TEDxUCSI: Ideas to transform Malaysia

UCSI University hosted a TEDx event with its theme “Ideas to Transform Malaysia”. The event began exactly 7.15pm on the 22 September at the Blue Ocean Strategy Hall at UCSI University’s North Wing campus.

Following its sub theme, “media and entertainment”, the event kicked off with a short documentary of various international TEDx events from diverse countries around the world.

TEDx is a programme of local and self-organized events that enables students to share different experiences during TED gatherings. The very first TED featured four speakers – Amir Muhammad, Sreedhar Subramaniam, Rizal Kamal and Fahmi Fadzil.

First to take the stage was the founder of Comedy Club KL, Rizal Kamal. He began with an introduction to “The importance of standup comedy”. According to Rizal, although the comedy scenes in Malaysia are small unlike that of America, Europe and other western countries, the future of standup comedy in Malaysia is set to takeover the stage in a short while.”

In a few months, Rizal intends to organize an international standup comedy show with some of the best comics in Asia such as Queen Kumar, King Douglas Lim and a few others to have an international tour that will enlighten the world of the excellent standup comedy in Asia.

The foremost significance of standup comedy is laughter. “Laughter is universal and contagious. It is good to laugh because laughter is the best medicine that helps increase blood flow as well as reduce stress” he added.

In the fortitude of laughter, a short video from an international event hosted by TED was publicized to the audience. The video featured American Magician Keith Barry.

Founder of Malaysian Insider, Sreedhar Subramanian took the stage directly after the video presentation with his topic “Ideas to change Malaysia through the media”. He started with the statement “the truth is in everyone”.

Learning is a part of our everyday live and just as we have gone through an education system, it would be appropriate for us to use the resources within us to create a positive change in Malaysia through the media industry.

Sreedhar feels that the biggest failure people have is less skill and poor character. Notwithstanding all this, he strongly affirmed that Malaysia has a powerful and effective media that needs to be enhanced and hyped internationally.

Host of pop Tee Vee’s  “Fairly current show”, Fahmi Fadzil was not left out of the talk show. He contributed prudently to the theme of the event, using his friends as an example. Fahmi’s topic “The joy of doing things with friends” deliberated on how unity and oneness between him and his friends has brought him a long way in life.

The highlight of the event entailed a short video presentation on the effects of technology in filmmaking by the famous American TV series “Lost”, J.J. Abrams.

It was undeniably an event that enhanced various topics on the ideas to transform Malaysia. The event gave a deep insight to the students concerning the effects of media and the various ways Malaysia can take new turns through the media industry.

An intellectual gathering in the sense that it broadened students knowledge on the incredible opportunities filmmakers derive and the effects of technology in recent times.