Club History

A Brief History of Rotary Club of Pokhara Newroad

    – Rtn. Rabi Prasad Baral (Charter President)

   

The Rotary club of Pokhara Newroad (RCPN) was formed on March 3, 2010.

Sponsored by the Rotary club of Pokhara Fishtail- Rtn Bhuwan Singh Gurung, the Past President, was assigned as District Governor’s Special Representative (GSR) to guide for the smooth functioning of the club on its initial years. RCPN was sixth club formed in Pokhara Valley under Rotary International (RI) District 3292. The Charter Certificate was issued on December 24, 2010 from the Rotary International and Charter night was held on January 21, 2011 and the Charter President Rabi Prasad Baral was inducted by the District Governor Tirtha Man Shakya in August with the gathering of over 250 guests and Rotarians from Pokhara. The club was chartered with 38 founding members. Of them, ten founding members were recognized with Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) members in the charter night. The Club meets every Tuesday at 5.30 pm in winter and 6.30pm in summer at Hotel Barahi, Lakeside Pokhara.

At Present, the Rotary Club of Pokhara Newroad has 42 members. The team includes four female members. The members are established professionals who want to make positive changes in the community. They are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Together, we Rotarian see a world where people unite and take actions to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. The club offers a refreshing fellowship based on a fascinating diversity of interests in business and the professional expertise of its members.

Under the management of nine Presidents namely Rtn. Rabi Prasad Baral, Shiva Lal Malla, Subash Sigdel, Dilip Raj Shrestha, Samir Shekhar Bajracharya, Tuba Raj Bastola, Prem Prasad Sharma, Puspa Kamal Poudel and Dinesh Chandra Bastola respectively from Rotary year 2010-2011 together with club officers and active Rotarians, the Club has become honoured in Rotary District 3292 for its outstanding achievements and ability to organising events successfully.

With great pride and joy, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rtn. Pashupati Sharma, the tenth President and all the club officials for their willingness to take this challenging responsibility of leading RCPN for the Rotary Year 2020-2021. I believe, dedicated members of the club will demonstrate their commitment and passion to intensify the service and cooperation among all. I am sure that this team brings energy, a sense of purpose and enthusiasm to keep the Rotary wheel spinning in all its glory and spirit.  

Service defines Rotary’s character; whether local or international, it promotes Rotary’s appeal and visibility in the community, and is the reason Rotary continues to grow. Community service responds to the needs of a local community. RCPN has been involved in numerous service projects within the community under seven focus areas of Rotary. All through its history, the Club has been awarded several District trophies and many of its members have served with distinction at the District level.

One of the notable services of the club is the adaptation of Mahendra Secondary School, Gharmi as its partner school and has been providing support to improve the facilities and making it a happy school. The club has constructed School Building of Annapurna Secondary School at Karkineta, Parbat recently under Earthquake Relief Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Programme (ERRP) project of Rotary Nepal Literacy Mission. The construction of girl’s toilet in Pardi School Pokhara and Kala Bhairav School in Syangja are noteworthy projects done by the club. The students of Saraswoti Secondary School Khairenitar, Tanahu benefited with water tank installed by the club. It also benefited from the School Toilet Projects operated by the club in 2016. The mobile toilet project completed in 2014 received exceptional appreciation publicly in Pokhara. Under the traffic management, the club has fixed street railing at Chipledhunga and Sabhagriha Chowk in Pokhara in 2014. The educational materials, stationary, school bags/dress, sanitary pads distribution to the students at selected schools in Mugu, Jumla, Dolpa, Bajhang and Bardia districts in 2016/2017 is a noteworthy project performed by the club.

The club has taken initiation to develop Mauja village as Rotary Model Village Project in collaboration with Pokhara Metropolitan City. Under Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education Project, the club has provided Computer accessories to Tribhuwan Secondary School Manechauka, Lamjung to upgrade quality of education. The Rainwater Harvesting Projects at Ratna Rajya Laxmi Kanya School, Bandipur Tanahun, Rotary Torke Goat Bank Aarukharka, Syanja and Syanja Association of Deaf (SYAD) are substantial projects operated by the club. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads uncertainty and hardship in the community, RCPN has taken initiation and operated Multipurpose Non-Toxic Disinfection program in August 2020 under ‘Conscious Citizen Safe Society Campaign’ in sensitive places of Pokhara Valley in collaboration with Baba Foundation Nepal. In doing so, RCPN adheres to the Rotary’s principles and works closely with the local communities.

The club chartered the Rotaract Club of Manipal with 34 enthusiastic members in 2011. Likewise, The Rotaract Club of Newroad Pokhara with 30 young enthusiastic members was chartered by the club in 2013.

Rotaract stands for Rotary in Action and both the clubs are contributing humanitarian services to the community with the spirit of Rotary. The club also chartered the Rotary Community Crops (RCC) Bansbari Hemja with 25 active farmers in 2012 and the Interact Club of Mount Everest in 2014, but regrettably both of them have been inactive since the years 2016 and 2018, respectively. The club also hosts an active Inner Wheel Club i.e.  Inner Wheel Club of Newroad Pokhara. 

As usual, the Rotary Club of Pokhara Newroad will be committed to give impetus and action on the theme of Rotary International for Rotary year 2020-2021: Rotary opens opportunities. The Rotary President Holger Knaack encourages Rotarians to seize the many opportunities Rotary offers to enrich their lives and the communities they serve.  

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