2. IN THIS ISSUE
My Journey through RC Kathamandap
Actions Speak Louder than Words
Ramadan Drive
Give Blood , Give Life
Insight Ignite Unite
A Landmark in Social Service
01
05
09
13
15
21
OCT
2014
FirstraysofSunbeamingoverthesummitofMachapuchare
3. MY JOURNEY THROUGH
THE RC OF
KASTHAMANDAP
I found RAC
Kasthamandap
a great platform
for youngsters
to engage in
social service.
RAC Kasthamandap members share the same enthusiasm.
It motivates and brings out the best in me. Each of us has
influenced each other as well as our society in our own way.
I was born in a family which stayed together through the ups and
downs of life, shared dreams, hoped for good times and always
helped the needy. This moulded me into a person who
wanted to contribute back to society. My grand-father
used to say, “Your hands will never get empty by do-
nating to those in need. Keep helping others through-
out your life and don’t expect anything in return”. The
care and support bestowed upon me built an urge to
make my surroundings as beautiful and lovely as my
family. I had a deep thought in my mind that I need to bring about
a change in the society, but being alone, I wasn’t sure how to go
about it.
I realized that I was not alone when I first attended a meeting of
Rotaract Club of Kasthamandap. There, I met enthusiastic people
like me who had the same thirst and desire to create a beautiful
and loving community. The common vision shared by the club
members and me created a bond that will last forever. Soon, I be-
came a member of the club and it became my second home. We
discussed many projects and executed them together. The pro-
jects were related to education, environmental sanitation, health
services, awareness programs and other issues. While I was con-
tributing to the society and the club, it helped my professional
development and also provided a platform to make new friends
whom I will cherish forever.
Rtr. Amrit Gautam
1 2
4. The youth suffer from frustration for not being able to develop them-
selves in social and professional spheres. They are unable to contrib-
ute back to society. I too, at one point of time faced the same prob-
lem. But today, after becoming a Rotaractor, I can proudly say that
Rotaract is the best place to develop new contacts, achieve profes-
sional growth and contribute to the society.
It has been two years since I became a Rotaractor. In this period,
I have participated in many projects, district events, RYLA, dif-
ferent training programs and seminars. I have made friends with
members of other clubs and carried out joint projects. I can see
myself growing in both personal as well as professional areas.
I enjoyed every moment be it brain storming with my club mem-
bers to come up with better ideas or the rush of carrying out pro-
jects. However, the best feeling was being a part of something as
big as Rotaract. The sheer happiness I felt while working for the
club, whether it was while cleaning a temple or collecting and
donating books or simply discussing new ideas over a cup of tea
made me realize that I had come to the right place, a place that
brings peace and happiness to my heart and soul, a place I belong
to; a place that is my second home.
Rotaract Club of Kasthamandap:
A Place where I could be a part of something BIG!
Rtr. Amrit Gautam
Former Sergeant at arms of Rotaract club of Kasthamandap,
now serving as a General Member in Rotaract club of Helsinki,
Finland.
3 4
5. Before operation -
On the10th of June, 2014,
Community Services Di-
rector of Rotaract club of
IoBM (Pakistan) found
out about a young boy
who was suffering from
a heart disease (mitral
valve). His treatment re-
quired Rs. 235,000 but his
parents couldn’t afford it.
We were determined to
provide him with the best
medical treatment pos-
sible.
Donation collection
desk
We were at the Stu-
dent Activity Cen-
tre for three days
to raise the neces-
sary funds required
for his treatment at
the Institute of Car-
diovascular Diseases.
The project was su-
pervised by the BODs
and the faculty advi-
sor.
Nessent, in conecum
remperitium rae rerna-
tio corepel maxime ni
sitiatate poria volecum
core, autatium.
Actions
Speak
Louder
Than Words
Rtr.Muzamil Jawed
President
RC of IoBM
Our Marketing department made charts related to his case
and placed them all over the campus. This way everyone
could know about Hassan Raza and donate to his cause.
5 6
6. Within two weeks we were able to
collect Rs 3 lakhs. We got him admit-
ted at the National Institute of Car-
diovascular Diseases (NICVD) a week
prior to his operation. He got oper-
ated on 21-Feb-2014. On the day of
his operation our whole club was in
the hospital to support his family.The
operation involved the insertion of
a metallic valve. It was performed by
Dr. Sohail Bangash and was success-
ful.
MEDIA COVERAGE
The Hassan Raza project
was covered by DAWN,
GEO and Express news.
Hassan is enjoying his
childhood now and we
wish him all the success
in life. Our next aim is to
provide quality education
to Hassan and his siblings
Hazan Raza Before the operation.
7 8
7. RAMADAN DRIVE
The Rotaract Club of SZABIST Karachi Mid City (RCoSKM) is a society,
which provides a platform to the students of Szabist university and
other young people to give back to the community. RCoSKM is famous
for the Ramazan drive, which has become a tradition of our commu-
nity services department.
During Ramadan, every Thursday, the club chooses a location around
the city of Karachi, Pakistan and aims to help the commuters break
their fast. The club targets the needy, but also provides iftaari to com-
muters who get stuck in the traffic of the city and are not able to reach
their homes. The club distributes boxes which include tantalizing sa-
mosas, spring rolls, biscuits, a packet of juice and you can’t forget the
dates.
The first commuters’ iftaar was organized near the Mcdonalds, at Al-
lahwali Chowrangi. With the help of enthusiastic club members and
many volunteers, the club was able to serve iftaar to more than 750
people. For the second iftaar, Teen Talwar was selected as the loca-
tion, and once again the club was able to serve over 750 rozeydaars
(the people who are fasting) en route to their homes and a few busy
shopkeepers of the nearby Ashiana mall.
The third iftaar drive targeted 1500 people and with the efforts of a
large number of volunteers,the club achieved their target easily which
ensured that the mega iftaar by the club was a success. The final iftaar
drive was held at the KPT interchange and the target was to provide
1000 boxes to the commuters. Apart from the weekly boxes the club
also distributed mouth-watering Biryani to those who could not re-
ceive the deliciously fulfilling boxes. After interviewing a few volun-
teers and club members it was easy to see that they felt proud of their
achievements and almost everyone stated that they did this for their
personal satisfaction.
Rtr.Syed Mohammad Wajeeh
9 10
8. As a part of the Ramazan drive,RCoSKM distributed 500 ration bags to
the needy families from the Zakat they received from various donors.
In view of the recent operation, launched by the Pakistani military
in North Waziristan against the sanctuaries of the banned militant
organisations, the RCoSKM partnered with the Rotaract Club of Ka-
rachi Clifton, to make ration bags for the internally displaced people
(IDP) from the operation. The volunteers met three days every week
during Ramzan after 2100 hours and made ration bags for around
3000 IDP families and donated a generous amount of 50,000 rupees
to this great cause.
This was the first event of the club and everyone of the club was
amazed by the response. It surely was a great start to the Rotary year,
Member of the International Services Department
The Rotaract Club of SZABIST Karachi Mid City
Rtr.Syed Mohammad Wajeeh
11 12
9. Benefits of Donating Blood are
1. Reduces Cancer Risk
2. Boost the production of red blood cell
3. Lower cholestrol level
4. Helps in Weight Loss
5. Lower the risk of Heart Attack/Stroke
RCoSKM has been working with two
different organizations. First one being
Patients’ Welfare Association which is a
student body and the biggest blood bank
inKarachiworkingwithinthepremisesof
agovernmenthospitalandproviding250
pintstothepatientsondailybasis.Second
istheIndusHospital,acharitablehospital
with the latest and high tech equipment
workingtowardsthecancerpatientsfree
of cost.
Every year, RCoSKM provides these
institutionsmorethan500pintsofblood
whichhelpsimprovethelivesofpatients.
Also, the club’s efforts result in an
increase in the number of donors each
year.
“We have no right to shatter someone’s hope be-
cause we are among the fortune ones who can be a
ray of hope in the dark lives of others.”“Give Blood,
Give Life”
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to see a person die
because he/she could not find a blood donor? Or a person begging
for blood to live longer. It i s something which every healthy
person can provide for free.
‘Give Blood, Give Life’ is a campaign organized by the Rotaract Club
of SZABIST Karachi Mid-City (RCoSKM) for the last ten years. The
blood camp was the first official event of RCoSKM in 2004. It is still
a tradition of the club to conduct two blood drives in our university
every year.
Rtr.Mohsin Ghani Sodagar
Mohsin Ghani Sodagar
President 2014 – 2015
Rotaract Club of SZABIST Karachi Mid-City
The objective of this activity is
not only to help the organiza-
tion to make blood available for
patients in different hospitals
or institutions, but also to make
sure that more youth of Paki-
stan become aware of the ben-
efits of donating blood.
13 14
10. My journey towards joining the Rotary family began in 2009. Until
2008, the Interact club of Kasthamandap (Little Angels’ School) was
just another club, where students filled the membership forms to
bunk classes in the name of meetings. With this perception, I was
never interested in joining the club. In the month of August 2008,
the Rotaract Club of Kasthamandap organized a Nationwide Inter
School Quiz competition called‘2nd Rotaract Running Shield (RRS)’.
With our school being the defending champions of the competition
and with me being in the ninth grade, I decided to participate. That
was where I saw a group of my friends, who were a part of Interact.
They were assisting the Rotaractors for this event. We bagged the
2nd position that year and I thought about joining the club as well.
Apart from its socio-cultural activities, Interact was famous among
students for the trip that it organized for students in their 10th grade.
I later learnt that this was a Special Area Project that the club un-
dertook annually. With little thought about serving the society, but
with this excitement of the trip, and yes of standing out among other
students with this extra IC Badge on my tie, I joined Interact as a
general member in 2009.
Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people aged
12 to 18. Interact clubs are generally sponsored by individual Rotary
clubs and ours was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kasthamandap.
While the Rotary club provided us with invaluable guidance, we were
still a self-governing and self-supporting body and operated inde-
pendently. I still remember how formal the first meeting of the club
was! It was far away from what I had expected. The President, who
was a friend, sat with the official collar around his neck. He declared
the meeting in session with a Gavel and Hammer.
Insight Ignite Unite
Rtr.Anushka Bhattarai
The warm sun rays falling on Annapurna Range, Nepal15 16
11. As mentioned before, the trip that I had previously thought of as
purely an adventure was in fact a project named ‘PARI’ to support
the students of Shree Jana Prathamik Vidyalaya, Sheetaldada. Un-
der the project, the club donated stationeries and sports items to
the school. It was not just about fun. This was service. The project
got me really involved in Interact. It has been 5 years, and I am still
a part of this family as a Rotaractor.
In 2011,I was selected as the Vice-president of the club and was also
appointed as the coordinator of the“PARI”Project and I believe that
being a part of the Board of Directors
helped me a lot. Meanwhile, the Rota-
ract Running Shield, which I had par-
ticipated in, was still in continuation.
It was the flagship event for the Rotaract club of Kasthamandap and
they rewarded the winners with various scholarships. This year, we
assisted the senior Rotaractors in the 4th RRS. I was selected as the
Quiz Master and I conducted the entire quiz competition. This was
a wonderful opportunity, where I got to know the then President
of the club Rtr. Binayak Dahal, who motivated us to such an extent
Rotaract was not very different from Interact, yet in some ways was
a better experience. Upon arriving at the meeting venue (Nation-
al Association on Welfare of Blind- NAWB), I was greeted by some
of the friendliest strangers (the club was no more limited to the
school I went) I have ever known, who
have remained my friends to this day.
The meeting consisted of a group of
young people, who conducted them-
selves in an upright manner and dis-
cussed ways to make the society a better place. And even though
it was not very different from Interact meetings, I was pleasantly
surprised. During my induction, we were called to stand up while a
Rotarian gave the induction speech, which was clear and straight to
the point. Afterwards, I was given my lapel pin which I wore with a
sense of pride.
My life as a general member of the club was pretty unexciting as it
mostly consisted of observing my leaders and learning from them,
so that in the event that I ever became a director, I would know what
was expected of me and perhaps put my efforts into bigger and bet-
ter things. The entire Rotaract journey was filled with fun experi-
I was given my lapel pin
which I wore with a sense of
pride.
I jumped at the chance
of joining Rotaract once I
turned 18
Patan Durbar Square, Nepal: World heritage under the beautiful sky
17 18
12. Without giving too much away, I discovered things about myself
that I never knew. I believe that I came back from the fellowship as
a different person. We celebrated every little festival and rejoiced
in every success. We met every Saturday or at least thrice a month.
In spite of not being a morning person, I was ready to sacrifice my
Saturday sleep. There were many things that I appreciated about
the club and one of them was the “Happy moments sharing” ses-
sion that took place before every meeting. I really like the concept
of not keeping your happiness within yourself and believe that this
enhances the bond that exists among members.
Things got really interesting the following Rotaract year (2012-
2013),when I was selected as the Community Service Director under
the presidentship of Rtr. Amish Dhungel. I must say my predecessor
had left a legacy behind. With different projects like the Free Health
Camps, Teach a Student- Scholarship Project, Bagmati and Bagla-
mukhi Cleaning Campaign, Library support to government schools,
the tenure passed smoothly. We were also a part of ‘End Polio Cam-
paign’, where we contributed to ending Polio in Nepal. Apart from
the RRS Quiz competitions, we also organized many other events
like Shoot your Movie, and Yuva Yug (Extempore, Debate and Pho-
tography competitions).Planning,coordinating and executing these
With the 8th Installation 2013-14 and under the Presidentship of
Rtr. Grishma Vaidya (the first Lady President of the club), I have
been selected as the Joint Secretary and even though the tenure has
just begun, we have already completed the first phase-Planning-for
the entire Rota-Year.
When I first joined the club, I had fewer commitments, but I have
gathered experiences that will last for a lifetime. I may not have
been the best director yet I have learnt to commit and to be respon-
sible. There is a lot more that I have to do as a joint-secretary. With
the aim to ‘Insight-Ignite-Unite’, I know that there is a lot more to
learn.
I really like the concept of not keeping your
happiness within yourself and believe that this
enhancesthebondthatexistsamongmembers.
Anushka Bhattarai
Joint Secretary RY -2014/15
Rotaract club of Kasthamandap
19 20
13. In what I would personally call a happy turn of events, the associa-
tion between Avanti Fellows and NITK Rotaract Club is one I could
only have imagined when I had randomly pitched the idea to the for-
mer President Udit Joshi. Almost a year later NITK Rotaract Club can
now proudly state its association with one of the foremost low-prof-
it organizations in the education field in India and widely respected
worldwide.
The Avanti Fellows organization was founded in 2010 by two IIT Bom-
bay alumni Krishna Ramkumar and Akshay Saxena. One an alumni of
Harvard Business School and the other a consultant at Boston Con-
sulting Group, both of whom gave up lucrative careers in the corpo-
rate world to set-up Avanti Fellows.
The Avanti Fellows organization is a group which selects few, smart,
talented students among numerous applications across the country
from tenth class with limited means, financial constraints and pre-
pares them for competitive pre-engineering examinations like the
JEE and the Board examinations at the same level with students of
top public schools and big branded coaching classes. They believe in
an alternate pedagogy unlike the rote-based one implemented in the
Indian education system, their learning being more heuristic in na-
ture so that students get a real feel of the concepts of the subject.
Their pedagogy is implemented on the model created by Dr. Eric Ma-
zur a physics professor at Harvard University who propounded the
concept of “flip-learning” in which students learn by discussing in-
tensively among themselves. Dr. Eric Mazur is also an academic ad-
viser of the organization since its genesis and under his guidance
Avanti Fellows has gone on to win numerous international accolades
in their work in the educational field and a very large number of their
students across India have gone on to crack the various examinations
that the Indian education system poses to candidates pre-engineer-
ing, clearly establishing their superior study culture. One of their stu-
dents Chetan Gudisagar is a student at NITK, currently in second year
I.T. department.
A LANDMARK IN
SOCIAL SERVICE
Rtr. Dakshesh Thacker
21 22
14. `Avanti Fellows runs its program for training these students
by tying up with top colleges like the IITs, AIIMS and VJTI,
Bombay to have their students mentor, guide, befriend and
motivate the Avanti students and help them chart their path
of success. This is exactly where the Rotaract Club stepped in
when we offered to team with them and help mentor students
at the JNV, Mangalore school for their academic endeavors.
The recent string of activities includes four first-year students
interning at their Mangalore campus in this past summer and
helping kick-start the program there in June 2014. In the com-
ing months we plan to recruit more dedicated and passionate
students from NITK who can undertake the task of mentoring
the students selected by Avanti Fellows on a fortnightly basis.
The prospects of a fruitful partnership seems very likely as
the Rotaract Club and another world-class organization forge
a strong bond to re-write another chapter in community ser-
vice in the field of education and transformation of lives.
Dakshesh Thacker
Executive Memebr
Rotaract Club of NITK Surathkal
CREATED BY
Rotaract Club, NIT Karnataka
DESIGN
Hari Krishnan
ARTICLE EDITING
N. Subhash
Sam Terence Roberts
Akshar Jain
Ishani Chaudhary
CONTRIBUTIONS BY
Amrit Gautam
Muzammil Jawed
Syed Mohammad Wajeed
Mohsin Ghani Sodagar
Anushka Bhattarai
Dakshesh Thacker
CONTACT US
whisperingwinds.rotaract@gmail.com
Read all issues and about our projects :
www.rotaractnitk.in
Whispering Winds
23
Pg12(top)
Sanu Raja Maharjan
Friend of Rotaract
RC of Patan Durbar Square
Pg12(Bottom)/15/17/20
Roshan Bajracharya
Former President
RC of Patan Durbar Square
Past Presid Past Presid Rotaract
Club of Patan Durbar Square ent
PHOTO CREDITS
