CHENNAI: Rain might have played spoilsport at the launch of Blink Foundation’s web portal blink.org.in on Monday, but that didn’t stop the 500-odd people associated with the foundation to assemble at the courtyard on the Loyola College Campus.
Even as the official launch was delayed by an hour, it picked up pace with a performance by Varun Parandhaman, one of the founders of Namma Ooru Boy Band, with some among the audience dancing to groovy numbers in Tamil and Hindi.
The music show was followed by a classical dance performance by young girls from Nrithyopasana School of Dance left the gathering awestruck.
At the three-hour event, achievers from various walks of life shared the trials and tribulations they underwent before inching towards success.
Speakers including media personality Apsara Reddy, Deepa Athreya, founder of School of Success, Shyam Kumar, CEO of New Generation Media Corporation, and Palam Kalayanasundaram, who has been conferred with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ title by an American organisation, among others, spoke on issues like importance of courage, women’s empowerment, social activism, and selfless service towards others.
Arun Fernandez, founder-director, Blink Foundation, was also present at the event.
“During my first job, my colleagues used o avoid me. But within six months, their attitude towards me changed,” recalled Apsara.
“What’s important is the courage to be brutally honest about who you really are. I knew from a tender age that I was a girl and I came out in open about it. It was initially tough but now I feel I am someone whom people look up to,” she added.
Deepa spoke about her wrong business decisions and how she overcame them along with her family.
“I feel sorry for people who keep complaining about others for their problems. They need to just move on, overcoming the challenges,” she said.
Shyam spoke about the eight rules that one needed to keep in mind at all times.
“Look for the right in the other person and never postpone something that can be done now,” he told the gathering.
Fr Michael Amaladoss, director, Institute Of Dialogue With Cultures And Religions and Blink -Loyola College, who spoke on the occasion, said that the web portal aimed at providing an answer to a wide range of issues faced by people, who weren’t comfortable discussing them with their friends or relatives.
He added that anyone was free to post questions on the portal which would be answered within a week.