ISSUE 4 | APR / MAY 2012 1

Padma Bhushan, KV Kamath enthralls students at the

FLAME convocation

The Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME) held their 4th Annual Convoca-tion on May 5, 2012, on its Lavale campus in Pune.

Padma Bhushan Award Winner, Mr. KV Kamath was present as chief guest at the occasion. Mr. Kamath bestowed students with degrees, diplomas and medals. The most accomplished students, Abhishek Doshi and Yashovardhan Chordia, triumphed with an ‘All-rounder’ title for an impec-cable performance in academic and non-academic subjects. The students who were honoured with gold medals were Aneri Shah, Trisha Agrawal, Ankita Shreeram, Nimit Shah, Avinash Vasu, Meena Aier, Abhishek Doshi and Yashovardhan Chordia.

Addressing the students, Mr. Kamath said, “You will be managers in a world where emerging economies will be at the forefront. You need to decide what suits you best and chart your path accordingly. Sticking to fundamental values will help you build an exciting future for India and yourselves”.

This academic year, 2011-2012, marked the first convocation of FLAME School of Performing Arts (FSPA), second of FLAME School of Liberal Educa-tion (FSLE) and fourth convocation of FLAME School of Business (FSB) and FLAME School of Communication (FSC).

A concluding address from Prof. Indira J Parikh, founder president, FLAME completed the event.

ISSUE 4 | APR / MAY 2012 2

And the Winner is…‘Travelling with Tamasha - Discover India Program 2012‘DISCOVER India’ – a travelling exhibit,

where students capture the monuments

and diversity of Indian culture through

films, music, interviews and photography.

On completion of their projects, students

were required to prepare analytical and

creative reports based on their findings

about the sub cultures of the place and

present their discoveries to the panel of

judges.

Some of the projects commissioned this

year were Solitudes in Silk, Tales of Terra-

cotta Town, Pondicherry - a journey across

cultures, Travelling with Tamasha, Push-

karnama, Kalaripayattu - standing the test

of time, and Lucknow - the cultural para-

digm.

The projects were judged by an eminent

jury comprising of Dr. Saroja Bhate, Dr.

Deepak Kannal, Ms Manjiri Khandekar, Ms.

Agnes Golfier and Prof. Sanjay Bhowmick.

Travelling with Tamasha emerged the

winner as they bagged the Best Exhi-

bition Prize, Best Creative Object

Prize and Best Report Prize.

The Best Presentation Prize was awarded to

Lucknow - A cultural paradigm. The Lucknow

group delicately brought out the existing Hindu-

Muslim solidarity, exquisite chikan embroidery,

and the Nawabi culture that puts the tinsel town on

the world map.

Another group exploring South India showcased

Kalaripayattu and its evolution from a form of

duel to a beautifully choreographed perfor-

mance. The Discover India Trophy and the Dr. B

V Doshi Scholarship for International Cultural

Research was given to Travelling with Tamasha.

The Foundation for Liberal And Management Education, Pune in partnership with Chhatra-pati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Formerly, Prince of Wales Museum of Western India) inaugurated an exhibition titled ‘Discover India’ at the museum on March 30th, 2012. The chief guest Dr. A.P. Jamkhedkar, Former Director, Department of Archaeology and Muse-ums, Maharashtra State, currently Vice President, Asiatic Society, Mumbai and Director of K.G. Somaiya Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies said, “India is the country of so many paradoxes that everybody will have their own impression.”It is this variety of impressions that has been showcased in this exhibit, born out of the collaboration between the museum and FLAME, and is the culmination of a long and interesting research work done by the students of FLAME, a school that combines academic rigor and experimental learning to bring a differ-ent perspective to India’s heritage.

Caroline Déclas visited the museum to take a look at the wonderful exhibits and the various artifacts on display there. This exhibition was a way to share and showcase their experience of discovering India from a different angle.

ISSUE 4 | APR / MAY 2012 3

Varied topics were explored and studied by the groups, some considered religious aspects of Bylakuppe and its Tibetan culture, others obtained information on tourist destination like Goa, Hampi and Chittorgarh, while others focused on traditional and economic aspects of studying Veena making in Bobili, Chitrakathi paintings from Pinguli, and turbans from Bikaner. Finally some chose to follow Narmada River or the railway to study life and culture that surrounds it.

FLAME Discover India Exhibition 2012

DIRECT ‘DIL SE’- LIFE @ FLAME…..

ISSUE 4 | APR / MAY 2012 4

As part of the Discover Life Project 2012 in FLAME, I opted to go for the Jagriti Yatra, about 2 months back. What it did to me is it changed me into a more informed, sensitive, and courageous girl who is ready to face the world. Let me tell you more about it….

Jagriti Yatra is a journey of 400 youth travelling on a train across 8000 kilometers and 12 cities in 15 days. It is a journey of ‘awakening’ across towns and villages in India, meeting and interacting with men and women (Social and economic entre-preneurs) who are doing their bit to transform India through their small and large scale enterprises. I was on the train with 400 other travelers between the age group of 21-25. I bonded with them over ideas, exchanged information and debated over serious topics some of which have molded my old thinking patterns. I made the 16 bogies of the train, Jagriti Express my home for the 15 days, sleeping, bathing, eating, drawing, writing, reading and doing everything on it as if I had known no other way of living. I made the unfamiliar “familiar” and the familiar “unfamiliar”. I opened up to new ideas and new ways of life. I accepted people the way they were and thus, become more patient. I developed deep, everlasting bonds and friend-ships which will, hopefully, withstand the test of time. This journey began from Mumbai on the midnight of 24th December and made its first halt at SELCO in Dharwar to see how solar electricity is being provided to the poor at affordable prices. Next we went to Bangalore to interact with Mr. Narayan Murthy, Chairman of Infosys who gave us the important lesson of doing business with integrity. We traveled to Chennai to meet a rural tourism entrepreneur, Gouthami of Travel another India who explained her model of enterprise with us.

Our next destination was Naandi Foundation in Vishakhapatnam who provides mid-day meals to 800,000 school kids in Southern India. Ahead, we halted at one o the poorest cities in India, Jagannathpur in Orissa where Gram Vikas has built toilets and bathrooms addressing the need for proper sanitation and hygiene. We next went to Patna to meet Nidan Founda-tion initiators who are making the unorganized sector workers realize their rights and helping them become financially more secure. Our next destination was Deoria in Uttar Pradesh to get our hands dirty by thinking of innovative solutions for this village in terms of setting enterprises in Agriculture, Education, Tourism, Skill Development, Manufacturing, etc. We were divided into teams of 20 students each and the best 7 enterprise ideas were selected to return in February to implement their models. In Delhi we were stunned to hear stories about women and their issues related to clothing being addressed by Anshu Gupta of Goonj. Next we headed to the tech-savvy village of Tilonia in Rajasthan where illiterate men and women are solar electrifying the village. Our last stop was Ahmedabad where we studied the women-led enterprise SEWA which helps women become self-sufficient in Gujarat.

This journey happens every year from approximately 24th December to 8th January. To participate in it one can register on their website www.jagritiyatra.com

- Shruti Bansal FSLE 3

COLOMBO INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL IN SRI LANKA All India FLAME Essay Challenge Competition

ISSUE 4 | APR / MAY 2012 5

FLAME School of Performing Arts was invited to perform in the first ever Colombo International Theatre Festival held in Sri Lanka from 26th March – 2nd April, 2012.

The festival featured plays from various countries like Germany, Iran, Indonesia, Australia, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The FLAME school presented two shows, 'Dangalnama’, which investigates the sufferings of the common man in India. It documents various events from differ-ent perspectives and looks at the complex secular structure India wishes to follow. It also talks about the religion, caste and humanity in the country.

Swati Simha, Devika Kamath, Sapna Ahuja, Drishti Goenka performed the play with others.

Prof. Prasad Vanarase, Dean, FLAME School of Performing Arts, conducted a workshop, 'The Phakama Way' in the festival. He also presented a paper on the 'Role of Technology in Theatre in Future'. Speaking about the event, Prof Vanarse said, “When it comes to repre-senting cultures and communicating across cultures, some formula-tions are identified as hallmarks of a given culture. In the process, one needs to take cognizance of the variations within the culture and create a room for awareness of alternatives. The 'global connection' would be established when the 'local truth' is effectively expressed and communicated.”

FLAME School of Communication (FSC), organ-ized an all India FLAME Essay Challenge compe-tition for graduate and post-graduate students.

Participants had to write a 2000-word essay on ‘Is Indian Democracy Alive and Kicking?’ Shivani Mathur from Jaipur and Saaniya Raashid from Nagpur emerged joint toppers. Mathur is a BSc (Home Science) student in ICG, IIS University, Jaipur. Raashid studies BBA in Tirpude Institute of Social Work, Nagpur. They shared the Rs. 10,000 award. The second prize was shared by Sandeep Reddy Biddala, an undergraduate student from IIIT, Hyderabad, and Satya Prakash Pandey, a post-graduate student of National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Mangalore. The third prize was awarded to Gurtej Singh, a post-graduate student of Sym-biosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune, and Nupur Agarwal, a post-graduate student of Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad. A total of 579 students had regis-tered online for the competition.