HT School conducted its first Thought Leadership Meet at The Lodhi in New Delhi on Monday, March 14. The event was attended by more than 30 principals and leading luminaries from the education sector. It was aimed at showcasing the upcoming event line-up by HT School including Hackathon, Crickathon, and the HT Science Fair that would be available for students soon.

After nearly two years of confinement to Zoom meetings, the principals were delighted to be in the company of their colleagues at this first-of-its-kind post-pandemic event. “All of us are friends and have been colleagues for nearly decades yet to be in each other’s company after such a long gap felt exhilarating. This is just the kind of post-pandemic welcome we were looking for,” expressed Madhulika Sen, Director, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar. 

Attendees praised the HT School platform’s technology-driven, event-driven nature, believing that its offerings might fill the learning gaps caused by the pandemic. They agreed that a rethinking of what constitutes the future of education was urgently needed, and that principals were the ideal people to lead this transformation. Describing this need for change, Dr Ameeta Wattal, Chairperson and Executive Director, Education, Innovations and Training, DLF Foundation Schools and Scholarship Programmes mentioned, “All principals are enigmatic and when you are enigmatic, ideas just flow.” 

The principals took part in a fun cook-off conducted by celebrity Masterchef Pankaj Bhadouria to honour these changemakers’ contribution to the development of tomorrow’s leaders. The principals were divided into eight teams and given thirty minutes to produce culinary delights using a limited set of ingredients. Faced with a limited amount of time and ingredients, the contestants rose to the occasion and created a variety of unusual dishes to win the chef’s approval. Apart from the pasta, bread, and cheese, the wonderful dishes created throughout the fun-filled evening had unbridled excitement, glowing confidence and an exciting sporting spirit as the common ingredients.

Following the conclusion of the cooking competition, the audience was entertained by comedian Atul Khatri’s stand-up act. The evening ended with hearty chuckles and a delicious dinner, with jokes spanning from immigration issues to school life concerns.