By Aditi Annapurna:
- The TED Commandments ensure that the event will not be your usual, boring, run-of-the-mill, pseudo-intellectual dialogue (read the sinisterly-worded Commandment The Seventh: “Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness”, and the Ninth and probably the most well-put, “Thou Shalt Not Read Thy Speech”).
- Neither will any of the speakers at the conference seek to commit the mistake that most of their lot are infamously wont to doing, i.e. speaking beyond their time limit. “Thou shalt not steal the time of them that follow thee”, the Tenth and Final Commandment ensures that the speakers will not exceed the time limit that is given to them, thus keeping with the spirit of the wisdom of the Sages, “Keep it short and sweet (sic)”. Bear in mind — the rules mentioned above aren’t mere suggestions, they’re Commandments, and they bloody well mean business.
- We’re not Pirates: For once, it’s a TEDx Conference whose attending is not taking away a significant portion of your monthly salary. Yes, you get passes only for an affordable 500 Rupees and no, we’re not going to screen your registration application and judge whether you’re good enough or smart enough to attend the conference. Easy-peasy, eh?
- A platform of platforms: The reason why TED talks have acquired the status of a phenomenon in today’s world is because they are the symbols of Intelligent Dialogue by Intelligent People. TEDxConnaughtPlace brings forth people from various spheres of work and work culture and provides a platform for giving a voice to diverse perspectives to a seemingly-singular issue of Development and Innovation – Social and Economic.
- “Ideas worth Spreading”: The speakers of the conference come with stories to tell – stories of their failures as well as their successes, stories of working within and outside the system to eventually bring a change to it. They bring with them great insights of a promising future, of one which is developed in the realest sense and where people experience liberation through democratised knowledge.
- “Haaave you met TED?”: TEDxConnaughtPlace provides a brilliant opportunity for you to interact with speakers and people who’ve made change happen, thus facilitating communication between the humble learner and the thorough most professionals.
- The “x” in TEDx: TED is a world-wide phenomenon in its own right, but it is the “x” in TEDx that encourages independent people and organisations to take the initiative and discuss issues that are more specific to a particular social, cultural and academic environment. It is with this vision that TEDxConnaughtPlace discusses issues most innately-important in the Indian scenario, from issues of Rural Development and Bridging the Divide, to Gender and Human Rights.
- We will feed your curiosity, and stomach: A very significant, make-or-break, 001 rule of Organising a TEDx Conference is Good Food, and Remembering that The Audience Always Remembers — you may have had the best discussions, the audiences would’ve enjoyed the speeches to the fullest, but you give them bad food, and that’s the only thing that’s going to have a lasting impression on them. It is with this guideline in mind that we at TEDxConnaughtPlace promise, we will give you food that your 500 Rupees demand and are worthy of, and will not cost you 2 long hours in the toilet the next day.
So why wait? Head to http://www.tedxconnaughtplace.com/ now and know more.