The goal is not to live forever; the goal is to create something which lives forever.
– spark therevolution
‘The goal is not to live forever; the goal is to create something which lives forever.’
– Samad Abbas
New ideas, exciting performances and mind blowing discussions came under the spotlight as some of Pakistan’s most influential individuals tried to unleash the spark in the youth of Karachi.
This September, TEDx, a one-day conference, was organised by the NUST Karachi campus at Bahria Auditorium to inspire, motivate and provoke conversations that really matter.
Guest speakers from various industries (arts, entertainment, development, business and technology) including Junaid Akram, Nobert Almeida, Wali Zahid, Faiza Saleem, Mustafa Ilyas, Yousuf Bashir Qureshi, Samad Abbas, Sulaiman Dawood and Umair Jaliawala were part of the event; Chairman PTA, Dr. Ismail Shah was the Chief Guest of the event. Opening up about the hardships they endured and the work they did to make a differenc, their talks were aligned with the theme ‘Spark the revolution’.
While it was good to have a stand-up comedy and interactive session by Faiza Saleem and Faheem Azeem, the dynamic and charismatic host of the event, and sing along with Taimoor Salah Uddin aka Morroo before his speech, the aim of the talks was not lost on the individuals present. Sanki King was actually putting it into words with this quote what everyone was feeling at the moment: ‘Follow your dreams, reach your goals. Don’t do it for anyone else; do it for yourself, because those dreams are waiting for you.’
We’ve all looked up to the maestros and wondered how they ever managed to discipline themselves such that they could accomplish their goals without being side-tracked or blamed for overlooking their responsibilities. Everyone who attended the event couldn’t have gone back home without learning a lesson or two. My mind is simply resoundinding with the following:
‘Read! Learn! Practice! Be an expert!’
‘Overcome your mental and emotional issues. Find peace and joy; be well-prepared; manage risks and then go chasing your dreams.’
‘Don’t portray the hardships you face.’
‘Be a good leader and follower. Help people with employment; help children with education; help youth with their potentials. Statistics suggest Pakistan will be a far better place by 2050; so give everything to make it happen even 10 years earlier!’
But everthing was not up to the mark. Sitting through four hours start is not easy. ‘15-minute break wasn’t enough. If I had to rate the talk, I would give it 6.5 out of 10. Good attempt though and good luck for the future,’ Qudsia, one of participants, commented. People eventually lost their patience and started leaving especially after it transpired that Zahid Ahmed was no longer coming. Nevertheless, the programme was a hit. Mehak, a student of Sir Syed University said, ‘If I had to rate the event out of 10, I would give it a 7.5’. Another student from University of Karachi, Safeer Ahmed was supercharged after at the evening: ‘[It was an] amazing event, so inspirational and motivational. I think this type of event should be held frequently’.
