Success is no Accident. 

Everyone celebrates Success. From books to quotes to films to pop culture references, success has cemented its premier elite position in the society. With the stories of achievements doing rounds in almost all the media, the façade of success keeps becoming more prominent with the passing eons. But, lying humbly in the humble background, it is the various failures that lay down the foundation of such news headlines. And then the flavour of success is best savoured by a tongue that has experienced the bitter tastes of failures. Celebrating the very journey of these remarkable destinations, a confluence of stalwart personalities graced the inaugural TEDx hosted by IIM Amritsar on Wednesday. The talk provided various stories and anecdotes that further asserted the belief that success comes through observation, participation, competence and confidence. To build on such things, a belief in self is as important as the paths laid down to achieve it. And thus, with their own experiences of life, the speakers strongly conveyed that indeed ‘SUCCESS IS NO ACCIDENT’, which has been the central theme of the talk. The event started with some glittering performances by the students of IIM Amritsar that set the tone for rest of the day. The first TED talk by Shah Rukh Khan was played for the audience to establish the theme of the event. Mr Khan reached the pinnacle of success through tremendous hard work, sheer willpower and the hunger to live his passion thereby instilling the belief that “Success is no accident”. The event was graced by thirteen eminent personalities from different walks of life working in diverse fields. Avatar Lila Das (Monk & Life Coach),  Padma Shri Dr Mahesh Verma (Prosthodontist), Dr Sheetal Vohra (Supreme Court Lawyer, Vohra and Vohra), Dr Sujaya Banerjee (Founder & CEO, Capstone Consulting), Padma Shri Jadav Payeng (Forest Man of India), Krishnarjun Bhattacharya (Author & Film-maker), Manish Tyagi (Stand-up Comedian), Padma Shri Pratibha Prahlad (Bharat Natyam Dancer & Educator), Sukriti Chaturvedi (Video Jockey & Blogger), Varun Malhotra ( Financial Literary Expert), Vijay Kedia (Kedia Securities Pvt. Limited), Indrani Chatterjee (HR Thought Leader & Entrepreneur) and Anupal Banerjee (CHRO, TATA Technologies) reminisced their encounter with passion and the incidents that spurred them to achieve the success. The speakers presented diverse views and united on the ultimate goal of success while aligning with the theme of the event. The magnitude of data we are bombarded with each second is beyond the capacity of the mind to process. The gamut of data can easily cloud the subconscious mind with severe doubts and forced to pass judgements. In such a scenario there is a need to think slow and embrace diversity. There are shortcuts to success. No one ever found a cookbook that contained the recipes of success. The thousands of fuzzy definitions of success in numerous books all but indicate that success is driven by the attitude of never giving up, utilisation of common sense and being aware that success may cause accidents since it is a slippery road. Success may require one to take tough calls and bypass the norms of the society. Difficulty in work-life balance and hostilities are the obstacles that are dwarfed by the passion to work and family support. One must stay focussed and maintain peace of mind to stay on course. Serenity and resistance to temptations of futile desires hasten the speed to fulfil a task. Small efforts over the course of time contribute to the huge goal to be achieved. Determination and belief in oneself can help a person to attain everything possible and available under the roof. Mementos were given to all the speakers. Lunch was served at 1 p.m. The event concluded gracefully with high tea at 5:30 p.m.