Summary: Josh Talks, the capitals first ever conference dedicated to inspiring young people to take control of their lives, dream, and give their dreams a shape, is set to launch on April 6. The day long affair will feature achievers from different professional spheres, as they address a predominantly college going audience on their journeys, challenges, failures and successes.
New Delhi, 08 March, 2014 – A first of its kind initiative in Delhi, Josh Talks is launching its first day long conference in Siri Fort Auditorium on the 6th of April. For those who know Hindi, the word Josh evokes both passion and inspiration, and that is what the team of young people behind this effort hopes to spark in their peers and contemporaries. The day will feature a number of noteworthy achievers from different professional fields, as they take the stage and talk about their struggles, their journey, and the inspiration and drive that eventually brought them success. The speakers include some well known names such as Ajay Chaturvedi, the founder of HarVa; Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan activist, writer and poet; and Shabir Momin, the founder of Zenga Group.
While the speakers hardly share a common platform of ideas, talent or background, there is a common thread that runs through each of their stories. Says Shobhit Banga, one of the founders of Josh, you will find that the speakers here did not have a straightforward path to success. They had to often defy conventional norms and fight long odds for their idea. This is the kind of motivation and commitment that Shobhit and the rest of his team, all students between 20 and 25 years of age, hope to infuse in their peers.
The very idea for Josh came about when Shobhit and Abhijit, the founders, noticed how most of the students around them were drifting through college life passively, having already settled for safe career choices without any real passion or interest. Says co-founder Abhijit Chokshi, 21 years old, Our entire team hopes that these stories will motivate students to do more with their lives, and not quit on themselves.
While there are other conferences in the capital that focus on leadership and change-makers, there is none yet with quite the same goal, target audience or method as Josh Talks. No wonder so many eminent achievers are excited to be a part of this. Angad Nadkarni observes the impact this effort is likely to have, There’s a change arriving in Indian youth with the internet going mainstream, along with availability of risk-capital – they are watching, and they want to be part of this. To me, JOSH 2014 is one of those events that will help push many people over that tipping point.
While this conference, with its stories and interactive sessions, may just give young people that spark of motivation they need, the last thing that Team Josh wants is for that motivation to fizzle out in due course. This is why they have planned Josh as a much wider initiative that in time will provide every support a young person needs to make their dream a reality. There already is a monthly discussion group, where students get together to share their thoughts on a range of issues. A mentorship program is also set to be launched soon, to help connect young people with smart ideas to industry leaders. Ultimately, Josh hopes to be Indias most active support platform for startups, and the goal is to assist 100 startups by 2017.
Josh is undoubtedly an ambitious attempt, and although the team behind it is young, they seem to realize that a strong vision needs to be backed by careful planning and dedicated execution. Jodie Underhill, the founder of the NGO Waste Warriors, and one of the speakers, voices the sentiment shared by everyone involved, I love this effort, and am really excited to be a part of it.
More information about the Josh Talks conference and the initiative itself is available on the official website, www.joshtalks.org.