On August 8, 2019, the eleventh anniversary of Afternoon Voice, we celebrated hoisting a conclave and launching our new web series called “De Dhakka, Desh Chalana Hai”. We were unplanned and very much new to the concept of a conclave. However, we believed that somewhere we had to begin and somewhere we needed to learn.
We invited many dignified guests as the panellists and the Afternoon Voice Media Conclave began with BJP MP and Education Minister of Maharashtra Ashish Shelar and he reached dot on time. We all were still unprepared. My team is small and we had no iota of idea on how to receive a state minister at the program.
Well, the secretary of the Minister was very upset because none of us went to receive them or attended their call while this was not at all a deliberate attempt. We were hell-bent on completing the arrangements so that the event can go smooth. I must say that it’s both our luck and the kind heart of Mr. Shelar, a leader who has no false ego and who reached the venue without any prejudice. I could breathe a bit; followed by Shelar RTI activist Anil Galgali, NCP Mumbai President Nawab Malik, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan, and state Agriculture Minister Dr. Anil Bonde all reached one by one. They all launched the anniversary edition and Shelar launched our web programme “De Dhakka, Desh Chalana Hai”. This Conclave was a leaning as I said while the show flow was kicked out of the site and everything just flew with time.
The first session was all about politics, from scrapping Triple Talaq to Kashmir issues to non-delivered promises and so on. There were three BJP speakers on the stage Vs two Opposition leaders. A neutral person was Mr. Galgali who very promptly summed up the session stating that whichever government comes to power, they dilute or abuse RTI act but those in opposition support the act and activists. In the second session, there were four beautiful ladies, Dr. Uma Rele, an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and the Principal of the Nalanda Dance Research Centre. She spoke about the vulgarity in the dance forms used in movies. She spoke about how the art form is losing its sheen in skimpy clothes and discourteous moves. She expressed her concern over fading ethics in the art industry.
At the same time, second panelist Dr. Soma Ghosh, Padma Shri, an exceptional exponent of music in the field of Hindustani classical vocals, registered her displeasure over the folk songs and its cheap lyrics. Music has motivated the young and old and it has inspired many; music has given hope to an ailing old man and most importantly, music has and will always be food for the soul. She said that music has the power to change people and it can change the way they think and behave. Dr. Swapna Patker concluded stating that Music and Dance is meditation. Both the art forms have an immense ability to cure and bring stability in human minds. There was one more dignitary on the stage — Narmata Thakkar who is the Founder of Entrepreneur Excel. She spoke about music, dance, mid-life crises in entrepreneurs, and emphasised how we can beat the stress and stay young. The second session ended with music, discussions, and a performance by comedian Sunil Pal. People were rolling on the floor with his comedy.
The third session was little serious — Hindu Janjagruti Samiti’s spokesperson Ramesh Shinde, Borderless Foundation’s founder Adhik Kadam, Entertainment Journalist Shikha Dhariwal and Advocate Pratibha Bangera. This was a brainstorming session. Mr. Shinde spoke about the attack on Hindus and the religion; Shikha Dhariwal spoke about how social media is influencing mainstream media and why social media has become diluted to the depth of news. She was very specific on talking about the unity in media. The show-stealer of this session was Adhik Kadam who spoke about the pain being not able to communicate with his children in Kashmir. He spoke about changing the mindsets of militants and bringing them back to life and gave suggestions on how to win the confidence and faith of the youth in Kashmir after scrapping Article 370. Each and every submission of Kadam was insightful.
Advocate Pratibha Bangera spoke about betrayals, revenges, fake cases, and how laws are misused for self-motives. Dr. Patekar concluded this third and final session stating people today are very much insecure and unstable because we lost the guru-shishya parampara. There is a trust issue in everything; mothers have no time for their kids and people are too much focused on their social media presence. Mobiles have become a breather and all the relations and friends are replaced with one device. People are trapped in the virtual world. No matter how modern we are, we need one Guide or one Guru where we can confess, discuss, and talk anything and the one who can help us to pass through the stress of life. Child actress Nitanshi Goel was the showstopper of the Conclave, from anchoring to engaging audiences, she was at her best.
For a small company like us, it is a boon to have employees who are willing put in time doing the work needed; my team is my strength and they all were perfectly placed and performed their duties. For someone like me who has a small team and big task, I don’t need to worry as my team is perfectly fine at their level. They made it all happen so smooth.
This was our first attempt and I learned a lot from everyone. Let’s see from here how the journey of De Dhakka takes us ahead. This is a platform for the common man to reach the power corridors. We want to bridge the gap between people and their elected representatives. Join us and keep watching us.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
