St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai Hosts its First Ever TEDx Event

St. Xavier’s College hosted its first ever TEDx event on February 8, 2015. TEDxStXaviersMumbai was organized with the aim to build an atmosphere where ideas can be created, shared and discussed. The event provided a common platform for people from various fields to exchange their valuable thoughts and perspectives. It had experienced speakers from different fields who shared their ideologies and knowledge with the audience.

Vidita Vaidya, an expert in molecular and neuroscience, explained how brain circuits determine a person’s capacity to cope up with stress and how every individual copes with it differently. Mehernagiz Davar, a counsellor by profession, shared her own life experiences and also stressed on the need to change the current stigma of counselling in India. Sumit Saurav, CEO and co-founder of Campus Diaries gave tips on how the education system can be made better, emphasizing on the need for students across streams and borders to interact freely. A professor of St Xavier’s College, Dr Sam Taraporevala also gave an inspiring talk on how all people should be treated equally and not be prejudiced. 

The second session started off with a performance by Tara Sutaria. She performed two songs and enlightened the audience about her inspirations that helped her get where she is today. Krishan Anand, a strategic consultant gave an endearing talk about his personal take on India-Pakistan relations and how he looks forward to seeing the world without borders and hate. Anahita Sanjana, a yoga teacher, sought to change the audience’s impression of yoga and highlighted the importance of yoga in the lives of students. She shared real life examples of people and the positive impact of yoga on their lives. Varun Patra and Mandovi Menon, spoke about culture and how it affects the way we see and understand the world.

After a refreshing tea- break, Dr Spenta Wadia addressed the event focussing on space, time and the string theory. This was followed a talk by the only student speaker, Vatsal Khandelwal. He gave an insight on the relation between economics and love, and how altruism should be considered when making important calculations.

Neel Madhav, the second performer and a magician by profession then set the stage on fire by showcasing his tricks, leaving the audience in awe. Editor-in-chief of Vogue India, Priya Tanna, gave the last talk of the day. She spoke about how everyone can bring about a change if they are informed, aware and charged.

 “We are hoping to inspire change. If even one person amongst us is inspired enough to go out and make a difference, we will consider the event a success” said Nimit Parikh, Head Organizer at TEDxStXaviersMumbai.

The event gave people from various fields a platform to share and discuss their ideas. The audience got an opportunity to interact personally with the speakers during the breaks, enriching their experience. TEDxStXaviersMumbai will be making a comeback sometime soon.