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.

Rotary Club of ­Hassan ­Hoysala, RID 3182, through a global grant, set up a haemodialysis centre with three machines at the Sanjeevani Cooperative Hospital in Hassan, near Bengaluru.

The Rotary Club of ­Bangalore Lakeworld, along with eight Rotary clubs of RIDs 3191 and 3192, organised a car rally for the blind in May. The event had 30 cars, and was flagged off by DG Srinivas Murthy and PDG Fazal Mahmood at the Vega Mall in ­Bengaluru. The 40-km rally finished at the Gold Coins Club and Resort, Electronic City.

At the maiden launch of Spirit of India Awards, RC Madras Metro, RID 3232, ­honoured three persons

RI Director Raju Subramanian inaugurated a refrigerated centrifuge donated by RC Nasik, RID 3030

It is a great privilege for Rotary to “work collectively in healthcare projects with reputed hospitals and local governments

Major Donor G Sundararajan received the Service Above Self Award at a felicitation event hosted by RC Dindigul West, RID 3000, in Dindigul