TEDxNIFTEM 2026: Eight Years of Waiting, Sixteen Months of Building, One Dream Realised
By Dasari Kartheek Viswateja | Organiser, TEDxNIFTEM 2026 | Secretary, Geetanjali – The Literary Society (2025–26)
Some dreams take years to find their stage. Some ideas survive rejection, uncertainty, and countless setbacks. And some stories become bigger than the people who start them.
On 7 February 2026, we made history at the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K).
For the first time in the institute's history, we successfully brought an independently organised TEDx event to our campus. What stood before the audience as TEDxNIFTEM – Echoes from the Deep was the outcome of nearly eight years of aspiration, approximately sixteen months of dedicated work, repeated attempts, application rejections, institutional coordination, and the collective determination of an incredible student team.
As the Organiser of TEDxNIFTEM and Secretary of Geetanjali – The Literary Society for the 2025–26 tenure, this was more than an event I helped organise. It was a responsibility I chose to take on, a vision I wanted to realise, and a milestone I wanted to leave behind for the generations that would follow.
This is the story behind that stage.
The Dream Was Older Than Our Team
Before TEDxNIFTEM became a reality, the idea had already lived through several generations of students.
For nearly eight years, our seniors and previous Geetanjali teams had made attempts to bring TEDx to NIFTEM-Kundli. They envisioned creating a platform where individuals could share ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire others through experiences worth listening to.
However, despite their efforts, the dream remained unfulfilled.
When our team decided to pursue the initiative, we knew we were not starting from scratch. We were carrying forward something that others had already tried to accomplish.
Our first attempts to obtain the TEDx licence were unsuccessful. Rejections followed, and the process demanded more patience than we had initially anticipated.
There were moments when we had to revisit our approach, rethink our proposals, strengthen our applications, and start conversations all over again.
But I never wanted our attempt to become another unfinished chapter.
We kept trying.
I strongly believe that some opportunities require you to demonstrate persistence before you are given the opportunity to demonstrate capability. TEDxNIFTEM became one such journey.
Sixteen Months That Changed Everything
What followed was approximately sixteen months of planning, execution, coordination, and continuous problem-solving.
From developing the event concept and defining its identity to working through the licensing process, obtaining institutional support, coordinating with speakers, managing logistics, planning the auditorium experience, and preparing the teams, every stage came with its own challenges.
There were countless meetings, repeated follow-ups, redesigned plans, unexpected obstacles, and decisions that required us to think beyond our immediate responsibilities.
Behind every announcement was a conversation. Behind every approval was coordination. Behind every finished element was a team member who had invested time and effort into making it happen.
We were students managing academics alongside an initiative that demanded professional-level planning and accountability.
There were times when things did not move as expected. There were moments of uncertainty and pressure. But what kept us moving was the understanding that this opportunity was bigger than any one of us.
We were not simply trying to conduct a successful event.
We were trying to establish something that NIFTEM-Kundli could continue to build upon.
TEDxNIFTEM – Echoes from the Deep
7 February 2026 | Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Auditorium, NIFTEM-Kundli
After months of preparation, the day finally arrived.
TEDxNIFTEM made its debut under the theme:
"Echoes from the Deep – What Lies Hidden Shapes What We Become."
The theme invited us to explore the unseen experiences, untold stories, hidden perspectives, and deeper influences that shape our identities and the world around us.
We brought together five speakers from diverse backgrounds, each with a distinctive journey and perspective:
- Dr. Aruna Broota
- Sampada Tewari
- Lavanya Yadav
- Vikrant Tongad
- Ramveer Tanwar
Their presence and contributions made the first edition an opportunity for meaningful conversations and fresh perspectives.
Seeing the TEDxNIFTEM identity come alive on the auditorium screen, the illuminated TEDxNIFTEM installation on stage, and the audience experience something that had remained a campus aspiration for years was an indescribable moment.
For me, that was when the entire journey came together.
The rejections, the meetings, the revisions, the uncertainty, and the countless hours of work finally had a place to lead.
The stage was no longer an idea on a presentation. It was real.
The Team That Made It Happen
No legacy is built by one person.
As much as I am proud of being associated with TEDxNIFTEM as its Organiser, I am even more proud of the people who stood alongside me throughout this journey.
The Geetanjali 2025–26 core team played an instrumental role in bringing this vision to life.
The Organising Leadership
- Dasari Kartheek Viswateja – Organiser, TEDxNIFTEM; Secretary, Geetanjali 2025–26.
- Aman Kumar – Co-organiser, TEDxNIFTEM; Treasurer, Geetanjali 2025–26.
The Geetanjali Core Team
- Vaishnavi Singh – Vice President, Geetanjali 2025–26.
- Agrima Singh – Joint Secretary, Geetanjali 2025–26.
- Kritika Dhiman – Head Executive, Geetanjali 2025–26.
Every individual contributed in different capacities, from planning and coordination to communications, creative execution, logistics, and on-ground management.
I want to acknowledge the entire Geetanjali 2025–26 team, including every executive, volunteer, and student who contributed to the initiative.
The late-night discussions, the constant follow-ups, the last-minute changes, and the shared determination to get everything right are memories that will remain with us long after the event.
To our seniors, who attempted to bring TEDx to this campus before us: this achievement also belongs to you. Your efforts kept the idea alive, and we are grateful to have carried it forward.
We did not build this milestone alone. We built upon the efforts of everyone who believed in the possibility of TEDx at NIFTEM.
Gratitude to Our Institutional Mentors
An initiative of this scale requires more than student enthusiasm. It requires institutional trust, guidance, encouragement, and the willingness to support student-led ambitions.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to:
- Dr. Rajni Chopra
- Dr. Vinkel Kumar Arora
- Dr. Anshul Dhawan
- Dr. Harinder Oberoi – Director, NIFTEM-K
- Dr. Prabhat K. Nema – Dean, Student Welfare
- Dr. Neeraj – Dean, Academics
Your guidance, encouragement, and confidence in our efforts played a significant role in making TEDxNIFTEM possible.
I am equally grateful to the faculty members, administrative staff, institutional departments, and everyone who supported us throughout the process.
Thank you for trusting students with an ambitious vision and giving us the opportunity to turn it into reality.
What This Journey Taught Me About Leadership
Looking back, TEDxNIFTEM has been one of the most transformative experiences of my student journey.
It taught me that leadership is not defined by designations, photographs, or standing on a stage.
It is defined by what you do when things do not work out.
It is about taking responsibility when there is no clear roadmap, maintaining belief when the results are uncertain, listening to your team, learning from rejection, and ensuring that the people working alongside you feel that their efforts matter.
Most importantly, it taught me that institutional milestones are rarely created in a single day. They are built through hundreds of decisions, conversations, corrections, and small contributions that eventually come together.
I entered this journey wanting to bring TEDx to NIFTEM-Kundli.
I walked away with a much deeper understanding of teamwork, institutional responsibility, perseverance, and the kind of leadership that continues even when nobody is watching.
Season 1 Was Just the Beginning
TEDxNIFTEM 2026 was our first edition, but I do not see it as the conclusion of a journey.
I see it as the foundation.
We have demonstrated that a student-led vision can become an institutional milestone when people come together with commitment and purpose.
The next chapter should build on this foundation, bringing greater perspectives, stronger conversations, and an even more meaningful experience to our campus.
I am already looking forward to TEDxNIFTEM Season 2.
There is more to explore, more to learn, more voices to hear, and more ideas waiting to be shared.
To everyone who believed in us, supported us, worked with us, and stood beside us: thank you for being part of this story.
Eight years of attempts. Sixteen months of determination. Countless people behind one stage. One historic beginning.
We did not just organise the first TEDx at NIFTEM-Kundli. We completed a journey that generations before us had started dreaming about.
And now, the journey continues.
History doesn't wait. It is created.
At NIFTEM-Kundli, we created it.
About the Author
Dasari Kartheek Viswateja is a student leader, technology enthusiast, and organiser of TEDxNIFTEM 2026. He served as the Secretary of Geetanjali – The Literary Society, NIFTEM-Kundli, during the 2025–26 tenure and contributed to building student-led platforms for ideas, expression, creativity, and intellectual engagement.
TED Profile: https://www.ted.com/profiles/49032751
Geetanjali Profile: https://geetanjali.niftem.in/public_profile.php?id=ad87626624bf273832273d3ade6a96b9
About Geetanjali – The Literary Society
Geetanjali – The Literary Society is a student-led literary and creative society at NIFTEM-Kundli. It provides a platform for students to explore literature, communication, public speaking, critical thinking, creative expression, and meaningful conversations through events, competitions, and institutional initiatives.
Website: https://geetanjali.niftem.in/
Instagram: @geetanjali.niftem
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