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It began on a hot, sultry day of June 30th, 1968
to be exact. Krishna Agarwal, who was the District Extension
Chairman, took the opportunity of a Rotary District Assembly at
Ajmer to meet the Rotarians and to persuade them to form an Inner
Wheel Club. The suggestion was accepted with alacrity, and the
necessary resolutions were passed. Mrs. Prabha Kathju was elected
the President and Pushpa Toshniwal was the Secretary.
Sitting (L to R) : Mrs. L. Nandchahal, Mrs. Drupadi
Sah, Mrs. Shyama Sharda, Mrs. Dhiraj Sondhi, Mrs. Mithlesh
Kanodia, Mrs. Punima Patel, Mrs.Tripti Jain, Mrs. Moti Sogani
Backrow (L to R) : Mrs. Kamla Darakh, Mrs. Laxmi
Mathur, Mrs. Maheshwari Sanghi, Mrs. Shashi Bhargava, Mrs. Madhu
Mathur, Mrs. Laxmi Chordia, Mrs. Sheela Jain, Mrs. Ratan
Deedwania, Mrs. Nirmala Bhargava, Mrs. Urmila Ajmera.
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The going was very tough in the beginning. There were the usual
problems that are endemic to a small club in a small town -small
membership, paucity of funds, and a general social apathy. Our early
projects were very modest. Distributing magazines to indoor patients
at the local hospital, daily distribution of milk to children of
slum areas, organising eye camps, and slum schools were adopted. The
money involved was not much but required a lot of time and effort.
The club did yeoman's service in organising eye camps and general
medical camps Lessons in moral science were given to school children
though a Niti Mandir. We set up a Sewing Center, which taught basic
skills to women and provided regular employment to them working from
home.
The club took on many projects for helping the handicapped. A
Children's Park was constructed for the local Deaf and Dumb school.
A water tank was also constructed on their premises. Uniforms
mattresses, sheets and pillows have been donated to the hostel in
the same school. Regular help to the children of the local schools
for handicapped is being given in the form of tricycles, calipers
and other aids books, uniforms fens, desks, and mats are being given
to local schools as also schools in the nearby rural areas as an
ongoing project.
We have organised literacy classes and made the Polio Plus program a
great success in our area. We have taken immunization services to
villages where they are needed most and where there was a lot of
prejudice against it.
A significant achievement has been the counseling center for women
and named 'Kalyani'. The object is to provide help of any and every
type - legal, economic, medical and even psychiatric.
We have seen some lean times when our membership declined sharply.
But a few dedicated members made a determined effort to revive the
club and it became a better-organised and more vigorous body.
The club has the unique distinction of giving nine chairmen to the
District. Pushpa Toshniwal was the first District Chairman (1975-77)
to be elected from the club. She has been followed regularly by
Madhu Mathur (1978-79), Tripti Jain (1981-82), Zebun Malvea
(1985-86), and Manju Toshniwal (1989-90). The late Sudha Garg was
elected the Chairman in 1994-95 and Gulnar Marfatia in 1996-97.
Shashi Bhargava (2001 -02) was the eighth Chairman. Our member Rajni
Sharda was ninth District Chairman (2003-04).
Gulnar Marfatia was elected Association Secretary in 1997-98,
Association Vice President in 2000-2001 and President in 2001 -02
and the Board Director in 2003-04.
The Club has hosted three conferences, seven district assemblies and
two Intercity meets.
The club has hosted the Second A.C. meeting in January 1993 and we
had the pleasure of welcoming A.C. members from all over the country
The Club has seen 41 springs. It has grown to be a vigorous
forward-looking organisation, imbued with enthusiasm tempered with
the wisdom of age. The baton of leadership has been handed over to a
new generation of members.
There is so much to be done. The future that is
still unknown to us must be more meaningful and purposeful. Service
to society is the most significant way of serving God.
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