Every year on 17th September, HFSI celebrates the birth anniversary of the erstwhile founder of the school, Dr. L.H. Hiranandani with great excitement and enthusiasm. The year 2018 witnessed yet another momentous celebration of the Founder’s Day.
Little children greeted the honourable trustee, Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani who arrived at the school on this auspicious occasion to shower blessings on the students and teachers. His words of inspiration lit up the hearts of young students who are often caught in a dilemma when making the right choice. A great orator, Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani cited instances how people with twenty fractures in the body could summon their inner strength to conquer Mt. Everest. A mammoth metamorphosis was possible if one could shape and motivate oneself to transcend obstacles. He opined that greatness can be achieved by any ordinary person if he ‘makes up his mind’ to reach the zenith of success. Traversing unknown path and embracing challenges while rushing through this maze of life had never been a daunting task to either him or his children. It was great to find out that Ms. Priya Hiranandani , his daughter, decided to embark upon fresh pastures at the age of 23 when she announced her decision to establish a call-centre with just a handful of employees. However, a far greater surprise awaited the audience when they came to know that she sold the company at the age of 27 at one hundred million US dollars! This quantum leap was possible not only because she put in sincere dedication but also because she dared to pursue a dream that was apparently impossible to achieve at that juncture of her life to everyone other than herself. Self-belief is the primary requisite for success, the second is to embrace challenges with self-confidence and that was exemplified in what his son accomplished in Dubai. The second tallest residential tower in the world (having 90 storeys) was conceived of by a young man who wanted to surpass the achievements of his father. The proud and happy father then went on to regale the audience how he himself had overcome the mental inhibition to do physical exercise. At the age of 67, he runs 10 km. without running short of breath and participates in all the marathons held in the city. It is important to start working upon your dream today, he told us, and reminded us that a small step taken towards the right direction will one day lead to the fulfilment of your cherished dream. To the “doers of HFS” his message was to spend every iota of their energy in learning new things. His father, Dr. L.H. Hiranandani went to Germany at the age of 82 to learn something new about surgery. Thus the process of learning is a never-ending affair and one is never too old to learn is exemplified in the character of the illustrious founder of HFS. At the same time, one should be ever-ready to celebrate the beauty of life by “partying hard” and while cutting the cake, Mr. Niranjan Hiranadani was filled with reminiscences of his father gladly going around celebrating his birthday by cutting seven to eight birthday cakes on the day.
The words of wisdom punctuated with humour struck a chord in the hearts of all present and would remain there forever. An opportunity to listen to a great entrepreneur who is at the same time an erudite scholar and a philosopher set the tone of this special day. It was followed by stunning dance performances by the students of HFS and the release of the school magazine.
The Reading Club of HFSI had organized a tour around the literary world. Mr. Harsh Hiranandani, who had stepped in to encourage the young students was mesmerized by the talented young students masquerading as literary giants. He told how important it was to pick up the passion of reading. He went down the memory lane sharing his reluctance to read when he was a small boy and the persistent effort of his grandfather, Dr. L.H. Hiranandani who would take him on Sunday mornings to bookstores to evoke in him an interest in reading. These much-dreaded sojourns every Sunday morning was a matter of grave concern to the little boy whose heart dwelt in the football grounds. However, one Sunday, the wise grandfather arrived with a story book about footballers and Mr. Harsh Hiranandani recounted how he finished reading it in no time and was ready to buy more books after having finished the very first one. Reading is a habit, he told, that he has retained till this day and he encouraged the young students to pursue reading with passion.
The inspiration and encouragement by the trustees of the school who took out their precious time to come and be a part of the day’s programme would give us the impetus to forge ahead with a new zeal. Our beloved Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, is the figure of leadership who is always beside us to guide and support us by upholding all the principles articulated by the stalwart, Dr. L.H. Hiranandani and under her flagship HFSI is going to march ahead in the years to come.
- SAHANA MITRA (Teacher HFSI).