TEDx BITS Pilani was held on the 21st of January in the NAB Auditorium. The event, themed “Deciphering Reality”, showcased an impressive line-up of speakers, who came from a variety of backgrounds – from acclaimed video game developers to well-known activists. Most talks proceeded without any problems, though some were affected by technical issues.

The event began with Andrea Thumshirn, a German hockey player who, after relocating to India, took up the cause of empowering young Indian women through hockey. Her talk, which largely consisted of her own struggle, resonated with the audience and was received with applause.

This was followed by J. Gopikrishnan — an award-winning journalist — largely credited for unearthing the 2G scam. A pragmatist, Gopikrishnan based most of his talk on the corporatisation of the media. A speech detailed with the history of Indian journalism made his segment informative, but was perceived as dry by some in the audience.

The third speaker of the day was Daniel Doan, a growth marketer and video game developer based in California. A psychology graduate, Doan shared how he built his life with the principle of being the best in his chosen field. The talk, which was inspiring and heart-warming, drew a strong response from the audience.

After Doan, BITSian speaker Ujjwal Anand took the stage. Ujjwal, a flute-boxer is the captain of the athletics team, and a core member of Team Anant. He delivered an inspiring speech about how he decided to give his best after coming to BITS. His unique choice of instruments, a flute and a pair of ghungroos, combined with beatboxing gave rise to a symphony of tunes, that had the audience on their feet.

Following this, astrophysicist Dr. Abhas Mitra took the stage. Renowned among physicists, Dr. Mitra is known for his tenacious questioning of some of the existing beliefs about black holes. His talk was largely technical, and drew a polarized response – with some loving his talk, and others dismissing it as too technical.

CEO of crowdfunding platform Ketto, Varun Sheth (of Forbes 30 under 30 fame) spoke next. He focused his talk on what an important part his failures had played in shaping his career. Choosing to highlight the formative moments of his life in his talk, Sheth was reasonably successful in delivering a talk though the audience found it to be slightly lacking in dynamism.

UN peacekeeping advocate Nabila Jamshed followed Sheth to the stage. She spoke about the current, turbulent state of affairs that humanity is facing. Her talk was welcomed with appreciation from the crowd, as the weight of her subject matter and her dynamism provided welcome contrast from the relatively slow speech before.

After lunch, on the stage was Shraddha Shashidhar, an Indian model who was crowned Miss Diva and Miss India Universe in 2017. She delivered a talk on boldness and confidence, which faced a lacklustre reception from the crowd. Her speech also marked the beginning of technical errors, as slides routinely refused to move forward henceforth.

David Belo, artisan chocolatier and entrepreneur was next. In a talk that was marked constantly by static slides, Belo managed to deliver an interesting speech that talked of his perceptions, tying his own work as someone in the food and beverages business to the idea of deciphering realities.

Speaker number ten, sculptor Sahej Rahal, was up next. His talk mostly consisted of a passionate description of his line of work. He elaborated on how he started telling stories of alternate histories through his art, which was routinely made of scrap. His enthusiastic talk was well-liked by some, but went unappreciated by many others.

Dhrupad Karwa, the entrepreneur founder of HaikuJAM — an online group composition platform — came to the stage next. In his talk, Karwa concentrated on the negative impact of social media on society, and how he and his company are attempting to rectify this. Karwa delivered a speech that was filled with hope, winning the appreciation of almost everyone.

The penultimate talk of the day was delivered by Aashna Shroff, an online blogger, fashion and lifestyle expert, and the author of “The Snob Journal”. Shroff based most of her talk on her education or lack thereof, stressing on the importance of structured teaching in one’s life. She spoke of taking “the unbiased plunge to success”, supported by anecdotes from her life.

The event came to an end at six, with the final talk being delivered by filmmaker and activist Insia Dariwala. A two-time national award winner, Dariwala talked of her own life and the struggles she faced as a poor, disabled woman in our country. In a talk that was inspiring and touching, Dariwala managed to end the event on a high note, with her performance drawing thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the audience.