Rotary Moodbidri celebrates 50 years
Ever since its inception in 1968, the Rotary Club of Moodbidri, D 3181, has been doing yeoman service by installing facilities and structures for the social and economic development of Moodabidri, a small town in Dakshina Kannada. A number of structures such as a radio pavilion, bus shelters, parks, classrooms, school furniture, Rotary toilets, lakes and blood bank are telltale symbols of the club’s intimate connect with the people here.
The club has constructed 100 toilets so far at an overall cost of ₹ 25 lakh, and 100 more are in the pipeline. We’ve desilted two lakes; our target is to restore all the 18 lakes in and around the town.
Srikanth Kamath, President, RC Moodbidri
The club is the brainchild of Dr TMA Pai, the architect of modern Manipal, who along with other visionaries, laid the foundation for the social transformation of this small town way back in the 1970s. The ongoing projects such as health camps, eye camps and mass marriages are well-appreciated by the public, thus greatly enhancing the public image of Rotary in Moodabidri.
Rotary Schools
Till 1981, the town did not have an English medium school and Rotary stepped in three decades ago to establish the Rotary English Medium School, with the financial backing of the club members. Though it was not economically viable initially, the generosity of the members made it sustainable. With an investment of more than ₹ 25 crore, the school has grown into a huge institution today catering to 2,500 children from Kindergarten to secondary grade. The club later came up with the Rotary Central School, following the CBSE syllabus.
With emphasis on holistic development of students’ personality and values, the schools have a record of securing 100 per cent results in public exams each year, says Club President Srikanth Kamath.
Rotalakes
Having to contend with an expanding township, the club came to the rescue of people when they suffered from water shortage a decade ago. The ‘Rotalakes’ project took shape with financial support from the famous Manjunatha temple in Dharmasthala and the State government. About ₹ 1 crore was spent to rejuvenate Kadalakere, a huge lake. “So far, we’ve desilted and restored two major lakes; this year, we will complete two more. Our target is to restore all the 18 lakes in and around the town, ” says Kamath. A tentative amount of ₹ 3 crore has been earmarked for Rotalakes.
Toilets for the poor
Project Rotalet was launched in 2015 to provide toilets cum bathrooms for rural, deprived families in and around the region. The club has constructed 100 toilets so far at an overall cost of ₹ 25 lakh, and “100 more are in the pipeline,” says the Club President. The Rotary toilets are much appreciated by the government and the media has given wide publicity to these projects.
To mark the golden jubilee milestone, the club inaugurated a blood bank worth ₹ 70 lakh recently. “We want to give something substantial to society as a remembrance of the celebrations,” says J J Pinto, a club member.
“We have come a long way since inception with a present membership of 87 active members and three charter members. This includes three major donors and 57 Paul Harris Fellows,” says Kamath. He is confident of the club achieving the target of $5,000 in TRF giving, of which $3,000 has already been collected.
