Stories that inspire

Karman Singh

It was a day of motivational talks as nine accomplished speakers from diverse backgrounds shared their life experiences with students of Dikshant Schools, Zirakpur, recently during the fourth edition of the TEDx. The event took place at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, Chandigarh.

Cannes calling

Mridul Toolsidas, director of the National Award-winning movie Toolsidas Junior, spoke about his challenging yet rewarding journey. “I come from a background where nobody had anything to do with cinema. Youngsters need to recognise their powers, kyunki superpowers sirf superheroes main nahi hote,” he said.

His first movie, Missed Call, made it to Cannes. His second film, Toolsidas Junior, won the National Award. “Years and years of persistence and hard work, and just a flash of a moment! Follow yourself rather than following 100 people, and you can make it!” he advised.

Give it a shot

Amit Ashar is a Mumbai-based photographer, who is passionate about his craft. “Parents should understand and allow their children to prove themselves,” he shared. “It’s not easy to achieve greatness in any profession, but when you start enjoying your work, it never feels like a burden. God has given me the camera as an instrument to harness and express what I feel.”

Other notable speakers included Loveleen Mishra (actor, storyteller amp; writer), Sachin Jha (technocrat), Saji Varghese (associate professor, Christ University), Ronak Kumar Samantray (founder, Take Me2Space), Tapash Baniwal (student and aviation photographer), Dipankar Saharia (senior director, TERI), and Rahat Kulshreshtha (co-founder, Quidich Innovation Labs).