Police DAV Public School – PDAV – Model-UN (PDAVMUN)

 

Police DAV Public School – PDAV – Model-UN (PDAVMUN)

On November 11, I have had the honour to visit Police DAV Public School at Jalandhar, A Temple of Excellence – one of the best schools in the Doaba region of Punjab. It was one of my earnest

wishes, ever since I came back to my roots in Jalandhar after a long diplomatic career, which was realized and would remain with me as a cherished memory in the coming years. As Mirza Ghalib said ‘Rang layegi Hamari Fakamasti Ek Din’, Principal of the School, Dr. Rashmi Vij, educational and cultural excellence personified, thoughtfully invited me to be the Chief Guest and Key Note Speaker at one of important events of the School – PDAVMUN which I, obviously, accepted with pleasure. I had met Dr. Rashmi Vij and her worthy husband Sunil Vij, a highly placed professional Executive in private sector at a couple of social occasions and briefly interacted with them. As a highly alert and competent educational administrator, Rashmi Vij remembered me and my professional background and provided me an opportunity to further educate myself. Thanks a lot Madam Principal Rashmi Vij.

Let us talk about PDAVMUN. Keeping with its standing, Police DAV Public School regularly hosts this UN motivated and promoted event.  This year was the 4^th Chapter in which more than 400 delegates from about 25 schools in the northern region of India participated in a 3 day conference; the opening plenary session of

which was a befitting kick start of PDAVMUN. The function fully justified which I read in an elegant publication of the School; the Suragini – 25^th Anniversary Edition, a copy of which was kindly gifted to me by Principal Rashmi Vij. British Council in its commendatory recognition rightly described the School as an institution with “an outstanding development of international learning in the curriculum”.  The School has established its contacts and exchanges with many countries like Sweden UK, South Korea, inter alia. On alighting from the car, I could feel the pleasant ambience of the well maintained clean campus and premises of the School. I was received by the Coordinators of PDAVMUN, Balwinder Singh, Manoj Dutta and Seema Sharma,  very courteous and well trained teachers, and ushered me to the elegantly and meaningfully furnished office of Principal Rashmi Vij for a courtesy meeting over tea and refreshments along with other two educational administrators in the DAV fraternity; Principal Anita Nanda of Lala Jagat Narain DAV Memorial School and Principal S.K.  Gautam of Dayanad Model School. The personal touch in hospitality and demeanour of Principal Rashmi Vij was very impressive to register her persona as I had heard about her humane personality otherwise too. One may consider these minor details superfluous but I have no hesitation in saying that Rashmi Vij is not only an acclaimed academic and educational administrator but also a human being par excellence. These qualities of head and heart have made Police DAV Public School one of the premier educational institutions. In her assertions in the Suragini – Changing Societal Perspective Towards School Education: Time To Clean The Lens, she has aptly quoted John Adams, “The purpose of Education is two- fold, one is to teach how to make a living and the other how to live.” Indian education system, to my mind, still needs to go a long way in this regard.

PDAVMUN plenary began with the traditional DAViet drill of Sarswati Vandhana, Lighting of the Lamp followed by the substantive part of the function. Principal Rashmi Vij in her welcome remarks informed that PDAVMUN remained an important event in the calendar of the School which tended to educate and prepare the

young delegates for their much needed international exposure. She was confident that the 4^th Chapter has thoughtfully introduced new aspects like the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Terrorism, and Kashmir issue among others for the benefit of young students. In my key note address without going into the history of the UN said that India being one of the founding member of UNO, even before her independence, has been an active and vocal member of the world body and rightly so. Referring to the sterling contribution of Hansa Mehta, a Gandhian, to the Declaration of Human Rights and Vijay Lakshmi Pandit as President of the UNGA in 1953 and more recently Shashi Tharoor as Assistant Secretary General  said that India was fully involved and integrated with the UN System to execute and carry forward the UN Agenda of – international peace, socio-economic development, equitable world order through the mechanism of UN Millennium Goals and SDGs in keeping with the cardinal dictum of India’s foreign policy inspired by ‘Vashudaiv Kutumbkum’.  Mentioning about the ‘Soft and Cultural Diplomacy’ of India, I informed the young delegates that yet another proposal to declare April 14, birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as International Day of

Equality under the aegis of UN was resting with the Government of India and UN Secretariat and solicited all out support to the proposal as it would amount to one more feather in the turban of India in addition to Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, 2^nd October, as International Day of Non-violence and International Yoga Day. Mentioning the appreciable activity of the School in arranging PDAVMUN, I said that UN thoughtfully introduced the programme of M-UN in the year 2000 for ‘educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations and the UN’. I added that UN offered many opportunities to work under the System like; UN Career, UN Volunteers, UN Academic Impact to foster the engagement of universities and colleges as stake holders and urged young students to look at these career choices in due course. Commenting on the efficacy and functioning of the UN, I said that with the changed and fast evolving international scenario, UN has lost its steam and required urgent and immediate restructuring and expansion to address the challenges of the future. India being a large country and the largest democracy of the world and also one of fastest growing economies must get due role and space including a permanent seat on the ‘Horse Shoe’ high table at the UN in New York. India fully fits the bill. I also added as a matter of satisfaction that India had arrived with ‘pragmatic and assertive’ foreign policy not only to fully safeguard our national interests but also be a dignified member of the comity of nations for mutually beneficial and accommodative  world order under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and EAM S, Jaishankar.  My concluding shot to caution the delegates was that since, in diplomatic parlance, foreign policy of any country was an extension of its internal strength, we the people of India must insure that India remained on rails for our internal strength and progress as a multi-racial, multi-cultural and inclusive polity and society. The programme was inter-spread by cultural inputs like fusion music, dance and songs by the School Talent. Little Master, Vinay of 2^nd Standard and Sa-Re-Gama fame, stole the show by leading the group song welcoming the Guests. The mock exercise of one of UN Committees staged by the delegates to PDAVMUN was good and duly demonstrated the appreciable efforts of both the trainers and the participating delegates.  The young students of the School, Aryan Kalia and Mohini Khanna acted and performed as the Secretary General and the Director General respectively with confidence. I found both them well groomed and enthusiastic. I am confident the well groomed and educated young talent of the School will bring further laurels to their Alma matter like Hockey Olympian Hardik Singh and Little Master Vinay among others. The function concluded with the Vote of Thanks by the PDAVMUN Coordinator Balwinder Singh and SG Aryan Kalia. This narration will not be complete, if I don’t mention appreciably the good job done by Preeti Khehra and Jaspreet  Boparai as Master of Ceremonies.

M.S. Bhullar, IPS (Retired)

Having just commemorated its 25^th Anniversary, Police DAV Public School has come a long way in establishing itself as one of the leading ‘Centers of Excellence’ in school education in the area under the stewardship of its founding Principal Rashmi Vij and the dream project of a ‘Man of Vision’, M.S. Bhullar, IPS, Founding Chairman

of the school management. It is a matter of gratification to know that Bhullar Sahib is still actively involved in over-seeing the progress of the School. I have had an opportunity to bump into him some months ago at the retirement Reception of one of my friends S.K. Kalia, IPS at the Punjab Golf Club in the neighborhood of Police DAV Public School campus. I found him alert and full of life and still kicking. Along with the academics and educational administrators like Dr. Rashmi Vij and her team, the top brass of Punjab Police from M.S. Bhullar to I.P.S. Sahota, who also is a good friend of mine, remained at the helm and contributed immensely to development and progress of Police DAV Public School at Jalandhar during their respective tenures as the Boss of Jalandhar PAP. Yet another dynamic IPS officer, M.F Farooqui has joined the big league as Chairman of the school management recently. I take this opportunity to wish him and Principal Rashmi Vij all the best for further success of the School in the years to come.