By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

May 1: It was a pleasure to watch the youth of Mangaluru turn up with full.enthusiasm on a Sunday morning for the Tedx talks organised by the students themselves at the St Aloysius College, Mangaluru on April 30. The theme of this year was 'Manifest your Matrix'.

The first speaker was Alobo Naga a singer from Dimapur, who attained international recognition for his unique compositions of western influence combined with Naga music. His perfect symphony inspired the audience about reaching big goals even if one is a from a small town!

There was a lot of cheers for Mohammed Hussain as an ex- alumni who humorously recollected his college days at Alloysius where he excelled in his extra curricular activities as compared to academics. He found his calling as a stand up Comedian and Brand consultant. His dichotomy of perception showed how it was possible to see a humor in daily life.

Dr Keerty Nakray, a Sociologist spoke about climate change, population demographics, and social inequality. She asked for a paradigm shift revolution in work culture with the possibility of having caring relationships with each other and the environment too.

Rizwan Ramzan Ahamed spoke about his inspiring journey after going through 7 failed businesses before acheiving recognition as an entrpreneur, podcaster, educator, investor and mentor. He dared the students to get out of their comfort zone, jump first and think second, because growth always happens in the uncertain zone.

Sahithi Mannar, a trained Kuchipidi dancer, was a victim of child sexual abuse. She has made it her mission to support similar victims and to oust out the hidden monsters. She has dreams of living in an abuse free country. She inspires everyone to have a zero tolerance policy towards child abuse.

The talks were interspersed with cultural performances like yakshagana by the Rasapallavi group, songs by band Xscape, Saxophone music by Shalmali, and dance by The Groove.

The second half had even more inspiring speakers. 2017 Miss Transqueen winner Neetu Vanajakshi got a standing ovation from the audience, for all the challenges she faced during her transition from a poor village boy Manjunath to where she is today, a reputed tattoo artist and restauranter. She works for the upliftment of her transgender community and wants everyone to be comfortable with their own bodies.

Ranjani Ramakrishnan got white patches all over her body due to vitiligo when she was only 11 years old. After struggling with a lot of self related issues as a teenager, she agreed to model for a friend's photography project at 17 years and surprisingly got rave reviews for her photos. The self acceptance of her body patches as a work of art has now turned her into a model and artist. She aspires to build a more body positive and inclusive society.

Actor, singer, dancer Rashmi muses through life and believes in being in action in the present.

Ex army personel Nitin Bhide with his 31 years of experience on the frontiers of conflict, spoke passionately to the audience, inspiring them to look at the armed forces as a career option. He was a true demonstration that for an army person, both army and life can be considered as one!

There was enough time given for the youth to interact with the speakers. Alloysius college really gives a lot of opportunities to their youngsters to get immense practical insights and exposure through a number of extracurricular activities.

The best part about this day of intellectual stimulation was that it was totally organised by the student community. The compères were Mr Vinay Mayekar and Ms Anusha Bhatt.

Finally the student coordinators Mazel Fernandes and Tahsin Ahmed acknowledged the huge support and guidance of Rector Rev.Fr. Melwin Pinto, Principal Rev Dr Praveen Martis, the teaching staff, the student group leaders and the 60+ team members in organizing this mega event.

This Tedx talk event organised at St. Alloysius College was indeed an inspiring day for the youth of Mangaluru.

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.