Commerce Club Webinar: Startup Founder – CaterNinja
On 24th August 2022, the students of class 10, 11 and 12 had a privilege to attend an exclusive seminar with one of India’s emerging startup founders, Mr. Anup Agarwal, who runs a startup named CaterNinja. Intelligent and successful, along with genuineness and a continuously learning attitude are some of the easily noticeable qualities we could recognize in a short interaction with Mr. Agarwal. It was a first-time experience for the students to have interacted with a young startup founder.
The webinar was conducted through an online video call from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm. It was broadly divided into three parts. In the first part, Mr. Agarwal talked about his journey including the place he was born in, his schooling and graduation, and some of his life experiences; in which he shared hunger for excellence despite his humble background. He is a Computer Engineer, has an M.B.A. from IBS Hyderabad and a CFA. He shared with the students the importance of hard work and how it helped him to remain in the top 1% of his class during his studies. He emphasised on the importance of education and warned the students against dropping out from college to launch a company. He told the students that according to him, most of the successful founders are graduates, but the ones who have dropped out are erroneously idealised.
In the second part of his talk, he explained what a startup is and the various dilemmas that a founder faces in the early stages of a business. He further went on to discuss how a germinating founder should deal with these dilemmas and go on to follow his passion. Thereafter, he narrated his unique story which intrigued him to develop CaterNinja. He left his safe financial investment banking job and was sure he wanted to start this company because he believed that with CaterNinja he can solve the problem of quality, timely and customised catering service, with the motto of ‘Jo Dikhega Woh Milega”.
In the end there was a question-answer session. The students asked really interesting questions which were then appropriately answered by the versatile guest.
The students got a wonderful opportunity to learn some important life lessons. Firstly, Mr. Agarwal introduced the benefits of extensive research to the students. He also added that depending on Google for acquiring knowledge is not sufficient, and that’s where good books and reading widely plays a vital role in life. Secondly, he drew students’ attention towards recovering from their mistakes. He said, “Recover from your mistakes as soon as possible and learn from them because you have finite resources and finite time. And tools such as meditation, prayer and teamwork can help you recover rapidly.” Lastly, he emphasised on gaining practical knowledge to be successful.
Overall, it was a great learning experience for the students. It gave them deep insights into the thought process of choosing a career. The students were inspired to work extremely hard and do thorough research which could help them achieve great heights in life.
Reported by: Dev Patel, Sujal Bhagat (12th Commerce)
International Yoga Day 2021 at AVM
Yoga, in it’s true meaning, is an independent path that allows an individual to achieve a state of mind that is not troubled by stress or anxiety and is working with perfect harmony with all of the body. It is a method of moulding the human body to attain optimum efficiency and keep it free from disease and ailment.
From it’s day of inception, the aim and ambition of Atmiya Vidya Mandir has been the Union of Body, Mind and Soul. Such unification, by any means, is not an easy feat to achieve. It requires the guidance of knowledgeable teachers and holy saints. On the International Day of Yoga 2021 celebrated on the 21st of June 2021, the students at AVM performed a variety of different exercises and asanas that enabled them to breathe fresh and rejuvenate themselves amid the monotonous lifestyle in the lockdown. Not being discouraged by distance or medium, the efficient and skilful coaches of AVM conducted an hour long yoga session to instill in the students a regard for self-well being and personal healthcare.
The students started off by performing Surya Namaskar, also known as the “ultimate asana”, which strengthens the back and greatly improves blood flow in the body. It was followed by three different forms of pranayama including kapalbhati and anulom-vilom, which increased oxygen circulation throughout the body and slowed down the fast pace of the mind. The asanas that were performed next truly pushed the body to its limits. Bhujangasana, tadasana, paschimottanasana, gomukhasana, trikonasana and naukasana loosened all the muscles in the body making it relieved of all sorts of anxiety.
The key takeaway from the session was not just the peaceful bliss of performing the workout but a motivation to cultivate a long-standing habit of making yoga a part of our daily routine. On the 7th International Day of Yoga 2021, the students of AVM lifted themselves above their limits and will continue to do so each and every day of their lives.
Reported by: Yash Kothari (Class 11)
