Events

The Media event of Democracy Wall at Amity University Mumbai was inspiring, engaging and a golden opportunity to interact with speakers from various walks of life.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Deputy Leader of Shiv Sena talked about the great responsibility held by those with power to make important decisions – as they affect the citizens of the country. She also spoke about the contribution that citizens themselves must make, and that an evolved democracy can only emerge from maturity and the ability to look past divisive factors.

We had a powerful interactive session with Shekhar Gupta, the editor-in-chief of The Print on various contemporary issues and the freedom of the press in India. Today’s media environment is a fertile ground for trolls toharass and abuse media persons. When asked how he deals with trolls, he said he simply ignores them since responding to them only fuels them. This technique is something that we all can adopt when similar challenges come our way.

A segment that strongly resonated with the students was that of Bollywood star Tisca Chopra. She emphasized the importance of good work ethic and being meticulous in one’s work. She went on to speak her mind on social issues such as sexual harassment, women empowerment and representation in the Indian film industry, giving us a glimpse into the offscreen life of an actor. She also spoke about the positive impact of the MeToo movement on the industry, which was powered by free speech. Though there is an innate hesitancy in speaking out against sexual harassment, the MeToo movement has brought the discussion out into the open. She gave the example of plaques now being displayed in film studios which state that sexual harassment is not tolerated. Drawing a contrast between the ways women are portrayed today versus decades ago, she showed the evolution of public attitude reflected on screen. 

We also had an insightful talk by Yatin Shah, co-founder and Executive Director of IIFL Wealth & Asset Management who narrated his success story and showed us that bad experiences in life can teach us invaluable lessons. His illustration of the Krishna-Duryodhana-Ram-Raavan quadrilateral has etched in our minds his life philosophy of “do what is right in both law and in spirit”. As a budding marketing professional with a Chartered Accountancy background, I have followed this principle in my professional life and have seen firsthand how it can shape the culture of an organization. This philosophy is pertinent to organizations across industries, more so in the current environment fraught with allegations of mismanagement and multiple crises.