R. J. Coombs, the manager of a steel products company in Calcutta was on a business trip in the USA. There he got interested in the Rotary movement and was impressed with its emphasis on “friendship, fellowship and service”. On his return, he organised the first Rotary Club in India, the Rotary Club of Calcutta. The first meeting was held on 26th September 1919 and was granted its Charter on 1st January 1920 with 20 members, all non-Indians. In the same year, Sir Surendranath Banerjee was bestowed the first honorary membership and S.C.Rudra admitted as the first Indian member with the Classification “Mining Engineer”. In 1926, Nitish Laharry, who went on to become the President of Rotary International, was elected the first Indian honorary secretary of the Club. A.F.M. Abdul Ali became the first Indian to lead a Rotary Club. The Rotary Club of Lahore was Chartered in 1927.
The Rotary Club of Bombay was launched on 19th March 1929 with an initial strength of 38 members. Sir Phiroze Sethna, a member of the Legislative Assembly, was the only Indian. In 1937-38 he became the first Indian District Governor of then District 89. Jim Davidson, the founder of the Rotary Club of Bombay, organised a group in Delhi, and formed the Rotary Club of Delhi on 26th April 1929. Unfortunately, massive emigration of the population at the time, led to a fall in membership, and the club had to be closed down in 1931.
The untiring Jim Davidson, with the help of F.C. James in Madras, formed a Rotary Club there with 30 Charter members, all non-Indians, in 1929. During the very first year distinguished Indian joined the Club including Raja Sir M. A. Muthaiah. The Madras club sponsored a club at Nilgiris, which in turn sponsored the Rotary Club of Coimbatore. Most clubs in South India can trace their roots to the Madras Club.
After the Second World War and Independence, Rotary in India truly began to grow. From six clubs and 235 members in 1929-30, Rotary expanded to 71 clubs with a total membership of 3,121 by the end of 1946-47. Until 1931 Rotary Clubs in the sub-continent were undistricted. In 1931-32 a provisional District A was formed covering Afghanistan, India, Burma and Ceylon. This was soon confirmed as District 89 and had Sir Fredrick James as its first District Governor. The first ever Rotary District Conference was held in Madras in 1936-37.
In 1958, the first Asian Regional Conference was held in Delhi. It was a grand affair attended by R.I. President Cliff Randal who presented the Charter to the 10,000th Rotary Club in the world – the Rotary Club of Mandvi (Gujarat) in the presence of the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
1962-63 was another landmark year when Nitish Laharry was elected the first ever Asian President of Rotary International.
1984 saw the inauguration of the South Asia Branch Office in Delhi.
In 1991-92, Rajendra Saboo became the second Indian to lead Rotary International.