Founder's Day 2009: Speech to Parents

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Venue: Hope Hall Foundation School, New Delhi
Occasion: Founder's Day

Speech to 1800 parents and students at the school. The theme was "Inspirations 2009"
--

I’d like to begin by telling you all a short story.

A father would walk his son to school every morning. Every morning, the father and son would pass a beach that would be full of star-fish that had been washed to shore by the tide. And every morning, the son would break away from his father for two minutes, run to the beach and throw a few star-fish into the sea.

One day, as the boy was about to run to the beach, the father impatiently asked the small boy: “What do you think are you doing? “

The boy cheerfully told his father: “Dad, the star-fish need my help! If I don’t throw them into the water, they will die on the sand!”

The father realized his son was right. “But what difference can you make son? There must be thousands and thousands of such fish who die everyday. How many can you save?”

The boy ran to the beach, picked up a star-fish, tossed it into the sea and said: “I just saved that one, Dad!”

--

Good evening ladies and gentlemen;

Do you know the benefits of eating green vegetables? Do you know that littering on the roads is not a good thing? Do you know that animals and plants are living things and should not be harmed? And do you know, like the boy in the story, that star-fish will die if they are not kept in water? Don’t worry—if you dont, chances are that your child has the answer to all these questions!

It is not too long ago that I too was a school student, eager to do well in academics and sports; however, I notice a vast difference in today's children. Today, children are not just brighter and smarter than I was…but are also more responsible and caring for those around them. They want to be not just better doctors, scientists and engineers, but also better human beings. So, be it organizing charity drives for the poor or planting trees to help the environment, today’s students are eager to take the first step forward. Like the boy with the star-fish, they are eager to make a difference, even if it is a small one.

This immense passion to be more responsible and to make a difference is a tremendous strength for all of us. It gives us hope that over the next few years, we will have students who are not just doing well in class-rooms, but are also helping make the world a better place. We will have leaders who can empathize with their followers. And that we will have sound citizens who can help move the country forward.

I am often asked about what it is that makes education such an interesting field to be in. Indeed, it is this immense enthusiasm to be more responsible and aware that exists among students, that makes my job and the job of all the teachers in this school as exciting and rewarding as it is.

Today, as we celebrate our Annual Day--Inspirations 2009--I hope we, teachers and parents, can find inspiration from our young heroes. I also hope we can gain some inspiration from our students. We must remember that even the smallest voice can teach the world a song and that sometimes our students can sometimes be our best teachers.