Dubai: Nobel Prize winner for peace (2014) Shri Kailash Satyarthi was felicitated by Non Resident Odias (NROs) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 2nd of February, 2019. Shri Satyarthi is one among the only 5 Nobel Prize winners from India (others being Rabindranath Tagore, CV Raman, Mother Teresa and Amartya Sen).
Shri. Satyarthi and the grassroots movement founded by him, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement), have liberated more than 87,000 children from exploitation and developed a successful model for their education and rehabilitation. Following the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Shri Satyarthi has waged a peaceful struggle to stop children being exploited as labour instead of going to schools. He gave up his career as an engineer in 1980 and dedicated his life to the betterment of children.
Shri. Satyarthi was on a short trip to the United Arab Emirates, on his way back to India from Greece and the NROs got the opportunity to meet up with him and felicitate him. He was welcomed with flowers and presented with a Sambalpuri Uttariya. He thrilled the NRO families that had gathered to meet him by having a short interactive session. He said he was very happy to be meeting the Non Resident Odias and congratulated them on preserving India’s culture and traditions on foreign soil.
When asked what has been inspiration in life he said that in one word – Children. According to him, one should look at the world through the eyes of a child. Then the whole world appears to be beautiful. Talking about children he said ‘Childhood is a value, childhood is a virtue. Simplicity is childhood, Transparency is childhood, forgiveness is childhood, children forgive but it is we adults who keep things in our minds for years. So we have to learn from children instead of always teaching them’. He said ‘We must learn originality from them, leaving behind artificiality’. He also said Children have the courage to question, are pure at heart and are always transparent. A person who cries and laughs openly has courage. He lamented that nowadays these things are being forgotten.
He also talked about his connection with Odisha. His daughter-in-law’s family belongs to a village near Barpali in Bargarh District.
The Non Resident Odias were naturally very thrilled to meet this iconic figure in person and spend some valuable time with him. Reactions from them were euphoric.
Manas Panda – Director & General Manager, nVent Electrical ME FZE, Dubai said ‘We just wanted to spend some time with the legend and thank him for his great work in rescuing thousands of children from bonded child labour’.
Priyadarshee Panigrahi – General Manager, Wipro Unza Middle East Limited (A Wipro Group Company), Dubai said ‘The simplicity and down to earth nature of Shri Satyarthi was commendable. He interacted with all of us in a very warm manner. He is a national treasure and we must all support and help him in his good work’.
According to Shri Deepak Nayak, Country Manager – L&T, ‘The lifelong struggle of Shri Satyarthi is a lession of courage, conviction and fortitude. We must all learn from him’.
Subhendra Nayak, Technical Lead, BILT Middle East thanked Shri Satyarthi for sparing some time for them despite his packed schedule. This gesture of his surely warmed everybody’s hearts.
At the end, the words of inspiration that were spoken by the Nobel Laureate, definitely fired up the gathering and all of them went back impressed, inspired and motivated by his august presence and hard work.
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