Mangaluru: Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha and Niyati Mavinkurve, chief storytellers at “Following Love”, travel writers and author, will be speaking at TEDxSJEC on Sunday, February 16, in the Kalam Auditorium of the college on the theme “Love Conquers All”.
Abhiraj and Niyati are YouTubers and traveloguers, who travel and post videos of their journeys and related stories on their escapades across India on his website and social media.
A filmmaker by passion, several of Abhiraj’s short and strong video messaging on social media about current issues have gone viral. He has also been working as an independent Director-Producer-Cinematographer-Editor in Mumbai under his banner Experimental Films, since 2013. He has worked with reputed brands such as MTV, Lakshya Media, Submerge, HUL, Tata Motors, Kotak Bank and many more for various advertising and filming projects.
In November 2017, Abhiraj founded “Following Love”, a platform on Facebook to showcase the things the couple is most passionate about- travel, food, people, and most importantly, what they love.
NewsKarnataka.com had a chance to interview the couple ahead of their talk on February 16 at SJEC.
Here are some excerpts:
What is so beneficial about a TED Talk? What would you say to convince someone to come to the event?
A Tedx talk is a great compilation of good ideas. Eminent people get to share their thoughts about a matter. For the attendees there’s a lot to learn with regards to public speaking and presenting your thoughts with clarity.
What do you want the audience to take from the talk?
The most important part is retrospection. How can the ideas presented on stage make a difference in one’s life. Every member of the audience can think about that.
How do you think speaking at the event will change anything for you as (1) a speaker and (2) a person?
Speaking at a TEDx event is a great opportunity to tell the audience a story and build a stronger connect with them. That’s what we want. We want to build a stronger connect with the people who watch our videos and who are interested in watching our videos.
The theme of the talk is “love conquers all”. How relevant is it in this day and age?
Love is the opposite of apathy. If you don’t care about something you won’t take an effort to make it better. And that applies to everything. Be it our relationships or our career. Love is the strongest emotion that can make us go beyond our 100 percent and be better human beings.
Learn more about Abhiraj and Niyati on “Abhi and Niyu” on YouTube and https://www.following-love.com/
About TEDxSJEC
This is the first time that this prestigious institution will be conducting the event, which will be held in the Kalam Auditorium.
The theme for the day-long event is “Love Conquers All”, and with just under a fortnight to go for valentines day… love conquers all is a great theme, especially in these times of hate. Eight inspiring speakers, three glamourous entertainers will conquer you with the tales of all that they have done, and all that you can do – If you believe.
Apart from Abhiraj and Niyati, speakers include Capt. Arohi Corrine Antoinette Rasquinha – social worker and founder of White Doves NGO, Omkar Pai – engineer and nature enthusiast, Vaishak JP – mountaineer, Rishabh Seen – Indian classical and metal musician, Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha and Niyati Mavinkurve – chief storyteller at Following Love, travel writer and author, Girish Bharadwaj (Padma Shri Awardee)- engineer and social innovator and Mx Ria Sharma, model, storyteller and LGBTQAI+ youth activist.
Then, of course, there is entertainment – live your passion be it music or the creative arts with Sitar Metal – the Indian classical and rock/metal fusion band, Vidwan Deepak Kumar – Bharathanatyam, Mahima S Rao – Yakshagana, and Prithesh Bhandari and team topping it off with an English play.
SJEC students are no minnows in the creative arts though. Their creative instincts and talents occasionally override their logical brains and the TEDxSJEC event is one such occasion. The students will be showcasing artistic installations, mime, drawings, etc under the title “Corridors of Love”.
A token registration fee is all it takes
To get all this and more, interested persons (and having read this piece, you will be) can pay a registration fee of Rs 1250, but wait… don’t be put off just yet! The registration includes a TEDxSJEC kit valued at Rs 600, and comprises breakfast, lunch and two refreshments! Participants will also receive an e-certificate as proof that they have attended the event, which will be sent via email.
Please be informed that the registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
To know more about the event and to register, go to http://tedxsjec.in/
