Life iS an inCredible Show, SayS failureS ConClaVe

On the eve of the New Year, an out-of-the-box event was organised by a Dehradunbased NGO, Rural Litigation Empowerment Kendra (RLEK), associated with education, environment, panchayati raj and human rights.

The function was titled “Failures Conclave”. It brought many well-known personalities together who had failed in school or other educational forums but made it big in life. Talking to The Sunday Guardian, RLEK chairman Avdhash Kaushal (80) said that “the life is an incredible show”. He said that the idea behind this conclave was not to belittle the good performance of students but to bring confidence and courage to anyone who has failed in any class. Kaushal said that he had failed twice, in Class 7 and Class 9, but was not deterred. He ended up becoming associate professor at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy in Mussoorie before launching his NGO.

“Today,” he said, “I’m a proud recipient of not only Padma Shri but numerous other awards.” He also started India’s first Nehru Yuva Kendra in 1972.

Padma Shri Leeladhar Jagudi (73), noted poet from Tehri Garhwal and winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, was the chief guest. He said, “When I was small, my mother died and my brother became blind. I failed in nearly every class, but I accepted my failures and moved on. I discovered my passion for singing and writing and worked on it. Everyone should find what they are gifted with.”

Sharing her life story, Prof Dr Pernille Gooch (70) from Sweden said, “I had failed to get selected in high school and my year was wasted while all my friends went ahead. From fishing to goat rearing, I have done everything for survival. At 40, I decided to do PhD and travelled to India. It took me 11 years to complete my doctorate, due to ill health. But I have always enjoyed what life has offered me.” She has done extensive fieldwork in the Himalayas, a region severely affected by global warming.