TedX Shivaji organised its first event on Friday, 24th August. DU Beat brings you the highlights along with a sneak peak of the performances.
Shivaji College, University of Delhi (DU), organised its first ever TEDx Event on Friday, 24th July 2018 in their college campus in Shivaji Enclave, Raja Garden, Delhi.
The event lasted for five hours, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and saw a turnout of over eighty students from all across the Delhi University. The theme being F5 (refresh), the event saw eight speakers who kept the audience on their feet and ready for more.
Niladri Chatterjee, a professor at IIT Delhi, was the first speaker of the event and spoke about the importance of human intelligence in the era of artificial technology. “We have to be smart so that the machines that we use be more human-like,” said Chatterjee. Suhani Jalota, CEO/Founder at Myna Mahila Foundation and recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, spoke about the importance of women healthcare and sanitation.
The event also saw an enthralling performance by Amrut Bhat, Founder of the Drum Circle, who brought the audience to their feet, cheering to the rhythm of his music.
Another speaker at the event, Rudrani Chettri, a transgender model and activist and founder of the MITR Trust for the sexual and reproductive awareness of the LGBTQ+ community in India, talked about her struggles and her aim to make the fashion and art industry more gender fluid.
On Rudrani’s talk, Namrata Randhava, a first-year student of B.A. Programme at Gargi College, said “She was so amazing that she almost made me tear up. I was completely mesmerised by her talk. It was a great combination of light-hearted and powerful words!”
“Everything that is happening in your life is building up to something,” said Mohammad Kaif, captain of the World Cup Winning Under 19 Indian Cricket team in 2000 who was a speaker at the event along with his wife, Pooja Kaif, a corporate anchor.
The event also witnessed talks by Shruti Sharma, founder of Books on the Delhi Metro, Anamika Singh, a performer/ dancer and the founder of Ada,, and Divya Prakash Dubey, an author and storyteller. There was a lunch break from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. which stretched on too long and exhausted the audience. The event dragged on a little longer till 4 p.m. but the stories kept the audience engaged.
Anmol Sharma, a second-year B.Com. Programme student of Shivaji College and a member of the organising committee of TedX Shivaji, said, “We were not expecting the event to be completely sold out and have such a wide turnout since Shivaji is an off-campus college and does not attract a huge audience.” “This was our first TEDx event and all of us, along with the administration, are really happy with the response we got. We’re all geared up for another TEDx event next year,” he added.
Muskan Sethi
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Inputs from Namrata Randhawa
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Feature Image Credits: Namrata Randhawa for DU Beat