‘Excelsior,’ 6th edition of the TEDx

Hyderabad, 21st January 2023: After three long years, IMT Hyderabad hosted its 6th edition of the TEDx event in person on 21st January 2023. This year’s theme was ‘Excelsior,’ upward and onward to greater glory. This theme is dedicated to the tenacity of the human spirit that resides within each of us and wishes to shed light on diverse topics that will inspire you to move forward in life despite any obstacle that may come your way. The event had a line-up of speakers covering various topics.

Dr. K. Sriharsha Reddy, Director, and Professor, IMT Hyderabad, expressed admiration and welcomed all the event speakers. He stated that he was stunned to see the speakers have achieved so much at such a young age, which is truly amazing. He thanked Prof. (Dr.) Tulika Sharma, Assistant Professor, IMT Hyderabad, and TEDx Team for organizing this event

First, in the line, we had Mr. Tushar Tyagi, Flim Director. He decided to be a filmmaker to transform his imagination for the big screen. He narrated his life story and mentioned that you make the most out of life when life gives you an opportunity. He told the audience to cherish and nourish their weirdness, and this will provide them with wings. While narrating his journey, he expressed that sometimes it is essential to put on the pretentious confidence to change our life.

The second speaker was Mr. Santanu Hazarika, a multidisciplinary visual artist. He started by working as an artist in IFT Guwahati. He was crowned as the best doodle artist at the Red Bull Doodle World Art Competition in 2014. His talk emphasized in what way he found his voice in the art. He cited that your art form is the protagonist, and you are just a medium to it.

The pioneer in the field of education technology, Karuun Kandoi, Chief Experience Officer at ApplyBoard, was the third speaker for the event. He opened his speech by discussing that having a mission in life does not guarantee that there is no obstacle in your way; you have to hold on to your mission with all the hardships that come your way. He emphasized not to stop playing your game and never give up; success will come to you.

The second session kicked off with a stunning veena performance by Durga Mythreyee. She is a renowned and accomplished classical musician who has created a unique brand of conscious music and soulful melodies. She started her performance with the Ganesh Vandana and moved on to play some Bollywood songs for the audience.

"A photograph for me is just not a still memory, but it is a humanity for the moment" - Ganesh Vanare. Our fourth speaker is a passionate photographer who clicks and showcases the best side of the moment with skillful editing and shares smiles by sharing his captured art. He talked about the importance of photography and how he wanted to take an ordinary moment in life and convert it into an extraordinary moment for his audience. He motivated the audience to love what they do and do what they love as they struggle to succeed. He concluded his speech by inspiring everyone to always be passionate.

"It’s your life, don't seek someone else's validation and don't wait for the right time or the right opportunity, cause it's all yours already" - Kalyani Potekar. A professional motorcycle racer for over 12 years was our fifth speaker for the evening. Her talk emphasized creating an opportunity for oneself. She recalled her ignorance towards all the obstacles life gave her and continued to move forward. She encouraged everyone to be the reason for the crowd and not the crowd.

Nothing can define art, but only an individual who understands art and pursues it to the extent. And that brought us to our final speaker for the event - Patruni Sastry. He is a tranimal drag performer, performance activist, pan-activist, and expressionist dancer. He spoke about society’s problem related to drag and how, if accepted wholeheartedly, this art form can change society. He concluded his speech with a small drag performance for the audience.