Hyderabad, the city with a history spanning over 400 years, is facing an imminent threat due to the unrestricted expansion activities, historian Narendra Luther observed.
“With amenities like lakes and parks disappearing and due to the increasing population density, Hyderabad is becoming uninhabitable by each passing day,” he said while delivering a lecture at the ‘TEDxCharminar’, held here on Sunday.
Cities come into existence to provide better life to the public and will wither away when they fail to deliver it, he pointed out.
Quoting the writer, T.S. Elliot, he maintained that Hyderabad might as well end its eventful existence in a ‘whimper’ rather than with a ‘bang’.
Thirteen speakers delivered lectures on various topics during the day-long TEDx event organised by Broadridge Financial Solutions.
Tips on writing
While author Gurucharan Das spoke about the problems faced by the Indian society and shared his ideas about possible solutions, novelist Anita Nair gave practical tips on the art of writing novels.
The highlight of the day, however, was an onstage performance by painter Vilas Nayak who created a larger-than-life portrait of Mother Theresa holding an infant within minutes, that too while jiving to a foot tapping musical number.
Applause
As Mr. Nayak painted the picture upside down, the packed hall kept guessing what the final result would be and broke into applause as he inverted the finished painting.
Personalities such as Gita Aravamudan, B.M. Hegde, Hussain Zaidi and V. Raghunathan also spoke in the event.
TEDx events are organised every year to encourage exchange of ideas.
