Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: On my first day at SRCC, I thought kahan phans gaye?

Inspiring DU students: One of the biggest events of Delhi University, the Youth Conference 2016, a two-day annual event organized by the Shri Ram College of Commerce, concluded recently. The event saw speakers coming from all walks of life, including sports, entertainment and politics, to talk about their inspiring journeys and encourage the youth.
Real-life stars: The event began with former shooter and MoS for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, addressing the crowd.Rathore spoke about his journey from sports to politics. Commenting on the recent Uri attacks, he said, "Enough people have spilled their blood protecting Kashmir. I think Pakistan has made a big mistake and Kashmir is not going anywhere. Unhone panga le liya hai aur woh bhi bahut bada panga le liya hai." Rathore’s session on Day 1 was followed by those with Anuja Chauhan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Kishore Biyani, Manish Paul, Abhinav Bindra, Soha Ali Khan, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and a concluding performance by singer Prateek Kuhad.
Going with the flow: Mehra, an SRCC alumnus who went from advertising to cinema, was asked by a student if he had a lot of expectations from the transition, to which he replied, “I didn’t think so much, I had no expectations. It’s just that this happened and I went along with it. Nothing was planned, I had no idea that I was going to make movies. In fact, I had no idea what I was going to do next!” Talking about his love for his alma mater, he said, "SRCC is the best college in DU."
Mere baap ka College: Manish, as he started his session, pointed out, “I have distributed pamphlets outside this college (once upon a time). It is a great feeling to come inside and address the audience. Meri percentage toh itni kam thi ki main North Campus main kahin bhi admission nahin le sakta tha. But my dad is an alumnus of the college, so I can proudly say ki yeh college mere baap ka hai.”
(L-R) Soha Ali Khan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore were present at the Youth Conference (BCCL)
A non-fashionable actress? Soha kept her session as interactive as possible. "I think it is better if you just ask me questions, as I am a very open person and would love to answer all your questions," she said. When a student from the audience said that she has great fashion sense, and asked what her inspiration was, the actress commented, "I am not a fashionable person. I know what to wear, but I get confused by accessories. That is why I have people who put things (together) for me. I don’t even like makeup. I only apply makeup if someone is giving me money to wear it."
Abhinav Bindra speaking at the Youth Conference (BCCL)
When in college, do as the students do: For some speakers it was just another experience, but for others, visiting a college campus was nostalgic. Ashwiny, director of Nil Battey Sannata, who wore a dress and teamed it with a pair of shoes, said, "It’s my first time in this college, and since it is a college, I have tried to dress up like you guys."
Proud to be studying in this college: Students from SRCC and other colleges requested the speakers for selfies, and the latter obliged happily. Pooja Aggarwal, an SRCC student, said, "We feel proud to study in this college. You do not get to see a conference like this anywhere in DU. I really enjoyed Manish’s session because he was really entertaining. Unlike other speakers, he came down from the stage during his session and clicked selfies with the students." Kiran Sharma, a Kirori Mal College student, added, "I got here around 8am to get a seat. It has been a long and interesting day. It is not every day that you get to hear so many inspiring people under one roof." The second day of the event saw personalities like Rahul Ram, Kailash Kher, Prakash Jha and Shashi Tharoor, among other guest speakers, at the event.