On Friday, 10 July 2026, the Rotary Club of Patan and Heart Club Nepal held an essay competition on Heart Health and Community Service for students of the 24 public schools supported through the club’s PEEF scholarship programme. It aimed to help young people think about healthy lifestyles, preventing heart disease and the value of community service.

How it worked

• Each school was invited to nominate two students from grades 9–10, preferably one girl and one boy. 37 students took part.
• Five themes were shared in advance: Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Heart; My Role in Preventing Heart Diseases; Junk Foods – Taste Good but Damage Your Health; Don’t Damage Your Heart with Vaping (E-cigarette); and Rotary Clubs and Community Services. Students drew their topic by lottery and had one hour to write.
• Tri-Padma School, Pulchowk, Lalitpur hosted the competition. The club provided writing materials, refreshments and transport support.
• Essays were marked anonymously by code number against a 100-mark rubric covering relevance, content, organisation, language and originality. Eight were shortlisted. Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam reviewed the shortlist and proposed the ranking, which a committee endorsed on 10 August 2026: Rtn. Mahendra S. Rawal, Rtn. Nirmal K. Pradhanang, Rtn. Lalita C. Thapa and Mr. Dev Bir Basnet of Heart Club Nepal.

Results

1. First: Sushmita Syangtan, Shree Udayakharka Secondary School
2. Second: Kyarol B.K., Shree Lubhu Secondary School
3. Third: Chandra Sunar, Kitini Secondary School

Consolation awards: Prabin Tamang, Bishankhu Narayan Secondary School, and Prestroika Mahat, Lele Secondary School.

Student voices

These are students’ own essays, summarised here. They are student writing, not medical advice.

• Sushmita Syangtan (first, in Nepali) wrote on Rotary clubs and their role in the community. The essay describes Rotary’s work in education, health, the environment and disaster relief, and how scholarship support helped the writer continue studying and aim higher.
• Kyarol B.K. (second, in English) wrote “My Role in Preventing Heart Diseases”. The essay argues that heart disease is not only a problem of old age, warns young people about vaping, smoking, alcohol and junk food, and calls on families and communities to set healthy examples.
• Chandra Sunar (third, in Nepali) wrote on junk food: tasty but harmful. The essay urges home-cooked food, limits on junk food in schools, and shared responsibility for healthy eating.

The three winning essays are reproduced in full in Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41, pp. 70–73.

Thank you

Rtn. Mahendra S. Rawal coordinated with the participating and host schools. Rtn. Khadak S. Bisht, Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Rtn. Lalita C. Thapa, Rtn. Nirmal K. Pradhanang, Dr. Prakash R. Regmi and Rtn. Shiv Prakash Khemka also helped with planning, coordination, evaluation and programme support.

Read more about our heart-health work and our adopted schools.

Source: Essay Competition on Heart Health and Community Service, Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41 (2026), pp. 70–73.

The original activity report budgeted NPR 71,400 for refreshments, transport reimbursement, banner, stationery, printing, documentation, evaluation, certificates and prizes. The competition took place on 10 July 2026; the results above include the subsequent committee endorsement on 10 August 2026.

Activity date: 7 July 2025 · Meeting No. 1959

The Rotary Club of Patan’s 40th installation ceremony welcomed President Rtn. Khadak S. Bisht and Secretary Rtn. Bishwa B. Sharma on 7 July 2025. IPP Rtn. Preeti Khemka handed over the presidential collar, bell/gong and charter certificate, and the new President opened Meeting No. 1959 with a silent invocation.

Vice President Rtn. Ganga R. Gautam served as master of ceremonies. Charter members Rtns. Kamal B. Nyachhyon, Bijaya B. Bajracharya and Lochan Gyawali welcomed the incoming leadership. Rtn. Nyachhyon administered the presidential oath; nine Board members also took their oaths and were introduced.

Nineteen guests attended, including representatives of Rotary, Inner Wheel, Rotaract and Interact, family members and media. IPP Rtn. Preeti Khemka received appreciation and a PHF+3 pin from Rtn. Gabriele Mallapaty.

The incoming President presented priorities for continuity, innovation, partnerships, fundraising, public image and service. The event was supported through voluntary contributions and assistance in kind, with no formal budget reported.

Source: Rotary Club of Patan report submitted to GML.

Activity date: 12 August 2024; 10 February and 16 June 2025

The Rotary Club of Patan held birthday fellowships on 12 August 2024, 10 February 2025 and 16 June 2025 during Rotary Year 2024–25. This retrospective is dated to the final gathering and records all three activity dates.

Members and spouses celebrated their milestones together alongside regular meetings and club activities. The gatherings offered opportunities to connect beyond formal business and strengthen fellowship, inclusion and member engagement.

Costs were supported through member contributions and fellowship arrangements; the submitted report identifies no dedicated budget. The shared celebrations formed part of the club’s continuing effort to build a welcoming Rotary family and encourage lasting participation.

Source: Rotary Club of Patan report submitted to GML.

Activity date: 23–25 May 2025 · Siddhi Mangal School

The Rotary Club of Patan supported a three-day Training of Trainers workshop at Siddhi Mangal School to strengthen Student Quality Circles and teaching practice. Rtn. Ganga R. Gautam conducted the training, coordinated by Rtn. Mahendra S. Rawal.

Twenty-two trainees participated from five PEEF-supported schools, including two headmasters and one participant with a disability. Rtn. Maheswari Bisht Rawal also participated. President Rtn. Preeti Khemka and other club members joined the event.

The activity involved QUEST-Nepal, with voluntary support from founder Prof. Dinesh P. Chapagain and President Narad Rijal; educational materials were also donated. RCP allocated up to NPR 35,000 for the workshop, within wider teacher-development planning of up to NPR 200,000.

The training prepared teachers to establish student-managed Quality Circles with follow-up and reporting. Members shared appreciative feedback at the 26 May meeting. The dates follow the announced 23–25 May schedule, corroborated by the completion report in that meeting’s minutes, published in Lalitdhara issue 1609.

Source: Rotary Club of Patan report submitted to GML.

Activity date: 13–15 April 2025 · Bandipur

Fifteen Rotary Club of Patan members joined the annual Bandipur outing from 13–15 April 2025, coinciding with Nepali New Year 2082 and Visit Bandipur 2025. Rtn. Kedar B. Shrestha led the programme, hosted locally by Rtn. Santa K. Shrestha. Weekly Meeting No. 1947 included traditional attire and cultural engagement. Some members also trekked to Ghodepani.

Members met Gaunpalika Chair Surendra Thapa, Vice-Chair Panchamaya Gurung and tourism coordinator Bayash Gurung. Discussions covered tourism development and a local need for a small fire brigade.

For a proposed KPAD organic-agriculture initiative benefiting persons with disabilities, Rtn. Santa K. Shrestha offered 28–30 ropanis of land for ten years, renewable, together with accommodation and training facilities. The report envisaged collaboration involving KPAD, TRIFC and ADSoN. These were service opportunities and offers at the time, rather than completed projects. No dedicated outing budget was reported.

Source: Rotary Club of Patan report submitted to GML.