The rich history of the Kolar Gold Fields and his nostalgic memories associated with RC Kolar Gold Fields were recalled by IPDG Satish Madhavan, RID 3191, as he addressed a meeting at the club which completed 70 years in May.
Whenever district governors visited this club, a banquet party was held at the KGF Club, a majestic British-era building, and “all Rotarians used to come in black trousers and a white coat, in typical British style” said V R Prasad, a club member. “The dining would comprise 7–8 courses, starting with a toast to the president and prime minister of India, then to the RI President, and next to the visiting Rotary governor. These arrangements were a feast for the eyes. The visiting Bangalore members greatly admired our methodical arrangements.”
Another feature of this club is that all its members used to come every Tuesday well ahead of time, at 6.30pm, for the weekly meet at 7pm at the KGF Club. “The meeting starts on time and invariably closes at 7.30pm, except when there is a guest speaker from Bengaluru, Chennai or other places,” says Prasad. In its illustrious journey, the club has had eminent persons giving speeches including Dr T M A Pai, Supreme Court judge K S Hegde, A P S Iyengar, a luminary from the then Madras, former Union minister T A Pai, litterateur Sophia Wadia from Bombay, M V Kamath, former editor, Illustrated Weekly, Karnataka High Court former chief justice Nittoor Srinivas, and former Karnataka CM B D Jatti, among others.
Among its remarkable projects, the construction of a primary school at Lakshmi Sagar village, two wards at the general hospital, KGF, for TB patients in 1966, and a rescue shelter for animals at the veterinary hospital on the eve of its silver jubilee year, stand out as testimonies for its diverse outreach in community initiatives.
In 1994, a mega IOL (intraocular lens) surgery camp was conducted in partnership with Dr Albert Alley and his team from the US. “We have provided drinking water to numerous villages over the years; and donated furniture and books to rural schools.” A cancer detection camp in partnership with the Karnataka Cancer Society boosted Rotary’s public image in 1977. The club also hosted ICGF — International Convention of Global Fraternity — twice in 1993 and 2015 with the support of RCs Kolar, Mulbagal Central and Bangarpet. Ongoing projects like tree planting, blood donation camps, RYLA, cancer detection camps, quiz and debates in schools and colleges, have created a strong visibility of the club among the KGF people.
When the club was sponsored by RC Bangalore in 1955, it had 40 charter members consisting of Englishmen, top officers of the gold mines and prominent citizens of KGF, Kolar and Kuppam taluks. “We have sent many Rotarians to serve at the district level over the decades, and we will celebrate this milestone with year-long events,” adds Prasad. In his message, incoming DG Sridhar B R said, “Your 70-year journey is full of inspiring stories. These efforts may not always make headlines, but they have made a big difference in many lives.”