Chief Guest Aamir Khan and VMT Chairman Russell Mehta in discussion

At a simple, yet spectacular function held to celebrate the beginning of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Vidyamandir Trust, Palanpur, Actor and Humanitarian Padmabhushan Aamir Khan won the hearts of the audience with his deep, but easy-to-grasp insights into education and life. At the same time, the exceptional work done by the Trust over the last seven decades won applause from the him and other dignitaries including Padmabhushan Deepak Parekh (Chairman, HDFC Group) and Haribhai Chaudhary, distinguished alumni and Union Minister of State for Coal & Mines, among others, gathered in the city for this special occasion.

 Large numbers of students, teachers and parents at the function

Advising those gathered not to view success only as “earning a name or lots of money”, but also by the ability to “bring a smile to someone’s face” and to “understand someone’s sorrows and help them”, he said, success often comes “when you are passionate and enjoy what you are doing and put in your best effort to do it well”.

 Greeting a differently abled student of Mamata Mandir

 Presiding over the function, Deepak Parekh thanked the trustees for inviting him, saying that it was a Sunday well spent as he had a chance to see the “amazing work” being carried out by Vidyamandir with the support of the community. He described it as “one of the finest examples of commitment” and said that education was one of the most important tools for progress of the community and the nation. He said that though government should be the main provider of education and healthcare, in the context of India, the private sector too would have to take on some responsibility in these fields.