18 January 2020 witnessed a synergy of brilliant speakers, thought-provoking conversations and astounding performances at TEDxHansrajCollege, Delhi University. Two months of meticulous preparations by a team of 37 students culminated a grand show in the auditorium of Hansraj College. 100 attendees from various schools and colleges assembled in the premises at 9:30am. They were registered on the desk and handed their TEDxSwag bags. The auditorium was well lit. It looked vibrant yet subtle. The caricatures of the speakers crafted by the students provided just the right amount of edginess. The event commenced with a mesmerizing performance by the school band ‘Reverb Nation’. It was followed by a Kathak dance performance by Ms. Nainika Mukherjee.
Thereafter, the stage was occupied with the host, India’s youngest standup comedian, Tanmay Tandon. He announced the instructions and introduced the attendees to the theme ‘Dare to Dream’. A daring that has the power to take you where you dream, as in the daring there is defiance to live beyond your circumstances.
The spectators witnessed illustrious speakers from a plethora of domains on a single stage. Avijit Dutt; an Indian Filmmaker and theatre director, Major General GD Bakshi; winner of the Vishisht Seva Medal, Business Author and Marketer Harsh Pamnani were among the eminent speakers. Popular Indian Bollywood film actor Yashpal Sharma, historian Rana Safvi, Internet Entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo and Monika Halan, consulting editor for Mint shared their scintillating stories with the audience. The wonder girl Saachi Soni, world’s youngest woman so far to climb so many peaks in such quick succession, shared her perspective towards mountaineering as an adventure sport and career option. Standup comedian, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia’s witty one-liners and quirky jokes left the audience in hysterics of laughter.
The attendees were served refreshments and lunch from one of the masterminds of Delhi’s gastronomy culture, Chef Marut Sikka. The simplicity yet the rich flavors of the delicacies appealed to everyone. In addition to the invigorating insights delivered by the speakers, various top-notch performers enthralled the audience. Ujjwal Kumar, one of the very few percussionists in the world, created a masterpiece on the Ghatam. Reviving the rhythms with folk and fusion experiments, Yugm Band succeeded in enchanting the audience. Slam Poet Rajat Lakhina sparked deep conversations about social problems with his peculiar style.
The Vote of Thanks was given by Subham Kumar Agarwal, Lead Organiser TEDxHansrajCollege. He expressed his gratitude to Dr. Rama Sharma, Principal Hansraj College. He noted the contribution of various people to the event and thanked WestSide, https://www.udhyamgyaan.in, IE Online, Samiyosa and Wildwater. “TEDxHansrajCollege was itself a dare to dream, a dream to test ourselves against all odds and I am quite sure that all of you know that this daring will only make you what you aspire to ever become”, he concluded. It was a celebration of ideas, a day sure to remain etched in the memories of everyone.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; TED Translators, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established The Audacious Project that takes a collaborative approach to funding ideas with the potential to create change at thrilling scale; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
Follow TED on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TED
A melange of oration & music at TEDXHansrajCollege 
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