As the city finally picks up on the idea of bringing together ordinary people doing extraordinary things, many universities, over the course of this year, successfully organised TEDx events.
Often confused with the main Technology, Education and Design (TED) conferences, TEDx is an independently organised event under the TED umbrella that brings together multiple speakers to share their ideas, achievements and inspirations.
A recent TEDx event held at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (Szabist) a few weeks back had more than 10 speakers exploring topics ranging from environment, health, technology, STEM education, theatre and social work.
While several of the speakers shared their life experiences and how they had helped transform lives, some shed light on the issues plaguing Karachi itself.
Mansoor Raza, a researcher and environmentalist, was one among the latter, speaking about the bustling metropolis’ persistent transport woes and presenting facts and figures about how the wheels, roads and citizens were connected.
“In Karachi, between the years 1998 and 2011, the number of public buses has been reduced by 65 percent. Today, owing to such ill-advised planning, we are left in a position where 4.5 percent of the city’s public transport system is catering to 42 percent of its population,” he pointed out.
Speaking of the crippling traffic jams that remain an almost everyday occurrence in the city, Raza said fuel stations were a major contributor to the mess as they were, more often than not, located along main roads and major thoroughfares.
It was interesting to note, he said, that in such a scenario transport, not credentials, become the determinant for the choice of jobs. “In 2014, Karachi had about 50,000 unregistered Qingqis that were generating daily revenue amounting to Rs2.5 to Rs3 million a day by facilitating approximately 250,000 passengers. By that estimate, Karachi would need 80,000 Qingqis to manage the needs of its entire population.”
While Raza’s talk was focused more on creating awareness, Haya Fatima Iqbal, a documentary filmmaker, leaned towards her personal experience during the making of the Oscar-winning documentary on so-called honour killings, ‘A Girl in The River — the Price of Forgiveness’. Speaking about her encounters with people directly involved in such murders, particularly the accused’s family members, she said that, at times, people need to let go of preconceived notions and make a conscious effort not be judgmental.
“We need to empathise with the person before us and understand their reasons for committing the acts they do. To avoid such incidents in the future, instead of isolating the perpetrators, we should try to understand them and their thought processes,” said Iqbal.
“The way we communicate our narrative is very important — instead of demanding answers immediately, we should ask what led them to this position.”
Recounting an intriguing interview, she told the audience of an elderly man who would pull out a gun every time he felt challenged, be it during the questioning or while choosing lunch from a menu. “His behaviour was indicative of his conditioning; for him, the gun – which depicts use of force – was the prioritised solution to any problem,” explained Iqbal.
“To truly understand people, we need to ponder upon the causes. Humans do not take actions without reasons; they are always driven by some rationale, no matter how skewed it may be. By that logic, it makes it imperative for every person to be given a fair chance to explain their actions, even if he or she may be a criminal.”
Representing TEDxSZABIST, Curator/Licensee Anamta Rafique, a student of social sciences, said the event’s theme, ‘Words to Actions’, emphasised the importance of both ideas and their implementation; both, without the other, remain incomplete.
She said that TEDxSZABIST was backed by the varsity’s student council and ensured that the audience left the event inspired by the variety of ideas and experiences. This, she hoped, would translate into actions that would help further impact a few individuals or our entire society. “We decided to bring together people from all sectors to show that we all can make a difference in our own, unique way.”
Bashaar Husain, a co-curator/co-licensee who cites TED talks as a lifelong inspiration, stated that months of research went into selecting the speakers as it was absolutely necessary to have these people heard and recognised for their incredible efforts for societal development.