Keynote address delivered by Sandeep Dutt at the Round Square Conference*
Jaipur, 18th of November 2013 at the MGD School
Life is a journey from ‘Me to We’
It is a transition, it is a movement, it is an evolution and it is all about leadership.
To build your world beyond ‘Me’ you have to try to find yourself and what better way than the Round Square Conference!
Thank you young leaders and friends for gathering here to discover the world beyond Me. As we set out to do our task at this conference, am sure you will look beyond Me and take ahead your quest to We.
Me is the micro self while We is the macro cause. As an individual you must make the most of being here as Me and that is only possible when we play together, perform together and what more party together. Certainly as young people you want to have the fun and games and any work done without an element of fun is fundamentally boring!
Speeches from the podium are not only a boring feature but as we would say on the receiving end a real drag. Am not here to stretch your minutes to hours but to make the most of what We can do together.
My dear friends let us take life as a journey, and set out to find ourselves. When we find ourselves we find the leader within. A leader is what we all aspire to be and to lead is our key mission. Yes, you must stand on your head, walk on your feet and lead from your heart. You must think from your heart, and this sounds funny! Yes stand on your head and not on your feet. All cryptic isn’t it?
A leader is one who makes the Me evolve into We. He does this by compassion in his heart, and a head held high. For thinking you will say you need to use your head alone, let me assure you a head without a heart is a lost cause. The World Beyond Me will only be possible when you follow your heart and let the heart guide your head instead. You have to do what you love and more so what your heart urges you to do, and must do this with the goal of making the world a better place.
Round Square is based on the thought of German educator and philosopher Kurt Hahn. Hahn believed that schools should not just prepare pupils for higher education, but should in fact be places to prepare them for life. The six ideals of the Round Square movement Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service, all help you move from Me to We. Reflect closely here is and international congregation, they all believe in democracy, care for the environment, have fun with adventure on board, are all potential leaders and are there to serve the humanity.
Your being present here at Jaipur, a city that is a crucible of culture and known for the Rajput honour at the core is an opportunity for you. Do look at the Rajput, an epitome for the ‘We’, in the enchanting land of Rajasthan there is lots of folklore and history to help you learn about honour, dignity and respect for the We. May you find yourself in the colours of Rajasthan, in the desert sand of times and centuries of rich culture. I urge you to look around and ensure that you start finding the We, the sooner the better.
Here you will find the best set of peers, mentors, community and more so build friendships that will add charm to your journey of life and help you smile, reflect and walk with not only the head held high, but with a heart full of compassion, care, understanding, devotion, and most of all an urge to do better and become the very loved individual we all aspire to be.
* Round Square aims to equip school children for the future by combining the 6 IDEALS of international understanding, democracy, environmental stewardship, adventure, leadership and service. Round Square conferences are run both internationally and regionally. For more about Round Square International Service please visit the website http://www.roundsquare.org/
