Highlights of Projects carried out by our club over the past 25 years.
Rotary Club of Bombay Khar as it was then called was the brainchild of DR. J.T. Vyas (PDG), who was the founder of our club. He along with President Rtn. Asrani & Secretary Ramesh Bhatia of Rotary Club of Bombay North Island took the initiative to form our club.
Our club was chartered on 28th June 1991. Mr. Prabhu Chablani was installed as the Charter President, Pali Arora as the Secretary with Abbas Rassai as Vice President. The emphasis in first couple of years was on Membership development and providing Rotary information to new Rotarians & to inspire and encourage them to participate in district events & club service projects. In the first year it was decided to publish our own in-house magazine titled “News & Views”.
Our club also started few community service projects during the year: Mega eye checkup camp & distribution of spectacles at Bandra Reclamation, apart from helping students in municipal schools.
In the first few years of our existence the focus was on fellowship amongst the members which helped a lot in bonding amongst our members & with other Rotarians in the district.
During the Presidency of Abbas Rassai a Project “Say No to Drugs”, to create awareness of Drug Abuse was held where Mr. Sunil Dutt, Member of Parliament and famous cine star, participated in the walkathon, in support of the project. This project was a great success. Another outstanding project, whereunder 27 Telephone Booths were donated to physically challenged to help them earn their livelihood. Rtn. Akhilesh Jain was instrumental in getting sponsors for more than 10 booths.
Thereafter Rtn. Pali Arora took over the reins as President. Our club then acquired a reputation in the District for being the most vibrant club. We also started few projects which became an annual feature; Jaipur Foot, Welfare of the handicapped - distribution of wheelchairs/ tricycles, Medical checkup camps, Cataract operations, etc. to name a few.
The next year under the Presidentship of Virendra Singh Khurana, the fireside meets, and bonding between members continued with the same vigor. A mega Eye Camp at the Spastics Society was among the highlights of the year with a 100% participation of members in the project. Over 700 free spectacles were given to the needy. Many cataract surgeries were sponsored & vocational projects initiated.
As President, Yograj Chauhan the shayar, editor, & banker, worked on the first fund raising project of our club by organizing “A Johny Lever Night”, which was a grand success. Apart from ongoing projects, we built one Shulabh Sauchalaya in the slum area of Khar Danda. That year our club got the best Bulletin Award, as well as the R I recognition for TRF contribution.
Zia –Us –Samad, the next President was very sincere. He had a penchant for projects for the youth, & hosted a Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) for the students of various colleges.
Our next President Dr. Krishna Kumar, pursued new community service projects, organized bhajans for jail inmates, donated a public address system to Byculla jail, and organized computer literacy for inmates. He started promoting alternate forms of medicine. His Alternate medicine seminar became very popular & till date he has been organizing the same every year at the district level.
President Husein Vakil, concentrated on medical projects & has been doing yeoman service by donating medicines for the underprivileged in all our medical camps in our locality & in rural areas ever since. He distributed medicines & utensils to underprivileged women to promote family planning program at Bhabha hospital, donated telephone booths to physically challenged, & also provided books, stationery & bedsheets to needy students of a Vakola school.
President Mukesh Sehgal conducted essay competition at a municipal school at Khar, gave scholarship to bright students of the school, carried out our regular medical checkup camps, arranged a day picnic for senior citizens, collected funds for the welfare of Kargil war widows. He also again donated Telephone booths to physically challenged.
President Akhilesh Jain began his year by induction of 21 new members. He also started one Rotaract and one Interact Club. He is the only president in the district who became the Assistant Governor of the district in the same year. He has to his credit the official adoption of a BMC school, besides doing tremendous work for TRF. He raised funds for the district and the club through projects such as District Dandiya, and also raised funds for earthquake relief.
President Mahender Chablani started the year with famous playback singer Shaan as the guest speaker, who entertained the members for more than an hour with popular songs. During the year the club sponsored more than 30 Polio corrective surgeries with the help of a district grant of U.S.$ 5000/- Plus over Rs. 3 Lakhs were contributed by our members. The surgeries were conducted by our member Ortho Surgeon Dr. Ramesh Dhumale at Sion as well as in Shegaon. We also organized special sports meet for the Physically challenged wherein students from all the schools for special children in Mumbai participated in a day long sports competition. We also started a bi-weekly lunch for the Municipal TB clinic at Khar.
President Kishor Shah concentrated on community service projects & organized the first chess tournament for the schools in our area.
President Jagdish Luthria organized an “Aids Awareness” seminar at Rizvi college, upgraded the I.C.U of Bhabha hospital, started a project of administering Vitamin A to under-nourished children & organized medical checkup for police personnel of 3 police stations. Our club organized Baisakhi festival for the district during that year. He also invited cine star Ms. Perizad of Joggers Park fame as a speaker to the club.
Dr. Jawahar Mansukhani was President for two consecutive years. He presided over 100 worthwhile projects in the Centennial year. Aamir Khan participated in the District Chess tournament held in his year, when there were a record 430 entries. Over 1000 participated in Diwali Dhamaka. He started the 2nd Rotract club, a Sr. Citizen’s club. Partners in service were among the highlights of his term as President. He initiated meaningful coordination with Inner Wheel when R/Ann Bina Chablani was its President. An adivasi school was adopted by the club in association with R.C. Goregaon, where medical camps were carried out, also coaching in tailoring was provided to girls. Water conservation & Sanitation awareness was also created. We carried out tree plantation & beautification on Sion Dharavi road.
Vijayaraghavan along with the Rotractors built a check dam at Manor for the benefit of the villagers. Material was supplied by the club & labour was provided by villagers who were helped by our young Rotractors. He promoted Rotary through several banners displayed all over Mumbai for a month at a stretch. A camp was organised to provide calipers, Jaipur foot & crutches to the physically challenged at Malwani, Malad. The President was so moved by the sight that he initiated the process of applying for a matching grant to continue the project on a larger scale which was a first for our club.
Anmol Sekhri concentred his efforts to improve the lot of senior citizens and widows. He also organized a picnic for senior citizens & distributed items of their needs.
Our club’s Matching Grant with Rotary Club of Wolverhampton, Dist.1210, U.K. finally materialized during the Presidentship of Ajit Rohira. This project for the benefit of physically challenged was undertaken in 2 phases at Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School, & at BPM School, Khar. 700 Calipers for Polio affected, 200 Jaipur foot for amputees, & 310 crutches to handicapped were distributed at the total cost of Rs.9,42,500/- R.I. Rep. Ms. Jayshree Jayaraman along with D.G. also attended the camp. This project was one of the most satisfying project of our club. We also conducted a medical & dental check up camp at Ashramshalla at Vasind & treated them for skin ailments.
As President, Vinay Singh started a Career Guidance Fair targeted at the students of Std IX & X of the SSC Schools from Bandra, Khar and Santacruz, benefitting more than 800 students from 6 schools. Many students were from the economically weaker section of Society. The fair showcased different career opportunities, through interactive discussions and talks by eminent successful personalities from different careers who spoke about their personal experience and motivated the children to follow their dreams. We had psychologist who spoke to the children on handling exam pressures and stress. Career options were effectively displayed and counseled by a team of professionals from YoungBuzz.
Donated Sewing machines in the area of Asangaon offered multifaceted service, a teacher was appointed to teach sewing to the ladies offering them an opportunity to earn a living. The industrial belt of Shahpur offered business opportunity in the form of tailoring uniforms for the numerous factory workers. Our club also arranged for fabric which provided the initial impetus.
Dr. Madhur Kodnani undertook the promotion of adult & functional literacy projects for house helps in association with U.C.D.C. A district Ryla was initiated for the first time by our club.
President Rajesh Chaturvedi started the Mid Day meal project whereby meals were arranged for students of municipal schools through ISKCON. Vocational Training courses were started in association with UCDC where slum kids were trained in Bharat Natyam, and under privileged were trained for a profession in Hair Dressing, Beautician, and Mobile Repairing. One of the highlights during this year was the Donation of a fully equipped ICCU Ambulance to the Guru
Nanak Hospital, Bandra East for the benefit of the under privileged in the area at the cost of Rs.15 lakhs.
Pres. Suresh did a Unique project at the Amphitheatre at the Carter Road promenade, Bandra which was open to the public at large and was very well attended and greatly appreciated by all. Termed as an Awards & Awareness event, it was designed to serve the community by creating an awareness of important issues of public interest and simultaneously also felicitate certain deserving individuals and organizations for the good work they have done for the society. Several awards were distributed to the Good Samaritans at the hands of District officials, Sr. Congress Leaders, and Ace choreographer Terence Lewis.
AV presentations were made by Dr. Sunil Keswani highlighting the need of Skin Donation; Rotarians of Borivili talked about eye donation; President Suresh on Thallesemia and the importance of preventive blood testing; Rtn. Neelam on Good Health & Yoga; Rtn. Dr. Dilip Nadkarni to discourage Spitting, Drunk Driving, etc. Also one minute capsules of Rotary Information were projected and pamphlets regarding our club and its projects were also distributed.
There were Dance performances by underprivileged children trained in Bharat Natyam under one of our projects, an exhilarating dance performance by Senior Citizens in association with UCDC Bandra, and a highly appreciated skit presented by Rotractors from Rizvi College formed a part of the entertainment that evening.
Clothes and Eatables were distributed to Lepers at Versova, Wadala, and Dahisar and Lunch was arranged for the Senior Citizens at the Old Age Homes and also Orphans at Bandra. The vocational Training projects at UCDC also continued.
President Kamlesh Raheja organized Thalassemia awareness, & screening at Rizvi college, and a blood collection drive at Rizvi college & Bandra station. Medical check up camp was carried out at Bandra police station. Mid Day meal project continued unabated. Distributed tiffins, napkins etc were distributed at an orphanage in Bandra. Summer camp was organized for slum children, They were also taken for a movie.
President Urvashi started the year with Annapurna day wherein food was distributed to orphanages & old age homes, & schools for underprivileged children. She continued with our ongoing projects such as Mid day meals, alternate medicine seminar, blood donation, medical camps & projects for the Lepers.
President Anand arranged for donation to construct toilet blocks for girls at an adivasi school near Palghar. The club is in the process of undertaking construction of an assembly hall for a school in the tribal area near Igatpuri. Blood collection drives were conducted at Bandra station & a bank premises. One more is planned at Mumbai University campus at Kalina. 3 T.B. detection camps were conducted in the slums & medicines were distributed.
Highlights of Projects carried out by our club over the past 25 years.
Rotary Club of Bombay Khar as it was then called was the brainchild of DR. J.T. Vyas (PDG), who was the founder of our club. He along with President Rtn. Asrani & Secretary Ramesh Bhatia of Rotary Club of Bombay North Island took the initiative to form our club.
Our club was chartered on 28th June 1991. Mr. Prabhu Chablani was installed as the Charter President, Pali Arora as the Secretary with Abbas Rassai as Vice President. The emphasis in first couple of years was on Membership development and providing Rotary information to new Rotarians & to inspire and encourage them to participate in district events & club service projects. In the first year it was decided to publish our own in-house magazine titled “News & Views”.
Our club also started few community service projects during the year: Mega eye checkup camp & distribution of spectacles at Bandra Reclamation, apart from helping students in municipal schools.
In the first few years of our existence the focus was on fellowship amongst the members which helped a lot in bonding amongst our members & with other Rotarians in the district.
During the Presidency of Abbas Rassai a Project “Say No to Drugs”, to create awareness of Drug Abuse was held where Mr. Sunil Dutt, Member of Parliament and famous cine star, participated in the walkathon, in support of the project. This project was a great success. Another outstanding project, whereunder 27 Telephone Booths were donated to physically challenged to help them earn their livelihood. Rtn. Akhilesh Jain was instrumental in getting sponsors for more than 10 booths.
Thereafter Rtn. Pali Arora took over the reins as President. Our club then acquired a reputation in the District for being the most vibrant club. We also started few projects which became an annual feature; Jaipur Foot, Welfare of the handicapped - distribution of wheelchairs/ tricycles, Medical checkup camps, Cataract operations, etc. to name a few.
The next year under the Presidentship of Virendra Singh Khurana, the fireside meets, and bonding between members continued with the same vigor. A mega Eye Camp at the Spastics Society was among the highlights of the year with a 100% participation of members in the project. Over 700 free spectacles were given to the needy. Many cataract surgeries were sponsored & vocational projects initiated.
As President, Yograj Chauhan the shayar, editor, & banker, worked on the first fund raising project of our club by organizing “A Johny Lever Night”, which was a grand success. Apart from ongoing projects, we built one Shulabh Sauchalaya in the slum area of Khar Danda. That year our club got the best Bulletin Award, as well as the R I recognition for TRF contribution.
Zia –Us –Samad, the next President was very sincere. He had a penchant for projects for the youth, & hosted a Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) for the students of various colleges.
Our next President Dr. Krishna Kumar, pursued new community service projects, organized bhajans for jail inmates, donated a public address system to Byculla jail, and organized computer literacy for inmates. He started promoting alternate forms of medicine. His Alternate medicine seminar became very popular & till date he has been organizing the same every year at the district level.
President Husein Vakil, concentrated on medical projects & has been doing yeoman service by donating medicines for the underprivileged in all our medical camps in our locality & in rural areas ever since. He distributed medicines & utensils to underprivileged women to promote family planning program at Bhabha hospital, donated telephone booths to physically challenged, & also provided books, stationery & bedsheets to needy students of a Vakola school.
President Mukesh Sehgal conducted essay competition at a municipal school at Khar, gave scholarship to bright students of the school, carried out our regular medical checkup camps, arranged a day picnic for senior citizens, collected funds for the welfare of Kargil war widows. He also again donated Telephone booths to physically challenged.
President Akhilesh Jain began his year by induction of 21 new members. He also started one Rotaract and one Interact Club. He is the only president in the district who became the Assistant Governor of the district in the same year. He has to his credit the official adoption of a BMC school, besides doing tremendous work for TRF. He raised funds for the district and the club through projects such as District Dandiya, and also raised funds for earthquake relief.
President Mahender Chablani started the year with famous playback singer Shaan as the guest speaker, who entertained the members for more than an hour with popular songs. During the year the club sponsored more than 30 Polio corrective surgeries with the help of a district grant of U.S.$ 5000/- Plus over Rs. 3 Lakhs were contributed by our members. The surgeries were conducted by our member Ortho Surgeon Dr. Ramesh Dhumale at Sion as well as in Shegaon. We also organized special sports meet for the Physically challenged wherein students from all the schools for special children in Mumbai participated in a day long sports competition. We also started a bi-weekly lunch for the Municipal TB clinic at Khar.
President Kishor Shah concentrated on community service projects & organized the first chess tournament for the schools in our area.
President Jagdish Luthria organized an “Aids Awareness” seminar at Rizvi college, upgraded the I.C.U of Bhabha hospital, started a project of administering Vitamin A to under-nourished children & organized medical checkup for police personnel of 3 police stations. Our club organized Baisakhi festival for the district during that year. He also invited cine star Ms. Perizad of Joggers Park fame as a speaker to the club.
Dr. Jawahar Mansukhani was President for two consecutive years. He presided over 100 worthwhile projects in the Centennial year. Aamir Khan participated in the District Chess tournament held in his year, when there were a record 430 entries. Over 1000 participated in Diwali Dhamaka. He started the 2nd Rotract club, a Sr. Citizen’s club. Partners in service were among the highlights of his term as President. He initiated meaningful coordination with Inner Wheel when R/Ann Bina Chablani was its President. An adivasi school was adopted by the club in association with R.C. Goregaon, where medical camps were carried out, also coaching in tailoring was provided to girls. Water conservation & Sanitation awareness was also created. We carried out tree plantation & beautification on Sion Dharavi road.
Vijayaraghavan along with the Rotractors built a check dam at Manor for the benefit of the villagers. Material was supplied by the club & labour was provided by villagers who were helped by our young Rotractors. He promoted Rotary through several banners displayed all over Mumbai for a month at a stretch. A camp was organised to provide calipers, Jaipur foot & crutches to the physically challenged at Malwani, Malad. The President was so moved by the sight that he initiated the process of applying for a matching grant to continue the project on a larger scale which was a first for our club.
Anmol Sekhri concentred his efforts to improve the lot of senior citizens and widows. He also organized a picnic for senior citizens & distributed items of their needs.
Our club’s Matching Grant with Rotary Club of Wolverhampton, Dist.1210, U.K. finally materialized during the Presidentship of Ajit Rohira. This project for the benefit of physically challenged was undertaken in 2 phases at Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School, & at BPM School, Khar. 700 Calipers for Polio affected, 200 Jaipur foot for amputees, & 310 crutches to handicapped were distributed at the total cost of Rs.9,42,500/- R.I. Rep. Ms. Jayshree Jayaraman along with D.G. also attended the camp. This project was one of the most satisfying project of our club. We also conducted a medical & dental check up camp at Ashramshalla at Vasind & treated them for skin ailments.
As President, Vinay Singh started a Career Guidance Fair targeted at the students of Std IX & X of the SSC Schools from Bandra, Khar and Santacruz, benefitting more than 800 students from 6 schools. Many students were from the economically weaker section of Society. The fair showcased different career opportunities, through interactive discussions and talks by eminent successful personalities from different careers who spoke about their personal experience and motivated the children to follow their dreams. We had psychologist who spoke to the children on handling exam pressures and stress. Career options were effectively displayed and counseled by a team of professionals from YoungBuzz.
Donated Sewing machines in the area of Asangaon offered multifaceted service, a teacher was appointed to teach sewing to the ladies offering them an opportunity to earn a living. The industrial belt of Shahpur offered business opportunity in the form of tailoring uniforms for the numerous factory workers. Our club also arranged for fabric which provided the initial impetus.
Dr. Madhur Kodnani undertook the promotion of adult & functional literacy projects for house helps in association with U.C.D.C. A district Ryla was initiated for the first time by our club.
President Rajesh Chaturvedi started the Mid Day meal project whereby meals were arranged for students of municipal schools through ISKCON. Vocational Training courses were started in association with UCDC where slum kids were trained in Bharat Natyam, and under privileged were trained for a profession in Hair Dressing, Beautician, and Mobile Repairing. One of the highlights during this year was the Donation of a fully equipped ICCU Ambulance to the Guru
Nanak Hospital, Bandra East for the benefit of the under privileged in the area at the cost of Rs.15 lakhs.
Pres. Suresh did a Unique project at the Amphitheatre at the Carter Road promenade, Bandra which was open to the public at large and was very well attended and greatly appreciated by all. Termed as an Awards & Awareness event, it was designed to serve the community by creating an awareness of important issues of public interest and simultaneously also felicitate certain deserving individuals and organizations for the good work they have done for the society. Several awards were distributed to the Good Samaritans at the hands of District officials, Sr. Congress Leaders, and Ace choreographer Terence Lewis.
AV presentations were made by Dr. Sunil Keswani highlighting the need of Skin Donation; Rotarians of Borivili talked about eye donation; President Suresh on Thallesemia and the importance of preventive blood testing; Rtn. Neelam on Good Health & Yoga; Rtn. Dr. Dilip Nadkarni to discourage Spitting, Drunk Driving, etc. Also one minute capsules of Rotary Information were projected and pamphlets regarding our club and its projects were also distributed.
There were Dance performances by underprivileged children trained in Bharat Natyam under one of our projects, an exhilarating dance performance by Senior Citizens in association with UCDC Bandra, and a highly appreciated skit presented by Rotractors from Rizvi College formed a part of the entertainment that evening.
Clothes and Eatables were distributed to Lepers at Versova, Wadala, and Dahisar and Lunch was arranged for the Senior Citizens at the Old Age Homes and also Orphans at Bandra. The vocational Training projects at UCDC also continued.
President Kamlesh Raheja organized Thalassemia awareness, & screening at Rizvi college, and a blood collection drive at Rizvi college & Bandra station. Medical check up camp was carried out at Bandra police station. Mid Day meal project continued unabated. Distributed tiffins, napkins etc were distributed at an orphanage in Bandra. Summer camp was organized for slum children, They were also taken for a movie.
President Urvashi started the year with Annapurna day wherein food was distributed to orphanages & old age homes, & schools for underprivileged children. She continued with our ongoing projects such as Mid day meals, alternate medicine seminar, blood donation, medical camps & projects for the Lepers.
President Anand arranged for donation to construct toilet blocks for girls at an adivasi school near Palghar. The club is in the process of undertaking construction of an assembly hall for a school in the tribal area near Igatpuri. Blood collection drives were conducted at Bandra station & a bank premises. One more is planned at Mumbai University campus at Kalina. 3 T.B. detection camps were conducted in the slums & medicines were distributed.
Highlights of Projects carried out by our club over the past 25 years.
Rotary Club of Bombay Khar as it was then called was the brainchild of DR. J.T. Vyas (PDG), who was the founder of our club. He along with President Rtn. Asrani & Secretary Ramesh Bhatia of Rotary Club of Bombay North Island took the initiative to form our club.
Our club was chartered on 28th June 1991. Mr. Prabhu Chablani was installed as the Charter President, Pali Arora as the Secretary with Abbas Rassai as Vice President. The emphasis in first couple of years was on Membership development and providing Rotary information to new Rotarians & to inspire and encourage them to participate in district events & club service projects. In the first year it was decided to publish our own in-house magazine titled “News & Views”.
Our club also started few community service projects during the year: Mega eye checkup camp & distribution of spectacles at Bandra Reclamation, apart from helping students in municipal schools.
In the first few years of our existence the focus was on fellowship amongst the members which helped a lot in bonding amongst our members & with other Rotarians in the district.
During the Presidency of Abbas Rassai a Project “Say No to Drugs”, to create awareness of Drug Abuse was held where Mr. Sunil Dutt, Member of Parliament and famous cine star, participated in the walkathon, in support of the project. This project was a great success. Another outstanding project, whereunder 27 Telephone Booths were donated to physically challenged to help them earn their livelihood. Rtn. Akhilesh Jain was instrumental in getting sponsors for more than 10 booths.
Thereafter Rtn. Pali Arora took over the reins as President. Our club then acquired a reputation in the District for being the most vibrant club. We also started few projects which became an annual feature; Jaipur Foot, Welfare of the handicapped - distribution of wheelchairs/ tricycles, Medical checkup camps, Cataract operations, etc. to name a few.
The next year under the Presidentship of Virendra Singh Khurana, the fireside meets, and bonding between members continued with the same vigor. A mega Eye Camp at the Spastics Society was among the highlights of the year with a 100% participation of members in the project. Over 700 free spectacles were given to the needy. Many cataract surgeries were sponsored & vocational projects initiated.
As President, Yograj Chauhan the shayar, editor, & banker, worked on the first fund raising project of our club by organizing “A Johny Lever Night”, which was a grand success. Apart from ongoing projects, we built one Shulabh Sauchalaya in the slum area of Khar Danda. That year our club got the best Bulletin Award, as well as the R I recognition for TRF contribution.
Zia –Us –Samad, the next President was very sincere. He had a penchant for projects for the youth, & hosted a Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) for the students of various colleges.
Our next President Dr. Krishna Kumar, pursued new community service projects, organized bhajans for jail inmates, donated a public address system to Byculla jail, and organized computer literacy for inmates. He started promoting alternate forms of medicine. His Alternate medicine seminar became very popular & till date he has been organizing the same every year at the district level.
President Husein Vakil, concentrated on medical projects & has been doing yeoman service by donating medicines for the underprivileged in all our medical camps in our locality & in rural areas ever since. He distributed medicines & utensils to underprivileged women to promote family planning program at Bhabha hospital, donated telephone booths to physically challenged, & also provided books, stationery & bedsheets to needy students of a Vakola school.
President Mukesh Sehgal conducted essay competition at a municipal school at Khar, gave scholarship to bright students of the school, carried out our regular medical checkup camps, arranged a day picnic for senior citizens, collected funds for the welfare of Kargil war widows. He also again donated Telephone booths to physically challenged.
President Akhilesh Jain began his year by induction of 21 new members. He also started one Rotaract and one Interact Club. He is the only president in the district who became the Assistant Governor of the district in the same year. He has to his credit the official adoption of a BMC school, besides doing tremendous work for TRF. He raised funds for the district and the club through projects such as District Dandiya, and also raised funds for earthquake relief.
President Mahender Chablani started the year with famous playback singer Shaan as the guest speaker, who entertained the members for more than an hour with popular songs. During the year the club sponsored more than 30 Polio corrective surgeries with the help of a district grant of U.S.$ 5000/- Plus over Rs. 3 Lakhs were contributed by our members. The surgeries were conducted by our member Ortho Surgeon Dr. Ramesh Dhumale at Sion as well as in Shegaon. We also organized special sports meet for the Physically challenged wherein students from all the schools for special children in Mumbai participated in a day long sports competition. We also started a bi-weekly lunch for the Municipal TB clinic at Khar.
President Kishor Shah concentrated on community service projects & organized the first chess tournament for the schools in our area.
President Jagdish Luthria organized an “Aids Awareness” seminar at Rizvi college, upgraded the I.C.U of Bhabha hospital, started a project of administering Vitamin A to under-nourished children & organized medical checkup for police personnel of 3 police stations. Our club organized Baisakhi festival for the district during that year. He also invited cine star Ms. Perizad of Joggers Park fame as a speaker to the club.
Dr. Jawahar Mansukhani was President for two consecutive years. He presided over 100 worthwhile projects in the Centennial year. Aamir Khan participated in the District Chess tournament held in his year, when there were a record 430 entries. Over 1000 participated in Diwali Dhamaka. He started the 2nd Rotract club, a Sr. Citizen’s club. Partners in service were among the highlights of his term as President. He initiated meaningful coordination with Inner Wheel when R/Ann Bina Chablani was its President. An adivasi school was adopted by the club in association with R.C. Goregaon, where medical camps were carried out, also coaching in tailoring was provided to girls. Water conservation & Sanitation awareness was also created. We carried out tree plantation & beautification on Sion Dharavi road.
Vijayaraghavan along with the Rotractors built a check dam at Manor for the benefit of the villagers. Material was supplied by the club & labour was provided by villagers who were helped by our young Rotractors. He promoted Rotary through several banners displayed all over Mumbai for a month at a stretch. A camp was organised to provide calipers, Jaipur foot & crutches to the physically challenged at Malwani, Malad. The President was so moved by the sight that he initiated the process of applying for a matching grant to continue the project on a larger scale which was a first for our club.
Anmol Sekhri concentred his efforts to improve the lot of senior citizens and widows. He also organized a picnic for senior citizens & distributed items of their needs.
Our club’s Matching Grant with Rotary Club of Wolverhampton, Dist.1210, U.K. finally materialized during the Presidentship of Ajit Rohira. This project for the benefit of physically challenged was undertaken in 2 phases at Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School, & at BPM School, Khar. 700 Calipers for Polio affected, 200 Jaipur foot for amputees, & 310 crutches to handicapped were distributed at the total cost of Rs.9,42,500/- R.I. Rep. Ms. Jayshree Jayaraman along with D.G. also attended the camp. This project was one of the most satisfying project of our club. We also conducted a medical & dental check up camp at Ashramshalla at Vasind & treated them for skin ailments.
As President, Vinay Singh started a Career Guidance Fair targeted at the students of Std IX & X of the SSC Schools from Bandra, Khar and Santacruz, benefitting more than 800 students from 6 schools. Many students were from the economically weaker section of Society. The fair showcased different career opportunities, through interactive discussions and talks by eminent successful personalities from different careers who spoke about their personal experience and motivated the children to follow their dreams. We had psychologist who spoke to the children on handling exam pressures and stress. Career options were effectively displayed and counseled by a team of professionals from YoungBuzz.
Donated Sewing machines in the area of Asangaon offered multifaceted service, a teacher was appointed to teach sewing to the ladies offering them an opportunity to earn a living. The industrial belt of Shahpur offered business opportunity in the form of tailoring uniforms for the numerous factory workers. Our club also arranged for fabric which provided the initial impetus.
Dr. Madhur Kodnani undertook the promotion of adult & functional literacy projects for house helps in association with U.C.D.C. A district Ryla was initiated for the first time by our club.
President Rajesh Chaturvedi started the Mid Day meal project whereby meals were arranged for students of municipal schools through ISKCON. Vocational Training courses were started in association with UCDC where slum kids were trained in Bharat Natyam, and under privileged were trained for a profession in Hair Dressing, Beautician, and Mobile Repairing. One of the highlights during this year was the Donation of a fully equipped ICCU Ambulance to the Guru
Nanak Hospital, Bandra East for the benefit of the under privileged in the area at the cost of Rs.15 lakhs.
Pres. Suresh did a Unique project at the Amphitheatre at the Carter Road promenade, Bandra which was open to the public at large and was very well attended and greatly appreciated by all. Termed as an Awards & Awareness event, it was designed to serve the community by creating an awareness of important issues of public interest and simultaneously also felicitate certain deserving individuals and organizations for the good work they have done for the society. Several awards were distributed to the Good Samaritans at the hands of District officials, Sr. Congress Leaders, and Ace choreographer Terence Lewis.
AV presentations were made by Dr. Sunil Keswani highlighting the need of Skin Donation; Rotarians of Borivili talked about eye donation; President Suresh on Thallesemia and the importance of preventive blood testing; Rtn. Neelam on Good Health & Yoga; Rtn. Dr. Dilip Nadkarni to discourage Spitting, Drunk Driving, etc. Also one minute capsules of Rotary Information were projected and pamphlets regarding our club and its projects were also distributed.
There were Dance performances by underprivileged children trained in Bharat Natyam under one of our projects, an exhilarating dance performance by Senior Citizens in association with UCDC Bandra, and a highly appreciated skit presented by Rotractors from Rizvi College formed a part of the entertainment that evening.
Clothes and Eatables were distributed to Lepers at Versova, Wadala, and Dahisar and Lunch was arranged for the Senior Citizens at the Old Age Homes and also Orphans at Bandra. The vocational Training projects at UCDC also continued.
President Kamlesh Raheja organized Thalassemia awareness, & screening at Rizvi college, and a blood collection drive at Rizvi college & Bandra station. Medical check up camp was carried out at Bandra police station. Mid Day meal project continued unabated. Distributed tiffins, napkins etc were distributed at an orphanage in Bandra. Summer camp was organized for slum children, They were also taken for a movie.
President Urvashi started the year with Annapurna day wherein food was distributed to orphanages & old age homes, & schools for underprivileged children. She continued with our ongoing projects such as Mid day meals, alternate medicine seminar, blood donation, medical camps & projects for the Lepers.
President Anand arranged for donation to construct toilet blocks for girls at an adivasi school near Palghar. The club is in the process of undertaking construction of an assembly hall for a school in the tribal area near Igatpuri. Blood collection drives were conducted at Bandra station & a bank premises. One more is planned at Mumbai University campus at Kalina. 3 T.B. detection camps were conducted in the slums & medicines were distributed.
Highlights of Projects carried out by our club over the past 25 years.
Rotary Club of Bombay Khar as it was then called was the brainchild of DR. J.T. Vyas (PDG), who was the founder of our club. He along with President Rtn. Asrani & Secretary Ramesh Bhatia of Rotary Club of Bombay North Island took the initiative to form our club.
Our club was chartered on 28th June 1991. Mr. Prabhu Chablani was installed as the Charter President, Pali Arora as the Secretary with Abbas Rassai as Vice President. The emphasis in first couple of years was on Membership development and providing Rotary information to new Rotarians & to inspire and encourage them to participate in district events & club service projects. In the first year it was decided to publish our own in-house magazine titled “News & Views”.
Our club also started few community service projects during the year: Mega eye checkup camp & distribution of spectacles at Bandra Reclamation, apart from helping students in municipal schools.
In the first few years of our existence the focus was on fellowship amongst the members which helped a lot in bonding amongst our members & with other Rotarians in the district.
During the Presidency of Abbas Rassai a Project “Say No to Drugs”, to create awareness of Drug Abuse was held where Mr. Sunil Dutt, Member of Parliament and famous cine star, participated in the walkathon, in support of the project. This project was a great success. Another outstanding project, whereunder 27 Telephone Booths were donated to physically challenged to help them earn their livelihood. Rtn. Akhilesh Jain was instrumental in getting sponsors for more than 10 booths.
Thereafter Rtn. Pali Arora took over the reins as President. Our club then acquired a reputation in the District for being the most vibrant club. We also started few projects which became an annual feature; Jaipur Foot, Welfare of the handicapped - distribution of wheelchairs/ tricycles, Medical checkup camps, Cataract operations, etc. to name a few.
The next year under the Presidentship of Virendra Singh Khurana, the fireside meets, and bonding between members continued with the same vigor. A mega Eye Camp at the Spastics Society was among the highlights of the year with a 100% participation of members in the project. Over 700 free spectacles were given to the needy. Many cataract surgeries were sponsored & vocational projects initiated.
As President, Yograj Chauhan the shayar, editor, & banker, worked on the first fund raising project of our club by organizing “A Johny Lever Night”, which was a grand success. Apart from ongoing projects, we built one Shulabh Sauchalaya in the slum area of Khar Danda. That year our club got the best Bulletin Award, as well as the R I recognition for TRF contribution.
Zia –Us –Samad, the next President was very sincere. He had a penchant for projects for the youth, & hosted a Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) for the students of various colleges.
Our next President Dr. Krishna Kumar, pursued new community service projects, organized bhajans for jail inmates, donated a public address system to Byculla jail, and organized computer literacy for inmates. He started promoting alternate forms of medicine. His Alternate medicine seminar became very popular & till date he has been organizing the same every year at the district level.
President Husein Vakil, concentrated on medical projects & has been doing yeoman service by donating medicines for the underprivileged in all our medical camps in our locality & in rural areas ever since. He distributed medicines & utensils to underprivileged women to promote family planning program at Bhabha hospital, donated telephone booths to physically challenged, & also provided books, stationery & bedsheets to needy students of a Vakola school.
President Mukesh Sehgal conducted essay competition at a municipal school at Khar, gave scholarship to bright students of the school, carried out our regular medical checkup camps, arranged a day picnic for senior citizens, collected funds for the welfare of Kargil war widows. He also again donated Telephone booths to physically challenged.
President Akhilesh Jain began his year by induction of 21 new members. He also started one Rotaract and one Interact Club. He is the only president in the district who became the Assistant Governor of the district in the same year. He has to his credit the official adoption of a BMC school, besides doing tremendous work for TRF. He raised funds for the district and the club through projects such as District Dandiya, and also raised funds for earthquake relief.
President Mahender Chablani started the year with famous playback singer Shaan as the guest speaker, who entertained the members for more than an hour with popular songs. During the year the club sponsored more than 30 Polio corrective surgeries with the help of a district grant of U.S.$ 5000/- Plus over Rs. 3 Lakhs were contributed by our members. The surgeries were conducted by our member Ortho Surgeon Dr. Ramesh Dhumale at Sion as well as in Shegaon. We also organized special sports meet for the Physically challenged wherein students from all the schools for special children in Mumbai participated in a day long sports competition. We also started a bi-weekly lunch for the Municipal TB clinic at Khar.
President Kishor Shah concentrated on community service projects & organized the first chess tournament for the schools in our area.
President Jagdish Luthria organized an “Aids Awareness” seminar at Rizvi college, upgraded the I.C.U of Bhabha hospital, started a project of administering Vitamin A to under-nourished children & organized medical checkup for police personnel of 3 police stations. Our club organized Baisakhi festival for the district during that year. He also invited cine star Ms. Perizad of Joggers Park fame as a speaker to the club.
Dr. Jawahar Mansukhani was President for two consecutive years. He presided over 100 worthwhile projects in the Centennial year. Aamir Khan participated in the District Chess tournament held in his year, when there were a record 430 entries. Over 1000 participated in Diwali Dhamaka. He started the 2nd Rotract club, a Sr. Citizen’s club. Partners in service were among the highlights of his term as President. He initiated meaningful coordination with Inner Wheel when R/Ann Bina Chablani was its President. An adivasi school was adopted by the club in association with R.C. Goregaon, where medical camps were carried out, also coaching in tailoring was provided to girls. Water conservation & Sanitation awareness was also created. We carried out tree plantation & beautification on Sion Dharavi road.
Vijayaraghavan along with the Rotractors built a check dam at Manor for the benefit of the villagers. Material was supplied by the club & labour was provided by villagers who were helped by our young Rotractors. He promoted Rotary through several banners displayed all over Mumbai for a month at a stretch. A camp was organised to provide calipers, Jaipur foot & crutches to the physically challenged at Malwani, Malad. The President was so moved by the sight that he initiated the process of applying for a matching grant to continue the project on a larger scale which was a first for our club.
Anmol Sekhri concentred his efforts to improve the lot of senior citizens and widows. He also organized a picnic for senior citizens & distributed items of their needs.
Our club’s Matching Grant with Rotary Club of Wolverhampton, Dist.1210, U.K. finally materialized during the Presidentship of Ajit Rohira. This project for the benefit of physically challenged was undertaken in 2 phases at Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School, & at BPM School, Khar. 700 Calipers for Polio affected, 200 Jaipur foot for amputees, & 310 crutches to handicapped were distributed at the total cost of Rs.9,42,500/- R.I. Rep. Ms. Jayshree Jayaraman along with D.G. also attended the camp. This project was one of the most satisfying project of our club. We also conducted a medical & dental check up camp at Ashramshalla at Vasind & treated them for skin ailments.
As President, Vinay Singh started a Career Guidance Fair targeted at the students of Std IX & X of the SSC Schools from Bandra, Khar and Santacruz, benefitting more than 800 students from 6 schools. Many students were from the economically weaker section of Society. The fair showcased different career opportunities, through interactive discussions and talks by eminent successful personalities from different careers who spoke about their personal experience and motivated the children to follow their dreams. We had psychologist who spoke to the children on handling exam pressures and stress. Career options were effectively displayed and counseled by a team of professionals from YoungBuzz.
Donated Sewing machines in the area of Asangaon offered multifaceted service, a teacher was appointed to teach sewing to the ladies offering them an opportunity to earn a living. The industrial belt of Shahpur offered business opportunity in the form of tailoring uniforms for the numerous factory workers. Our club also arranged for fabric which provided the initial impetus.
Dr. Madhur Kodnani undertook the promotion of adult & functional literacy projects for house helps in association with U.C.D.C. A district Ryla was initiated for the first time by our club.
President Rajesh Chaturvedi started the Mid Day meal project whereby meals were arranged for students of municipal schools through ISKCON. Vocational Training courses were started in association with UCDC where slum kids were trained in Bharat Natyam, and under privileged were trained for a profession in Hair Dressing, Beautician, and Mobile Repairing. One of the highlights during this year was the Donation of a fully equipped ICCU Ambulance to the Guru
Nanak Hospital, Bandra East for the benefit of the under privileged in the area at the cost of Rs.15 lakhs.
Pres. Suresh did a Unique project at the Amphitheatre at the Carter Road promenade, Bandra which was open to the public at large and was very well attended and greatly appreciated by all. Termed as an Awards & Awareness event, it was designed to serve the community by creating an awareness of important issues of public interest and simultaneously also felicitate certain deserving individuals and organizations for the good work they have done for the society. Several awards were distributed to the Good Samaritans at the hands of District officials, Sr. Congress Leaders, and Ace choreographer Terence Lewis.
AV presentations were made by Dr. Sunil Keswani highlighting the need of Skin Donation; Rotarians of Borivili talked about eye donation; President Suresh on Thallesemia and the importance of preventive blood testing; Rtn. Neelam on Good Health & Yoga; Rtn. Dr. Dilip Nadkarni to discourage Spitting, Drunk Driving, etc. Also one minute capsules of Rotary Information were projected and pamphlets regarding our club and its projects were also distributed.
There were Dance performances by underprivileged children trained in Bharat Natyam under one of our projects, an exhilarating dance performance by Senior Citizens in association with UCDC Bandra, and a highly appreciated skit presented by Rotractors from Rizvi College formed a part of the entertainment that evening.
Clothes and Eatables were distributed to Lepers at Versova, Wadala, and Dahisar and Lunch was arranged for the Senior Citizens at the Old Age Homes and also Orphans at Bandra. The vocational Training projects at UCDC also continued.
President Kamlesh Raheja organized Thalassemia awareness, & screening at Rizvi college, and a blood collection drive at Rizvi college & Bandra station. Medical check up camp was carried out at Bandra police station. Mid Day meal project continued unabated. Distributed tiffins, napkins etc were distributed at an orphanage in Bandra. Summer camp was organized for slum children, They were also taken for a movie.
President Urvashi started the year with Annapurna day wherein food was distributed to orphanages & old age homes, & schools for underprivileged children. She continued with our ongoing projects such as Mid day meals, alternate medicine seminar, blood donation, medical camps & projects for the Lepers.
President Anand arranged for donation to construct toilet blocks for girls at an adivasi school near Palghar. The club is in the process of undertaking construction of an assembly hall for a school in the tribal area near Igatpuri. Blood collection drives were conducted at Bandra station & a bank premises. One more is planned at Mumbai University campus at Kalina. 3 T.B. detection camps were conducted in the slums & medicines were distributed.