There goes a popular adage that you’re only as good as the company you keep. In times of raging intolerance and unresolved mental traumas, a bunch of youth are all set to rustle up a non-profitable initiative with a refreshing youth-centric spin – the South India Jam. The intent of the initiative is to bring like-minded proactive youngsters under one roof for an insightful session of deep listening, sharing, self-discovery, community building, exploring meaningful change both personally and socially. With its first edition all set to kick-start in namma ooru on May 23, we delve deeper.
“The idea was to bring aspiring and established social change makers together. Everyone was discussing about bringing out a diverse group of people and perspectives and see how it all pans out. So, we decided to give this a shot,” reveals Kaushiek Pranoo, co-organiser and co-facilitator. While the concept has been running nationally on an annual basis since the year 2012, South India Jam was categorically conjured up to milk the talent in the southern region of the country. “Simply put, the fest entails activities which facilitate community building and personality development by a journey starting from within, and renewal in our work towards exploring meaningful change within oneself, both personally and socially,” adds Kaushiek. The first edition will see participants from across the country participating in it. But, are namma ooru’s folk stoked? With the city being a melting pot for culture, theatre, live gigs and the like, enthusiasts are hopeful that the initiative will convey the right message. Speaking about which, Akansha Singh, a young marketing professional says, “It’s certain that anything which fosters one to open up will find takers in Bengaluru. The city is currently in a space of discovery. We are still opening up to a lot of socially relevant and personally stirring instances. The idea is to nurture the concept of speaking out. I would like to see how this pans out.” Roy Jacob, a former IT professional turned organic farmer who’s previously been a part of the previous editions of youth jams in the country, concludes, “It helped me some discover myself, and develop inner awareness.
There’s a great deal of abstractness in the sequence of events. It’s not an intellectual debate. Most importantly it’s helped me sit up and observe. It’s about creating a space for personal sharing. People open up, there’s honesty and authentic conversations. They say things you’ve never said to anyone. It’s a liberal feeling with gender-specific activities, and the beauty of it is when one person starts, people tend to follow. For those wanting to make a start, to meet like-minded people, people who’re actually open to different perspectives, this is it. It’s about time we give ourselves and those around us a listen.” The South India Jam will take place in the Fireflies Ashram from May 23 to May 28.
