REPORT ON MR VIJAYKUMAR HEDE’S VISIT
On the 30th of October, 2018, the students of class XI, Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School, were treated to a surprise like none other. This surprise came in the form of a guest lecture by Mr. Vijaykumar Hede, graduate in Chemical Engineering from IIT- Madras.
Mr. Hede, who began his career as a Development Banker with Economic Development Corporation of Goa, was a part of the team of seven professionals from IIT and IIM who were invited by the then Chief Minister of Goa to help build startups in Goa. A pioneer in startup businesses across the country, Mr. Hede took time out of his busy schedule to enlighten us with his words of wisdom.
The session began with Mr.Hede stressing on the importance of ‘focus’ and ‘dedication’ towards one’s work. He narrated to us his own story as an 11th standard student of People’s High School. He said that he, along with some of his batchmates, were not initially the top performers of the batch, but one day, they decided to change their fortunes and work harder to be among the top. The result of this was that he along with his entire batch cleared the IIT-JEE examination, thereby proving that it is hardwork that decides one’s future, not the lines on his palm.
He then went on to speak about his various business startups , which included electric fusing, adult diapers, etc. He shared with us experiences which no books can capture, and wisdom which only comes after years of hard work and struggle. His enthralling stories kept us students wondering about the adventurous life of an entrepreneur, taking the right risk at the right time.
He also stressed on the importance of ‘application of knowledge’ in practical life situations. “In a business , or in any profession in fact, just having knowledge is not important, but it is more important to know how to use the knowledge at the right place and right time”, these were his thoughts.
He also made it a point to say that getting into top engineering and medical colleges in the country in not the end of life. There will still be lot of work to do and many struggles to experience. So, at the end of the day, even if you don’t get into a top Institute, don’t lose hope, instead be focused and have passion for whatever you do, and the whole world will be yours.
Then began the question and answers session, which was coordinated entirely by our Director, Mr. Vyankatesh Prabhudesai. After a few questions by the budding students, there came a twist in the tale, with Mr. Hede himself asking us 12 questions. These questions were asked to top economists, bankers and CEO’s etc. at an International Conference at Daos, and were purely based on general knowledge. This questionnaire was also given to four chimpanzees to answer, and the maximum score by the chimpanzees was four out of twelve. But surprisingly, only twelve percent, yes, twelve percent of the top economists and bankers present at the Conference could get a score above 4.
We were asked to answer the twelve questions, and after he told us the answers , to compare whether our score was better than, or worse than that of the chimpanzee. How many students finally got a score above 4 or less than 4, that remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure, this was one questionnaire certainly got us thinking and we students wouldn’t forget for a lifetime.
The session ended with a vibrant vote of thanks by our student, Atharva Salgaonkar. Mr. Vijay wished us all the best for our future endeavours, and bid adieu, each of whom was lost in the magnificence of this great achiever!
– Prepared By Siddhant Govekar, Student of Class XI, M.A.H.S.S.