Ever since the day I commenced my journey with the Post Graduate Public Relations Course at SCoRe, there was this one event I heard of everyday – PRAXIS. Be it our mentors enlightening us with the event details, the professors asking us if we would mark our presence there, this year or conversations amongst us students. There was no day that passed without a special mention for PRAXIS. PRAXIS was to be held at Jaipur this year. Our exhilaration around it was escalating every other day. We couldn’t wait anymore to experience this event, everyone spoke so highly of.
PRAXIS is the world’s largest summit of Public Relations professionals. Every year, these professionals assemble together to share their experiences and learning, which eventually drives insight generation. While I was attending it as a part of my public relations course experiencing it first hand, I realised that it was much more than just a mere summit.
Check out the PRAXIS Aftermovie:
Having the liberty and opportunity to approach any professional, even a prominent personality from the field of Public Relations, I would grab every opportunity to initiate a conversation. They would generously cease whatever they were engaged with and lend me their time. Every single person I engaged with enlightened me in one way or the other. The fact that PRAXIS brings professionals from every rung on a single platform, eventually opening it for knowledge and wisdom generation is what makes it an ever flourishing summit.
PRAXIS is a profound learning experience in itself. Here are a few things I took away from it:
John Saunders, the global CEO of FleishmanHillard, while sharing his wisdom with me, told me that when it comes to creativity, no person is big or small. For anyone to become a successful Public Relations professional, curiosity is imperative. Read newspapers and know what’s happening around the world. No one can take away the success you deserve, that way.
I asked Gabriela Lungu, founder of the WINGS Creative Leadership LAB about what to focus on before entering the professional world. To this, she just asked me to volunteer for as many events as I can because that is going to be my learning school. No books but volunteering would brush one’s skills aptly.
“I do not have good English speaking skills. My mother tongue is Tamil. I am proud of it.”
PRAXIS is the brainchild of my mentor, Mr. Amith Prabhu, Dean, School of COmmunications & REputation (from our Public Relations Course). It was really motivating to watch him work with such immense sincerity and zeal, pulling together a successful summit. He could easily ask someone to look after the smaller things at the management level. Yet, never did I see him doing that. He put his personal attention into everything. His eyes reflected his passion and it spoke volumes.
I was felicitated with the Vishwajeet Ganapate Memorial Scholarship by The PRomise Foundation. I received “The most meritorious student of 2017-2018” title to my name. I am a PRomise Foundation scholar now.
However, it wasn’t just about the title or the scholarship. How lucky had I been, that evening, to be on the stage, all 600 eyeballs glued at me? I received the scholarship from the very prominent people in Public Relations, Nitin Mantri, President, PRCAI & CEO, Avian Media,
Dr. Pragnya Ram, Group Executive President – Aditya Birla Group,
Roma Balwani, Director, Strategic Resources Group &
Hemant Gaule, Dy Dean, SCoRe – School of COmmunications & REputation. I am overwhelmed by the recognition that I have garnered. It was totally the BIG MOMENT of the day!
I just can’t wait to attend PRAXIS at Hyderabad next year.
– Shreya Dubey
Shreya is an alumna of Class of 2018 of the PG Programme in Public Relations at SCoRe- where students get access to PRAXIS as a part of the Public Relations Course (more info) She has completed her Bachelors in Mass Media from S.K. Somaiya College of Arts, Science and Commerce. She completed her winter internship at Ketchum Sampark, Mumbai, from where she received a pre-placement offer and joined as Associate. She can be reached at Shreya Dubey on LinkedIn and @ShreyaDubey96 on Twitter.
