Hansraj’s digital event rocks campus
When actors, sports personalities and entrepreneurs spoke candidly about the struggles they faced in their journey, it was nothing short of a shot of inspiration to college students facing the pandemic. “Jeevan jeene ka maza tab hi hai jab struggle hoti hai... We brought such stories, and conducted this programme digitally against all odds, which also is the theme of the programme,” says Rama, principal, Hansraj College.
At the recently held fourth TEDx event, the first edition to ever be conducted online, the students in attendance filled the comments section with messages such as ‘Hansraj OP’, ‘This event is so lit’, and ‘Go Hansraj!”
With most events shifting to the digital space, students worked hard to make the reel experience as exciting as the real one. “It has been a rewarding experience, and we managed to get an audience of over 500,” says Anurag Gupta, president of the organising committee. Managing all the coordination from home, Keshav Gupta, general secretary of the organising committee, adds, “It was challenging to collaborate virtually. But this forced us to think out of the box.”
Sessions featured gymnast Dipa Karmakar, actor Annup Sonii, singer Manmeet Singh, a performance by Dilip Beatboxer, and a talk by IAS Sonal Goel — on battling patriarchy as a woman from Haryana and challenges at work place. Actor Shyam Pathak, who played the role of Popatlal in Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah, spoke about his journey from a chawl to gaining fame from the TV show. “Dua karein ki is saal Popatlal ki shaadi zaroor ho jaaye,” he said jokingly while talking to the audience.