The Magical Satpura

Satpura Range?is a range of hills and part of the Deccan plateau in western India. The hills stretch for some 900 km across the broadest part of peninsular India through the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.??

The range, the name of which means “Seven Folds,” forms the watershed between the Narmada (north) and Tapti (south) rivers. With peaks more than 4,000 feet high, the Satpura Range includes the Mahadeo Hills to the north, the Maikala Range to the east, and the Rajpipla Hills to the west.*

Chhindwara is one of the larger towns located in the Satpura range. It is situated on a plateau, surrounded by lush green fields, rivers, and the Sagwan trees. Chhindwara is surrounded by dense forests with diverse flora and fauna. Pench and Kanhan are two important rivers of Chhindwara.?

Another magical and mysterious place near Chhindwara is Tamia. Tamia has beautiful views of the Patalkot Valley which is a horse-shoe-shaped valley as well as the dense forests surrounding it that have some medicinal plants and rocks dating back to an era that is 2500 million years back.

Patalkot is populated by the Bharia and the Gond tribes for many centuries. It is said that some of the Patalkot inhabitants were living inside the dense forest where sunlight is also not reachable. Many mythological stories associated with Tamia are related to Megnad, Bhasmasura, Aviravana, Hanuman, and Sita. It is also considered that Patalkot is the stairway to hell.?**

Until recently, these tribes were cut off from the civilized world due to the inaccessibility of the region; but now, a school and other facilities are coming up in Patalkot.?

From the recent stories, Bhawna Dehariya, a mountaineer from the village of Patalkot, Tamia climbed the highest mountain peak, Mount Everest, in 2019 and became one of the first women in the state to complete the summit. Her journey is so fascinating. She writes after conquering Mount Everest – It was a great thrilling experience in the journey from a deep gorge in Patalkot to the highest peak Mount Everest. It was a dream come true for Bhawan Dehariya.

NIIT Foundation is also enabling the youth to achieve their dreams in the Satpura region. NIIT Foundation set up the first state-of-the-art center inaugurated on 19th August 2007 at Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh by then Union Minister Shri Kamal Nath. The center was set up under the guidance of visionary leaders RS Pawar, Vijay Thadani, and P Rajendran from NIIT Limited.

The Second District Learning Centre was set up at Barkuhi in Feb 2009 which is situated 35 Kms from Chhindwara.?

Many technical and non-technical courses are getting delivered from both Chhindwara and Barkuhi centers. After successful completion of the program, students are getting placed in NIIT Foundation partner organizations in different roles of Customer Care Associates, IT Officer, Project Engineer, Data Entry Operator, Tech Support Executives, Branding and Promotion Executives, and Graduate trainee.?

From the time the District Learning Centers (DLC) started functioning, it has impacted more than 58,000 students as of today.

In our recent visit to Chhindwara and Barkuhi, we got an opportunity to interact with over 300 students and 40 Principals and Placement Officers of Govt. degree colleges in and around Chhindwara. It was an energizing experience to meet principals, professors, and other staff in colleges. It was wonderful interacting with the students, these students are full of enthusiasm and are living their dreams of making their careers in IT and Education. These students are just waiting for the right opportunities.

During this visit, Mr. P. B. Kotur from Wipro joined me and Sapna Moudgil, Director, NIIT Foundation in Chhindwara to interact with students, professors, and principals. Mr. Kotur delivered motivational speeches and also talked about the opportunities available for these students. Mr. Kotur firmly believes that when capability meets personality, it brings prosperity. Capability matters, Personality matters even more!?

?NIIT Foundation, in partnership with Wipro, has given wings to more than 300 youths so far in the Satpura region by providing them with a job opportunity. Kudos to Vijay Kusumbe, Aradhana Sharma, and the entire Chhindwara team for their dedication and for tirelessly working for these youths for their better career. The journey continues...

Happy 75th Independence Day!!?

To know more about NIIT Foundation and its initiatives, please visit?www.niitfoundation.org?

* https://www.britannica.com/place/Satpura-Range

** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patalkot,_India