News and pics: Rons Bantwal 

Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 15: The Ryan International Group of Schools recently hosted the Indian Model United Nations (INMUN) conference with the theme: Shaping the Future.

This year, more than 800 students from 110 schools in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Germany and Nepal participated in this simulation of the United Nations. Ambassadors Alphonsus Stoelinga (Netherlands), Tarek Azouz (Tunisia), Gustavo De Aristegui (Spain), Petko Doykov (Bulgaria), Thorir Ibsen (Iceland) along with politician Sambit Patra and Abdul Basit (high commissioner, Islamic Republic of Pakistan) were guest speakers at the conference.

The entire conference was graced by eminent persons from various fields. Grace Pinto (managing director, Ryan International Group of schools) said, “Through conferences like INMUN, our aim is to educate students about world politics, build up leadership skills and help educate the next generation in the spirit of equality, liberty, tolerance, empathy and care for others.” Students from various schools of Ryan International Group actively participated in this mega event.

Democracy index by country 2014 (The Economist Group) shows India on 27th rank among 167 countries. This is a remarkable achievement for every Indian who has made this possible in the last 68 years of Indian independence. Democracy from its origin in Greece until today has constantly been redefined and has been a struggle for human mankind.

Today, USA, Europe, China, Russia and even North Korea consider themselves a democracy. We have to accept, there is no global definition. The question is 'How to empower our youth for a bright future of democracy in India?' The conference provided an opportunity for students to reflect on the world around them and also gave them a chance to open dialogues and learn directly from the ambassadors of various countries and help them shape the future of our country.