C20-SAMAJSHALA: Speakers said that the success of C20 depends on the participation of every citizen

To bring forth the C20 Samajashala on Sewa, Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) joined hands with Apeejay Education on April 9, 2023. The event took place at the auditorium of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, in New Delhi. The aim was to raise awareness about creating a world where every individual has a sense of service and selfless love for each other, making us one big family. The programme was attended by eminent academicians, government functionaries, civil society members, teachers, and students.

The distinguished guests included Vijay K Nambiar, the Civil20India2023 Sherpa (Principal Coordinator), Mrs Sushma Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Education, Professor DP Singh, former Vice-Chancellor and Education Advisor to the Chief Minister of UP, Dr (Mrs) Pankaj Mittal and Shri Gunjan Tripathi, Director, Medhaj Techno Concept Private Limited among others.

The event was also graced by the presence of C20 Sous Sherpa Shri Kiran DM, Mr Santosh Gupta, National Coordinator of the C20 Sewa Working Group and CEO of ISRN, Dr Nitin Malik, Registrar of Dr BR Ambedkar University, and Shri Jai Prakash Pandey, Director, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India.

C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders of G20. It gives CSOs a forum to protect the agency of this sector, reflects the primary and common concerns affecting the people of the world, and promotes social and economic development with the vision of leaving no one behind.

Retired Ambassador of India and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Mr Nambiar who has previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor to the Government of India, Head of the National Security Council Secretariat, and India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, was the chief guest.

The guest of honour was Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia, Chairperson, Apeejay Education; Co-Founder and Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University; Chairperson and President, Apeejay Stya and Svran Group and Chairperson, Apeejay Stya Education Research Foundation.

The special guest was Professor Dhirendra Pal Singh, the Education Adviser to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is also an Indian naturalist and academic administrator. He has served as Vice-chancellor of three different universities – Dr Hari Singh Gour University, Banaras Hindu University, and Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya. He is the former director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and served as the chairman of the University Grants Commission.

The other esteemed dignitaries included Dr Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities and ex-vice chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur, and Mr Nishant Berlia, Co-Promoter, Apeejay Stya, and Svrán Group.

The event began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Amb. Nambiar, Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia, Nishant Berlia, Dr (Prof) DP Singh, Dr Pankaj Mittal, Shri Santosh Gupta, Shri Jai Prakash Pandey, Shri Gunjan Tripathi, and Shri Kiran DM amid the chants of Vakratunda Mahakaya by the students of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park.

Mr Gupta, who is the India Coordinator of the C20 Sewa Working Group and CEO of ISRN, giving the brief for the event said that the objective of Civil20 is to facilitate how different civil societies can put forth their viewpoints. After discussion, these are then converted into policies by July 2023. These will then be presented at G20 in September.

Speaking at the event, Professor D. P Singh, who is also an Indian naturalist and academic administrator said that he is very happy to participate and share some thoughts for a very unique programme for G20 – C20-Samajshala.

“The very title, C20-Samajshala, attracts everybody. Shiksha sanskaron ki pavan bhoomi hai aur vahan hum samajshala ki baat karte hain. I would be very happy to share my thoughts on the significance of sewa in India’s civil society, its role in National Education Policy 2020, and in particular in the country’s higher educational landscape. We have several Vice-Chancellors, former Vice- Chancellors, and educationists who are attached to sewa. India’s participation in G20 has been marked by a commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and sustainability. India’s civil society is actively involved in G20 in a process through its engagement with C20,” Professor Singh said.

Sewa’s role, he said, is very significant. “Community-building is at the heart of sewa. It is not just about helping others but also fostering a sense of belonging and sharing responsibility. When you do sewa, it fills you with a sense of happiness and that is the true meaning of sewa. Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia rightly said that everything in this world is interconnected and interdependent. Whatever is happening in one part of the world, everybody is impacted by it. We have witnessed this, particularly during the time of COVID-19.  Hence, when we talk of sewa, India has time and again been at the forefront to help wherever there has been a crisis or a disaster. This is because sewa is in our tradition and every breath, it is part of our lives,” Professor Singh said and added that sewa is deeply rooted in our culture and traditions.

“From ancient times, Indians have been taught to view sewa as a way of life. “An essential part of their duty has been to do sewa — from small rural communities to large urban centres. It has played a critical role in providing support and assistance to those who need it, particularly in times of crisis. The importance of sewa has always been recognised by the Indian government and recently the education policy 2020. The NEP 2020, emphasises the need to promote values such as empathy, compassion, and service among students. It recognises that education develops character. The policy encourages schools and higher education institutions to incorporate community service into their curricula providing students the opportunity to serve their communities and develop a sense of responsibility toward society. When the G20 presidency came to India, it was of great significance. It can help us work for world peace and prosperity where India enjoys a unique position to make the world a better tomorrow,” Professor Singh said.

Shri Tripathi, who is also associated with Medhajites Solutions Private Limited, Medhaj- Research And Education Private Limited, and Medhaj News Private Limited, thanked everyone for allowing him to be part of such a big initiative. “What impressed me about Apeejay is that it has a long legacy and its philosophy which I have not seen in any other school — Spirituality. We are a consulting company with over 3,000 engineers across the country, working in 28 states; we only work with Central and state government projects and that is why our thought process is akin to how the government thinks; we are in total alignment with the Central and state government initiatives. What hits me is the poverty and grief around us. Hence, ‘sewa’ in any form is welcome,” Tripathi said.

Giving an example of a 2001 study by Angus Maddison, an economist (British), Tripathi said that Maddison was given the task of researching the GDP of countries in the last 1,000 years. “It is a must-read for everyone. The report said that between the 1700-1750 Centuries, of the entire world’s GDP, India’s share was 35 per cent. China was around 25 per cent, UK and Europe were nowhere near these numbers; the US was not even in the race. In 1947, India’s share was a mere three per cent of the world share. The people of this country must realise that we have been looted. What we need is to go from three to 35. In how much time we can get to this number, I don’t know but three to 35 must be our mantra,” Tripathi said.

He added that more research was done on the report’s findings on what made India so special. “It was found that each village acted as an independent economic unit. Their lifestyle was simple, every school had an ashram, where Vedas were taught, they followed the hora system (time duration of one day and one night), and their eating habits were healthy. Today, I do the same and so do many people in my firm. Just like the vision that the Late Dr Stya Paul had created and that is why they are still here, we too are trying to create something similar. Our vision is how to ensure that Medhaj survives for 500 years. We were recently awarded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi; he is our inspirational leader and we relate to his vision,” Tripathi said.

Dr Mittal taking the podium, who has also served the University Grants Commission of India for 30 years and has a wide-ranging experience of more than three decades in Higher Education in Policy Planning and Management of Higher Education, complimented Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia and her entire family – Nishantji, Adityaji, and Nehaji for doing so much for society — the sewa that is being talked about.

She started with a few lines: Tum swatantra kehte ho khudko bolo kis paribhasha mein, hastakshar bhi karte ho ek videshi bhasha mein and spoke in Hindi about how universities can be part of the ‘sewa’. “Working for a rural woman’s university, the first step that was taken was to establish the Centre for Society University Interface Research. This was because we found a disconnection between the university and the community. Everyone thought that we were elitists and we wanted to change this. Under this Centre, we added a few courses like Micro Financing. This helped the women who took this programme to implement it in their village by creating self-help groups. Some of the things that were taught to the villagers were how to take loans from the bank to name a few. Soon, I found that the villagers had opened their shops – a grocery store and a bangle shop. We were able to empower women when they opened their shops with their own names. We worked with the women of the village and gave legal aid by opening a camp for them. What was important for the villagers was that the university thought about them. Many people like Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia are engaged in CSR activity but what about the university CSR initiative? Student CSR initiative? Citizen CSR initiative? Social responsibility must be at all levels. While it is there, we need to create more awareness. Civil society must include universities and colleges as well. C20 will only be successful if each one contributes toward it,” Dr Mittal said.

Dr Malik, who was earlier the Deputy Registrar at GGS IP University in Delhi and was later promoted to Joint Registrar, said that it was his privilege to present especially since Professor Singh was instrumental in leading the country as Chairperson of the UGC.

“I came here, for the samajshala, to learn from those who are present, particularly the Apeejay School. Today, when we talk about G20 and India’s presidency, we have to see how we can take our sense of sewa to the next level. And how our youth needs to come to the front with sewa bhavana and contribute to C20. The organisers of this event need to be applauded for bringing together such esteemed people from different universities, the former UGC Chairperson, and school representation. We endeavor to take the sense of sewa that has been taught to us in childhood on the global map and work on the G20 by taking it ahead,” Dr Malik said.

Mr Pandey, who is also an author, poet, and excellent columnist, said that what attracted him was C20-Samajshala. “In other words, not only is our home ours but so is our society. Now that the G20 presidency is with India, all the other verticals, related to education, health, and skills to name a few, C20 is one such vertical that has brought everyone together. The aspect of SEWA – Sense of Service, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism – means that we have a lot to give to the world since we are talking about Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or One Earth, One Family, One Future,” Pandey said.

When we talk about education, he said, for the world to progress, this is an important aspect. “If we look at the National Education Policy 2020, the word volunteerism has been mentioned 13 times and philanthropy 17 times. Santoshji mentioned that C20 aims to create awareness and through that represents G20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that words like volunteerism, service to society, and the concept of involvement have been very well incorporated into the policies and the best example is NEP 2020. It has been largely understood that education comes under the government’s purview. But we have seen how Apeejay has been doing this sewa since 1967. One can only imagine the impact it will have if each one of us is involved in this field. To bring education to the doors of each child is not the job of the government or a few institutions, it is everyone’s responsibility which is possible via samajshala,” Pandey said.

Shri Kiran DM, who has 20-plus years of rich and versatile experience in both IT and non-IT Industries, with a demonstrated history of working in Human Resources & Operations, General Management, and Corporate Strategy, said that if we go back in time, people were getting their education from samaj, and only a few used to go to pathshala. “Today, it is the reverse. We are all going to pathshala and attending samajshala. If you look at society, it is individualistic. So how do we bring in the concept of sewa? On one hand, we are teaching our students to excel and on the other we want them involved in sewa. How do we do this balancing act? The schools and the educational institution need to lead the path as educationists and academicians,” Kiran DM said.

Brand ambassadors of C20 were also felicitated at the event. Professor (Dr) Rama, principal, Hansraj College, Mr Sanjay, and Ashok Kumar Jain, a retired chief engineer of DVC. Jain is a known crusader against corruption and an RTI activist were felicitated by Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia and Nishant Berlia.

Mr Gupta gave a vote of thanks to the chief guest, guest of honour, and other dignitaries for gracing the event with their presence. He invited them to the next chapter of C20 to be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

The programme ended with the National Anthem sung by the students of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park.