To begin with, I'd still need some time for this fact to sink in. TED's been an experience I'd never forget. Such inspiring people and what presence! The speakers confidence on stage to make sense every second, looked so difficult. if given a chance, it seemed like they would talk for hours. Like TED says, 'Ideas Worth Spreading', Every speaker literally came with an idea and was determined enough to share it. Id like to go into detail about a few of my favorite speakers:
First up was Narendra Luther, as known as the 'Rock man',an honorable writer, civil servant, and the most simple person which I suppose is his trademark. He's written books on Hyderabad's history and its changes. Since TED is supposed to have global based topics, He was given to talk about how cities change by the course of time. What I liked most was how he compared cities to human beings; the way they change, grow, rot and rebuild. It was such a pleasure listening to him because his research and the way he spoke seemed so real. After his speech, I had the chance to talk to him, so I went up to him and greeted him. I introduced myself and mentioned that his grand daughter is a good friend of mine. It was great meeting him and I hope he'll remember me the next time I see him! :)
Next was Karthik Kumar: Founder of Evam, an actor, an engineer, an entrepreneur who turned art into business! My love for theatre grew when i first watched an Evam's play. I was a teenager with no passion for anything back then so I'm glad it happened. Anyway coming back to TED, when I heard he was invited to speak at TED, I literally jumped (well figuratively, cuz it was in my head). At the end of each play, they would let us meet the actors backstage and talk to them about the play. I never knew what to say to him, and besides, I never had the courage to go up to him and speak. But yesterday, I was supposed to accompany him throughout the event and this made my heart skip several beats. Coming to his speech, what I loved the most was what he said about personal and professional life not being placed together according to the society but practically, they should be. It is so true how the inner feelings and the gut feelings we have, should be put into our career based decisions. That would actually give us a terrific result. Loved his dramatic way of speaking, thought that's how a true actor speaks when he is given a mic and an idea to share. When I spoke to him without any hesitation, I told him that Evam's been my favorite since long and discussed how Bangalore and Chennai have plays going on all the time. More than feeling good about the meeting, I am glad that i could have a full fledged conversation with a person like him. :)
Then came Sai Gollapudi, an electrical engineer from Purdue, now pursuing his PhD in Cognitive Science. I was standing near the stage, so he was beside me and said ''Wish me luck'', and i laughed it over and said ''Sir, you'll anyway do well!" He seemed like those intelligent people with a good sense of humor (:D) I was so amazed to hear how he moved back to India to become aware of our country. He's been to hundreds of villages to take up village development projects. He chose the topic of development itself, our ethics and how we live in India. It was funny when he showed a picture of a glass door which read "Please close the door'', yet nobody closed it. Point being everybody reads that but nobody follows, especially when its a public place. Coming to my favorite part, It was when he said "If you have a rupee and a dollar, and If i have a rupee and a dollar and if we both exchange it, then we both will have a rupee and a dollar, nothing changes. But if you have an idea, I have an idea and when we share it, then we have two ideas".I really liked that. I didn't get to talk to him but we had a group picture which comes out well, I hope. But it was great hearing him speak and see that people ARE making efforts to make our country a better place.
Another speaker who was equally impressive was Vilas Nayak, a great painter who went to the finals of India's Got Talent. He walked in and started to paint for like ten minutes, while the audience was busy trying to guess what it might is. "Heal The World" by Micheal Jackson filled up the silence and everyone wondered why that song was even played? As he was done, he turned his canvas around and we saw a beautiful painting of Mother Teresa holding a child, for which he received a standing ovation. He then took the mic and said "I don't think i need to give a speech, my painting says a thousand words". The combination of his painting and the song was a great one. Hats off to his talent!! Then there was Akram Feroze, a college drop out who was hell bent on living his dream. At the age of 22, he picked up a cycle and decided to ride to other cities to give a progress to theatre in villages. His speech was entirely about his journey and how his parents reacted when he told them (which was obviously not supportive), and how he survived. His determination and love for theatre literally made him go places! :) Up next was Hussain Zaidi, a Mumbai based journalist who writes about crime and mafia. Hes been an acclaimed journalist, who has interviewed Dawood Ibrahim. He's written books on many such controversial issues. I admire his bravery for having the courage to write about nothing but the truth.
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| With Karthik Kumar |
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| The invite |
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| On stage |
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| Vilas Nayak's painting |
