The 75th Anniversary celebrations of the Vidyamandir Trust Palanpur, held at Palanpur on January 7th and 8th 2023, were addressed by a number of luminaries from different fields, including Shri Gautam Adani, Chairman and Founder of the Adani Group, and attended by a huge number of alumni as well as donors and well-wishers from across the world.
 

During the 2-day event, the Vidyamandir Trust also announced the launch of the Vidyamandir Centre for Skill Development (VCSD).
 

The celebrations also included the inauguration of a number of new institutions and buildings on the existing VMT Campus; a memorial meet for Late Shri Arunkumarbhai R. Mehta and Late Shri Shirishbhai M. Modi, both of whom were stalwarts of Palanpuri institutions for many decades; and an Alumni gathering which saw participation of thousands of past students as well.

The highlight of the celebrations was the address by Gautam Adani, who hails from Banaskantha and has relatives who studied at Vidyammandir.
 

Shri Adani outlined the key milestones in his journey from the days when he left Banaskantha after completing his high school and joined the diamond industry in Mumbai to his successful foray into trading in multiple commodities, his subsequent decision to enter infrastructure and related sectors where long-lasting assets are created to his current position as the Chairman of the humungous multi-sector Adani Group.
 

“I learnt various social skills growing up in a joint family in arid Banaskantha where living conditions were tough, and made my first successful trade in diamonds when I was not even 20, to a Japanese buyer that earned me Rs 10,000,” Adani said.

He also outlined the various skills and qualities that guided him to become a successful entrepreneur. Based on his experiences, he said that the journey would “never be a straight line” and that entrepreneurs should build a foundation based on values of “trust, courage and commitment”, “self-confidence”, “creativity”, “never over-evaluating or over-thinking”, “spotting the opportunity in a crisis”, “tenacity”, “respect for professionals”, “willingness to start afresh”, “getting back on your feet” and others.
 

Exhorting the young students and alumni present to realise that the “time is ripe” for India to emerge as a new global superpower, Shri Adani called upon them to fulfill their true potential by learning to “Plan, Explore, Dream and Discover”. 
 

“But,” he added, “it is also necessary to understand the power of empathy and develop a sense of purpose,” pointing to his decision to start the Adani Foundation with a corpus of Rs 60,000 crore to invest in health, education, skill development and other social needs.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO OF SHRI ADANI SPEECH 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS