A Rotaract corporate project like Polio?
One of the takeaways from the four-day Rotasia 2026, the 27th edition of South Asia Rotaract Conference, held at Esthell Village Resort near Mahabalipuram, a heritage town near Chennai, was the idea of ‘Why can’t Rotaract have one corporate project like Polio for Rotary across the world’ so that it galvanises Rotaractors on a single platform.
Quite happy after successfully hosting the South Asia conclave that saw the presence of 715 Rotaractors from across 33 RI districts from India, Sri Lanka, Dubai and Australia, RID 3233 DRR Dineshkumar M says the multiple sessions and brainstorming events “created a bond of friendship among Rotaractors in this part of the world.” The speakers deliberated on the core purpose of Rotaract, “that is leadership development and service projects which were refined at the event.” But the main highlight was that “we have kicked off a new thought process on finding a corporate plank for global Rotaract, like say, Polio for Rotarians across the world,” says Dineshkumar.
Addressing the youth brigade of Rotary, RID 3192 DGE Ravishankar Dakoju, as chief guest, recalled his transformation from “a troubled sickly youth into a successful entrepreneur who creates wealth only to be shared with others as a sort of giving back to society.”
His donation of ₹500 crore to TRF was to honour his father’s legacy of selflessness who believed that children should be raised with values and a sense of gratitude towards Nature. Dakoju apologised to the youth for the “environmental abuse of the planet by my peers and you are the true leaders of minimalism and sustainability.” He pledged to match the Rotaract districts’ fundraising efforts, dollar-for-dollar, thus expressing his strong commitment towards a greener and more equitable future.
On the second day of Rotasia, RI director K P Nagesh presented a ‘visionary roadmap’ for the future of Rotary’s youth wing, stating that “Rotaractors are the vital pulse of our movement.” With a perfect blend of energy and knowledge, Rotaract served as the primary source of global momentum for Rotary, he said. Nagesh dwelt on the 1:2:3 model of growth, a strategy jointly developed with his partner RI director M Muruganandam. The session with Nagesh was moderated by PDRR Karthik Kittu from RID 3191.
Speakers delivered inspiring talks at the conclave, reinforcing Rotary’s motto of Service above Self. Maatram Trust founder Sujith Kumar called upon the youth not to wait for the right time to do social service. “Any moment is good to reach out to the underprivileged students and children,” he said. Dr Kannan Girish, psychiatrist and CEO, Livelife Education, in his talk on ‘Youth wellness’ said, “our attitude and mindset are the key factors that will help us to progress in life.” He focused on emotional intelligence, and how to manage it to climb the ladder of success in life.
The Young Achiever Award was given to social worker Khaalid Ahamed, founder, Uravugal Trust that extends funeral rites to unclaimed bodies over the last 10 years in and around Chennai. Another Example to Youth Award was presented to Nirmal Raghavan, founder, Mega Foundation that had restored around 300 water bodies (lakes, ponds etc) in India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Kenya.
My Idea for Rotaract
As many as five Rotaractors from across the country presented their views and ideas on a ‘single mega project that global Rotaract can focus’ on in the next few decades, like the way polio eradication has been for Rotary since the early 1980s.
They dealt with issues such as water body restoration, tree plantation and blood donation drive. Chaired by Rtr Varinder Singh Sahney, the session brought out the creative thoughts of Rotaractors to the large gathering.
One of the highlights of Rotasia meet was the Firewalk event moderated by Hafiz Khan, founder-CEO, Communitree, in which he talked about “the various phobias of life that hinder our progress, and demonstrated how to clear these ‘mind obstacles’ through a live firewalk on coal-fired pathway that brought whoops of excitement for Rotaractors,” recalls the DRR.
Presiding over the valedictory session, TRF trustee-elect A S Venkatesh said RID 3233 was “the global powerhouse of Rotaract with the largest membership of 5,711 Rotaractors in 66 clubs. Your josh (energy) and passion are the ones that inspire the senior leadership of Rotary.” He urged them to be ambassadors of peace and service.
DRRE Harivignesh was formally inducted as the incoming leader of RID 3233 for Rotary year 2026–27, and he unveiled his annual theme, VIBE — vision, innovate, believe and evolve. DG D Devendran and DGE Shriram Duvvuri praised the Rotaract district for becoming the largest in the world. “Transform the friendship and ideas generated in Rotasia into real-world impact,” said Duvvuri. A delegate dashboard, along with a live website, ensured hassle-free registration and engagement of all the participants.
After the bifurcation of RID 3232 into RIDs 3233 and 3234 two years ago, this was the first time Rotasia was conducted in Chennai, which has hosted their premier Rotaract event three times earlier. “We have blended a number of experiential activities with high-tech facilities, thus proving our Rotaract district is a trendsetter for the global youth movement. The South Asia conclave created a huge brand visibility for us across the world,” adds DRR Dineshkumar. While PDRR Girish E was the event chair, DRRE Harivignesh was the event secretary.
