A weekend of inspiration!

Last weekend was epic. 2 days that will never be forgotten. Yes I am talking about the 25 under 25 grand summit by Campus Diaries.

I got on the summit team relatively late. But as they say its not the quantity that matters but the quality. 20 days of non stop communication with a 100 odd people whom I have never heard of let alone meet or speak to in life  (many of you guys are celebrities but pardon me for being ignorant). Mails requesting for photos, travel plans, interviews, bank details… I am sure most of these people dreaded seeing my name in the from field after a while. Then there was the whatsapp group with a zillion people in it and messages being exchanged at a speed faster than that of light! Phew it was tough keeping up with the conversation. Trust me handling communication with a 100 people at once is a nightmare of a job. But come on, I know I am awesome at this (wink).

The excitement was massive leading up to the event. Last minute changes and additions. The travel hassles. Flights being cancelled, rescheduling the travel. Arranging pick up from airport. Things never end and all we wanted to do was make this a memorable experience for our winners. Sleep was something one could only dream of during the last few days. However none of this could dampen our spirits in welcoming you guys.

Come the D-day and our excitement knew no bounds. The entire Campus Diaries team was ready to welcome the guests and make the next 2 days the most epic. As expected my phone started buzzing from early morning on Saturday with calls from the airport enquiring about the transport arranged. I was dying to meet these superstars. Seeing the first Traveler van arrive from the airport packed with the people I was waiting to meet, my heart skipped a beat. This was the most energetic bunch of people I have met. All so fresh and brimming with energy after all the travel. It was finally great to put a face and voice to all the random names I was emailing to. Frankly, I still cannot get your name right if you stand in front of me. 100 new faces is a lot to process for my tiny brain in a short time of 2 days.

The 2 days were packed with activity. Workshops, stories, delicious food, photos, art and what not! While the IJP performance stole our hearts on Day 1, the beat boxing performance killed it on Day 2! I always wondered what made these 100 people unique. But over the 2 days I realized why each of these people deserved to be on stage receiving the award. So much talent and all of that in one place. Not to forget they are all under 25. Wow! I was mind blown quite literally. The photography category winners could challenge the best in the world. The science and tech guys are usually considered geeks but not these guys. These 25 are the ones going to control the course our future takes. The visual artists are a crazy group simply because they create some insanely crazy art which mesmerizes one and all. The writers let their words and sentences do all the talking giving us enough food for thought. When these 4 tribes come together, it can be quite a potent concoction!

And if you thought these people were only brains, then you couldn’t be more wrong. The awards night was nothing less than a glitzy Bollywood style affair. All the damsels and hunks dressed up in their designer wear, looked straight out of a magazine cover.

The day after the event all I wanted to do was sleep and restore my energy levels. But there was this weird feeling. As people left the hotel for their respective destinations, I couldn’t help feeling lonely. There was so much of buzz being surrounded by people for 2 days and suddenly it felt eerily quiet. How I wished the summit didn’t end.

There is only one wish I have. That the 100 winners that we selected go on to become rockstars in their field. You are prodigies and winners but now its up to you to let the world know why you deserve to be a winner.  Let success not go to your head. You have the responsibility to make the optimum use of your talent. There may be a million other people more talented than you but they will never be the 25 under 25! Nobody can snatch this title away from you.

You meet people and then you meet people. The 150 or so people I met in these 2 days were all achievers in their own right. They could inspire even a stone. So if I say, I was inspired it would be an understatement. I may not be half as talented as them but they have inspired me to strive for perfection. To constantly push myself and be the best of what I can be. So thank you for coming to the Summit and giving me the experience of a lifetime!