TEDx Sharjah 2012, an independent TED event was held on 29th September 2012 and I was lucky to be a part of it. The venue was Al Qasba, the flagship event and cultural hub of this UAE Emirate and the facilities were very well organised. The parking, reception, lunch and snack arrangements were well co-ordinated and it showed Emirati hospitality at its best. Success is no accident and if the organisers are to be believed, it took them nine long months of planning and implementation. Sharjah has always been a very active cultural destination and you can expect to see some rare gems through the hard work of this government.

The young Emirati talents including the hosts of the show were a pleasure to watch even though the show has yet to compete at an international level. The full day event was full of pleasant surprises.

The show started with Capt. Ayesha Al Hamli hailing as an Emirati pilot and her resolve to fly was more than just a career option. It broke the boundaries of conventional thought and set a precedence for future aspirants...not just pilots.Her tagline "The only thing that can come between you and your dreams is YOU " still rings in my ear.

As I settled down in my seat, a man in formals sat next to me. After the first presentation, he walked away only to appear later as one of the speakers. It only occurred to me later, that Preveen Vettiyatil was trying to take in the event from the audience's point of view. He presented his invention: a pedal powered machine which displayed ingenuity and claimed to solve all our power problems. His talk however, was on being an inventor of sorts. He proposed that each one of us can invent and make a difference in our own humble way. As per him, the field of inventions is not the prerogative of an elite few.The disappointment was that his oratory was below normal and his accent muddled. All in all he expressed himself, but could have been more effective with better public speaking skills.

An eye opener for an expatriate like me was the talk by Ms. Naoko Kishidia from Japan who married an Emirati and adopted the country and its culture. I was fortunate to be able to talk to her later and she came across as a very simple soul full of positivity. She runs the UAE-Japan cultural centre to bridge the gap between the two communities.

Dr. Raymond Hamdan stole the show hands down! He is a clinical psychologist and a wonderful orator. He connected with the audience instantly with his half-mock-half-Arabic E-I-E-I-O (Old Mc Donald). Having them spellbound, he took up the issue of the ill effects of new media on our current family life. Statistics shown by him, though with a western bias made me re-think the time and the quality I invest in my family.

Sheikh Mohamed Al Thani, the Emirati mountaineer wishing to scale the world's seven (7) highest peaks was such an inspiration...more so for the Emirati youth. He received a hero's welcome and the farewell of a close friend. It shows that when you are bestowed with all the blessings from the Almighty, you should give back to society and always try to test your limits.

All in all the event was well received and I hope that soon a TED can be organised in Sharjah also.