History of Round Table International
The founder, Louis Marchesi, was a young member of Norwich Rotary Club who felt a need existed for a club where the young business men of the town could gather, on a regular basis. At their meetings they could exchange ideas, learn from the experiences of their colleagues and play a collective part in the civic life of Norwich. Within a year of inception the membership of this Round Table had grown to 85 and interest was being shown in establishing Round Tables elsewhere. A second Round Table was established in Portsmouth and subsequent growth was rapid, with 125 Tables and a membership of 4,600 by 1939. Round Table proved it had international appeal with the first overseas Table formed in Copenhagen in 1936.
After 1945 the pattern of growth was rapidly re-established with Tables being ‘chartered’ all over the UK. Today there are about 900 Tables with a membership of around 10,000.
ROUND TABLE INDIA
Round Table India (RTI) is an organization of non-political and non-sectarian young men between the age group of 18 and 40. The aim of the young men is to promote service, fellowship and goodwill in national and international affairs. Round Table India, the association, was formed in 1962 with just a membership of 100. It has, over the last 4 decades, grown to become a 4600 member strong association, individuals who can rise above personal concerns to seek and serve the larger needs of the community. Round Table Trust is a Trust floated by its parent body.
We have 303 chapters called ‘Tables’ located in 124 cities and towns of India, comprising of 4600 young leaders from business, entrepreneurs, technocrats and professionals…all passionate about eradicating illiteracy.
Round Table India is a service organization with a National Executive and a well-structured organization. We have an independent budget for administration which takes care of the administrative costs of our organization.
Round Table India Trust is a Public Charitable Trust registered u/s 12 AA of IT Act. It has got 80 G approval issued by ITO, Chennai. It has also obtained registration from Govt. of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi to receive foreign donations.
Round Table India’s main object is to promote education through its National Project
FREEDOM THROUGH EDUCATION
Even after 65 years of independence, Millions of Indian children have never, ever been to school. Illiteracy is a self-fulfilling curse that perpetuates the chain of poverty, degradation and child labor. To reach out to this group of underprivileged children, since the year 1996, RTI across the country started adopting projects aimed at providing quality school infrastructure, and then in 1998 this project was formalized and thus born the National Project of Round Table India “Freedom Through Education” – In pursuit of educating underprivileged children
Round Table India’s focus on Infrastructure-Building is aimed at promoting Education for Posterity and hence RTI has put in colossal efforts to build FTE School Blocks across the nation.
UNDER THE FTE PROGRAM, our Members (called Tablers) identify needy Schools for underprivileged that are operating from dilapidated or open structures; schools that have land available but little resources to take up big ticket expenditures like Construction. It is here that RTI steps in and builds School Blocks with Amenities across India to help such efforts and hands over newly constructed quality school Blocks to the school bodies.
Round Table India under Freedom Through Education has built 7141 Classrooms in 3041 Projects impacting 7.86 million Children.
Gaurav Virendra Agrawal 