YOUTH SUMMIT
IT IS SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE DISCUSSED EARLIER BUT AS THEY SAY ITS NEVER TOO LATE. INDIA TODAY HAS BEEN GETTING DEEP INTO THE YOUNG GUNS OF INDIA THROUGH A STAR BACKED PLATFORM. IT WAS 3RD “INDIA TODAY” YOUTH SUMMIT 2012 WITH “MIND ROCKS” AS THE BASIC IDEA OR PUNCH LINE.A STAR STUDDED LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS WHO HAVE WITH THEIR NICHE FOR SUCCESS MADE THEIR WAY TO THE TOP.
VENUE: SIRI FORT STADIUM, NEW DELHI
DATE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
AFTER OPENING SPEECH BY INDIA TODAY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AROON PURIEIT WAS NOW TIME TO LISTEN TO THE YOUNG IDOLS THE WHOLE INDIAN TEENAGE GROUP FOLLOWS:
AKHILESH YADAV (chief minister, U.P.):
“THE YOUTH MAY BE INNOVATIVE, WE MAY BRING NEW IDEAS, BUT WE CANT DISCREDIT EXPERIENCE OF THE OLDER GENERATION. IF INNOVATION AND EXPERIENCE GO HAND-IN-HAND, WE WILL SURELY FIND A WAY”
“COME AND JOIN POLITICS” (when sharp questions on his govt. performance was shooted to him)
“IT HAS BEEN ONLY 6 MONTHS FOR MY GOVT”
“WHY SHOULD I GIVE THIS HONOUR TO SOMEONE ELSE?” (when asked about the best C.M. among modi,nitish,patnaik)
ARVIND KEJRIWAL( social activist):
“AFTER WINNING, A CANDIDATE FROM OUR PARTY WILL NOT GET A BUNGLOW, A VIP CAR, SECURITY GUARD or MP/MLA FUNDS”
He had to remind his audience that those calling him greedy for power n post were the ones who had once asked him to join politics.
MASABA GUPTA(designer daughter of actress neena gupta n cricketer viv Richards):
“YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE UR CHANCES LIKE U TAKE UR VITAMINS”
She admitted trying out and failing at a host of careers before finding her true calling, almost accidentally.
IMTIAZ ALI(film director and writer):
“IT’S THE ACCIDENTS OF YOUR LIFE THAT ARE MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN THE DECISION YOU TAKE”
“LIFE GIVES YOU OPPURTUNITIES TO LEARN IN WAYS YOU DON’T EXPECT.TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT”
AYUSHMANN KHURRANA(actor):
“I WAS NEVER A STRUGGLER.I HAVE NO SOB-STORY, NO RAG-TO-RICHES STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU”
For the actor it was five key words picked up from his father, “PASSION”, “EFFORT”, “EXCELLENCE”, “SUCCESS” and “FAME”, allowed him to transform himself from a nobody to somebody.
ALI ZAFAR(Pakistani actor and singer):
“PEOPLE TREAT ME VERY WELL IN INDIA. IT EXCITES ME TO THINK I AM A PART OF THIS INDIA-PAKISTAN CONNECT”
“I HAVE ALWAYS PRIORITIES FULFILLING MY DREAMS OVER MAKING MONEY”
“a peaceful path forward can only be walked if we can all balance the weight of our past while looking straight into what we have ahead of us. Forgiveness and understanding will lead us ahead together” (when asked about indo-pak ties)
Zafar was asked about how much his looks have contributed to his success, “as much as the microphone contributed to the advancement of your question”
EKTA KAPOOR( t.v. & film producer):
“ITS LIKE WHAT COMES FIRST, THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG.TILL YOUNGSTERS DON’T WATCH TV, THERE WONT BE ENTERTAINMENT FOR THEM ON TV. AND TILL WE DON’T MAKE ENTERTAINMENT FOR THEM, YOUNGSTERS WONT WATCH TELEVISION”
“I WAS A TYPICAL , FAT-STAR KID, SPENDING ALL DAY IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION, TILL MY DAD GAVE ME AN ULTIMATUM: GET A JOB OR GET MARRIED”.
She started making tv shows at 19.
Asked about her being a “tyrannical toon”, she said,” I did break an editing table once. I had been working continuously for 48 hours and at 4 am. I lost it”, she confessed.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA(actor):
“IF I TAKE OFF MY HEELS I WILL BE THE SAME GAWKY TEEN AGAIN.ITS OKAY TO BE FLAWED. JUST WORK ON YOUR FLAWS TO IMPROVE YOURSELF”
She credited her success to her will to win over self-doubt, “I knew dat if I could learn how to survive in an American high school, if I could learn to walk on the ramps in high heels to represent my country, I could learn how to act”
AJAY DEVGAN(actor):
“DESTINY CAN ONLY SHOW YOU THE PATH, BUT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS TO WALK ON IT TO GET TO WHERE YOU WANT”
“I was never a conventionally good looking actor and I had no method”.
Asked, “was it destiny then that determined his stardom?” “SEVENTY PERCENT WAS HARD WORK”, he said.
GAGAN NAARANG(ace shooter and bronze medallist LONDON OLYMPICS):
“FOUR YEARS OF TRAINING BOILS DOWN TO TWO HOURS OF PERFORMANCE IN THE OLYMPICS AND THE CRUCIAL 10 MINTS IN THE FINALS”
MARY KOM(five women boxing world title):
MARY KOM NARRATED THE THREE BELIEFS THAT DEFINED HER CAREER:
1)”boxing was not just a man’s game”
2) “that woman can carry on with it after marriage”
3) “that motherhood did not curb one’s desire to be a champion”
UNMUKT CHAAND( india u-19 world cup team captain):
When asked about his team winning mantra: “WE WENT TO A WILDLIFE SANCTUARY AND WERE TAUGHT SELF-BELIEF, CONTROLLED AGGRESSION, AND GOOD COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEAM-MATES”
He also raised a popular point with the audience: “UNIVERSITIES SHOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STUDY”
VINEET NAYAR(vice-chairman and CEO HCL technologies):
“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DREAMER AND ACHIEVER IS THAT AN ACHIEVER KNOWS WHERE THE STARTING POINT IS, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE”
He spoke of qualities needed to be succesfull, “FIND OUT WHAT IS YOUR BURNING DESIRE AND YOU WILL EVEN FORGET TO EAT”.
When asked about, “what does it take to become a CEO?” “Ask yourself what’s different about me and what price I am willing to pay , what risks am I willing to take, to get there”
SANJEEV BHIKACHANDANI(founder n vice-chairman of NAUKRI.COM):
“DON’T BECOME A PRISONER OF VISITING CARDS AND EMI’S. BE REALLY GOOD AT SOMETHING YOU LOVE”
His set of advice; “look for meaning, and not money; dream big but its all right to start small, act if you want achievement and self esteem; give it to people if you want to be a leader”
SANDEEP DIKSHIT(lok sabha MP):
“DEMOCRACY CANT BE REDUCED TO ELECTIONS. WE NEED PROTESTERS AS WELL AS VOTE-GATHERERS”
VIR DAS(stand-up comedian):
“I HAVE BEEN HAPPIER SINCE I STARTED THIS JOB THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN IN MY LIFE”
SONAM KAPOOR(actor):
“MY DAD AND MOM STILL CALL EACH OTHER “baby”, WHICH IS REALLY GROSS”
HUMA QURESHI(actor):
“go out there, live your life, have fun, meet the boys, kiss all the frogs”
BusEkMusafir 