Daughters can attain any heights, says Mt Everest conqueror Bajaj

Chandigarh: Daughters can attain any heights and can be a force multiplier, not just for the country, but for the entire world.

These were the words of Padma Shri Ajeet Bajaj while addressing as the chief guest at the 59th foundation day of PGIMER here on Thursday.

“So love your daughters, help them dream big and work with them to face challenges to realise their dreams,” added Bajaj.

A proud father of two daughters and brand ambassador of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Campaign’, Bajaj along with his daughter Deeya Bajaj was the first Indian father-daughter duo to climb Mount Everest.

He completed the Explorer’s Grand Slam on June 5, while completing the Seven Summits with his daughter Deeya.

Motivating the audience in an extremely impassioned tone while speaking on “Summiting Mount Everest”, Bajaj delved deep into the essential qualities of being a successful organization by surmounting the challenges as he said: “The secret of getting to the top is the acronym TOP, T is for teamwork; always putting your team before yourself; O is for Outlook, always looking at a glass half full and P is for previous preparation.”

While the audience listened to him in rapt attention, Bajaj continued to share the highs and lows of his extreme expeditions while drawing an analogy with life as he said, “At an individual level, we also all of us have to find our own Mount Everest. So dream big, and face those challenges with a smile and have never give-in attitude and unfurl the tricolour on the summit of your dreams.”

Quoting Charles Darwin from his book ‘The Origin of Species’, Bajaj emphasized on adapting to change to be triumphant in life: “It is not the most intellectual of species that survive, not the strongest, but the one that are able to adapt, to adjust to face the changing environment.”

Bajaj gave a life lesson to the audience as he aptly shared, “Receiving recognition is not why we follow our passion. There is a feeling of inner joy and happiness when you make your dreams come true by overcoming boundaries you set for yourself.”

Lauding the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) as one of the best in the country, he urged the fraternity to make this institute as “the best on the planet. This has to be our collective dream”.

Deeya, the daughter of Bajaj and the guest of honour on the occasion, held the attention of one and all in the audience as she spoke virtually about her own connotation of summitting Mount Everest.

“If we support our girls if we nourish them, and if we show them that there’s absolutely nothing that they can’t achieve, and we keep telling them that and supporting them and encouraging them, I think we’re headed for an absolutely amazing and fantastic future.”

Earlier at the outset, PGIMER Director Prof Vivek Lal appreciated the hospital team as he stated: “The PGIMER team works hard pushing the limits of their endurance and physical capacity for the service of patients. Taking care of an exponentially increasing burden of patients is an extremely difficult task, which they perform diligently.”

At total of 26 PGIMER employees were honoured by Bajaj along with Vivek Lal, R.K. Sharma, Dean (Academics), K. Gauba, Dean (Research), and Rakesh Sehgal for their outstanding service and were presented appreciation certificates along with mementoes.

(IANS)