THE ROTATOR - Issue 09

Happy reading!
Your Rotator Team 2025–26

Inauguration of “Ranjita Chari Two Wheeler Stand” at Rotary Bangalore Vidyalaya

The inauguration of the “Ranjita Chari Two Wheeler Stand” at Rotary Bangalore Vidyalaya took place on Monday, September 1st. Rtn. Srinivas Garudachar and Ann Sunita Srinivas, together with her sister Sangeetha, contributed ₹3 lakhs towards this project in memory of their late sister, Ranjita Chari.
Fulfilling his commitment, Rtn. Magic Manju ensured the project was completed before September 1st, which marked Ranjita Chari’s 60th birth anniversary. The stand was successfully inaugurated on this meaningful day.
The event was graced by President Sukhen, Rtn. Srinivas Velidanda (Director, Community Services), PP Gowri Oza, Rtn. Manjunath Aneikar, Rtn. Sandeep Ohri, Rtn. Srinivas Garudachar, Ann Sunita, and their immediate family. The Headmistress, Mentor, other staff members, and students of the school were
also present.
Alongside the inauguration of the two-wheeler stand, new band equipment—also sponsored by the Garudachar family—was formally launched. On the occasion, Rtn. Srinivas Garudachar addressed the children with a brief but important message on two-wheeler safety.

Rotary Club of Bangalore Empowers Slum Children with Diarrhea and Dengue Prevention Knowledge

In a proactive initiative to safeguard the health of slum children, RCB organized an awareness session on 31st August 2025 at Ambedkarnagar slum, in collaboration with the Sociology Department of Christ College.
Rtn. Sangamitra led the comprehensive session on diarrhea and dengue prevention, aiming to equip children with essential knowledge and practices to protect themselves from these prevalent health challenges. Around 20 children attended the program. Although nearly 200 had confirmed participation, attendance was lower due to the St. Mary’s Fest at the nearby church.
Key Highlights of the Session
Diarrhea Prevention: Children learned the importance of handwashing, safe drinking water, and proper sanitation practices.
Dengue Prevention: The session explained how dengue spreads, the role of mosquitoes, and practical ways to eliminate breeding sites around homes.
Impact
By empowering children with preventive health knowledge, RCB is helping reduce the risk of diarrhea and dengue in vulnerable communities. These children are now better equipped to practice safety and hygiene and spread awareness among their peers and families.
RCB’s COMMITMENT
RCB’s efforts in health education reflect its commitment to improving community well-being. Through such initiatives, we continue to make a positive impact on the lives of slum children, fostering a healthier and more informed community.
Rtns Dr.Sangamitra, Gertrude, Vanita Singh, Nita Roy, Dr Anil and Dr Anju Agadi attended the session.

Bangalore’s past and present retold through forgotten stories

At the ninth weekly meeting, Ms Roopa Pai, award-winning author and co-founder of Bangalore Walks, delivered a captivating talk on ‘Becoming Bangalore: Stories that Shaped a Hometown’, which is also the title of her latest book, bringing out fascinating nuggets of the city’s past that surprised even long-standing Bangalorean citizens.
She explained that the story of Bangalore is essentially the tale of two cities—Bangalore and Bengaluru—and noted that the Rotary Club of Bangalore (RCB) is located right at the intersection of the two. Pai illustrated that if India were bisected from north to south, and again across the southern peninsula from east to west, the lines would meet at Bangalore, highlighting the city’s geographic centrality.
Pai pointed out that Cubbon Park lies at the absolute centre of Bangalore and is among the city’s highest points, alongside the Kadu Malleshwara temple situated on a hill. She remarked that although this is not easily perceived while travelling by car, Bangalore is in fact full of undulations, more clearly noticeable in neighbourhoods like Mahalakshmi Layout. She added that even the four Kempegowda towers are positioned on elevated ground.
Mark Cubbon, the commissioner who spent sixty years of his life in Bangalore and spoke fluent Kannada, was responsible for compiling the first Kannada-English dictionary—predating the more widely known work of Ferdinand Kittel.
During a period when Bangalore was ravaged by smallpox, it was Abbe Dubois, a French missionary, who advocated vaccination, becoming a persuasive influencer for public health. Remarkably, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and his queen were the first to be vaccinated, setting an example that encouraged the people of Bangalore and Mysore to follow suit, thus shielding the region from the epidemic.
Abbe Dubois also established a Catholic chapel in Shivaji Nagar, which eventually evolved into St Mary’s Basilica, while St Mark’s Cathedral, located close to RCB, became the city’s first Anglican church.
Two decades before J. R. D. Tata made history as the first Indian to fly an aircraft from Karachi to Bombay, S. V. Setty, a young Mysorean, was already flying planes in England while studying electrical engineering. Sadly, he ran out of funds before completing the required flying hours for a licence. On returning to India, he became superintendent of the technical school founded by Sir M. Visvesvaraya, which later grew into the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering.
Pai also recounted the inspiring story of Captain V. Sundaram and his wife Usha Sundaram. Usha Sundaram became the first Indian woman pilot to graduate from the Jakkur Government Flying Training School. Together, the couple went on to serve as personal pilots for the Maharaja’s Dakota aircraft, symbolising yet another remarkable chapter in Bangalore’s aviation history.

Friendships and flag exchange across continents

Rtn Vivek Prabhu was in Philadelphia on 6th August and attended the weekly meeting of RC Ardmore on 7th, Thursday & every Thursday thereafter. Ardmore is a Philadelphia suburb like Kengeri is to Bangalore.
The highlight of the club was their President Rtn John Dougherty singing to the club. They also have a song to welcome guests. Rtn Vivek
made a presentation of our club projects which was applauded well.
He also attended a cycling event in centre of town on 10th & a garden cleaning event earlier

The Pin Passes on…..

As part of the “Passing the Pin forward” initiative by our President, Rtn Andrea hosted a small dinner at 23rd pizza street which was attended by Rtn Medha, Rtn Mythri and her husband. The small and intimate gathering allowed them to get to know each other and connect. The pin got passed to Rtn Medha. Rtn Charitha and Rtn Archana Reddy hosted and passed on the pin to Rtn Anusha.
Rtn Arun Vaddi invited a few Rotns and passed on the pin to Rtn Deipak.