Global Indian International School, Queenstown played host to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri. Devendra Fadnavis in September 2017, as a part of its Leadership Lecture Series.

Shri. Fadnavis and his team of Indian delegates were received with great enthusiasm by the school’s management team. The Chief Minister paid homage to the Mahatma Gandhi statue, before being escorted to the school auditorium. The High Commissioner of India in Singapore, His Excellency Mr. Jawed Ashraf was also present for this event along with many other dignitaries.  

Inspiring keynote address

Shri. Devendra Fadnavis is a parliamentarian and one of the youngest Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, India.  The Hon'ble CM joined the students on stage for the LLS, which was attended by students in Singapore and more than 1000 students from our other campuses worldwide through a live web broadcast.

In his keynote address, the minister stressed that a leader’s role is to bring together the smallest and most insignificant to form an invincible team. He gave the example of Lord Rama and his team of monkeys, who together had the ability to challenge and defeat evil. He emphasised the importance of inspiring people and creating processes that lasts even when you are not there. He enthused the young audience that leadership is all about learning without ego. He also took on questions from the students who asked him about his guiding philosophies in life and politics, his initiatives as Chief Minister and its impact, as well as his hopes for the future generation.

Mr. Fadnavis said, “Leadership is about shaping things for the better. All my life I have swum against the tide and the real joy is when you see people smiling because of the impact that you created. There is no better joy than that when you know that you can really make a difference”

Impactful Q&A session with students

CM’s speech was followed by a panel discussion with a bunch of enthusiastic students, who asked him various questions about his work and personal life. The panel discussion that followed the minister answered with disarming simplicity and a sense of authenticity. A series of questions ranging from his hobbies to his best decisions was also asked. He also remarked that one of his best decisions was his water conservation project to make 12, 000 villages of Maharashtra free from the curse of drought.

He beautifully explained the message of Swami Vivekananda for whom patriotism meant the will to take action. Vivekananda emphasized the maxim of a healthy mind in a healthy body and the minister advocates this lesson again when he talked about the Maharashtra 1 Million initiative. In a light-hearted moment, Mr. Devendra Fadnavis also shared his love of movies and songs as well as his hobby of reading books that he confessed he had sacrificed due to his busy work schedule. Chief Minister endeared himself to the audience when he shared that he learnt compassion from his daughter and wanted to leave a high moral image as legacy just like his father had done for him.

The interaction with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Devendra Fadnavis was an extremely valuable opportunity for the students, parents and the whole GIIS staff. This was a leadership lecture to cherish in the annals of GIIS.