Day 2 of the Symposium was gonna be a BIG day and so it was. Packed with loads of events/sessions and cultural treats, it sure had the Metlon fellows pleasantly tired- the sweet kind of tiredness- especially with the tight timelines.
The day began with the inaugural function which started off in right earnest with Ms.Tanja Schulze, the Program Director, providing the welcome address and briefing everyone at the function about Innovation – the theme of Symp09, the kind of work Junior Fellows have put in over the past months and looking forward to sharing all the knowledge in this cultural milieu of knowledge experts providing key note sessions, Junior Fellows presenting their findings and insights gathered in their workgroups about various case studies.
The onus was then on the chief guest for the function, Ms.Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who shared with the fellows a few enriching thought bytes which left many appreciating as well as pondering the reach/gamut of innovation and its impact on society and man.
Beginning with the types of innovation (one kind that brings about a paradigm shift in the way we do things, to the kind where innovation is brought about by building upon known knowledge as well as the innovations which create knowledge capital), Ms.Shaw spoke of how innovation in today’s world transcends all boundaries as well as how evolution of man has been an innovation too that has occurred across centuries. What was an innovation yesterday is only gonna give way to something more innovative in the coming days, she said which had everyone thinking of the innovations that we and our parents have been witness to, over the past few decades.
Giving us more insights about the biotechnology industry, Ms. Shaw described how any innovation entails risk and uncertainty, about how India is a place where failure is affordable and how Indian firms are well placed to leverage this and bring cost-affordable drugs to the developing world as well as bridge the divide between expensive drugs and affordable drugs to the masses.
Needless to say, she also spoke of how we can’t do any of these alone and we no longer are a vertical tiered structure but are networks of knowledge capital across various geographies.
Innovations which entail shrinking our carbon footprint, achieving favorable climates, innovations in the agricultural sector and more such areas are one which requires us to work together and the Melton Fellows are perfectly placed in this wonderful Foundation to leverage this to their advantage in their professional lives.
With this Ms. Shaw signed off wishing the Fellows the very best and hoping to see innovative products and solutions emerging at the end of the Symp.
Ms.Ragini Narayan and Prof.G.N.Shekar shared their thoughts on the symposium and wished the Fellows a very productive symposium.
Mr.Winthrop Carty, the Executive Director, then addressed the gathering. Thanking Ms.Shaw for her thought-provoking words, Mr.Carty goaded the fellows to reflect on the just concluded talk. He also mentioned of how the fellows and everyone are missing the ZU contingent hoping they would be here very soon. Hoping to be innovative and different, Mr.Carthy signed off saying he wouldn’t give a long sermon and hoped the gist had been captured by the audience.
Finally Jaikar Mohan, the tireless Symp Coordinator who was compeering throughout the proceedings, concluded the event and invited the fellows to participate in the two sessions (conducted in parallel) by Mr. Vijay Ladha and Mr. Vaibhav Kaley, both pioneers in their fields and known for their innovative solutions in the field of household appliances(gas/butane candles) and housing respectively.
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