HIGH ON YOUTH
THE INDIA TODAY MIND ROCKS YOUTH SUMMIT WAS AT ONCE STIMULATING AND FUN, CRACKLING WITH A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS ENERGY
The 18th youth summit saw many young icons break age-old moulds
“By 2024, we will provide piped drinking water to 100 per cent of homes in India”
GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT Minister of Jal Shakti
On September 28, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi played host to the 18th india today Mind Rocks Youth Summit. The day saw a number of impassioned speeches, beginning with a fiery face-off between representatives from the BJP, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the AIMIM. Opening the summit, india today group editorial director Raj Chengappa noted how important the youth of today are, saying, “As Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, you are Naya Bharat.” He also set the tone for the serious discussions later in the day, asking if the audience was aware that 21 Indian cities would run out of groundwater next year—a question that was later addressed by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Through the day, speakers offered opinions on a number of crucial issues—from the country’s political, economic and social future to the challenges of making it big in business, in art and in life. Aside from crowd favourites like Kangana Ranaut, Himesh Reshammiya and Naezy, the event also saw up and coming stars, including Ananya Birla, Shraddha Kapoor, choreographers Suresh Mukund and Melvin Loius, as well as cricketer Yuzvendra Singh Chahal, business titans Sandeep Aggarwal and Rhea Singhal and activist Ria Sharma. ■
“When you rise above your own struggles and do something for those who need you, that is a contribution to life”
SIMRAN SHAIKH, Human rights activist
“After I had proved myself, I had to become exclusive—or burn out”
HIMESH RESHAMMIYA Singer
“I'd rather perform for a single person who is connecting with me, singing my lyrics back to me, than a crowd of 10,000 people that is cold”
ANANYA BIRLA Singer
“The BJP supports everyone’s right to love who they want. Article 370 was against that—Kashmiri girls who married outside the state lost property rights!” TEJASVI SURYA BJP, Bangalore South
“I want to continue playing cricket for at least five or six years. I want to win at least one World Cup” YUZVENDRA CHAHAL Cricketer
“The journey to becoming a billionaire starts with obsession. Wealth is a byproduct of the process, not the main product” SANDEEP AGGARWAL Founder, ShopClues, Droom