RI President-elect Olayinka Babalola, accompanied by RI Director K P Nagesh, began his visit to Chandigarh with a brunch meeting with Usha and PRIP Rajendra Saboo at their residence.
Later, he addressed incoming club leaders at the Presidents and Secretaries-elect Learning Seminar (PELS and SELS) held at Zirakpur, on the foothills of the Shivalik range in Mohali district, near Chandigarh.
“For Rotary to grow, all Rotarian must be able to tell their stories — how Rotary has impacted or transformed them,” he said, urging leaders to strive for excellence in advancing Rotary’s ambitious Vision 2030. The goal is to reach 1.25 million Rotarians and 125,000 Rotaractors worldwide by 2030, marking Rotary’s 125th anniversary.
Babalola commended RID 3080’s initiatives for the coming Rotary year, announced by DGE Rita Kalra. These include AI functional literacy for youth in the Chandigarh Tricity, entrepreneurship opportunities for women, expansion of Happy Schools, and health programmes focusing on TB elimination, cervical cancer awareness, and mobile screening for non-communicable diseases.
A special postal cover commemorating his visit was released by the Chandigarh postal department. The seminar, organised by DGE Rita along with PDG Arun Mongia, brought together over 500 club leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In Jaipur, Babalola and Nagesh participated in the PELS of RID 3056 and attended a dinner hosted at the iconic Rambagh Palace, in the company of DG Arun Bagadia, PDGs Ajay Kala and Balwant Chirana, RID 3012 DG Amita Mohindru and PDG Sharat Jain.
The incoming RI President was captivated by Jaipur’s architectural splendour, including the famed Hawa Mahal and other heritage landmarks, during a city tour hosted by DG Arun Bagadia.
The Rotary leaders also attended the PELS and SELS hosted by DGE Amit Gupta of RID 3012.
Traditional Rajasthani folk performances, soulful music and the rhythmic beats of the grand naubat created a vibrant and memorable cultural evening.
Addressing the presidents and secretaries-elect, Babalola emphasised purposeful service, strong leadership, and the importance of creating sustainable change through Rotary initiatives to ensure lasting impact. PRID Raju Subramanian also addressed the session.