At our very own edition of TEDxYouth, conducted by grade XII students, we brought to you unique and perspective-altering frontline opinions and an experience to remember. In the midst of a pandemic, with a virtual platform like never before, we held the event on the 18th of December, 2020, on Zoom and Youtube. What made this event unique was its unparalleled capacity to allow the audience to engage with speakers while kicking back and enjoying it from home. As said by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has." With this belief our theme for this year was, “Change the Current”. The word Current here referred to two different ideas: The current scenario of the globe and the force of public opinion. Our event began with an an ode to the Lord with a musical rendition of the Gayatri Mantra performed by our very own grade 12 students, Aaryan Bacchawat on the flute accompanied by a Bharatnatyam dance presentation by Dia Jhaveri. Five dynamic and diverse speakers shared their wisdom and experience of how one can “Change the Current”.
UDAY BANERJEE: "What do we do when someone changes the rules?" - "What do we do when someone changes the rules? The norms?" This is a topic that is especially relevant in 2020, a year that has seen an unexpected crisis which shackled the entire world. Uday Banerjee , one of our very own students, expressed the importance of our mindset in situations of uncertainty and loss, and shared his experiences of always being on the move.
SUSHMEETHA BUBNA: "Overcoming obstacles" - Ms Sushmeetha Bubna, founder of the Ascent Networks Pvt Ltd and Faiyda, represented the picture of extraordinaire. Even after losing her eyesight, she envisioned a world beyond any of us can imagine and spoke about her personal obstacles and how she overcame them. Moreover, she stressed on the importance of the ability to think beyond our disabilities or flaws.
SONAL CHABRIA: "The Butterfly Effect" - Ms. Sonal Chabria is a teacher, mentor and pioneer, who emphasised on the significance of how we as individuals can make a change for the better. An Air Hostess, RJ, Advocate (LLB in Air Space Law), Zonal head for Children's Movement For Civic Awareness, she enriched us with her multi-field insights.
BURGESS COOPER: "The Fifth Frontier: Cyber" - Burgess Cooper is an EY Information & Cyber Security Advisory Services Partner with over 20 years of industry experience. He gave us insights about his exquisite knowledge on cybersecurity and the way technology can be used in a beneficial manner, instead of being exploited.
RIZ & YOSHI: "Passion, Perseverance and Confidence in your ideas" - Passion, Perseverance and Confidence are the secrets to this musical duo’s inspiring success. Riz and Yoshi took the stage to talk about their journey of hard work, and their witty anecdotes on overcoming obstacles invited chuckles from the audience.
We also had our own grade XI students, Aisha Tharaney and Aryan Ghosh who took the stage to perform “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons to appreciate the brave, unstoppable medical workers who have worked tirelessly throughout these trying times. Students of Grade XII; Ayaana Nayak, Sharvani Sampat, Zayan Dholoo, Kiara Shah and Aaryan Bacchawat, performed a melodious rendition of "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran to conclude the event.
