Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati presented the Times Icon Award at Bhubaneshwar to RID 3262 IPDG Manoj Kumar Tripathy for transforming communities with impactful service projects across the district. “It was a proud moment for all our 120 Rotary clubs and over 4,000 Rotarians spread across 25 revenue districts of Odisha,” says Tripathy, a member of RC Shri Jagannath Dham.
During his tenure, he notched up several milestones for the district — a first ever CSR programme; a Guinness Record-making sand art for world peace; inducting the district’s first AKS member; and Project Madadgar that distributed household appliances to rural women. Three global grant projects (₹2.1 crore) were done — a diagnostic centre ($50,000) was set up in Puri; Rotary Jaleswar Eye Hospital ($65,000); and a Phaco machine ($48,000) was donated to the Rotary Balasore Eye Hospital. “We contributed $6,000 from our DDF for a global grant project by RID 9216, Kenya — a food distribution drive, at an impoverished region in Ethiopia,” he says.
wet grinders, wheelchairs and hearing aids in the presence of PDG Manoj Kumar Tripathy (3rd from L) and his wife Madhusmita.
Odisha minister for forest and environment Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia commended Tripathy and his clubs for distributing sewing machines, wet grinders, hearing aids, artificial limbs and wheelchairs to over 1,000 rural women under Project Madadgar in a single day. Tricycles and prosthetic limbs were distributed to 2,500 amputees under Mission Sakshyam, and an advanced life support ambulance was provided to the Rotary Balasore Eye Hospital through a CSR grant of $50,000 from IOCL.
Sleeping Buddha
In a week-long programme, a sleeping Buddha (144ft x 53ft) was created in sand art at the Kalinga War Memorial near Daya river in Puri that saw a footfall of 10 lakh visitors. “The Buddha art with a tagline: We do not want war, we want peace, entered into the Guinness Book of Record, boosting our public image across the state,” says Tripathy. State revenue minister Suresh Pujari complimented Rotary “for promoting global peace when the world is torn by major conflicts affecting humanity.”
Tripathy had inducted 173 new members and chartered five new clubs; “our clubs would have done 250–270 mega service projects worth ₹12 crore during my tenure,” he adds. For TRF-giving, he had contributed $262,000, inducted the district’s first AKS member, added 12 new Major Donors, 565 new Paul Harris Fellows and 31 new Paul Harris Society members. “I have also instituted two Endowment Funds for $25,000 each,” he smiles.
Having joined Rotary in 2002, Tripathy is of the view that “long-term, sustainable projects are the key to improve the livelihoods of marginalised people. Also, public image initiatives must be done regularly for the larger public to understand what Rotary is all about with its global footprint.” His wife Madhusmita was RID 326 Inner Wheel chairperson last year.