TEDxMargalla was organized at a local cinema, bringing together some of the brightest minds in Pakistan to share ways in which we could ‘Rethink Pakistan’.

TEDxMargalla featured some of Pakistan’s most prominent personalities, including Asad Umar (CEO Engro Corp), Prof. Adil Najam (Vice Chancellor LUMS), Sami Shah, Khalida Brohi and others, who shared their vision on the way Pakistan could work towards a more prosperous future. The event was attended by over 100 people belonging to various walks of life, who came together to hear innovative ideas to reform Pakistan.

Prof. Adil Najam talked about the challenges of climate change and the power of individuals in taking actions to combat development challenges. Asad Umar urged greater investments in public education and stimulating the economy by opening up our borders to regional trade and business opportunities. Khalida Brohi talked about her personal journey of helping women in Balochistan and Sindh become financially independent and educated while Sami Shah had the audience in fits of laughter with his funny yet thought provoking talk on the importance of humor in society. The Thespian Alliance – a mime troupe from Rawalpindi and Islamabad gave a breathtaking mime performance titled the “the War Within” to show the personal battles individuals fight when trying to reform themselves.

Saad Hamid, Curator and Licensee, TEDxMargalla, highlighted, “This is the second year that we are organizing TEDxMargalla, and the enthusiastic response has given us the inspiration to make this an event for the Twin Cities. TEDxMargalla is the only city-wide TEDx conference based in Islamabad and we have now twice delivered on our promise of providing an inspirational journey to all our attendees and live viewers.”

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. In that very spirit, TEDx is a program of local, self- organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event.

Our aim is to rethink Pakistan with education, activism, peace, culture, tech and design. Please register now to as we have limited seats. Also don't forget to check out our speaker lineup for this year.

Click on the image to enlarge

For the first time ever, the twin cities’ witnessed one of the biggest gatherings of all TED enthusiasts in Pakistan to watch TED2012 live hosted by the TEDxMargallaLive team with license from TED at the twin cities favorite entertainment hub.
The theme, ‘Full Spectrum’, featured various TEDtalks live from TED2012 focusing on key areas of technology, entertainment, design, art, emotion, community and culture.

TEDxMargallaLive was attended by over 150 people belonging to all walks of life. Students, bloggers, entrepreneurs, media professionals, engineers, artists and teachers collected to hear innovative ideas that are changing the world.

A leading scientist revealed her research on flying machines that can reach speeds up to Mach 20 and robots as small as hummingbirds. JR, a street artist introduced his inside/out project that uses photographs to fight against racial discrimination. His photographs have also been displayed in Karachi. Frank Warren amused the audience by sharing secrets from his ‘PostSecret’ project where people from around the world post their secrets. While Vijay Kumar, a roboticist, amazed the audience by demonstrating coordinated robotics.

TEDxLive is an extension of the TEDx program, launched by TED in 2010. They are built around the live webcast of TED Conferences. These events enable TED enthusiasts all over the world to experience live sessions of the TED Conference.

Zamlah Rehman, a commercial pilot and one of the attendees of TEDxMargallaLive, expressed, “It is brilliant to see that not just technology but things like dance and art also have the potential to change the world.” ell and I am grateful to the TEDxMargallaLive team to let me be a part of something so brilliant and amazing”. Sidra Liaquat, another attendee said, “I’m grateful to the TEDxMargalla team for providing a platform where people could come and hear ideas that can solve problems instead of just listing our problems. I have been inspired by this event and will start thinking about how we can use such ideas to change Pakistan.”

Saad Hamid (Curator and Licensee) and other key organizers, Ahsan Mukhtar and Sehar Tariq thanked TED and their partners Cinepax, Wi-Tribe and Askoli for making “Knowledge, beautiful and inspiring”.

The TEDxMargalla team plans to launch more projects and events in the near future to inspire the youth to work for change and spark innovative thinking across Pakistan.

Follow this link to register.

Know more about TEDxLive.

• Speaker recommendations: TEDxMargalla had a brilliant speaker line-up in 2010 and we are looking for new ones in 2012 who can bring the energy of TED to Islamabad. Nominate and let us know who you want to listen to this time around. Propose exciting, new speakers and we will make every effort to deliver what you want.
   
• Sponsor: You can sponsor our event monetarily or in-kind; this is your chance to support the biggest TEDx event of Islamabad in 2012. Suggestions for the partnership terms are welcomed. Simply get in touch.
   
• Volunteer: In order to expand the experience, we would be pleased to involve all Twin City dwellers as volunteers. If you want to be a part of the grand experience, all you need to do is contact us and show us what your expertise are and we will definitely try to fit your part.
   
• Writers: Let your creative juices stir and write about our event, the speakers, the organizing team or anything else about TEDxMargalla that appeals to you! 
   
• Promote: Help us spread the word! Let your friends, family, acquaintances know that the TEDxMargalla team is back in town and all geared up to celebrate new ideas.
   
• Attend: You simply cannot miss out on this inspirational event that promises to bring you unique, earth-shattering ideas. Keep visiting our website so that you are the first ones to sign up as soon as the application form is live.
   
• Live streaming: The reason of TED’s existence is the sharing of ideas so we would encourage you to arrange for live streaming at your educational institution or in your area.
   
• Watch the live broadcast: If you are unable to sign up as attendees, do not fret! You can be a part of the event from home through our live stream (details to be posted on our website) 
   
• Experience: TEDxMargalla isn't just an event, it's an experience. We try our best to involve everyone in various activities throughout the year. This is your chance to do something amazing for your country, don't miss it.
   

Stay tuned for more updates on the Big Day. You can find additional details on our website, www.tedxmargalla.com. Support our cause by joining our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.
 
Let’s celebrate 2012 with the hope of a promising new future. Once again we pledge to make history by bringing forth an interesting array of ideas and philosophies that will start a chain reaction of life-changing ideas.

The first TEDx event in Islamabad, the TEDxMargalla, was organized in 2010 at Kuch Khaas with nearly 100 participants, and a live stream providing online audiences access to the event as well. TEDxMargalla sizzled with both speakers and performing artists pulling off a remarkable show on the theme of “Ordinary people, Extraordinary ideas”.

Following the ground-breaking success of the first ever TEDx event in Islamabad, the TEDxMargalla team is all set to reignite the magic of unique ideas and novel concepts. We have been encouraged by the enthusiasm of our audiences, whose wait is approaching an end as we bring to you the glad tidings of TEDxMargalla 2012!

Our last event proved to be a massive success but more than that, it turned out to be a great learning experience. We gave you a bombastic event as novices; this time around we are geared up to provide an even bigger show, thanks to all the experiences from 2010, as well as the support and feedback from our loving audience.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Big Day. You can find additional details on our website,www.tedxmargalla.com. Support our cause by joining our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

Let’s celebrate 2012 with the hope of a promising new future. Once again we pledge to make history by bringing forth an interesting array of ideas and philosophies that will start a chain reaction of life-changing ideas.

Getting Involved?

Hold on as we will be soon sharing how to get yourself involved in the TEDx experience.

Today's TEDxBerlin event is a milestone for us, for you and for everyone out there who believes in 'ideas worth spreading' as it marks the 1000th TEDx event. TEDx, which operates under a license from TED, allows anyone to host an independent TED event and find, explore and exhibit ideas from their community. Important question is, what does this milestone mean for all of us and why it matters?

It matters mainly because we live in the TED age, where technology, entertainment and design are key areas with which we deal or interact in our daily life. Not only that but other areas such as science, religion, medicine, engineering, psychology, culture, education also impact our lives in many ways and somehow their involvement creates a difference, one that is positive, productive and highly motivating. At the end of the day what matters is how these ideas come together and form a tangible output that can help us improve the quality of our lives, help the ones in need or find solutions to problems that have been haunting our society for ages and that's exactly what TED is helping the world do with TEDx.

The primary focus of TEDx is to give voice to ideas, visions and stories that would bring about a social change and the beauty of TED is that the experience is not restricted to the speakers, thinkers or idea inventors rather the audience, ordinary people from around the world, are given opportunity to think, share, discuss their extraordinary ideas so together a positive difference can be created.

TEDxMargalla hopes to give its audience the same kind of experience where they can talk, listen, learn, share, distribute their knowledge and at the same time generate, create, invent ideas for themselves and their society that would make a positive impact. Especially in this side of the world where we have limited resources to count on to, the need of the time to find ordinary people with extraordinary ideas and share their idea with everyone around the world.

Register now to become a part of this brilliant experience http://tedxmargalla.com/register/

Saad Hamid
Curator and Licensee
TEDxMargalla

When Paul Romer came up with the rather radical idea of ‘charter cities’, he was criticized, fiercely disagreed with and even termed ‘wacky’ by some. However, with a past of determined radical view-points which eventually proved anything but false or failures, Paul incessantly continues to propose his idea which on the onset seems to contain the one vital ingredient that often brings together change and convenience – thinking out of box.

Paul Romer has a number of claims to fame. The first of them came in the 90s when some of his theories revolutionized the way economy’s growing output can be explained. Apart from the regular measures of work hours and other quantifiable data objects, Paul proposed that ‘ideas’ too have a pivotal position in determining an economy’s growth. The estimates done along Paul’s papers on the ‘idea’ factor proved far more accurate than those done without it. Within days, Paul was an economist celebrity. After some years with the academia, Paul then went on to found an online company which provided online academic solutions and other materials for collegiate economic students. Eventually turning this venture into a successful business, Paul was back with another of his typical, radical notions – charter cities.

However, this time the scale of what he proposes has huge implications – huge enough to change the very dynamics of global development, or so Paul suggests. “Charter cities offer a truly global win-win solution”, Paul confidently states at the official site. He takes his inspiration from a number of actual instances where ‘charter cities’ remarkably elevated living conditions and triggered economic boom. From history, he has the example of the city of Lubeck, established by Henry the Lion in the 12th century. Henry devised a charter granting light regulation, fair laws and abolishment of any hierarchal structures that may abet economic growth. The plan worked and within no time, people, investors, businessmen were thronging the city. The success of the plan incited the copying of its charter to a number of neighboring regions and soon it was an economic alliance of some 200 seats which lasted for half a millennium.

Paul’s other inspiration is more recent – the example of Hong Kong. In modern history, Hong Kong ended with a charter decided by its British colonialists, a charter granting low taxes and regulation and full protection. In sharp contrast to the rest of the Asia, Hong Kong rose to an economic success in no time, inspiring a multitude of Chinese mainland regions to copy its example and eventually drive Chine to a pro-business economic model.

The idea basically is to establish a city governed by rules different from the ‘normal rules’ of a certain country – say, establishing a model city in Pakistan, leased to a developed country that can decide the charter and then use its credibility to draw investors and other resources.

Paul’s idea is radical – but it’s also very appealing. Paul suggests a clear and viable solution to alleviate global poverty and in doing so, make no balance-shift wrongs. He specifically talks about third world countries who can immensely benefit from his proposed model and stresses upon its importance specifically in context of the global trends of immigration and urbanization, “A new charter city offers a speedier path to better rules. People who live there, even people who start out earning very little, can live in housing that is safe and sanitary, send their children to school, find work, and live free from fear of crime.”

In a way, he has build this model from his fundamental idea of the importance of ‘ideas’. He cites it as, “All it takes is better rules. We already know what many of these rules are. We already know how to enforce them. Charter cities can create places where the hundreds of millions of people on the bottom rung of economic life could go live and work under these kinds of rules.”

One very significant aspect of Paul’s formula is that it disregards the political game-plays of a country where a charter city has to be established. Since the legal sway lies with the country who decides the ‘charter’, the native land’s politics will have little role to play and hence, would provide the needed space for a sustained economic growth. It will also be a better alternative than disorganized urbanization which has often triggered a bump in crime rate.

In a way, it does seem like a good enough solution. The only problem is that it can be implemented only when a certain country consents to it and another developed country decides to overlook the charter city. Paul has had some brushes with success on it, with an African country agreeing to take a ‘leap of faith’ at his idea – but before this could happen, the government there was toppled over and project ‘charter cities’ was dumped. However, Paul still remains hopeful of the possibility of watching his idea happen and waits for his next meeting with Presidents of two other developing nations. “As before I remain optimistic about response from developing countries”, he faithfully asserts.

Salman Latif
TEDxMargalla

Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in any literary, political, musical, or other artistic endeavor. Literally, the word means "breathed upon,” When we inspire others, we're living from our higher selves. When we're being inspired, we expand beyond what we previously were, or know our selves to be. Our lives have new breath. Every human is like a misguided missile with the power to literally change the world with destruction or construction, inspiration guides the missile towards achieving extraordinary goals. Ideas are the nitty-gritty, the building block, the keystone of extraordinary achievements but what gives birth to an idea is the INSPIRATION behind it. Inspiration is the desire, interest or drive to do, it’s the process that arouses, sustains and regulates human behavior. Inspiration empowers an individual to make history, breaking boundaries, reinterpret structures, empower greatness, and bring together mix of visions of better tomorrow.

Inspiration lives between the two spaces of ambivalence and perfection. Inspiration speaks to the best within us; ambivalence is the messiness of our lives, the life process. Perfection is the ideal, while ambivalence is its application. Inspiration is what moves us forward in life through the ambivalence and towards the ideal. Inspiration can have many sources, from the everyday to the divine but the end result of inspiration is to lift the individual to a more focused and determined pursuit of their goals. It is widely known that when the notion of gravity came to Newton's mind, it was indeed occasioned by the fall of an apple. Newton's question was, "Why should the apple always descend perpendicularly? Surely the earth draws it with a power that must be at the earth's centre." So it was that Newton recognized the all pervasive force that we call gravity. He understood that gravity extends throughout the Universe, and is proportional to the quantity of matter.

A genius found inspiration in the music of another; Einstein was inspired by Mozart and sensed an affinity between their creative processes, as well as their histories. Einstein said Mozart's music "was so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master." Einstein believed much the same of physics that beyond observations and theory lay the music of the spheres, which, he wrote, revealed a "pre-established harmony" exhibiting stunning symmetries. The laws of nature, such as those of relativity theory, were waiting to be plucked out of the cosmos by someone with a sympathetic ear. Thus it was less laborious calculation, but "pure thought" to which Einstein attributed his theories.

Inspiration has also proven to be the starting point of revolutions that made history. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great man who laid the foundation for racial equality in the United States of America. He did what he did because he was inspired by Martin Luther, a man who long ago went against the Catholic Church because he didn't believe in some of the things they did. Martin Luther King Jr.s birth name was not Martin Luther. He and his father both changed their names to honor Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired by Martin Luther's courage to stand up for what he believed in.

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”- Jack London

Jack London was known for his ability to find inspiration in anything: he wrote stories based off of newspaper clippings, his own experiences, even watching a boxing match was enough to spark a short story. London made sure that he had plenty to draw on. He went out and brought back inspiration with a club, no matter what it took. London joined the Klondike Gold Rush and got scurvy, experiences that he based some of his most successful stories on. We may not need to suffer scurvy to find our inspiration, but we do have to go looking for it. If you want to make a change, there just isn’t the possibility of waiting around for inspiration to strike. The same holds true in any field you want to make evolution in. When we’re in need of inspiration for any project, we have to be prepared to go find it. This is exactly what TEDxMargalla promises you that you are bound to find the inspiration here, that you are looking for, which can alter your course of life towards progress.

Arooj Awan
TEDxMargalla

“The historical account of humans is a heap of conspiracies, rebellions, murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments, the very worse effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, perfidiousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, malice and ambition could produce.. I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”

Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels)

The statement is no doubt harsh, true or not, but definitely harsh! And is written by the most criticized satirist who is also alleged to the extent of being a misanthropist of his time, who in his own words has publicly admitted to the charges laid upon him by the intellectual community of his time.

It’s true that we are being faced by a situation that human civilization has never faced before. People are dying, people are fighting, wars, bloodshed, and despair surround us. Thinking has become so cynical that there are people who have started to think that man is indeed “the most pernicious race of little odious vermin”.  This feeling is like a room with closed doors of hopelessness, filled with shadows but with brightness all around it. That’s right… a glow is there that keeps knocking on our doors. All we need to do is to open those doors and let the light come. All we need to do is to think that “hope is there”.

‘I have ever hated all nations, professions and communities but principally I hate and detest that animal called man… upon this great foundation of misanthropy the whole building of my travels is erected’

Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels)

Do we really want such disconsolate, grim, pathetically loathsome thoughts? Don’t we have enough up our sleeves right now? Do we need to have a mindset based on the pessimism that this sentence generates? We don’t think we really need this kind of attitude no matter how abject, unfortunate or miserable the situation. Because as most of us see it, the only way out or the only way towards rectification or cure of any disconsolate situation no matter how grim it may sound , is hope. Hoping, desiring and wishing. It’s what we call looking at the brighter side, seeing the glass as half full, hoping for the best. In Jonathan Milton’s words

‘What though the field be lost
All is not lost the unconquerable will’

We do not wish, at this point, to assert that we need to shut out the evils prevailing around us as we ourselves strongly believe that one of the most critical, least acknowledged contributors to evil goes beyond the protagonists of harm to the silent chorus who look but do not see; who hear but do not listen.

We do not wish to deny the fact that there is evil dwelling around us. People who make the statement seem almost plausible. We have people around us killing innocent people in the name of religion, nations invading upon freedom of other nations in the name of eradicating extremism never minding killing thousand of innocent civilians along the way. There exist conspiracies, rebellions and revolutions conducted by man in the name of self created justifications. Or when we look at it from a limited perspective, there are people who kill or terrorize other people around them for their personal malign interests. These vermin, and truly said so, certainly do create as Milton says ‘a hell out of heaven’

‘The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven’

Man can be an odious vermin but to pronounce a definite harsh judgment as this upon the entire human race is not fair to any of our kind. Yes we fight wars, yes we can be greedy, yes we kill for power and yes we lie for reward or honor. But there are amongst us who fight wars for the triumph of good over evil, who give charity to those who are less fortunate without a reward, who are working and serving for the betterment of their country without want of power or authority, who show acts of kindness and compassion even when they can lawfully avenge their wrong doers. Certainly this kind of our race do not fall under the category of ‘little pernicious, odious vermin’

And now that we really look at it... heroism has never been sincerely advertised?  Don’t you think that we do not make enough efforts to appreciate what good prevails among us? Don’t you think that people who do commit such acts of charity, selflessness or compassion on a daily basis, however, big or small their canvass maybe deserve a bit of recognition and encouragement? Rather than making them fall under the category of ‘odious vermin’. Don’t you think we need to derive inspiration and hope from them and to encourage them whenever and however we can?

And if any of us thinks ‘oh what do our thoughts matter?’ they are wrong! Our thoughts do matter. They matter because our thoughts are the very foundation of what we contribute towards the building up or towards the rectification of our social discrepancies.

We don’t deny that acts of wickedness are not beyond imagination but to neglect the presence of good in man that is always there side by side with the evil fighting, it does even more harm then these evil doers themselves can inflict. The thinking that the world has run out of goodness of heart gives hopelessness beyond any repair. The popular poem ‘the Wasteland’ portrays our thoughts on this subject most aptly:

We think of the key each in his prison
Thinking of the key each confirms the prison

By yielding to the presence of the key we submit to the presence of the prison even if there isn’t one.

Just imagine for a minute a society where every man thinks of the other as a pernicious odious vermin. Think of where we would all end up if such notions are to be taken as a base upon which we build our futures and our societies. Or think of a society where good does prevail, even if in silent corners. We leave the results to your thoughts and your imagination.

Maha and Maham
TEDxMargalla