The Day 2 of SSVM Institutions’ Transforming India Conclave 2026 was full of golden opportunities to listen to Indian icons like Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Olympic Gold Medalist Abhinav Bindra, renowned Bharatanatyam Dancer Rukmini Vijayakumar, and Captain of CSK Ruturaj Gaikwad, as they shared lot of inspirational messages to the student community, which also had tons of take home messages for everyone.
Srisha Mohandoss, Director of SSVM Institutions shared how exciting was Day 1 as it involved the participants go through an interesting and challenging obstacles course that required their physical and mental toughness to work as one.
She suggested all the participants to give themselves a fit and healthy life, by developing a sound body and mind. Together, this will be of great help to face challenges instead of fearing them, she remarked.
Talking about the theme of this year’s Transforming India Conclave ‘Flex Your Future’, she said the word flex stands for showing off, and she said that to show off, first one has to build. So she encouraged the students to build their future well with sound mind and body.
Give your 100% – Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair,
Astronaut-Designate, Gaganyaan Mission – Indian Air Force
Prashanth who is one of the four Astronaut-Designates of India for the highly anticipated Gaganyaan Mission said that he has put himself into difficult situations to learn more about himself. He stated that his practice of staying in the moment and giving his 100% to that work which is at hand has been deeply rewarding.
When obstacles come your way, do not react or respond to them but respect them for the lessons they bring to you, and overcome the obstacles with resilience, he said. He was also candid about the cost he had to pay to be who he is today, but he credited his attitude to accept the reality for making him become happy and successful.
“Success and Satisfaction are in your hands, do not base your happiness on external objects, live upto the parameter you put for yourself,” he said.
Perseverance is a Talent – Abhinav Bindra, Olympic Gold Medalist
Mr.Bindra who won India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in the men’s 10-meter air rifle event in 2008 said that a great shot is never fired, it is built. It is built well by bringing together balance, stability and keeping the body and mind in harmony and control. He spoke about how he initially stepped in to this competitive sport, thinking that he did not have the athleticism, co-ordination etc but later found out his hidden talents.
“My talent was to simply work hard. I believe working hard is a talent, to persevere is a talent, to never give up is a talent and to simply show up is a talent; and you all have it,” he said. Talent however only opens a door, but to reach the finish line, he opined that one certainly needs to work hard and persevere. He appealed the students to take time to find what they are passionate about.
He cautioned that there could be life-altering moments in their journey and most of these moments require an individual to stand alone. In such moments, Courage and Conviction will be crucial to shine, and these qualities form through experiences and by learning from mistakes.
Perfection is Elusive – Rukmini Vijayakumar Renowned Classical Dancer
Rukmini shared that it may be tough for the learners of arts to master the arts, and learn the skills so well that they become a part of his/her breathing and system, but it is achievable. She shared how she achieved it – with diligence, repetition, showing up & being there, and most of all having a fertile & vivid imagination, and the willingness to learn from everywhere.
When asked whether she has pursued ‘Perfection’, she said perfection is often elusive and it evades when pursued. However, what is plausible is to put consistent effort, try to be better each time, examine the mistakes made, correct it, give the absolute best, and also be content with it.
Handle it Calmly – Ruturaj Gaikwad, Captain, Chennai Super Kings
Gaikwad shared that as the captain of CSK, he learned to handle things calmly. He said any team that is in a match against another team, would usually be under pressure due to the crowd, opponents, the unpredictability of the final outcome etc., hence it would be apt to handle things calmly at the heat of the moment.
When he was asked about the impact of negative or critical comments, he said that opinions are taken based on how the match’s outcomes have been. If it is a victory, the opinions are taken lightly, if it is loss, the opinion have an effect. Hence it is better to treat every criticism by those who don’t know about the field, as just opinions. The earlier you accept it, the easier it becomes to deal with them, he said.
Inspirational Guru Awards 2026 (External)
SSVM Institutions presented the Inspirational Guru Awards 2026 to 13 outstanding educators at the conclave. Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Olympic Gold Medalist Abhinav Bindra presented the awards in the presence of SSVM’s Management.
Cherish Cahoon, Founder, Valor Heights, Texas-USA; Swati Sohni, Sr.School Biology Coordinator, Scottish High International School, Gurugram; Raya Mukhopadhyay, Head-Sociology Dept, Assam Valley School, Assam; Prapti Parashar – PYP Coordinator, IB Program Workshop Leader, Prometheus International School, Noida (received in absentia); Nagalaxmi, Principal, Pallavi International School, Telangana; Hariharan Subramanian, Vice Principal, Amrita Vidyalayam, Kovur, Madurai; Karthikeyan TGT- Science, Govt High School, Karayambuthur, Puducherry received the awards from Air Commodore Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair.
Mango Ram Kuncham, Principal, Abhyasa International Residential School, Toopran, Telangana; Abdul Saleem, PGT- Chemistry, JBAS Memorial Matriculation Schoo, Chennai; Shanthi Seetharaman, PGT- Economics, PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tambaram, Chennai; Kanagadurga Madhavan, PGT-Biology, Kikani Vidya Mandhir, Chennai; Priyadharshini, Academic Coordinator, Parvathys Anugraha Intl.School, Dindugal and Mukesh Mahendran, Skill Development Trainer, KG Institutions received the award from Abhinav Bindra.
Studentpreneur Awards 2026 (External)
Studentpreneur Awards is presented to some of the brightest innovations and startups developed by students across India.
The first place was won by Advik Iyer (8th std) from Scottish High International, Gurugram for the project – Assistive Intelligent Door & Emergency System. The second place was secured by Shrutika Saravanan & Rakshitha Gnanasekaran (11th std) from Ashok Leyland School, Hosur for the product ‘SmartGuard’ – an A.I. powered Smart Helmet. The third place was won by Mercy Ilaveyini (9th std) from The Chennai Public School, Chennai for the product – Bite & Go, a 100% natural, millet-based protein bar.
