31st October was a very lucky day for all of us since we all got the rare privilege to hear eminent personalities from different walks of life. The speakers were those who had scripted success stories in their own right by their sheer grit, determination and their eye for the unusual. It was astonishing to see them nurture their passions so unbelievably!! As they say, make your passion your profession and you will evade the boredom from your lives! This seemed quite true for some of the young entrepreneurs who spoke to us that day.
Mr. Mahendra Joshi, in his true signature style flagged off the programme by giving brief introductions of the guests. He expresses agony on the injustice being done to our national language Hindi because of the local flavours and how it is affecting even the likes of teachers which will eventually reflect in our students. He gave tips on the correct usage and also some etiquette to be kept in mind henceforth in the wake of such programmes so that the take away from such sessions grows manifold.
The first speaker was Mr. Manveer Singh who is a native of Indore, and with his vision of providing grooming and adventure sport facilities to the youth and school children of Indore, spoke of his new assignment. It is a resort located about eighty kilometers from Indore with excellent adventure sport facilities like rope traverse, rappelling, commando training for beginners and the like. It was a virtual tour as he took us through some pictures of a camp that was conducted recently. His enthusiasm was so contagious that all of us were compelled to think of an outbound training camp for mentors in the same area.
“Service with a smile”-SWAS, this is the cornerstone of the hospitality industry”, said Mr. Saurabh Dawra, owner of the Crown Palace Hotel in Indore. He spoke of his passion for cooking and the various aspects that make cooking much more than a perfunctory activity. He said that cooking is a science and the recipes are the formulae. He answered queries of most of us with a ‘smile’. He voiced concern about the apathy of the municipality with respect to disposal of the food waste.
Guru Vishnu Chinchalkar’s contribution to the world of art is known to all residents of Indore. His son is also a patron of art and the various manifestations of it, if one could put it metaphorically. Dileep Chinchalkar, who carries forward his father‘s legacy was the next speaker. The austerity, of this ‘man with a few words’ was the most striking element of his personality. He began with his stints in Australia and England and compared and contrasted the situations to those in India. That hedges were such a phenomenon was made aware to us by his stupendous narration of his quest for the hedges and the quest of a Briton named Roy Moxham and their mutual acquaintances that followed. The hedges of yore were a small ecosystem where flora and fauna could co-exist in harmony. These have been replaced by concrete walls which have also made us lead the ‘upwardly mobile’ vegetative lifestyles. The gravitas in this gentleman’s personality left everyone spellbound!
Dr. Premlata Parekh who is a renowned paediatrician of Indore, was the next speaker. She invited everyone to the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Chacha Nehru Hospital for children which is the first and the largest childrens’ hospital in Indore under the Government. She explained that a series of workshops will be conducted in connection with this and the one on “Behavioural Disorders’ will be of help to mentors in particular, given the escalating stress levels in children owing to academic expectations from parents.
The determination of a woman can bring about changes in the lives of a thousand women. Mrs. Janak Palta McGillian is a testimony to this. She and her husband Jimmy Mcgillian have worked together for the Tribal Welfare Initiative. The Barli Development Institute for Rural women under her stellar leadership aims at empowering the human resources especially woman who are the central pillar to the development of any country. Here, women are considered the assets and their talents are the capital. Mr. Jimmy Mcgillian has enabled the group to exploit solar energy and make the best use of it.
Our youth in general is losing the attachment to the heritage sites of Indore which mark the rich and pristine history associated with it. The Rajwada is one such example of neglect and ignorance. Mr. Vijay Choudhary, special correspondent of the popular daily “Patrika”, spoke of his campaign to spread awareness about preserving these monuments for posterity. Patrika has always carried features about the activities of our school. The Editor of the childrens’ magazine “Spectrum’, Mr. Kapil Pancholi was also present. It is a widely known fact that this magazine is also one of the favourites among children.
Wildlife is truly mesmerizing, but one needs to have an eye to understand it and appreciate the beauty it offers. The ace photographer of Indore and a bird lover, ardent traveler and the Photo editor of “Dainik Bhaskar”, Mr.Bhalu Mondhe also took us through an assortment of his photographs, most of which had been captured at the Sirpur Lake which throngs with migratory birds in the peak season. His team has been successful in restoring the required habitat for the birds to survive and breed in plenty. His body of work is so large that compressing it in a one hour talk was impossible but his snapshots were a glimpse of his genius.
The famous painter Mr. Vasant Chinchwadkar was also among the distinguished guests but he chose to speak on another occasion. His simplicity was amazing despite spending 40 years in London. It made us reflect on ourselves and understand the futility of material possessions against intellectual assets. A passionate teacher, Mrs. Vinita Dharm was also present to hear all the guests speak.
The talk ended by Mrs. Smita Rathore’s vote of thanks to all the guests for having made our day, one full of learning and enriching joyrides through this great gamut of life!!!
Surya
(Mentor, Class VII)
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