The Birth of a New Rotary Club

On Saturday Night (16th July 2011or 1st of Shrawan 2068 on the Nepali Calender) we were lucky enough to be invited to the Charter Presentation Ceremony for the Rotary club of Madhyapur. Madhyapur, also known as Thimi is a beautiful and historic Newari town close to the capital in the Kathmandu valley. Visitors to Madhyapur can enjoy the many ancient temples and festivals as well as traditional Newari handicrafts.The new Rotary club has been sponsored by RC Dhulikhel (see our post on RC Dhulikhel) with rotarians from Dhulikhel providing support and mentoring to the Madhyapur club throughout the chartering process. It is very inspiring to see a dedicated group of Nepalis who want to join Rotary to make a difference in their community. Joining Rotary means that this group of locals will be part of an international service club with over 1.2 million members all of whom are committed to community service. This provides an amazing resource for the members of RC Madhyapur to help their community.


The evening was a really grand affair with approximately 150 people present; local rotarians, dignitaries, distinguished foreign guests (that's us!), spouses and children. All the women were dressed in beautiful saris, and a band played throughout the proceedings. The new club already has 39 members. Its the 76th Rotary Club in Nepal.

The formalities and speeches were conducted in English (a blessing to us novice Nepali speakers) and the robes and gavel were handed to Rtn. Surendra Bikram Prajapati the Charter President of Madhyapur Rotary Club to great applause. After the ceremony a delicious dinner was enjoyed followed by some rakshe (local wine). All in all it was a very nice evening and as privilege to see the birth of a new Rotary Club.