This hotelier used Covid-19 to focus on giving back to society

Chetan Hansraj, Actor |

Rahul Rohra of Executive Enclave hotel in Khar helps provide protein-rich diet to tuberculosis patients, runs anti-narcotics drives in suburban colleges. 

Rahul Rohra, 38, a second generation hotelier, was one of the early Covid-19 positive patients in 2020. “Because we had so many people living at the Executive Enclave Hotel, me and my entire staff contracted the infection. That was the beginning of an eye-opening journey for me,” he recounted. 

As soon as he recovered, Rohra started to explore avenues to help others who needed assistance. “From running our kitchens for food for the needy to helping the government infrastructure, we pitched in as many ways as we could,” he said. A member of the Rotary Club since 2019, he now started getting involved with the social sector more earnestly.

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Now president-elect for 2024-25 for the Rotary Club Bandra, Rohra has begun focusing on two major fronts –  health and youth empowerment. “First is the tuberculosis programme, where we focus on over 130 people from underprivileged backgrounds. TB medications are strong and one needs to take a very high-protein diet along with the medicines. Several people can’t afford the protein rich diet and thus go off the medication,” he said. “So, our aim is to ensure that these TB patients get healthy food everyday.” Rohra supplies protein rich meals twice daily to these TB patients in the Bandra region.  

Rohra also invited the tuberculosis control programme officer of the local municipal office for an awareness programme.  

Other initiatives he has taken up include thalassemia screening for students, beach clean-up drives on Carter Road with school students, mental health discussions, and more. 

His group also runs anti-substance abuse campaigns along with the Mumbai Police in colleges and schools across Bandra. “We see kids in slums starting to abuse substances very early. We work with colleges and schools and hold awareness campaigns. We also get eminent personalities to the colleges to talk about drug abuse and how to get out of the vicious cycle of abuse,” he said.

Rohra, whose grandfather came to India during Partition, remembers and carries his family legacy to his social work. He believes that it is important to give back to society. 

“Only during Covid-19 were we as a society forced to stop our own personal and professional hustle to look at our surroundings. I was forced to look at what legacy I was leaving for children, my own and others. That’s when I started to ensure more of my time is spent in giving back to society,” he said.