MEDIA
Future leaders need to give back to society
www.thehindu.com | August 14, 2014
The inaugural of the 4th edition of the Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) 2014, now an annual feature with the City of Pearls as the host, saw eminent speakers asking student delegates to broaden their horizons, protect their dreams and work towards achieving them and not forget that they had to give back to society.
An estimated 1,500 delegates in the age group of 13 to 16 years from 15 nations came together for the four-day event.
A significant feature of this edition is the presence of 120 Pakistani students who will play the roles of delegates representing different countries. They will stay here and spend their Independence Day (August 14), as well witness the Independence Day celebrations here.
Delivering the key-note address, Telangana’s Minister for Information Technology K.T. Rama Rao quoted Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple, “Do not let the noise of others’ opinions drown your inner voice.”
The young delegates from across the globe and India who were the future leaders, would do well if they tried to understand the socio-political dynamics of the largest democracy in the world and complexity of Indian politics, he stated, categorically.
United States Consul General-Hyderabad, Michael Mullins explained briefly to the young delegates as to why the world required diplomats An important venue for diplomatic cooperation was the United Nations, he said, adding that in a month from now, representatives from about 190 other countries including India would meet in New York for the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. The simulation exercise that the youngsters would be involved in, over the next four days would be particularly timely, as they would wrestle with some serious and very current issues.
Other speakers, included Indira Parikh, Founder President, Foundation for Liberal & Management Education, Bindu Hari, Director, National Public Schools Group, Prateek Agarwal and Himanshu Charan, Secretary-General and President of the Conference respectively, also underscored the importance of HMUN 2014. Mr. Agarwal formally declared the event open.