Udyog – 2025

We are what we become and what we become cannot be achieved through acquisition. Udyog embodies our Gurumaharaj’s vision of encouraging young minds to harness their skills and move in the right direction. It follows a theme of “Work to become, not to acquire”. 

This year, the 8th edition of Udyog took place at Narada Gana Sabha on Saturday, July 19, 2025. To describe Udyog 2025 as a successful event is an understatement. This year the 850 students from various schools were addressed by five extraordinary minds in different fields. All of the speakers were unique and offered the students fresh perspectives to benefit from.

The speakers of the event were Shri V P Dhananjayan, Shri Sharath Kamal, Captain Pradeep Krishnan, Dr Shivaraman Ramaswamy, and Dr DK Hari and Dr DL Hema Hari. The time allotted to each speaker was 30 minutes. Before each speaker’s address, the students were briefed about the speaker’s background and various accomplishments. After the speaker’s address, a Questions and Answers session followed, where GOD  volunteers asked questions that were previously collected from the students. The event started at 9:15 A.M and came to an end by 12:15 P.M. 

The first speaker to address the students was Padma Bhushan awardee Shri V P Dhananjayan, an eminent dancer. He is an expert in dance forms like Bharathanatyam and Kathakali and profoundly versed in art forms like music and mridangam. Sri Dhananjayan, along with his wife, Smt Shanta Dhananjayan, founded Bharatha Kalanjali in 1971, an institution dedicated to the holistic development of students, blending culture with discipline and social consciousness. He has received numerous prestigious encomiums like the Padma Bushan, the Kalaimamani Award, and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship.

He arrived at the venue, accompanied by his wife. They were given a cordial welcome by the GOD members. Shri VP Dhananjayan was felicitated by Shri T.S. Ramachandran, Trustee, Global Organisation for Divinity India Trust, on stage. He then began his address and spoke with passion for twenty minutes. His enthusiasm made us question whether he was truly an octogenarian. As he began, he expressed that he is always joyous while addressing young minds. 

He commenced his speech by revealing that the key to success is the existence of the 3Ds in our lives. The 3Ds being Discipline, Devotion, and Dedication. He then reminisced about his early years and expressed profound gratitude to his wife, whom he has known for nearly 75 years, describing her as the backbone of his success. He reflected on the challenges he encountered as a male dancer during that era and spoke with pride and warmth about how they went on to become one of the first pioneering Bharatanatyam couple dancers. He then expressed his pride at being a citizen of Bharath, a beautiful and diverse country with a flag that has 4 colours – saffron, white, green and blue in the middle, and urged the students to always remain true to their roots. He also reiterated that Bharathanatyam is also Bhaarathanatyam, a dance form that originated in the South of India, but is indigenous to the entire nation. Him being a disciplinarian himself, reiterated the importance of discipline in one’s life and its role in shaping our lifestyle and future. He also mentioned how crucial it is to keep our bodies and minds clean. He urged the students to proudly embrace our Bharat’s culture and tradition unapologetically and guided the students by narrating a story of how he always wore Dhotis and Kurtas wherever he went and how that inspired a westerner. 

He was asked whether it was ever too late to learn Bharathanatyam to which he replied that it was never too late to learn any art form but it is preferred to be learnt while young due to the heightened capacity for absorption and learning during the formative years. When asked how he saw the future of classical dance evolving in the next generation, he replied confidently that as long as the next generations remain interested and disciplined, classical dance forms face no real threat. From the pin-drop silence from the students’ side, it was evident that they were impressed and inspired by the veteran dancer, who sat ramrod straight throughout the lecture and proved that age is just a number. 

The next speaker was Shri Achanta Sharath Kamal, a pioneering table tennis player, a ten-time national champion and a five-time Olympian. He has been on the field for more than 2 decades, winning multiple Commonwealth Games golds. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2004, the Padma Shri in 2019, and in 2022, he received the highest sporting honour of the nation — the Khel Ratna Award.

Shri Sharath Kamal was felicitated by Shri Vijay Subramanian, Trustee Mukhya Prana Seva Trust. He began his speech by expressing his gratitude to his family and his school PSBB for being a constant support to him. He recounted many tales from his school days where his school constantly encouraged him to pursue his sport whilst also providing him with the support he needed to do well academically. He interestingly shared that even as a gold-medal winner, he was encouraged to have a degree and a backup career path, highlighting the importance of education as an active sportsperson However, he noted that times have changed, and sports is now increasingly regarded as a respectable and viable career option. He remarked that a major difficulty in pursuing sports as a career is the relentless pursuit of being the best. More often than not, only the winner is remembered, while those who come second remain unrecognized—underscoring the need for unwavering dedication and consistent hard work. As he narrated his athletic victories and some academic defeats, he reminded the students that perseverance and hard work are crucial for success in any career. 

After his speech, he was asked two questions. The first one was about the sacrifices he made to build such an illustrious career. He answered saying his academics took a toll and he had to rely on his friends’ notes to study. He also had to forgo many things like spending quality time with friends or family as he was juggling with performing well in sports and preparing for his academics in his spare time. He shared that he had to make numerous sacrifices—so much so that, when he looks back now, he finds himself missing from all the group photographs.

On being asked whether being an athlete was the only sport related career path or if there were other options now, he answered that since IPL, multiple leagues have been started for various sports including table tennis which offered numerous career options. He also mentioned that there are many other sports related successful career options to explore like sports medicine, which is now a separate field of its own, and many more. 

His address was followed by that of Captain Pradeep Krishnan’s, Commercial pilot by profession and a content creator by passion. Known to millions for his humorous and heartfelt videos, Captain Pradeep offers a rare and refreshing peek into the life of a pilot. Whether it’s sharing behind-the-scenes aviation stories, flight simulations, or just everyday moments from the skies — his content has made flying not just aspirational, but deeply relatable. Balancing a high-responsibility career with creative storytelling, he has inspired countless youngsters to dream big — and fly even higher.

He began by quoting the renowned William Shakespeare: ‘A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.’ He went on to encourage the students not to shy away from exploring multiple passions. Emphasizing the importance of effective time management, perseverance, and hard work, he assured them that success would follow—and he himself stands as a testament to that belief. He spoke in a very engaging manner and the students responded enthusiastically. He surprised the audience when he revealed that he couldn’t find a job for 9 years after his training as a pilot. He then went on to explain how he effectively used that time to develop other hobbies and seek other passions. He spoke about time management and gave some insights on how he balanced piloting, content creation, fitness and so on. He also urged all the students to follow their passions and the parents to encourage their children to do the same. In the end, he took questions directly from the audience in addition to the questions asked by the GOD volunteers. He answered many questions regarding the steps to take to become a pilot. When asked about the DOs and DON’Ts for youngsters on social media platforms like Instagram, he responded with a firm message—urging young students to avoid social media altogether if possible. However, for those who do choose to use it, he emphasized the importance of using it constructively, as a tool for growth, while always staying mindful of the original purpose behind their engagement with it. He also advised them not to compare themselves to everyone they saw online, a much-needed advice for today’s youth who often seek validation online. 

The next speaker was Dr. Shivaraman Ramaswamy, Co-founder and Head of Research and Product Development at Big Bang Boom Solutions — Bhārat’s fastest-growing deep-tech defence startup. With a Ph.D. in Nanomagnetism, Dr. Shivaraman’s academic journey includes research stints at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Western Australia, and over 35 international publications in the fields of nanotechnology and solution integration. He also holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate from SRM University, where he helped establish state-of-the-art research centres focused on nanotechnology and innovation. Most importantly, his company was pivotal in helping the Indian army counter many drones during Operation Sindoor.

His address to the students included his career journey and the struggles he went through to establish a successful startup. He reflected on the differences in mindset and approach between a businessman and an entrepreneur, noting that in today’s New India, launching startups has become significantly more accessible, thanks to various government initiatives and support schemes. He also mentioned how he truly appreciated the value of our country only when he went abroad and also recalled that he took a lot of inspiration from our scriptures and stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata. He urged all the students to not take what they have for granted and to take all constructive criticisms in their stride to achieve something good. He urged those with interest to serve the nation that being a soldier was not the only way. He reiterated that students can always find small yet meaningful ways to contribute to the nation and that he was always driven by the motive to give back to the country. He recounted how, after reaching out to the Defence Minister via Twitter, he was personally contacted in response with a request for his service. He expressed appreciation for how supportive and accessible the government has become. He shared insights about his team’s efforts during Operation Sindoor, reminding us how so many unseen forces protected us during the tough times. He was asked how he handled the pressure of being in a field which was responsible for the safety of the entire nation to which he replied that trust was the driving force.

The final speakers for the event were Dr. D.K. Hari and Dr. D.K. Hema Hari, the husband-wife duo, who are the founders of BharathGyan — a pioneering initiative in Indian Civilization Knowledge Studies. What makes their journey even more inspiring is that both Dr. Hari and Dr. Hema Hari had successful corporate careers in Management and IT before devoting themselves fully to this national cause. Their research has taken them to over 40 countries, comparing global cultures while showcasing the enduring relevance of India’s knowledge systems. Together, they have created an extraordinary body of work — over 500 hours of multimedia content, 100 published books, 700 short films, and 600 blog articles, all forming what they call the Autobiography of India. They were felicitated by Brahmasri Balaji Sharma, Principal of Sri Sandeepani Gurukulam.

Their speech included a presentation and was highly insightful. They opened with a rhetorical question: What does ‘parampara’ mean? Parampara refers to the transmission of tradition across generations. True to its essence, our cultural heritage and knowledge are meant to be preserved and passed down—and the couple has been dedicated to upholding this very legacy. They mentioned many interesting facts like how 0 (Shunya) is known to the world only by the research and knowledge of Bhārath. They also mentioned that whilst recent Western studies in science say that the universe is oval (or egg-shaped), Bhārath had known it long before, evident from the traditional term for the universe, Brahmāndam (Aandam meaning egg), which reflected that we knew the universe was oval shaped long before these recent studies. Their speech was complemented by brief audio-visual presentations. One such clip illustrated how the sacred sound ‘Om’, deeply significant in our Dharma, is believed to resonate with the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR). After their highly informative address, they were asked whether there were things to be learnt beyond the textbooks. As an answer, Dr Hari quoted Kalidasa saying textbooks encompass merely a quarter of our learning. The rest was through observation and experience and one never stops learning.

And thus, this highly illuminating event came to an end. The students were exposed to stalwarts in different fields who each motivated them in a different and holistic way. All the students were then provided packed lunches by the GOD volunteers. To witness so many young minds light up with inspiration, to see them dream not just of career but of purpose – that was the true success of Udyog 2025.