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| Edited By: Puja Pednekar |Source: DNA |Updated: Feb 13, 2011, 11:11 PM IST
Nearly 100 students revealed their thought provoking and inspirational India positive stories, at Melange 2011, the management festival of KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, on Sunday, at the launch of DNA ‘India Positive’, a first of its kind initiative for youth, to celebrate the positive spirit of India.
Out of several written entries and online forms, eight students were short-listed, by a panel consisting of Professor Radha Iyer, Professor Ramkishen Y and Professor Isaac Jacob, to present their ideas of a positive India and what kind of positive changes they would make in Mumbai.
Most of the students highlighted the achievements by India and Indians such as Aryabhatta’s contribution of number the ‘0’ to mathematics, originating calculus, trigonometry and algebra.
Manasi Sabne, a third-year physiotherapy student from KJ Somaiya College of Physiotherapy, won the competition for her essay on the selfless work of social workers like Sindutai Sapkal, known as mother of a thousand children, who looked after the welfare of nearly 42,000 orphans. “On one hand we have people like Tai, on the other techies like Narayan Murthy, who have created employment opportunities for the masses. India needs to strike a balance between technical and social development,” she added.
Students also discussed the need to bring about changes in the education system. Students cited examples of initiatives like Anandkumar’s ‘Super Thirty’, which conducts free tutorials for under privileged children in Bihar, to crack the IIT entrance test; Teach for India, and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan “We can set up a force of college students that will check on child labour employed in every shops and restaurant in the city. The force will enroll these children in school and ensure that they do not drop out,” said Namrata Mishra, a student of SIMSR.
Somaiya students have started ‘Somaiya Social Cell’, which helps the poor find jobs. “One of the major areas where change is required is the railways. We can follow the example of certain western countries and construct a bridge over existing railway lines, we can increase the capacity of the railways by 60%,” said Swapnil Redekar, another student.
