Rotary Club of Poona Downtown
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Cleaning Up for a Cleaner Pune: Interact Club's Initiative
This year’s Ganeshotsav at Pune’s iconic Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple drew an
overwhelming two crore devotees over the 10-day festival, with nearly 17.5 lakh visitors on the very
first day alone. While the spiritual fervour was unmatched, the aftermath left behind mountains of
waste on the streets surrounding the temple.
In an inspiring display of responsibility, the young members of the Interact Club of Poona Downtown
spent their morning cleaning the road in front of the temple premises. Armed with gloves, garbage
bags, and an unwavering sense of civic duty, these children showed that true devotion goes beyond
rituals — it extends to caring for one’s city and environment. The Interact Club of Poona Downtown
is a unique community based Interact Club, under the aegis of Rotary Club of Poona Downtown.
In its fourth year, the Club has members (in the age range of 17 to 18 years) from different schools and
colleges in the city. Mentored by Rtn. Aashima Agashe, the Interactors of this club were
determined to show the city that true devotion doesn’t end with the visarjan – it is our responsibility
to keep the city and temple surroundings clean, thereby honouring Lord Ganesha and the
environment.
By stepping in where many adults hesitated, the Interactors sent out a powerful message: being a
A conscious citizen means ensuring that our celebrations do not leave our shared spaces in disarray.
Their effort not only restored cleanliness to one of Pune’s busiest festival zones but also set an
example for the larger community to follow. The Interactors were pleasantly surprised to find
themselves being photographed and freely praised not just by strangers but also by the city police
officials stationed on duty near the temple premises.
As Pune continues to host grand celebrations, these young changemakers remind us that faith and
responsibility must go hand in hand.
Cultural Exchange: Rotary Club of Poona Downtown Hosts German Students
Rotary Club of Poona Downtown warmly welcomed two exchange students from Germany this year.
Caroline Binner had come for a short-term exchange for 6 weeks in August. She had a very fruitful stay in Poona and was hosted by a Rtn. Dinesh Parmar.
Caroline played football and tried other sports too at the Poona Club. She enjoyed being a part of Independence day celebrations and festivals like Raksha Bandhan and Ganesh Chaturthi.
She was fluent in English and so she could communicate with everyone comfortably. She enjoyed travelling in the Metro and the rickshaw rides.
Caroline also visited Pune’s Heritage Tulsi Baug, Dagdusheth Temple, Saras baug and Shaniwar Wada with her host family. They tried to give her the best Indian experience in all possible ways. Caroline returned with wonderful memories of Pune.
The second student is Pepe Loi Schröter is a 16-year-old student from Germany. He arrived on the 4th of September 2025, and will be here for one year.
Pepe is hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Jagdish Purandare. Their daughter Meera has gone to France as a long term student.
An enthusiastic boy, Pepe is slowly getting used to the Indian way of living. He enjoys Maharashtrian cuisine. He read and heard about the Ganesh Festival and was very excited to be a part of the festival. He witnessed the Ganpati Visarjan procession and was overwhelmed with the celebrations.
Pepe attends Symbiosis College. He has bonded with his host family very well and has made a few friends in college too.
He has taken a keen interest in Gymnastics and has started his training. We are sure that he has a happy and pleasant stay in India.
