Reminiscing my Rotaract expedition

‘Rotary in Action’ or colloquially known as ‘Rotaract’ is a global movement where young, budding individuals get together to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions for the pressing obstacles in the world. The foundations were laid for this movement in 1968 in Charlotte, USA, and its voyage has covered dollops of destinations over the years resulting in a massive membership base of 200,000 plus Rotaractors of 10,000 plus Rotaract Clubs in 180 countries.

When summoning back my Rotaract journey, it gives me great euphoria. I consider it a blessing and great opportunity I have received in my life to kick start my Rotaract expedition at Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa. It has not been an easy ride, but the memories I collected and the moments that I cherish as a result of it are ineffable. Buckle up, let me take you back to those wonderful days.

Rumours and news were widely spreading about Rotaract Mora among my peers, once we joined the university, one year ago. Most of my batch mates joined hands with the club, but not me, as I was not much aware of the movement. However, after a couple of weeks one of my good friends, Rtr. Anujitha who was the Sergeant-at-arms last year had a conversation with me regarding the club and convinced me to give it a try to engage in Rotaract activities. I talked to myself and asked, “Why not give it a try?”. Thereafter, I joined several projects of the club mainly as a content writer and moderator. I started enjoying Rotaract.

Life is full of opportunities and we should grab them to make our lives better. In the month of September, I got the opportunity to moderate ‘TourEye’, which was a virtual world tour featuring Rotaractors from Bulgaria, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Tanzania. There I played the role of the captain of the airline and my fellow co-host Rtr. Saeedha played the role of the nosy air hostess. The project was a massive success from my perspective and I consider it a turning point in my Rotaract expedition.

‘TourEye’ is the project where I got to know many Rotaractors of our club, which eventually made me engage in more projects within the club. Thus, I got the opportunity in chairing the first Induction Ceremony of our club for the Rotaract year 2021-22 along with Rtr. Dilina. Chairing a project is definitely not an easy task, but it is something that one should try to do at least once in one’s Rotaract career. Getting to know many new Rotaractors, developing teamwork and decision-making skills, allowing to manage several duties simultaneously and so on.  

Indeed, time flies faster than we imagine. Things I learned from the projects I was involved in are immeasurable. Then came the life-changing month of December 2021, where things really changed. Our beloved immediate Past President Rtr. Bimsara gave me a call and asked whether I would be willing to be a co-chairperson of the 31st Rotaract District Conference. Rtr. Sanduni and Rtr. Chathuni made me fall in love with the project. I was inspired by the factor that I would be able to interact with Rotarctors from the District Steering Committee and other Rotaract Clubs, therefore, I accepted.

Weekly meetings were not a hesitation at all for me, but a source of fellowship, knowledge, teamwork, and of course enjoyment. Along with the other co-chair of the project, Rtr. Dasis, I could work on the aspects that were assigned to our club. The cool and great personalities I met from the District Steering committee and other clubs helped me in overcoming all the obstacles that came across en route to the conference. I learned a lot by looking at how the amazing district PD team together with the host clubs brought the dream of bringing back the conference to its well-fit physical context to reality, after a hiatus of 2 years, despite the dozens of barriers. The conference thus came to an end on a grand scale.

Every good thing must come to an end, and so does my first year at Rotaract Mora. Thus a new chapter commenced. I am glad and honoured that I got the opportunity to kick start the second chapter of my Rotaract life at Rotaract Mora, thanks to many people including our beloved president, Rtr. Charithma. I am keenly awaiting to ‘Rise, Shine and Illuminate Lives’ in this new Rotaract year.

Once the great personality, Martin Luther King Jr said,

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”.

I have taken the first step of the 2nd year. A kind invitation to you all as well. Fingers crossed.