Published: Thursday, 29 June, 2017 05:00 PM
Ahmedabad City Leaders at MICA: Vision and Journey of Leaders and Institutions in the City
In an exciting initiative for enhancing MICA’s connect with Ahmedabad city and the community, MICA invited a panel of some of the most successful and illustrious leaders of Ahmedabad from various walks of life to engage in an invigorating and enlightening discussion on their vision and journey of leaders and institutions in the city. The illustrious panel members included Padmashri Reema Nanavaty, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); Abhay Mangaldas, The House of MG; Sushama Oza, Director, Strategy & Sustainability at Adani Foundation, Ahmedabad; Indu Capoor, Founder-Director of Centre for Health, Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA);Debashish Nayak, Founder-Director of Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University; Each of these members have made significant contributions towards shaping the city of Ahmedabad, touched many lives in the society, and worked for the betterment of the city and its people. They shared their experiences and journey of success in the city. A unanimous thought amongst the panelists was the belief of the people of Ahmedabad in giving back to the society and how they have always played a crucial role in providing opportunities and supporting their work for social causes.
Dr. Preeti Shroff, Dean MICA, welcomed the distinguished panel members and introduced each of them to the audience. She emphasized collaboration with city leaders and institutions for curriculum and pedagogy development, student project partnerships for going beyond the four walls of traditional classroom.
Dr. Shailendra Raj Mehta, President and Director MICA, facilitated and led the panel discussion along with Dr. Shroff. Citing the several centuries old culture and ethos of India and Gujarat in particular of giving back to the society in the traditions of Mahajan and Trusteeship, Dr. Mehta initiated the discussion with a question: what is your institution’s history and connect with the city?
Padmashri Reema Nanavaty, SEWA, believes that the city of Ahmedabad helps you take on newer challenges and risks and to innovate. The city challenged and pushed SEWA into becoming what it is today. A highlight of the event was the presence of Maya from Mehsana district, a farmer and a member of SEWA, who shared about her work and experiences of how SEWA boosted her confidence, empowered her and helped her not only uplift her own social status but also that of the society she lives in.
Ms. Sushama Oza, Director, Strategy & Sustainability at Adani Foundation, Ahmedabad talked about the various projects of Adani Foundation that are aimed at working for the society and the ideas that inspired each of these projects. Mr. Abhay Mangaldas believes that every constraint in the city can be a great opportunity. He emphasized that Ahmedabad not only supports social causes but also gives opportunities along with challenges to work for the society. He showcased through a slideshow, the various heritage restorations, green development and public education projects that his venture has undertaken to restore and enhance the heritage, landscape and culture of Ahmedabad.
Ms. Indu Capoor, Founder- Director of CHETNA spoke about how Ahmedabad and its people have been her source of inspiration and support over the several years that she has worked with CHETNA as a woman leader. She emphasized how she has not come across any other city where people are as generous and forthcoming to support efforts towards social causes. Mr. Debashish Nayak, Founder-Director of Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University shared a fascinating fact about how of the various heritage restoration projects that he carried out in Ahmedabad, has received support from the residents of the city.
The students were then invited to put questions to the panellists which led to an intriguing discussion about the challenges and opportunities for working towards social causes and development of the city and how MICA students can contribute to the same. The discussion also threw light on the work of the panellists and their organisations and how they overcome challenges with perseverance and persistence at every step to work towards their causes.
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