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On 24th January, 107 promising students from across Karnataka and neighbouring states descended upon the VTU campus in Belagavi to mark the kick-off of the 5th annual LEAD Prayana. These students, along with 32 beginning their journey on the same day in Nizamabad, were selected from a pool of almost 500 applicants.
LEAD Prayana, which began in 2012 with just 63 students, is an annual leadership journey that takes almost 150 passionate students between the ages of 18-26 throughout India on a 14-day tour across Karnataka. Packed with site visits, role model sessions, and hands-on activities, LEAD Prayana inspires students by exposing them to individuals and institutions which have innovated and implemented solutions to major challenges. Through this leadership journey. LEAD aims to instill in the participants a need to bring change through effective leadership.
LEAD Prayana, which began in 2012 with just 63 students, is an annual leadership journey that takes almost 150 passionate students between the ages of 18-26 throughout India on a 14-day tour across Karnataka. Packed with site visits, role model sessions, and hands-on activities, LEAD Prayana inspires students by exposing them to individuals and institutions which have innovated and implemented solutions to major challenges. Through this leadership journey. LEAD aims to instill in the participants a need to bring change through effective leadership.
VTU played host to the Belagavi kick-off ceremony, where after the lighting of the ceremonial flame, students and honoured guests alike were treated to a rousing speech by Mr. H. Maheshappa, Vice Chancellor of VTU. While Mr. Maheshappa shared his six traits of a true leader, he noted that in fact, “leadership is an enigma, but we know it when we see it”. However, it was Mr. Maheshappa’s instructions to the budding student leaders and future entrepreneurs before him that garnered the most applause: “you shouldn't be job seekers… you should be making the jobs, being jobs providers!”
Mr. Naveen Jha, CEO of Deshpande Foundation and the person who dreamed up and made real the LEAD program in 2008, also shared the stage as an honoured guest. Mr. Jha shared the learnings from his years of leadership experience, and told the students that this leadership journey would “take them to the ocean”, but it was their choice if they would seize this monumental opportunity to develop their leadership skills by jumping in, or simply dip a toe. This is one reason why this program seems so unique: students must learn to take initiative and become leaders, rather than simply have opportunities handed to them.
Second and Third Day at Agastya, Kuppam
From the moment LEAD Prayana’s 107 students landed, they were determined to make most of their two days in Kuppam, a village located at the border of Andra Pradesh and Karnataka. The day began with a welcome from Agastya Foundation’s Head of Kuppam Centre Mr. Nitin Desai. He inspired the students with Agastya’s mission to bring the Ah, Aha, and Haha into learning, and encouraged them to be both curious and creative in all they do. 
During their stay, the “Prayanees” explored the on-site Discovery and Innovation Centers, planetarium, and joined an early morning eco-walk of Agastya’s 600+ plant species. They also did team building activities that gave back to the Agastya community, such as constructing a shack and seating area out of natural and upcycled materials.
An evening performance by Folk India was a highlight, with the foursome performing Karnataka folk songs to thunderous applause and enthusiastic dancing from the audience. Several student leaders also spontaneously took the stage, with Folk India accompanying them for folk songs from their regions including Uttar Pradesh, Andra Pradesh, and Kerala.
While in Kuppam, LEAD Prayana groups also conducted educational activities in four neighbouring villages, centering on the topics of Agastya, water, sanitation, and girls education. They also visited nearby village Gadapalli to join their Republic Day program, celebrating with the students of the village government school.
Closing ceremonies occurred as the sun started to set on the second day, closing as it started with the wisdom of Mr. Nitin Desai, his words prompted by the insightful questions of the budding leaders. “India needs that connectivity, the curiosity we teach at Agastya”, and the participants of Prayana couldn't have agreed more.
Fourth day at Organic Farm, Doddaballapur
From urban Bangalore to a rural organic farm, the student leaders from LEAD Prayana were exposed today to a multitude of worlds within Karnataka.
A morning reflection began on a rooftop at VTU’s new Bangalore campus as the sun rose, the students already moved by the experiences they have had and excited for the days to come. After the stay at VTU, it was only fitting to visit the birthplace of Visveshwarya on the way out of the city and into the villages.
Arriving in Doddaballapur, the student leaders are being hosted at internationally acclaimed organic farmer Mr. Narayan Reddy. The spritely 81-year-old addressed the group, sharing his passion for organic farming, the natural world, and living a simple life. Mr. Reddy reminded the budding leaders to “never compare themselves to the richest developed country, but the poorest man in the village”. Reddy is a proud farmer and proud of his simple life, even mentioning the shirt he wears for the day is over 20 years old, and his quick wit and good humour kept all the students amazed by his life and leadership story.
While in Doddaballapur, the students also participated in educating the villagers about the importance of sanitation and education. A tour of the farm and its techniques, home cooked meals made from the bounty of the farm, and finally a reflection session with Mr. Reddy rounded out the day.
Fifth Day at S-Vyasa and Jain University, Bengaluru
Fifth Day at S-Vyasa and Jain University, Bengaluru
Arriving at S-VYASA by breakfast, the students were welcomed and addressed by Dr. H.R. Nagendra, Chancellor of the yoga university located just outside Bengaluru. Dr. Nagendra stressed the importance of yoga as a tool for purifying, calming, and controlling the mind and body, and its benefits for the students constantly facing the stress and emotional high and lows of entering adulthood. He also shared his philosophy of giving, encouraging the students to return to India’s history of sacrifice and service, the core pillars, by doing acts of giving (even the smallest of acts) each day. He also talked about the job opportunities in natural health and yoga, citing “IT to YT (yoga therapy)” as a source of meaningful, profitable employment in India. The students were also treated to a tour of the campus, including their world class yoga science research and treatment centers.
The afternoon saw another visit to an establishment of higher learning, Bengaluru’s Jain University. This campus was home to speaker sessions from two role models in drastically different sectors. The first was Suhas Gopinath, who became the world’s youngest CEO at the time when he started his web development company Global INC at the age of 17. Now 29, Suhas shared the amazing and wildly entertaining story of his rise into IT leadership, sharing his wisdom of the importance of “leading from the front”. He also emphasized the importance of trust, honesty, ethics, and values in leadership, offering wise words that clearly resounded with the student leaders many times not much younger than Suhas himself. 
The Prayanees also heard from Naleni Shekhar, the founder of Hasirudala, and several of the beneficiaries of her non-profit’s work. Hasirudahla works to empower and offer meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to rag pickers, and it was an amazing experience to hear from some of the former rag pickers themselves. Naleni has an unmissable passion for helping these rag pickers, emphasizing inclusivity and true understanding of their lives rather than a top-down approach to helping them. Sixth Day at Microsoft Ventures, Bengaluru
With the typical Bengaluru traffic, the Prayanees started the day with the journey to Microsoft Ventures. LEAD Prayana is full of twists and special guests, and the Prayanees were happily surprised with five accomplished leaders taking the stage during the day, rather than the stated two.
The founder of LEAF, Mr. Nair, also addressed the 130+ student leaders while at Microsoft Ventures. “As long as the curiosity is there, you are young”, he told the Prayanees, in a presentation that informed about the agricultural industry and maintaining profitability in this sector that is so prevalent in the Indian economy.
While his position and title might have suggested a more serious session, IAS officer and “Mr. Transparent” P. Manivannan captured the audience with his dynamic interactive session, starting off with his “3 S’s” that define the human experience: survival, solitude, and sex. He also helped the Prayanees better understand themselves with interactive activities about our inner feelings, and this session was no doubt a highlight so far for many of our student LEADers.
The speakers concluded with Mr. Naveen and Mr. Suresh from the host, Microsoft Ventures. Mr. Naveen asked the Prayanees a profound question: “If everything is comfortable, what are you learning”?This question is all too pertinent for the students of LEAD Prayana, who face challenges, twists, and turns along the way, designed to unleash their leadership potential.
Seventh Day at Organic Mandya
All the Prayanees continued their journey to meet Mr. Mandhuchandan who was a young IT profession who left his comfortable job in the United States to sow the seeds of an organic farming movement in India. He was the role model for the day for LEAD Prayana's 130+ students hailing from across India as they visited Mandya along their 15-day leadership journey.
The 37 year-old engineer was moved by the plight of farmer suicides and the heartbreaking stories of their families and decided to work for their well being. He asked the LEAD Prayana participants to be "illogical" in pursuing their passions and get back to what our forefathers' insights on living and farming. After working for several IT companies and starting his own in 2005, Mr. Mandhuchandan thought he had achieved all he had dreamed of but he felt incomplete. He eventually realized he needed to give back to the village he came from, and returned to India in 2014 to pursue his passion for organic farming and farmer welfare.
He also added that synthetic farming has broken the flow of maintaining an ecosystem, and we must return to organic farming as our ancestors do. He wants Mandya to become an organic farmer's hub.
Mr. Mandhuchandan has also started a great initiative within Organic Mandya, Jaggery Park, that gives hope and reassurance to debt-ridden sugarcane farmers. "I feel proud to be a farmer today.. to be able to lead a healthier and happier life is a dream come true... no other job can give that immense satisfaction that farming can offer", said a farmer at Jaggery Park. 
Don't wait to do what you want to do was one of the main messages Mr. Mandhuchandan shared, as well as how young people needed to change their attitude towards agriculture, not as something of the rural past. He also explained about his future plans and plans for Organic Mandya's expansion into the dairy industry, concluding the session by thanking LEAD for bringing these young leaders to Mandya to be exposed to this field of organic farming in the modern age.
Eighth day Infosys, Mysore
LEAD Prayana 2016 continued its legacy as the Prayanees got exposure on India's largest corporate legend Infosys. Their Mysuru campus is one of a kind, where corporate intelligence blends hand-in-hand with marvellous European architectural techniques.
The best part of the day's visit started with the tour of the mighty campus with the assistance of the Sushma, Harish, Nawaz and few other enthusiastic employees of Infosys. Spreading around 337 acres, it never seemed to end as students walked around the campus exploring various infrastructural excellence.
Including interesting buildings based on the Japanese origami style and a golf ball-shaped multiplex, the campus is comprised of 4 software development blocks, various recreational centers, and everything else an employee or a trainee would wish for. One of the seven multi-cuisine food courts energized all the Prayanees for their hour-long session by the young employees of Infosys. The session included the employees' journeys so far and a bird's eye view of the Mysore development center .
The Spark Infy team, formed by some active employees of Infosys, conducted an event which shed light on the importance of communication and logistic analysis for an entrepreneur. They actively answered questions about the recruitment process and the projects they were working on. The visit ended on right on schedule, which gave LEAD Prayana the chance to grab a fantastic arial view of culture capital Mysore from the Chamundi Hill view point.
Ninth and Tenth Day at Dharmasthala
Dharmastala means "place for justice", so it is no wonder it was a spiritual place to be and that the students of LEAD Prayana 2016 was mesmerized to be there. The ultimate pilgrimage for the worshippers of "Shri Manjunatha" and a charity centre for the needy helped to embed values of serving the needy with dignity in the young Prayanee hearts. People fond of this place come along to seek dharma, believing in all kinds of dhana (anna, abhay and nyaya , aushadha, vidhya).
The Institute under Pathmavibhushan Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala (SDM), provides all kinds charity and services to the needy through RUDSET Institute, SDM Trust, Shantivana Trust, medical trust, Siddhavana, and Rathnamanasa Gurukula which add more value to Indian culture. The Manjusha and his vast museum are the spotlights of this trust. Shri Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development program and Gyana Vikas Mahila program are the rays of hope and lifeline to the Kshetra believers trying to find the path of life, not to neglect that the mahotsavas are totally a delight for the eyes. "Dharmastala is a place of realization, it is a place of love, it is a place of humble belief and people, and it is a place of faith and hope... Dharmastala is a place to be" says a student participant from Lead Prayana 2016.
Padma Vibhushan Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala, a well known visionary and spiritual leader, interacted with students LEADers in an interactive session organised by LEAD Prayana. He has been guiding the multitude of devotees visiting Dharmasthala and seeking solace for their pains with his wisdom and helping them to face the world. "Nobody is a leader all are servants of their duties... I'm just a normal human being who seeks the grace of God", said Heggede to the crowd, reflecting his humble nature and his position as Dharmadhikari of this holy place. The session discussed the existence of God, faith, his charity activities. the types of dana his sansthana has been doing to get people believe in goodness and life. "Sarvejana sukhino bavantun "and "anu renu rinakasta" were graceful words that the students had to take back home from the land of solace.
Eleventh day at Manipal, Udupi
Vice Chancellor and the face of Manipal University the world over, Dr. Hattangadi Vinod Bhat, integrated himself with the vibrant young minds travelling across Karnataka with the leadership program LEAD Prayana. He has been spearheading the diversification of the Manipal University course offerings, international collaborations, and instilling leadership and research skills in the Manipal students. He is the man responsible for the spectacular growth in external research, specializations in field of community medicine, and newfound involvement in service-oriented activities for the students.
Answering the questions students had for him, Dr. Bhat talked about "changing landscapes" from Hubballi to Udupi and how it helped him to realize the necessity of coming back to Manipal. His early schooling in Udupi district, after which he lived in various cities around the country with his family, made him realize that healthcare interventions produced better results when approached in other ways. He shared how his rural centre at Karkala was entrusted with the responsibility of creating a healthcare facility thanks to his tedious work.
After the session, students were taken all over the university campus, including the anatomy and physiology museum, library (one of Asia's largest), the Marina Indoor Games Stadium, and the planetarium. The students' inquisitiveness in learning about aviation, robotics, and upcoming inventions in technology was quenched during their Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) visit.
The 15 day leadership journey then left for its next destination, Hubballi-Dharwad, after enjoying the sunset at Malpe Beach.
Ninth and Tenth Day at Dharmasthala
Dharmastala means "place for justice", so it is no wonder it was a spiritual place to be and that the students of LEAD Prayana 2016 was mesmerized to be there. The ultimate pilgrimage for the worshippers of "Shri Manjunatha" and a charity centre for the needy helped to embed values of serving the needy with dignity in the young Prayanee hearts. People fond of this place come along to seek dharma, believing in all kinds of dhana (anna, abhay and nyaya , aushadha, vidhya). 
The Institute under Pathmavibhushan Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala (SDM), provides all kinds charity and services to the needy through RUDSET Institute, SDM Trust, Shantivana Trust, medical trust, Siddhavana, and Rathnamanasa Gurukula which add more value to Indian culture. The Manjusha and his vast museum are the spotlights of this trust. Shri Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development program and Gyana Vikas Mahila program are the rays of hope and lifeline to the Kshetra believers trying to find the path of life, not to neglect that the mahotsavas are totally a delight for the eyes. "Dharmastala is a place of realization, it is a place of love, it is a place of humble belief and people, and it is a place of faith and hope... Dharmastala is a place to be" says a student participant from Lead Prayana 2016. 
Padma Vibhushan Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala, a well known visionary and spiritual leader, interacted with students LEADers in an interactive session organised by LEAD Prayana. He has been guiding the multitude of devotees visiting Dharmasthala and seeking solace for their pains with his wisdom and helping them to face the world. "Nobody is a leader all are servants of their duties... I'm just a normal human being who seeks the grace of God", said Heggede to the crowd, reflecting his humble nature and his position as Dharmadhikari of this holy place. The session discussed the existence of God, faith, his charity activities. the types of dana his sansthana has been doing to get people believe in goodness and life. "Sarvejana sukhino bavantun "and "anu renu rinakasta" were graceful words that the students had to take back home from the land of solace.Eleventh day at Manipal, Udupi
Vice Chancellor and the face of Manipal University the world over, Dr. Hattangadi Vinod Bhat, integrated himself with the vibrant young minds travelling across Karnataka with the leadership program LEAD Prayana. He has been spearheading the diversification of the Manipal University course offerings, international collaborations, and instilling leadership and research skills in the Manipal students. He is the man responsible for the spectacular growth in external research, specializations in field of community medicine, and newfound involvement in service-oriented activities for the students.
The 15 day leadership journey then left for its next destination, Hubballi-Dharwad, after enjoying the sunset at Malpe Beach.
Twelfth Day at Akshaya Patra, Hubballi
The 14-day journey of LEAD prayana on social entrepreneurship and raising the concept of self exploring has reached its final and core destination, Hubballi.
Proving the saying that things get better when reaching the end, visit to the Akshaya Patra Hubballi, considered the world’s largest kitchen of its kind. Feeding 1.3 million school children per day, Akshaya Patra follows the most sustainable and sophisticated methods of mass cooking. Adding to that, the management stressed on the fact that Akshaya Patra is not only a feeding program but also a boost up the belief in need for education in the rural arenas. 
Further visit to Kalkeri Sangeeth Vidyalay has struck the Prayanees with an ancient and most effective style of mingling arts and academics for the true nourishment of the budding minds. KSV, which is a thought provoking initiative by volunteers from various countries like Canada, France and Spain, recruits students ranging from 6 to 23 years old after making a face to face research of their socio-economic status and the child's zeal to approach academicals excellence through arts. 
Day ended with the most awaited sessions of the whole journey. The interaction rather be called asthe productive flow of ideas from a legendary like Dr. Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande to the yet to be entrepreneurs cleared almost every misconception an entrepreneur can ever have. If people are considering their obstacles as the biggest hurdles of their lives, the inspiring session by Ms. Malathi Holla definitely proved that sometimes the hurdles do give us a chance to jump higher than we can ever expect that we can.
Thirteenth Day at Deshpande Foundation, Hubballi
The day of sessions continued with the lady Pioneer of Personal Branding in India, Tanvi Bhatt. Founder and Managing Director of Panache-India’s Premier Personal Branding Company, Tanvi interacted with students taking them to her own personal story of leaving behind engineering and evolving out to create her own space in the business field.
Sasisekar krish CEO of nanopix spoke to the students in the afternoon session at sandbox hubli. His career of ups and downs and finally breaking the wall of failure through his great initiatives and having double a dozen patents in his name pushes prayanis to stand up and ask their queries related to virtual reality and digital image processing technologies. 
Amidst successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, Zenia Tata social activist and entrepreneur with her drawbacks of jugaad and rewarding failure, the Tata granddaughter entered the hall with zeal of what she was and her courage of impacting millions of life around the globe. Executive director of XPRIZE spoke and shared about her hardships of being different and need to contribute in sweat for fruitful lives around you.
LEAD Prayana which is spreading exposure ranging from the grass root levels to even rocket science, brought Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian woman who went to space, to bring the out of space session to the prayanees. Ansari shared her most exciting journey from Masshad to International space station and how it entirely changed her perspective towards things.
Fourteenth Day at Yuva Summit, Hubballi
Yuva summit 2016 ended its one day long session of inspiring and igniting youth around the country at Deshpande Foundation.
Yuva summit which was precided over by Nobel laureate Muhammed yunus, first Iranian private space women traveller Anousheh Ansari, Malathi holla, Shekhar Gupta, Narayan murthy and gururaj deshpande.
Lead talks, the inaugural session stood out for its miraculous student leaders and their inspirational stories. Chethan Upadhyaya a former Prayani and volunteer delivered his story of igniting disables students with a music band.
R. V Gumasthe MD of kirloskar addressed the prayanis on the importance of how people would follow your actions than your words. As the proverb says diamonds are seen inside mines... lead prayanis had to wait all the way long 15 days to meet none other than the man behind it revolution, CEO infosys Narayan murthy. His words on importance of keeping values and ethics, spirit of working as a Team.
The next speaker was introduced by LEAD functional head Ajay Suman Shukla. Though "needs no introduction". Mr Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus of Infosys, earned a standing ovation, before even speaking question and anser session was conducted with the eager audience. "Its only entrepreneurs that can turn idea into jobs for others" was only one among a myriad of quotable moments with the business and IT legend.
Agasthya international foundation founder Ramji Raghavan had a very interactive session of sharing ideas to explore and expand social initiatives to develop india. "Visualise your dreams and what that you want to see, you can sense it how it comes true" said the visionary in the open air session.
The youth for change rally then began with the hundreds of Yuva Summit attendees spreading their energy and positive spirit to the streets of Hubballi as they walked to the Gateway Hotel Lakeside, led by LEAD functional head Ajay Suman Shukla and Cofounder of the Deshpande Foundation Mrs. Jaishree Deshpande.
The youth for change rally then began with the hundreds of Yuva Summit attendees spreading their energy and positive spirit to the streets of Hubballi as they walked to the Gateway Hotel Lakeside, led by LEAD functional head Ajay Suman Shukla and Cofounder of the Deshpande Foundation Mrs. Jaishree Deshpande.
Gateway hotel, hubli has became the host for the evening with legends for the leaders from across the country on the context of Yuva Summit 2016 and TiEcON. The evening came out to be the most inspiring and thought provoking as the role models poured each and every experience that made them what they are in the moment. Best leaders, who gifted the society around them with their innovative social models which changed scores of lives, were felicitated by Deshpande foundation aspiring more leaders of such kind.
The Last day of Prayana, Graduation Ceremony
Sooner or later everyone will discover that the important moments in lifes are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the goals achieved, the real milestones are more simpler and heartfelt warmer. Thelast day of LEAD prayana February 7th!!
The Last day of Prayana, Graduation CeremonySooner or later everyone will discover that the important moments in lifes are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the goals achieved, the real milestones are more simpler and heartfelt warmer. Thelast day of LEAD prayana February 7th!!
A day of graduation !!
It was the one last session!😉
The one last hug!!☹
The one last selfie, the one last groupfie !!☺
The one last food together!!
The last bus journey with your lovables!!
A day full of tears, with heart full of promises!
Biding a goodbye with the only thing in mind " it is not the end it is the beginning"!!
