Filmmaker to corporate honcho, monk to air force officer.

A recent two-day conference saw speakers from different walks of life share their experiences.

The Rotary International District 3291 had its annual conference on January 4 and 5 at Nicco Park, East Side Pavilion.

The conference had the presence of about 700 participants (Rotarians and guests) and 11 plenary sessions.

The speakers’ list had names like Siddhant Kaul, managing director of Nicco Engineering; Onir, filmmaker; Anand Ranganathan, JNU professor and public speaker; Air Marshall Vikram Singh (Retd) and his partner, Arathi Singh; Jaiprakash Kabra, founder of Mind Movers Management Consultants; Swami Kripakaranandaji Maharaj of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, New Delhi; Uday Kumar, para-athlete; Sanjay Kumar Das, additional secretary, science and technology, Bengal; Biswajoy Chatterjee and Satyajit Chakrabarti, experts in artificial intelligence; Partha Basu, head of cancer early detection and prevention branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France; Zainab J. Patel, transgender activist; Femina Miss India World Nikhita Porwal and Jeena Mitra Banik, communications expert.

Rotary International president representative Babumon K and his partner Beena Babu of Rotary International District 3211; Shekhar Mehta, past Rotary International president; Anirudha Roychowdhury, Rotary International director; Ramendu Hom Chaudhuri, district governor elect; Tapas Bhattacharjee, district governor nominee; Purnendu Roychowdhury, district governor nominee designate; Hira Lal Yadav, immediate past district governor; Sharath Choudary, district governor of Rotary International District 3150, and past district governors of Rotary International District 3291 were among the attendees.

Contemporary issues like artificial intelligence; screening and prevention of cervical cancer, thalassemia and polio; diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging; peace and conflict resolution and the services of our defence sector, along with important Rotary issues on membership, The Rotary Foundation and official business were among the talking points.

"Rotary District Conference provides Rotarians networking opportunities and fosters new friendships; get inspired while listening to engaging and motivational speakers and success stories; enhance leadership, communication, project management and fundraising; learn about Rotary's new programmes… All these lead to overall personal growth and development as a Rotarian," said Krishnendu Gupta, district governor of Rotary District 3291 and Arch Klumph Society chair’s circle member.

"Sammelan, Rotary District 3291 conference 2025 was unique as sessions dwelled on contemporary issues that widened the knowledge of all Rotarians giving a better understanding of the world we live in and helping us focus on updated community needs," said Amitava Chakraborty, the executive secretary of Rotary District 3291.

The conclave was lit up by cultural programmes featuring artistes like Jojo, Kishore Sodha, Debojit Saha, Jolly Mukherjee and Portia Sen and a fashion show anchored by DJ Arvind.