TEDx Delhi: Achievers speak on battling odds

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A group of unlikely achievers spoke about the journey towards realising their dreams, battling odds and persevering with ambitiousness, here at TEDx Delhi -- an independent talk platform.

The seventh edition of TEDx Delhi, themed around the subject of 'Humanity', on Sunday featured a number of personalities, who appeared distinct from one another in their immediate outlook and life-course.

However, they were common in their essential character -- that of being creative unusuals.

The event featured 25 individuals, now known for making a mark after overcoming hurdles.

"Our society is moulded in a certain cast and it expects you to behave in a certain way... any deviation from that and you are labelled useless," said Julius Mitchell, a beatboxer from Sri Lanka, who is currently teaching beatboxing in the David Academy of Performing Arts (DAPA) there.

"Beatboxing is not just an art-form to me, it's a form of speaking, of expressing my most dark emotions, for which words won't suffice," he said to an audience, which was further captivated by a thumping performance by him on stage.

Another talk featured Joey Foster Ellis, a 'digital sculptor' who likes to describe himself as a "professional foreigner", and suffers from occasional episodes of bipolarity.

He encouraged the audience to be "childlike" in their perspective in looking at things, and to not be afraid of the new.

"Let a part of you be a child. Nothing is impossible if you are daring enough to experiment and be vulnerable and fail," said Ellis, who did his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from China, lived in Qatar, and has, for the time being, pitched his tent in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Other talkers included, a 16-year-old teenager Aryan Mishra, whose curiosity in space led him to discover an asteroid; Kanika Tekriwal, who survived cancer to found a aircraft-for-rent firm, and feature in Forbes magazine when she wasn't even 30; and Kamal Meattle, an environmentalist, who taught audience how to "grow" fresh air, through use of right plantation, among many more others.

Launched in 2009, TEDx is program of locally organised events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience, and is licensed by TED, a non profit firm, which hosts a series of talks under the rubric "Ideas worth spreading".

TEDx Delhi was organised by Gaurav Gupta, a Chartered Accountant and Investment banker, and was licensed by TED.

"There are so many questions which science is unable to answer, with Ted we attempt at answering those. We sometimes have to listen to real people, ordinary people, who wage extraordinary battles," Gupta told IANS over the phone.

"Like the story of Zak Ibrahim, the son of a terrorist (who plotted 1993 World Trade Center bombing) who spoke at one of the events about how he dealt with the situation. These people must be heard," he added.

--IANS

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