PARIN SOMANI
By working together we can make a positive global change How a constant support from your father or any particular person inevitable in your journey? I am very fortunate that I have constant support from my father and mother, I view this as a blessing. Despite our physical distance, I know that when I require support from my parents despite night or day, they will always be there to support me. I believe that it is through their prayers, that I am with you all today. I was supported by my father from a young age to carry out community service, excel in my education and pursue work in the media. The love my parents have for me is unconditionally and they understand my pure intentions to serve the world. My parents have always trusted me to make the right decisions in my endeavours, they appreciate me as a person and my goals in life. This element touches my heart, because my parents will only support truth and justice. With the knowledge that my parents are always there to support me, provides me with the strength to embark on my journey to achieve my goals with happiness and immense motivation. How did that constant motivation give you the courage to fight against all odds and achieve your dream? The constant loving motivation that I have been fortunate to receive through my parent’s support, has created firm self-belief and confidence. This in turn has facilitated my progress onto achieving goals that seemed impossible to me. When I underwent serious health battles in my life, my parents never gave up hope. This fuelled my motivation and progression towards recovery, together with my faith, positivity and self-belief. Through this traumatic experience I learnt the true value and preciousness of my life through a different perspective. Currently, I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to rise every morning and transcend towards my dream of serving mankind. I spend every waking minute expressing gratitude for this wonderful gift that we call life. This reminds me of a quote by Aga Khan III, that my beloved father-in-law used to motivate me with ‘struggle is the meaning of life.’ This quote has created an imprint in my heart helping my motivation when I encounter struggles. It has provided me with the realisation that every individual faces struggles every day within our lives, but this struggle makes us stronger. This realisation is enough to provide me with the motivation to fight against the odds in life and ‘serve mankind until my last breath’ which is my dream and biggest achievement. Your personal bonding with your father or anyone in particular? I view the personal bonding with my father as very special and unique. He is not only my father, but he is my friend and biggest supporter, just as I am his. We have the type of bond where we can guide and inspire each other. I was the long awaited first daughter in my family, after a whole generation of boys. I think an automatic special bond was formed from my birth, that was filled with deep love and affection flourishing to present day . I am truly blessed to share this amazing father daughter bond; each moment is precious in life therefore I cherish it. Any lesson which you u have embedded in yourself which makes you a good citizen of your country? I feel that it is imperative to live by good ethics and values; being respectful, trustworthy, honest, compassionate and responsible. I believe that it is our duty to provide service to humanity and give back to society. This can be achieved through voluntary work within our capacity and obey the law. These are qualities that I have embedded within myself with the aim of being a good citizen. I feel that every individual can aspire to be the best citizen, who can be attained through adhering to the notion of: Always treat others how you wish to be treated. Together with abiding by these mentioned principles, I seek to understand diverse viewpoints and aim to build bridges between communities, cultivate tolerance, peace and harmony. We should remember that there is strength in diversity, therefore always treat others with respect. I have personally ensured that I do not forget my culture and heritage as this is a vital component of who I am. Residing within a multicultural society, has allowed easy integration and acceptance within society globally. If we all aspire to be good role models and help each other, through our good intentions and actions identified through, proper behavior, trust and understanding; we can aim to live in a world filled with peace and happiness. Being a daughter how do you support your father when he is not in his positive frame of mind / dilemma? Both my father and father-in-law are generally positive individuals. They always strive to turn every negative situation into a positive. However, we are human, and I cannot expect both my father and father-in-law to be positive all the time. This is because, the world that we live in is ever changing and the challenges that we encounter in life alter. Therefore, I gently remind them both, that they are both worried about the future consequences of an event, something that has not happened yet. If something has not happened yet, then why do we worry about it? Yes, we can discuss contingency plans, if we know that something may affect our future, but that is positive. I also remind both that the past has gone, and we cannot change it, thus possessing a negative mindset is futile. We can learn from our past experiences and from it create a better future. I feel that by creating positive energy around my father and my father-in-law during his difficult times; by being cheerful and positive; the distressing task of solving a dilemma or transforming negative mindsets becomes easier for both









