29 June – Neev 2015 (Welingkar, Bengaluru)

On day three of Neev 2015, deep-delving animated interactions and thought-stirring sessions became the highlights of the day. The Centre stage hosted two experts with very different backgrounds. The  experts were- Sanjay Anandaram, Partner- Seed Fund and Kirmani, the cricket heart throb.

Together they unfolded an interesting session where they interacted with the students on various facets of life, sharing some interesting anecdotes. Anandaram spoke about John Nash and his curiosity. He highlighted the importance of curiosity and how the same can be catered to and nurtured with a questioning mind and critical thinking. He cited the example of Albert Einstein referring to how his curiosity on the possibility of travelling on a beam of light lead him to great break- through later in life.

Questions guide a probing mind and reflect critical thinking. Questions catalyse our thinking and give direction to our thought process. They are, therefore, a crucial part of our thinking. Knowledge will eventually be attained through (answers to these) questions. Anandaram averred that the environment we are brought-up in forces us into constraint based thinking; we will progress when our environment moulds us into possibility-based thinking. And this emanates from curious minds. He told the students to think beyond themselves. In his closing note, he quoted from the Upanishads – “You are what your deep desire is, as is your desire so is your will, as is your will so is your action, as is your action so is your destiny.”

Syed Kirmani, was equally mesmerising. Kirmani rendered the session compelling with his anecdotes from cricket while some interesting footage played along. Mr. Kirmani shared his ups & downs and the grit which helped him tide over. He quoted that “Honesty with sincerity is the mantra for success”. Whether it is to be a captain of a cricket team or a leader in corporate world dedication, hard work and passion are the prerequisites for success. He encouraged the students to maintain integrity in whatever they undertake in life. Perking them up, he enacted some of the funny incidents  that life had thrown before him. He also shared some exciting moments from the 1983 World Cup. He urged the students to have faith in the Almighty, look after their parents as they are the real heroes of their lives. Consistent efforts will yield success, for sure.

Hello We

The session gave the students the opportunity to familiarize with the staff and the Welingkar ecosystem .The facilities provided by Welingkar and how they can leverage the same. It has been rightly said, “Rights and Responsibilities are two sides of the same coin.” The students had an interaction with Mr Anil Jha,( Manager- Administration) who familiarized the students with the rules of conduct on campus.

Panel Discussion on curiosity and creativity

The session Nurturing Curious Minds witnessed two distinguished guests-. Puja Kohli, founder-Unfold and Abhishek Kumar, founder-Ripples Learning Services. The discussions revolved around the link between Curiosity, Creativity and Innovation. The panel concluded curiosity and creativity reflect innovative mindsets and positively guide ones’ efforts towards success in life.

Kohli said that “Curious mind allows one to take leaps” She gave her views on the relationship between curiosity and creativity. “Curiosity is internal process and creativity is an outcome”. She shared how her curiosity about Neuroscience triggered at the ASTD Conference, drew her to all the four lectures delivered by David Rock. It is necessary to look after our brain like we do for our body.

The other speaker Abhishek Kumar added that “Action on Curiosity is creativity and the process to reach creativity leads to innovation”. He also redefined success as ” achieving the desired outcome and at the same time learning something new in the process”. The summary of the discussions revolved around the link between Curiosity, Creativity and Innovation and their role towards success with various examples. The panel concluded that curiosity and creativity support and enhance innovation and success. The panel discussion was followed by an interesting Q&A session with the students.

We Quest

The final session for the day packed some ‘Hands-on’ activity under the guidance Prof. Aparna Krishnamurthy where the students teamed up to work on certain challenging tasks. In the process they enjoyed and got to know their batch-mates, moved around the campus – their second home to be.