Veg biryani hona?

The Hyderabad chapter of Youth and Truth was at NALSAR, a premium institution of law in the country. Being a law college, everything must be debated here. And probably debated also was whether to host a spiritual guru on campus. But it did happen, and Sadhguru’s aura drew a full crowd. Curious NALSAR-ites walked in knowing very well that they would have debate for lunch and enthusiastic youth from neighbouring colleges came hoping for life-changing gyan. Some came in large groups with the one-off skeptic, some came dragging their +1s hoping their life would change too, and some just came on their own.

 

Hyderabad

 

Students walked in with many unanswered questions that they felt they couldn’t ask their parents or friends.

 

 

Subscribe

Get weekly updates on the latest blogs via newsletters right in your mailbox.

The NALSAR chapter was indeed a spicy one – just like the delicious aromatic biryani this lovely city has to offer! It was only apt that Sadhguru was dressed in fiery red, all set to participate.

And then came the twist

While the crowd was eagerly waiting in the auditorium for the event to start, the lucky few were the ones left outside. Sadhguru drove in and then came the twist, as he took a frisbee and flung it in the air for the young bystanders to catch.

The event began with melodious renditions by Sounds of Isha followed by a crisp showcase of a melodious “Vande Mataram” set to neat and elegant movements by the students from Isha Samskriti. Then, the Indian Idol 9 sensation Revanth set the mood with peppy local numbers. But what moved the audience from their chairs was Sadhguru’s entry onto the dais.

Let the debate begin…

When the event began, the moderators seemed to have it all under control. They had 12 questions carefully researched and picked to represent the contemporary topics that were regularly debated at NALSAR. And they were given the brief that they could be fearless in their questioning.

The session began with a question about first impressions, perhaps as a message to Sadhguru and the crowd, that they were not judging the book by the cover and were open to having an objective debate. True to the word fearless, the other questions touched upon varied topics and issues like the National Anthem, Article 377 and others which were not so political in nature. The questions were passionate, and the dialogue was so gripping that there was absolute silence in the crowd, but for the loud cheers after both  the question and answer.

 

Hyderabad

What is in a 52 second song?

In the spirit of the discussion, Sadhguru engaged with the students on the same topic multiple times if they were not satisfied with his answer or there was a follow-up question. Even during the intense atmosphere of the debate, especially around the topic of nationalism and standing for the national anthem, Sadhguru responded with calmness and stressed upon understanding the existing realities of our nation and working towards creating a nation in our hearts and minds.

 

Hello, which one of you is the police?

Among other questions on sociopolitical issues, there was one question that concerned the law students, one around vigilantism or activism in the country where certain groups take law into their hands to protect their sentiments or interests. Sadhguru advocated that no one had the right to interfere in anything that was not defined in the constitution or the law books. But he also raised a pertinent issue in the minds of the students that these situations arise since the justice system is not serving people in need in a timely fashion.

He appealed to the law students, the lawyers and lawmakers of tomorrow to bring down the time it takes to bring justice to the people.

When the crowd had debate for lunch

What was to be a 2-hour session became a 3-hour 15 min session and closed well after lunch time, as neither the crowd nor the questioning budged. It required the interruption of the NALSAR management to stop the event due to time constraints. The moderator thanked Sadhguru for patiently answering all the questions and Sadhguru quipped that he “patiently listened and explosively answered”. While the session left the audience wanting more, everyone was charged for the entire duration and couldn’t leave the edge of their seats.

Hot takeaways

For many, this was a great introduction to Sadhguru, his pragmatic outlook, wisdom and cucumber coolness. Not only were they impressed with the content, but also by his delivery and picked up a tip or two watching Sadhguru handle the intense questioning and atmosphere. For some, it was a great debate, one that leaders rarely indulge in.