Rotaractors renovate Karur War Memorial
A Rotaract project has enabled the residents of Karur, a historic city in Tamil Nadu, to take pride in their grand heritage. It all began at one of the weekly meetings of RAC Karur, RID 3000, when they were finalising their annual projects. “We wanted to do some additional projects that can really create an impact,” said club president R Sabarish. Following this, a four-member team visited the Karur War Memorial at Rayanur, 3km from the town, to have a first-hand view of this ruined structure and “in no time, we decided to renovate the entire complex,” he said.
The Rotaractors met district collector T Anbalagan with a 2D layout, 3D visualisation, walkthrough graphics and a project estimate and got formal approval for the renovation work. One of the Rotaractors, NCB Kaviarasu, an architect, came forward to design the facelift and provide technical inputs for the renovation.
Sabarish and his team approached Asian Fabricx who readily agreed to sponsor the entire project amounting to ₹3.25 lakh under their CSR arm. The main structure, the obelisk dome, got a fresh coat of paint and the entire premises measuring 846 sqft (approx) got a new makeover with steel rafters, fencing, tiling, civil work, solar lights, compound work, etc.
The wild bushes, weeds and debris were cleared and flowering plants were grown to enhance the site’s aesthetics. However, the main highlight is the erection of six pillars with inscriptions that narrate the history behind raising the War Memorial.
It was raised in memory of the soldiers killed and as a symbol of victory when the British captured the Karur Fort from Tipu Sultan during the Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784 AD). “Sadly, the fort was destroyed in the battle. This memorial stands as a testimony of that ancient legacy of Karur,” said Sabarish. TN Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar inaugurated the renovated War Memorial on the 35th charter day of the club.
