopia in coordination with
PP Kaushal (L) and philanthropist Bimal Desai (R), member of RC Bangalore Midtown, with beneficiaries from Ethiopia.
It was a proud moment for the Rotarians when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned in his recent Mann ki Baat episode about how Indian doctors and hospitals were performing open heart surgeries on Ethiopian children born with congenital heart diseases.
our emb d m n an finan i n a r opper e a c child dre th h t e s su
our embassy to identify the children, coordinate with the doctors and hospitals there to organise the medical records, get necessary permissions, and so on.
But the pictures streamed on the show left no doubt about who or what the PM was referring to. “Anyway, it came as a pleasant surprise to us; Rajiv was in India and he alerted us about it, and we were able to see the episode,” says Rai.
Returning to the financial challenges posed in arranging funds for the operation of the 20 Ethiopian children, the hospitals where the surgery is done charge
around ` 1.15 to 1.5 lakh depending on how complicated the surgery is. It’s easier when Indian citizens — both children and adults — are concerned; “for example, last year, we did 1,044 heart operations on Indian patients. Of the money required for each patient, ` 90,000 is given by the state government, and we give on an average around `35,000 to the hospital, and the cost is covered. But Ethiopians, or any other foreigners, are not eligible for government grants, so we had to raise the money,” he says.
So he requested past presidents of RC Bangalore Midtown FR Sanghvi and Atul Kaushal and they sponsored the total amount of `1.5 lakh required per operation for some of the children. But then another member of this club, Bimal Desai, when told about the need for funding four more Ethiopian children, “was willing to sponsor all the 20 children! We had committed to PRIP Shekhar Mehta that under this project we would organise the heart surgeries of 20 Ethiopian children. I’d like to
PDG Rai with RC Bangalore Midtown president Palani Loganathan (fourth from R) and Rotary Bangalore West president Yogesh Pachisia (R).
thank president Palani Loganathan for their club’s continued support.” Every year, under this project, over 1,000 heart surgeries of Indian children and adults are done in the three hospitals mentioned above, he adds.
So far, the Rotarians have taken care of the heart surgeries of 18 Ethiopian children in four batches at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Research in Bengaluru. These include 10 girls and 8 boys and the youngest child is five-year-old and the eldest 19
We had committed to PRIP Shekhar Mehta that under this project we would organise the heart surgeries of 20 Ethiopian children. So far, we have taken care of the heart surgeries of 18 Ethiopian children in four batches.
years. The then director of Jayadeva Hospital, Dr Manjunath, now a member of parliament from Karnataka, “has always extended great support to RNHF in executing this project during more than a decade of our association.” The children, who started coming in small batches from Dec 2022 with the latest batch of four children coming in Dec 2024, and their parents, were flown in from Addis Ababa to Bengaluru free of cost by Ethiopian Airlines. In Ethiopia, Rajeev Sharma, president of RC Addis Ababa Bole, RID 7212, has coordinated with the RNHF, the Indian embassy in Addis Ababa and Ethiopian Airlines in organising the seamless travel of the Ethiopians in the last two years. “We would like to thank DG Alex Nyaga and DG Azeb Asra, IPDG Leonard Itahu and DG Joe Kamau, all from RID 7212, for their help and patronage, but for which this project would not have been possible,” adds Rai.
But, as always happens in international projects, something can go wrong at the last moment and it did this time too. There was a lot of drama and many anxious moments when one batch of Ethiopians arrived. The Rotarians picked them up from the airport
and dropped them to the hospital, only to find that the rules in Ethiopia had changed. Normally, when the patients fly in, the Jayadeva Hospital authorities give clearance. But the new rules put the onus of clearance on the Ethiopians! After a huge flurry and burning the midnight oil, and after 4–5 days, the clearance came and the operations were done successfully.
Now, says Rai, PRIP Mehta has referred two more children with heart problems from Ghana and Rtn Desai, who is a businessman, is ready to support the operations on four more children.
He adds that Rotary clubs in both RID 3191 and 3192 have also been conducting heart surgeries on children with CHD through global grants and CSR grants with the assistance of the RNHF. “One of our major partners in this endeavour is the Gift of Life, US, and its chairman PDG Ravi Bhooplapur, who is an AKS member. Rotary Bangalore West and Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar have executed many GG projects for paediatric heart surgeries in collaboration with the Gift of Life, thanks to contributions from Bhooplapur and his home club, RC Gold Coast Lake Success in RID 7255.
Ethiopian children with their parents.
Reviving rivers in Nashik
Jaishree
Around 45 families have benefitted from a river desilting service project carried out by the Rotary Club of Nasik, RID 3030, across the Nandini River near Mahiravani village. Excavators were engaged to remove silt down to a depth of2m deposited across the 1.5km stretch of the river which also has a bund to store water. “At least 60 million litres of water can be stored in the bund after this desilting activity,” says club member Vinayak Deodhar.
For the past four years, the club has been desilting at least two check dams or bunds each year, always just before the onset of the monsoon. Timing is critical. “If you clear the waterways before the rains, you prevent rainwater from going waste. The rivers and rivulets flow better, and the ground water gets recharged,” he explains.
Around 25 villages have benefitted from this service activity. Farmlands that once lay fallow are now rich with crops; wells stay fuller for longer and families that once had to migrate in search of work are now finding sustainable livelihoods in their own backyard.
Nashik’s rural regions are marked with thousands of small check dams, locally called bunds, built across rivers or rivulets to store monsoon rainwater. These structures help in replenishing the water table. However, over time, rivers and nullahs collect silt, sand and debris, reducing their capacity to store and carry water. Left unchecked, this sediment buildup can lead to flooding during the rains or water scarcity in dry months, explains Deodhar.
Desilting is the answer. “It has to be done in summer, when the water
levels are low and the sediment is accessible. This ensures maximum storage when the rains come.”
Club member and horticulture scientist Hemraj Rajput, who is with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Nashik, visits rural areas in the district as part of his job. “He flags waterbodies in need of desilting. Based on his inputs, the club shortlists projects each year,” says Deodhar.
The entire operation costs around ` 3–4 lakh every year which is met through CSR grants from corporates. This year the project was supported by Acron Plast, a packaging industry in Nashik. The benefits extend across 20km downstream and 10km on either side of the bund, impacting hundreds of farmers and their families.
After desilting, the water table rises significantly. “Farmers are able to grow crops throughout the year. Their income has increased, and there is less need to leave the village in search of work,” he says. Even the excavated soil doesn’t go waste. “Rich in minerals, it is in high demand among local farmers who use it to enrich their fields,” he adds.
Earlier this year, Rajput also led the planting of a Miyawaki forest. Over 1,000 saplings were planted on a plot of land at the Janata Vidyalaya in Gandhinagar in the city. In just six months, the forest is already showing promising growth.
Desilting being done on the Nandini River.
From L: Dattu Dhage, sarpanch of Belgaon Dhaga, Hemraj Rajput, Radhe Yeole, PDG Dada Deshmukh and club secretary Mugdha Lele at Belgaon Dhaga where desilting was carried out earlier.
Eyecare in rural Jharkhand
Kiran Zehra
Inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places. For Jagannath Santra of RC Jamshedpur, RID 3250, it happened in the quiet halls of the National Archives of Singapore. “While I was there on work just before the Covid lockdown, I came across a photograph of a 1947 Rotary mobile dispensary donated by the Rotary Club of Singapore. It had once treated civilians injured during World War II, and supported vaccination drives. That image reminded me of Rotary’s legacy of humanitarian service,” he recalls.
That moment of inspiration soon translated into action back home. His wife, Madhumita Santra, as presidentelect of the club, was in the early stages of planning a global grant project for 2021–22. She appointed a core team to conduct a thorough community assessment and identify critical needs, with special emphasis on access to eyecare in the rural interiors of Jharkhand. Santra, drawing on his experience in project management, joined the team as the primary contact, working alongside club members Dr Vijaya Bharat and N Rammurty.
Villagers at a eye check-up camp.
Their collective efforts culminated in the Rotary Satellite Eye Screening Clinic, with funding support of $40,681 (then `32.15 lakh). A plain utility vehicle was transformed into a fully equipped mobile eye diagnostic van, “a feat of design and precision engineering completed with the help of Force Motors’ fabrication unit in Jamshedpur,” recalls Santra. Following a successful trial run and staff training, the van hit the road. In collaboration with the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata
Steel Foundation, it began delivering essential eyecare to underserved communities “across 55 villages surrounding Jamshedpur, conducting five eye camps each week, weather permitting,” explains Santra. “Our focus is primarily on elderly villagers and women who otherwise have no access to timely and affordable eyecare. We also run monthly camps in the city for domestic workers and housekeeping staff.”
From February 2023 to February 2025, the van had travelled 27,468km, held 394 eye camps, and screened 10,970 individuals. The results have been impactful: 2,970 cataract cases detected, 846 surgeries conducted at the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital, 4,137 refractive errors diagnosed, and 1,270 spectacles distributed, all in Rotarybranded cases.
Dr Vijaya , a core committee member, underscores the project’s success formula: “Start with a serious needs assessment. Understand who you’re serving and what the gaps are. Then build partnerships with the right local institutions like our collaboration with the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata Steel Foundation, which brought in medical expertise and managed outreach and logistics.”
Beyond numbers, the human stories make this project come alive. Santra recounts one such story, of Kailash, a 64-year-old construction worker who had been struggling for months due to deteriorating vision. “He fumbled with tools, missed his step on scaffolds, and feared for his safety every day. When he finally received his prescription glasses through our mobile clinic, it
Our focus is on elderly villagers and women who have no access to timely and affordable eyecare. We also run monthly camps in the city for domestic workers and housekeeping staff.
changed his life. He regained his confidence and livelihood.”
Another example is Surendra, an elderly animal handler at the Jamshedpur Zoological Park, who received his first pair of glasses during a special camp for zoo workers. “I feel safe again,” he said, describing how clearer vision helped him take better care of the animals and navigate his duties more confidently.
A strong visible identity helped cement the project’s presence and ensured Rotary’s contribution was both seen and remembered. “We wanted every beneficiary to know that it was Rotary that brought this care to them. The van is boldly branded, and everything from spectacle cases to staff uniforms carry the Rotary logo. This visibility builds awareness and trust,” says Santra.
In December 2024, the club welcomed John Ranger Miles and Fiona Pauline Miles from their global grant partner club, RC Guildford, RID 1145. They attended the eye camp at the Zoological Park, distributing spectacles and appreciation certificates to the staff of the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata Steel Foundation.
While the van was initially intended to focus on identifying diabetic retinopathy among rural populations, the findings surprised the team. “We expected to find a high number of diabetes-related eye complications. But what we discovered was quite the opposite… diabetes itself was rare in these remote areas,” notes Dr Vijaya.
This unexpected insight led the team to reanalyse the screening data, which revealed a different challenge: refractive errors were by far the most common issue, accounting for 4,137 diagnoses during the reporting period.
A beneficiary wearing his Rotary spectacles.
“Now, unlike cataracts or diabetic complications, blurry vision isn’t lifethreatening,” says Vijaya. “So many people took the prescriptions but didn’t follow up with purchasing spectacles either due to cost or lack of access.” To close this “critical gap,” the club partnered with Enlightened Vision, which offers “high-quality spectacles at subsidised rates. Now, beneficiaries not only receive a diagnosis but can also pick up their customised spectacles during follow-up camps — all under one roof,” she explains.
The project, she notes, “continues to evolve based on field data and lived experience. We learn something new with every camp. We’ve trained school teachers in basic eye screening so that awareness and early detection continue even after the van leaves.”
What started as a single club initiative has now become a model for others. Santra says that five clubs from RID 3250 have already launched or received approval for similar projects. “We’re mentoring them, sharing everything we’ve learned along the way.” He goes on to add that the project’s greatest reward is “witnessing transformation at the most personal level… when a daily-wage earner returns to work, a child reads the blackboard clearly again, or an elderly woman is able to see her grandchildren’s faces.”
John Ranger Miles and Fiona Pauline Miles from RC Guildford along with Dr Vijaya Bharat (second from L) and Madhumita Santra (L).
If you have an initiative that has demonstrated its success and is ready to expand to help more people in more places, consider applying for The Rotary Foundation’s 2026 Programs of Scale award. years to further its impact. Learn more at rotary.org/programsofscale
Mithila Devi Gupta, an elderly Hindu woman, was supposed to undergo gallbladder surgery in Bhaderwah, a town in Jammu district of Kashmir. She was in excruciating pain for almost three years due to gallstones. The days passed by but she wasn’t wheeled into the theatre. PDG Girish Gune, a general surgeon, inquired where the woman was. Someone replied “She has been told to go home.”
An elderly OT assistant Iqbal Mohammad said, “She and her daughter cannot go home now. They live far away up on a mountain. She must be in the town. I will find her.”
A Rotary medical mission in Jammu
Rajiv Pradhan
He went round the small town and the woman was brought back and operated upon by Dr Girish the next day. The daughter’s eyes were filled with tears. She said “Had I gone home, we would have never returned. My mother would have died of the pain and disease. Shukriya (thanks), you are real angels.”
This is just one of the innumerable success stories of the recent mega surgical project in Kishtwar, Bhaderwah and Doda towns of Jammu region. RI Districts 3132 and 3131 have been jointly organising surgical camps in
Jammu and Kashmir since 2022. The host district 3070 has always been cooperative. These projects are done with full cooperation of the state government and are called joint projects of Rotary and the UT government. The first project was done in the North Kashmir districts, namely Kupwara, Baramulla, Sopore and Ganderbal. It was done post-Covid, hence plenty of patients were waiting for various types of surgery. During the formal inauguration of the project in Sopore, UT Lt Governor Manoj Sinha appealed to Rotary to do a similar
project in South Kashmir. Thus, a year later, we were back in Kashmir to hold surgical camps at Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam. The camps were a success, hence we were once again advised to go to Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu. This project was done in Feb 2024. It was bitterly cold in these sensitive districts bordering Pakistan, yet our surgeons worked hard to make them a success.
In all the four projects done since 2022, Rotary and the UT government doctors have together performed around 10,000 surgeries in multiple specialties.
The planning of the current project started three months earlier. Along with PDGs Dr Girish Gune, Dushyant Choudhary and Rtn Adeep Mehta, I had several virtual meetings with senior government health officials including director of Health Services Dr Zargar Hamid, Choudhary and Adeep; personally went to Doda and Kishtwar to check the facilities, met the district collectors, medical superintendents and development officers for a spot study.
On our part, Girish and I started forming the team of doctors and volunteers (self-financed) not only from our two districts but also from the host district. PDG Dr S Sundararajan, an orthopaedic surgeon from Coimbatore, has been in the team since the last project. Dr Deepak Leuva, a veteran ENT surgeon of our projects in India and sppecialties. up the re r loca atin i g m maachi also o d stafff f a to thhe
The J&K government is always proactive. They spruce up the OTs, create additional OTs by relocating some equipment, operating microscopes and laparoscopy machines to the project sites.
The government has always been proactive. On our request they spruce up the OTs, create additional OTs by relocating some equipment, operating microscopes and laparoscopy machines to the project sites. They also deputed additional doctors, OT staff and nurses from other hospitals to the project sites.
O On formiin voolunnt frrom o o t S Sun suurgeo o in the Dr De surggeeo
From L: Project chair PDG Dr Rajiv Pradhan, J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, RID 3070 PDG Dr Dushyant Choudhary and Mandeep Bhandari, principal secretary to the Lt Governor.
Africa joined us too. PDG Dr Upinder Singh of RID 3070 has always been active. PDGs Ravindra Salunkhe and Kishore Pawade of RID 3132 joined as volunteers. PRID Dr Mahesh Kotbagi also joined the team. Thus, a team of general surgeons, gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, ENT, plastic surgeons, urologists, orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthesiologists and volunteers including DRR
formidable team of 41 Rotarians willing to give their time and skills to serve humanity.
valley formed a picture-perfect place to work in.
While searching for information on Bhaderwah, Doda and Kishtwar areas, I realised that all these places are in mountainous terrain at a height of 5,400 to 5,600 feet. Bhaderwah is known as little Kashmir. No wonder the thick forests, hills, valleys, distant snow-capped mountains and the gushing Chenab River deep in the surge surge
Bhad did m S of ute Dr M Agraw expec per da at bot M Panse anaes equip short and m D co c lleg ENT, paedi An from scopi Joshi gg of RIDs 3131 and 3070 formed a pp took care e of the team in i
The road from Jammu to Bhaderwah and Kishtwar was up and down the treacherous ghats and seemed never ending. Anyway, the weather was enchanting till it started raining and the hail storms brought the temperature down to 3–4 deg Celsius. The workload was heavy. Gallstone is a major issue in Kashmir, hence our surgeons were doing 8–10 laparoscopic surgeries a day, in both Kishtwar and Bhaderwah. Dr Jalbaji More and Girish did multiple gallbladder surgeries in a single day.
Similarly, surgeries for removal of uterus were plenty. Dr Sakhare, Dr Manisha Jagtap and Dr Shivani Agrawal were kept really busy. As expected, there were 30–40 patients per day lined up for cataract surgeries at both the places. Our anesthesiologists Manjusha Khandagale and Neha Panse were confident of giving spinal anaesthesia for gallbladder cases as equipment for general sedation was in short supply. But they did some jugad and managed!
Doda has a government medical college, hence only plastic surgery, ENT, urological and complex orthopaedic surgeries were done there. Dr Anil Sakhare travelled to Doda from Kishtwar for teaching laparoscopic uterine surgeries. PDG Subodh Joshi took care of the team in Kishtwar,
On the last day, the terrible incident at Pahalgam happened and we were told not to leave our guest houses.
while PDG Choudhary coordinated with all the teams from Bhaderwah. He had to do a mind-boggling task of shifting doctors, vehicles and patients from one centre to another every day.
PDG Gune is an outstanding surgeon. This humble and caring human being was always the last to leave the OT after serving the needs of every patient. The ophthalmology team of Rahul Phase, Manoj Bhyagude, Ankur Goel, Rajesh Pawar, Anand Khadke and Rajneet Doda were kept busy throughout. Dr Uma Pradhan coordinated their work. DN Sharma, chairman of the Udhampur Eye Hospital, who is a Rotarian, is always ready to bring his team to the remote areas of Kashmir.
The hospital staff, nurses walked miles to help patients and
their OT schedules but were told not to leave their guest houses. The doors of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah guest houses were closed in the evening. Kishtwar is almost 188km by road to Pahalgam but if one walks across the mountains, it’s not too far away. In fact, the government officials were looking at the possibility of the terrorists hiding in the jungles of Kishtwar.
doctors. They worked till late at night. The hospital superintendents Dr Mohammed Ashraf and his colleagues stayed put in their room for coordination.
The patients came from far off mountains and valleys. They would not have received medical care, but for this Rotary medical mission, thanks to logistics extended by the state government. Many were thankful to Rotary for giving them a new life. In this project, many lives were saved, people were freed of their excruciating pain and discomfort, and the blind could once again see their beautiful valleys.
The last day of the project was shockingly different. We were told about the terrible incident at Pahalgam (April 22). Our surgeons completed
The Rotary teams were supposed to reach Jammu in government vehicles after breakfast the next day. In the evening, the Kishtwar team was told to leave at 5am and travel out of Doda district before dawn. The Bhaderwah team was told to leave at 6.30am. Kishtwar town was cordoned off at 4am but the authorities allowed the Rotary team to leave. The vehicle in which I was travelling from Bhaderwah, needed to fill up petrol near Doda but while crossing river Chenab, we were stopped and told that Doda town has been closed. Our driver had to convince the security personnel that he would fill up petrol in the retail pump just outside the town. The road to Jammu had less traffic till Udhampur and all the shops and eateries were closed. We all reached Jammu well in time and it was a great relief after the tense night.
The surgical projects are small but meaningful steps towards taking Rotary service to the underserved. It also helps in national integration and sensitising people that Rotary goes where others don’t dare to go and serve. It also demonstrates that the public-private partnership for service is a unique and powerful model to make a meaningful change.
We are ready for our next surgical camp in Kathua district in October 2025!
The writer is a past district governor of RID 3132 and project chair
ile PD PDG G y coordinatted d d doct c ors. s y wo k rkeed t
RID 3131 PDG Dr Girish Gune performing a surgery at the medical camp.
In a quiet corner of Taraimal, a village 231km from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the once-faded walls of the Dhanwarpara Government Primary School now gleam with fresh colours and its students sport cheerful smiles. This heartwarming transformation is the result of an initiative by RC Raigarh
Royale, RID 3261, under its Happy School Project, aimed at creating quality learning environment for children in underprivileged areas.
For cl c ub president Ashish Mahamiya, the e project t began when “I receiveed a call for support from the schoool l princippal Sillbiya Tigga. Af A ter visiititinng the school, we knew we had to ac act t swiftlyy. Our u goa o l wa w s to ensure thhaat evvery y chi h ld d studies e in n a sppace e thhat t innspi p res he h r an a d ma m kes her r feel l saffee, , ” he h says. s Witthin n days, the Roota t ry teeaamm, led by pr p j ojec e t chhair Rajiv Gu G pta an a d club secretary r
An A kit t Agarwaal, l mobiilised ed resources and volunteers rs to o do the h woork.
A school transformed by Rotary’s love
Kiran Zehra
The school underwent a complete visual uplift, the walls were repainted, 35 new desks and benches arrived, electric fans, lights and play equipment were installed, and drinking water was made accessible. “The children
noow w haave toi o leets thaat ensure their dignity and hygiene, and a shed wh w ere they y can eat together. What may seem like sm l all l h changes br b ought t real comfort and dignity to the e stu t de d nts’ daily y routine,” says M Mahamimiya ya a visual l the walls were 35 new desks and benches elecctric fa f ns, and equipmmennt we w re installed, and w water r w was ma m de accesessible. e e ch n
Students seated on the new benches gifted by RC Raigarh Royale.
udding r rning ost t of f nch c es s i i o mum m di, sis, we orma
The entire makeover including infrastructure upgrade and learning material was completed at a cost of `5.52 lakh. The desks and benches were donated by Arun Patwari through the Balkishan Patwari Charitable Trust. “We aimed to stretch every rupee for maximum impact,” says Omprakash Modi, the club’s immediate past president. “Thanks to our members, we achieved a meaningful transformation on a modest budget.”
“Perhaps the most touching additions were two simple swings in the schoolyard. As children lined up to take their turns, the joy on their
Group commended the club for its “commitment to community development. Initiatives like this don’t just beautify a space, they lay the foundation for dreams.” Club members, the school staff and villagers were present at the event. “When the school bell rang that morning, it signalled more than just the start of another day. We watched the students and teachers stepping into a space with improved facilities, with a smile on their faces. For us club members, this was not just a school upgrade. It was a renewed investment in the children’s future,” says Mahamiya. their turns, the on their ke t trialist
Infrastructure was upgraded, new learning material and two swings were provided at a total cost of ` 5.52 lakh.
faces reflected d h th i eir h happiiness,” he smiles The didn’t t stop at
smiles. The project didn’t stop at just infrastructure. Each child received a school bag, notebooks, pens and pencil boxes.
At the inaugural event, industrialist Sanjay Agarwal of the NR
p c itts s “com m de devvelopm d donn’t jus thhe foun n m meember r errs were e h the e s schho it siggnnall of annoth students space wi
of the N R M Mahamiiya.
Children enjoying playtime on the equipment installed by the club.
Club president Ashish Mahamia (8th from left) and secretary Ankit Agarwal (extreme right) along with club members at the school.
The Golden Sparrows of Chennai
V Muthukumaran
Apart from being a daughter, wife, to mother
and family matriarch, a woman has to overcome many challenges in her personal and professional life, said Chennai mayor Priya Rajan at the inaugural of Golden Sparrow, a
one-day women’s carnival in Chennai, organised by RID 3233 led by DG Mahaveer Bothra. “Women should be celebrated in society; we have got innate capabilities to succeed in life despite odds and pitfalls.”
Men should be made aware of women’s potential to climb heights and
set new milestones in different fields, said Priya. “Gone are the days when education was denied to women and she couldn’t even come out of her house and participate in any public meeting or discourse.” Now is the time to come out, “flap your wings to soar high for setting new benchmarks
and expand your horizon,” she said, praising DG Bothra and his team for conceiving the event as it will open up a platform for women to showcase their diverse skills.
Motivational speaker Parveen Sultana, Tamil professor at the SIET College for Women, recalled the historical struggles of
Jayashree Bothra presents Rotary Women Achiever Award to Prof Parveen Sultana. Also seen are (from L) RC Golden Sparrow charter secretary Lalitha Sriram, event co-chair Anees Begam, DG Mahaveer Bothra, Chennai mayor Priya Rajan, club charter president Sujatha Srinivasan and event advisor PDG AP Kanna.
women for “equal rights and parity with men. Now we can compete with men on equal terms, thanks to the generational struggle; the Rotary world is one such example, as women can aspire to become district governors.”
A popular YouTuber who is also known for corporate training programmes, Parveen advised women Rotarians that “instead of living in a gilded cage, explore freedom and liberty to become achievers in society.” Parveen, mayor Priya and retired IPS officer V Vanitha were presented with Rotary Women Achiever Awards.
“We can do better if more women join and participate in our community efforts. At RID 3233, women constitute 19 per cent of our members, and this maiden carnival through its series of fun programmes, games and light entertainment will attract more women to our clubs,” said Bothra
Recalling his breakfast meetings with club presidents, members and their spouses, he said, “at these 65 special sessions we discussed about growing membership.”
After the brainstorming sessions, the district hosted Kalangarai Vilakku (Lighthouse) in which around 500 past presidents were felicitated and motivated to guide their clubs. PRID AS
From L: PDG R Srinivasan, Dr Sriram Ramdas, RID 3233 DGND Ganapathy Suresh, PDG Raja Seenivasan, DGE D Devendran, DGN Shriram Duvvuri and PDG ISAK Nazar.
Venkatesh was the main speaker. The next event was Valarpirai (Crescent Moon) in which 800 new members were given a special talk by RIDE M Murugandandam at an orientation event.
RC Chennai Icons with 225 members was chartered as the third event in the innovative series, and “now Golden Sparrow as a women’s carnival, the fourth in the series, is made possible, thanks to the joint efforts of PDGs ISAK Nazar, R Srinvasan and my wife Jayashree,” he explained. He added that Project Pink Auto has provided livelihood to over 100 women in the last three years, and “during inspection each year, we provide cash vouchers and pink uniforms to women auto drivers.
This year, 100 women are being trained under the guidance of PDG Chandramohan.” Likewise, Orange Eye Vision, the brainchild of PDG Muthu Palaniappan, has employed 120 women at eye clinics across Chennai, he said.
Women being ignored
During his interaction with club presidents, Bothra found that women Rotarians “are not invited or given much attention during governor’s official visits (GOVs).” This carnival aimed to “give due recognition and pride of place to women.” Sujatha Srinivasan was the event chair.
PDG Nazar announced the formation of RC Golden Sparrow, an all-women’s club with 155 members, drawn
from various professions, led by charter president Sujatha and secretary Lalitha Sriram. He will be the club’s advisor. “We want to raise women’s membership from 19 to 30 per cent by June 30, 2026,” said Nazar. Event advisor PDG AP Kanna, its co-chair Anees Begam, DGE D Devendran, DGN Shriram Duvvuri, DGND Ganapathy Suresh, and PDGs of Chennai region were present. Wellness sessions, fun games and entertainment regaled 950 women Rotarians, Anns and Annets from RID 3233; 50 Rotaractors as special invitees; and 100 delegates from other RI districts across South India.
Pictures by V Muthukumaran
A carnival empowers women
RC Siliguri Umeed, RID 3240, organised a fourday carnival to empower local women entrepreneurs by offering a platform for showcasing skills in handicrafts, food and other areas. The event included cultural programmes and blood donation camp which drew over 1,000 visitors a day. MP Raju Bisht and PDG Subhasish Chakraborty attended the event. The carnival boosted local talent, rural outreach and the public image of Rotary.
Rotary’s lake crusade
The Save Vembanadu project, led by RI District 3211, is an environmental initiative to clean and preserve Vembanad Lake in Alappuzha, Kerala. On World Water Day (March 22), 15 Rotary clubs joined hands with the district administration and municipality for a plastic-free campaign. About 220 volunteers used 100 boats to collect 3.6 tonnes of lake waste, which was handed over for proper disposal. The drive was flagged off by district collector Alex Varghese.
Vision powered by Rotary
RC Ghaziabad Smart City, RID 3012, in partnership with Ferolite Jointings, distributed smart glasses to 240 visually-impaired Delhi University students through a CSR grant. Ferolite contributed $27,000 and the club $15,500; DG Prashant Raj Sharma attended the event.
Club hosts a marathon
RC Mumbai Lakers, RID 3141, hosted the 13th edition of the annual Powai Run. The event, flagged off jointly by DG Chetan Desai, club president Palvi Agarwal, Hiranandani Group MD Niranjan Hiranandani and local MLA Dilip Lande, had over 1,000 participants competing in the 4km and 10km races. An 80-year-old participant Usha Joshi, visually-impaired Amarjeet Singh completing his 249th race, and wheelchair basketball players showcasing their skills are the major highlights.
Participants
Beneficiaries receiving smart glasses from Rotarians. CSR Projects chair PDG Subhash Jain is seen second from left.
Various stalls at the carnival.
Volunteers and Rotarians at the cleanliness drive.
at the Powai Run 2025.
Rotary miracles do happen
V Muthukumaran
The Rotary Foundation is the one that “keeps all of us together as it is the very soul and spirit of Rotary,” said PRIP KR Ravindran, addressing delegates at the district conference of RID 3231 in Chennai titled Raj Utsav. The Foundation enables ‘dreamers’ to become ‘doers’ as Rotary is now in the formidable business of literacy, healthcare, helping people to live in dignity by providing opportunities, all of these possible due to the strong roots of TRF, he explained. “We need peace, good health, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to live with dignity, support for women and child care, education, and to help communities to grow — all these form the six focus areas of RI,” he added.
Ravindran recalled an incident that occurred a decade ago that reflected the strength of the global Rotary family. A seven-month-old child of a devout Christian couple in Mongolia suffered life-threatening burns in an electric kettle mishap. “They took the
child to the main hospital at the capital Ulaanbaatar, a day’s journey, where finding the burn injuries to be critical they were told to shift their child to a US hospital. But the local airlines rejected the couple’s pleas to airlift their dying child to the US.”
With the last and only resort, they prayed fervently to God for saving their sick child for a week or so. “One fine day, a person knocked on their door and gave them air tickets for travelling to Shriners Hospital, Cincinnati, a part of the Freemasons group, which specialises in paediatric care including burn injuries.” How did this miracle happen? When they were praying, phone calls rang in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Chicago and Cincinnati, Ohio, and “I picked up the call at the One Rotary Centre, Chicago, at five in the evening and was briefed on the critical Mongolian child requiring emergency treatment as I was RI President then,” Ravindran said.
The RI headquarters called the Hong Kong governor who rang up
Rotarians in Mongolia to approach their prime minister for intervention. The Mongolian PM ordered the airline to immediately fly the sick child with parents to the US for emergency treatment at the Shriners Hospital. “When our hearts are open, hands are ready, just a telephone call is enough to change the life of a dying child,” said Ravindran.
Best in service
Rotary is the best service organisation in the world, “as ratings don’t lie, miracles are not fake, and the magic is not a mirage. Our greatness is not an accident or a coincidence, for we have changed many lives.” Miracles do happen in the world as “Rotarians are there to make it happen. For sure, Rotary is changing the world with one miracle at a time as Rotarians are in the business of doing miracles. So please continue to do what you have been doing,” he urged the delegates.
RIPR Sundarrajan Gopal, a past governor from RID 3000, noted that it is up to the Rotarians to create magic
From L: PDG A Sampath Kumar, RIPR PDG S Gopal, RID 3231
DG M Rajanbabu, PRIP K R Ravindran, PDG C R Chandra
Bob, DGND T Sivakumar, PDGs J K N Palani, Abirami Ramanathan, Discon chair V Dilip Kumar and PDG Nirmal Raghavan.
in Rotary by doing impactful projects, adding new members and contributing to TRF. “During uncertain times like this, following the Pahalgam terror attack, we remain steadfast to our values and mission as Rotarians are deeply embedded in their communities. Rotary has endured two world wars, emerged stronger after every pandemic and global conflict in its 120-year-old journey of selfless service.”
Expressing concern over stagnant membership of 1.4 million, he said “while 1.5 lakh new members join, the same number leave Rotary each year. Hence, the focus must be on providing a rich club experience to new members through active engagement.”
RI has spent $10 billion so far in its fight against polio and immunised three billion children of the world since 1979 through a global campaign.
RIDE M Muruganandam
Delivering a talk on the topic ‘Say yes to Rotary,’ RIDE M Muruganandam said in a world full of conflict and strife, “Rotary is the only service organisation that has crossed four generations. Here we witness a smooth transition of leadership each year at its 45,000 clubs across the world.” From human beings to being human by giving everything to the world, “we become god’s hand.”
RI has spent $10 billion so far in its fight against polio and immunised three billion children of the world since 1979 through a global campaign, he said. Citing Rotary’s Vision Statement, he added, “The aim is to bring in lasting change across the globe, communities and within ourselves. Rotary is a platform in which professionals across social, religious, caste and national barriers share space with a common mission that unites them.”
Rotary invests the kindness and generosity of Rotarians to bring joy to the underprivileged by changing their lives, he said. He presented Rotary Lifetime Achievement Awards to four film personalities — playwright-cum-actor Y Gee Mahendra, veteran actress Lakshmi, art director Thota Tharani and film director Suresh Krissna.
RIDE M Muruganandam presents Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award to actor Y Gee Mahendra. Also seen are Discon secretary P Vinayagam (3rd from L), film director Suresh Krissna, art director Thota Tharani, actress Lakshmi, DGE V Suresh and Discon chair Dilip Kumar.
RID 3231 principal advisor PDG Abirami Ramanathan said he has got around 20,000 Rotary friends “who are ready to help me anytime, and I consider them closer than my relatives. Rotary is the only NGO in the world that unites humanity across caste, religion, national and other affinities.” But clubs need to constantly highlight their projects and service outreach to people through a sustained public image campaign, he said. “Also in the name of increasing membership, don’t induct all and sundry into your clubs without verifying their profile, as they will ruin Rotary,” he warned.
DG M Rajanbabu said service and fellowship should promote a better world through innovative projects for the communities. “If this discon enables each one of the delegates to take home a new project idea, strike a new friendship, widen their network for doing good, or even carry with them some joyful moments, then it would have achieved its purpose,” he said.
V Dilip Kumar, the conference chair, and PDGs from the host district 3231, RIDs 3233, 3234 and other southern districts took part in the event attended by around 2,000 Rotarians, Anns and Annets.
Pictures
by V Muthukumaran
Neyveli Rotarians transform a slum
Jaishree
A solar street lamp installed by RC Neyveli Lignite City at Ayyanar Street in Neyveli.
The residents of Ayyanar Street in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu, had a reason to rejoice when their once dark and dismal street lit up, thanks to the installation of solar street lamps by the Rotary Club of Neyveli Lignite City, RID 2981. This narrow street, comprising three lanes and lined with 34 dilapidated mud huts, is home primarily to elderly couples, with just two families having school-going children attending the local government school.
This Street lies on the outskirts of Neyveli, a township better known for its lignite mining operations and the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC). “About a decade ago, people living along the National Highway were relocated here after the road was widened by the Highways Department. Since then, the locality has been in utter neglect, lacking basic amenities like electricity, potable water, sanitation or proper roads,” said J Paulraj, president of RC Neyveli Lignite City.
The living conditions are grim. “There are no toilets or drinking water facilities. Residents rely on wastewater released from NLC. It’s so dark at night that two elderly men recently died due to snake bite,” he added. Repeated pleas to government authorities yielded no results.
Moved by the plight of the residents, the club launched a mission to transform the area. The first step was installing seven solar-powered street lights, each costing ` 15,000, across the locality. “Lighting up the area made a huge difference. Elders can now sit outside their homes and chat, while children are able to study under the lights.”
During the inauguration of the lighting project, PDG A Mani suggested providing individual solar kits to each household. The club embraced the idea and is now working to implement it. “Each kit, costing around `32,000, includes two lamps and a fan. We aim to provide kits to two households each month and have issued tokens to all families,” Paulraj explained.
The club then addressed the community’s water crisis by installing a 500-litre tank connected to an RO plant. “We’re treating wastewater from NLC to make it safe for drinking,” he said. In another impactful gesture, the club built a modest but hygienic shelter for a partially-blind elderly couple who had been living in appalling conditions. “Now they have a secure home with a designated living area and a toilet. It must have been sheer misery for them earlier,” he added.
In collaboration with Orange Vision Centre and Jothi Eye Care, the club also held an eye-screening camp. Orange Vision Centre is part of a global grant project of RID 3232 — Project Orange launched in 2020–21 to set up hybrid vision care centres across Tamil Nadu. So far, 197 such centres have been established, including one in Neyveli. “The camp made a big difference. Almost all residents had vision issues, and were provided with spectacles. Cataract surgeries were performed, and two residents even received corneal transplants,” said club member Balaji Gurumurthy.
This is just the beginning. “We plan to work with the municipal corporation to bring essential services like electricity and sanitation to this neglected area,” said Paulraj.
PDG A Mani inaugurating a water facility in the locality. Club president J Paulraj (third from L) and club member Balaji Gurumurthy (L) are also seen.
Sports Day for sanitary workers
Team Rotary News
On the eve of May Day, a newly chartered RC Erode Chakras, RID 3203, conducted a sports meet for sanitary workers as its maiden project on the premises of Erode Municipal Corporation, to salute their ‘selfless service’ in keeping the city clean.
Around 500 conservancy staff took part in various games and fun events, and were given Rotary caps to protect them from the scorching sun. “It was an eventful evening with joy and laughter. All of them were honoured by the club for their noble work,” said DG S Suresh Babu. Erode Mayor
Above: RID 3203 DG S Suresh Babu interacts with sanitary workers in Erode at a sports meet and felicitation event for sanitary workers in Erode on the eve of May Day. (Right) DG Babu presents news clothes to an Irula family while handing over rebuilt homes to them at a village in Sathyamangalam district of Erode, TN.
S Nagarathinam, Corporation commissioner H S Srikanth, PDG EK Sagadhevan, and other Rotarians were present at the sports meet.
With tribal welfare as the district’s priority project, DG Babu handed over 12 re-built houses of Irulas, executed by RC Sathy at a cost of `10 lakh, to the beneficiary families. Project Roof of Hope was implemented by the club led by its president Amudha and Kanthavel, co-chair, Tribal Welfare of RID 3203.
Babu, who hails from Nilgiris, was keen to empower the tribals such as Todas, Kurumbas, Irulas, Paniyas and Kaatu Nayakars who are living in the Nilgiri hamlets for centuries. Tribal Welfare district chair A K Devaraj from RC Kotagiri was all praise for the project team, while RC Tirupur president K Ravindran and his team volunteered to rebuild two Irula houses.
The rebuilt houses were handed over to the Irula families at Vaithiyanathanpuram hamlet near Kadambur in Sathyamangalam taluk, Erode district (TN).
Meet your Governors
V Muthukumaran
Imparting Rotary knowledge
Club members are well-acquainted with Rotary’s legacy of global service, “as the more they learn about Rotary, the better Rotarians they become. Hence, as a priority initiative, all the district clubs conducted a Rotary Knowledge Quiz, and zonal competitions were held at six places. In the district finals, 12 teams contested in November last year,” says Santhosh Sreedhar. With 2,865 Rotarians across 84 clubs in the Malabar region of Kerala, his target is to add 500 new members, of which 280 have been inducted already. The DG has chartered four new clubs, and will form 15 more by June-end.
RC Kasaragod has donated a blood collection van (GG: $35,000) to the district hospital, while RC Kannur Central will be doing paediatric heart surgery for at least 60 children (GG: $45,000) at two hospitals — MIMS, Kozhikode, and Kannur — under from June. RC Cannanore has already done surgery on 45 children in the last two years. An RO water filter unit was installed (` 5 lakh) at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, with a district grant, he added. Under over 200 dental check-up camps and oral health awareness classes for students and the public have been done, and more than 60 clubs have created Miyawaki forests in urban areas. His target for TRF-giving is $250,000. Having joined Rotary in 1999, Sreedhar loves the “leadership role Rotary offers through service.”
Rotarians’ welfare matters
Ateambuilder to the core, Krishnendu Gupta says, “my focus is also on looking after the welfare of Rotarians and including them in as many projects as feasible.” With 146 clubs and 3,800-plus Rotarians, he aims at a 5–7.5 per cent net membership growth by inducting over 250 new members with special focus on retention and chartering five new clubs; four new clubs were formed already.
A slew of GG projects ($96,350) is either underway or completed including HPV vaccination camps against cervical cancer ( ); library access to visually-impaired students at the Jadavpur University; artificial limb distribution ( ); rural household toilets ( ); clean schools; Rotary Vision on Wheels; eyecare at the Rotary Joynagar Eye Hospital; 1,500 free Phaco surgeries and donating equipment; and skill training for ex-convicts.
Sewing machines and cycle rickshaw vans will be donated to the underprivileged under a district grant of $23,000 through RCCs. Under , English and arithmetic are taught to hundreds of children and adults. Two new RCCs for the transgender community were formed and clubs “have taken up healthcare and rehabilitation projects for the LGBTQ community.” While the official target for TRF-giving is $550,000, “I am hopeful of surpassing $1 million for the first time in our district,” he smiles.
Having joined Rotary in 1992, Gupta will become a member of the AKS Chair’s Circle soon. The late PRID T Ramesh Pai (Manipal) was his mentor in Rotary, and “seeing the happiness among countless beneficiaries keeps me inspired in life,” he adds.
Krishnendu Gupta
Santhosh Sreedhar
Affordable dialysis in rural Hubli
Jaishree
For people battling kidney disease in the villages around Hubballi (Hubli), every dialysis session was a challenge, not just against the illness, but against distance and cost. The nearest dialysis centre was miles away, with unreliable transport options and cost that most could not afford. “Even today, there are just 4–5 dialysis centres in the area, and these facilities charge `2,500 per session which is unaffordable for local farmers, labourers and daily wage earners. Many patients skipped treatment or stopped altogether, simply because they had no other choice,” says Binoy Momaya, past president of the Rotary Club of Hubli South, RID 3170. He was instrumental in setting up the Rotary Hubli South-Bhanji Khimji Lifeline Dialysis Centre within a multispecialty hospital in Hubballi, “to bring hope where there was none.”
The idea was born in 2019 when the club applied for a global grant from TRF. “Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic disrupted funding, as the Foundation shifted its focus to disaster relief.” Ultimately, the centre was set up two years later in 2021 with the Rotary Club of Quedas de Igacu, Brazil, as the international partner. The project cost was `50 lakh, with RC Hubli South contributing `25 lakh. The club has 40 members and “everyone pitched in and funds were ready in just two days,” says Momaya.
In these four years, the centre has completed over 10,000 dialysis sessions, serving 300 patients regularly. “But these numbers don’t just represent treatment; they represent lives saved, families held together and hope restored.” he says. He shares two stories that capture the impact of the
facility. A truck driver had lost all hope earlier as his deteriorating health forced him to stop working. “For him, dialysis wasn’t just medical care; it was his lifeline back to the driver’s seat, allowing him to provide for his family again.” Referring to a 20-year-old girl, once too weak to even walk, he says, “today, after receiving treatment at our centre, she is brimming with confidence and pursuing her graduate studies.”
The Rotary dialysis centre is the go-to facility for 25 lakh people across 100 small villages around Hubballi. Sessions are provided at a subsidised rate of `1,000, and five patients receive free treatment. The club covers recurring expenses through member
donations, often contributing on special occasions. Each time the club posts an appeal on social media, the response is overwhelming, says Momaya. “Our members visit the centre regularly, not just to check on the machines but to sit with patients, hear their stories, and remind them that they are not alone. For us, this is not just a project, it’s a promise,” he smiles.
Next on the cards for this 35-yearold club is setting up a neonatal intensive care unit with a GG support. Cataract surgery camps are a regular at this club. “We do 8–10 camps across villages every year, restoring sight of at least 600 people, all through member donations,” he says.
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Past president Binoy Momaya (centre) with Anil Kumar Jain (L) and Manoj Nagansure (R) at the dialysis centre.
Acutting-edge technology in radiation therapy has been set up for free and affordable cancer treatment through a partnership between a research centre and a private hospital facilitated by RC Pune Pristine, RID 3131, in the form of a CSR fund-based Rotary Foundation India grant of `4.2 crore. “This landmark medical project will make life better for countless patients suffering from the disease,” said TRF trustee Bharat Pandya.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a Radiation and CT Scan Centre at the Integrated Cancer Treatment and Research Centre (ICTRC) at Wagholi, an eastern suburb of Pune. The new centre was the club’s second such facility after its first Radiation Therapy Centre (GG: $860,000) at the Surya
Free radiation therapy for cancer patients in Pune
V Muthukumaran
Sahyadri Hospital was opened by the then RI President Jennifer Jones in July 2022. The new Radiation Centre is also the product of a special purpose JV between the Pune club, ICTRC and Onco-Life Hospitals resulting in the installation of assets and treatment facilities worth `12 crore at the cancer research hospital. “Radiation and surgery are important weapons in the fight against cancer, and the new
centre is an effective tool offering quality, affordable care for people. In India 1.4 million new cancer patients are being treated each year, and given the compounded annual growth of 10 per cent, after the next 5–7 years, we will have two million new cases every year,” he warned
While surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are the three pillars in the fight against cancer, “I am delighted
(From L) TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya, project convener Sudin Apte, RC Pune Pristine president Shilpa Bhosekar, DG Shital Shah, ICTRC director Dr Arvind Kulkarni, Onco-Life Hospitals chairman Uday Deshmukh, DRFC Shailesh Palekar, Anil Goel, Anup Bandishte, Dr Abhishek Purkaystha, Dr Shweta Gujar and PDGs Girish Gune and Pankaj Shah (right).
that TRF money is being used for a sustainable medical project like the radiation centre to make treatment affordable to all patients. Sitting at Evanston (in Chicago, US), we may lose perspective of the grassroots reality, and I will be happy to report about this medical grant project to the RI board and TRF trustees,” he said, and hoped that “other clubs will also replicate such long-term, innovative medical projects.”
Appreciating the club’s initiative DG Shital Shah said that till now, the club has done projects worth `14 crore this Rotary year.
DRFC Shailesh Palekar said as a doctor it gave him “a lot of happiness to see the new radiation centre brought to life as I was closely associated with this project ever since it was mooted by past president Sudin Apte.” Out of 1.46 million new cancer patients each year, “at least eight lakh have to undergo radiation, and most of them are from rural areas and can’t afford cancer treatment.”
Elated over the high-tech radiation unit, Dr Arvind Kulkarni, director, Oncology, ICTRC, recalled that the charity hospital was set up in 1994 by Sardeshmukh Maharaj, a spiritual leader, through grants from the Atomic Energy Commission and GoI for installing a Cobalt machine. “Alternative therapies like Ayurveda are also given to patients. With the new centre, we can do radiation on 1,200 patients a year, 80 per cent of them free, compared 400 beneficiaries earlier. Besides, we also do 1,200 surgeries including 300 on cancer patients; and 1,000 chemotherapies.” Uday Deshmukh, MD, Onco-Life Hospitals said they were happy to partner with ICTRC. “Nobody had thought we two can partner to provide free cancer care to the underprivileged patients, before Rotary stepped in.”
Pristine cancer care network
Since 2020, RC Pune Pristine is working to create a network of cancer care hospitals (nine centres till now) offering free or affordable treatment to underprivileged patients.
Club medical projects convener Sudin Apte, the chief architect of the hospital network, said through facilities such as OT, ICU, radiation, chemo ward, surgical accessories etc, at these nine hospitals, through GGs, CSR funds and other resources, “we have helped around 5,500 patients to get either free or subsidised treatment in a year.” The hospitals will be availing the PM’s Ayushman Bharat and the state MJPJAY schemes to offer ‘cashless’ treatment to poor people.
Additionally, the club is sponsoring the treatment of 500 cancer patients. “In the last four years, our club has spent ` 18–20 crore for treatment of cancer patients in these hospitals,” he explained. It all started in 2020, when the club entered into a tripartite MoU with the Surya Sahyadri Hospital,
Bridging the gap
With rising incidence of cancer, growing at a rate of 5–7 per cent each year in India, there are around 9,000 patients out of 15,000, that is 60 per cent, visiting Pune who are found to have solid tumours, hence “they get prescribed for radiation therapy before surgery,” said Sudin Apte, the club’s medical projects convener.
But 36 per cent of those ‘prescribed for radiation,’ that is 3,500 new patients, can’t afford the radiation cost of `1.5–`2 lakh. The club estimates that 1,500 patients among them are able to get free treatment at some Pune hospitals due to government schemes, “but we had to bridge the gap of 2,000
state and central governments. In accordance with this, the hospital will dedicate a 125-bed ward for free or affordable cancer treatment “if only Rotary clubs set up infrastructure facilities worth `15 crore.” Since then, RC Pune Pristine, as the lead club, had set up a radiation centre, upgraded the ICU, chemo ward and OT at a total cost of `12 crore (all through GGs). RC Pune Central has set up a dialysis centre (GG: `1.5 crore); RC Pune Pashan has inaugurated a diagnostic centre (GG: `50 lakh); and RC Pune Khadki has installed a skin bank (`1 crore). All of this put together, medical facilities worth ` 15 crore have been provided to make possible either free or subsidised treatment to 2,500 patients a year.
Now, with the new radiation centre, the club, through its tie-up with other hospitals, will transport patients from those centres which don’t have radiation machines to ICTRC. Free meals will be provided to all patients along with a caregiver through the course of treatment, and medical kits will be distributed to overcome the side effects of radiation, added Apte.
patients who are left in the lurch,” explained Apte.
Earlier in her address, club president Shilpa Bhosekar said their sevenyear-old, 30-member club has given $1 million to TRF, and has done eight global grant projects worth $2.1 million.
AKS member Anil Goel from RC Poona Downtown has donated ` 36.3 lakh under a CSR grant from his company, Duroshox. PDGs Girish Gune, Pankaj Shah, ICTRC doctors and paramedical staff were present at the inaugural.
Picture by V Muthukumaran
ROTARY’S ACTION PLAN IN MOTION
TRANSFORMING CLUBS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH GLOBAL GRANTS
Cadre input leads to greater impact and supports engagement
As a 25-year member of the Rotary Club of Guayaquil Norte, Guayas, Ecuador, Xavier “Xavi” Sanchez Pólit knows the transformative power of Rotary projects. And as a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, he uses his civil engineering expertise to help other clubs achieve their goals. Cadre members help clubs plan and implement global-grant funded projects, and Xavi has advised members on initiatives such as building primary schools and water filtration systems.
Engaging clubs and building partnerships to expand our impact
Xavi knows some clubs avoid global grants because it’s a long-term process and can seem daunting. But he believes it’s worthwhile. “Committing to multiphase projects keeps your club busy and engaged with Rotary,” he says. Cadre advisers can help clubs navigate the grant application and reporting cycle.
Xavi also emphasizes the benefits of working with local leaders and organizations that have a presence in the community. “They have important knowledge and relationships to make projects successful.”
Adapting to local needs for lasting change
Visiting one water sanitation project involved a six-hour car trip and a three-hour canoe ride, but Xavi found his time with community members rewarding. “It was quickly clear they cared very much for their community and environment,” he says.
Beyond commitment, it’s also important to be flexible. “Most mistakes Rotarians make come from thinking we know what communities need, instead of asking them,” Xavi says. By being receptive to new ideas, asking questions, and responding to community feedback, Rotary members can help their projects have a lasting impact.
Xavi and other Cadre members offer their expertise on these kinds of projects to help clubs advance Rotary’s Action Plan commitment to increasing our impact and our ability to adapt.
Skilling rural women
Team Rotary News
The Rotary Club of Silk City Ramanagara, RI District 3191, led by its president KN Shridhar, has successfully completed a vocational services project that has transformed the lives of 285 village women.
The project aimed to equip these women with employable skills, enabling them to start their own businesses and become financially independent. The training sessions
were on tailoring and beautician courses as hands-on, practical, and industry-relevant, ensuring that the participants gained confidence and proficiency in their chosen skills.
Held over 90 days and impacting the lives of rural women in the region, the total cost of this transformative project is `17 lakh, said district secretary Raghavendra Inamdar. Upon completion of the training, the club donated
sewing machines, essential tools and other required material to each participant, empowering them to launch their own ventures. This thoughtful gesture has not only enhanced their skills but also provided them with the necessary resources to turn their newfound skills into sustainable livelihoods.
The project is a testament to the club’s commitment to empowering women and promoting economic development in rural areas. By providing vocational training and support, the club has taken a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and prosperous community. The impact of this project will be felt for years to come, as these women become entrepreneurs, create employment opportunities and contribute to the economic growth of their communities.
Credit for the success of this project goes to DG Satish Madhavan, district secretary general Kumar Swamy, secretary Inamdar and district women’s empowerment director Anupama Savadi.
DG Satish Madhavan (centre) and club president KN Shridhar inaugurate the distribution event as district secretary Raghavendra Inamdar, women’s empowerment chair Anupama Savadi, secretary general Kumar Swamy, Rtn Nagaraju and club’s vocational services director Arun Kumar (left) look on.
This month, Rotary International Convention attendees will converge in Calgary, part of an annual tradition that has spanned 115 years and circled the globe. We dug through the archives to find photos of past conventions. Can you guess the cities where these were taken?
Ponchos are a traditional symbol of gaucho culture, Rotary members discovered in this city.
Photographs: Rotary file photos
The convention’s opening session coincided with the dedication of this city’s iconic amphitheatre, hewn out of solid rock.
Answer key:
Rotary is revisiting this city for its 2026 convention.
When you’re in Calgary for this year’s convention, check out this other Canadian city.
Seoul, 1989 2. Honolulu, 1969 3. Sydney, 1971
Osaka, Japan, 2004 5. Buenos Aires, 2000
Barcelona,
7. Minneapolis-St. Paul, 1974 8. Taipei, 1994
Denver (Red Rocks Park), 1941 10. Dallas, 1982
Toronto, 1924 12. Mexico City, 1968 13. Munich, 1987
Making a difference
AED unit installed at Ranchi airport
AnAED (automated external defibrillator) was installed at the Ranchi Airport by RC Ranchi, RID 3250, to provide emergency aid for passengers and airport staff suffering a cardiac arrest.
The machine delivers electrical shock to revive the heart, and keeps the patient alive, till professional medical help arrives. Speaking at the installation, club president Gaurav Bagroy said, “The equipment will ensure safety of both passengers and staff; quick access to emergency aid can mean the difference between life and death.” The Ranchi Airport gets thousands of passengers every day, and the AED machine will be a life saver.
Annet Thalhir kickstarting the initiative.
Annets donate for artificial limbs
With
the objective of inculcating savings habit in Annets, RC Coimbatore Mid Town, RID 3201, is distributing a piggy bank designed in the shape of an artificial limb to motivate the children of Rotarians to contribute to the club’s artificial limb distribution camps. The piggy banks will plant the seeds of service and empathy in the hearts of Annets, says Srinivas Sriraman, club president.
DG Bipin Chachan (fifth from L) gives the AED machine to the airport staff. Also seen: RC Ranchi president Gaurav Bagroy (centre) and PDG Gopal Khemka (fourth from L).
Football camp for schoolchildren
At the summer coaching camp for football, conducted by RC Chengannur, RID 3211, 60 schoolchildren took part in a unique programme called Hug a Tree to mark Environment Day (April 22). Superintendent of police KT Chacko anchored the event with the support of BSF-inspector general PV Eapen, a Rotarian.
The students were given football jerseys embossed with Rotary logo and a ‘Say no to drugs’ tagline. An interactive session on drug abuse was also held.
A 3-day RYLA in Dibrugarh, Assam
Athree-day residential RYLA was held for 52 students from 13 schools across seven districts of Assam by RC Dibrugarh, RID 3240, where they interacted with resourcepersons on subjects like leadership traits, personality development and career building.
Debajit Goswami was the RYLA chair. District forest officer Sandeep Bendi flagged off a rally to create awareness on environment. The participants were taken on an educational tour to BCPL and Chroma Hydroponic Nurseries. Interactive talks on stress management and other relevant issues of the youth dominated the final day. District commissioner Bikram Kairi addressed the valedictory session.
Schoolchildren and Rotarians at the Hug a Tree campaign.
RID 3240 PDG Kalpana Khound (R) with RYLA participants.
The
A backup for humanity, under the Arctic ice
Steven Vermeylen
ocumentary photographer Christian Clauwers of the Rotary Club of Antwerpen-Oost has been travelling around the world for more than a decade to capture the effects of global warming. His photos show what is in danger of being lost, and in that sense they are a major wake-up call. For his latest project, he managed to gain exclusive access to the world seed bank on Spitsbergen in the Svalbard island group.
“Only three people have a key to the Global Seed Vault, where ‘spare copies’ of food crop seeds from around the world are kept. The repository, deep in the permafrost, acts as a ‘backup’ for national seed banks, documenting and safeguarding local crops. This protects their biodiversity from potential catastrophes, such as natural disasters, devastating wars or advancing climate change,” Clauwers says.
On one of his expeditions to the high Arctic, Clauwers happened to catch sight of the monumental entrance to the seed bank. He immediately became fascinated by what would be behind that heavy door. “You have to imagine: You are there at 78 degrees north latitude, and 1,000 kilometres away is the North Pole. In between there is virtually nothing. There is a bone-dry desert climate. And just here, the Norwegian government has built a facility to serve the global community, a kind of safety
net for the genetic diversity of our agricultural crops.”
It took Clauwers more than six months to gain access to the Global Seed Vault. Eventually, one of the people in charge granted permission. “He realised that I didn’t want to get in for kicks or to capitalise on it professionally. It fit into my overall narrative about the fragility of our Earth and the protection it deserves,” he says. “We met a few months later at Longyearbyen airport. After all the passengers on my flight had left, he came to pick me up. While he stocked a new shipment of seeds, I was free to walk around the seed bank. I had the immense good fortune that just that day, Cary Fowler, the American agricultural expert who is a co-founder of the world seed bank, was also present. I was able to interview him for the book I am currently compiling.”
Clauwers’ book Frozen Heritage, Arctic Vaults and the Future of Our History was published in November.
Duplicates of 1,301,397 seed samples from almost every country in the world are stored under the ice. The total storage capacity accommodates some 4.5 million copies. The seeds are kept in airtight containers at a constant temperature of about minus 18 degrees Celsius (about 0 degrees Fahrenheit). This keeps them storable for a long time. When Syria’s national seed bank was badly damaged during the civil war there, the Global Seed Vault proved its worth. Syrian scientists came to collect seeds to replenish their collection. “The seeds are at the end of a 130-metre-long tunnel leading to three freezing chambers,
entry door to the seed vault is 1,000 kilometres away from the North Pole.
designed to withstand any catastrophe,” Clauwers says. “Ironically, climate change is also making itself felt here: In 2017, meltwater seeped into the bunker and flooded the access tunnel. Fortunately, the storage rooms themselves remained safeguarded.”
Clauwers was able to take a look at the forerunner of the Global Seed Vault. “In an abandoned coal mine, also on Svalbard, the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre stored 20 wooden crates with seeds of Scandinavian plant varieties as early as 1986,” he says. “Each crate contains the same seeds. One is opened every five years to check the viability of the seeds, and for any pathogens. The experiment will continue until the last samples have been analysed in 2086.”
There is a third international storage centre on Svalbard, albeit of a different order. The Arctic World Archive stores data of a cultural, historical and scientific nature considered essential to humanity. “The data is stored on a special pellicle (thin film) developed by the Norwegian company Piql. It is designed to last for thousands of years,” Clauwers says. “The data is captured analogously and digitally, so it will remain readable even if current technology were to be lost. The idea behind this is to protect crucial data of humanity should a global calamity
Countries, institutions, organisations and companies can store data in the Arctic World Archive. Clauwers himself made the first Belgian contribution there: a number of photos that bear witness to climate change. “It includes 26 photos from my project in the Pacific, which documents how islands like Tuvalu, Kiribati and Marshall Islands are in danger of disappearing because of rising sea level. In this way, I want to give islanders a voice,” he says.
occur. The site is designed to be resistant to nuclear attacks and electromagnetic pulses.” h consequences are h s W nee una m ma ate giv ch y policymaker where we Unfort not see clim la g sc
“The current climate evolution saddens me,” Clauwers says. “I am a born optimist, but as far as the climate is concerned, it is one past midnight. Irreparable damage has been done. The consequences are hard to predict but are becoming visible everywhere. I am constantly in contact with top scientists and policymakers. We have entered a phase where we need to minimise the damage. Unfortunately, society does not seem to perceive the climate issue as acute lately. ... I regularly give lectures to high school students. I feel
they want to take responsibility, and that makes me hopeful.”
That Rotary has also made the environment and climate a focus in recent years is warmly welcomed by Clauwers. “That has even been the decisive factor for me to become a Rotarian. Rotary also regularly enables me to spread my message,” he says. “Some time ago, for instance, I was in the Philippines, where I had the opportunity to give talks at the Rotary clubs of Manila and Cebu. These were about a photography project on the Olango archipelago, which is also in danger... due to its low elevation. I also gave a lecture in Hawaii in 2023 at the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset. Even there, the consequences of global warming are visible. Being among Rotarians is always nice. Moreover, I like to reach out to them with insights about climate change. In the end, everything starts with knowledge, and I try to transfer that, by means of my photos, in a visual way.”
Christian Clauwers (centre) contributed some of his photography to the Arctic World Archive, a storage facility designed to protect data in the event of a global calamity.
RID
RC Pattukkottai Kings
Sewing machines and farm equipment were donated to the newly started Ponnavarayankottai RCC for the benefit of its members. The project lifted the public image of the club in the vicinity.
Club matters
RC Gandarvakottai
RID 3000
Farmers were given fertiliser sprayers which will help them to take care of their crops. The beneficiaries thanked Rotary for the gesture that would boost farm productivity.
RC Chopda
A thyroid screening camp was held for self-help group women at Adawad village on Women’s Day. It also created awareness among them on the need to prevent thyroid disorders.
RC Wadhwan Metro
RID 3060
A menstrual hygiene session was held for 60 women, each of them were given 100 sanitary pads at the end of the event which lifted the public image of the club.
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RC Jalakandapuram
Hygiene and wellness kits were given to 20 mothers of newborns at the Government Hospital, Jalakandapuram, to take care of their babies. The event boosted the public image of the club.
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RC Hisar Central Dynamic
Stationery and study material were distributed to children whose parents could not afford the expenses. The club is hopeful that providing educational items will encourage more families to enrol their children in school.
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RC Ambala Industrial Area
Around 50,000 devotees benefited from a first aid-cum-health check-up camp at the Sikh Gurmat Samagam, Ambala. Dr Joginder Singh, a club member, screened the patients who were given medicines.
Our apartment block’s WhatsApp group often buzzes with messages about how a pet bird has flown away and if anyone spots it, she should alert the owner on its whereabouts. Such frequent attempts to retrieve birds have always made me wonder why people keep avians as pets, and whether this a sustainable practice?
Though I love domesticated pets and have had dogs at home since I can remember, birds for me are inherently free spirits who need to be watched and studied closely in their natural habitat during a birdwatching trip. Increased urbanisation too is taking its toll on a dwindling bird population.
Remember how the sparrow disappeared from Delhi in 2012 for several years and, in order to focus on their conservation, the then chief minister Sheila Dixit named it the capital’s state bird and set in motion a movement to
Let them fly free rather than trap them in cages.
build artificial nests of natural material like jute, coir, earthen pots and bamboo. These measures helped, and in a decade the sparrow population made a comeback. The return of the small bird was received with much joy in the media and among environmentalists and birdwatchers.
Going green is all about being in communion with nature, conversing and observing it in all its glory. It is also about preserving the environment that sustains and nurtures us. When it comes to relishing nature’s gifts there is nothing like packing your picnic bags and binoculars and heading to a park and spending the day observing one of nature’s remarkable creations that inspired us to build and fly aeroplanes.
What is it about bird watching that is fascinating? One thing I can share with certainty is that observing and hearing a bird twitter in the bush or sing a song perched on a tree branch can bring much more joy than several birds trapped in a cage with their wings clipped so that they cannot fly away and be free the way nature intended them to be.
To quote them verbatim, “Wildcaught birds should not be sold to the public as pets, or to breeding establishments for several reasons. One is because 75-90 per cent of wild-caught birds die before the point of sale and taking birds from the wild has negative effects on biodiversity.”
In fact, while reading up on the subject I came across a study by researchers Shawn Peng and Donald M Broom on “The sustainability of keeping birds as pets: Should any be kept?”. They talk about how keeping birds as pets greatly harms biodiversity and impacts wild bird population. They point to the unethical and unsustainable practices being followed by those who trade in pet birds and owners who keep them.
Moreover, their study points out that the housing provided for pet birds should meet the needs of birds of that species and allow good welfare, for example there should be no small cages but aviaries with space for each bird to exercise adequately, and social birds should be kept in social groups. “At present, inadequate housing of many pet birds results in stereotypies and other indicators of poor welfare in birds. Owners should have knowledge of how to provide good nutrition and minimize the risk of disease. Unless these changes are made, keeping birds as pets should not be permitted,” the study adds.
As a person focusing on the environment and sustainability, it is important to know the impact climate change is having on the bird population, especially long-distance migratory birds. Research led me to some worrying facts. Here are some I would like to share:
*With changing temperatures and extreme weather events triggered by climate change, migration patterns of migratory birds are being seriously affected. They are forced to change the route they take, cancel or shorten their journeys, often this challenges their very survival.
Preeti Mehra
d set a movement to
*Due to changes in temperature, desertification and water shortages or floods, several bird species face a loss of habitat. This seriously disturbs their natural nesting and foraging.
*Warming of temperatures has led to migratory birds arriving early in a region and the vegetation in such places has stopped matching their breeding season, making food for their offspring scarce. In a nutshell, climate change has brought uncertainty in the life of migratory birds, jeopardizing the survival of many of them. So, what role can we play as green warriors? The most effective would be
a campaign to save the birds in the place you live. If we can influence our friends, neighbours, the school and college in our vicinity, it would be of great help. Holding awareness camps can be a meaningful intervention. Taking students to nature parks and teaching them the basics of observing birds and animals in their natural habitats could be a joyful and educative experience. While on the topic of observing our avian friends it would be worth noting that we will not be helping them by feeding them. Let them forage for their own food. It is not uncommon to see people feeding wild animals and birds with leftover food and grains. The pigeon is a case in point which
becomes dependant on morning walkers for its food.
Of course, in the larger scheme of things, each one of us needs to join in to mitigate climate change, each in our own way. Use less energy, segregate your waste, choose natural products, cycle instead of transport that uses fossil fuel, and be an advocate for the environment.
Most important, when it comes to nature and biodiversity, leave the birds alone in their natural habitat. It would be best to take to bird watching and not bird keeping in the interest of the planet.
The writer is a senior journalist who writes on environmental issues
When women writers meet…
‘Stories are all we have’… Stories and sharing in a number of Indian languages at a recent three-day meet of women writers for children reiterated this fundamental truth in dynamic ways.
When Bangla writer Joya Mitra, quoting and paraphrasing from the American Indian writer Leslie Marmon Silko’s book, Ceremony, said, ‘They will tell you stories are only for entertainment. Don’t believe them. Stories are all we have…,’ it immediately resonated with me. And when, at the conclusion of Erode Sarmela’s presentation in Tamil, illustrator/writer Deepa Balsavar leaned into me and said, ‘I didn’t understand a word of what she said, yet I understood everything,’ I realised it encapsulated the spirit of a recent three-day meeting of women writers for children (and adults). Organised by SPARROW (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women) headed by the well-known Tamil writer Ambai (Dr CS Lakshmi) and enabled by her loyal team, it was ‘a cultural event to celebrate women’s writing
through dialogue and discussion.’ There was plenty to talk about — during formal sessions, at meal times, during breaks, in the swimming pool and outside it, in the rooms shared by two people who often didn’t have even one common language to communicate in — and yet, with effort, they did! Which, in a sense, puts paid to the argument that India needs a link language. Mandeep Rimpi used Punjabi all the while — to great effect. And there was always someone to translate. Indeed, my personal belief is that we Indians have a talent for languages. We may not all be able to get scholarly or even literary, but we do manage to understand/be understood with or without the help of the voice box. Most Indians are familiar with at least two languages; many with more.
During a Hot Chocolate discussion late at night, Giraben Bhatt implored Shalini Murthy to speak in the maatru bhasha — by which she meant Hindi –the response was quick: “She is. She is speaking Kannada!’ During these latenight sessions we sipped hot chocolate while we debated on issues such as the efficacy of using the mother tongue in helping children and young adults get rooted to their culture and history, the development of personality, and the necessity and/or importance of translations, particularly from one
Indian language to another, with special emphasis on marginalised languages.
Why do we write for children? What do we write about? And why do we write in the languages that we do. What literary traditions prevail over or govern writing choices? How is storytelling different from writing? Joba Murmu, for instance, is a prolific writer in Santali; she also translates into Santali. Is there a readership for her work? What is the history of writing in Santali? ‘Children easily understand when you write and tell in the mother tongue,’ she said, adding that Santali has a rich oral tradition; the written is more recent.
Sangmu Lepcha lives in Darjeeling; she writes in Hindi and Nepali. A retired school headmistress, she emphasises that she is Indian, not Nepali, as most people assume. ‘I grew up and live close to nature,’ she explains, ‘which is why most of my work has to do with the natural world, the environment.’ Her graphic novel, Shantiban, is a collection of bird folktales from the region, and has been translated and performed as a play. Sangmu clarifies that the Nepali of Nepal is different from her Nepali. ‘Our Nepali is greatly influenced by Hindi, Bengali, English, it is a jaat goshti,’ she points out. Which reiterates the fact that the language of communication does not exist in a vacuum, nor is one form purer or better or more superior than another. Language exists because it is created
Sandhya Rao
and used by living beings, particularly definitely human beings.
There was so much to learn, and so many to admire for their grit, determination, tenacity, sense of humour and magical creativity. Vibha Rani, a solo theatre artist, writer and storyteller who is also proficient in Hindi, regaled us not only with stories in Maithili, but also traditional ‘gaali’ songs that roundly abuse the groom/ in-laws and others during wedding celebrations. In fact, those left out of the range of gaali fire feel insulted, she said! Clearly, we can all do with a robust dose of a sense of humour. In fact, it would not be presumptuous to claim that the reason many women survive in this male and powerdominated world is their funny bone. Vibha also introduced us to Gonu Jha, the Maithili equivalent of Birbal, Tenali Rama and Nasruddin Hodja.
‘Do you know, Sindhi is the oldest language?’ Rashmi Ramani said as we travelled from the airport to Bapsai in Kalyan, where our resort, resplendent with mango trees, was located. I didn’t know. I hadn’t even thought about
“this. She went on to talk about the research she had done into Sindhi language and literature and the sense of loneliness Sindhis in India feel because their homeland, Sindh, found itself on the other side after Partition. ‘When I visited Sindh some years ago, I was welcomed with so much love, and the people there encouraged me wholeheartedly to pursue my research into Sindhi. They were so proud of the work I was doing.’ The script is written in Devanagari and Arabic and Rashmi’s very first collection of poems, Sindhi Bal Geet, was published in SindhiDevanagari, Sindhi-Arabic and Hindi trilingually. In one of the poems, a child asks: Hava kitha eendi aahe / Per athasi kon / par hale keean thi? / Hath athasi kon / par chooen keean thi? (From where does the wind come? / It has no legs / How does it walk? / It has no hands / How does it touch?)
The language of communication does not exist in a vacuum, nor is one form purer or better or more superior than another. Language exists because it is created and used by human beings.
The moment the two spotted the book and then me, they squealed with delight and our bond was sealed. They are great admirers of Ambai and her writing but had never met her. Now, in Bapsai, their dream came true.
Dear readers, you will meet Ambai another time, that’s a promise. For now, enjoy meeting her vicariously, through the interactions of writers at the meet for whom she created a wonderful world of stories and sharing. She helped each one feel that she was doing something meaningful in her life, and that every challenge and struggle she grappled with was worthwhile. While we are aware that some languages get more attention than others, Ambai gave us the opportunity to give ear to others, less visible but equally, if not more, moving.
This piece would be incomplete without a few words about Ambai. Sarmela, Kalayarassy (a Tamil writer from Chennai) and I travelled on the same flight to Mumbai. They knew each other, I didn’t. So, after deplaning, I stood at the foot of the ramp, holding up Death of a Sarus Crane by Ambai!
There were many writers, many languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Bangla, English, Assamese, Gujarati and Marathi… There was music, there was theatre, there were children. However, the writer who transformed into an enchanting storyteller right there before our eyes deserves the last word. All of us were thoroughly enthralled by the way Harsha Sadguru Shetye from Goa told her story of an owl that wanted to visit the local fair. In Konkani! Who could believe it was the first time ever she was telling a story! The Marathi speakers understood, the rest of us didn’t. Yet, we did. Every word — almost! That is the power of listening.
The columnist is a children’s writer and senior journalist
Sandhya Rao (our columnist) with Erode Sarmela and Kalayarassy from Chennai.
Put your backpack to good use
Your shoulders, stooped or squared, are important to first impressions. The former indicates a negative impression, and the latter, a positive one. Real-life examples for both: a village girl carrying a pot of water on her head is the rural example of the urban fashion model. Then, there is the coolie (or railway porter) carrying baggage. The above vocations are
Bharat & Shalan Savur
Bharat n
external examples of the spinal posture showing longevity and the body’s inner strength.
Rucking: The two-in-one package
Professionals who study human life and behaviour, like sociologists and psychologists, conclude that the greater part of our interactive communications are non-verbal. Body language communicates and connects
fellow human beings. Silence, nods and shrugs are the equivalent of our social speech.
Body language is enhanced by rucking. As the practice of the village girl and railway porter denote. Their practice comes after years of a hard-perfected walk. One that strengthens the entire spinal region — from the top of the head to the bottom of the hip. Rucking will give you the same
benefit as it combines weight training with cardiovascular effects.
Rucking, in fitness parlance, involves carrying a loaded rucksack while walking and thus derives its name. We suggest a three-day weekly programme, one hour a day, for ideal aerobic benefit. Begin slowly as you start rucking. And build up speed to target one km every 10 minutes, ie six km per hour.
You will need a backpack, socks, good walking/jogging shoes with cushioning and strong suspension. Ideal weight as recommended by rucking exponents: 10kg for women and 20kg for men. However, arrive at a load that you will be comfortable carrying for an hour.
This one hour is to be split into two halves. The first is rucking at around 3km an hour for 30 minutes. Alternate between low and high-speed at 10-minute intervals to meet targeted time if you can. The second half is punctuated by 10 push-ups (with rucksack if possible) every 10 minutes, and
10 overhead presses (a vertical version of the bench press), where you start with backpack at chest level and lift until your arms are straight over your shoulders.
You could also ruck on an indoor treadmill. Prefer outdoors though — where and when possible. For, this avenue leads to even better cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health and sleep.
From our holistic perspective, rucking is optional in every aspect: choice, speed and load. Where it scores serious bonus points, however, is in its backpack application and apparatus. Strapping one on ensures a straight back right away. And you could perhaps, fill the bag with just fluid/water. Remember: one kg of water makes for one litre. Hence, work on your load factor accordingly. And hydrate yourself liberally after this hour.
Rucking will enable you to fight off the changing seasons of life and the challenges of time. Hence, stride with pride. Rucking’s length is your strength.
Tailpiece:
bag down
The Maharashtra government has recommended 10 ‘bagless days’ a year
to school authorities. Students from Classes VI to VIII come under its ambit. These bagless days are meant to promote practical experience in vocational education with subjects like carpentry, pottery, electrical work and gardening. And field visits to interact with local artisans and craftsmen to better understand their work and environment. Students up to Class VIII should be encouraged to pursue these vocational courses along with regular subjects. The 10 bagless days per academic year would also accommodate visits to historic and cultural sites, and craft and tourist spots.
Some schools have already incorporated these proposals. The bagless theme is the government’s follow-up of its earlier ‘Happy Saturday’ programme where students from Class I to VIII indulge in fun and games, instead of classroom studies.
A perfect setting to initiate rucking, right? For holistic training at an early age sets the stage for healthier, longer and happier years.
The writers are authors of Fitness for Life and Simply Spiritual – You Are Naturally Divine and teachers of the Fitness for Life programme
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RC Muzaffarnagar Mid Town
DGN Payal Gaur inaugurated water coolers at the Shiksha Devi Degree College, Sohanjani Tagan, and Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School, Shahpur. Social worker Shyampal and panchayat president Akram Qureshi were present.
Club matters
RC Ambajogai City
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3132
DG Suresh Saboo inaugurated a Amardham cemetery built jointly with the local panchayat at Jogaiwadi taluk, and a dam at Dhawadi Shivara taluk in the presence of political representatives and village officials.
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RC Mumbai Kandivli West
A two-day Rotary Football League, its third edition, was conducted in which around 260 students from 16 schools took part with enthusiasm. The sports meet costing `5 lakh was sponsored by Bandhan AMC.
RC Kalyan
To mark the 120th anniversary of Rotary (Feb 23), a FIDE Rapid Chess Tournament was held jointly with the Aryan Institute of Chess Excellence with DG Dinesh Mehta as chief guest. Over 350 players fought on the square boards.
RC Poona Mid Town
Medical equipment worth `55 lakh, a GG project, was donated to Tarachand Hospital, Pune, for treatment of eye diseases and related surgeries. RC Lake Buena Vista, US, was the global partner. DGE Santosh Marathe and club president Abhijit Mhaskar were present. RID
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RC Imphal
Club member Tomcha Singh spoke on Rotary at the 52nd charter night of the club. He gave PHF pins to M Veto and Ksh Chingthang, both doctors; while senior member, Akham Nilamani was honoured.
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RC Kallianpur
DG Dev Anand handed over portable x-ray machine (`1.57 lakh) to Goretti Hospital, Kallianpur. The project was supported by Vasanth Prabhu from RC Chester County, US. AG Raghavendra Samaga and club president Baptist Dais were present.
Compiled by V Muthukumaran
From RI South Asia
Endowment Fund Challenge Awards for clubs and districts
To encourage efforts in achieving the target of $2.025 billion by 2025, TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya and the EMGAs present an Endowment Fund Challenge. We urge you to take advantage of this special initiative and help your districts and clubs achieve their Endowment Fund targets. This award will be presented at the Rotary Institute in New Delhi in November 2025.
Here is the Endowment Fund Challenge for all the districts: Criteria
The Champions Trophy: $500,000 and above
The Platinum Trophy: $300,000 to $499,999
The Gold Trophy: $200,000 to $299,999
The Silver Trophy: $100,000 to $199,999
Here is the Endowment Fund Challenge for all the clubs: Criteria
The Champions Trophy: $150,000 and above
The Platinum Trophy: $100,000 to $149,999
The Gold Trophy: $75,000 to $99,999
The Silver Trophy: $50,000 to $74,999
Note: 1. Contributions to Endowment Fund from July 1, 2024 till June 30, 2025 will be counted.
2. For details and queries, please contact your region’s Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor.
Year-end timeline for Foundation Recognition Points transfer processing
The completed Recognition Transfer Request form dated not later than June 30, 2025 must be received at the Rotary International South Asia Office by 5pm on Friday, July 4 to be credited to the Rotary year 2024–25. Recognition Transfer forms received at the South Asia Office after this deadline will be credited to the next year 2025–26 by default.
Kindly email, duly filled and signed, scanned copy of the form (in PDF format) to Manju Joshi at Manju.Joshi@ rotary.org
TRF guidelines for reclass (correction) of contributions
Please submit your corrections (or re-class) request from one gift designation to another, that is, Endowment or grants or Polio to Annual Giving (Annual Giving to grants is not permitted ) by June 21. This will help process such requests by June 30 2025. Adherence to these guidelines will maintain the integrity of the annual audited financial report as well as the District Designated Funds.
2024–25 Annual Fund (AF) Challenge
Brought to you by TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya and Zones 4, 5, 6 & 7 RRFCs
For District District achieving AF per capita of $200 or more
For Club NA
Eligibility criteria
100% members contributing $25 or more to AF, or the district reaching an AF per capita of $175 or more
Minimum $25 contribution by each member along with on AF per capita of $200
At least 75% members contributing $25 or more to AF, or the district reaching an AF per capita of $150 or more
Minimum $25 contribution by each member along with AF per capita of $100
At least 50% members contributing $25 or more each to the AF, or the district reaching AF per capita of $100 or more
Minimum $25 contribution by each member
To be eligible for district award, the district must achieve 100% clubs giving with minimum $100 from each club
Paul Harris Society Award
From each zone, district with highest new PHS members (minimum 20 new PHS members) with an overall eligibility of 80% (percentage of PHS members fulfilling their commitment) will be eligible for this award.
Two months ago, my 98-year-old mother passed away. She was occupying the only bedroom on the ground floor. That was fine except that as I age and become less steady on my feet, going up and down about 25 times a day is steadily increasing the probability of a fall. So last month I decided to renovate my mother’s old bedroom in order to move downstairs. But alas! Life is never so simple. After every detail has been examined and agreed upon between my wife and me, a major policy problem has arisen in my life. It is whether I should ask the carpenter to build drawers in my new cupboard or not. My wife says yes. I say no. My son, usually a very goodnatured fellow, says don’t bother me with this trivia.
So, the drawer problem has become as intractable as the Kashmir problem. It’s a classic case of on the one hand, and one the other. All arguments for and against are equally valid. What, you may ask, do you have against drawers? A lot, actually, thank you very much. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, a huge nuisance. Let me list below the number of ways in which they can be massively irritating.
To begin with, there’s the number. How many drawers should the cupboard have? The range is from one to six. Then the question: how big? What depth? What length? We have all sorts of drawers. Some are deep but not long. Some are long but not deep. Many are small, just three inches by five. There’s even a set that is two feet long and 10 inches deep. It’s completely useless but made of rosewood. For some reason my father got it made about 70 years ago. My mother told me it was only because he found some leftover rosewood
in her father’s house. He hated to waste it. Whatever the reason, there it stands — heavy like me and, in my wife’s view, just as useless. Worse, like me, it’s not even ornamental.
Drawers in almirahs or chests of drawers pose another difficulty. They are very easy to pop things into but devilishly hard to get those things out. You also forget what they contain. The last time we did a cleanup about five years ago, we found cigarettes and lighters in almost a dozen drawers in different chests and cupboards in different rooms. My sons, I must say, were fair in that respect: no drawer left behind. They knew we hardly ever bothered to check these drawers. These awful things present another insurmountable problem when the handle breaks which happens from time to time. You can’t open them after that without seriously injuring your fingers.
In one set of drawers, we decided to put in-built handles. Those couldn’t break. But after some time, it became very hard to get a sufficiently hard grip on those indentations in the wood to pull the drawer out. Then there is also the problem of the drawers which get stuck either because the wood has expanded or because a piece of paper or something else is blocking it. We have three such drawers that have been impossible to open for almost five years. I shudder to think what my sons might have put in them.
In one chest of drawers a carpenter kindly installed rollers on rails. That was very helpful until we realised that in two of the six drawers, he had not fixed the rails properly. They were at a slight upward angle. Result: these two drawers always roll outwards a few inches. If you are not careful you can hurt yourself in sensitive places. So no thanks, no drawers for me.
Registered No. TN/CCN/360/2024-2026
Licensed to post WPP No.TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP 431/24-26
Total number of pages in this monthly issue, including cover, 84. Price: `40
Regd with RNI 3880/57. Rotary News Published 1st week of every month. Posted at Egmore RMS Patrika Channel. Date of posting: 4–10 every month.
