Striving for green Odisha
With an alarming rise of deforestation and growing demand for urban housing in and around Bhubaneswar, the city Rotaractors have been disbursing seed balls for the last three years in groups. “Our aim is not only to create a green, sustainable environment, but also educate the public on the need to nurture trees and preserve our ecosystem,” says Mukesh Samal, club advisor, RAC Bhubaneswar Royal, RID 3262.
This year (2024–25), the club entered into a partnership with IG Drones, a local company, which has provided two drones for aerial disbursal of seed balls. “Unlike the last two years where we disbursed over 10,000 seed balls through manual work, this time we have already scattered 20,000 seed balls and have a target to reach 50,000 disbursals. Such a huge leap in our greening efforts is possible only through drones,” explains Samal. Apart from 35 Rotaractors, around 20–25 volunteers from different NGOs are involved in seed ball disbursal on riverbeds, dried ponds, urban areas, villages, barren lands and denuded forests.
In the coming months, the club will rope in students from city schools and colleges for making seed balls in groups at a community hall, a meeting hub for journalists and media persons. “We thank our partner company for leasing their drones for free that has enabled us to reach out to far-flung areas with good penetration,” says Samal.
Every year in October, Project Daan Utsav celebrates the joy of giving. It is a week-long project starting from Oct 2 and held in different venues with different themes. “An elaborate, tasty dinner was served to around 50 students of the Odisha Association of the Deaf School this year. We staged small rallies at three places across the city to create awareness on cervical cancer. A team of 26 Rotaractors held aloft placards and banners that drove home the message of vaccinating young girls against cancer. We also engaged the public at these places to spread the message,” explains Samal.
On the third leg of Daan Utsav, Rotaractors rallied and spoke to the public on mental health issues at a busy locality in Bhubaneswar. “We distributed 200 handbills and leaflets to public and urged them to take care of their mental health through preventive steps.” The club has a plan to hold a quiz competition for college students in January, “but this project is still in the drafting stage and once finalised, we will select a college for holding the contest,” says club president Som Shastry.
Support from parent Rotary
Their parent Rotary, RC Bhubaneswar Royal led by its president Bibhuti Kar is extending both moral and material support for the Rotaractors to take up impactful projects. “Rtns Pratap Chaudhary and Ajay Patnaik are of great help to us in planning and executing service activities. Through our network of friends and parent Rotary, we mobilise funds for our projects,” says Samal.
An executive at the state department of Housing and Urban Development, Mukesh Samal is a dual member and has been a Rotaractor for 12 years. “Rotaract is like a family to me and I enjoy doing community work,” he says, and adds that “I will shift my work to Rotary in the next two years,” as he wants to expand his service in the near future.
