Brahmavar, July 1, 2026
Rotary Brahmavar has once again reaffirmed its place as one of the coastal region's most enduring humanitarian institutions, successfully conducting its Free Monthly Mental Health Camp at Rotary Samaja Mandira, Brahmavar — a service that has now run without a single break for 23 consecutive years.
The milestone camp, held as always on the first Wednesday of the month, took the club's tally past 276 monthly camps, a record that few grassroots healthcare initiatives in the region can match. Over more than two decades, the programme has quietly grown into a lifeline for hundreds of individuals and families in and around Brahmavar who might otherwise have no easy access to psychiatric care.
A Trusted Hand at the Helm: Dr. P. V. Bhandary
The medical backbone of the initiative continues to be Dr. P. V. Bhandary, the well-known Udupi-based psychiatrist, medical administrator, and social activist who has guided the camp's clinical work since its inception. Dr. Bhandary currently serves as Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist at A.V. Baliga Memorial Hospital, Udupi, and has spent more than two decades combining hospital-based psychiatric practice with hands-on community outreach of exactly this kind.
At Wednesday's camp, Dr. Bhandary and his dedicated medical team once again conducted comprehensive psychiatric evaluations for every patient who came through the doors, offering not just diagnosis but sustained, judgment-free consultation — an approach that has helped chip away at the stigma still associated with mental illness in smaller towns and rural communities. His long association with the Brahmavar camp reflects a broader philosophy he has championed throughout his career: that mental healthcare must be taken to where people live, not confined to hospital wards in bigger cities.
Beyond Brahmavar, Dr. Bhandary is widely recognised across the Udupi-coastal belt for his advocacy on student mental health, OCD awareness, de-addiction, and stigma reduction, and has previously served as President of the Indian Medical Association's Udupi-Coastal branch. His contributions have been honoured with numerous accolades over the years, including the Best Psychiatrist Award, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat Award, the District Kannada Rajyotsava Award, the Dr. S. S. Jayaram Award, the Spandana Award, the Government of Karnataka's Sanyam Award, and the Alevoor Group Award. He has also been selected for the prestigious Sangolli Rayanna Award 2025, conferred by the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Abhimani Balaga and the Kannada Sahitya Parishath, Udupi, in recognition of his combined work as a psychiatrist and social activist.
His steady, unbroken presence at the Brahmavar camp for 23 years running is widely credited by organisers as the single biggest reason the initiative has retained the trust of the local community for so long.
Free Medication: A Unique, Donor-Powered Feature
What sets the Rotary Brahmavar camp apart from many similar outreach efforts is its commitment to complete-cycle care. Every patient who attends doesn't just receive a consultation — each is also given 30 days of free psychiatric medication, ensuring that a diagnosis is followed through with actual treatment rather than leaving vulnerable patients to fend for themselves in accessing costly medicines. This feature, sustained purely through the generosity of local donors and philanthropic organisations, has been central to the camp's effectiveness and is a key reason it continues to draw participants from across the taluk.
Honouring the Region's Doctors on National Doctors' Day
Wednesday's proceedings coincided with National Doctors' Day, and a brief stage programme was organised to felicitate all doctors present in recognition of their service. The doctors were honoured with traditional shawls, bouquets, fruit baskets, and mementoes — a gesture of gratitude from the community they serve.
This year's observance carried special significance, marking the 80th National Doctors' Day, commemorated in India each year in honour of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the physician-statesman whose birth and death anniversaries both fall on July 1.
Global Barkurians Charitable Trust: Partners in a Two-Decade Journey
The camp's long survival owes much to consistent institutional backing, and Wednesday's event was also an occasion to formally recognise that support. Archibald Furtado, Trustee of the Global Barkurians Charitable Trust (GBCT), was felicitated with a traditional shawl and memento in appreciation of the Trust's sustained commitment to the mental health programme.
In his response, Furtado expressed heartfelt appreciation for Rotary Brahmavar's unwavering dedication to humanitarian service, describing the monthly mental health camp as a shining example of "charity in action" — reaching out to the sick, the poor, and the neglected with compassion for 23 uninterrupted years. He commended the club's genuine concern for society and its consistency in delivering care to those who need it most.
The gracious presence of Kishore Gonsalves, GBCT Trustee and noted philanthropist, was also acknowledged with appreciation by the organisers, underscoring the Trust's continuing role as one of the camp's pillars of support.
The Global Barkurians Charitable Trust, based in Barkur, has for years partnered with community organisations across the coastal belt on welfare initiatives, and its association with Rotary Brahmavar's mental health camp stands as one of its more enduring philanthropic commitments — a partnership that has directly enabled the programme's signature offering of free medication alongside free consultation.
Community Leadership and Wide Participation
The July camp was jointly sponsored by the Global Barkurians Charitable Trust (Barkur), the Rotary Club of Brahmavar, and the Rotary Social Welfare Trust, reflecting the collaborative model that has kept the initiative running for over two decades.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from Rotary members, donors, volunteers, and well-wishers, reaffirming a shared commitment to building a healthier, happier, and more compassionate society. Among those present and playing a role in the day's proceedings were Walter Cyril Pinto, Ashok Kumar Shetty, and Rotary Club of Brahmavar President Alwyn Andrade, whose continued involvement and organisational support have been instrumental in keeping the camp running smoothly month after month.
A Legacy That Keeps Growing
Rotary Brahmavar extended sincere gratitude to Dr. P. V. Bhandary and his medical team, the sponsoring organisations, donors, volunteers, and everyone who has contributed to sustaining this noble initiative over the past two decades and more. What began as a small community health effort has, through consistency and partnership, become a model of what grassroots healthcare delivery can look like when medicine, philanthropy, and civic service work hand in hand.
The club continues to invite members of the public to avail themselves of this free mental health service, conducted without fail on the first Wednesday of every month at Rotary Samaja Mandira, Brahmavar.
For more information about the camp or to seek support, residents may contact Rotary Brahmavar or A.V. Baliga Memorial Hospital, Udupi.