Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change. Rotary connects 1.2 million people of action from more than 45,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
Rotary members in India and across South Asia gathered to reassess regional priorities and pathways to sustainable community impact while highlighting the membership service organisation’s work across global health, peacebuilding, education, and climate resilience.
CP Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India; Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo, Dr CN Manjunath (Member of Parliament) and Sudhanshu Trivedi (Member of Rajya Sabha) attended the three-day event in which five young Indians were recognised as Rotary Young Achievers, each receiving an award of ₹1 lakh. Akarshana Sathish from Hyderabad, Aneesha Narain from Delhi, Bhavini Bhargava from Jaipur, Nidhi Rana from Chandigarh and Suhana Saini from Rohtak were the Indians to receive the recognition. Akarshana Sathish received the honour for championing literacy as the founder of The Open Libraries, which established 24 libraries and donated over 16,375 books to make education accessible to underserved communities. Aneesha Narain received the honour for multifaceted humanitarian service, including Project OGAAN, which helped 7000 individuals with warm clothing during harsh winter conditions. She has also inspired more than 250 schools and Rotarians to adopt sustainable giving practices – creating a movement of responsible social intervention. Bhavini Bhargava is a young cricketer and badminton player who has been inspiring village girls to take up sports, as part of her project ‘Aao Gaon Se Jadhein’ with Rajasthan-based Vasudha Jan Vikas Sansthan NGO.
Nidhi Rana from Chandigarh for experiential learning to transform waste into eco-friendly furniture. Through her initiative, EcoFlow, she has addressed water conservation challenges by repurposing greywater systems for community irrigation, blending ecological awareness with practical engineering. She has also led impactful campaigns like Blood Donation drives and ‘Say Boom to Cancer’, fostering a culture of empathy, awareness and youth-led change. Suhana Saini is a world-ranked table tennis prodigy, with multiple World Championship medals for World No. 1 in U19 Girls Doubles. She aims to represent India in the 2028 Olympics.
In addition to the five young achievers, Rotary recognised three more people – Pushpa Priya from Bangaluru, Dr Aparna Deshmukh from Pune and Rudra Prasad Mohapatra from the Indian Air Force – as Inspiring Change Makers. Pushpa Priya is an IT professional from Bengaluru who has served as a compassionate scribe for more than 1500 visually impaired students. Dr Aparna Deshmukh is the founder of Abhamaya Old Age Home in Pune. She has created a sanctuary of dignity and care for more than 70 abandoned elders. Rudra Prasad Mohapatra works for veteran welfare, disaster relief, healthcare support, environmental conservation, and community empowerment.
Rotary members, including those in 4600 clubs worldwide, develop and implement sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, save mothers and children, grow local economies and protect the environment. More than $5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation, Rotary’s charitable arm that helps clubs work together to perform meaningful, impactful service and support these initiatives over the last 100 years.
