On a warm, sunny afternoon, around 200 guests gathered for the first Convocation Ceremony of the Naropa Fellowship at the magnificent Hemis monastery in Ladakh. The programme was founded under the grace of His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa; it was only befitting to celebrate our graduating Fellows where the Naropa journey began in September 2019.
At 2:30 pm, the ceremonial procession began, led by our co-founders, His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, along with our keynote speaker, Dr Rudrangshu Mukherjee (Chancellor, Ashoka University), Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (Hon’ble Member of Parliament), and Shri Gal P. Wangyal (Hon’ble Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh). A sight to behold–our 52 Fellows followed our Founders and Guests of Honour through the glorious courtyard of the Hemis monastery to commemorate the vision of the Naropa Fellowship.
The opening remarks of His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche took us back to the conception of the Naropa Fellowship. The need to empower the children of the Himalayas was strongly felt, and with the blessing of His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, the Fellowship came into being. In keeping with this vision, the Fellowship was named after Naropa, an ancient Buddhist scholar-saint who heralded the beginning of a rich tradition in Buddhist philosophy.
His Eminence recalled his first meeting with our Fellows, when most of them had responded with uncertainty on being asked what they wanted to do. Before the Convocation Ceremony, our Fellows went to Rinpoche-lay with concrete answers to the same question, which ranged from water conservation to cultural preservation in the Himalayas. That one year at the Fellowship made our Fellows identity their true calling is testament to the success of the programme. His Eminence concluded his address with the hope that the Naropa Fellowship will continue to carve such futures for young minds in the coming years.
Prof. Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s keynote address left a profound impression on our Fellows and audience alike. He stressed on the need for a vision such as that of the Naropa Fellowship, and drew parallels with Rabindranath Tagore’s take on education:
“Think of the lines about ‘vast open spaces, vaulted over with a dustless sky that on a clear night showed the constellations as no city sky could ever do’’, he [Satyajit Ray, a student of Santiniketan] could have been speaking about Leh; when he spoke about the river, Kopai snaking its way through rough-hewn undulations, he could have been speaking about the Indus not too far away from here. He spoke about Santiniketan having induced contemplation; similarly here, surrounded by mountains located in a monastery, contemplation, I am sure, is a way of life. I sincerely hope that the Naropa Fellowship has taken you through an experience that will enable you and empower you to be different kinds of citizens not only of Ladakh, not only of India, but also of the world–citizens who are in their minds free, creative and innovative. Citizens who will usher us into a new world infused with empathy, harmony, more conscious of the environment and the climate, and most importantly, more tolerant of difference and dissent.”
After the stirring speeches by our esteemed Guests of Honour, Hon’ble MP Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and Hon’ble CEC, LAHDC Leh, Shri Gyal P. Wangyal, it was time to felicitate our graduating Class of 2019.
The past year posed several challenges for our Fellows, but their perseverance stemmed from their shared vision of transforming the Himalayas. Our 52 Fellows from across India, Nepal and Bhutan received their Post-Graduate Professional Certificate in Entrepreneurial Leadership for successfully concluding their academic and programme requirements.
The Naropa Fellowship recognises three spheres of growth: academic excellence, benchmark professionalism and commitment to the programme’s vision. Our co-founders, His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Dean, Dr Pramath Raj Sinha presented the awards to our Fellows.
Our Dean, Dr Pramath Raj Sinha expressed his gratitude to His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche for his consistent and unconditional support to the programme, along with executives of the Pel Drukpa Charitable Trust and Live to Love, officials of the Hemis monastery, our esteemed faculty, and the Programme Team of the Naropa Fellowship. Believing that the programme will thrive in the coming future, he thanked our Fellows with a heartwarming realisation:
“…you go out with a very tremendous and onerous responsibility. And that is that you are going out as the bearers of a tradition of a programme that you yourself have started. I can’t think of more worthy ambassadors of this programme, but equally remember that you are paving the way for future generations of Naropa Fellows, and indeed, securing the future of this programme. With that, you are no more the founding batch—you have now become the founders.”
Dr Sinha brought the ceremony to an end with a poem very close to his heart, ‘Desiderata’ by Max Ehrmann, for our Fellows to bear in mind that:
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.