Jam-packed with youngsters, the Under 25 Summit that took place over the weekend at the Jayamahal Palace Hotel, saw around 130 speakers featuring industry experts, creative folks and all round game-changers, workshops, experience zones and more.
Metrolife attended the summit and found a few interesting sessions. Here are a few snippets of what went on at the youth festival.
Sessions that stood out
Men and fashion
Discussions on lifestyle and fashion drew the crowd at the summit.
Lifestyle vlogger ‘Mumbiker’ Nikhil and founder of the menswear blog and label – ‘The Dapper Label’ Usaamah Siddique in a conversation with Elizabeth Riya Roy discussed ‘breaking fashion and lifestyle stereotypes for men’.
Starting off, they discussed their work and brands. Nikhil, who has about 2.2 million subscribers for his vlog, advises, “Don’t go for the money, go for the quality.”
The fashion enthusiasts also addressed the judgements passed at the workplace on what youngsters wear (tattoos, piercings etc.) in a realistic way. Usaamah opines, “Your appearance doesn’t matter if your work speaks.”
Nikhil states, “It is not judging. They have some standards, and they want to maintain it.”
Answering the question on the state of men’s fashion in India, Usaamah feels that it is growing in a positive way. He adds, “I think it has reached a point where you can wear anything you want.”
Nikhil quickly intervenes, “Thanks to Instagrammers and influencers.” He adds, “It is still growing. It is not only about clothes, it about personality as well. There is a lot more to learn.”
Tips for men as shared by Nikhil and Usaamah
- Give more importance to shoes. Nikhil says, “Dress down to up.”
- Maintain grooming standards. “If your grooming sense is bad, there is no point in wearing expensive clothes,” Nikhil states.
- It is all about maintaining hygiene and being comfortable. Usaamah says, “Be you”.
- Learn to take criticism.
The duo also had a piece of advice for the women — to help the men in their life by giving constructive criticism. Says Nikhil, “Tell men if they don’t look good, in a nice way. It will help them.”
discussing the fashion and sneaker culture in India with Anand Ahuja, founder of clothing brand ‘Bhaane’.
A few digital gurus
The morning session on Sunday had self-taught photographer Auditya Venkatesh speak about his journey so far in the field.
“I like how I am able to narrate stories without having to talk at all,” he says.
Auditya presented around 180 of his photographs in the session.
He says that patience is the key for a good click while sharing a few photography techniques with the audience.
Another session, ‘Creators for Change’, had YouTubers Prajakta Koli (MostlySane) and Niharika Nm.
The young influencers addressed issues like body shaming, cyberbullying and hate speech propagated on social media.
Speaking about the work and responsibilities of a YouTuber, they say it is vital that they are in sync with the current trends.
Says Prajakta, “Staying relevant is important for a YouTuber or else people won’t connect with us”.
Independent music scene in India
Moderated by RJ Sriram Sullia, this panel had artiste manager Aayushman Sinha and singer Shirley Setia discussing the future of independent music artistes in India.
The two panellists shared their journey in their respective fields.
Shirley said, “Most people thought I could not make it to Bollywood. Many of them told me I could not sing. They still do. As I never gave up, I am what I am today”.
Shedding light on the fake profiles created on social media, Shirley also spoke about the several fake accounts under her name.
“The fake accounts in my name had thousands of followers while I had no official account. It made me wonder if my original account would even be able to gain that many followers,” she said.
The discussion also noted how the works of independent artistes make into Bollywood.
“Many good songs in Bollywood are mostly composed by independent artistes. In recent times, films like ‘Gully Boy’ have their music scored by independent artistes,” said Ayushman.
The session wrapped up with Shirley giving out a message to all the aspiring independent artistes, “Do not give up. No matter what, do not give up”.
More than just discussions and workshops
The festival had more to offer this time.
- While many were invested in the talks and performances, we saw some of the attendees at the education and job zone. There were many reputed companies with a wide variety of job opportunities.
- A few of the city’s famous eateries like Hatti Kaapi and Byg Brewski had their food stalls.
- An entire zone was dedicated to fashion with pop-up stalls of multiple renowned fashion brands.
- Separate stage with an open mic for those upcoming artistes.
- Experience zones including trampoline, Tinder ice breaker kept the guests engaged.