TEDx at SOA: Celebrities ask young people not to follow personalities

Bhubaneswar, Jan 14: “Following life style trends and personalities may be a passion with the youth today, but it will take them nowhere,” celebrity host, motivational speaker and fashion expert Neeraj Gaba told students of SOA (Deemed to be University) on Sunday.

            “You need to carve a path for yourself and look for something unique. When you yearn for uniqueness, why are you following someone and be a copycat,” Gaba said as one of the eight speakers at TEDxSOA, an independently organised TED event at SOA.

            The TEDx event, the second to be held at SOA, was on the theme “The Art To Hustle”, the main idea being to create a new perspective of inducing art in the struggle to glory.

            Pointing out that the young people should not follow a path which was set for somebody else, Gaba said “unfollow anything which is not for you.”

            Gaba, panelist on all seasons of India’s Next Top Model, a popular television reality show, said when he worked as an airline crew, people had laughed at him but he knew what he was doing as he was happy meeting new people and networking with them. “That has brought me where I am today,” he said adding no one should follow any trend blindly as it would appear idiotic.

            “Give yourself a chance, follow yourself, unfollow anything that does not resonate yourself, hinders self growth and does not add value to you,” he said adding “find out what works for you even if the whole world does not agree with you.”

            Priyank Sharma, Actor, Dancer and Model Arthur Carmazzi, said to be world’s top ten influential thought leaders in leadership, Baisakhi Saha, a globetrotter, Raisha Lalwani, Author, Subhendu Panigrahi, community leader of Bangalore Start-up ecosystem, Ashish Garg, entrepreneur and Alok Soni, Author and Team Member of ‘YourStory’ storytelling platform, were the other speakers.

            Gaba’s views were echoed by Priyank Sharma, who worked with choreographer Shiamak Davar and became a heartthrob in the TV shows ‘Roadies Rising’ and ‘Big Boss 11’. Sharma also asked the students to follow their instincts.

            “I have a degree in software engineering, but I was drawn towards dancing. You also have a platform, chose your journey,” he said.

            Baisakhi Saha, held the students spellbound with her travel stories since her days as a teen-aged student in Kolkata. “Travelling is not about money, what you need is tenacity and audacity,” she said adding “I have changed countries, continents and cities like clothes, befriended strangers, swam in craters of volcanoes and lived in villages in the Amazonian jungles to enrich myself.”

            She has written two books including ‘Life is Abracadabra’ in which she has recounted 21 magical stories from her travels across the world.

            Dr. Jyoti Ranjan Das, SOA’s Dean (Students’ Welfare) and Dr. Nachiketa Sharma, Chief Coordinator, NSS Bureau, were present.