A rural eye camp in Coimbatore
For the first time, a five-year-old Rotaract club in Coimbatore, RAC Nehru Institute of Engineering and Technology, RID 3206, has done a large-scale outreach project in Kovaipudur, a neighbourhood, by holding an eye check-up camp for rural patients, mostly elderly and infirm patients.
The club tied up with the Rotaract Club of Delhi Pegasus, RID 3012, which runs a flagship Project Smile with seven areas of focus that aims to provide “basic amenities like medical care and clean water to the rural people. We decided to take up eye check-up camp and a blood donation drive under the Project Smile banner,” says Yamini Janardhanan, event coordinator. A six-member team from the Sankara Eye Hospitals, Coimbatore, led by a doctor and consisting of two optometrists and three paramedics screened 56 patients, gave consultations and prescribed medicines. “Around 10 spectacles were given at discounted price.”
Giving a peek into the eye check-up camp, RC Kovaipur youth service chair Lokanatha Guptha says, “we gave only outside support by funding (₹40,000) the project and guided them as their parent club. And everything else, including planning, logistics and creating pre-event awareness among the rural people were all done by the Rotaractors.” Also, Guptha has arranged the tie-up with the Sankara Hospitals whose founder-trustee Dr R V Ramani is an active Rotarian from RC Coimbatore Central and a Padma Bhushan awardee. “Following a request, he sent a medical team who arrived with diagnostic tools, vision charts, and testing kits to set-up a full-fledged screening zone at the Kumittipathi Panchayat Office,” he explains.
During his inaugural address, Guptha recalled the global role of Rotary in the near-eradication of polio, and appreciated the Rotaractors for taking up healthcare initiatives like eye camp in the rural areas which lack access to medical facilities. RC Kovaipudur’s Rotaract chair A P Sriraam guided the Rotaractors in planning the eye camp, and preparing the venue (panchayat office) by making arrangements for the registration desk, seating order, and the screening zone with adequate space for medical equipment.
In the second leg of Project Smile, a blood donation camp was held at the Health and Science College located on the NIET campus at Thirumalayampalayam, a town panchayat near Coimbatore. “Around 150 students and faculty members donated blood which was delivered to the VGM Hospital,” says Yamini. While commending Rotary for moulding the Rotaractors with the right service attitude, P Krishna Kumar, CEO-secretary, NIET College, who is also a Rotarian, called for holding such medical camps and activities regularly that would benefit the society as a whole.
Project Pegasus
An exclusive one-day event for district Rotaractors is under planning stage with inputs from Guptha who is mentoring the club. “We will have plenary sessions, seminars and workshops, and hope to attract over 500 Rotaractors from all over Coimbatore,” says Yamini. The second edition of Project Pegasus will be held after Pongal 2026, and “we are looking forward to host it as this medley of events will help Rotarators to climb up their career graph and achieve success in their lives.”
Doing her third year in BE (Aeronautical Engineering) at the NIET, Yamini says, “I will become a Rotarian after completing my studies next year. And I am confident of making a fine balance between my work responsibility and Rotary activities as both are dear to me.”
Club president Rahul K sums it neatly by stating, “our club’s motto is fellowship forever and leadership together.” With this objective, programmes are held reaching out to both the Rotaractors and the communities, he smiles. Congratulating the Rotaract club for holding Project Smile, DG Chella Raghavendra noted that both the “eye camp and blood donation drive are examples of meaningful community service led entirely by the Rotaractors.” He also complimented RC Kovaipudur for guiding the Rotaractors in both these projects that “reflected the true spirit of Rotary-Rotaract coming together for common good.”
