Ritvik Rai

Activist, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Foodie, Student, Technologist

Providing the spark for the wildfire set to take over TEDxYouth@JPIS, we present to you our Licensee and Curator : Ritvik Rai. With a smile and a laugh always ready to break out onto his face, he is the proud owner of multiple personalities. Whether its debating the education system in India, coding Machine Learning algorithms for equity investment or working with Instagram to tackle pressing societal issues, he fluidly shifts between donning various roles throughout the day. A self proclaimed Philomath, his passion for diverse interests is second to none. Find him putting all his ambition, intellect and leadership to look out for idea's worth spreading at this year's event.

The most definitive aspect of my life has been an aversion of the boundaries and conformities that seek to confine me and dictate who I am. In the words of A$AP Rocky, “I'm here to be the first so that the people after me don't have to think twice about expressing themselves and being free.” Pursuing an academic interest in Physics and Chemistry as part of my formal schooling did not obstruct my fervent passion to pursue Computer Science as a career path. A healthy respect for the rules and comfort in the rhythm of a fixed schedule can make way for the anticipation and jubilation that comes with successfully exploring the unknown. Partaking in the organization of a multifarious event like TEDxYouth@JPIS will enable me to channel my disparate passions and fascinations: curating talks on everything from the role of the Fifth Estate in politics to the latest interpretation of quantum gravity. TEDxYouth@JPIS will conduct my discordant mind into a mellifluous symphony. One of the cliches that I aspire to live by is “Never Settle.” From one conquest to another, a love for the “grind” is my daily fix rather than a tendency for boredom-induced Netflix binging. Whether it’s writing Machine Learning modules to analyze Twitter and predict the future trends of the stock market for a Global High School Investment Competition or learning to play a particularly difficult bass line for the school band, I find myself performing an assortment of tasks and challenges to keep myself successfully occupied. In the same vein, after organizing a multitude of smaller conferences and events - like U&MUN as well as Helix MUN - I find myself invariably looking to take on the mantle of being a TEDx licensee and pursuing my passion for TED by progressing to being an organizer from an attendee. In my pursuit to constantly challenge myself, as a hopeful TEDx organizer, I see myself striving to push our team and this event to unparalleled heights: be it through incorporating something like stand-up into our speaker line-up for the first time in TEDxYouth@JPIS history or by endeavoring to the first TEDx simulcast event. Entrepreneurship taught me the importance of failure and the necessity of falling down the ladder before conquering it and forced me to explore avenues outside of my comfort zone and conquer my apprehensions when it came to participating in activities that are far removed from my academic pursuits. Music is an outlet for me to spend time relaxing and indulge in my love for music. However, earning my Grade 5 Certificate in Classical Guitar from Trinity College London was a relentless pursuit of perfection that involved bleeding fingers and broken nails but culminated in the execution of classical music that seemed to me as a guitarist like Latin would to an Indian. As a student, my interests consist of but are not limited to Computer Science, public speaking, Entrepreneurship and Finance, Music, and forging social change. As a student pursuing the International Baccalaureate, I was asked to choose between Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science and opt to study any two of the above. The decision left me incredibly confused and torn between my appreciation for the rigor of either Physics or Chemistry and an innate love for the modern wonder and beauty of Computer Science. Instead of resigning myself to my fate, I chose instead to forge my own path and decided to study Physics and Chemistry under the conventional umbrella of school life and utilize all the modern technological prowess available to humankind to foster my passion for Computer Science through an unconventional, self-taught path of learning. The never-ending urge to express my opinions led me to debate and Model United Nations (MUN) to not only spread my ideas but also allow them to be challenged by others who may not share the same viewpoint. It taught me that sometimes the best way to form strong, credible opinions is not to think alone but have the courage to have your strongest convictions be tested, tried and stripped down by complete strangers. In doing so, I learnt the importance of not only amplifying my own voice, but of making the voice of those around me heard, a realisation which is at the core of why I hope to organize a TEDx event -- to be able to create a platform to propagate the inspiring ideas worth spreading of those in my community. Finally, I hunger for being a changemaker in society: be it through volunteering with Parvaah, an NGO that advocates for the protection of the Environment or organizing Helix Model United Nations in Pune whose profits we donated to various local youth programs. I also partnered with MFI India, an NGO that provides underprivileged children access to MUN conferences and worked as an Executive Board member to train the kids brought in by the NGO. As a TEDx organizer, I aspire to channel this fire for social change in each idea we propagate amongst our attendees, inspiring them to pay it forward.

“Why I’m done trying to be ‘man enough’” by Justin Baldoni “The three most destructive words that every man receives when he is a boy is when he is told to ‘be a man’. Justin Baldoni is an American actor, director, filmmaker, and most importantly, an outspoken feminist. In his enthralling TED talk, Baldoni attacks the culture of toxic masculinity and its detrimental impact on our lives and the decisions we make. He exposes a side of sexism that most of us do not even think of: men are also victims of patriarchy. Men too have to strive to prove and reprove that they are men. They have to conform to the societal norms of ‘masculine’ traits: strength, courage, independence, leadership, and assertiveness. Justin’s talk highlights the destructive impact these traditional gender norms have on gender equality in our society. The way Baldoni uses his life story as a basis for encouraging men to break free of these constraints of ‘masculinity’ by being vulnerable himself made us all rethink what it should mean to be a good man. It serves as a reminder that stereotyping and categorizing people is an oversimplification of a much more intricate world. “Why theatre is essential to democracy” by Oskar Eustis “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” The global political system is undergoing constant transformation. With countries challenging each other’s policies, the world has become a stage for conflict and compromise much like actors in a play. Theatre is a world inside the world that reflects the world outside. Dialogue is essential to unravel a truth born from conflict, collision, and compromise of ideas to show us how ‘artistry is inherent in every human’. Theatre gives a sense of community to people and it is important that people across the world understand the importance of theatre and communication. In his talk, Director Oskar Eustis talks about how the existence of theatre is pivotal to democracies around the world as the two are no different. Both result from the collision of different ideas. Democracies around the world can only grow if theatre grows with them. Human beings would only act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood if they connect at the level of depth that expression of emotions can bring. This talk teaches the audience to spread the fundamental belief behind theatre, believe in the power of expression, and connect through expression.

Computer Science, Innovation, Public Speaking, Technology

Growing up, I was always on the lookout for groundbreaking advancements with the potential to propel and revolutionise mankind. YouTube’s algorithms took me from one video to another and before I knew it, I landed upon the YouTube channel of TED. “Technology, Entertainment and Design.” The intersection of these three fields and the motto of “ideas worth spreading” made it seem like it was fated for me to stumble upon this modern amalgamation of revolutionary ideas, with thousands of hours of video waiting to be devoured and assimilated. While looking up TED on the internet, browsing through their website led to the discovery of TEDx. Upon learning about independently organized, community-level events that invited speakers to address audiences at local communities, I immediately knew that I had to attend a TEDx event as soon as possible. This led to me attending TEDx Pune in 2017, undoubtedly one of the best-organized events in the country. The attention to detail, meticulous research to provide not very well-known speakers with great ideas a platform to spread them and the overall impact of the event had a lasting impact on me. I went as far as to try and see if I could organize my own TEDx event but couldn’t gather enough information about the process and now realize would probably not even have the resources or expertise to successfully organize an event.