Building bridges through music
Next Rotary Peace Center at Symbiosis
Interview with Sangkoo Yun
A man of genuine love and leadership
Digital education for rural schools
Kolkata Rotarians protect girls from cervical cancer
RC Kanpur empowers women & children
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Iwasso happy to find such a good narrative and tribute to our former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh under the headline A scholar Prime Minister by Suresh Seshadri in the February issue.
Dr Singh was a humble and unassuming politician of high rank who was recognised and respected by the world leaders of his time. Known for his quiet, effective performance, he was not a self-boosting politician. He never sought any publicity or praise for his accomplishments, either for the party he belonged to or the government he was leading. His contributions to improve the economy were many. At least, two of them will be remembered always. When the entire world was facing an economic meltdown in 1991, he saw to it that India was not much affected. Thanks to his expertise and deep knowledge, India introduced in 2005 the 100 days’ work system titled MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). This paved the way for a safety net in the form of guaranteed work for a
Noteworthy articles
The Feb issue has some interesting articles such as RC Agra’s child protection initiatives and RID 3231 lecture series titled Yathumanaval (she is everything) which is very much needed in today’s world. While awareness must be spread
good part of the year for the underprivileged and unemployed. Surely, Manmohan Singh was a rare breed of politician.
R Srinivasan, RC Bangalore
J P Nagar — D 3191
This is with reference to the Editor’s note in the Feb issue. You have made the most refined article with great admiration for one of the greatest statesmen of our times, who has contributed his vast knowledge for the upliftment of society unlike today’s politicians, most of whom are power brokers. More such articles on deserving political leadership are welcome. You can also explain the importance of
among vulnerable children against sexual abuse, we also need to empower girls which will benefit their entire families. These type of club projects that create awareness in our communities are most welcome.
R Thayumanavan
RC Cuddalore Mid Town — D 2981
constitutional rights in an elected democracy.
Rotary should make all its members to behave as responsible citizens by ensuring that all of them vote in elections!
Alakan Karuppannan
RC Coimbatore Green City — D 3201
Iwasdelighted to see the black and white photo of late Manmohan Singh, our former PM, as the cover photo in the Feb issue. He was really a scholar as well as a visionary who will be remembered with gratitude by us all. In her message, RI President Stephanie Urchick explains well about the Rotary peace fellowship programme. I am happy to note that a new peace centre is being opened in Istanbul.
The Editor’s note is a fitting tribute to Dr Singh who was a man of nobility but was never truly appreciated either by the Opposition or many of his own partymen, as pointed out in the edit.
The message from the TRF trustee chair stresses the importance of Peace Centers, while the
The origin of Rotary Peace Pole
With reference to the article on Rotary Peace Pole in the December issue of Rotary News, Rotary’s first Peace Pole was unveiled by RID 3131 PDG Girish Gune (2012–13) in Pune during his installation in the presence of the then RI
Director PT Prabhakar. It was my idea as I was the president of RC Pune Camp then. It was later put up at the German Bakery, the site of the bomb blast in Pune in 2010.
Later in 2020, I was recognised with a citation by the RI Peace Committee. Subsequently, 20 Peace Poles were set up in
RI director dwells on the need to donate to TRF for peacebuilding. The cover story A scholar Prime Minister is informative and the accompanying photos are beautiful. Shashi Tharoor's speech made at the Kochi Institute is read-worthy. Other articles are all good, and the pictures are colourful too. Thanks to the editorial team for making this issue with special focus on our late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Philip Mulappone MT
RC Trivandrum
Suburban — D 3211
Youought to be more realistic when you portray a political personality in Rotary News. Dr Singh was surrounded with many controversies during his tenure as PM. Major scams were reported. The power of the PM was curtailed in the name of an Advisory Council, and he was accused of keeping silent on many issues.
B Vasanth Shanker
RC Puttur Central — D 3181
South Asia based on the clubs who contacted me.
Jaideep N Malaviya RC Pune Camp — D 3131
An inspiring Rotary icon
The book review, The Inspiring journey of a Rotary icon, which describes the life journey of past RI President Raja Saboo was truly inspiring. It brought back memories of his incredible motivation, which led us in
RI District 3291 to organise medical missions to Africa as early as 2007. This initiative led to seven missions, fostering goodwill with several African countries.
We also built valuable partnerships with medical teams from Nepal, Bangladesh and our neighbouring District 3240. Saboo was an exceptional motivator, visiting Kolkata multiple times solely to meet and inspire the doctors for medical missions. His encouragement was instrumental in driving our efforts.
A memorable moment was when he personally joined one of the missions to Nigeria, proving his unwavering commitment to humanitarian service.
Our salutation to this great leader; we wish him many more years of good health and dedicated service in Rotary.
Vishnu Dhandhania RC Belur — D 3291
Iam a non-Rotarian who reads every issue of Rotary News in the Rajkot library, and was glad to read the review of the autobiography of Rajendra Saboo in the Feb issue. Atul Bhide, a member of RC Thane Hills, has done justice by giving a good account of the book.
Farooq Abdulgafar Bawani non-Rotarian, Rajkot
TheEditor’s note on the Kochi Institute and articles describing in detail the plenary sessions are exemplary in the Jan issue. I could imagine and practically visualise the joy of the boat ride on the Vembanad lake, thanks to the graphic narrative. I could also savour the tasty Sadhya food served on the last day of the institute by just going through the
write-up. The cover photo of Kathakali nicely wrapped up the delightful content which I totally enjoyed reading.
G Balachandran
RC Vridhachalam — D 2981
Iwashappy to note that many women delegates wore traditional Indian dress, the saree, at the Rotary Kochi Institute. I am proud to be a weaver. Chellam Soundappan RC Jalakandapuram — D 2982
On the cover: Brazilian cellist and Rotary Peace Fellow Diego Carneiro.
Photograph: Jaishree
Have you read Rotary News Plus?
This online publication is sent to the e-mail ID of every subscribing member. Read Rotary News Plus on our website www.rotarynewsonline.org
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.
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March is here, and for Rotary International, that means celebrating Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Month — a time to shine a spotlight on one of the most transformative areas of our work.
This month is an opportunity to reflect on The Magic of Rotary and the profound impact we create when we come together with determination and purpose.
Years ago, I experienced this magic firsthand in the Dominican Republic. When a group of members helped people install water filters, three children watched with amazement as dirty water entered one end of a filter and clean water emerged from the other. When we paused the demonstration, one child tugged at my sleeve and pleaded, “Show me the magic again.”
To them, it felt magical. It was also the result of countless hours of effort — planning, transporting, and installing the filters — alongside local partners who were dedicated to making clean water accessible. In that moment, I realised that what seemed like a small act could change residents’ lives. That is The Magic of Rotary.
This story is a testament to the incredible potential of our global family to create change. Water projects exemplify our reach, our partnerships, and our unwavering commitment to improving lives. Consider Rotary’s work with USAID. That partnership has enabled us to work with communities and governments to improve access to sustainable water and sanitation
services for thousands of people in the Dominican Republic, Ghana, the Philippines and Uganda.
Partnerships remind us that Rotary’s impact is amplified when we work together. Through our strategic alliance with the United Nations Environment Programme, we’re advancing the Community Action for Fresh Water initiative. This programme equips Rotary members with the tools and resources to protect, restore, and sustain freshwater ecosystems.
When we make use of Rotary grants and advocate for clean water in our communities, we create a ripple effect that extends far beyond individual projects.
As we embrace the spirit of the month, I encourage every Rotary member to seek out new partnerships. Collaboration multiplies our efforts and helps us reach more people in need.
Whether it’s joining forces with local organisations, forming alliances with international agencies, or mobilising your community, every step we take together brings us closer to a world where everyone has access to clean water and safe sanitation.
TheMagic of Rotary shines brightest when we work in harmony with others to create lasting good. Together, we can turn dreams into realities that transform lives and communities. The result may feel like magic at times, but we know it’s from the power of our collective commitment and compassion. Let’s harness this magic to make a difference this month and beyond.
Stephanie A Urchick President, Rotary International
he tragic death of a 20-year-old Nepali female student, reportedly by suicide — her body was found in her hostel room — at a university in Odisha, has sent shockwaves not only in the educational world but also through diplomatic and political circles in India. The fracas caused by the incident, which was followed by some unjustified and high-handed action by the university authorities, has also raised important questions on our attitude to foreigners. It not only created a political firestorm in Odisha, but also caused a diplomatic row with Nepal, but luckily was handled deftly and effectively by the Indian government.
Rotarians need to look at this incident and its aftermath closely and with great seriousness particularly at this moment in time, when the search committee of The Rotary Foundation has done India the honour of designating the Symbiosis International University in Pune as the venue for establishing its ninth Peace Center. This centre will get many foreign scholars.
ofIndiapointed out, the Odisha incident is a wake-up call for the GoI which wants India to become an education hub for foreign students. It recalls how we were all angry when in 2013 a global survey put India among the most racist countries in the world. “But ask students from Africa who have suffered racial abuse here. Also, our record on our own people from the Northeast isn’t great either. Surveys have shown how they were stigmatised as ‘Chinese’ during the Covid pandemic,” it notes.
The good news is that most of us do not belong to a category unwelcoming of those whose colour, culture and nationality are different from ours. Surely India is among the favourite-most countries for Rotary exchange students. Several Rotarians who have hosted foreign students years ago still remain “second parents” for many such youngsters. Is this then the proverbial case of a few rotten apples…?
As my detailed article on how India managed to clinch this Peace Center, which will get a handsome grant of $15 million from TRF, (pg 16) shows, one of the criteria that the search committee members who visited Pune in August and spent two days there to satisfy themselves on this choice, was on the ability of the city, and the country, to welcome, accommodate and absorb foreign students. The committee members wanted to make sure if Pune as a city, and India as a country, had the right cultural ethos to open their hearts to foreign guests/students. Remember Indian tourism’s famous tag line: Athithi Devo Bhava (A guest is like a god)?
Luckily, both Pune, which incidentally gets the largest contingent of foreign students, mainly Africans, and India, passed the acid test and we will soon be cheering Rotary’s next Peace Center in India.
Also, in 1971 Dr S B Mujumdar established Symbiosis mainly to support international students, particularly from Africa, who came to study in India and suffered various forms of discrimination. Today it educates over 40,000 students from over 80 countries on its many campuses!
Rotary is making earnest efforts to build peace in a world that is mired in conflict and violence like never before… Russia vs Ukraine, Israel vs Palestine, the Syrian cauldron and so on. In a short span of hardly 18 months, two new Peace Centers have been announced. Apart from a conflicted world, we also live in ironic times. Take for instance Rotary’s DEI mantra… while we try to embrace it, how ridiculous is it that the new administration of the country, where Rotary was born, is trying to throw it out of the window, at least in official administrative circles.
Ponder over that…
But, now let’s do some self-introspection. As a recent editorial titled ‘India, teach thyself’ in The Times Rasheeda Bhagat
Source: RI South Asia Office
Water: the key to health and dignity
Water is essential to life. It sustains communities, supports livelihoods and prevents disease. Yet, millions around the world still lack access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), leading to severe health risks and social inequalities. Safe water and proper sanitation are not just necessities — they are fundamental human rights that pave the way for healthier, more prosperous communities.
Rotary is committed to addressing this global challenge. Through our WASH initiatives, we have installed water purification plants in Indian villages, water tanks in Nepal, and solarpowered water treatment systems in the Amazon basin, South America. Schools in Guatemala now have proper toilets and washing stations, ensuring better hygiene for students, while rainwater harvesting systems help communities manage water more sustainably. These projects
are transforming lives, reducing illness and creating lasting change.
Rotarians play a crucial role in making these efforts successful. Across the world, they are implementing WASH programmes, advocating for sustainable water management, and collaborating with local leaders to expand access to safe water and sanitation. Their dedication is turning challenges into opportunities for growth and development.
You can also be part of this mission. By working with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Rotary Action Group (WASHRAG), Rotarians can access expertise, resources and a global network dedicated to sustainable WASH solutions. Together, we can ensure that clean water and sanitation become a reality for all.
Anirudha Roychowdhury RI Director, 2023–25
Message from TRF
Trustee Chair
Afterjoining Rotary, you never look at a glass of water the same way again.
Holding it, you are humbled by the privilege of access to drinkable water. Then, you recall how Rotary brings communities and water experts together to deliver safe drinking water to places in need of it, transforming lives.
According to the United Nations, 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack safely managed sanitation. During March, we focus on our commitment to addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges through our clubs and The Rotary Foundation.
District and global grants, made possible by the Foundation, provide a direct way for members to engage in water and sanitation projects. My wife, Gay, and I have seen the transformative power of these grants. Our clubs, the Rotary Clubs of Decatur and Decatur Daybreak, Alabama, partnered with the Rotary Club of Ecatepec, Mexico, to sanitise cisterns and tanks for about 300 schools.
We are also launching a new global grant to provide rainwater collection systems for 50 Indigenous families in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Chihuahua, in partnership with five organisations.
Globally, Rotary employs comprehensive approaches to these initiatives. In Mexico, the global grant-funded programme Niñas Sabias, or Wise Girls, empowers girls by providing education on menstruation, building self-esteem, and purchasing reusable menstrual products.
Our partnership with USAID in Uganda has shown how small-scale piped water systems can deliver cost-effective, sustainable solutions. By investing in local governance and technical capacity, this initiative ensures long-term access to clean water for entire regions.
Rotary’s Programs of Scale also demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary strategies. In India’s water-scarce regions, Rotary promotes solutions such as rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, integrating water management with agricultural productivity to enhance sustainability and resilience.
Moving forward, we will continue improving how we deliver water and boost sanitation, focusing on regional planning, strengthening delivery systems and fostering partnerships.
Be proud to be part of this meaningful work — and please consider supporting it.
When you give to The Rotary Foundation, you not only help us reach our 2024–25 fundraising goal of $500 million, you also play a role in ensuring Rotary can make clean water, effective sanitation and hygiene accessible for generations.
Mark Daniel Maloney TRF Trustee Chair
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Peace is important for society because it allows people to live safely and without fear of violence. It also promotes economic stability, national security and the sustainable development of nations.
Peace building matters today; because the effects of conflict are far reaching, shattering lives and stunting development. Peace building approaches, including mediation and diplomacy, dialogue and participation, are an essential part of the toolkit of Rotary’s Peace Scholar programme. These scholars are and will continue to make a difference to the communities they work with.
The TRF trustees have selected the university and country in Asia which will host the new Asia Peace Center starting form 2027. I am excited and happy to report that the trustees have selected Symbiosis University, Pune, India to host the new Rotary Peace Center in Asia. That is great news and a feather in the cap for Rotary in India. Compliments to the Symbiosis team for putting up a superb application and thanks to the Symbiosis management for all their support. Congratulations to Rotarians and leadership of RID 3131 for their dedicated efforts for this. Compliments to PP Rajendra Ruia (RID 3141) who initiated the process, and to the peace alumni and leadership of RID 3141 for their support. Well done all!
In today’s world peace is needed more than ever. The new centre will be a boon not just for scholars from India but from all over Asia. Now is the time to put our might to support the Endowment Fund of TRF. This will ensure a bright future for the peace scholar programme and for TRF too.
The joy of giving lasts longer than the joy of receiving. Studies conducted at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management found that participants’ happiness did not decline or declined much slower if they repeatedly bestowed gifts on others versus receiving those same gifts themselves.
The intention behind our giving and receiving is the most important thing. The act of giving is joyful when it is unconditional and from the heart, and the energy behind the giving increases many times over.
One of the best giving is to The Rotary Foundation. It’s effective, efficient, transparent and can do most good in the world. As we approach the last quarter of the Rotary year, now is the time to give our ‘all’ to TRF. Let’s do it to create the Magic through TRF.
Bharat Pandya TRF Trustee
Listening to Brazilian cellist and Rotary
Peace Fellow Diego Carneiro in Chennai was nothing short of mesmerising. With his cello, he brought the Amazon rainforest to life — the delicate chirping of birds, the gentle rush of water and the deep roar of a leopard. If that was impressive, what followed was even more so. He had the audience swaying in admiration as he played English Note, a Carnatic classic popularised by Madurai Mani Iyer, which he had astonishingly mastered in just 30 minutes before the show. The evening turned into a joyous sing-along as he performed Ae mere Zohra Jabeen, Jai Ho!, Saare Jahan Se Achha and more. He was accompanied by Charulatha on the veena, and Surya Nambeesan on the mridangam at a programme which was organised by RC Madras East, RID 3233.
Carneiro was on a transformative musical tour across India in February, spreading the universal language of music to inspire harmony and
connection. As he visited Delhi, Chandigarh, Kochi, Coimbatore and Chennai, he captivated audiences with soulful performances that transcended cultural barriers. Interestingly, music is its own language and needs no interpreter. More than just concerts, his visit was a mission to spread the message of peace, unity and resilience through the power of sound.
He has recently been appointed as Dean of the Department of Music at the University of the Hemispheres in Quito, Ecuador. Around 560 Venezuelan refugee musicians are part of his orchestra that has performed over 300 concerts last year. He was on his way to attend the Presidential Peace Conference (Feb 20–22) in Istanbul.
Rotary News caught up with Carneiro after the show in Chennai, to talk about his journey and share his perspective on peace.
Excerpts…
How did you become a Rotary Peace Fellow?
I became a Rotary Peace Fellow after being invited by RC Charlotte in North Carolina. They had heard about my work, particularly a project I led during Covid titled Orchestrating Peace. This initiative took music into refugee camps and hospitals, using it as a tool for healing and connection.
But my journey toward peacebuilding started long before that. Even before I became a musician, I was already a Peace Fellow in spirit. My parents nurtured in me a deep sense of service. As a child, they took me to hospitals and homecare centres to share food and support those in need. The first week I learned to play the cello, they
took me to perform for people in such places. That was when I first understood the power of music — not just to entertain, but to heal, connect and to bring peace.
I officially started my Peace Fellowship in 2023 at the Makerere University in Uganda. I have now graduated and received my certificate from RI President Stephanie Urchick.
What are the key takeaways from your Rotary experience?
The Peace Center in Uganda is where you truly see peacebuilding in practice. Unlike some other Peace Centers in the US or Japan, where the focus might be more theoretical, in Uganda, everything is hands-on.
We visited numerous communities and projects, including vulnerable zones near the Congo border. One of the most eye-opening experiences was meeting a refugee community in this region. People from Rwanda, Uganda and other countries who had experienced conflict and displacement were living together in harmony.
When I arrived, I noticed a school at the top of a mountain.
I asked where the students were, and to my surprise, I was told, “They are meditating.” Meditation? In Uganda? That was unexpected. When the teachers arrived, dressed in traditional Indian attire (sari), I learned that they were from Kenya and Uganda but had been trained at the Isha Foundation (Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu). They had established a school inspired by Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev), right in the middle of this conflict zone.
What struck me most was the mindset of the students. Despite their difficult circumstances — many without parents or stable homes — they were incredibly thoughtful and curious. When I performed for them and opened the floor for questions, a 12-year-old boy asked something profound. ‘Does your instrument also play happy music?’ I was caught off guard when he asked me this question. It made me realise that I had been playing mostly melancholic music without even noticing it. I thought I was making people feel normal, but he saw the cello as too sad.
That is so interesting!
Oh yes. For a moment, I paused. Then, I decided to play something
different — music inspired by the Amazon rainforest, filled with bird songs and nature’s rhythms. Immediately, he connected to it. That moment was a turning point for me. It made me question: Am I truly bringing happiness and peace to people, or am I just sharing my own emotions?
That experience reshaped my journey. It made me more curious about how music affects emotions. When people dance and sing, they don’t feel sad. So, I began exploring how sound can create positive emotions and contribute to peace.
This led to my Equator Line Project, a symbolic journey around the equator to explore how music can equalise emotions across cultures. I started collaborating with scientists to study how sound can reduce stress without people even realising it, simply by making them feel peaceful.
From here, I’ll be travelling to conflict zones, including the borders of Syria and
Turkey, to test how different cultural sounds impact people’s emotions.
This journey also inspired me to write a book titled Paths to Peace. I hope Rotary can help promote it, because while every culture is unique, our common goal should always be peace.
How has the response been from Indian audiences?
The Indian audience has been one of the most incredible I’ve ever experienced — so much love, kindness and humility. People helped me in different ways, and the Rotarians were extraordinary.
One key person who made this happen was PDG Sunil Zachariah. He had the vision to connect everything and bring people together. I also met PDG Kamlesh Raheja in Coimbatore, who is related to another Kamlesh in North Carolina — the very club that sponsored me as a Peace Fellow. It’s amazing how these connections unfold!
I performed for thousands of Rotarians, starting in Chandigarh with an audience of 600 people. The next day, there were 700 people. Next came Delhi. I met incredible musicians and talents along the way. India has been a
Music can be a medicine. It can make people healthier, more peaceful. It can create a world where peace is not just an idea, but a reality.
transformative country for me. I will carry this experience with me and promote it in the West in every way possible. One of the highlights was playing local music, which allowed me to truly connect with the people. That’s what music is about — building bridges, not just between notes, but between hearts. And I hope to return.
What does peace mean to you?
Peace, to me, is like intonation in music — when everything is in harmony. Music plays a crucial role in that connection because it acts as a
bridge. Before I perform, I try to find peace within myself.
For me, music must always have a purpose. And my purpose is to create peace and build connections between cultures and nations.
Peace begins with listening, not just to words, but to people — to their emotions, their struggles, their dreams. When musicians play together, they don’t just play their own parts. They listen, respond and find harmony. An orchestra is a perfect example of what the world could be: a place where different voices, instruments and cultures come together. Just like music, peace does not start globally; it starts locally. It begins with our families, our communities, our daily interactions. If we learn to create harmony in small ways, these ripples will expand outward until they reach the whole world.
Tell us something about the Amazon region from where you come.
The Amazon is alive with sound. I grew up surrounded by these natural melodies, and in many ways, they shaped my musical journey. Music formally entered my life when I was around 11, and at 12, I performed at my first concert as a cellist at the Teatro da Paz, or the Peace Theatre. Looking back, it feels symbolic. I started my musical journey in a place named after peace, and today, my music is dedicated to that very cause.
I grew up without witnessing war firsthand, but somehow, my life’s work has led me to places where conflict and displacement are everyday realities. It all started with that performance in the Amazon, but it prepared me for what I do today — using music to heal, to connect and to give hope to those in need.
I believe music can be a medicine. It can make people healthier, more peaceful. And if we learn to use it with intention, we can create a world where peace is not just an idea, but a reality.
Would you like to recall for our readers any memorable moments? In 2016, I was performing in Ecuador when a devastating earthquake struck. I started a youth orchestra to bring hope to affected communities, and it quickly grew. The troupe travelled to Brazil, Colombia and performed at the United Nations in Geneva.
Two years later, Venezuelan refugees began arriving in Ecuador. One of the first calls I received was from a father who had just arrived with his family. He said: ‘We have no home, no food; but my children need music. Please help.’ That moment changed everything. I integrated these refugee musicians into our orchestra. We receive no formal sponsorship, but we’ve built a network of supporters who believe in what we do. My goal is to make this orchestra sustainable so that it continues to provide stability and purpose for displaced musicians.
Rasheeda Bhagat
Rotarians in India have much cause to cheer and celebrate as trustees of The Rotary Foundation have chosen the Symbiosis International University in Pune to host Rotary’s ninth Peace Center. The Pune varsity was chosen after it had a stiff competition from a university in South Korea, as the Peace Center search committee had narrowed down on these two places to host such a centre. The eighth and most recent Peace Center has beensity in Istanbul, where the Presidential Peace Conference was held in February 2025. TRF allocates a budget of $15 million for a peace centre.
Recounting for Rotary News the journey towards bagging Rotary’s latest peace centre, a very excited RI District
3131 IPDG Manjoo Phadke said the competition was tough and the quest by the search committee was comprehensive and thorough to tick off all the criteria before choosing Symbiosis.
“First of all, the search committee wanted to make sure that our District (3131) had a strategic plan and all the required parameters were in sync to host such a centre. When the Symbiosis University’s Expression of Interest was shortlisted, I as the district governor, got an official email from TRF saying that as yours will be the host district, we want to know how well-equipped this district is to host and handle Rotary’s peace centre. According to my understanding, RI makes sure that both the Rotary district and the university where the peace centre is to be established, are
well-equipped as both have a crucial role to play.”
As governor, she received a detailed proposal questionnaire from Evanston, containing questions on how District 3131 was performing in terms of service projects, working with the local communities, and above all, whether it had a history of any collaboration ventures with the Symbiosis University.
Shital Shah, present DG of 3131, explains that luckily, the district has a rich history of having worked rather comprehensively with the Symbiosis University, particularly its Medical College and Hospital, which runs a
free OPD service for the underprivileged. “Symbiosis has a few campuses in Pune, and is particularly known for accommodating international students. I believe students from as many as 80 countries are studying at its various institutions. Our district has done many good service projects with their medical college hospital, and have donated dialysis machines and other life-saving equipment to this hospital, which is serving the poor and the needy,” he said.
DG Shah adds that another factor which must have gone in Symbiosis’s favour is the fact that “this organisation has comprehensive and wonderful facilities for running various kinds of training programmes. Many corporates use their training infrastructure as apart from competent faculty, they also have a beautiful hostel, excellent restaurants and catering services.”
Manjoo adds that the questionnaire from the TRF Search Committee was thorough and sought District 3131’s leadership’s views on why it felt the district team will be able to have a long-standing and sustainable collaboration with the Symbiosis Peace Center, if the university were to get it. “They wanted to know what was our experience and expertise in hosting exchange students and participating in various Rotary exchange programmes. Did we have a pre-existing connect with Symbiosis, was another pointed query. Then they wanted to know about Pune city’s suitability to hosting a Peace Centre which will attract scholars from diverse groups and cultures. Was the city safe; what were its cultural roots; would it be able to handle so many foreign students…. these were the questions.”
She admitted that some of the questions were rather complex, “so I sought the help of TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya and he guided me how to answer these questions and the kind of information to provide,” she smiles.
She explains that there were so many things that went in Pune’s favour for TRF to choose it for its peace centre. “The city is already known as the Oxford of the East and gets the maximum number of foreign students coming for studies to India. It is an IT hub, and a cultural melting pot as well.” As a marketing professional, she has also a rich experience in “handling international students when I was working with an educational group in Pune for their international reach out.”
Once the questionnaire was filled and sent, the search committee planned a visit to Pune in August 2024. They stayed for two days, and “once again we
gave our district presentation, talking about the vibrancy in our RI district, the kind of TRF programmes we’ve been doing, our contribution to TRF, the peace scholars who have been sent from our district to Rotary Peace Centers, and who are today working in Pune on peace. We also briefed the search committee on our district’s peace initiatives, the international peace conventions that we have hosted in Pune, the robust exchange programmes of different types that we have handled, and so on.”
Manjoo feels that the visitors were rather impressed with the “vibrancy of our district, the number of GGs we’ve done with TRF help, etc. But I honestly
feel that what finally clinched the whole thing was the presentations made at the Symbiosis University and the impression created in the minds of the visitors by the keen interest shown by the top management of Symbiosis. The presentations made by top people from their management were simply amazing and the involvement and participation of top people, including the founder of Symbiosis, Dr Majumdar, who is 90-plus, but who was physically present and spoke so well. The explanation of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The whole world is one or my family) which is their motto was explained so impressively.”
Next, various departments such as psychology, legal, arts, management,
liberal arts etc made their own presentations and showcased how they will align or sync their experience and expertise with the Rotary Peace Center.
Welcoming the choice of Symbiosis International University by TRF to put up its Asia Peace Centre, TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya said, “It is a privilege and a matter of pride that the trustees have chosen Symbiosis International University, to host the new Rotary Peace Center in Asia. After a search of nearly 50 universities in 17 countries, 17 universities in 6 countries were invited to submit applications for the new peace centre in Asia.”
He added that during the site visit and in discussions on Zoom, “the
Symbiosis’ Lavale campus in the hills outside Pune offers an excellent setting for Peace Fellows. The Rotary Peace Center will be housed in the university’s Leadership Development Centre complex, which features numerous classrooms for various types of activities and lectures, a theatre-style space for presentations, office space, a large study lounge and library for the Fellows. This space, now used for executive training and other programmes, will be reserved exclusively for the use of the peace centre while the Peace Fellows are on campus, said TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya.
Another factor in its favour was that Symbiosis maintains a strong relationships with public and private sector institutions, and local Rotary clubs and districts, indicating a strong
Opportunities for hands-on experience are embedded in this programme as the university has close relationships with over 40 villages around the campus.
commitment to partnership as host for such a Peace Center. “This university is dedicated to promoting quality education, cross-cultural understanding, and developing global competencies among its students.”
What is of special note is that this university was established by its Chancellor Dr SB Mujumdar in 1971 to support international students, particularly from Africa, who came to study in India and suffered various forms of discrimination. From its beginnings as a small cultural exchange centre, the university has grown to educating over 40,000 students across its many campuses and programmes, representing more than 80 countries and all the states of India. Another connect with Rotary is that its “dedication to social welfare is shown in the university’s academic programmes, an on-campus hospital which provides free medical care to residents of surrounding villages, a legal aid clinic, community educational services, vocational training, and more. In addition to its proposed curriculum, facilities and field visits, the search committee was most impressed by how well the university’s values and approach to peacebuilding mirrored those of Rotary, creating a natural basis for partnership,” Pandya added.
Academic programme
The proposed curriculum draws from many departments at the university and
creates a collaborative and multidimensional programme that addresses all pillars of positive peace. The 14 modules are designed with regional case studies and a forward-looking approach to equip fellows with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the region’s most pressing challenges.
Opportunities for hands-on experience are embedded in this programme as the university has close relationships with over 40 villages around the campus, and fellows will work alongside faculty members and other students to identify development challenges and propose solutions. “The university also has a strong plan for mentoring fellows during their social change initiative implementation period, involving faculty across many disciplines and from partner universities. Fellows also will be supported to publicise their work so that successful social change initiatives can be continued after the fellowship is completed,” he added.
First, there will be a signing ceremony at Symbiosis in early 2026. Applications for the new Center will be invited in February 2026, along with applications for all other RPC programmes. In February 2027, the first batch of peace scholars will arrive in Pune.
committee was very impressed with the university’s responsiveness and the dedication of its leadership to engaging with Rotary as a partner. It is ultimately a team effort from many including Peace Committee members, TRF Trustees, Rotary Peace Alumni in RI districts 3141 and 3131 and Rotary leadership of RID 3131 that this significant milestone has been achieved. Compliments to all involved. This will be a great boon for potential students in India and Asia furthering the cause of peace in our world.” He also complimented past president Rajendra Ruia (RC Bombay West, RID 3141) who initiated the process.
As past RI President Ian Riseley, chair of The Rotary Foundation’s Asia Peace Center Search Committee, put it in a letter addressed to DG Shah, DGE Santosh Marathe, PDG Manjoo Phadke and DRFC Shailesh Palekar, he thanked the District 3131 leadership in Pune and the region for expressing keen interest and extending total support to the site visit done last August at the Symbiosis campus. The site visit had allowed RI to look at crucial institutional partnership criteria
across categories such as “academic programmes, administrative capacity, student accommodation and campus facilities, partnerships, ability to recruit and promote regionally, and budget.”
across the region and provide meaningful opportunities for their engagement with Rotary,” he added.
The committee was very impressed with the university’s responsiveness and the dedication of its leadership to engaging with Rotary as a partner.
Bharat Pandya TRF Trustee
Following a cumulative review, the Rotary team was “very impressed by the university’s proposed programme for Rotary Peace Fellows, as well as their faculty, facilities, and commitment to positive peace, all of which met or exceeded Rotary’s established partnership criteria. Our Task Force was pleased that the trustees so readily agreed with and accepted our recommendation, and the strong advocacy of Trustee Bharat (Pandya) certainly helped, as did our understanding of the enthusiastic support of our Rotary colleagues in the area,” Riseley said.
The search committee was also impressed by the district’s organisation and collaboration, as well as “your commitment to cross-cultural exchange and extensive local service partnerships. We are confident that members of District 3131, along with members of neighbouring districts, will welcome peace and development leaders from
DG Shah sums it up neatly when he says, the first Rotary Peace Center in India “has become a reality thanks to the hard work and legacy of the past, present and future leaders of my vibrant District 3131, as well as the incredible credibility established by the Symbiosis International University over the years.” Adds an elated IPDG Manjoo, “This is really a great opportunity to host so many peace scholars from various countries. Usually these are people who have already worked in the field of peace in various regions and they come as peace scholars to master their already rich experience, so this will be an amazing opportunity for our district, as well as neighbouring districts to learn from their expertise.”
Also, she points out, in India as basic necessities like water, health, sanitation etc are so huge that hardly any global grants happen for peace initiatives. But this establishment of a peace centre in Pune will trigger big and transformational service projects in peace in the region.
There are 45,000 Rotary clubs around the world, and it’s not possible for me to get to all of them. But I got here on a Sunday night to commemorate them and I thank you for making time to be here. And you’ve chosen to do so because you love Rotary
Rasheeda Bhagat
as much as I do,” said RI President Stephanie Urchick, addressing a multi-district Presidential conclave organised in the backdrop of the Zone Institute at Kochi.
Thanking the district governors from RI Districts 2982, 3202, 3203, 3204, 3211 and 3212, who had come together to organise the event for working so hard on growing their
membership, she said all leaders should follow their example to ensure that “we have a future. For this we must continue to grow our organisation. The why is fairly simple. We are a membership organisation that does service. And when we have more members, we can do more service.”
Addressing the crucial issue of “how to do this” she said the
RI President Stephanie Urchick inaugurating the conclave in Kochi. Also seen (from L): RIDN Tom Gump, DGs Sudhi Jabbar, N Sundaravadivelu, Meerankhan Saleem, S Suresh Babu, RI Director Anirudha Roychowdhury, DG Santhosh Sreedhar, Conclave chairman PDG John Daniel, secretary PDG Jose Chacko and coordinator Sunil Zachariah.
simple and easy answer was that since they had an Action Plan available at Rotary International, they should simply follow it. “I do know that you have very strong Action Plan champions in your zone, in your districts, and hopefully in your clubs. Let me share some thoughts on the priorities contained in that Action Plan to help you understand what your club should be doing with it.”
This was to make their clubs irresistible; “people in such clubs are less likely to leave, and people who are not yet with us, see us doing amazing things and enjoying Rotary, and they’ll say, I want to be a part of that.”
Stephanie said that this Plan was not a directive from RI saying clubs should do only this or that; she hoped each club would want to embrace this priority in the Action Plan and “learn from it how to go from good to great, or maybe, from not so good to even better. But it’s not mandatory. We want clubs to embrace it and say, this is something I can use to help move the club into a good future.”
The four priorities of the Plan were on “increasing our impact, which is about measurement, helping our clubs learn to measure, do projects, and then measure again. Too often I have worked with clubs who say, well, we’ve done this project,
we’ve been doing it for 30 years, and we just keep doing it.”
But the important question was “are you measuring its impact? And sometimes the answer is no. So it’s important that our clubs learn to measure things,” she said. This was like going on a diet. You’d have to weigh yourself before, decide how many kilos you wanted to lose and then do whatever required to lose that weight. “And then you get on the scale again to see if it worked. But the kilos you lost is not the impact, but how this loss is going to affect your health in the long term.”
Thus, in a school project, the impact was not about 800 students having desks or a school. The impact was the students who would now get an education, graduate and then get jobs and lead a good life.
The second priority was to expand Rotary’s reach, by using the new models and new ways to meet.
“Not everyone will be attracted to our traditional clubs. I did; I love my club in McMurray, Pennsylvania. I will stay in it forever.” But her club members realised that not everyone in their city wanted to meet in the mornings, ring bells, take attendance and do traditional things. For those who wanted a different style, her club formed a satellite club; “we now have teachers and others who cannot make the morning meeting. As it’s also focused on service, instead of coming to meetings, they go out into our community and provide service.”
Another priority was getting to know the members and their special interest, Stephanie said.
do not get to know their members, those members are not satisfied and they take off; often we don’t know why they leave.” To retain members, club leaders will have to work on the club culture to ensure value in a Rotary Club experience for the member.
The last priority was to adapt and be flexible. Even though Rotary was an organisation built on traditions, yet some changes, even while retaining the traditions required, were necessary. These changes pertained to different kinds of meeting models. The important thing was to
“Ask the new members: Do you like our projects? Is there a project you would like to do that we haven’t done yet? What can you tell us about yourself that we can’t see on your application? Too often, when clubs
Diversity is not only about gender. It’s age, perspective of thought, race and socioeconomic status.
be “inclusive and equitable, create an environment that people walk in and say, I belong or fit here. This is where I want to be.”
Also, added Stephanie, Rotary was regional, “so look at your environment. Your club president will know what works in the club; it is here that DEI comes in. Internationally, by 2030, we want to see 30 of our membership as female. We also want indigenous people, the handicapped etc. Diversity is not only about gender. It’s age, perspective of thought, race and socioeconomic status. So as club presidents and governors, find those underrepresented groups that we should go after,” added the RI President.
Addressing the conclave RI Director Anirudha Roychowdhury urged Rotarians in India to stop taking the local issues they face to RI leaders. “Mails go with copies to the RI President, General Secretary, and so on, and when these issues crop up in Evanston, we feel embarrassed. I urge you to address and solve such issues locally.”
Answering a question from the overflowing hall, Stephanie said, “In Zones 4, 5, 6 and 7, there are amazing Rotarians doing amazing things. But when there are a handful
of individuals engaging in bad behaviour, as the Director said, it creates a negative perception. Mind you, they are just a handful. Our constitutional documents are very clear that when we serve in Rotary, we should not campaign or engage in electioneering for any position. It should be our performance that gets us to the next level. We should be judged on the job we have and the way we do it.”
But with just a handful Rotarians from these zones indulging in “bad behaviour, when that comes to the boardroom, it colours the view of all Rotarians in the zones. We also have small groups indulging in bad behaviour in other parts of the world, and there too the entire area suffers. I sometimes wonder if people understand what the word ‘integrity’ means.”
Answering another question on the ‘decommissioning’ of the annual theme, Stephanie said that was not an accurate word to use. “The theme has not been decommissioned. What has changed is the way it’s being prepared. So instead of it being an annual theme, it is now being called President’s Message. So Presidentelect Mario at the International Assembly in February, will deliver his message, which will be short. He will have ties, scarves, collars that he’s selected. What he will not have, is a graphic.”
This was being done because “we want the world to recognise our master brand; just as when you see the golden arches, you know that’s McDonald’s, and the checkmark is Nike. Now we have so many different logos and pins; one for Interact, one for Rotaract and one for Rotary, and we have a President’s theme. This can be confusing for people. Some want people to see the master brand and say this is the best service organisation in the world.”
We also have small groups indulging in bad behaviour in other parts of the world, and the entire area suffers. I sometimes wonder if people understand what the word ‘integrity’ means.
Answering another question on her views on India, she said this was her fifth visit here and she was “very impressed. I’m delighted to see the amazing work that’s being done and note that you have such a good track record in attracting members, and are role models for the rest of the world in how to attract members. But we need to retain members.”
She added that when perusing monthly membership information, which is usually for three years, she had found that in every zone except one, there was a dip happening every Dec 31, and July 1. This dip represented members who were no longer paying dues and had left. “The good news is that we recover because we invite more people. But if we could deal with retention in a stronger way, this graph would change.”
Conclave chairman PDG John Daniel, secretary PDG Jose Chacko and coordinator PDG Sunil Zachariah addressed the meet. They thanked the district governors V Sivakumar (2982), N Sundaravadivelu (3201), Suresh Babu (3203) Santhosh Sreedhar (3204), Sudhi Jabbar (3211) and Meerankhan Salim (3212) for ensuring massive participation at the conclave.
Meet your 2025–26 Rotary President Mario Cesar Martins de Camargo.
After a day of interviews with the committee vetting candidates for 2025–26
Rotary International president, Mario Cesar Martins de Camargo returned to his hotel and waited. And waited. “It’s an elimination process,” he says. “The anxiety level reaches sky high.” When he got a call asking him to return to Rotary headquarters in Evanston, his first thought was that he’d made some sort of mistake. As he walked the few blocks to the building, he mentally reviewed everything he’d said. When he finally realised why he’d been called back, it was an emotional moment, he says. “The nominating committee stands up and applauds you, and you are invited to say your first words as president. Mine were, ‘Are you guys sure?’”
They were, of course. De Camargo’s Rotary resume goes back decades. A member of the Rotary Club of Santo André, Brazil, since 1980, he served as his club’s Rotary Youth Exchange officer the following year at age 24 and as its president in 1992–93. He was governor of District 4420 (part of Brazil’s São Paulo state) in 1999–2000, Rotary Foundation trustee in 2015–19, and Rotary International director in 2019–21. He has also served Rotary as an RI learning facilitator, committee member and chair, and task force member. De Camargo and his wife, Denise da Silva de Camargo, also a Rotarian, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.
Professionally, de Camargo was president of the printing company Gráfica
Bandeirantes and has been a consultant to the print industry in Brazil. He has served as president and chair of several printing and graphics trade associations. He has been on the board of Casa da Esperança (House of Hope), a medical centre in Santo André sponsored by his Rotary club that sees more than 200,000 patients a year.
That’s his official biography. But we wanted to know, What’s de Camargo really like, what makes him tick? Here’s what we found out.
His biggest regret is that he stopped playing piano.
From the ages of 8 to 21, de Camargo played piano. He even attended a music conservatory for nine of those years. While in Germany apprenticing at a press manufacturer, he attended German language classes at the Goethe Institute. The school had a Steinway piano that “to me, was the Rolls-Royce of pianos,” he recalls. The school’s dean allowed him to play it under one condition: he perform for the school when his training was finished. “It was the last time I played the piano,” he says, explaining that family and work obligations began to take more of his time. “I really regret not being able to continue because it is a self-rewarding experience.”
He believes printers have a noble cause. Printing presses have their origins in China, where movable type was invented in the 11th century. When Johannes Gutenberg created the mechanised printing press in Germany 400 years later, it launched the
mass production of books, newspapers and more throughout Europe. “The press and the publication of books and ideas changed the world,” de Camargo says, allowing scientific findings to be shared more widely, decreasing censorship as it was harder to destroy a “dangerous idea,” and giving the general public access to educational materials.
De Camargo’s business used to print 25 million to 30 million items per year: coffee table books, romance novels, automotive industry manuals — “you name it,” he says. “We were replicators of ideas. Printers have a mission to reduce ignorance.”
Rotary is the best leadership training he’s ever had.
De Camargo has been on several boards in his industry, but it was through Rotary that he learned how to be a leader. “Rotary is the best school of leadership I’ve had,” he says. De Camargo says Rotary taught him to speak in public, one of people’s biggest fears, along with flying. (“If I was still afraid of flying and speaking in public, I wouldn’t be president of Rotary International, because all we do is public speaking and flying!” he says.) He also learned when to stop talking and listen. “You have to pay attention to what people are telling you,” he says. “It is an exercise of humility.” And he learned how to motivate people who aren’t getting paid to perform a task. “When you’re motivating volunteers, you don’t have that tool of payment. The only tool you have is inspiration, motivation and challenge to make them a better person.”
This is the most memorable Rotary advice he’s received: Never ask for anything, never refuse anything.
As co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2015 Rotary International Convention in São Paulo, de Camargo received these words of wisdom from John Kenny, a past Rotary president who was The Rotary Foundation trustee chair at the time. “That has oriented my Rotary journey,” he says. “I never refused any job that was given to me by Rotary or The Rotary Foundation, but at the same time I offered myself for different positions without
knowing what the result would be,” he says. “I could never fathom that I would be here someday.”
People call him Membership Mario. “It’s not rocket science,” he says. “If you look at our numbers, some people say we have stabilised at 1.2 million. I say we have stagnated at 1.2 million.”
The word “stabilise” makes people sit back and relax, he believes, whereas the word “stagnate” makes people want to sit up and do something.
The puzzle, he says, is figuring out why membership is increasing in some areas and decreasing in others.
“Maybe it’s demographics, maybe it’s economics, maybe it’s an age thing,” he says. “The challenge motivates me so much because it’s a mosaic of different regions and different performances that makes it very challenging and at the same time very attractive.”
What works in Korea may not work in Germany, and what works in Germany may not work in Brazil or the US, he says. “We have to be humble and very attentive to the different scenarios.”
The 2025–26 presidential message is Unite for Good.
“I think ‘unite’ is a very powerful word,” he says. “It’s a very powerful word in a divided world.”
It’s easy to sow division, he says, but much harder to find common ground. “We are always looking for somebody’s defects,” he says. “We should be looking for somebody else’s talents.” That’s where Rotary comes in, offering the opportunity for people to connect with others in their community and around the world.
He believes a focus on the environment will draw younger members. Before de Camargo, the last RI president to come from Brazil was Paulo VC Costa in 1990–91. Costa is best
RIPE de Camargo and 2024-26 RI Directors (from left) Christine Etienne, Alain Van de Poel and Daniel V Tanase at One Rotary Center in Evanston, Illinois.
known for the environmental programme he started, Preserve Planet Earth, which launched shortly before the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Had Rotary kept the environment as a central focus then, de Camargo says, “we would be far ahead, bringing a visionary agenda to the world.” As a Rotary director, de Camargo helped secure approval of the environment as the newest area of focus. “We still have a lot of room to grow,” he says.
In 2025, the annual UN conference on climate change, COP30, will be held in the Brazilian Amazon, and de Camargo sees a place for Rotary to get involved. “Rotary should have its logo, its brand, associated with environmental protection in the Amazon,” he says. “We have a unique opportunity to do that.”
He gets to know a city by walking. “When I go to Chicago or New York or São Paulo or wherever, when I have the chance, I just put on my tennis shoes and I start walking,” he says, “just seeing the colours, the smells, the different foods, the people.” It’s the best way to feel like a local, he says. “You cannot
do that by Uber or by driving a car. You’re not part of the environment. But when you’re walking, you feel like you are.” But he doesn’t stop at the city. De Camargo is a fan of hiking. “I love the outdoors, to be able to breathe fresh air,” he says.
Yes, he once dressed as Super Mario. Step into de Camargo’s office at One Rotary Center in Evanston and you’ll notice a collection of figurines based on Super Mario, the Nintendo character. “That was the idea of Trustee Akira Miki, who was a director with me on the Board in 2019–20,” he says. “He immediately called me Super Mario, and it started catching.” At the 2024 Rotary institute in Toronto, de Camargo dressed up as the character and engaged in a mock battle with Past RI President Holger Knaack, part of a Rotary Foundation fundraiser that netted $115,000. “I put the moustache upside down, but I’ll get better,” he says. “Whatever it takes to raise money for The Rotary Foundation.”
Photography by Clare Britt
International Assembly 2025
Presidential message of RIPE Mario de Camargo.
At the International Assembly held at Florida, US, RIPE Mario de Camargo announced the RI annual presidential message for 2025–26 — Unite for Good
Rotary International President-elect Mario de Camargo at the International Assembly asked members to embrace growth, service and connection. He outlined a plan to expand “the bestqualified team of volunteers on the planet. Rotary’s greatest asset is not our history, our projects, or even our unmatched global reach. It is our members,” he said, and outlined three “essential pillars” for growth: innovation, continuity and partnership.
“Technology, social expectations and economic conditions evolve constantly, and Rotary must evolve with them. Innovation is how we adapt to this changing world,” he said. One important way to do this is by embracing and promoting a variety of club models. Satellite clubs, causebased clubs, enterprise clubs and passport clubs offer people different ways to experience Rotary.
He also emphasised the importance of leadership continuity and said he observed its benefits during his extensive travels in the past 18 months. Districts thrive when governors build on their predecessors’ efforts, ensuring that programmes and strategies continue without interruption. “Continuity is not about uniformity; it’s about alignment. When district leaders work together, envisioning Rotary beyond their ‘governor year,’ they set the stage for long-term success.”
The power of partnerships Rotary members working alone can achieve great things, de Camargo said, but collaborating with others makes it possible to change the world. He noted that Rotary’s historic effort against polio has been undertaken with partners such as the Gates Foundation, the WHO and UNICEF. Without these partners, Rotary couldn’t have had the same impact. He suggested exploring other kinds of partnerships to attract members and revitalise clubs.
Partnering with business associations, professional organisations and academic institutions can help Rotary attract members while embracing diversity in professions and perspectives, he said.
Ultimately, de Camargo said, all of Rotary’s achievements and growth depend on members. By focusing on attracting and retaining them, Rotary can renew its strength as well as its ability to create change in communities for years to come. “In a world often divided, Rotary stands as a beacon of unity and hope. Our projects bring together people of all races, religions, genders, ideologies and economic backgrounds, uniting us in a shared purpose: to do good in the world. Let’s build a Rotary that unites for good and ensures a brighter future for all.”
Rotary.org
Can you tell us a little about your educational background? You’re an architect; why did you choose to become one?
I’m not practising architecture but deal in architecture materials. I went to the Syracuse University in New York and did my bachelor’s and master’s in the school of architecture.
Why did you choose not to practise architecture?
At that time, Korea was undergoing turbulent times and was under the authoritarian rule. My father was in the opposition party. I felt I couldn’t go back to Korea and practise, so I worked in the US for about eight years. This was in the 1970s. I didn’t go back home until 1981, and
then started an architectural material business.
You served in the Korean army for three years. What did that experience teach you?
Well, because I had studied and lived in the US, I was like a free-spirited young person and without much control of any kind! So when I got into the army, one
Rasheeda Bhagat
RI President Nominee Sangkoo Yun feels that Rotary needs to forge more partnerships and through sponsorship make big events such as conventions and zone institutes more affordable to Rotarians. His vision is also to make Rotary an online platform for service, which can be used by any organisation interested in doing various kinds of service. In an interview to Rotary News in Kochi recently, he talked about his dream and vision for Rotary, how to attract younger members and make it more sustainable.
Excerpts:
of the worst things I was worried about was sleeping at 10pm! If somebodyforcedmetowakeupat
somebody forced me to wake up at 5am, I could do that, but nobody could force me to sleep early.
So what time did you sleep in the US? Did you party a lot?
(Grins) Oh yes; I used to sleep at 2am! But even on the very first night, because we went through
so much of drilling, I fell asleep right away!
Coming to Rotary, when did you join it, and why?
about Rotary and I said, maybe that’s a good way to make some connections.SoIjoinedRotary
I joined Rotary when I got back to Korea in 1982. As I told you, my family did not have any business at all, so I had to make connections and network. One of my father’s friends was a Rotarian, told me connections. So I joined Rotary purely for my personal gain, I had no inkling of doing any service at that time. That’s how I think most people get in.
When did you get hooked to Rotary and doing service projects?
I guess many different things were there, but if you talk about one single moment, it was while going to Mongolia to do projects. I was taking some PDGs for a project to plant trees in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, when one of the cars met with a terrible accident and fell into a ditch. One of the PDGs, who was very outspoken, had earlier questioned me about planting trees in Gobi Desert, saying it’s just not going to work. He had a lot of reservations, and as it happened, he was hurt the most in that accident and broke his back.
I felt responsible because I had taken them there and couldn’t face his wife. I felt I should resign from Rotary and forget about everything. But when I went to see him at the ICU a couple of days after his surgery to tell him, he grabbed my hand and before I could say anything, asked me in a weak and shaky voice to ensure that the tree planting project was a success.
So that really got you started in Rotary service; how did your journey progress?
I became governor in 2004–05. I was the centennial governor.
With my batchmates in Korea we discussed what should we do for the centennial. Among other ideas, there was one about how to prevent the yellow dust blowing down to Korea from Mongolia every spring. This is really a nuisance and a health hazard.
I suggested planting trees to prevent this yellow sandstorm coming. And they said, hmm, that sounds good, but it’s not going to work. I said, well, maybe it might. We came up with a slogan ‘Rotary challenges sandstorm’. And everybody liked that slogan.
And it became a successful project?
country for the organisation. What attracts Koreans to join Rotary?
We now have 67,000 members and we are growing. As for what makes Rotary attractive in Korea, after the Korean War, the country was completely devastated, and many NGOs came to support us with clothing, food, etc, and several NGOs used Rotary and Red Cross as a conduit to send and distribute the aid. So I guess many Koreans still feel that we owe a lot to Rotary.
When I got into the army, one of the worst things I was worried about was sleeping at 10pm! I can wake up at 5am, but nobody could force me to sleep early.
Yes, but to tell you a little bit more, the other DGs still felt the trees would not grow in the desert and decided to tell me the next morning that it wouldn’t work, and it was just a waste of money, time and energy. But on the way we saw a small patch of green on a hill, went up and saw that an old farmer, without any education or resources, was growing 100 trees in a little place! Without saying anything, everybody thought if he could do this without any money, we, with all our knowledge, resources and technology, should be able to do it too! Thus, we did five different projects for consecutive five years here through a TRF matching grant over 40 hectares of land. Then the local community took over and now it has expanded to over 400 hectares.
How many Rotarians are there in Korea, which is a growing
How difficult was the journey to become a director, because this is also a very competitive organisation where distinguished leaders from across the world compete for these posts. It was not easy for me. We went through the election process, and the person who lost challenged the result, so I did go through rocky waters. The whole process wasn’t much fun, and certainly not easy for me.
How were your two years on the RI Board from 2013–15?
Oh, two years on the board were also very tough. We had a lot of internal issues in Rotary that weren’t much fun to discuss. And so I didn’t enjoy being director other than having good friends as my fellow directors. But in the boardroom, it was not so much fun.
How difficult was it to get nominated as president? You had some tough contenders.
(Smiles) Actually, I went through the process three times. I did not plan on running more than once.
Then how did you have the courage to do it three times?
I didn’t really have the courage; but I was almost pushed to do it by friends. After the second time, I came back and I said: ‘No more, this is it. I can’t do it anymore.’
But I got pushed again! So I went three times.
What is your vision for Rotary which you will be heading from July 2026.
As I said at the Kochi Institute, for 20 years, we’ve been asking people
We are grateful for all the giving and the growing number of Rotarians in India. I hope all the internal politics go away.
to join Rotary and increase our membership and it has just not worked. Correct? So I say maybe we should ask different questions.
What kind of different questions?
I would like to see if Rotarians can bring in prospective
members, not by saying come to my club or join Rotary, but asking them to come to participate in our service activities. And once they do so, and like volunteering for our service activities, then maybe we could ask them, what is your idea of service? And if that person says, well, I want to serve the elderly or work in healthcare, or whatever, then we could support him. And once he takes ownership of a service project, and feels a sense of belonging then we could invite him/her to join our club. What I’m trying to say is do not put Rotary in the front, put Rotary in the backseat and say, hey, let’s do service. And
once they find Rotary attractive, they can join, and stay on.
We can grow Rotary by keeping it at the back and put a service activity in the front.
Because, after all, service and friendship are two sides of the coin for a Rotarian.
Listening to you at the Kochi Institute, I also got the feel that just pushing for numbers is not ideal. Your views. Numbers are important. We need numbers. But what we should push for… our goal should be… to increase our impact. Then the numbers will automatically come.
How do we increase our impact?
Let me give you an example of Korea where we’re having a centennial soon. We’ve set two goals; to increase or double our impact. For doubling our impact, we need to increase our membership to 100,000. One of the things we are trying to do is to have a mobile ID for Rotarians. Long time ago, we had a paper ID for Rotary. It didn’t work. And KR Ravindran, when he was president, worked for a global rewards system, which didn’t work either. I thought that was a great idea, and was very disappointed that it didn’t work out.
The reason, I think, is because it was global. It was just too large a scale from
the beginning. So what I’m doing is going by district, to create a mobile ID for a member with his Rotary details. Then we could use technology for various things, such as getting a discount in food, travel hotel stays, and so on. Once you show your mobile membership ID, you get an automatic discount.
So it’s something like global rewards, but in a different form. Right?
Yes, but on a smaller scale; by just district or country. We could go to big corporations, such as the Tata Group, and say, hey, we have 200,000 Rotarians who are all community leaders. So when we stay in your hotels, or buy a car, or go for insurance, can you give us a discount.
In theory it should work, because today everybody asks what’s in it for me!
Absolutely. And specially the young people of today; they are so smart and realistic. For them joining an organisation is a waste of time and money. They like to do service but don’t want to join. With such an incentive I hope they will join Rotary and stay on.
From left: With his wife Eunsun Yun; RIPN Yun and Eunsun with their grandson; With his son and family, and Rotary scholars Sakura Fisher (seated, L) from Houston and Adam Willis (seated, R) from Chicago.
You’ve come to India many times. What are your thoughts on Rotary in India?
Oh, I think it’s an excellent growing country and we are grateful for all the giving and the growing number of Rotarians in India. I hope all the internal politics go away!
Are you worried abut that and how to handle it when you become RI President?
I am not worried. I think it is growing pain…
That’s a nice way of putting it. I think many countries, including Korea, went through it and we don’t have that any more.
You don’t have election disputes in Korea?
I can’t say we don’t have any… but it is certainly not at this level (laughs) as yours. It’s a small circle and within a district. But we’ve been through it so we know its growing pain.
How would you rate the work and the kind of projects Rotarians do in India?
I think it’s fantastic… it’s mindboggling to see the numbers. I think they
are work. id of in India was incredible! the two areas we wouldn’t be to conquer
are doing amazing work. Getting rid of polio in India was incredible! Everybody thought the two areas we wouldn’t be able to conquer would be the African continent and India!
I think very highly of f Rootary n India and have so many friends. I came here e the Zone nstitute) e to meet Saabboo, Banerjee), o others.
in India and have so many good friends. I came here (to the Zone Institute) this time just to meet friends... Raja Saboo, Kalyan (Banerjee), and others.
98 per cent Rotarians do not come to conventions, most probably because they cannot afford it. So we could give them the convention experience through the internet at a much lesser price, or a day later
We have all the to be a for service. We have 120 and or over
What is your dream for Rotary?
In the long run we have a problem with sustainability because young people do not want to join Rotary. And having this kind of (grand) Institute and conventions are just not cost effective. We spend so much money; Rotarians have to spend so much money, so its just not cost effective, sustainable. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have institutes or conventions. I think conventions are a great opportunity to meet international friends. There are two ways we can think of conducting such events — through partnerships and sponsorships. We now get $100 million in cash every year from the Gates Foundation. That is our credibility and our transparency. We could call anybody and tell them hey, we are getting $100 million from Gates every year and solicit more partnerships and sponsorships for our big events and programmes.
up the convention... because we have less than two per cent Rotarians attending; 98 per cent do not come, most probably because they cannot afford it. So we could give them the
What is dream for n the run n w we have a with sustainabbilility because young do not w want to Rotary. And this s kind of nstitute and connventions are not cost effecttive. We so much Ro R tarians have to pend so much h money, so t not cost efffecttiivve, sustainable. It m meeaan we e nstitutes r coonnventions. I k conventioonns s arre a great oppoorttun u ity o meet innteernaational are two wayys we e can n think of g such h events s — thrroough partnershiips p and We now get t $1000 million in cash every yeaar froom m th t e Gates Foounundation. Thhat t is ou o r crredibbilitty y an a d our transppaarrenncy c . We W coould call l and d tell them h heey, we arre $100 milliion o froom m Gate t s more e parttand spoonnsorshships for ouur d prrogrrammees. s Also, I beellieve we should open e conventio i n... because e we have less than n two w per cent Rotarians attend n ing; 98 per cent do not come, , most y because cannot afford it. So we coulld them the
convention expeerrieence through the internet at a m much lesse s r pricce, or a day later. We coould d also thrrow it t open to thhe locaal p peop o le bec e auuse we havve e such grreat speeakker e s at a our convenntions.
A Annother thing I’d like to o do is s to maake Rotary an onliine platfor o m of seerrvicee. Like Faceboook, Ammaazon, etc. They ar a e sooftwaware or IT T for serrvi v ce c Rotar a y shoould become one suuch platffor o m. m
or IT platforms; for service Rotary
We have all the ingredients to be a good platform for service. We have 120 years of experience and 1.2 million members or volunteers all over the world in 200 countries. And we have the transparency and credibility that everybody can trust. If we make such a platform of service not only for Rotarians but also any other organisation of service to come in, we could connect with others. And that would give us the sustainability in the future.
And we have the transparency y and d that can trust. If we make e suuch c a plaatffor o m of o seerviice c not for Rotarians b but also any other orgganis i ation of service to o come m n we e coul u d connect t othhers. tha h t wo would v us the suustainabili l ty in n thhe futuure r .
Pictur u es s by y Ra Rash s eeda da Bha h gat t and d spec e iaal l arrra r nggement
Designed by Krishna Pratheesh S
De D siignned e y Kr K is ishna a Prathe h es e h S
Soon after assuming office on Jan 20, US President Donald Trump signed executive orders announcing withdrawal of the US from WHO and a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance. Subsequently the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) office was stopped from disbursing assistance across the world. RI has explained its stance following these orders.
Rotary International has stated that irrespective of the US government’s intention to withdraw from the WHO, a partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), it remains “resolute in our mission to eradicate polio. As a founding partner of the GPEI, Rotary has for decades worked closely with GPEI partners, the US government, and other governments to end polio worldwide.” This effort has reduced the number of children paralysed by polio by 99.9 per cent since 1988. The global effort to eradicate polio has innovated many times over the years to come close to protecting every last child.
Although this decision creates new challenges, Rotary remains dedicated to ensuring that every child is protected from this preventable disease. We are confident that the GPEI will
continue to adapt, innovate and implement effective strategies to keep polio vaccines available for every child in the US and around the world, especially those in the most challenging and remote regions.
“We remain committed to working with all GPEI partners to fulfil the promise of a polio-free world. Together, we have ended smallpox, and together, we can ensure that polio becomes the second human disease to be eradicated from the planet,” it said.
Rotary, USAID projects
Rotary has collaborated with the USAID since 2009 on different types of programmes. “Our current programmatic efforts and communications with USAID personnel and leadership are on hold due to the
stop-work order issued by USAID. RI has already notified members whose projects are directly impacted by this order and is working to continue to support them in their impactful work. We are navigating the implications of the recent stop-work order issued for Hearts of Europe projects that are part of a partnership with USAID.”
All projects that are currently in an implementation phase have been notified and given information about what action needs to be taken while the stop-work order is in effect. We are working directly with those projects that are not yet being implemented to determine alternative funding for their important work, it adds.
©rotary.org
Our current programmatic efforts and communications with USAID personnel and leadership are on hold due to the stop-work order issued by USAID.
Rajendra Saboo & K R Ravindran
As Rotary lost one of its illustrious past presidents Bill Boyd, two of his friends in the Rotary fraternity – past presidents Rajendra Saboo and KR Ravindran, remember the man, the leader, his legacy and of the warm moments spent with him.
Rajendra Saboo: The heartwarming news arrived early in the morning on September 13, 2004, about Bill Boyd’s selection as RI President for the year 2006–07. In Rotary, exemplary leaders like Bill are greatly needed at the top to set examples in ethical behaviour and good conduct for Rotarians to follow.
For the first time, Usha and I met Lorna and Bill in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, in 1983. Bill was there
for governorship training, and I was the RI Director.
William B Boyd joined the Rotary Club of Wellington South, New Zealand, in 1971. Since then, he has continued to climb the Rotary ladder, serving as club president in 1978–79, district governor of RI District 9940 in 1983–84, chairman of the RI Publications Committee from 1994 to 1998, director from 1998 to 2000, treasurer in 1999–2000, and finally RI President in 2006–07 and TRF Chair in 2011–12.
KR Ravindran: One evening in October 2005, my daughter called from upstairs to let me know I had an overseas phone call. When I answered the phone, I heard Boyd’s name mentioned, and I assumed it was my good friend Ken Boyd from California. While exchanging pleasantries, I realised it must be quite early for him since it was around 8pm for me, which meant it was roughly 6am in California. When I mentioned that, he replied that he was already at the office, which took me by surprise before he said he
had called to ask me something. Once again, I replied as I normally would to a close friend, casually saying, “Of course, that’s why you would call!”
There was a moment of silence, and then the caller said, “I would like you to be a trustee.”
I asked, “Trustee of what?” The response came, “Trustee of the Rotary Foundation!”
I was dumbfounded! I then asked, “Who is speaking? Is this the RI President-elect, Bill Boyd?”
And he responded, “Yes, who did you think it was?”
I was convinced this was a joke or prank someone was playing on me. I said, “I apologise for being frivolous when I spoke to you, but would you mind if I called you back?”
The caller laughed and provided me with his US number, which started with an 847 prefix. This indicated that the call was from Evanston, and then he hung up.
I still didn’t believe this was a genuine call, but I dialled the number anyway. It rang for a while without an answer, so I hung up. Within seconds, my phone rang again. The caller said, “Your call went to my executive assistant’s desk. She hasn’t come into the office yet, and before I could rush
over to answer it, you hung up! So, I’m calling you back. Do you believe now that I am indeed President-elect Bill Boyd?” and he laughed.
Bill was charming, friendly, and persuasive. Before making a decision, I told him that I wanted to consult with Raja Saboo because I wanted to be a director, not a trustee. He granted me permission but cautioned me against talking to anyone else, but Raja, as he had to first have this nomination moved in the Board.
Saboo: When Ravi called me, we had visitors at home, so I said I would return the call as soon as I could. However, I was informed that the caller, Mr. Ravi, insisted on speaking to me immediately. So, I went to the phone and answered the call. When Ravi started by telling me he had received a call from Bill Boyd, I said, “Oh yes,
I recommended you for the RRFC position.” He paused for a moment and then said, “No, he is asking me to be a Trustee!” I was pleasantly surprised. “You mean Trustee of The Rotary Foundation?” Then, before he answered, I said, “Let me consult Usha and call you back.” Usha, of course, immediately said, “He must accept it.”
Ravindran: I called Bill back, but before I accepted, I asked him, “Don’t you think there are better qualified individuals in our region, including several former directors?” His response was intriguing. He explained that he chose me because others were heavily lobbying with him, so he had asked the staff to find someone else who would be suitable. My file happened to be on top of the table, and he mentioned that if I didn’t accept the position, he would offer it to someone
else who also wouldn’t be from this region!
That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted till these last days of Bill.
Saboo: In every position, Bill demonstrated leadership in our great organisation, “leading the way” to capture the true essence of Rotary. His direct approach, clear vision, openmindedness, and firmness combined with humility were evident at the culmination of his year at the RI Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2006, where he genuinely earned the respect and esteem of Rotarians from around the globe.
Bill was a towering personality, not only physically but also as a great leader. Bill and I thought alike when we considered what makes Rotary important and keeps it relevant to the present.
Ravindran: I often turned to Bill for advice, even after I became President. Later, we visited each other’s homes, and he also spent a few days with me at my family home in the mountains of Sri Lanka.
I will never forget the first advice he gave me when I assumed my position as Trustee while he was President. He said, “Ravi, don’t talk too much when you are on the Board, but when you indicate that you want to speak, everyone must want to listen to you.”
I have conveyed this advice to many others.
Saboo: In Rotary, our paths crossed repeatedly, further strengthening our friendship. In 1988, we met in Auckland, New Zealand, when Dr W Grattan O’Connell was the RI Director. We also met many times during Bill’s tenure as the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Australia and New Zealand from 1989 to 1991. In 1989, the Council on Legislation opened Rotary membership to women worldwide; for the first time in nearly 50 years, Rotary clubs were chartered in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland.
In 1989, we met at the Rotary Convention in Seoul, South Korea.
In November 1991, Bill and Lorna served as our aides when Usha and I attended the ANZO Region, Zone 2 Institute in District 9910 in Auckland, New Zealand. I happened to be the first RI President to visit their district, so there was a great deal of excitement, and of course, a warm welcome for Usha and me.
In 2006, Lorna and Bill visited Chandigarh to attend the Rotary Zone Institute, chaired by PRID Yash Pal Das. Then, in May 2007, Usha and I represented Bill and Lorna at the District 5220 Conference in South Lake Tahoe. In 2011, we gathered at the Rotary South Asia Conference in Colombo, when I served as the Rotary Foundation Chair.
In February 2012, we met at the Polio Summit in New Delhi, chaired by me and inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh and again at the Kochi Rotary Institute.
Ravindran: Bill had a unique way of speaking; he would always be perched on a stool without notes. He was dignified and kind, and his advice consistently resonated with others. A few months ago, in September 24, he wrote in an email, “—but take our advice and enjoy every day and every task. Life
is for living, and we intend to, but we need to consider how to best navigate our way forward.” At that time, he was 91 and felt some aches and pains, yet I didn’t expect him to leave us so soon. I wrote to him in October 24, saying, “I hope I can make it to NZ. You and Raja are my greatest treasures from Rotary. What good fortune that our
paths crossed.” Alas I can now never do that!
Saboo: Bill remained active in Rotary even after his presidency. He served as Chairman of Rotary Down Under, the regional magazine, for several years and also led the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group from 2012 to 2016. Bill was awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2013. Both Bill and Lorna received the Royce and Jean Abbey Foundation Award in 2024.
remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life made each one feel valued. He believed in serving sincerely and leading with integrity.
Bill’s life stood as a testament to Rotary’s values — service above self, fellowship and a steadfast commitment to improving the world. His gentle demeanour masked an inner strength and resolve that inspired countless individuals, myself included.
Bill’s gentle demeanour masked an inner strength and resolve that inspired countless individuals, myself included.
KR Ravindran Past RI President
Bill was the recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and Citation for Meritorious Service, a Distinguished Service Award by Rotary Down Under and The Queens Service Order for Community.
Ravindran: Bill Boyd was not only a leader but also a true embodiment of grace, humility and wisdom. His
As I reflect on our friendship and his profound impact on me, I am reminded of how rare it is to meet someone who leads with genuine love, exudes unwavering kindness, and remains a beacon of hope and positivity for so many. Bill Boyd truly was a man of immense love, integrity and class — a legacy that will endure in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Rest in peace, dear friend. Your light will continue to guide both of us.
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
Visually challenged students attending a smart class installed by a Rotary club in RID 3040.
The biggest reward for the members of the Rotary Club of Indore Meghdoot, and 63 other clubs from RI District 3040 that worked along with them on this educational project, is hearing beaming parents in villages saying proudly: “Hamarey bachchey toh TV waley school mei padhtey hei (Our children are studying in the school with a TV).”
Through a project done with a CSR grant of $30,000 donated by Mohini Health & Hygiene Ltd, to which the club members added another $5,000, 63 government schools, schools for special children and those run by charitable institutions in rural areas in Madhya Pradesh and a couple in the tribal areas of Gujarat were given smart boards, fully loaded with software that has made learning fun for the children. “This project done by our club in collaboration with 63 other clubs from our district, which are in no position to do such big grant projects, takes a transformative step towards enhancing education for underprivileged children in RID 3040. Our project not only
aims to provide modern educational tools but also foster a sense of community involvement and support among Rotarians from RC Indore Meghdoot, the entire districts, parents and children,” says DGE Sushil Malhotra.
The chairman of the CSR partner company Mohini Health & Hygiene, Sarvapriya Bansal is an AKS member from RC Indore Meghdoot, and the managing director, his son Avinash Bansal, is also a Rotarian from another local club.
DGE Malhotra says the most satisfying aspect of this project was “that we were able to ensure the participation of 5–10 Rotarians from each of the 63 other clubs in our district. These are relatively smaller clubs and have never handled global grants or any big projects. We gave them the criteria for community assessment and selection of the beneficiary schools and told each club to identify such a school with a rural background in their area. After that our team did the final assessment based on their inputs. Apart from them, this project also involved so many parents and children. The beneficiaries from each school were between 100 to 200 students,” he says.
During his year as governor in 2025–26, he wants to form Interact clubs in these schools,
and also make the smart boards interactive, “so that teachers and students can write on it, wipe it out, create new content, form XL sheets, run YouTube and other channels for learning. I will either go for a global grant, or if that is too difficult and time-consuming, search for another CSR partner,” says Malhotra.
The DGE says that the idea for doing project of this type, which could involve many clubs from
his district, came to him as he was the district grants committee chair for four years, “when I found that only a few clubs got different kinds of grants, particularly the bigger ones, while most other clubs were deprived of grants for various reasons.”
Giving details of the project and why they felt that many schools in the rural and backward areas of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat need a change in outlook and direction when it comes to the way children learn, and more important, their learning tools, his wife Ruby Malhotra, who has also worked along with him on the district committee’s projects, says, “In many underprivileged areas, educational essentials such as classrooms, benches, books, washrooms etc are very scarce, leave alone the schools having smart classes. The
teachers and students are deprived of access to modern teaching methods and technology. Traditional teaching methods have limits when it comes to student engagement and their learning outcomes, particularly for children who face additional challenges, such as those in special education settings.”
Several members of their club ruminated on these issues and decided that a serious attempt should be made to bridge the gap in educational outcomes for underprivileged students and special children by using technology so that learning becomes more interesting, interactive and accessible. Next came the focused approach to involve over 300 members from 63 clubs from the district. “By engaging with local schools, these Rotarians identified specific needs and helped tailor the implementation of smart classes to address the unique challenges faced by each institution. This collaborative effort not only strengthened community ties of Rotary, but also ensured that the project was deeply rooted in the real needs of the community,” says Malhotra.
Apart from those directly involved in the project, a few hundred Rotarians from all over the district worked on planning the project, coordinating with the schools and
the suppliers to get ready the smart classes and install the software. The core team involved in the successful planning and execution of the project included past presidents of RC Indore Meghdoot Anil Upadhyay, Sarnath Ghosh, Manish Sharma and Ruby Malhotra. “We owe gratitude to PDG Sanjeev Gupta, who helped support the technical aspects of the selection of the school and execution of the project.”
engage with interactive lessons, access a wealth of online resources and participate in multimedia presentations. This shift not only captures their interest but also caters to various learning styles.”
In many underprivileged areas, educational essentials such as classrooms, benches, books, washrooms etc are very scarce, leave alone the schools having smart classes.
Coming to the costing, the DGE said that normally the smart boards cost nearly `1 lakh, but because they were able to give a bulk order, and it was for a good cause, the manufacturers gave them the boards at `60,000 each. Delighted at the initial outcome of this project, he says, “The introduction of smart classes has transformed the classroom environment. Students can now
He is happy to share one feedback from a beneficiary school which had no Sanskrit teacher throughout the year, but with the aid of technology and accessing online content, the students managed to learn Sanskrit through the smart board and passed their exams!
Aheartening feature of this project is that special efforts were taken to be inclusive and select some residential schools for children with special needs, including schools
for hearing handicapped girls and visually-challenged boys. “The ability to utilise assistive technologies and tailored learning material has significantly improved educational outcome for these students, allowing them to learn in an inclusive environment, we were told by the teachers,” adds Ruby.
As the future undoubtedly belongs to those who are able to navigate through various kinds of technologies, “we believe our project will help foster essential skills in students and prepare them for a future where digital literacy is crucial. By learning to navigate digital tools and platforms, these children will get an edge while competing for higher education and future careers. To put it in a nutshell, such learning opportunities will open doors for them in the coming years,” says the club’s past president Anil Upadhyay.
Malhotra adds that though the software that was loaded on the smart boards came from RILM, there were “some challenges and teething problems when tried extensively in the field. It took about 6–8 weeks to sort out these problems and make the required corrections and finally it worked.” An electronics engineer himself, he rolled up his sleeves and got into the act and trained other Rotarians and teachers on how to load the software. “You’ll be surprised to know that the children were so excited and interested in learning hands-on with the whole procedure. They were quick learners and actually taught the teachers on how to handle the smart boards!”
This project, he adds, will do wonders to Rotary’s public image, and also in giving a feeling of belonging to so many Rotarians from the smaller clubs in his district. Already there is demand from other schools for the smart boards, and “Rotarians feel a sense of achievement. I will leverage on this to ensure that every club donates to TRF. Once they feel that they can do small grants projects, they will start contributing to the Foundation.”
Recently many Rotary clubs and Rotarians have been approached by several schools in their areas of impact to undertake more such projects. “The success of this project demonstrates the potential for similar initiatives across other districts. Our project successfully demonstrates how targeted efforts can transform the educational landscape for underprivileged children. By bridging the digital divide and fostering community engagement, this project has set a precedent for how technology can empower students, enrich their learning
The students of a school which had no Sanskrit teacher throughout the year, managed to learn Sanskrit with the aid of technology and accessing online content through the smart board, and passed their exams!
experiences, and ultimately change lives. As these children step into a brighter future equipped with the skills and knowledge they need, the impact of this initiative will resonate for years to come.”
The most heartening aspect of this project is what it means to children with special needs. Ruby Malhotra points out that the smart board at a speech and hearing handicapped girls’ school made a huge difference to the way these special girls learn. “They can now see colourful images on the screen, and as the subtitles come, the teachers explain these to the girls in sign language, so that they understand concepts much better.” In another school for the visually handicapped run by a charitable trust, the boys were not totally blind. So they were getting images on their phones which they were keeping very close to their eyes so that they could see something on the phone screen. But when the visual gets transferred from the small phone screen to the big TV screen it is much better, “The result was that these boys would insist that hum ko TV waley room mei hi baith ke padhna hei (We want to study only in the room with the TV), they say.”
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
Jaishree
In 2023, Bharat Daga, then president of the Rotary Club of Raipur, RID 3261, turned his vision into reality by setting up a computer centre at the Amilidih Government School in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. “Most students here come from impoverished backgrounds; their parents are daily wagers, street vendors or domestic workers. Despite having 2,000 students, the school lacked a computer lab or digital classroom. Our club was determined to change that, and empower these children with skills needed for a brighter future,” he says.
The initiative began with the installation of four computers, offering basic lessons to students from Classes 8 to 12. As enthusiasm grew, so did the club’s commitment. Soon the centre was upgraded with 20 computers, essential software and internet connectivity.
Computer instructors from the National Skill Development Corporation conduct classes in five batches of 25 students each over a four-month course. “They are taught foundational skills such as PaintBrush, Word, Excel and creating PPTs,” says Daga. Recognising the demand, this year the club extended the project to college students from a neighbouring institution, introducing advanced courses in accounting software and other applications. At the end of each session, exams are conducted and students scoring above 70 per cent marks receive certificates. They can re-enrol
for additional training if they do not feel confident at the end of the course.
The centre incurs a monthly operational expense of `18,000 which is borne by the club. “We pool in `500 from a member every month, and pitch in more for additional expenses such as repairs and new accessories,” he says. Along with club members Pradeep Shitut and Naveen Ahuja, he ensures the centre runs smoothly.
The students’ dedication is remarkable; attendance is 100 per cent even during the summer vacation when the temperature soars to a blistering 45 deg C, says Daga. Thanks to their newly acquired skills, 12 school students and six college students have already secured part-time entry-level jobs in local firms. “Their parents are overjoyed. They see a future where their children won’t have to struggle with menial jobs. Another bonus — these students, both in school and college — are now more serious about
Team Rotary News
Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram
academics and performing better,” says PDG Subhash Sahu, a member of RC Raipur.
The club is in its 69th year and has 38 members. Its significant community
Two Rotarians of RI District 3201, Kerala – Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram of RC Cochin Global and P R Sreejesh of RC Kizhakkambalam received Padma Bhushan Award from the President of India Droupadi Murmu this January.
Sreejesh was the captain and goalkeeper of the national hockey team. Since 2024, he is the head coach of the India men’s national U-21 team. He played a vital role in the Indian team’s bronze medal wins at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and won the best male goalkeeper award at the FIH Awards in 2020, 2022 and 2024. He was a part of the teams that won gold at the 2014 and 2022 Asian Games. He got the Padma Shri in 2019 for his contribution to sports.
service projects include a dialysis centre set up seven years ago at the Krishna Hospital and a prosthetic limb centre that is operational for the past 12 years.
Cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Periappuram is credited with performing the first successful heart transplant in Kerala, and the first successful heart retransplant in the country. His other achievements include the first beating heart, awake bypass and total arterial revascularisation surgeries in Kerala. He is the founder-chairman of the Heartcare Foundation that sponsors heart treatment for marginal groups across Kerala. He got the Padma Bhushan for ‘revolutionising surgical cardiac care in his state.’
One Rotarian in Kolkata losing his wife to cancer some 15 years ago has resulted in an impressive programme to vaccinate a few thousand girls against cervical cancer in West Bengal. In an initiative pow-
Rasheeda Bhagat
supported by some other clubs in the Howrah region, Rotarians are reaching out to protect school girls from the scourge of cervical cancer.
Project chair and past president of the club Vishnu Dhandhania says after breast cancer, cervical cancer accounts for killing the largest number of women in India. The greater worry
cancer, leave alone the dangers posed by it. “In fact, 10 years ago, even I didn’t know anything about cervical cancer,” he admits honestly.
West In an powered by the Rotary Club of Belur, West Bengal, RI District 3291. And of women in India. greater worry is that most girls and women are not even aware of the existence of cervical a
The idea for this project to vaccinate schoolgirls was given to him about nine months ago by a fellow Rotarian from his club — Bhagwandas Agarwal, a successful industrialist from Kolkata. “Since he lost his wife to cancer, he has vowed
to support any cause that combats cancer. He told me please plan such a project, funds will not be a problem for it.” The industrialist has committed to becoming an AKS member and towards this goal he has donated to TRF a sum of $80,000 as a directed gift. “The GG of $80,000 for the second phase of the project has been
approved and this will enable the vaccination of 2,000 more girls.”
The club has already launched the first phase of the vaccination project, during which 1,200 girls in the
age
age group 9–14 will be vaccinated. The funding has come through a GG ($45,000) done by RC Belur partnering with RC Singapore Heartlands, District 3310. The medical parent for this project is the Narayana Multispeciality Hospital in Howrah, initiated by eminent heart specialist Dr Devi Shetty.
The ($45 with 3310 Hos nent P that are b vacc six m team from of th Rota any
Project director Agarwal explains that the girls covered by this project are being given two doses of the vaccine as prescribed, at an interval of six months. On the days of the camp a team of 6–7 medical personnel comes from the partnering hospital to administer the vaccine. “One clear condition of the GG coming from TRF is that no Rotarian should handle the vaccine at any stage and hence we ensure that the medical team does the entire operation for which they charge a very nominal sum to cover their travel and other incidentals.” The vaccine is acquired from the Serum Institute for this project at a special rate for Rotary of `1,275 a dose.
The club has already applied for a third GG, which is under process
with the TRF and this will enable the vaccination of another 1,000 girls, Agarwal noted.
In the first week of January, RID 3211 PDG K Babumon attended District 3291 conference as the RIPR.
“Luckily he could spare one day and it coincided with our first second-dose vaccination camp at the Chakpara Sarada Devi Girls’ High School.” RC Belur members invited him to attend the camp and he was very impressed with the work that was being done.
“They have already vaccinated over 500 girls, and their ambitious goal to vaccinate 10,000 girls over the next two years demonstrates a
Cervical cancer in India is now overtaking breast cancer as the largest killer of women suffering from cancer and this is really worrying.
Bhagwandas Agarwal Project Director
steadfast commitment to combating cervical cancer in District 3291. I was deeply impressed to see the commitment of the Rotarians and the hard work they have put in to implement this project, which should serve as an inspiration to all Rotarians. This initiative is not only about vaccination but also about fostering hope, empowerment and community solidarity. With the excellent partnership forged between our Rotarians, educators, healthcare professionals and other supporting organisations, RC Belur is paving the way for a healthier future for young girls,” said the past governor.
Agarwal added that the vaccination camps are being done in the areas around Kolkata and other Rotary clubs such as RCs Hooghly, Calcutta Chowringhee, Chandannagar, Visionaries and Young Indians, are also participating in this initiative.
“Cervical cancer in India is now overtaking breast cancer as the largest killer of women suffering from cancer and this is really worrying. I’m told that every day about 200 women in India are dying due to cervical cancer and we have to address this problem.”
They have chosen to focus on girls in
the 9–14 age group as the vaccine is most effective when given during those years.
He added that prior to the vaccination sessions, the club conducts awareness camps in schools. “Three days ago, I was in one such awareness camp, where 200 women, mostly mothers of the schoolgirls to be vaccinated, were attending it. I asked them in Bengali if they had heard of cervical cancer. To my surprise, not a single woman said she had heard of the cancer.” Once the motivational speech was given about the danger of death from cervical cancer and the importance of vaccination to prevent it, when asked how many would give permission to vaccinate their daughters “all the hands in the audience went up.”
Anand Agarwal, club president said that the members were very happy to witness this, and the club is fully committed to take this project forward. “Ours is a very progressive club and we are aware that at present, this is the only cancer which can be prevented through a vaccine. So we feel that we should take full advantage and protect our future generation from this cancer.”
Ki K ran Zehra
Kites filled the sky in Gandhidham, Gujarat, as participants of the Rotary Magical Miles Car Drive, an initiative by RC Mumbai Ghatkopar West, RID 3141, raised `9 lakh to fund a wheelchair racing cycle for Geeta Chauhan, National Wheelchair Basketball captain.
The seven-day rally, conceived by club president Shruti Dharamsi, featured 74 cars covering 2,500km across four states. The drive brought together Rotarians of RIDs 3131, 3141, 3142, 3055 and 3060, blending adventure with service, says Shruti.
The journey that covered Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Gandhidham, Bhuj, Dholavira, Ahmedabad, and back to Mumbai, “was carefully planned through three logistics recce trips, the drive ensured seamless coordination and safety, with real-time tracking by Life360, a GPS app,” says Shruti.
Along the 2,500km route, “pit stops meant not just service for the cars, but also service to the
DG Chetan Desai joined the rally from Mumbai, while DG Shital Shah (RID 3131) flagged it off in Pune. DG Tushar Shah (RID 3060) coordinated the Surat stretch, and DG Mohan Parashar (RID 3055) organised a 54-car roadshow in Ahmedabad. Gujarat’s education minister Praful Panshariya was honoured during the rally in Surat.
d the DG G Shhital t off f in D 30060 6 )
community,” she adds. RC Mumbai Nova organised breast cancer screening camps in Surat, Gandhidham, Bhuj and Ahmedabad, screening 449 women, and detecting abnormalities in 20. The screening was done using iBreastExam, a portable non-invasive breast examination tool which uses advanced sensors to detect tissue stiffness and help identify potential breast lumps.
RC Ghatkopar West conducted Masik Chakra, a menstrual awareness drive, in Surat and Gandhidham which sensitised 1,200 girls. Through the rally, the club also distributed 2,500 copies of Menstrupedia, a comic book on menstruation and hygiene. The participants campaigned for organ donation during the rally. Rahul Ramugade, captain of the Mumbai Wheelchair Cricket team, and Geeta Chauhan, who completed the 2,500km rally, were also honoured.
In Vadodara, participants enjoyed a traditional Gujarati feast on a golden Sankranti evening. In Dholavira, “we experienced the full moon casting a serene glow over the white sands. In Ahmedabad, a fellowship dinner brought everyone together, where participants received silver coins as a token of gratitude,” she recalls. DG Mohan Parashar says, “Magical Miles lingered not only on the road but in every life it touched. It was an unforgettable road trip.”
RC Mumbai Ghatkopar West, under its Samutkarsh Project, in partnership with the Seva Sahayog Foundation, Mumbai, is supporting underprivileged children at two learning centres — Radharaman Abhyasika in Tagore Nagar, and Sidharth Abhyasika Surya Nagar, Vikhroli, since 2022, providing
academic and holistic development opportunities.
At the Radharaman Abhyasika, four students passed their Class 10 Board exams in 2023–24, “with 80 per cent, while all 22 students from Class 5–8 cleared their first term exams with good grades. At Sidharth Abhyasika, first-generation learners from Class 1–4 are building strong foundations in languages and mathematics,” says Shruti.
Beyond academics, “students develop teamwork, confidence and empathy through games, competitions and cultural activities, with parents and the local community actively participating. Ansh Dhotre, a Class 3 student at the Sidharth Abhyasika, who is speech
RC
West president Shruti Dharamsi (seated first row, third from R) with members of RC Gandhidham for the kite-flying event.
and hearing handicapped, enjoys drawing, and thrives in an inclusive environment where his peers warmly support him,” she smiles.
The Chai for Cancer Adda brewed up by the club and Friends of Max (FOM), a support group for CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia) and GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours) patients and caregivers, joined hands to stir up awareness and funds. Survivors shared heartfelt cancer awareness stories followed by karaoke performances. With participation from around 70–80 attendees the event raised about `1.92 lakh through 1,500 cups of chai, donations and merchandise sales. FOM also showcased its patient-led initiatives, spotlighting programmes that support patients and their families.
he Duke UNC Rotary Peace Center, one of the eight Peace Centers worldwide, prepares Rotary Peace Fellows with values and education that can enable significant positive impact on world peace and conflict resolution. It offers them the best faculty, courses, resources and technology from both Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
Rajiv Jalota, an officer of the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Service , went to the Duke University in 2003 as a participant of the second batch of Rotary Peace Fellows. Jalota, who had a Masters Degree in Chemistry from Lucknow University, was working in Latur district, Maharashtra, as district collector when he joined Duke
for a Masters in International Development Policy. He was truly impressed and touched with the warm welcome the Rotarians gave him and his family.
The Peace Fellows were provided with deep knowledge in international development management and policy formulation. The university was highly rated with an open selection of coursework across a range of elective topics. The rich multidisciplinary knowledge was helpful in Jalota’s future professional assignments as a public servant. His research project at Duke focused on human induced displacement in public projects. This learning left a lasting impression on him about the importance of balancing the needs of the government on one hand and the displaced population on the other. He also used this opportunity to understand global best practices that he could implement when he went back to policymaking in India.
In his words, “the overall experience at Duke was very revealing to me. I was a practitioner to the core but going into the basics of public policy opened my eyes to evidence-based decision making. As soon as I returned to India, I designed a new rehabilitation policy for land acquisition in Maharashtra that became a model for many other states to follow.” At that very point of time, a very big movement against land acquisition — the controversial Nandigram incident — had happened in West Bengal where people had come out on the streets. There were clashes, several people died and a feeling was created across India that land acquisition in the future is going to be very
challenging. But in Maharashtra, “we involved the people and land acquisition was done with their total consent. We engaged them in a massive programme of skill development and financial literacy, and that’s why we succeeded.”
Earlier there had been considerable opposition to land acquisition which defeated development. Jalota effectively put the knowledge acquired into practice for the public and the region. “I shall always remain deeply indebted to The Rotary Foundation for its visionary investment in human resource development that will help future generations,” he says.
The knowledge he gained from the course led to his success in fulfilling the responsibilities he took up on his return as managing director, State Industrial and Investment Corporation of Maharashtra, followed by a three year stint as CEO of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. Since then, he has held several top posts in both the state and the GoI. As Goods and Services Tax commissioner, he implemented the revised GST bill in India. As additional municipal commissioner in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, he introduced 24/7 water supply for 1.3 million people and launched the Water Distribution Improvement Programme. He initiated the mapping of sewer connections and improved accuracy of sewerage data on the GIS platform, and the digital mapping of Mumbai’s entire water distribution system.
As chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust, in November 2020, he organised international events such as the India International Cruise Conference in Mumbai and the Global Maritime India Summit with support from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Indian Ports Association.
Jalota designed the Cruise Bharat Mission to promote cruise tourism,
which was inaugurated on his superannuation day in September 2024, by the Union Minister for Ports and Shipping Sarbanada Sonowal. Presently, he serves as advisor to the Indian Ports Association.
When Jalota went to the Duke Peace Center, his daughter Suhani was just nine years old. But the great memories of the time spent there, the warmth of the Rotarians and the indelible influence that the Peace course had on her father’s journey as a civil servant, inspired her to join Duke as an undergraduate student of Economics and Global Health. “The spirit of Duke is what I remember and that’s what I went there for,” she says. For Rajiv Jalota, watching Suhani’s progress at Duke has been very satisfying, for she went beyond her classrooms and always sought out newer opportunities An economist and social entrepreneur seeking to improve public health and women's employment in India, Suhani set up the Myna Mahila Foundation in 2015, a technology-driven social enterprise
that focuses on health, employment and research on women. The Foundation was endorsed by Prince Harry and Meghan, and was the only nonUK-based organisation to receive donations instead of gifts from the royal couple. It has supported over 1.5 million women in urban slums. Suhani has received several awards including the Glamour Woman of the Year Award, the Queen's Young Leader Award for her start-up and its contributions, and was nominated for the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award. She has been involved in various social entrepreneurship initiatives where she has helped develop apps to connect slum residents with jobs and to give them better access to emergency transport to hospitals.
The experience at Duke has enriched the lives of the father-daughter duo enabling them to create positive change in their chosen fields.
The writer is a past governor of RID 3240
Kiran Zehra
Bees know no borders,” said Rhyda M, an Interactor from Bengaluru, sharing an example of Israeli and Palestinian beekeepers collaborating through initiatives like Honey of Peace.
“Nature can succeed where politics often fails,” she noted, speaking at the Environmental Solutions for Peacebuilding, a virtual event hosted by RI District 3192 and Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), South Asia. The discussion brought together young leaders and Rotarians from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, each presenting solutions that connected environmental action with peacebuilding. The event served as a countdown to the Rotary South Asia International Peace Conference, scheduled in Bengaluru in March.
Rhyda highlighted the Korean DMZ Peace Park, “a once-militarised strip of land between North and South Korea that was left untouched for decades, and which has now been transformed into a thriving sanctuary for endangered species. Could similar peace parks emerge in other conflict-prone regions?” She posed the question to fellow Interactors and Rotarians urging them “to think of ways environmental conservation could become a shared, borderless mission.”
She also put forward two solutions: “AI-powered platforms to manage natural resources in conflict zones and mobile water purification units for areas lacking clean drinking water.” Acknowledging the logistical and financial hurdles, she emphasised the need for early intervention. “Change begins at the grassroots level. Schools must take climate change and
Above: A beekeeper checks beehives at an apiary.
environmental challenges more seriously. If we create awareness early on, we can inspire students to take responsibility for protecting and improving the environment.”
RID 3192 DG Mahadev Prasad said that “while millions of dollars are spent on development projects worldwide, peacebuilding often remains sidelined. If bees know no borders, neither do Interactors. This platform allows young leaders to share solutions, address local environmental issues and tackle global challenges together. These Interactors aren’t just talking — they’re proposing solutions that could reshape how communities, and even nations, approach peacebuilding.”
Schools must take environmental challenges more seriously. Early awareness can inspire students to take responsibility for protecting and improving the environment.
From Pakistan, Jozia Mariam spoke about water scarcity and its unequal distribution in her country. She highlighted government and international efforts, such as Bondhe-Shams and Water for Women, but stressed that “these initiatives alone aren’t enough. We need to build large and small dams to store and manage water better, educate communities on water conservation and pollution, and encourage rainwater harvesting to make efficient use of natural resources. Pakistan needs urgent investment in water infrastructure. Sustainable water management can reduce conflicts over resources.”
A child enjoying a merry-go-round ride at the Korean DMZ Peace Park, at Pyeong Hwa Land, near the Civilian Control Line of Korea’s Demilitarized Zone.
Runaiya Rahman
Alim from Bangladesh highlighted that “over the last five decades about 85,000 households have
An illustration on the topic Environmental Solutions for Peacebuilding.
been displaced in my country due to riverbank erosion.” Citing Assam’s success story, where riverbanks were stabilised by planting bamboo saplings, she said that this was “a sustainable solution compared to the jute bags that serve as temporary reinforcements. Replantation is the only long-term solution.” She called for stakeholders, NGOs and international organisations to step in “not just to restore riverbanks but to help displaced communities rebuild their lives.”
Gavit Althugedhara from Sri Lanka suggested reforestation of the civil war affected areas. He cited Cambodia’s initiative, where “the United Nations planted 150,000 trees to restore land devastated by conflict. Sri Lanka is also focused on eco-tourism by investing in conservation projects. Our country is boosting tourism, creating jobs and increasing biodiversity, proving that environmental restoration and economic development can go hand-in-hand.”
PRIP Shekhar Mehta inaugurated a Rotary Pit Latrine block at Dhangadhi in Nepal. This is a global grant project of RC Pokhara, RID 3292, with RC Akita North, RID 2540, Japan, and RC Woodstock-Oxford, RID 7080, Canada, as its international partners.
Project chair PDG Kiran Lal Shrestha, PDG Takahashi and Kimihiko Sano from RC Akita North, and the local MP were present at the inaugural attended by around 300 people. School uniforms, bags and sweaters were given to 60 students. Around 200 marginalised families will be using a toilet for the first time in their lives.
PRIP Shekhar Mehta, along with PDG Kiran Lal Shrestha (left) and Japanese Rotarians, after inaugurating a pit latrine block at Dhangadhi, Nepal.
RIDE M Muruganandam unveils the foundation plaque of the new vocational centre. Also seen (from L) RID 3201 DGE Chella Raghavendran, Lakshmi Ceramics MD S Muthuraman, DG N Sundaravadivelu and PDG AV Pathy.
RIDE M Muruganandam inaugurated a Vocational Training Centre of RC Coimbatore
Gaalaxy, RID 3201, at the Nirmala College for Women, Coimbatore. The centre, which will empower women through skill development, was funded by a CSR grant from Lakshmi Ceramics, thanks to its MD S Muthuraman, a Rotarian. DG N Sundaravadivelu, DGE Chella Raghavendran, DGN RS Maruthi and PDGs TR Vijaykumar and AV Pathy were present at the inaugural.
Vichitra Senthilkumar, president, RC Avinashi East, RID 3203, has been collecting breastmilk from donors and handing it over to the Neonatal ICU of the Government Hospital, Tirupur, for some years now. She is doing this as a passion to serve the community. Now after taking charge as club president, Vichitra has widened her collection drive to cities like Madurai, Trichy, Karur and Bengaluru.
She personally visits donors to collect the human milk at their doorsteps. When her club heard about the need for some equipment at the newly opened Breastmilk Bank in Tirupur GH, it readily extended help and organised the donation of five litres of breastmilk on the occasion. In the last four years, the club has donated over 1,000 litres of human milk to the GH.
East president
Rotarians and teachers at the Rotary Study Centre.
Atuition shed, Rotary Adams Study Centre, was set up by RC Madurai Metro Heritage, RID 3000, at Uchanenthal, a small village near Thirupuvanam, 30km from Madurai, to provide a comfortable study room for schoolchildren. Earlier, they used to study in an open area on sand with the help of an LED light. But due to hardships, many children dropped out of school to join their parents in collecting firewood. With donors and Rotarians pooling in `3.5 lakh, they have also hired private teachers to coach the students at the study centre.
V Muthukumaran
Eighteen months ago, 15 Rotarians from RC Bengaluru Harmony, RID 3191, conducted a six-month pilot programme at five Arivu Kendras, in Kalaburagi district of north Karnataka. Arivu Kendras (knowledge centres) are digital learning centres located near village panchayats in Karnataka; apart from book catalogues, they are equipped with digital screens, laptops, desktops and mobile phones with internet connectivity.
“Around 300 rural children were given training in soft skills and at the end of the digital programme, they wanted us to continue the online classes as this widened their knowledge. The kendra supervisors and district officials praised our efforts to give digital knowledge to rural children,” says Pravin Hungund, club president.
This pilot initiative led the club to sign an MoU with the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department to
rollout Project Arivu Kendra, a rural digital literacy mission, at an event to mark National Librarian Day (Aug 12). The online classroom project aims to enhance the soft skills, literacy and numeracy skills of children from backward communities across Karnataka. Covering all the 5,985 village panchayats in the 31 districts of the state, the two-hour online classes on Saturdays are livestreamed from the Panchayat Raj Studio in Bengaluru for children (12–18 years) gathered at the Arivu Kendras in villages.
Apart from empowering the rural communities, “the Kannada classes inspire the children by shaping their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Life skills like critical thinking, personal growth and how to excel in academics are also taught by a panel of 30 professionals, a few of them Rotarians, who are experts in diverse fields,” explains Hungund. The faculty is being expanded as new subjects are taken up for telecast.
Thirty clubs support the digital mission which has conducted 15 online programmes for 15 lakh children till now. “The project will conduct 35 more classes at Arivu Kendras, covering 50 lakh children by the end of the Rotary year.” Manjunath, superintendent of Arivu Kendra at Mullur panchayat, Mysuru, says, “the online session on sleep deprivation was really informative, thanks to Rotary.” While librarian Sumathi at Havanje centre, Udupi, says, “the one on paper scissors art is so good that the students want direct classes to learn more.”
Arundhathi Chandrasekar, panchayat raj commissioner, says, “the Arivu Kendra programmes address the educational and soft skills needs of rural children. We will continue to support Rotary in this initiative.” While the digital infrastructure is from the government, the operational expenses are met by all the 30 Rotary clubs.
IIT-Madras director V Kamakoti (7th from R) and RID 3233 Public Image chair M Ambalavanan (5th from R), with Rotarians and faculty, at the launch of the IITM Rotary Centre in Chennai.
To mentor Rotary districts and clubs in design, development and implementation of humanitarian global grants and CSR India grant projects, an IITM Rotary Centre for Social Development was formed in the presence of IIT-Madras director Prof V Kamakoti.
An MoU was signed between the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT-M and RCs Madras Mid Town and Madras Central Aadithya, RID 3233, in October, under which this IIT will help Rotary districts across South India to implement service projects related to the UNDP’s 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). To begin with, the IITM Rotary Centre will create a dashboard of information related to the 17 SDGs aligned to Rotary’s seven focus areas. This will be “helpful in economic and policy analysis through various publications including peer-reviewed journals, monographs, working papers, white papers, seminars and conferences,” said M Ambalavanan, public image chair, RID 3233. The new centre will involve faculty and students to create a database on Rotary’s seven focus areas, and become a resource hub for assessing, designing and implementing need-based SDG projects
in the southern states.
“The IITM Rotary Centre will also provide impact assessment reports on the ongoing social projects after analysing the results and outcome of such projects, especially those funded by long-term CSR grants,” said Ambalavanan. The centre will be offering short-term certificate courses on SDGs aligned with Rotary’s focus areas and environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) norms.
Presiding over the soft launch of the collaborative centre, Prof Kamakoti urged the joint initiative to “give priority to rural India, create job opportunities and livelihood for
rural women.” He urged the centre to build an integrated Smart Village which will have all basic needs — education, health, jobs and skill development — for a holistic, sustainable environment.
From the IIT-M, Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research Dean Prof Manu Santhanam, School of Sustainability head Prof Rajnish Kumar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty led by Prof Santosh Kumar Sahu were present. Ambalavanan, along with Rtns Yadav Sankaran, Kamal Narendra and Dr Vasudha Rajasekar, represented Rotary.
RC Pondicherry Galaxy
RID 2981
Dothies and sarees were distributed to over 100 elders at the Helpage India Old Age Home as part of Pongal celebration. The project cost was `25,000. AG Senthil Narayanan was the chief guest.
RC Visakhapatnam
RID
3020
Sweaters were distributed to over 300 tribal children at the MPUP School, Kasipatnam. They came from nine schools across Anantagiri mandal.
RID 3030
RC Nasik
Club president Omprakash Rawat donated six wheelchairs to Shri Guruji Rugnalaya, a charitable hospital, to facilitate the movement of patients. The wheelchairs were sponsored by Leena Bakre and Aadesh Dadawala.
RC Trichy Diamond City Queens
RC Bhopal East
DG Anish Malik inaugurated Sports Fiesta, a four-day athletics meet that saw 12 school teams contesting to mark the club’s 50th anniversary. Education Edge and the Athletics Federation of India were the partners.
A sports meet was conducted at the Fathima High School and the winners were given prizes at the Independence Day celebration.
RC Muzaffarnagar Mid Town
DG Deepa Khanna flagged off a medical bus, a GG project, at the Muzaffarnagar Medical College. The mobile clinic will provide eye, dental and OPD services, along with x-ray, pathology diagnosis.
RID
3090
RC Hisar
School uniforms, sweaters and shoes were distributed to 680 students at Chetna High School, Sewa Bharti School, Government Girls High School and Government Girls Primary School, all at Hisar. The project lifted the public image of the club.
Zai Whitaker
Children’s Books: An Indian Story is a treasure for those interested in Indian literature, whether total immersion or a toehold; whether writers, readers, teachers, editors or publishers. It’s an erudite perspective on aspects of our kidlit (children’s literature), which is attracting more and more attention because of its interesting history, our super-multi-cultural people and layered social issues. An awesome task, achieved with excellence by two doyens in this arena, Shailaja Menon and Sandhya Rao. The range and breadth of the subject require minds that are both learned and creative, both characteristics of Shailaja and Sandhya’s characters and works.
The introduction is a masterful packaging of the history of our children’s literature, with useful information, such as Bengali contribution to kidlit: over 5,000 books and 133 periodicals were published from 1818–1962! In the last three decades there has been a rising flood of children’s books, including those with strong ‘moral’ guidelines (what Perry Nodelman called ‘the hidden adult’). This was the ubiquitous Indian ‘story book’ we were gifted as children. We knew that somewhere or other, the ‘rule’
Children’s Books: An Indian Story
Editors: Shailaja Menon & Sandhya Rao
Publishers: Parag & Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal
Price: `424
shown it’s possible to be well-informed and learned with a generous touch. Sandhya’s own story and challenges as an editor showcases her cheery narrative style, with useful pointers for editors. “Imagine going over the same text at various stages— raw manuscript, first edit, second edit, final edit, first proofs, corrected proofs—and then notice a silly typo in the printed book. This is a nightmare, hence the routine. Polish, correct, tweak, proofread.” Similarly, Shailaja’s suggestions on how to use children’s books in a classroom come from years of hands-on experience and thought.
would pop up! How surprised we were when, one Christmas, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet arrived; not telling us to be good children who listened to their parents, or refrain from telling lies.
The introduction lists a few things the book is not; one is caste: “Caste plays a huge role in access to books and literature, to representation in them, and to inclusion in the community of individuals responsible for the creation and distribution of books… …this volume has not done justice to a serious examination of this issue.” An important statement that highlights Shailaja and Sandhya’s commitment to this pivotal issue.
The four section titles summarise the overall landscape of the book: Understanding the Terrain: Children’s Literature in India; The Moving Landscape: Looking at Books; Uneven Ground: Issues in Children’s Literature; and You Sow: Using Books with Children. Nicely done. This breakup indicates the book’s relevance for readers and writers in the many categories mentioned earlier. This book is immensely readable. I shy away from academic stuff, with its solemnity and scary sentences. This book has a rare tone, a result of choosing writers like Jerry Pinto, Tultul Biswas, Manjula Padmanabhan… they’ve
Children’s literature has become a much-bandied term in our academic circles, the media and classrooms. I’d like to stress its importance for writers, both aspiring and perspiring. We struggle to write meaningfully about people and events in one of the most complicated human spaces in the world, and more than knowing the ‘facts’, it’s important to understand issues like perspective and bias. The book will help us to do this. One personal takeaway included a whack on the head (I’ve had many) for the ending of Kali and the Rat Snake, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. Another was Arunava Sinha’s thoughts on whether children are more alike than adults, or as different as their older versions. An important point of debate because many of us writers, consciously and not, tend to assume that they are.
As my hair gets greyer, I receive an increasing number of manuscripts to read from the aspiring brigade, and apart from comments related to their work I recommend a list of books including Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.Children’s Books has been added to this list, and I know that they will not regret acquiring it. It gave me a lot to think about as a writer and educator, and I’ll be dipping into it again and again, highlighter in hand.
The reviewer is an acclaimed children’s book writer and a naturalist.
RC Goniana, RID 3090, organised
Beneficiaries being fitted with prosthetic arms at the camp. Team Rotary News
RC Palakkad East, RID 3201, hasestablished a Blood Centre at Paalana Hospital in Palakkad, under
Run for ability
RC Bombay Queen City, RID 3141, raised ` V i g n e t t e s
Village school gets a computer lab
RC Pune Pride, RID 3131, in Bhivadi village, equipping it
Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil inaugurating the blood bank. DG N Sundaravadivelu and PDG Rajmohan Nair are also seen.
Students in the new computer lab.
Participants at the race.
Kiran Zehra
Paritosh Bajaj
Nearly 50 per cent of the Rotary clubs in his district are in smaller townships, says Paritosh Bajaj. While “a club’s public image and branding play a crucial role in drawing new members,” for retention presidents should focus on “open communication, listening to members and assigning them meaningful roles,” he says.
During the Mahakumbh festivities, Rotary clubs in Prayagraj distributed over five lakh food packets to pilgrims and RC Allahabad Grand set up a branded tent city for Rotarians. A $100,000 global grant is funding 2,000 cataract surgeries and 5,000 spectacles. A `45 lakh initiative in partnership with Kabeer Foundation, US, is establishing nine computer labs in Varanasi and Prayagraj.
“With many clubs in smaller townships, building awareness about TRF’s significance remains a challenge. But, the presence of TRF Trustee Bharat Pandya and PRID Manoj Desai at our Foundation seminar was highly impactful, and we are optimistic about achieving a meaningful contribution by June 30,” says Bajaj who began his Rotary journey from RC Vindhyachal in 2000.
He is thrilled that Symbiosis University, Pune, has been selected by RI to set up its Rotary Peace Centre. Last year, RID 3131 received a Top-Performing Award for Annual Fund Giving, contributing $450,000 during July to December alone.
Focused on club extension, Shital Shah firmly believes that membership retention goes beyond just numbers; “it’s about creating a fulfilling Rotary experience”. He has introduced the ‘Members Happiness Index’, designed to ensure that Rotarians feel valued, engaged and connected.
A car rally hosted by the district will feature visually-impaired navigators, “promoting true inclusion.” Through his ‘Playing Eleven’ initiative, clubs are collectively implementing 11 “simple and impactful service projects”, such as where 111 clubs installed Rotary-branded roadside umbrellas, and , which is organising haemoglobin screeningfor 1,50,000 students and providing iron supplements for those in need.
The district has seen a 15 per cent growth in Interact, 20 per cent in Rotaract, and the formation of 80 new RCCs for professionals.
Shah joined Rotary in 2005.
In my district, there is no difference between a Sikh, Hindu or Muslim member. Religion has nothing to do with community service,” says Parminder Singh Grover. For growth, he says, “for every one Rotary club, there should be two Rotaract clubs and four Interact clubs, ensuring a steady progression of young leaders.” He is concerned over the dwindling number of Rotaractors in his district due to membership dues.
He attributes membership loss in Rotary clubs to Covid-19. “We have to revive in-person fellowship, and encourage clubs to resume weekly meetings and conferences that have become optional post-pandemic.”
A suspension on global grants “due to past irregularities is a major challenge. Although the district had undertaken an eye hospital and a cancer hospital project, the suspension has put a halt to large-scale initiatives.” He is urging clubs to focus on small, sustainable projects until the suspension is lifted.
This is a challange for TRF giving too because “it’s difficult to ask people to contribute when they feel nothing is coming back to the district due to the suspension. The restriction has also affected CSR projects,” says Grover.
Ascharter governor of a newly bifurcated district with 87 clubs, Mahaveer Bothra has made membership growth his top priority. Under his leadership, the district has grown by 35 per cent, reaching 3,300 members, with a target of 4,500 by year-end. “It’s not just about numbers but about engagement. A strong club is built on meaningful connections and regular in-person meetings where Rotarians and their families feel valued.” His outreach programme through social media campaigns and banners in key city locations and on public transport vehicles has been instrumental in attracting new members. By honouring past club presidents and new Rotarians, he aims to strengthen retention. Over 3,400 members have received digital membership cards, offering special discounts, vouchers and gifts.
He was instrumental in facilitating a pilgrimage to Tirupati from Chennai for 1,008 differently-abled children spending `27 lakh for a special train, `12 lakh for buses, and `25 lakh for insurance. “The endeavour highlighted Rotary’s impact and its ability to mobilise resources.” As part of the initiative, five lakh saplings will be planted across Chennai. Autorickshaws have been provided to 100 women from underprivileged families.
Designed by N Krishnamurthy
The world is too plasticdependent to expect a complete ban on the mouldable ‘wonder’ polymer. Indeed, any government would think twice before making such a rash decision. This is because plastic has varied uses, including in medical devices, automobile spare parts, plumbing, sewage systems, packaging, construction material, furniture, toys, shopping bags, clothes, cosmetics and much more. And since a cheaper and viable alternative is not yet on the horizon, annual
Preeti Mehra
It’s time to wean away from single-use.
global plastic production is estimated to reach 1.3 billion tonnes by 2060. However, a serious effort is being made to cut its consumption.
Given this, if you still wish to live in a plastic-free world, you must have access to a machine which can transport you back to a time before Belgian American chemist Leo Baekeland created Bakelite, the first synthetic mass-produced plastic in 1907. Or perhaps, to avoid the ubiquitous plastic bags that have invaded our homes and bazaars, you may wish to go back to the early 1960s before Swedish
engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin, working for Celloplast, patented the onepiece polyethene shopping bag, which became a rage across the world.
Unfortunately, SpaceX and Elon Musk have yet to offer time travel into the past. So, you have no option but to live in the reality of the present, which is grim when it comes to plastic. A study by Nature magazine last year ranked India as the highest plastic polluter in the world, above China. The study estimated that India emits 9.3 million metric tonnes of plastic annually and is responsible for
one-fifth of global emissions. Plastic emissions include materials that have moved from controlled systems for waste, managed or mismanaged, to the environment where they are under no control.
Much of the plastic waste generated in India (5.8 million tonnes) is incinerated, releasing toxic pollutants into the air that cause respiratory and other health problems. Plastic waste is also dumped randomly at street corners or in informal landfills. It either leaches harmful chemicals into the ground or finds its way to drains, waterways, rivers and the sea. According to the UNEP, unlike other materials, plastic does not biodegrade for centuries, and its pollution chokes marine wildlife, damages soil and poisons groundwater, and can cause health damage, including respiratory illnesses, endocrine disruption and cancer.
Given the gravity of the situation, what can the average citizen do when systemic reform is what is called for? Surely, he or she cannot be expected to stop powerful corporations from producing plastic. However, they can control consumption and reduce their plastic footprint at the individual level. The less plastic we use, the better.
So where does one start? The low-hanging and important fruit here is single-use plastic. This includes plastic bottles, shopping bags, straws, cups, glasses, plates and cutlery, wrapping paper, cling films, etc. Single-use plastic accounts for 43 per cent of India’s total plastic waste despite a July 2022 government ban that forbids the manufacture, distribution, stocking, sale, and use of 19 select single-use plastic items, including cups and cutlery. Carry bags of less than 120 microns also came under the ban.
The enforcement of the regulation has not been as effective as envisaged because single-use plastic is still very much around, perhaps because there is no suitable and cheap alternative or because of pressure from business lobbies.
Whatever the reason, we can do our bit by avoiding single-use plastic items as much as possible. How do you go about this task? To start with, carry a reusable cloth bag when you go shopping. This ensures you don’t come home with half a dozen use-and-throw small plastic bags in a larger bag. Collecting them after your weekly shopping does not make sense because you can do nothing with the bags other than throw them into the garbage can, from where they will go to the local garbage dump and then to a landfill.
Similarly, you could insist on soft drinks bottled in glass rather than plastic bottles. Carrying your water in a glass bottle or a flask ensures you don’t have to buy water in a single-use plastic bottle. Plastic plates, cups and
cutlery, though convenient, must be avoided. Individual choice is key to reducing your plastic footprint, and you must bring about a behavioural change in your attitude towards single-use plastic.
In your kitchen, you could store cereals, pulses and sugar in glass or steel containers. That would be a lot better than the cheaper plastic option. Small decisions like that do make a difference. For example, using a wooden peg to hang out clothes to dry would be far more environment-friendly than the plastic alternative.
Another source of concern is microplastics, defined as any plastic less than 5mm in length. However, they can be microscopic, one nanometer in length. Microplastics are found in cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and construction. They can also be formed during plastic degradation. It is estimated that 35 per cent of all ocean microplastics come from erosion of synthetic textiles like polyester, acrylic or nylon-based clothing. These particles are released during the washing process when they go through the drainage system and end up in rivers and seas. An average wash load releases over 700,000 nano fibres per wash.
Microplastics can be harmful to humans, animals and marine creatures because they release toxic chemicals that can disrupt and impact body functions. Invisible to the naked eye, it can be unknowingly ingested and can cause much harm. This is why one must avoid cosmetics that contain microplastics and synthetic clothing.
It is all about making wise choices. You may not always be able to avoid plastic. But when you can, opt for a tested and natural alternative. You will not regret it.
The writer is a senior journalist who writes on environmental issues
Lit for Life in Chennai whipped up a storm of writers, speakers, fans and foodies.
There’s a buzz every time the Jaipur LitFest comes along, and this time there was a bigger buzz thanks to the presence of Rishi Sunak who appears to carry quite lightly his legacy as a former UK prime minister. This is refreshing, given the crass VIP culture that prevails in India, trampling upon anything and anyone ordinary. What makes the Chennai LitFest special is the presence of ordinary folk thronging the seats and aisles of thoughtfully curated sessions spanning a range of subjects. The feeling you get is that you don’t have to be a somebody to participate, and this was true this time round as well. I bumped into a couple, for instance, who had travelled all the way from Madurai with their two young daughters just for the experience. The overarching mood was not to ‘be seen’ but to listen, to absorb,
to engage, to be lost in worlds, real and imagined, that sharp, sensitive, creative minds unravel.
What was the fallout? Every single table at home is now piled high with books to read — all recently acquired, one way or another. Such a fabulous way to begin the year, on the reading front at least.
At a time in history when textbooks in India are being recast at the will and pleasure of dispensations, it’s encouraging to find a whole new crop of young historians making their presence felt. Among them, the two most compelling voices are those of Manu Pillai and Anirudh Kanisetti, both of whom enthralled the audience at the Chennai event. Interestingly, both give due recognition to India south of the Vindhyas, a region that is often ignored when the history of India is told. As journalist Prem Panicker has remarked, ‘Do yourself a favour — particularly you lot banging on about how you only learned about Mughals in school — and read Kanisetti’s Lords of the Deccan.’
The Lords of the Deccan: Southern
India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas won the 2023 Yuva Puraskar from the Sahitya Akademi, and Kanisetti’s new book, Lords of Earth and Sea:
A History of the Chola Empire was featured in an absorbing discussion at the festival. Manu Pillai observed: ‘Ambitious in its scope and rich in depth and detail, Lords of the Deccan is an outstanding debut. With his evocative retelling, Anirudh Kanisetti restores medieval south India to the prominence and centrality it deserves in general imagination.’ Having travelled through the pages along with the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas and others, I cannot wait to get to the Cholas.
Manu Pillai too received the Yuva Puraskar, for his first book, The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore, in 2017. His other books are Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji (2018); The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin (2019); False Allies: India’s Maharajah’s in the Age of Ravi Varma (2021); and Gods, Guns and Missionaries (2024); the last was featured at Lit for Life. Historian William Dalrymple says it is: ‘A brave and magnificent book, and a vital intervention: as elegant as it is witty, as erudite as it is wise, and as stylish as it is scholarly. Manu Pillai
is fast becoming one of India’s most accomplished and impressively wideranging historians.’
History or the recording of historical events can never be an exact science, which is possibly why it is often misty and mired. Everything depends upon intense and corroborated research, and a nuanced understanding of lives and times. It has to try to be as objective as possible, while keeping in mind the ever-changing nature of lives and times. The subjectivity of such a task leaves it open to interpretation, misinterpretation and reinvention. It is in this context that chroniclers such as Kanisetti and Pillai shine, both in rigour of approach and manner of writing.
Talking about exact sciences, there’s this elegant little book by the Japanese writer Yoko Ogawa called The Housekeeper and the Professor. Just 180 pages long, small-sized, neatly designed, it blew my mind. A housekeeper is assigned to take care of a mathematics professor who, after an accident 17 years ago, is left with only 80 minutes of memory at a time. That is, after every 80 minutes, he forgets everything and has to start all over again. In the housekeeper’s words: ‘It was clear that he didn’t remember me from one day to the next. The note clipped to his sleeve simply informed him that it was not our first meeting, but it could not bring back the memory of the time we had spent together.’
The only thing intact in his brain is his ability with mathematical equations. During her stint with
the professor, the housekeeper, who is the narrator, and her 10-year-old son who comes over every day after school, go on journeys of mathematical discoveries. ‘The mathematical order is beautiful precisely because it has no effect on the real world,’ she remembers him saying. ‘Life isn’t going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers. Of course, lots of mathematical discoveries have practical applications, no matter how esoteric they may seem. Research on ellipses made it possible to determine the orbits of the planets… But those things aren’t the goal of mathematics. The only goal is to discover the truth.’
nonexistence exist. Extraordinary, don’t you think?’ Making nonexistence exist, extraordinary indeed to say it like that. I don’t know Japanese so I don’t know how true this translation by Stephen Snyder is to the original. But in itself it is so smooth, so elegant, so evocative, so simple. Is it the Japanese language itself?
The story is so beautifully told that it will mesmerise even a person who fears numbers. Just see what the professor says in response to a question about who discovered zero: ‘The ancient Greeks thought there was no need to count something that was nothing. And since it was nothing, they held that it was impossible to express it as a figure. So someone had to overcome this reasonable assumption, someone had to figure out how to express nothing as a number. This unknown man from India made
The overarching mood, at the LitFest , was not to ‘be seen’, but to listen, absorb, engage, be lost in worlds, real and imagined, that sharp, sensitive, creative minds unravel.
But, coming back to history, there’s another little book that piqued my interest: The Great Flap of 1942 by Mukund Padmanabhan. This is an engaging and detailed account of ‘how the Raj panicked over a Japanese noninvasion’. Padmanabhan was inspired by his mother’s story of how the family (except for her father) moved from Madras to the inland town of Coimbatore due to a fear of invasion by the Japanese. He says he later discovered that ‘there was not a single person I knew whose family hadn’t fled Madras in 1942’.
I can vouch for this. My maternal grandparents lived in places like Avinashi, Pollachi and Coimbatore around the time of World War II, and my mother remembers how, when she was about 8 or 9, a whole lot of her cousins from Madras landed up at their home to stay for a while. She remembers talk about the Japanese coming and all of them being told to run the other way if they saw a ‘short’ (kulan) person! We think history means that which happens, not that which does not, and that’s where we’re wrong, as this book shows.
As always, so much to read, so little time!
The columnist is a children’s writer and senior journalist
Jaishree
The Shri Govind Hari
Singhania Skill
Development Centre in Kanpur is proving to be a lifeline for 70 women hailing from less privileged families, helping them turn their dreams into reality. The centre was established in November 2024 by RC Kanpur, RID 3110, to givetailoring skills to women so that “they can enhance their livelihood, and build a better future for their families,” says club president Rajiv Agarwal. Training is conducted daily
in three batches by experienced tutors, and the club supplies all necessary material, including fabric and thread. To ensure commitment, a nominal fee of `100 is charged for the course.
The women are also trained in art and craft, tie and dye, fabric painting and embroidery at the centre. The project is spearheaded by club member Ronal Kumar.
At the end of the course, participants will have mastered stitching dresses, blouses, pillow covers, tablecloths, bedsheets and salwar sets.
Women
The club plans to help them secure job work, and market their finished products. “Many of our members are trustees in temples and they are eager to engage the women in stitching dresses for temple idols. The fabric will be provided by the members,” says Agarwal.
The ` 9-lakh-centre is equipped with 15 sewing machines and has received significant support from club member Abhishek Singhania through the CSR arm of his company, JK Urbanscapes.
The 82-year-old club, chartered in 1943, also runs a Rotary School which was set up 58 years ago, offering affordable education to children from low-income families. The school charges a minimal tuition fee of `100, but as Agarwal emphasises, “if a parent cannot afford even that, we still enrol the child. Education should be accessible to every child, as it is the key to a bright future.” Currently, 10 students are studying free of cost.
The school has 70 students studying from kindergarten to Class 5. “Prior to the Covid pandemic, we had 200 students. However, economic challenges forced many families to migrate in search of work,” he says. Most parents in the locality are street vendors or domestic workers.
The school’s monthly operational expenses, including staff salary and electricity, total `25,000. The club’s 119 members contribute
` 1,000 each for the school’s upkeep. “This, along with the tuition fees, helps cover our basic costs. For major expenses like building maintenance and repairs, past president Rajiv Soni and other members step in with additional support. We are passionate about this school; it is like our own child. Over the years, we have seen it produce brilliant students,” smiles Agarwal.
The club provides the children with uniform, footwear, stationery items and lunch box. After Class 5, they are enrolled in high schools with recommendations from the members. Many of them are admitted to the school run by Singhania that charges a nominal fee.
Recently, the club completed two cervical cancer vaccine camps benefitting 700 girls aged 9–14. Each vaccine, originally costing `2,000, was procured at a subsidised rate of `1,250.
Rotary Maha Expo 2024, a four-day mega fair in Aurangabad, with around 2,000 stalls exhibiting products and services, saw over 1.25 lakh footfalls. DG Suresh Sabu and event convener Satish Lonikar coordinated the sessions.
RC Kothagudem
RID
3150
Bicycles were presented to five girl students at the Zilla Parishad High School, Yerragunta, for hassle-free commute to and from school. Club president Sujatha and PDG J Abraham were present.
3160
RC Davangere Vidyanagar
Umbrellas were given to roadside vendors by a team led by club president SN Malvalli. The beneficiaries thanked them for the gesture as it would shield them from the sun and rain.
RC Bombay Film City
RC Tirupattur
Among the 300 people who were examined at the eye testing and surgery camp held at the Dr Vinothini Eye Care Clinic, Tirupattur, 35 were identified for free surgery. Dr V Vinothini, chairperson, Eye Camp, screened the patients.
Under Project Pehchan, the club collects hair from donors which are then made into wigs for cancer patients. This year, they had eight donations till now and Anella Salon, Andheri, is providing free services. Sonali Gupta initiated the project being led by club member Walter. RID
3141
3261
RC Rourkela Queens
A three-day RYLA , inaugurated by PDG Ashok Singh at Agrasen Bhavan, offered learning and fun as the activities were curated by club president Barkha Gupta, secretary Kanak Jeet Agarwal and treasurer Ruchita Agarwal.
RID
3234
RC Nanganallur Elite
Clothes worth `40,000, multivitamins and health supplements (`14.16 lakh) were distributed to 360 inmates, mostly elders with chronic illness, at the Little Drops Orphanage Home.
Compiled by V Muthukumaran
Wehear it over and over from members: Everyone needs to experience the Rotary International Convention at least once. (And grab a discount while you’re at it! The last day to register before prices increase for the convention in Calgary is Mar 31.)
Convention newbies, from Rotaractors to new club leaders, will reap the reward that results from thousands of members coming together: the feeling that you belong to something bigger than yourself. “You have to feel it. You have to be here in the moment. There’s no other way,” says Nadine Broghammer of the Rotary E-Club of 2000, her district in Switzerland.
That feeling turns first-timers into convention regulars. A top takeaway for Broghammer and other new convention attendees last year in Singapore was the deep knowledge they gained about how to make measurable improvements for people in their communities.
Members kindle their fire for service listening to leading experts at general sessions. During the convention in Canada June 21–25, you’ll learn from Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy who analyses
data on climate change to help leaders and the public understand the effects. She is widely considered one of the most skilled communicators on the topic. One of her recent book titles sums up her optimistic approach: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
If you still feel unsure about trying the convention, Paula Santiago encourages every member to give it a shot. “Never in my life have I experienced making about 25 friendships in a span of six days,” says Santiago, president of the Rotary Club of Champaign (West), Illinois, whose first convention was in Singapore. “The Rotary Convention is life-changing.”
Learn more and register at convention.rotary.org
Appoint District Foundation positions for RY 2025–26
To successfully achieve the fundraising goals for 2025–26, it is crucial that DGEs establish a team dedicated to prioritise the Foundation among club leaders.
If you haven’t done so already, please appoint your chairmen for the district Endowment/Major Gifts, CSR, Annual Fund Subcommittees, Paul Harris Society coordinator, Fundraising Subcommittee and PolioPlus Subcommittee. Report these individuals to RI, after appointing them. This will grant them access to essential reports
and information that can support all your fundraising efforts. To submit these appointments, log into My Rotary , navigate to ‘Manage,’ and select the ‘District Administration’ tab.
The Paul Harris Society recognises individuals who notify us of their intent to contribute $1,000 or more each Rotary year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or an approved global grant. Paul Harris Society contributions count towards Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member (Annual Fund contributions only),
Paul Harris Fellow, Multiple Paul Harris Fellow Major Donor and club recognition banners. Recognition consists of a chevron-style pin and certificate provided by the district Paul Harris Society coordinator at a district or club event in a way that is culturally appropriate and comfortable for the member.
Paul Harris Society members and their eligibility appear in the Paul Harris Society Report. For more on the Paul Harris Society, visit https:// www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/ history/paul-harris-society or read the Paul Harris Society brochure.
To aid in the treatment of avoidable blindness due to diabetic retinopathy, RC Panaji Riviera, RID 3170, has donated an OCT (optical coherence tomography) machine worth `43 lakh to the South Goa District Hospital, Margao, through a CSR grant from Jollyboard Ltd.
The latest addition to the Diabetic Retinopathy Centre at the hospital is a follow-up of the donation of three diagnostic laser machines (` 35 lakh) by the club in partnership with the company in 2023. “Since then, more than 1,000 patients were treated for retinopathy at this centre, and with the latest OCT machine, the facility is complete with all requirements for modern diagnostic care,” said Tanvi Attreya Sawant, club president.
Now this facility has been renamed as Arvind Jolly Diabetic Retinopathy Centre in memory of the late founder of Jollyboard. Having the retinopathy centre
in the heart of the city “will not only transform lives but also prevent irreversible conditions, fulfilling a critical healthcare need,” she said. On an average, around 400 patients a month are being treated at this facility at the South Goa District Hospital.
Goa minister of social welfare Subhash Phal Desai handed over an improvised ‘food e-kart’ to Gauresh, a physically-challenged vendor, as part of the club’s efforts towards inclusive development. While the seed capital for the e-kart was donated by club member Nita Rajani from Bhagwati Trust, the electric vehicle was designed by Agrawal Renewable Energy. State commissioner for persons with disabilities Guru Prasad Pawaskar, DG Sharad Pai, club president Tanvi, PDG Gaurish Dhond, and officials from the Bhagwati Trust and Agrawal Renewable Energy were present at the handover event.
RC Panaji Riviera secretary Maithili Nadkarni (second from R), president Tanvi Attreya Sawant, DG Sharad Pai, Rashmi Jolly and PDG Vinay Kumar Pai Raikar (L) at the inauguration of the OCT machine installed at the District Hospital in Margao.
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TCA Srinivasa Raghavan
Last month, while looking for something on a high shelf, a carton fell on my foot. Fortunately it wasn’t very heavy. When I looked inside I found half a dozen photo albums. We had forgotten about them entirely. Much excitement ensued as we flipped through the photographs, a few of which were from the late 1940s. Some of the people in those photos are dressed in European clothes, hats and sticks including. Others are in Indian clothes, sherwanis, churidars and all. The ladies are all in saris. Some of those photos were taken in large halls that had animal heads on the wall. I am pretty certain that the photos weren’t taken at our house. My father was a civil servant and never lived in such a big house and there was no question of animal heads on walls.
These photos don’t have anyone from our family in them. They are all sorts of random people. I have no idea why my parents had stuck them into these albums. They probably knew them. But since neither of them is alive any longer there’s absolutely no chance of us ever finding out who these people are. Now we are wondering whether to keep these photos or discard them. What are the chances that we will look at them again? To what purpose? Old photos are not like old books that can be donated to libraries. They are very difficult to get rid of and even more difficult to hold on to.
When I mentioned the dilemma to a friend he said he had found a big steel trunk with fancy dress clothes in it. His was a minor branch of a big zamindar family in Bengal where the rich had adopted British customs more fully than elsewhere in India. The annual fancy dress dinner at the local community hall, known as the Club, was a symbol of social standing. My friend was
very embarrassed that his ancestors had attended these gatherings dressed in such weird clothes, you know, like fakirs, pirates, rastafarians etc. Now he couldn’t decide what to do with them. To chuck or keep, that’s the question he declaimed like that Shakespearean character, Hamlet, I think, who said ‘To be or not to be, that is the question.’
It turns out that people collect and leave behind the oddest of things. My father had a huge collection of pipes. My mother left behind bags of boiled sweets that she wasn’t supposed to eat. My uncle was a voracious reader of Tamil classical literature which only he could understand. The great economist K N Raj used to collect strange matrimonial advertisements.
I googled this tendency. It turns out that people have collected Coke cans, banana stickers, water bottle labels, Barbie dolls, traffic cones, erasers, back scratchers (which I too collect) and so on. The list is as unending as it is inexplicable. People seem to collect such a diverse range of things that you can’t help wondering if they are normal. Well, it seems not entirely.
However, I would be remiss if I didn't add that I'm no slouch at collecting and hoarding. I hoard T-shirts and shorts because online sellers offer such marvellous deals. I also have a nice collection of shoes, sandals and chappals even though most don’t fit, bought in an online bargain.
Hoarding apparently is different from collecting. Those who hoard are driven by different impulses. There are many explanations from psychology for this urge to collect. The one I prefer is brain defect. An entry in Wikipedia says “There are also cases where other brain damage distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres was believed to cause hoarding behavior.” Now I know why I collect.
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