Rotaract skill contest for students
An inter-school arts competition for school students in Thane has given a platform for young talent to display their skills in a range of crafts under Project Hooner (skill in Hindi) being conducted by RAC Thane North, RID 3142, for the last 25 years. “The art competition is our flagship project earning us goodwill and boosting our public image among schools in Thane,” says club president Siddhesh Naik.
The Rotaractors led by the club president approach over 70 schools to enrol students for the arts competition, usually held in August as “there are no exams in this month, after consultation with school principals and teachers. This year we had 2,500 students from 26 schools, one from the nearby Mulund district, who displayed their skills in clay modelling, colouring, craft-making, drawing, essay writing and handwriting.”
Students from Class 1–10 were divided into four categories, and the mega contest was held at the Saraswati Mandir Trust Primary School at Naupada, a suburb of Thane, “but we change the venue each year after discussion. Top three winners in each category were given a trophy, certificate and gift hampers,” says Naik.
All the 43 Rotaractors of the club are involved in organising the mega arts show, taking care of logistics and coordinating for the smooth conduct of the one-day event attracting thousands of Thane students. Another initiative, Project Deepanjali (prayer lamp) celebrates Diwali with around 80 special children at the Dharamvir Aanand Dhighe Jidd Shala being run by the Thane Municipal Corporation. “We arrange a number of variety entertainments for both differently-abled and physically-challenged students who miss a normal life and yearn for the fun and happiness we take it for granted during Diwali.” Around 50 Rotaractors including those from other Rotaract clubs visit the special school, and fine-tune the venue with prop-ups and create festive settings for a series of stage shows — from stand-up comedy, magic show to light music, joker cycling, balloon sketching, mehndi art and tattoo-piercing. “All the special children are given snacks and gift hampers.”
There is a plan to take a group of Rotaractors and members from the public for a 10-day trip to Manali, a tourist resort in Himachal Pradesh, in December under Project Snowy Trails, “which we are attempting for the first time.” Till now, 50 persons have registered for the winter tour, around half of them consisting of the general public.
Naik thanks their parent Rotary, RC Thane North, as “they are always ready to help us by getting sponsorship and donors for our service projects.” Their club president Medha Joshi and secretary Amol Nale are fully behind the Rotaractors who also have the support of a large number of Rotarians. “The mentorship from our Rotarians is crucial for the success of our projects,” says Naik.
A software engineer in an IT firm, Naik (25) recalls, “I started my eight-year-old Rotaract journey in community service, and later on explored many avenues of Rotary. Over the years, I have built a strong network of Rotaractors and friends to socialise with, ideate on new projects, and rely on their volunteer base.” With the RI removing the upper age limit for Rotaractors, “I would like to remain in Rotaract as far as possible, and keep doing projects that make a change for good in the society,” he smiles.
