The last few days have been hot and dreary, spent at work, awaiting a storm that never arrived, yet added more stress to one’s daily routine. Friday (June 4) was different; Cyclone Phet did not arrive, but Cyclone TEDx (x= independently organised) did. And am I bowled over or what? On Friday, I was exposed to a storm of positivity, the kind of which I had never experienced before. I left the conference blazing like the sun, I felt not just light-headed but now, I believe. I believe in the power of an idea and how it can reshape everything.
Let me explain: TED, short for Technology, Entertainment and Design, was established by the Sapling Foundation which is a private non-profit run by Chris Anderson. Anderson is an entrepreneur who started a publishing company. TED provides a platform for “ideas worth spreading,” with talks by worthy, inspiring speakers from all walks of life, ranging from bravery, gaming, social reform or any other act or invention that represents something unique, something successful and which can act as a harbinger of positive change. Past TED speakers include Al Gore as well as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs – which gives you an idea of the magnitude and scale of the conference.
Friday’s event was not organised by TED itself, but by TED fellows Asad Rehman, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Dr Awab Alvi while the event was managed by Meher Jafferi and Hiba Ali Raza. After almost two months of tireless work, TEDx presented an event with the goal to introduce TED to the Pakistani society with the theme “What Pakistan Needs Now,” to set off a spark that can inspire and lead to greater things. Held at the South End Club, attendance was by invite only, with about 350 people invited. Usually, TED takes care to invite people from all spheres of life and activity especially those that are considered conduits to change and ideas. The event was also streamed live via the internet, and if the following on Twitter can be taken as record, it was watched by many across the world and in Pakistan.
TEDx started at about 3:30 p.m. in Karachi and featured two sessions of three speakers each with 18 minutes to each speaker. The stage was a lovely black backdrop featuring different pictures of historical and important sites from all across Pakistan with music from Coke Studio. The curator of TED, Chris Anderson led the event with his opening talk and the customary “Go” as proceedings started. From then on we were enthralled by speaker after speaker, as well as two video TED talks from the past TED conferences. We were basically un-taught the barriers which we and society impose on our minds and learnt to let our thoughts go free.
Asad Umar, the CEO of Engro, spoke of the enormous potential and capacity of the coal reserves in Thar and explained that four per cent of it can generate 4000 MW’s for the country’s use. Monis Rehman showed us how mapping was created in and for Pakistan on the internet. And after a tea break, Kashf Foundation’s Roshaneh Zafar explained the amazing potential of microfinance, concluding her talk with a rendition of the national anthem, for which the audience rose and joined in. If you think this was emotional, it was just the beginning.
Next up was Joshinder Chaggar who performed a modern dance act. Subsequently, Jill Bolte Taylor told us of her struggle to understand how her schizophrenic brother’s mind works in comparison to others. With tears rolling down her face, she also spoke of the stroke she suffered and how it took her eight years to understand some concepts of the metaphysical world which people like Rumi wrote about as she drifted between the individual and the collective essence of her consciousness.
For me, the highlight of the evening was the screening of a TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, who spoke of creativity and how it should not be allowed to damage oneself. As a writer I could relate to what she was saying when she spoke of feeling an energy coursing through oneself, and the need to put it on paper. Of how it feels to have something inside you which wants to break free. She mentioned a great American poet who lived in Virginia, who actually saw poems flying to her and felt that she could grab them and process them by preserving them on paper. Yes, some of this may seem like madness, but this is how people feel sometimes. That said, it is not necessary to create. According to Gilbert, the effects of this kind of behaviour were the cause of the multitude of manic depressive deaths of creative people. Her talk literally opened my eyes to how the romanticism of creativity can lead to difficulties and conflict in one’s soul.
I wish there were more events like this in our country, more forces that gave us positive energy rather then the negative ones we are always surrounded by. It would help a lot more people here if we learnt how interconnected we all are. For instance, I learnt through this event that the concept of ” Wajd” that Sufis sometimes go under when chanting God’s name was taken by the Moors to Spain, and transformed into calls of ‘Ole, ole’ over time. When Spaniards shout ‘Ole!’, then, they are describing something so superb that it could only come from divine inspiration. This does not mean we have to divulge from any of our traditions or religious norms, but rather just sit down, understand that we all need some good will and peace, and let it wash over us and unite us so that we can go forth and change the world through our ideas.
The feeling gained from attending this TEDx can best be described by what the little winner of the children’s contest in TEDx, Ali Kapadia (no relation to me), said in his video:
“I wish there was a robot that could end all evil, capture all thieves and give chocolates to India.” Well Ali, for all our sakes, I hope your dream comes true.
Faisal Kapadia is a Karachi-based entrepreneur and writer. He blogs at Deadpan Thoughts.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
” What Pakistan needs now ” ironic as Pakistan has needed this since inception.
” We need to ACT now and we need to act together ”
A very interesting article. We are happy TEDx has taken off in Pakistan. It should be shown live on TV (show a recording if live is not possible)
I suggest, in the next TEDx Karachi session, Rohail Hayyat should be invited to talk about the Coke Studio project.
Cheers
Hey thnks for all the comments people!
On the Ali kapadia video, if he’s 20 yrs old -my bad the video had a child’s voice narrating it and everyone going awww round me so I thought it was by a kid, sorry -kudos to Ali
Secondly to everyone who thought the event was flawed – which event is not? This is my opinion you can have yours obviously
criticism is easy..I’ve personally seen the people who helped set this up work like mad for more than a month and a half.
For those asking for links please click on the many given in comments and the piece itself, thanks.
The economists of Pakistan who made a very gloomy forecast talking of weak economic growth may wish to catch up with inspiring new ideas. The word “Entertainment” is curious mixed with words such as “Technology” and “Design.” Interestingly for the economists of Pakistan, the beauty in the idea of “microfinnance” is explored. Who said that, with those comming up with new ideas around us, economy is nothing but a dismal science? It is time for those sad strugglers in the corridor of power in the capital of Pakistan to feel as the writer of this current article feels. In the midest of our economic distress, the way out is through the power of ideas with “Entertainment” in mind.
I want too have a look too.
It must have brought a whiff of fresh air to Karachi, and to Pakistan, when smart, intelligent, well-meaning people could congregate and generate ideas that can improve human condition in the troubled country. Vision is the key to all transformational efforts.
“Vision without action” to quote Joel barker, the futurist, “will remain a dream, Action without vision, passes the time. Vision combined with action can change the world”.
While TEDx forum could be a good first step, let not the intelligentsia or “previlegentisia” forget that no dream can be implemented unless the vision community includes the masses. With a very low literacy rate, and women subjugated by the mosque and the society, one needs to empower women. Women in any society are the most powerful lever.
Just recent completed Hussain Haqani’s (current Pakistani ambassador to USA): “Pakistan: Between Mosque and the Military”. The two biggest impediments and sources of resistance to change in Pakistan are listed in the title.
But, I am an incorrigible optimist that future will be different for the hapless millions when progressive efforts such TEDx are launched.
I am amazed to know that the TED event was organized in Pakistan. I have been watching TED talks for a while and its so sad that I didn’t get to know that it was happening in Karachi
Pakistan and its masses need to understand new ideas, I wish atleast DAWN news channel should show this program and also its Urdu version.
Thanks Faisal for letting us know, hopefully videos will be available online soon
Fahd,
TED.com, is a global community of thinkers and doers committed to share great ideas. As a member, you can leave comments, bookmark your favorite talks, and create a profile to connect with other members world wide.
The link to create an account is given below
http://www.ted.com/profiles/create
I have been watching Ted Talks for quite a while now and I found many of Ted Talks impressive.
After reading this post I visited the site today (just to provide link for another reader) and found a very
disappointing video. If I compare it with ‘my Ted collection’ I am afraid I will stop visiting Ted Talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/sharmeen_obaid_chinoy_inside_a_school_for_suicide_bombers.html
I might have exaggerated it.. but lets evaluate it.
1 What she wants to say? Honestly there is no logical link in her whole presentation
2 what she shows . . .
3 what she concludes
4 what’s the message?
‘ if you grew up in these circumstances faced with these choices, would you choose to live in this world or in the ‘glorious after-life’
Is this ‘take home message’?
“Whats the big idea?…” this ?
Kiwi Gul, I am disappointed at your childish interpretation of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s video. If you cannot accept a true representation of such stark details then people like you should be banned from Ted Talk! It would take a person with very little brain cells to say their is NO logical link in her whole presentation. I think you missed the whole point if you are uneducated and then presented with a simple life that brainwashes you to believe that if you grew up in these circumstances faced with these choices, anyone would chose the after life because there is no one to verify or deny that it does not exist.
I could’nt find it in any media channels. Anyway it really is a very good initiative. I’ll be keenly awaiting it in Isloo!!
here is the site..where you can find information related to TEDx..
http://www.tedxkarachi.com
What pakistan actually needs is
Terror Eradication
Equality amongst all Pakistanis
Down with Therocracy
kkrishna…
Please don’t take me wrong if I say this is atypical thoughts of one who is NOT a Pakistani and think alongside the media frenzy.
First of all we, Pakistanis, should NEED and ACCEPT mind opening education/knowledge at all venues of growth, may it be mental or physical. Only ACCEPTANCE of right/correct education/knowledge can bring in open mindedness of the masses to the REAL teachings of religion (if they want to follow that) and acceptance of civic and religious rights of others around them.
In my personal opinion our (Pakland) dilemma is that Pakistan never had good sustained leadership, in all silos of governmental and personal functionality, from its birth, which is very very unfortunate. We took so many wrong turns that we have forgotten when we took the FIRST wrong turn to rectify our collective fault.
Well said Asim!
TED is an absolutely great platform.
One of the few sane posts about TED but where are the actual lackings mentioned?
Don’t know what you call little but last I checked Ali Kapadia was in his late 20s.
This is really nice to see such type of effective program organized in Pakistan. Pakistani youth have sparking creative energy but never utilized effectively. I am pretty confident this binging will give much hope to creative minds. I wish best of luck to organizers. Keep it up.
AOA,
If you like TED, visit http://www.ted.com for more.
thanks.
Great description of whole event, I was one of those who watched it on stream. And what I missed in it was the first session and after reading this I am thinking about what I missed to grab.
I can only imagine the feelings of the people who were present there, as I am feeling a lot of positivity in me since this past Friday.
Now I am waiting for the ted x Lahore next month.
I know the event was streamed live. I got to see if on the tedxkarachi.com website. It was super cool to see a streaming of an event a few miles from where I live.
hi. note that there was no “children’s contest” at TEDxKarachi. it was a 60 sec film contest, and the winning entry was not by a child
but a very much grown up, who was present at the event. there were many other film entries by many other grown ups so no children.
The process of thinking comes from lots of energy and discipline, but the process of creativity needs wajd: a little wildness, a little madness, because this is what helps to puncture through the barriers of the everyday rationality.
Suggestion.
Create an webpage for Ted ex, limited by invites again, and reach out to anxious Pakistanis like myself studying abroad who sometimes feel the need to offer their input on various important issues plaguing our nation.
Invites could further be filtered through applications, so as to attract the best of our minds, and avoid frivolous discussions that are routine inside the locked box that is now Pakistan.
Take this one step further, my heart aches for Pakistan. I know “Our” hearts ache for Pakistan.
See some of Indians at TED
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiTrl0W1QrM
Zakham:
Thanks a tonne for sharing this fantastic link.
Mr.Shashi Tharoor’s speech was one of the most eloquent, thought provoking, intelligent that I have heard all presented in a very simple, easy to understand language interspersed with a lot of humor.
I am deeply saddened that this incredibly smart guy fell prey to petty human desires while being at the altar of even greater fame.
Such events should be a regular event in Pakistan. There are very talented people and great minds that are wasted because the government does zero effort in promoting it. Pakistan is in dire need a public – relations department that is staffed by equal amount of women & men. Their sole objective should be to promote all major talents of Pakistan to all in the world be it mass media or event to familarize the world
of all aspects. They need to aggressively push this as our Pakistani embassies all over the world is staffed by useless people who probably got their jobs through nepotism and do next to nothing.
India on the other hand has a giant public relations blitz going on around the clock, they have television shows promoting everything from Bollywood to tourism.
This was a good start to have such an event, we should encourage others to do similar show.
How about repudiating Blasphemy laws and making a non-muslim qualified to be head of a state.
Can a Hindu become head of Pakistan ?
as far as a non muslim being a head of state in Pakistan is concerned, its the constitution of our country.. non muslims can do what ever they like other than becoming the head of state.. Supreme court chief justice Bhagwan Das is the example who reached the top post of Judiciary branch of the Government..
I was one of the attendees of this event and nothing in this article reflects what actually happened in that meet. TED is all about inspiring and refreshing ideas which would spark the thinking of many, this meet in Karachi was as useless as this article. Sorry for being harsh or negative, but thats what the meet was, sad and uninspiring.
How sad that I missed it… perhaps because I live in USA and was unable to log into my cyber world for sometime due to my elsewhere commitments.
The journalistic piece is excellent and the movement of TEDx a very positive approach to Pakland which I soooo (and more) love.
What I was thinking is to open the modalities of TEDx to many levels like at University, Collage and High School level to involve future generation of leadership in this ‘think and speak out’ process and connect it with the acclaimed generation to vet their ideas in practical life. May be provide an opportunity for some best ideas a chance to work alongside (internship)?
A GREAT START like TEDx in Pakland need a GREAT ENDING.
How was this TED event publicized? I am surprised I had no idea about it or else I would have definitely attended it.
Firstly, it’s a great effort and I commend the organizers for that. I say this based on what I have read here, as I am yet to watch the program, which I sure will.
Having said that, while there surely are flaws with every society, unfortunately there is so much that is so fundamentally wrong with Pakistan that it’s at best a super-human effort to make that society both a successful and civilized one.
And Islam, at least as it is practiced in Pakistan and Pakistanis worldwide, is the single greatest impediment to this effort in solving the country’s problems.
Until & unless the Pakistani elite try to change the over-arching importance of Islam in all walks of Pakistani life, and delink everyone of Pakistani govt’s decisions from Islam there is no way Pakistan can spare the necessary resources for its more pressing and immediate needs such as building up its public infrastructure, investments in industry, enhancing its export base, people’s education etc., without which the country can never prosper.
Unless these Pakistani elite (such as the organizers of TED) re-focus their efforts in firstly removing these fundamental flaw in Pakistani society, all other efforts are bound to fail.
The one & only way this can be done is to initiate a campaign to change the mindset of the Pakistani people, and force the rulers to implement/roll back adverse decisions/laws without which Pakistan can never aspire to join the community of nations as a progressive, modern, tolerant society in the 21st century.
Murali…
Where as I agree with you on most of what you have written about practice of Islam in Pakland as I have seen it first hand and does not agree with what is being practiced there.
Having said that, I think there is no harm in avoiding a direct confrontation with the embedded wrong of the society and having a parallel effort to change what is wrong with a grass root movement.
This road may be extremely hard and difficult but a stable, open minded and right thinking Pakistan is very essential not only for the regional but global stability.
This types of forums is what Pakistan needs to get the entrepreneurial energies flowing! Pakistan has vast potential in every field, unfortunately the “system” in place is so crippling nothing good is allowed to flourish. Look at any developed country in the West, there isn’t an institution where there isn’t a highly qualified Pakistani in some capacity or another. Pakistan is a net exporter ordinary as well as highly qualified labour. Because since it’s creation Pakistan has been so “unlucky” with it’s petty minded leaders lacking any form of of nation building vision and therefore it’s not surprising that any aspiring Pakistani’s wish is to leave the shores his Motherland.
Naturally I am Pakistani, I am an engineer as well a successful businessman, I build my own single engine aircrafts and I am a pilot too. I am producing hydrogen gas from ordinary water through a simple electrolysis process to to energise my internal combustion. I also produce my own bio diesel from used veg oil. I am also looking into solar powered heat pumps – 1 KW input and 4.5 – 6KW output in layman’s terms to run 1ton AC completely powered by solar power which Pakistan has in abundance!
Can you imagine such an ordinary person like me returning to Pakistan do his bit for his Motherland to submit an application to set up a manufacturing facility for any of the above and how it would be received by our noble bureaucrats?
Pakistan needs Pakistani’s with vision to flourish and needs to rid itself of the greedy people who have place a price on everything.
Outside Pakistan there is a vast wealth of Pakistani’s with knowledge and expertise that Pakistan can build on and only if the “system” allowed them freely to practice their expertise.
Long live Pakistan.
TEDx Karachi was indeed a great effort in promoting “ideas worth sharing”. The first event of it’s kind, TEDx Lahore, was held last July at LUMS. That was followed, this year, by TEDx Kinnard. You’d be glad to know that the next edition of TEDx Lahore is scheduled for July 31st! Visit http://www.tedxlahore.com for more.