Liladhar Jagudi, Padmashree winner, Yogesh Sharma, Physics professor from NAS College, Meerut and Pernell Gooch, assistant professor from University of Sweden also joined the conclave to reveal how they had failed in school but never gave up.

Liladhar Jagudi encouraged the children by saying that failure should not discourage them in life, rather they should keep looking forward. He gave examples from his life experiences when he mentioned that he rarely attended his school. “We would spend time bathing in river or catching fish. I ran away from home at the age of 13 and reached Rajasthan, where I got a part time job as a night watchman. I also enrolled myself in a school where I failed five to six times. But this did not sway me from my quest for knowledge,” Hindustan Times quoted Liladhar as saying.

Yogesh Sharma spoke about how he fared very poorly in his intermediate examinations and had failed in Physics but he stood his ground and today he has a doctorate degree in that subject and also guides students for doctorate in physics. Pernel Gooch also spoke about her experiences and failures in school and how she went on to complete her PhD when she was 40 years old.

This initiative was started by Avdhadh Kaushal, the chairperson of Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra. While speaking to the HT, he said that children who do not do well in studies are generally looked down by the society as incapable but though this event the organisers want to let them know that they can achieve success. “But that does not mean those fail to clear exams have low IQ or cannot become achievers in future. That’s the message we want to give as lakhs of students prepare for the board exams,”Kaushal told HT.