Om Chawla, a young Sindhian is doing his bit for society working for the Rotaract Movement.
Growing up with three sisters, one a twin, Om Chawla did his schooling at Greenlawns School (Worli). Apart from values instilled at home, it was school that ensured he developed self-confidence, empathy and sympathy. “Swimming and tennis were my go to sports. I was school swimming champion for three years in a row and also won a tennis scholarship from ILFS at the MSLTA (Mumbai).”
The changing point in his personality happened when he joined H.R. College. “Both my sisters were already in H.R. and that is when I was introduced to the world of Rotaract. I was taught to conceive, conceptualize, achieve, and implement. I adopted this as my way of thinking changing my weakness into strength and competing with my own self. I had perused my under graduation and completed my BMS from HR College while I was still undertaking all my Rotaract activities and talking my steps towards becoming the District Rotaract Representative (DRR) for the Rotaract Movement.”
Incidentally Rotaract Organization is the Partner of Rotary International and has an objective to help youth develop skills and work to bring positive change in society. “While a lot of young boys and girls my age were going out of hand Rotaract helped me stay grounded and kept me on track. The movement taught me networking skills, helped me be a leader, taught me how to be professional in my dealings and most importantly to give back to the society.”
On 24th January, 2016 Om was announced as the DRR for the Rotaract year 2017-2018 which made him one of the youngest DRR’s of the movement at the age of 25. His 360 degree vision for the year included education of the underprivileged, providing support to the specially-abled, digitalization of the organization, creating future leaders with mentoring programs and training camps, collaboration with partners and celebrating 50 years of the organization. “The year in all was about planning, inspiring, motivating, decision making, being a problem solver and most importantly being a visionary leader.”
A true leader he says that leadership is not about leading but more about learning and giving back. “Leadership is about having a vision and a plan and making sure that everyone on your team is on the same page. Leadership is about listening to people and making decisions that may not be easy but must be taken.” He is currently working in the real estate industry and working towards finishing his higher education and hopes to start his own firm and business after.
This story first appeared in The Sindhian Jan-Mar 2019 here: Om Chawla