Mumbai Teen is 2nd Runners up at Teen Pagent
Ms. Akkariti Anand from Mumbai was adjudged the 2nd runner-up at the National finals of the 15th edition of the Teen of the Year pageant held in Mumbai on 20th
November at the St. Andrews Auditorium. The title of Teen of the Year 2010 went to the unassuming Ms Sindhu Bharadwaj of Bangalore, while Mr. Shravan R from Chennai became the Ist runner-up. In reply to a question from one of the judges Mrs. Jhelum Paranjape, well known odissi dancer, as to what does being socially conscious mean to her, Sindhu who performed a dance of Shiva in her talent round stated. “For me being socially conscious is to do whatever one can and being alert to the happenings around”. The other judges Mr. Raja Menon film director, Allen Tweedie former CEO Mumbai festival, joined the audience in applauding the youngster.
The award function saw a mélange of people from school children, school principals, the youth, to a few oldies who must’ve recalled their teenage days. The chief guest for the evening Mr. Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and the guest of honor for the evening Mr. Dino Tautang, CEO, Habitat for Humanity, India spoke volumes on the novelty of such a never seen before pageant. In his address Mr. Gandhi stressed on the need to be socially conscious. He said. “Each and every person can bring about a change even if it is a very small and seems insignificant. Gandhiji used to say ‘hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil’. But I say don’t shut yourself, be active and be conscious about things that are happening around you. Don’t shut yourself from what’s happening around you and the society”.
Earlier in the day, Bollywood actress Ms Jacqueline Fernandez had an hour-long interaction with the participants and was quite taken up at such an event. Nudged by the participants, she spoke on her teenage days and stated that the participants were lucky to have such an event that groomed them for the future. “Strive for the best and dream high for a bright future” she advised.
Keeping with its theme ‘Building a socially conscious India’ the run up to the finals also saw a panel discussion headed by Mr. Purab Kohli, Actor, Brand Ambassador – The Teenager magazine, Mr. Y. P. Singh IPS (Retd), Activist and Lawyer, Ms Smita Gaikwad Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, WNS Global Services, Mr. Amole Gupte Film Director, Writer, Painter, debating on the state of affairs in the country, concluding that its the youth who are the powerful agent for social change of our country. “If India has to be socially awakened, an enlightened and visionary youth is the only answer” felt Mr. Singh who also added that, what the youth of today needed from adults is not so much of advice, direction, regulations etc., but an understanding heart that recognizes their creative talents, ideas and a suitable platform to express their creativity.
The event had 18 participants chosen from various zonals held across the country, representing different regions of India. Prior to the final event, the participants residing as one family at St. Pauls campus in Bandra since their arrival on 16th November, were put through a range of events that include group dynamics, workshops, personality development exercises, personal interviews, all this with the objective to bring out hidden talents that these youngsters would’ve never known to them. Besides this, The Teenager magazine has joined hands with Habitat for Humanity, India wherein all the participants were on location at Karjat helping to build homes as part of the Habitat project.
The participants a few who have come to Mumbai for the very first time, made new friends with those from other parts of the country and also came to know more about other cultures, lifestyles and traditions. Interestingly, many participants of the pageant, no matter if they have won or not, come back the following year to help organize the event. Such is the spirit of the pageant.
-- By Verus Ferreira