Joining Rotaract was not an unexpected incident. But coming this far has been completely unexpected. Since school, I always wanted to join a club, but somehow I never got the chance. A friend of mine was an active Rotaractor in the Rotaract Club of CINEC. He used to post about various initiatives of the club, and that inspired me to give Rotaract a try.

Unfortunately, I missed the intake during my first year at university. However, in my second year (2023), I finally joined the club. Initially, I thought Rotaract was simply a club that carried out CSR projects. But after attending the orientation, I realized that Rotaract is so much more than that.

Over the past two years, I’ve contributed to many projects and collected thousands of memories. I went from being a general member to becoming the Co-Director of the IT Avenue. But honestly, the positions didn’t matter as much as the journey I experienced and the memories I made.

In my first year with Rotaract, my main avenue was the Community Service Avenue (Com). I also joined to the IT and RE Avenues. My first project was Swabasamudra 1.0. I remember during the interview, they asked if I could create flyers and videos. I actually could, but I didn’t like that position, because creating a beautiful flyer takes a lot of effort and time. So, I faced the interview in a way that made it clear I wasn’t interested in that role. As expected, I ended up as a general member of the Organizing Committee.

Surprisingly though, a few months later I was appointed as the PR Coordinator for the project. Finally end up contributing in that role for all the projects within the three avenues I was involved in.

Swabasamudra was a year-long project. Alongside that, the Com Avenue initiated Jingle Bells, a Christmas party held at a children’s home in Gampaha. This was a shorter, but it was a unique and heartwarming one. I handled the entire PR side of that project on my own. I also contributed to Project Ignite Sri Lanka. But I didn’t do much their.

Within the RE Avenue, I supported all their projects, including project Warnyalam and Senehasa.

The IT Avenue was particularly important to me as it aligned with my academic and career interests. Although it wasn’t as active compared to the other avenues, it was an interesting one. The avenue was assigned a gaming competition called Ludicon, organized in collaboration with the Legion Club of the university. I joined the organizing committee for this as well.

Around this time, the team leader applications opened. I applied only for the IT Avenue, faced the interview confidently, and was selected as a Team Leader (TL) of the IT avenue. I gave my full support to the avenue’s directors, helped maintain the website, and contributed to Ludicon.

When it came time to start RotaTomorrow (RT), I was already heavily involved in several other projects and didn’t have time to join as a TL to overlook a team or RT event committee. However, eager to be part of a project, I joined project Arogya(one of the RT project) as the ER Coordinator. To be honest, I didn’t perform that role as well as I hoped, but I attended all the ER hunts and gave my full support. Eventually, I was invited to join the RT event committee and contributed as much as I could. That’s where I met many of the current board members.

As the Rotaract year came to an end, I applied to become the Director of the IT Avenue and I was selected. My Co-Director was Rtr. Vandana, and our overseeing ExCo member was Rtr. Sachinthani. Traditionally, the IT Avenue isn’t known for large projects. However, Vandana and I had a different vision.

The official website and blog site of our Rotaract club are managed by the IT Avenue. Technically, by me. The website was newly created in the 2023–24 Rotaract year by the former IT Directors, Sampath Aiya and Yasiru Aiya, who did a fantastic job. I mainly had to keep it updated.

But the blog site was a different story. It was outdated and needed a complete overhaul. Vandana and I began planning and designing a new version. Within a few weeks, and after consulting with the Editorial Avenue, we came up with a plan and redesigned the entire blogsite. We celebrated the relaunch of the RACUOK blog, along with the milestone of publishing 1000 articles, on September 2024, in collaboration with the Editorial Avenue.

The main event of the IT Avenue, however, was Eduketha, a three-phase project conducted over eight months. My favourite phase was Rathmalana Deaf School teaching phase. It included 24 teaching sessions, and I attended every one I possibly could. I truly loved teaching there. The other two phases were the A/L ICT Seminar Series and TechXpo. TechXpo was the biggest and most stressful phase of the project.

I must mention the organizing committee of Eduketha. For eight months, they stayed committed and gave their best. I’ve been in many OCs, but this one stood out. Not just because it was under my avenue, but because of the bond we shared. It wasn’t just a OC; it was a family. Some of our phone conversations went on for hours, not about the project; but just full of laughter and little stories. A big appreciation goes to our Chairpersons: Akalanka, Ayesh, Nilakshi, and the TLs of the avenue: Akalanka, Harini, and Thamara. With them, managing the OC was much easier and I really had not much to do.

Apart from the three main phases, there was also a secret “fourth phase”, a codename we used internally, which somehow concluded unsuccessfully. Only a few in the avenue knew about this lovely mystery, and perhaps no one else ever will.

Finally, I must thank two people I can’t forget. My Co-Director Vandana and our ExCo member Sachinthani. Due to my internship, there were times I couldn’t contribute fully. During those times, these two always stepped up. I truly appreciate your dedication and support. Together, the three of us took our avenue one step further.

As I look back on my Rotaract journey, my heart fills with gratitude, pride, and a hint of sadness. I didn’t do all of this to fill a line in my CV. I did it because I truly loved every moment. From working on projects to creating deep friendships, from laughing late into the night to learning lessons that books could never teach. Rotaract gave me a second home.

I met people from all faculties, shared stories, danced without reason, and traveled on unforgettable trips. I created bonds that will last a lifetime. Through Rotaract, I discovered not just my strengths but also the joy of giving, the value of teamwork, and the beauty of shared dreams. I met people who inspired me, challenged me, stood by me. We built dreams together, failed together, grew together. The bonds we created weren’t just for events. they were for life.

There’s a quote I carry with me:
“If a goodbye hurts, it’s means you spent your time well.” And yes, this goodbye hurts a lot. Thank you, Rotaract for everything.