Rotary Club of Sangli, RID 3170, marked the completion of its platinum jubilee year, with DG Nasir Borsadwala and industrialist Vishwas Chitale inaugurating a new administrative block and a renovated swimming pool at a total cost of Rs.1.25 crore.

More than 1,000 ­differently-abled children from ­Chennai were taken to ­Tirupati in a chartered train for a special darshan of Lord Balaji by RID 3233 under Project Sri Balaji Darshan with God’s Children.

For 87 Rotarians from RIDs 3100 and 3141, led by RID 3100 DGN Payal Gaur, it was a double celebration of 78th Independence Day and Rotary fellowship at Shymbulak, the largest ski resort in Central Asia, in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity, RID 3201, provided the Spine Academy in the city with a new block and equipped it with 20 beds and ­wheelchairs.

RC Calcutta Presidency, RID 3291, conducted a baking workshop for HIV-infected children at the Arunima Hospice to give them skills in whipping up cookies in various flavours and selling the bakery products, which will fetch them regular income.

RC Panaji, RID 3170, in collaboration with Montfort Academy and Veejay Facility, Panjim, has established the Institute of Nursing at the Montfort Academy in Corlim, Goa.

Over 500 households in villages across West Bengal are now ­complete with toilets, thanks to a global grant project of RC Calcutta ­Chowrenghee, RID 3291, along with international partner RC New York Metro City, USA, and TRF. “Open defecation was rampant in the villages, and women and girls particularly were at danger, as this made them vulnerable to health risks and gender-based ­violence, and affected their dignity and self-respect,” says Vikram Tantia, Foundation Committee chair of the host club. Hence the club decided to install toilets in individual houses in these villages.

A silent crisis affecting young people — a rise in anxiety, depression, and even suicide. It is a national reality and as a mental health professional for 35 years, I’ve been seeing the warning signs. There was a 20 per cent increase in anxiety and depression during the Covid pandemic. Deaths by suicide were also going up, especially among high school students. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health, awareness about it was low. Young people suffered in silence and took recourse to the last option. In India, where over 50 per cent of the population is below 25 years of age and one-third is under the age of 18, this is a critical issue.

The staid-looking Chennai ­Convention Centre sported a vibrant look with 100 pink ­autorickshaws parked on its grounds, with 100 women, all dressed in khaki overcoats, with pink collars on which the Rotary Wheel was embroidered, all excited and ready to drive the vehicles home. Project Pink Auto is an endeavour of RID 3233 (bifurcated from RID 3232) to mark the installation of its charter governor Mahaveer Bothra. PRIP Kalyan Banerjee adorned the collar on the new governor and handed over the vehicles to the assembled women. The project which was launched in 2020 by RID 3232 aimed to empower less privileged women by giving them financial freedom.

Kerala Governor Arif ­Mohammed Khan presented the Vocational Excellence Awards to five individuals for their selfless contributions to society at the two-day district conference of RID 3100 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In his speech, he called upon the citizens to “take individual responsibility for the progress of the nation and society.”

Bhaktee Deodar, a budding entrepreneur, broke new ground when her creative crafts done in resin and wax started selling like hotcakes after she implemented some key management and marketing strategies that she learnt through Project NAWNI, a mentorship programme of RC Pune Pride, RID 3131. She has now joined this club as a member.