I have learnt to keep moving forward even if the odds might not seem to be in my favour
I’ve had some memorable experiences and great opportunities at Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication, Pune. I’ve attended workshops and proceeded for internships where I learnt and grew through voluntary services and initiatives. Learnings from my very first NGO internship to the most recent industry internship, have helped me develop a sense of civic responsibility in the work I choose to do.
I interned with Teach for India, alongside teaching professionals, as an assistant in a low-income government school and developed a strategy for a sustainable rural youth training program with Head Held High. I even spread awareness about the low quality of healthcare in India and responded first-hand to calls made to the helpline number at HelpAge India, Mumbai. All the people I’ve interacted with during these years have been crucial in shaping my personality and how I perceive the world.
As a student at SCMC, we get deep insights into issues like caste, culture, gender, war and climate, apart from fundamental domain knowledge, from guest and visiting faculty. These lectures are full of facts, examples and discussions, making the programme a holistic learning experience. Students, in these lectures are encouraged to question everything they believe to be true or static.
Our study tour to Asia Plateau – Panchgani, with its sessions on ‘effective living and leadership’, ‘inner development’ and ‘appreciation’, set a solid foundation for my personality and thought process. These sessions helped me become more self-aware and considerate towards those around me. I learnt that however illusory our identities are, we craft those identities by making value judgments. Everybody judges, all the time, but it becomes our responsibility as individuals to understand everyone, as we would want to be understood.
Even on one of our last field trips, we went to a village in Maharashtra, called Fulgaon. With limited resources, Fulgaon transformed itself by eradicating corruption in its administration and developed an educated, progressive and sustainable village.
Overall, the years I spent at SCMC have taught me to be more aware and accepting of different ideas, cultures and people. Here, I’ve learnt to keep moving forward even when the odds might not seem to be in my favour and for that I am forever grateful.
Article by: Kriti Jhanji (Batch of 2018)
Photograph by: Tanvi Jaiman (Batch of 2018)
