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Interview with Hans Raj alumnus Prabhat Choudhary: Founder, Spice- Bollywood PR agency

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Some 13 years ago, when Prabhat was eating at Nirulas, one of his favorite food joints at North Campus, University of Delhi, little would’ve he known that he would end up marketing films of Bollywood big shots like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Yash Raj Chopra. Prabhat Choudhary is the founder cum face behind Spice, a Bollywood PR agency responsible for successful marketing of movies like 3 Idiots, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Gangs of Wasseypur, Dhoom, Zindagi na Milegi Dobaara and recently released PK. Spice has carved a place for itself in the education curriculum in India with IIM Bangalore formulating a special case study on this film promotion and publicity firm.

Prabhat Choudhary, an English (Honors) graduate from Hans Raj College (Class of 2001) recently got into a conversation with DU Beat. Here are certain excerpts from our conversation with the alumnus of Hans Raj College and DPS, Mathura Road, Delhi:

Iresh: So Prabhat would you like to tell us something about your days in college and Delhi University as a student.

Prabhat: University has had a profound impact on me in many ways. The kind of environment that the University and campus gave is very special. It was not just about learning or the courses you do. It was not only about friends and the people you meet, but was about being in that space. It was relaxed and outside influences did not reach you inside the campus as it was itself the self-sustaining ecosystem.

Cliched things, nukkads and the happening student life will be cherished forever as we have a lot of memories there. Nobody can ever forget the time spent in and around Kamla Nagar Market. In our times, Nirulas was also famous.

Iresh: How did the University culture affect you both personally and professionally?

Prabhat: It gave me some kind of global perspective. University wasn’t immune to what happened at societal or global level. It always had students who have strong social conscious. They read newspapers, social affairs influence them and they have a voice. There is also little bit of political awareness which is missing in students of Bombay or other cities. Delhi is such a city where people voice their opinions and it is important for student community as well to have that kind of approach. This lays foundation for them to be aware citizens of the country and it helps professionally too because prospects are better.

Iresh: On the academic front what is that one thing at DU, which is different from other educational institutions across the country?

Prabhat: There was difference of focus on academics. When you do general courses (not technical or professional courses) like Humanities for simple graduation, one generally tends to take things for granted but in the University, that was not the case. Students took some sort of pride in the course like English Honours and in the marks that they got. This was one difference between Delhi University and other places.

Iresh: While in college, did you ever think about Bollywood or marketing in general?

Prabhat: In DU, people generally don’t think about profession that you will join, or the money you will make. This is something that is not on their horizon and it was neither on mine. Time spent at University was not an intermediary phase or stop gap arrangement. Over there for those three years, I was not desperate to get out of it. Those years were aimless and were like a discovery for us where University was our only destination. So I had never thought of marketing or movies.

Iresh: So what stopped you for pursuing further studies in Delhi and encouraged you to move to Bombay?

Prabhat: I knew if I linger in Delhi or DU, it would be four or five more years. The next step then would have been Law Faculty or Arts Faculty. It was a dangerous thing to do (laughs). Nothing was pre planned but I had to give myself a different environment and a more work-oriented place. Therefore, I didn’t sit for any competitive exams and didn’t study further to prepare for FMS. All I knew was that I had to get out of there and try something in TV because movies were not on my horizon then.

Iresh: Go on and tell something about your journey thereon.

Prabhat: After graduation, I came to Bombay and I started working with Star in 2002-2003. I had not thought of getting into Bollywood Marketing or marketing in general. I was able to discover later that Marketing interests me as an exercise. After a year of working with Star, I wanted to come out of my job because day in and day out, we were doing the same thing. It was one of the temporary feelings where I desired to be ejected out of one system and get into something else.

Before taking my next job, I thought of trying Bollywood Marketing. I had no background in movies, media or PR. I gave it a shot by approaching Yash Raj and for some strange reason they took us on for Hum Tum. That was the first movie we did and hence Spice was born.

Iresh: Tell us something about your operations at Spice?

Prabhat: Spice includes sub projects like Spice Bhasha and Spice One. While Spice Bhasha is about taking movies to small towns and connecting Bollywood to the heartland of India where culture and audience’s mindset is different, Spice One involves handling of largest bouquet of celebrities in India like Aditya Roy Kapur, Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor in terms of imaging and persona.

 

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Iresh: You have worked for both TV and movies. How does marketing differ for both?

Prabhat: There is fundamental difference between the two. While marketing is similar for both, but the difference is the product life. If you are marketing a serial, the average self life ranges from 6 months to 2 years. On the other hand, a movie gives you three weeks at maximum and primarily just three days of the weekend. Therefore, you market to fill those three days and its either you succeed or do not succeed.

Iresh: Do you see publicity or promotional marketing as part of the educational curriculum in India?

Prabhat: It is interesting to note that this has already started, Iresh. IIM Bangalore has formulated a case study on film promotion and publicity efforts of Spice. The is the first time that management gurus have invested in gaining insights in this segment of marketing. The case study highlights the fact that positioning decision and communication strategy not only helps to attract pre-release audience attention but is also used to put a film together and not just sell it.

Iresh: How important is the role of youth when we talk about your business as a PR agency?

Prabhat: It is very important. We have been making this attempt towards the University and other colleges lately. We recognize the fact that primary and flagship consumers are the youth. They give the movie its bread and butter. They are the first audience as they watch it in the opening weekend itself. It is also important what opinion they form because they spread the word. Entertainment and celebrity marketing becoming more relevant slowly and slowly in India and it is and will be driven by the young sector more or less.

To know more about him and Spice, visit: www.spicepr.net 

https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/prabhat-choudhary-tells-us-what-makes-him-bollywood-s-most-influential-publicist/

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies conducts FinWiz 2015 

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FinWiz 2015 – the annual finance fest of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies hosted by the finance society FinX was held on 5-6th February at Vallabbhai Patel Chest Auditorium in the North Campus. The multi-event saw participation of students from various colleges of Delhi University as well as other universities.

Day 1 of the fest included the Corporate Suite, a competition targeted at corporate exposure, managing costs and anticipating demands. This was followed by Finquizzitive, an amalgamated business and Finance quiz. FinWiz also included a pre-event online competition called ‘24 to 60’, an online life simulation game where the player starts at age 24 and experience the art of financing in each stage of life for a final goal of becoming a millionaire at the age of 60. The competition witnessed participation in hundreds.

Day 2 showcased Bulls N Bears, a stock market simulation competition. The event witnessed a jam-packed auditorium with the competition stretching for more than 6 hours. The competition involved participants investing their capital into various companies, commodities, mutual funds and fixed deposits after analyzing news and rumors presented as well as deducing the market demand. The event, which got an overwhelming response ended with Hans Raj College emerging as the winners. During the course of the fest, prizes worth more than 1.5 lakh rupees as well as merchandise were distributed among the winners.

Filler events included lectures on changing trends in finance and uses of finance in daily life.  People were kept entertained by fun contests including The Price is Right with a FinWiz twist where participants had to approximate the cost of each item presented to them using their general knowledge, financial ability and the good old tukka.

“We decided to carry forward a 20 year old tradition and made FinWiz 2015 a mega scale event”, Dr. Neeraj Kumar Sehrawat, the Teacher Coordinator of the Finance Society of the college said. The fest was, no doubt, a success with the chief guests and participants complimenting the student committee for holding a one of a kind event in DU.

 

Image Credits: Shivanshu Tomar

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College of Vocational Studies

Sri Venkateswara college and CVS emerge winners at KNC’s theater fest, Concoction 2015

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With three days of vibrant stage and street play performances along with an exuberant hustle-bustle on the campus, Concoction 2015 coloured Kamala Nehru College in dramatic hues. The three-day fest of the theatre society of the college- Lakshya, saw some exceptional performances by various theatre-enthusiasts from across Delhi University and various other colleges.

Day 1 was dedicated to street plays. Aghaaz, the street play competition was a day’s paradise for all street-play lovers who were seen congregated at Chaupal, the open amphitheatre on the college premises. Covering a wide range of themes- from the impacts of religious fundamentalism to dying indigenous cultures, the event saw performers bringing out the best in them within 30 minutes. Theatrekingdom.com, the world’s first social-networking platform on which theatre talent can share their work with other theatre professionals also gave away T-Shirts to the drama enthusiasts in the audience.

Drama-Nomics, College of Vocational Studies was awarded the first position for their play, ‘90 second ki red-light’ which talked about the plight of beggars on red-light crossings and what we could do to make a difference.

Hansraj Dramatics Society, Hansraj College was declared the Runner-up for their play, ‘Tamaasha’ which highlighted how day-to-day are often converted into sources of entertainment and the tamaasha that follows. The day culminated with the crowd going into a frenzy with the pulsating beats of ‘Daphli and Djembefola United’.

Day 2 and Day 3 saw the college auditorium being proclaimed house-full as the stage play event, Archlights, saw a myriad of hour-long stage plays of multiple genres. The audience was caught in a fit of laughter with SRCC’s ‘Pune Highway’ while many were moved by GTBIT’s ‘Waqt’.  The crowd was also truly impressed by the bold, unabashed and hilarious ‘The Goat or who is Sylvia’ of Sri Venkateshwara College which earned them the first position. Kirori Mal College’s ‘Words Words Words’was declared second. SRCC also received an honorary mention from the jury for its performance.

Along with the plays, informal events such as Treasure Hunt and Beg Borrow Click added a lot of zeal to the atmosphere. Karan Singh Magic’s performance took the audience by amazement and “was like watching Sherlock in real life!” The closing ceremony with the band performance by Agastya managed to win all hearts and sky lanterns twinkling in the dark ended the event on a note of exuberance.

Image credits: Ridhi Kharbanda 

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Beyond The Obvious- Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

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Beyond the Obvious is DU Beat’s weekly series where we talk about colleges apart from the ‘obvious’ choices! Through the series we hope to give students an insider’s insight into what life is like, in these colleges.

 

Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies often referred as just CBS is one of the star colleges of University of Delhi. Regarded as one of the top undergraduate management institutions in India, it is otherwise famous for the outstanding job placements of its students. The current campus is an ad-hoc building located in Vivek Vihar in East of Delhi. Though its infrastructure is not up to the mark, the new campus equipped with modern facilities is currently under construction in Rohini and is expected to be completed by 2017.

As you enter the front gates of the College, you see the main pink building and the front stairs, which seems to be the most popular place to hang out. Right next to the main building is the BMS block exclusively for students pursuing BMS. Behind the campus there is a large parking ground, a small football field as well as two buildings adorned with wall art known as the cultural block which are strictly for college societies to function.

One of the most prominent things a person new to the College will notice is the active society culture. The extent of the society activities is such that nearly every student of the college is a member of at least one society.

CBS boasts of 27 different societies catering to the wide spectrum of individual interests – Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Western Dance, the list goes on.

 

The competitive environment of CBS keeps you motivated and pushes you to outperform others. Every person in the College is obsessed with internships, placements and packages (these three words are the most used in a CBSite’s vocabulary). The thing that sets CBS apart is the ability of students to balance between academics and extracurricular activities.

Free Wi-Fi service given by the College is also a relief when the lectures stretch too long.

The 9 to 5 schedule of the college as well as the unending series of seminars, lectures, live projects and anything you could expect from a B-School is present but luckily no classes are held on Saturday which for the most part, ensures a stress free weekend.

The College is located at a walking distance from the Cross River Mall, the perfect place for escapism. The College Canteen seems to satisfy most people but foodies are often seen juggling between Chinese outlets and roadside joints nearby. Not to forget the notorious Sutta Point located right next to the College premises.

The CBS calendar is lined with competitions, cultural fests and flagship events. The most prominent and upcoming ones include the annual cultural fest Crescendo and Manthan, India’s largest street play festival conducted by the street play society, Verve.

 

Kartikeya Bhatotia

[email protected]

Image Source- www.sscbs.du.ac.in

 

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Word On The Street

Rahi Foundation stages ‘Dear Daddy’ to campaign against incest and child sexual abuse

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Rahi Foundation brought its six-month long campaigning programme to an end on Friday, January 30th with a play- “Dear Daddy”, which was organised at Delhi Karnataka Sangha and was attended by quite a gathering which included people from various backgrounds, age groups, and occupations. The Grand Finale was the culmination of an internship with Rahi Foundation in a few colleges of Delhi University.

Rahi Foundation works against the societal ills of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and Incest, and for the past six months has been working with some DU colleges in spreading awareness under the ‘I Will Not Shut Up’ campaign. The campaign aimed to encourage people to not be quiet about CSA and talk more about it. This, they said was the only means to fight it.

The previous months have been eventful with movie screenings, poster competitions, photography competition, freeze mob and candle light march. “Dear Daddy” is a play about incest in which a girl writes a letter to her abuser, i.e. her father. She narrates a few events from her traumatic life and how she felt during those years. She then reclaimed her identity, confidence and happiness through therapy and talking about it. All the characters were played by the campaigners themselves. The campaigners took a bow and preached that talking about incest openly is the only solution. The play was based on true stories and set to inspire many. A lot of the viewers quoted that it was an ‘eye-opener’ for them. A video showcasing the activities in colleges was played too, which also dealt with the experiences of the campaigners. The audience at the end blew horns as a ceremonious gesture in support of the cause.

The message at the event was loud and clear: Do not shut up about Child Sexual Abuse!

 

Image Credits: Mugdha for DU Beat

 

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Inspired by Modi, self-promotional college sweatshirts gain popularity

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Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!

Influenced by the totally newsworthy suit worn by Narendra Modi during Obama’s visit last week, the college sweatshirt business in DU is in a state of boom as manufacturers are porting the Prime Minister’s style to colleges of Delhi University. Now, for all those bad hair days on which one doesn’t want people to even look at their face, students have the option of buying a custom sweatshirt with their own names pinstriped in gold in the front and their college’s logo at the back.

Sweatshirts are an important feature of college life as they invoke pride of belonging to a particular institution and this revolutionary variant of the same is taking it to the next level. Dubbed as the narcissist’s dress code on Twitter, the cloak is finding a lot of takers in University campuses.

Selfies in the sweatshirt have already started floating around Instagram and Facebook feeds with the hashtags, #Just NarcissisticThings and #Mitron.

The sweatshirt is priced much lower than Modi’s Rs.10 lakh suit at just Rs.55,000 and comes with EMI and house-mortgage options. You can also avail a discount of Rs.5000 by flashing your iPhone 6 (gold variant only) or Jan Dhan Yojana bank passbook while booking. The word on the street is that not only are these becoming popular among the students, a few teachers have placed orders too. Acche din, indeed!

Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!

Featured Image Credits: www.dnaindia.com

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Gargi College

In conversation with Gargi’s Vasundhara Chaudhary, the young Sarpanch of Lilawali!

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Vasundhara Chaudhary, a III year Psychology Honors student from Gargi college was elected as the Sarpanch of her ancestral village Lilawali, Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, albeit unopposed. This achievement is indeed extra-ordinary and inspiring.

We got into an exclusive conversation with Vasundhara, curiously questioning her about how does she feel, what all does she plan to do in life, and for people of Lilawali and so on. Here are the extracts of our interview with her:

 

Q1: What’s your association with the village Lilawali and it’s people?

Lilawali is my ancestral village, I was born there, I lived there for 5 years until my father decided to move to Delhi for my  better schooling and education. Even then, I’ve visited Lilawali almost every summer vacation and have seen what much difference existed in the lifestyle of both places. The liberty of city life was mere theoretical for the people living in rural India.

Q2: Rural India is still considered synonymous to gender bias, stereotypes and people with orthodox mentality. Does your election as the Sarpanch of Lilawali indicate a social change, an awakening?

I won’t call it an awakening because that’ll be saying a lot. Yes, the people are changing, they are opening up to new ideas, yet the change isn’t here entirely. There’s still illiteracy, bias against women and lack of knowledge prevalent in rural India.

Q3:  Assuming charge of your responsibility, what all do you intend to do for the people of Lilawali?

My first priority would be the safety and security of women. I’ll work to make women self dependent and self reliant by making efforts to bring up the education and employment avenues in the village. I’ll make efforts to bring up the literacy rate from the current 40% to 90% in my tenure.

Q4: What do you believe will be the major obstacles you’ll have to tackle? How do you plan on facing them?

 I think it’ll be hard enough to convince people on something they aren’t aware of. Also, the fight won’t only be against men, but women as well, for they’ve lived with their beliefs for a long time now. I’ll try taking baby steps, for change isn’t immediate but gradual. Rushing through the things could go against me, people might not accept strong steps and turn defiant. So, I’ll try taking it easy and slow.

Q5: You are currently in the final year, Psychology Honors from Gargi College, University of Delhi. What are your future plans career-wise?

I want to do my Masters from the University of Delhi in gender studies or psychology, followed by a Ph.D.

Q6: How do you plan to manage your time juggling between studies, career and responsibility at Lilawali?

The head Sarpanch won’t be required physically on daily basis.  I’ve got a dedicated team working with me. I’ll visit once every fortnight to ensure that everything is being done as directed and to the best of abilities of the team and welfare of the people.

Q7: Do you aim to enter into active politics in a few years down the line?

 No, not really but I’d continue working for bringing about a change for good in the society.

Q8: Being of your age, this is an extra-ordinary achievement, how do your parents and family react?

My family is happy and supportive for they know I’ve always wanted to work for the society. My grandfather has been the village Sarpanch twice before becoming an MLA and a Rajya Sabha (1978) and my father has been a Zila Parishad member in 1996, so they understand. My peers react weird at times, but that’s fine.

Q9: Is there anything that you would like to say to or advise your peers/ juniors across the country?

I’d just say that everyone should be confident enough to stand up for what they feel needs to be changed. Take a stand to improve things and work hard to bring about the change, it isn’t anything extra-ordinary.

We thank Vasundhara for speaking to us and wish her all the very best for her future ventures!

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Interviews

Interview: Satyarth Nayak, bestselling author and DU alumnus

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A Delhi University pass out student, Satyarth Nayak’s book has been praised by the likes of Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi who called it ‘a fantastic blend of myth and imagination’ and ‘Intelligent, intriguing, intense’ respectively. Hindustan Times and The Hindu also have similar rave reviews for the book. The Emperor’s Riddle has topped several national bestsellers list and The Asian Age Top 10 Bestseller chart ranking #1 for four consecutive weeks and is also being considered for a thriller feature film.

Author Satyarth Nayak answers some of our questions regarding being a new age writer in India, the growing publishing industry of India and his experience as a DU alumnus.

1. Let’s begin with your journey of becoming the country’s bestselling author. Tell us something about from where you began.

A. I am a Delhi based author, script writer and a former Correspondent with CNN-IBN, Delhi. I love the thriller genre and always knew that my first book would invariably be a mystery novel. I call my book a freak act of nature. One fine evening after re-reading one of Dan Brown’s novels, I had this sudden curiosity to know if we have any similar esoteric mysteries or secrets in our Indian history and culture. It was a random search on the Net during which I stumbled across this beautiful story associated with one of our most iconic Indian Emperors. The man’s vision mesmerized me. The more I read about the Emperor’s fascinating deed thousands of years ago, the more I knew that I had to tell this story. That’s how this journey began and I am glad the book has become a bestselling thriller and praised by writers like Amish Tripathi & Ashwin Sanghi.

2. For those who are yet to read The Emperor’s Riddles, what would you describe it as? Tell us what it’s about.

A. The media is calling this a history meets mystery since they are both parallel tracks in the novel. The present day track has my main lead walking a trail of cryptic riddles scattered all over the country that they must solve one by one to reach the final enigma while the historical track involves the evolution of an Emperor. The legend used in the book involves a fascinating historical secret of one of our greatest and most celebrated Indian emperors. It’s also probably the first Indian thriller to use Buddhist iconography and mythology. If you love murder mysteries, myths and legends, intriguing investigation and that twist in the end, you will love my book. And there are plenty of riddles to solve. The path beckons…can you crack them all?

3. Being a new age writer, what do you have to say about the upcoming publishing industry and the growing concept of literary agencies?

A. The best thing about the Indian publishing industry today is that it has expanded massively to incorporate writers from every nook and corner of the country. Writing is no longer an elitist exercise. Today many Indian publishers are open to new talent and new writings. Self publishing and e-publishing have also emerged as new options to put your work out there for the world to read. Literary agencies in India are still in the fledgling stage but surely a viable option especially for debut writers. Agencies edit & polish your manuscript, pitch it to publishing houses and negotiate the best deals. However keep in mind that a genuine literary agency does not charge for any of these initial services and take their cut only when the book starts to make money.

4. Your works have been compared to the likes of Dan Brown. How does that feel? Tell us about the inspiration behind your writing.

A. As I told you the book happened because of Dan Brown so being compared to him is probably the ultimate compliment I can get. It feels wonderful to be put in the same category but I cannot allow that to make me complacent. It feels great to have made a successful debut but I still have miles to go and many more books to write. I have grown up reading and admiring the greats like Poe, Holmes, Christie, Wallace and Dan Brown. I have secretly wanted to emulate them and toy with the minds of the readers like they do.

5. You are a Delhi University pass out. What do you have to say about the kind of platforms DU gives to asppiring writers?

A. Yes, I graduated from Venky and did Masters in English Literature from Stephen’s. The fact that DU now offers a course in Creative Writing is such a welcome development. I wish I had that opportunity when I was a student. This will certainly go a long way in nurturing young and aspiring talent. Also the various college fests provide excellent writing competitions which are a fabulous platform for upcoming writers to test their skills.

6. Do you plan to write a sequel to The Emperor’s Riddle, or perhaps a screenplay?

A. There’s no sequel planned but one of my characters in The Emperor’s Riddles will embark upon another adventure in my next book. We do have an interest from Bollywood to convert the thriller into a film. Screen adaptation is always an exciting option though it will be a challenge to condense the book into a two hour format. The book will have to be modified accordingly and the screenplay is being written as we speak. Let’s see how it shapes up.

7. A lot of writers prefer sticking to the same genre of their bestselling works. Will you prefer writing thrillers like The Emperor’s Riddle or would you like to explore some other genres as well in the future?

A. Thriller is my favourite genre and as of now I intend to stick with it. There are quite a bunch of wicked ideas in my head that are clamouring to be turned into books. Having said that I also love history and am deliberating over a historical epic based on a fascinating character from Indian regional history. Cinema writing also interests me and I might do something in that direction as well.

8. With the increased exposure on social media, self publishing of the books, do you think it has become easier for writers to break into the market?

A. It has made life easier to some extent but it has also opened the floodgates for more and more writers clamouring for attention. With so many people writing and so many books getting published, you will have to be exceptional to stand out. Social media draws out more talent but also intensifies the competition.

9. Anything you’d like to say to your readers for the response they have given to your book? Any news regarding when they’d get to read something more from you?

A. I would obviously thank all my readers for their leap of faith in picking up the book of a debut author and bringing us this far. I now owe it to them to make sure that my next book is even better. My second book is also a mystery thriller but I am exploring mythical fantasy and sci-fi in this one. A cinema book based on one of the most iconic films of Bollywood is also on the cards.

10. Would you like to say something to aspiring writers in Delhi University?

A. I would advise them to write only when they get an idea that absolutely grabs them by the neck and makes them sit and write. Only when they have that one idea that makes them want to do nothing but write should they begin. It’s also imperative that debut authors promote their book as much as possible. The publishers will certainly do their bit but authors these days also need to spread the word about their book. Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads are excellent social networking tools to make readers aware of your books. And enjoy the process of writing. Unless you have fun writing, readers won’t have fun reading!

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Campus Central

His Holiness the Dalai Lama graces Kalindi College’s ceremony

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th Dalai Lama visited Kalindi College on 28th January to grace the occasion of the college auditorium’s foundation stone laying ceremony. The highlight of the ceremony was his talk which was on the bond between compassion and education. The event, which was held at the college’s amphitheatre, saw a large audience with students and teachers from various colleges. The session began with a song that had been written and composed by the college’s music department especially for this occasion. The guests for the event were then felicitated. Following that, the Principal of the college, Dr. Anula Maurya addressed the students and spoke about the Dalai Lama’s life in brief. She mentioned the three values he lives by; fighting for basic human values, promoting inter religious harmony and the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist monks’ culture. Professor Dinesh Singh, Delhi University’s Vice Chancellor was then invited to welcome His Holiness. “We have been blessed because the Dalai Lama has chosen to be present here”, he said. He asked the students present to pay heed to his words because education, in his opinion, is nothing if it doesn’t create compassion. After Professor Sahu, Chairman of Kalindi College’s Governing Board addressed the crowd, His Holiness took to the podium and began his talk. He spoke about compassion as a basic human being and how we often get caught up with what he called “secondary level of differences” which included factors like gender, nationality and religion. He mentioned that humans can go beyond merely the “biological affection” that is ingrained among all animals, like the bond between mother and child. As humans, we can go further and extend that to those around us—relatives, friends and even complete strangers. He talked about research studies that had shown the importance of affection and love for the development of the human brain, and that those who receive less affection often grow up to be insecure and fearful.

According to His Holiness, ancient Indian knowledge was very advanced and ahead of that of the West. With this rich tradition of knowledge existing in India, he felt that it is strange that the country is obsessed with “modern technology and knowledge”. He then spoke briefly on how education can lead to compassion and commended the college for its work with underprivileged children. He said that intelligent, educated and warm hearted people were often the happiest. He also mentioned the importance of showing respect not only to those from other religions but to atheists and non- believers too. After that, there was a short prize distribution ceremony for a competition held in the college on Good Governance Day last year. Students were then invited to ask His Holiness questions for an interactive session. He was asked about compassion leading to more knowledge, showing compassion to the violent and about his years in exile. The event wrapped up with a Vote of Thanks by the Vice Principal of the college.]]>

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