SCINDIA LITERARY FEST 2018
14 December 2018
The event started with a solemn Opening Ceremony, which was not only attended by Scindians, but also by the visiting schools. The school choir presented a soulful Sarasvati Vandana, followed by a spellbinding semi-classical dance performance. Principal, Dr Madhav Deo Saraswat extended a warm welcome to the distinguished guests. In his address to the gathering, he mentioned that such opportunities must be provided to young, impressionable minds so as further their holistic development. The Principal pressed upon the significance of promoting education for life and not just for livelihood.
The Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai, who is the bestselling author of Inside Chanakya’s Mind, Chatur Chanakya and The Himalayan Problem. Dr. Pillai expressed his heartfelt gratitude for being invited to one of the finest institutions of the country, not just in terms of students, but also in terms of alumni. Dr. Pillai brought forth the idea that the current era need more collaboration and not competition. He believes that leadership should be taught at school and the learners can inculcate leadership through art, music and literature. Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai interacted with the students of class 6th and 7th and told them three mesmerising stories revolving around compassion, competition and leadership. He even gave personal anecdotes, which helped the children connect with his session. Dr. Pillai encouraged the children to be vocal about their opinions and eloquently quoted Chanakya, “I may not agree with your points but I will not take away your right to disagree.”
Mr. Gaurav Tekriwal, who is a distinguished educator and the founder President of The Vedic Maths Forum, India, conducted a session simultaneously. He inspired and informed the learners, helping them to realise their true potential by introducing them to the world’s fastest mental-math system called Vedic Mathematics. He taught the children various tricks, which would help them, solve day-to-day math problems with ease.
A book fair, was the icing on the cake, which had a multitude of books to cater to various pallets of the 21st century learner. With inspired young minds and a renewable love for literature, the first day of the 3rd Scindia Literary Festival came to an edifying and heart-warming end.
On the 4th of December, the day began with a session taken by Ms. Roopal Rashomani Kewalya. Ms. Kewalya is a screenwriter, actor, author, social activist, all bundled up into one. She interacted with the learners of classes 6 and 7. Ms. Kewalya very subtly interwove the importance of environmental conservation through the art of storytelling. She read out an excerpt from her book The Rainmaker bringing to life the story of the little girl Anoushqa, who has never seen rain. The interaction between the author and the children was engaging and insightful, as the little Scindians took the opportunity to learn all that they could about the art of writing and telling stories.
Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai had a session with the students of class 8 to 12, wherein he stressed on the need for an optimistic attitude for reading and writing and asked the audience to strategizing their actions keeping the consequences in mind, taking inspiration from Chanakya. He expressed his pride to be at Scindia and left the learners with an inspirational note of appreciating their talents and enhancing these throughout their lives.
The Garodia sisters, Archana and Shruti, conducted a session with the learners of class 6 and 7. They helped the children tread the lanes of history by using ancient animals of India as media. A video presentation and different stories engaged the children in understanding the historical accounts of various animals in the region of what we now know as India. The smartness of Scindians was reflected in the concluding quiz session, which the learners thoroughly enjoyed.
Mr. Harinder S. Sikka’s session was full of anecdotes on what his journey has been. He inspired the students to stand firm and tall in life, while stressing on his belief of an angel being the life guardian of people at moments of crisis. Mr. Sikka’s experiences indicate ones acknowledgement of humanity and morals for a fulfilling life. The engaging session ended with hi meaningful quote “If you have deciphered your mind and soul, trust me, you have deciphered everything.”
The eventful day ended with the learners asking for more.
The last day of the 3rd Scindia Literary Festival started with an enriching session with Mr. Sudeep Nagarkar. He talked to the learners of class 8 to 11 regarding the hard work and struggle that goes into becoming a full time writer. He encouraged them to be confident and never to judge self and others. He conveyed the strong belief that one will always find a few takers of one's true self in life. He expressed, that in order to become a writer the learners need to be patient as nothing happens overnight. He encouraged the students to have more group discussions and explore the different interpretations of writers as that would help them evolve as a writer.
The session conducted by the Gahilote sisters, Shaguna and Prarthana, transported the learners of class 6 and 7 to the Himalayan region. The sisters shared their journey of finding folk tales in the heart of various places like Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, North Bengal and the like. The sisters discussed the nuances of translating folk tales into English, sensitizing the learners with the importance of preserving their folk tradition and cultures. The Scindians were enthralled during the story telling session and asked a million questions thereafter.
With these inspiring sessions, the 3rd Scindia Literary Festival ended, leaving one and all enraptured in the mesmerising cascades of creativity and literature.
