Inspiring Citizenship - TEDx Pune

Aga Khan Palace - Pune
I came to Pune a year ago to do my MBA. As I look back today in retrospect, my stay has been a truly remarkable one. I have been introduced to several fascinating people in Pune who have enriched my life beyond words. I have had the fortune of interacting with philosophers, farmers, artists, technocrats, geeks and entrepreneurs whose panaromic perspective towards life have expanded the horizons of my thinking. 



During my interactions, like a curious child, I have simply held their hands tight as they took me on a roller coaster ride full of fascinating ideas. These journeys have shaped my thinking and my perspective towards this infinitely inspiring world.

What is so great about ideas? While several people across the world including me have been enamored by mindblowing ideas thrown at TED, I have always wondered like a curious child would do, what makes IDEAS so fascinating? What is the secret ingredient which makes Ideas larger than anything else?

I happened to watch a brilliant movie called Dogma recently which has a beautiful line about Ideas. I think its worth sharing here.

" I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant"

Look at life around. Some of the greatest inventions in this world began their humble journey with ideas. India's tryst with movies began with a idea from a restless young person from Maharashtra who, gobsmacked after watching a silent film, "The Life of Christ",wondered how wonderful it would be if Indian Gods could be brought alive in celluloid. This idea, after years of unrelenting commitment and dedication, gave birth to the biggest film industry in the world- Bollywood.

While we eulogize the power of ideas, its hard not to think about the wrath unleashed in the name of beliefs. Although it would be unfair to blame the ideas for the havoc caused, such dangerous beliefs had their genesis in the form of a simple, innocuous idea. Ideas became sinister when several people began to believe the ideas in deference without setting to question them. As the belief spreads across the multitudes, the ideas become so sacrosanct that it is considered heresy to question them. While humanity has evolved progressively over the centuries, it still remains shackled by several such beliefs. While mankind has been liberated from traditional social structures which restrained his freedom, he stills remains a slave to several beliefs. It is indeed beguiling to see the sons of technology era( remember the Internet Hindus??) bound by several beliefs.

What could we do to break the slaving chains of beliefs? Bring more new ideas to fore! Let these ideas be buffeted by intellectual crosswinds! Those ideas which are forged by the hammers of intellectual crosswinds have the power to inspire lives! Such ideas have the power to transform lives.

I am very excited about Tedx Pune. I am eagerly awaiting to savor the power-packed cocktail of ideas!

What are you waiting for?



TEDx Pune is an independently organized TED event scheduled to happen on October 10th 2010 in Pune.



TEDx Pune will take ideas worth sharing from Pune to the world, bring the city together through a simultaneously shared TED-like experience using live webcasting at 50+ educational institutions and spread ideas worth sharing to inspire better cities and citizenship.

TEDx Pune is brought to the world by the Curator TEDx Pune along with Thought leaders and Philanthropists of Pune, Boards and CEO’s of Pune’s Companies, Educational Institutions, the TEDx Pune Team and the CIO Pune City.

Ideas worth spreading to inspire better cities and citizenship will be nominated and then voted on this site for fit to inspire citizenship, novelty and ability to go viral. Short listed speakers will present ideas at a pre-TEDx event. The most effective TEDx ideas will repeat at the TEDx Pune event in front of a live audience of the winners of theInspire Pune Challenge.

You can participate in TEDx Pune by nominating and rating ideas worth spreading. Do participate in the Inspire Pune Challenge and submit your idea worth sharing. You may wish to browse and watch ideas inspiring better cities and citizenship from previous TED events.