About Rotary Club Of Bombay

The Rotary Club of Bombay is one of the pioneers in India of the rotary movement, devoted to the ideal of Fellowship through service. It was founded on March 19, 1929. The Club meets every Tuesday at 1.15 p.m. at the Taj Mahal Hotel, the very place where the founders had their first get-together. The first president of the club was Rtn. Charles N. Moberley. Sir Phiroze Sethna, one of India’s most illustrious sons, was the only Indian among the other European founder members and the first Board consisted of only eight members. Most clubs in Dist 3140 can trace their roots to the Rotary Club of Bombay.

Reading the list of subsequent presidents is like scanning the ‘Who’s who’ of Bombay of the time, bearing names of personalities who even to this day have left their mark on the multifaceted life of this great Metropolis. Amongst the first few presidents of the Club we have had names like Sir Shapoorjee Billimoria, Sir Sultan Chinoy, Sir Jamshedji Duggan, Sir Vithal Chandavarkar, Sir Francis Low, Sir Behram Karanjia and many others.

The membership of the Club has grown from 38 in 1929 to around 350 today. The unique single classification concept of Rotary allows the Rotary Club of Bombay a membership compromising a high performance cross-section of Bombay’s successful business and professional men and women, all accomplishers in their own field ranging from doctors to architects, legal luminaries to bankers, entrepreneurs to educationalists and merchandisers to communicators. The Club offers a stimulating fellowship based on a fascinating diversity of interests in business, arts, sciences and the professional expertise of its members.
This Club has inspired the incorporation of 26 Interact clubs, with about 750 school children as members, and 6 Rotaract clubs with a membership of about 200 college students. There is also a very active Inner Wheel Club.

From the very beginning the pulse of Rotary has been and always will be Community Service. Today the Rotary Club of Bombay has diversified its activities through the work of over fifty committees constituted to look after the various avenues of service. Of these, over 20 contribute to community service. The Club has been able to attempt a number of service programmes only because of generous donations of time and money by the members.

“The prayer in silence with faith for love is service in peace.”
– Mahatma Gandhi