On the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the city witnessed an event dedicated to creative ideas, reorientation of the society towards the social-sector and ‘Bee-ing the Change’.
The brainchild of eminent media personalities Lynn de Souza and Meenakshi Menon, ‘Social Access’ — a communications firm dedicated to the social and non-profit sector — was formally unveiled. “I realised that it is high time we start thinking about the social sector and doing things we wish to do. So Meenakshi and I discussed it and were ready to roll,” de Souza says.
“A bee is a vital element of the food chain and a bulb reflects bright ideas. Hence the coming together of the two in our logo,” Menon says.
Inspiring personalities like Sarah Wilson, lieutenant commander Abhilash Tomy and Mark Inglis motivated the over 50 children present with riveting abseiling exercises and the like.
Wilson loves facing her fears with a smiling face. “Mountaineering has been an addiction since childhood. Unfortunately, while climbing Mt Cook for the third time, I got buried under a thick mantle of snow due to an avalanche. My friend who was climbing with me rescued me,” she says.
Wilson climbed the climbed the mountain for the fourth time the very next year, cycled back 770km for eight days and kayaked for two days in Strait Cook.
She fought Melanoma cancer with a mighty heart and organised fundraisers worldwide for a Melanoma foundation and skin cancer awareness.
Tomy was the first Indian to circumnavigate the oceans solo, non-stop and unassisted, and was felicitated by the president of India last Saturday. “I don’t believe in giving money to the needy. I feel it is important to impart knowledge and skills to people, to enable them to be financially independent,” he says.
Inglis, who was a mountaineer all his life, lost his feet at the age of 23 to frost bite. “Climbing Mt Everest has always been my dream. After my double amputation, I realised that all I needed was discipline and focus to turn my dream into reality and I did it.”
@riabhatacharyya
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