Library | LEAD

International Women's Day 2016: Recognizing the Unrecognized

Women work without a break for their families, society, and friends all through the year. So, on IWD 2016, LEAD conducted their 3rd annual "Recognizing the Unrecognized", where women in our society who are rarely recognized but are responsible for important work were recognized for their contributions, such as cleaning railway stations, bus stands, picking household trash, selling vegetables etc. LEAD and LEADers believe that, without these women, our communities would come to a standstill.

About LEAD

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. To that purpose, the LEaders Accelerating Development (LEAD) Program of the Deshpande Foundation was born. LEAD develops innovative and entrepreneurial thinking within college students by exposing them to social issues, encouraging them to volunteer their time and effort into the community, and igniting their latent talent to come up with creative solutions. Through this unique platform provided by LEAD, students are gaining the skills and confidence needed to transform their visions into realities. Armed with guidance, exposure, networking opportunities, financial assistance, and encouragement from LEAD, students from throughout 75 colleges and 14 districts are unleashing their leadership potential to go on inspiring and improving those around them.

Inspire, Innovate, Engage: Yuva Summit 2016

The 6th Yuva Summit, an international youth conference on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship hosted by the Leaders Accelerating Development program, began in Hubballi on 6th February with Mr. Ravindranath Gumaste, Managing Director of Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd., cutting the ceremonial ribbon that let the hundreds of attendees, including students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and honoured guests, into the event grounds.

LEAD Prayana 2016

On 24th January, 107 promising students from across Karnataka and neighbouring states descended upon the VTU campus in Belagavi to mark the kick-off of the 5th annual LEAD Prayana. These students, along with 32 beginning their journey on the same day in Nizamabad, were selected from a pool of almost 500 applicants. LEAD Prayana, which began in 2012 with just 63 students, is an annual leadership journey that takes almost 150 passionate students between the ages of 18-26 throughout India on a 14-day tour across Karnataka...

My Story: Prajwal M

I am passionate about science, especially physics. My affair with Science started during my childhood and it deepened in my high school when I started participating in Science exhibitions with my models. During Pre University Education, I built the Levitation Train with few of my friends and grabbed prizes at several competitions. “Physics of the Impossible” by Michio Kaku was a book that exposed me further to the vastness of the science and motivated me to start a science group called “Blackbody Science Group (Which Absorbs All Wavelength of Intuitive Minds)”. This group engages in creating interest about science among government and physically disabled school children.

LEADer Praveen Kumar from SHEPA College has taken initiative to form a library in a village in Mehgaon, Rajatalab, Varanasi, where students can come to study. He has noticed for a long time that there are no libraries available in villages that students can afford and study. He was faced this same problem when he was studying in a village. Instead of having access to books in a library, they have to go the market to purchase new books.

He came up with solution to start library, but faced challenges of where he will get the place to set up the library. He approached Gram Panchayat and requested that they provide a place for a new library, and at first, nobody listened him. But he did not give up. He continuously approached them and finally got the permission and room to start up the library.

Without a large amount of funding to buy new books, he had to find another way. He made a team and convinced each member to collect used books in Varanasi. So far he has collected more than 300 books from different areas of Varanasi; not only study-related books but also religious books.

He gathered more than 70 students in the inauguration of library. This library was inaugurated by Mr. Naveen Jha, CEO of Deshpande Foundation, with whom Praveen shared his experiences & learning. Everyone at the inauguration appreciated his work and the initiative to help students learn. Praveen said, "I am educated but want to do something for students that they also can get better facility for study. All have same rights of education."

“A library is the delivery room for the birth of ideas, a place where history comes to life.”

Norman Cousins

“The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history.”

Carl T. Rowan

“This Library transformed the whole scenario” says enthusiastic LEADer Datta Hule. He also added, “Being an social entrepreneur and LEAD student, the level of confidence has reached beyond the sky. It is turning my ideas into action”

LEader Datta Hule (Vidya Pratishthan, Indapur) decided to form a library for the underprivileged students who come from an agricultural, village backgrounds. He formed a team and asked them to contribute books as well as a book stand for this initiate. The team then reached out to their friends, and even a local politician, to collect a great assortment of books. The team then asked the members of the community if they could use a common room in one of the local temples as a site for the library, which was approved. The project execution was a success, and there are currently 100+ books available, on various topics such as Agriculture, Educational, Health, Environment, Awareness, Culture, and Technology. Additionally, there are two well respected newspapers, Sakal and Parshwabhumi,that are available on a daily basis. His team is currently working on enhancing the library even more by starting night study sessions for hostel students.