As I write my message in this Governor’s Monthly Letter of rotary Year 2025-26, my heart is filled with gratitude, pride, and optimism.

This Rotary year has been an extraordinary journey—one made possible by the dedication, passion, and generosity of every Rotarian, Rotaractor, and Rotary Club in our District. Together, we have demonstrated that when we are united by a common purpose, there is no limit to the good we can achieve. Working with synergy added much excitement within clubs, inspiring greater participation, stronger teamwork, and a renewed spirit of service. By Uniting we could do about 35 Global Grant funded projects and as many as 69 Clubs participated in them.

Keeping my promise to our Rotarians we had all our Meets of various Avenues at Zonal locations. We could reach nearly 3-4 times more Rotarians and many who attended were first timers. Zonal Meets was a great success.

From impactful service projects and meaningful community initiatives to pioneering events such as the Circular Economy Conference, Net Zero Seminar, RCC Conference, and many other firsts for our District, we have continued to set new benchmarks. Some more firsts have been the Member Participation Index, a separate CPI for new clubs, and the Vocational Directory—all important initiatives for membership retention. Equally important were the District Fellowship Meets and cultural programmes that brought our Rotary family closer together, strengthening friendships, fostering understanding, and reminding us that fellowship remains the cornerstone of Rotary. The Car Rally to Saurashtra was a great opportunity for assimilation and adventure, creating memorable experiences and deeper bonds among participants. We have not only touched lives—we have transformed them.

Our Major Donor – Black Tie function and the CSR Awards Summit were a super success.  We received many messages from our CSR Partners thanking and appreciating the event. They benefitted with lots of positive takeaways from the event – both content and organisation

I have been privileged to witness Rotary in action across our District: clubs responding to local needs, members stepping forward to lead, and communities benefiting from our collective commitment to service. Every visit, every project, and every interaction strengthened my belief that Rotary remains a powerful force for positive change.

One area where our District truly demonstrated its commitment to Rotary values was our support for The Rotary Foundation. Despite several external challenges and uncertainties during the year, our members remained steadfast in their belief that doing good in the world begins with giving. We did our very best to support our Foundation, knowing that every contribution today creates opportunities for life-changing service tomorrow. I am deeply grateful to every Rotarian who contributed to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, Endowment, and other Foundation initiatives. Your generosity reflects not only your faith in Rotary but also your commitment to making a lasting difference in communities across the globe.

I would also like to place on record my deepest appreciation for District First Lady PP Tanuuja, who has been my greatest strength throughout this journey. As an active and knowledgeable Rotarian, she has been a true partner in service. Her insights, encouragement, and unwavering commitment to Rotary have enriched this year in countless ways.

As this year comes to a close, I extend my heartfelt thanks to all Club Presidents and their Members, District Secretaries, Assistant Governors, District Directors and their Committees, Rotaractors, and every member who contributed their time, talent, and resources. Your support made this journey both successful and memorable.

On June 26, 2026 our PI Team released the first ever e-Book comprising of all the reported PI activities done by Clubs in our District. This e-Book will be available to all of us for future reference.

We also signed two MOUs recently – one is for promoting ‘Menstrual Hygiene’ education in schools. Every club can participate in coming 2 years through CSR initiatives. The second one is for promoting protection of Honeybees for improving crop yield and empowering rural communities for additional income through training.

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to our GML team for bringing out one of the most informative, engaging and enjoyable Governor’s Monthly Letters every single month. The Team’s creativity, commitment, timely efforts and attention to every detail ensured we got to know our Districts activities, projects and celebrations.

While one Rotary year ends, our mission continues. Let us carry forward the spirit of service, strengthen our Foundation, nurture our membership, deepen our fellowship, and continue creating hope and opportunities for those who need them most.

Thank you for giving me the honour and privilege of serving as your District Governor. The memories, friendships, lessons, and experiences of this remarkable year will remain with me forever.

Together, we have shown what it truly means to be United For Good—not just as a theme, but as a way of serving, leading, and living Rotary.

With warm regards and best wishes,

Rtn. Santosh Marathe

District Governor 2025-26

Rotary International District 3131