The Rotary Club of Kalimpong, of Rotary International, was chartered on 20th. April, 1993.

The small town of Kalimpong is located in the Sub-Himalayan region of the Indian state of West Bengal. At an average elevation of 1,250 meters, education, floriculture and tourism are the main contributors to Kalimpong’s economy.

Strong fellowship amongst the members, meaningful community and international service projects characterize the Rotary Club of Kalimpong.

We are a 37-member strong club. Our club is a divergent mix where ethnicity, profession, gender and demography are concerned. In fact, the Rotary Club of Kalimpong is a microcosm of a larger fabric that makes up the different communities who call Kalimpong their home.

Most importantly, being a 100% Paul Haris Fellow Club, our contribution to The Rotary Foundation is significant.

In 2002, the Govt. of West Bengal awarded us the prestigious Rusi B Gimi Award for exemplary work in Community Service. The award was presented to us by the then Governor of West Bengal Late Viren Shah at the Raj Bhawan Kolkata.

Ma Aparna – a legacy of “Doing Good”

Ma Aparna Bose was born in Taki, 24 Parganas, West Bengal on 10th. July, 1930 to late Krishna Das Roy Choudhury and late Karunamayee Roy Choudhury, who were the zamindars and lived in Saudpur, a village by the bank of River Ichhamoti, about 15 Kms away from the main town of Taki. 

Ma Aparna Bose, a  Mother not only to the members of Rotary Club of Kalimpong, but to all the members throughout the District 3240, Ma was married to Abanindra Mohan Bose, popularly known as “Khoka Babu” by the people of Kalimpong in 1948. Khoka Babu owned a Departmental Store known as L. Bose and Company on the Main Road of Kalimpong and was the authorized distributor for His Master’s Voice, Murphy, and Phillips. He had a roaring business with Tibet, selling radios, gramophones and records. He also owned  the prestigious Novelty Cinema, the first cinema hall that came up in Kalimpong. Ma, as a girl, loved watching movies, which was taboo for young girls of our conservative society  and always wished to get married to a cinema owner. God listened to her and granted her wish !.

Ma was blessed with one daughter, Indira, who is a Rotarian and two sons, both are engineers and live with their families in Mumbai and Kolkat. Indira lived with Ma at Tapoban.

When she heard that Rotary was looking for a place to build its own centre, she called Pravakar and open-heartedly gave a piece of land where the present Rotary Centre stands.

The  Centre has now  become a bustling place of information with a digital Library , the first of its kind in Kalimpong. Plans  are afoot to make a Learning Commons.

Ma had attended all the District Conferences held in different parts of the District with full enthusiasm and excitement and always loved looking forward for the forthcoming ones. She also attended two International Conventions. In fact Ma attended more conferences than any of our members!

Ma Aprana Bose was conferred with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow on 3rd. July, 2011. She was glowing with happiness after she received her Paul Harris Fellow pin and kept on asking “why me”?

Besides travelling, she loved reading , watching T.V, cooking and looking after Tapoban.

Though not a Rotarian, Ma was a  torch bearer of “Doing Good” . She stood for it and will always stand for it. Let us carry forward  the legacy that she left behind. 

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die”– Thomas Campbell