Rotarian Makhan Dhesi, a member of the Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites, has recently returned from his latest trip to the Punjab region of India.
Armed with a donation from the Birstall Luddites, Makhan headed for the Junior Dhesian Kahna School, Jullundar, Punjab where he presented a cheque to fund a new water cooling system which had just been installed.
Banner welcoming Rtn Makhan and thanking Makhan inspects the new pump the Birstall Luddites for their donation
Makhan inspects the new pump
The school certainly laid out the red carpet for Makhan, a very welcome guest in this part of the world as it was far from his first visit!
Prior to joining the Luddites, Makhan had been a member of the Rotary Club of Batley from 1982 up to 2021 when the Club was forced to close due to the lack of members. Makhan had been president of the Batley Club in the 1996-97 year during which around £12,000 was raised for local charities. However, it was in 1998 that Makhan embarked on his first trip to his homeland on behalf of Rotary where he helped to set up 5 cataract removal eye camps in Punjabi villages in the Jullundar District of Punjab.
Later, in 2015 Makhan oversaw the distribution of school pullovers to the pupils of a school in Jullundar, followed in 2017 by the distribution of full school uniforms to pupils at an additional school in the same region.
In addition to the commitment and hard work of the efforts of Batley Rotarians and Birstall Luddites, Makhan has also made personal gift donations to extend and support ongoing projects in these local Jullundar villages.
In 1998 he supported the construction of pupil bathrooms in Dhesian Kahna School and then in 2017 provided funding for the installation of a water cooling system at the Senior Dhesian Kahna School in Jullundar. On his most recent visit this year a donation to Dhesian Kahna Sikh Gurdwara/Temple will help to complete an extension to their kitchen facilities which is currently under construction.
Pupils, staff and parents admire the new ‘cool water’ facility