Hello and Namaste to you all!

Let me begin by trying to articulate my journey through the 16 springs I have seen so far. As I grew from infancy to teen age and started making sense of life, I looked at the world as a place where every flower had the opportunity of blooming and every plant had the right to grow into a big, verdant tree. But gradually I realized that the world is far from being so and there exist no equal opportunities per se. We are yet to grant every citizen of the world basic human rights such as freedom of education, speech and equal opportunities to live, grow and prosper in the world. Yet, how many of us react to the rampant discrimination, exploitation and the denial of basic human rights to the children of a lesser God? This stark indifference to fellow human beings has its perils as Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, succinctly puts it:

"Indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor — never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees — not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own."

My desire to make a difference in the lives of less privileged people has kept me going, despite my scholastic or academic commitments. I feel greatly inspired by these golden words of legendary anti-apartheid crusader, Nelson Mandela:

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities."

I also feel encouraged by the life and times of iconic US President Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery. I can feel his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation declaring still ringing in my ears:

"All persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free"

And, how can I fail to mention Martin Luther King, who championed civil rights and immortalised himself by his famous 'I have a dream' speech:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

You all will agree that bullying is a serious problem that undermines an individual's self-confidence. I raised my concern on this destructive tendency by making a short YouTube movie 'STOP BULLYING' and running it in school assemblies. It prompted the school authorities to strengthen their anti-bullying policy.

Serving the community has really developed in me sensitivity towards the needs of others and has transformed me completely. With the example of selfless service set by revered Mother Teresa, I truly believe that success is not in just winning alone, but taking people along and winning together.

As India tackles several challenges in the way of realising various sustainable development goals (SDGs), I am encouraged by the golden words of poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore who said, "I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present."

The growing participation of Indian youth in ensuring basic human rights for themselves and for the deprived humanity is highly encouraging. I am grateful to all of you for your time and attention to listen to me. In fact, I consider my appearance and speech before such a distinguished gathering one of the biggest blessings of my life.

Everyone can be a Goalkeeper! #WorldsLargestLesson