Pune: At a time, when India is becoming the fulcrum of global growth, youth should seize the opportunities and collaborate on a global scale to bring peace and prosperity to the world, opined various dignitaries at the Youth festival. 

Ajeenkya DY Patil University (ADYPU)  in association with Youth20 (an official engagement of G20) hosted its Youth Festival in Pune at the lush-green University recently. The event highlighted one of the most relevant themes of ‘Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation & 21st Century Skills’. The deliberations emphasized the increasing need for innovation as a critical factor in contributing towards the future of work.

Dr Ajeenkya DY Patil, President ADYPU, said that youth today are in a connected world and there is an opportunity to collaborate on a larger global scale. Time has come to combine our wisdom and resources and work towards development of greater peace and planet. Technologies will truly enable us to take us into a future we only envisage in science fiction. In fact, today science fiction has become science fact. Apart from education, skills will be  crucial to shape our future. 

In his inaugural address, Dr Anirban Ganguly, Chairman & Trustee–Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation said that this G20 is special as India on its 75^th year of Independence has got the opportunity to lead the G20. India’s rise is driven by the sense of one earth, one future, and one family.

Dr Ganguly hailed ADYPU’s efforts in putting together the Youth Festival with a fascinating array of subjects in an imaginative and inspiring way led by Dr Ajeenkya DY Patil. He said that ADYPU is an educational institution rooted in society and has a vision for national growth and progress. 

 Dr Sudhir Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director-Pinnacle Industries, said there is not a better time to be a youth today considering the opportunities that are there for us. Youth must take advantage of the changes that are happening including innovative technologies as India becomes the fulcrum of world growth. We have a unique opportunity to show a new wave of growth which is inclusive and makes the world a better place.

Prof Hrridaysh Deshpande, Vice Chancellor ADYPU said that the festival encourages youth to raise awareness on global issues, exchange ideas, debate, negotiate and reach consensus. The festival suggests possibilities, opportunities, creativity and colorfulness of the youth. Such programs allow us to think beyond our daily spheres of influence and think of the world beyond our immediate surroundings. It expands our minds and enables us to push ourselves to new standards of excellence. 

The three-day event included deliberations on important topics including Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Nurturing Start-up and Scale Up, Transformational Role of Universities in shaping the future of work, Women in Entrepreneurship, among others.

During the Youth Festival, innovative workshops like upcycling your living space, clay modelling, augmented and virtual reality, visual effects, Vedic mathematics, 3D printing technology, Industry 4.0, which was participated by students from various colleges and universities. Fireside chat with eminent Scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar on ‘Innovation in Education’ was the highlight of the event.