The second edition of Agenda AajTak Summit “Hindi Jagat Ka Mahamanch” was organized by India Today Group at New Delhi on 04, 05 Dec 2013.
Aim
The aim of this August gathering of top class politicians and leaders (both young and old) and celebrities from all walks of life (including Bollywood) was to Debate, Discuss and Ideate ongoing problems being faced by the country as well as issues of national Interest in order to chart out Vision for 2014.
Before covering in detail the highlights of the summit, it will be worthwhile to mention here that the Aim of the summit was fully achieved.
Latest Political Trends
The recent Assembly Polls in Delhi, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh have given enough indications for the shape of things to come. The people need a change for good and prefer young leaders. Today’s voter is wiser, smarter and understands the value of a vote. The splendid performance by Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Delhi swept congress by it’s feet and scared BJP but, did not surprise the younger generation who were very hopeful of AAP’s victory.
BJP may like to be cautious and Congress needs to do a lot of home work to thwart any attempts of AAP fire spreading to other states in the forthcoming elections next year.
With this as the backdrop, it will be an interesting reading of how the mega event unfolded over two days.
The Venue
The mega event was held at Hotel Le Meridien New Delhi.The stage was nicely laid out with a perfect back drop, The seating in the convention hall was arranged meticulously and decor/ambiance befitting a great occasion.
The Proceedings
The convention hall was packed to capacity with all waiting for their favorite leaders/personalities to appear on the stage. The sequence of events and the salient points/issues which emerged after discussion/debating with each personality are covered Day wise in succeeding paras.
Day 1- 04 Dec
Vande Mataram. The proceedings of Mahamanch began with Akash Sharma singing “Vande Mataram” in his melodious voice. One could not have asked for a better opener for an event of national importance.
Welcome Address. Mr Aroon Purie,Chairman and Editor in Chief, India Today Group welcomed all the dignitaries and guests for Mahamanch. While emphasizing that democracy was fast changing, he expressed his happiness over the opportunity available to even the poorest man to select a suitable leader of his choice through voting.
Sonu Ki Sargam. Sonu Nigam won the hearts of all by his soft stylish and melodious singing. His numbers Shukriya, Kya Hua Tera Wada, Ye Dil Deewana were well accepted and loved by all. He even sang a duet with young talented Akash Sharma.
Kisme Kitna Hai Dum. A very healthy discussion ensued between Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Rural Development and Mr Nitin Gadkari, Former President BJP. Many issues ranging from elections, quality of leaders in Congress and BJP, Narender Modi and his chances of becoming the next PM were debated and discussed. General consensus was reached that parties should challenge and discuss opinions and not indulge in personal reactions.
Kaho Na Pyar Hai. Issues like peace process between India and Pakistan, border violations and attacks along LOC, role of ISI and Pakistan Army and Mumbai attacks were discussed discussed with Hina Rabbani Khar, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan. She was cool in replying that the peace process by way of Samjhauta Express should not be shelved and both countries must have strong faith in their efforts without wasting time and energy in war of words/accusation game.
Mission Kashmir. Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of J and K was very confident while discussing issues relating to Article 370, AFSPA and BJP and Narendra Modi, He expressed happiness and satisfaction over prevailing situation in the valley. He considered provisions of article 370, as the only means of connection between J and K and the rest of the country. He further affirmed to all that efforts were under way to have a sports stadium of international standard to host national and international events in the state.
Raj Dilayenge Rajnath. Rajnath Singh, President BJP, categorically said that BJP was a party with good leaders and Modi would be their choice as next PM. He praised Atal Bihari Vajpayee for solidifying BJP and bringing all leaders to work for one cause. On the subject of Ram Janm Bhumi, he said that the matter was refered to court and few people had voiced their concern against the decision of the court.
Guthi Agenda, Agenda Guthi. Sunil Grover, famous Guthi of laughter Show sent all rolling in their seats by his gimmicks, mimicry and incidents relating to his early life and college days. At one stage, he even got involved in a dialogue with Baba Ramdev who was waiting for his turn on the stage.
Dharam Ka Dhanda. Baba Ramdev, Muni Chidanad Ji Maharaj, and Swami Sarvanand Saraswati were invited on stage to offer their views on whether they were doing Dhanda or Dharam Ka Kaam. Baba Ramdev categorically told everyone that foreign companies with deep roots in India were dealing with wealth. His efforts were on improvement of health and education in the country therefore, he and his team’s work should not be termed as Dhanda. That would morally be wrong. They emphasized that Dhanda was for personal gain where as Dharam was for the benefit of all..
Agenda-e-Aamir. Sober, well mannered Aamir Khan won the hearts of everyone with his stage presence and conduct. He preferred taking one assignment at a time, loved gathering information on new things he came across in life besides, lauding efforts of all those who did well in their work.
Hum Tere Shahar Mein Aye hain Musafir Ki Tarah. Noted trio of Ghulam Ali, Pankaj Udhas and Talat Aziz entertained and mesmerized audiences by their Gazal attack. All were of the view that in modern times, there was lack of Mausiki and sensible music since, all TV and radio channels blared out only film songs all the time.
Gala Dinner Keynote Address. King Khan- Shah Rukh Khan made a smart entry on to the stage in his customary flamboyant style and right from the word go, was in romantic mood expressing his regards, admiration and love for the feminine gender. Frequently dancing with volunteers, he showed his class as an entertainer. He advised all to dump laziness, rest and superfluous habits to be successful in life. At his age, he felt that one should believe more on heart feelings and behave accordingly. Referring to IPL match incident, he conveyed that he had already apologized for his behavior on the spur of the moment. He also said that one must leave behind a legacy of good,sincere work, to be followed by all later in life.
Day 2- 05 Dec
The panel discussion/ interviews on 04 Dec were very interesting and touched on many core issues the country was facing. The expectations out of the Summit had increased and the stage was set for yet another day of some fruitful interactions with great personalities.
Rajneeti Ka Dharam Karam. Digvijaya Singh , General Secretary, Congress and Smriti Irani, Vice President BJP were pitted against each other. Both supported their party policies. Primarily, the discussion revolved around Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Both the leaders claimed massive turnout during rallies for the forthcoming elections. Digvijay expressed his satisfaction over the fact that Modi was mellowing down his aggressive approach- courtesy influence of Smriti Irani.
Vikas Ki Rajniti. Bhupinder Singh Hooda- CM Haryana, Hemant Soren- CM Goa and Manohar Parrikar- CM Jharkhand formed the elite panel. The issues discussed included, development in states, effect of mining in Goa and Jharkhand and welfare projects for the people.
Masala Chai. Once again Comedian actor Sunil Grover made an entry prior to tea break to entertain everyone with his usual mimicry. Tea was served at the tables.
Desi Girl. Priyanka Chopra, Desi Girl was all smiles while making a majestic entry in the hall. She announced her forthcoming movie on Mary Kom in which she would be trying to highlight the struggle of a woman who wished to achieve big in life. She sang Tinka Tinka Zara Zara and danced with a volunteer as well. She disagreedto the fact that modern day films encourage atrocities and violence on women.
Lunch Panel With Youngistan. RPN Singh, Jay Panda, Anurag Thakur and Tejashwi Yadav were the elite panel representing youth of India. They all felt that young leaders should enter into democracy. Jay Panda voiced his concern over the fact that in parliament, young leaders could not express their views since, the senior lot had the party whip resulting in suppression of their suggestions. Anurag belted that Narendra Modi always voiced his concern on issues being faced by the nation and therefore, had influenced youth of the country more than Rahul Gandhi.
Beta Bada Naam Karega. Akhilesh Yadav- CM Uttar Pradesh tried his best to convince all about progress made in the state. While doping so, he admitted having taken some wrong decisions on some sensitive issues.
Vote Apna Mazhab Paraya. Maulana Mahmood Madani- General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama- i- Hind, Dr Praveen Togadia- International Working President, VHP, Raashid Alvi- Senior Leader Congress, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain- Senior Leader BJP and Arif Momaamad Khan- Senior Advocate, Supreme Court expressed their views on finding a way to eliminate religion from politics. Some heated arguments ensued. Other points touches upon were- help to the minorities without any percentage reservation and providing all rights to every person as contained in constitution.
Kinka Hoga Raj Tilak. Veterans Kamal Nath and Arun Jaitley stood by their views in a very soft panel discussion. While Kamal Nath considered exit polls as no measure of results of election, Arun felt that people of the country were well aware of the efforts and work done by each party.
Hum AAP Ke Hain Kaun. Anna Hazare clearly disowned Arvind Kejriwal. He categorically said that Arvind would not be allowed to sit with him for his fast from 10 Dec for introduction of Lok Pal Bill. Anna accused the Government of cheating the nation by not passing Lok Pal Bill. He also said that he has no bank account and does not understand the motive of Aam Admi party collecting money in his name.
Aunty Police Bula legi, Yeh Party Yunhi Chalegi. Versatile rapper Honey Singh, popularly known as Yo Yo kept audience amused with classic examples out of his life. He sang a song composed by him as a mark of respect for great martyr Shahid Bhagat Singh. He belted many popular numbers and danced with a group of enthusiasts.
Rajniti Ki Gandi Baat. Ajay Maken and Ravi Shankar Prasad kept praising their parties.Finally, the buck stopped at Narender Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Ravi Shankar criticized unwarranted comments (Pappu fail ho gaya) made by Digvijaya Singh some time back. Both finally agreed to leave it to the people to decide who will come to power.
Satyagraha 2014 Quaisar Jani as Mahatma Gandhi really made one believe that Bapu had returned to India to address all the burning issues being faced by the country- from corruption to atrocities on women.
Maha Manch Par Mahila Shakti. Three great women politicians Sheila Dixit, Sushma Swaraj and Brinda Kalat jointly discussed about women empowerment and progress made by women in various fields. Karat felt that the parliament should have more women representation. That was possible only if male representation was reduced. For this, a bill was expected to be passed favoring 33% women representation in parliament.
Miscelaneous
Tea Breaks, Lunch, Cocktails and Dinner on both the days were well served- yummy snacks, all types of liquor and soft drinks and a variety of menus for dinner were gourmet’s delight. The breaks also provided and opportunity for all dignitaries and visitors to exchange views and interact with each other.
India Today Group and the entire fleet of officials involved in planning and organizing Hindi Jagat Ka Mahamanch must be complimented for smooth and efficient conduct of the event.
The event would not have been successful without the support of the following:-
Presenting Sponsor- BRYS Group
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Associate Sponsors- Binani, SYSKA, Kesh King, Amul Macho, Shakti- Pumping Life,
hospitality Partner- Le Meridien
Snacks partner- Priyagold, Italiano
Food Partner- Bharat Masala
Airline Partner- Air India
Conclusion
Events of such a magnitude where top leaders participate, share and express their views on current issues being faced by the country are very rarely organized. The politicians and people should realize their rights and work hand in glove with each other to find a solution to existing problems and forge ahead towards rapid growth of the country.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat