Seven students graduated from Naad on 23 April 2010. The graduation ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Child Development Centre at Haji Ali, and was very well attended. We had a large number of visitors and many of our past parents came to lend a hand. The Naad family keeps growing!

Our chief guest was Dr J P Singh, Member-Secretary of the Rehabilitation Council of India, and our Guest of Honour was Shree Rangasayee, Director of the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Impaired. It was an honour and a privilege to have them with us. Dr Singh gave away the graduation certificates and both he and Shree Rangasayee delivered brief addresses to the audience.

Also present were Ms Dyranda Hortle of Cochlear, Dr Firoza Bhabha and Dr Milind Kirtane. Dr Bhabha and Dr Kirtane are two of our trustees and are among the pre-eminent practitioners in their fields in the city.

The graduating students were:

• Harshada Kane
• Ishaan Date
• Urvi Paranjpe
• Krishnarya Bansal
• Siddharth Munot
• Yoishitaa Umrigar
• Sakshi Dhuri

On stage, each of the graduates wore a purple gown and cap. They honoured their parents and were then given their certificates by Dr Singh. A short presentation introduced the audience to each graduate.

Our compere was Atharva Beloskar, himself a graduate from our very first batch. Atharva has done very well since graduating from Naad. He stood second in Maharashtra in an English Olympiad, and swims competitively. He conducted the proceedings with great élan and style.

Urvi recited a prayer before the programme started. Later, Nidhi Patil, another graduate, recited a special poem for the Naad staff. Siddharth then narrated an amusing little story.

The Trustees of IHF and the Naad Staff were overwhelmed by the number of parents and past students who returned. A special mention must be made of Rashmi Vartak and Rishi Deshpande, both of whom worked tirelessly to make the event a success.

The team at Naad — Shefali, Geeti, Malu, Micky and Sara — were all felicitated as well.

Our thanks to all those who came, and to all our supporters. Photographs of the event are now available online for viewing.

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