In Kakinada Rotaractors become Rotary leaders
Contrary to popular perception, Rotaractors slide into the role of Rotarians like duck taking to water in RC Kakinada, D 3020, with its IPP Chodavarpu Murthy, a past DRR, leading his team in the year-long platinum jubilee celebrations last year.
What is more, the club is blessed to have some outstanding leaders over the past 75 years having produced two district governors and sponsoring over 10 clubs, all of which have contributed much to the community in Kakinada, says PDG Lakkaraju Satyanarain alias Tikku, who is also an ARRFC for Districts 3020, 3150 and 3160. “We celebrated both the golden jubilee of the Rotaract movement as well as our club’s platinum jubilee from July 2017 with several projects to mark the historic occasion.”
Sixty-six members have put in more than 40 years of service in the club. “Forty of them attended a special felicitation meet organised in their honour and shared their nostalgic moments and precious experiences highlighting the magic of Rotary and its fellowship. PDGs Ravi Vadlamani and spouse Rajalakshmi were present as chief guests.”
With the club being the second highest giver to TRF in the district, it hosted the Foundation Seminar presided over by RRFC Avinash Potdar. “It was a huge success with a registration of 700 delegates, boosting the morale of our club members.”
While IPP Chodavarpu Murthy is a past DRR, the present President Y Jagan and the President-elect V Bhagavan are former Rotaractors.
A personality development and career guidance workshop for college students, flash mob by the Interactors to commemorate the World Polio Day and an inter-club tennis tournament were some of the other programmes. The club also honoured past DRRs in an event organised to mark Rotaract’s 50th anniversary.
A crematorium set up at a cost of ₹2 crore in 2014–15 is one of the club’s milestone projects. “It was a joint effort of all the three clubs in Kakinada,” says Tikku. The Netaji Municipal School adopted by the club has benefitted hugely by a slew of Happy School projects like donation of play equipment; benches, desks; and installation of a handwash station.
With the help of Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology, regular eye camps are being held at the research institute-cum-hospital. “We would have done over 30 eye camps and hundreds of cataract procedures so far. A notable feature is that a number of global grant projects are undertaken on a permanent basis at this institute where 80 per cent of the patients get free treatment,” he says.
A unique hattrick
Apart from the immediate past president Murthy, two more former Rotaractors — Y Jagan and V Bhagavan have been chosen to lead the club for the current year and the next. The club takes pride in the fact that its charter president was the late Maharajah of Pithapuram, SRVK Surya Rao Bahadur, who had built a strong foundation of the club in its nascent stages. With 110 Rotarians and targeting a membership growth of 10 per cent, the club gives on an average $10,000-15,000 annually to TRF.
