A mega river clean-up at Yamunanagar
Every Sunday morning, around 12–14 Rotaractors from RAC GNKITM, RID 3080, go to the banks of Yamuna River, and clean up the ghat area littered with plastic waste, broken bottles and other garbage dumps that pollute the water body. “Since June this year, we have joined hands with Eco Dost, a community group, who also invite the public in the clean-up drive at Yamuna river. We have got positive feedback for the river restoration work, and once exams are over, more college students will take part in the clean-up drive,” said Ridhi Sharma, club secretary.
Project Nukkad Natak (street play) is done every month at different places such as government schools, bus stands, parks and across villages with the focus on drug de-addiction. Around 12–13 students including Rotaractors go to the chosen venue or village and stage a play at a vantage point to drive home the message of a drug-free life among the people, said Ridhi. DRR Chinmay Abbhi (2023–24) presented the Most Innovative District Project Award to the club team at an awards event in Chandigarh as “we have adopted a novel approach to create awareness on drugs and its ill-effects on the society.” Under Project Annapurna, the Rotaractors distributed food to poor families, and also provided for cows, stray dogs, fishes and other animals for a week.
In another gesture, the club adopted a four-member family at Baadhi Majra, a slum colony at Yamunanagar, who had lost their sole breadwinner to Covid. The middle-aged widow, a domestic help, found it hard to make both ends meet as “she has to take care of her two grown-up daughters, aged 22 and 18, and a 13-year-old boy. So, we will be giving them monthly rations, clothes and other daily essentials for a year. Also, we are trying to put the boy in a good school and all his study expenses will be paid by us,” said Ridhi.
While exams are going on at the Guru Nanak Khalsa Institute of Technical Management (GNKITM), “we will meet either July last week or first week of August to discuss, plan and work out our project schedule for the year,” said club president Vansh Singla, doing final year B Pharm. Once the admission starts for the new academic year, “we will induct at least 20 new members, taking the membership to around 33–35.” They make it a point to have club meetings on Saturday, “but it will be either physical or online mode depending on our convenience and mutual understanding.”
Their parent Rotary, RC Yamunanagar Riviera, is more than helpful to Rotaractors. “All the Rotarians are available 24×7 for us to contact and seek guidance on service projects or any other initiatives we take. We are thankful to them for their mentorship on a regular basis,” said Singla. Though he joined the six-year-old club, “just last year, Rotaract is close to my heart for it brought me new friends and I enjoy bonding with them.” He wanted to be a Rotarian like his brother Rahul Bansal, a businessman. Ridhi is doing her B Pharm (3rd year) and having been in Rotaract for two years, “I have not yet decided if I want to be a Rotarian or not. But I thoroughly enjoy being a Rotaractor,” she smiled.
