Ted X SITM. A memorable event.

And so there was this Ted X event which happened at Symbiosis Institute for Telecom Management (SITM)  Pune and I was invited as a speaker.

I got back from Pune on Saturday night after the event and it is still fresh in my mind. It was truly a memorable experience for me. The enthusiasm of the everyone associated with this Ted X talk, the superb and efficient way it was organised, the breathtakingly beautiful campus, the cordial welcome I got from the Director of the Institute Prof.Patil, and the love that the students and faculty showered on me has floored me completely and has left me with a fuzzy warm feeling which refuses to die down even three days after the event.

The speaker line-up was superb. I felt honoured to hear Dr.Pawan Agarwal of Mumbai dabbawalas (which is now a case study  in many management Institutes)  speak.
To quote from 'The Hindu'

Mumbai’s 5,000-odd dabbawalas have been in action for over 125 years now, without any work stoppages. They deliver nearly 2,00,000 lunches everyday and on time. Their unique management and operational models have become subjects of management study beyond text books for global business schools.

The dabbawalas have a Six Sigma quality certificate and a global business fan club that includes Prince Charles and Mr Richard Branson.

He is humility personified--a gem of a human being.

I felt honoured to speak to him and even click a picture with him. He also told me that he loved my talk and I felt elated about that. (the video to my talk will be available after 2-3 weeks and I shall share the link, once it is up)

Here are a few pictures clicked on the day of the event.

The picturesque, serene campus is located on a hill, covered with mist. It looks straight out of a picture post-card and makes you want to dive in.

 There was an enormous hoarding just outside the college. I was surprised seeing my face suddenly on a hoarding :)

There were posters on the wall too.

Karan, who was the corporate Interface assigned to me. He met me at the airport, even though it was ten thirty pm when my flight landed. And right from the time of landing Karan was with me till I left. He was really sweet and took care of even the smallest of details efficiently. He also showed me around the magnificent campus they have. Thank you Karan!

Rohan (white shirt) , manoj, raveena and some of the other students at SITM. Rohan did a nice job of compering the event. :)

 Saurabh, a student from SITM who wanted a pic with me, just before I got into the car which was waiting to take me to the airport.
Sometimes, a single snapshot can tell an interesting story :)

And three days later, the hangover of the experience refuses to go away.
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