Our opening ambit to Chris Anderson, head of TED, the non-profit dedicated to the maxim: ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’, is this: “What is an idea?” He smiles in response, “I was not expecting this question. But I am happy you asked. The traditional assumption of an idea is a light bulb moment in your brain – to build an app, or an aeroplane. But, in my opinion, an idea is anything that edits someone’s world. The reason we can navigate the world is we have an internal world view to what to make of something. If I think everyone who enters this room is dangerous, I’ll have a gun, but if I feel everyone is worth trusting, it will be different.”
Anderson is animated when talking about the power of abstract thought, “What excites me about ideas is how powerful they are, physically they are nothing, but if you ignite in someone’s mind, it will spread like wildfire. It is like sneezing, passing the virus on, touching millions of people, [if you] see the idea the right way the impact is incalculable.”
In town with his colleague Special Projects Head, Juliet Blake, Anderson, was in Mumbai last week to announce TED’s debut on television with TED TalksIndia Nayi Soch which will be aired on Star Plus India later this year. The show which has speakers ranging between the ages 17 and 76, will host talks, by superstars and influencers, with a bulk made up of speakers unknown to public – all of who have a big or small idea that can change the world. This is the first time, TED will debut on a television platform and will be hosted by actor Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). Anderson is clearly thrilled to have SRK as the show anchor, “Shah Rukh has a clarity, a knack for asking the right questions, he is likeable and a master of what he does. But best of all, he is a brilliant listener. A rare asset in a performer,” he grins.
Blake who has in an earlier avatar produced the Helen Mirren-Om Puri film, The 100-foot Journey, talks about the high emotional quotient of TED TalksIndia Nayi Soch. “India, I find, is a paternalist society, and many women speakers have made remarkable talks trying to decipher the complicated world they live in. One case of a woman, who talks about violence [feels] extremely close to me. When we started shooting this episode, she started with a strong voice, and somewhere in the middle, she broke down,” recalls Blake. She goes on to describe the studio ambience, “There was Shah Rukh Khan, pensive and thinking inwards, many women in the audience were crying. She is not a superstar or a model, just an ordinary person with an amazing idea. That’s TED for you,” emphasises Blake.
Some of Anderson’s earliest happy memories are from the time he spent in Mussoorie, as a child. Anderson, the offspring of medical missionary parents went to Woodstock School at the age of four. “I was the often the awkward kid at school, younger than most and plump. I was that kid at the back of the class, who wondered why he couldn’t have to get a girlfriend, and [would] dream about stars and science. I was an outsider; a dreamer,” says Anderson. “I was weird, but survived childhood and went to Oxford. I ended up starting a publishing business, which put my skills to work — language, nerdiness, and communication,” says Anderson who eventually went on to buy the TED conference in 2001 after a long stint in journalism and publishing.
Going back to my opening question, Anderson explains that there is no sure formula about good ideas, “What we seek to do is test ideas – we indulge in debates with our team, rope in experts to validate ideas, and ensure it is not something dangerous,” he shares. According to him, ideas are not rigid, they are catalytic, and you can edit them. “My main role is to hire people as talented as this one [pointing to Blake]. We all are inspired by the fact that we can be part of unleashing a powerful thought in the world,” he states simply. Blake jumps in: “Chris has created a community of people who are extremely clever. They say a fish stinks from the head, but this one doesn’t,” she quips.
I ask about the challenge of the spread of negative ideas, like the Blue Whale Challenge. To this, Anderson replies, “I don’t think there is anything more powerful than a powerful idea. There are so many ways online that bad means are spread. And, it is fact that humans are flawed, and you will find all kinds of quirky. The kind of things people find interesting may not be healthy.” But the beauty of TED programmes is that people watching will learn something that will affect their minds. “By the end of a TED talk, you could not be thinking of the speaker or what he said, but tap into a different place in your own thinking. From being a spectator, you become a participant, and there is something about listening to remarkable people. TED can be deeply boring if you are not curious,” asserts Anderson.
