The Power of Pinkathon

How many of us are aware of the fight that multitudes of women have to prepare for every year? The fight for life, for freedom, for being an empowered, healthy individual – this is a battle that’s estimated to involve over 1797900 Indian women by the year 2020 against a single, looming threat – Breast Cancer.

This illness is the most common cancer among women all across the world, and the leading cause of death among those afflicted by it in our country. It’s time for all of us to come together, break through the stigma that surrounds it, spread awareness, and work towards the betterment of women’s health in India through solidarity and positivity. This is exactly what Pinkathon aims towards by focusing on physical and mental self-care through organising of women’s marathons all across the country. VIBGYOR is proud to be the Knowledge Partner of Pinkathon 2017 in Pune.

“VIBGYOR believes in the holistic development of students and the community, and Pinkathon is a platform where we can help the society bring awareness among the community. That’s why VIBGYOR is a Partner,” said Ms. Medha Nair, Principal of VIBGYOR Hinjewadi.

Pinkathon - VIBGYOR Team

The marathon took place on the 26th of November at Mulik Ground, with over 5000 women irrespective of age, interests or ability taking part in this movement. The event saw the involvement of mothers carrying babies as young as 2 months old, elderly cancer survivors who were present as Pink Sisters, children from the Blind School, as well as the participation of students, parents, and teachers from VIBGYOR schools in Pune. The venue was packed with energy on this day, with participants gearing for the various runs, or getting pumped up with Zumba routines.
Pinkathon - Parents

“What’s important is spending a little bit of time for yourself. It’s about realising your dreams, and removing the limitations that you have,” said Mr. Milind Soman, Founder of Pinkathon. “I believe that all of us must set a good example, and children today need to see people doing things that add value to life. Rather than telling them what they should be doing, we need to show it; so I’m very happy to see VIBGYOR parents running with their children.”

Success and happiness in the face of breast cancer begins with good health, personal understanding, and self-love. It is this inclination towards overall growth that makes VIBGYOR incredibly proud to be associated with Pinkathon this year. “It’s an honour for VIBGYOR to have joined hands with Pinkathon for such an important reason, i.e. creating awareness among women about breast cancer. I thank the parents, kids, and staff for taking part in this event wholeheartedly,” said Ms. Kavita Sahay, Vice-Chairperson, VIBGYOR Group of Schools.

With steady progress in spreading awareness about the importance of fitness, we hope to see a greater change in our society as we move towards women’s empowerment across communities.

Ishita Katyal of VIBGYOR High Balewadi outshines at the TED Youth conference in New York.

She becomes the youngest Indian to deliver a talk

“WHAT DO you want to be when you grow up?” Like every other kid in an average Indian household, Ishita Katyal too was inundated with this age old question by guests visiting her house. But she didn’t want to wait too long to be someone; she wanted to make an instant impact.

And her dream came true on Children’s day , when she became the youngest Indian to deliver a talk at the TED Youth conference in New York. A student of VIBGYOR High School, Balewadi, Ishita delivered her talk titled ‘What do you want to be now ‘, challenging the system which thinks children are too small to make any difference. Her 4 minute speech received a huge applause from the crowd.

The TEDx Program is designed to help communities, organizations and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences. Ishita’s journey with TEDx began ealier this year, when she visited an event organized by TEDx Pune, founded in 2009.

“She enjoyed the sessions thoroughly. After the event, she took the initiative and asked the organizers if she could also be a part of their team. The response from the organisers was positive; however the only condition was that she had to pass two rounds of Skype interviews, conducted by Global TEDx volunteers. She cleared both the rounds to become the youngest organizer of TEDx youth events in the Asia-Pacific region “ said Ishita’s mother Nancy Katyal.

As a youth organizer, Ishita successfully organized the first TEDx event in her school on February 7. When the opportunity to go to New York came , she grabbed it “She is very clear about what she wants. She didn’t hesitate for even a second. At the main event , when she stood on the stage to speak, I felt nervous because she was the youngest and had to speak without holding any paper in her hand. But she spoke well” said Nancy.

Ishita admitted that she was a bit nervous when her name was announced, but said that as soon as she went on stage, everything became normal. “When I finished my speech, I was relieved because it was exactly how I imagined it to be. It was midnight in India, but my friends and relatives called me after the talk to convey their best wishes” said the fifth grader.



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