DailyPost 2371
INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE 2023 – A BRAINSTORMING LIKE NO OTHER
A conclave can mean a private or secret meeting or an assembly or gathering, especially one that has special authority, power of influence or an assembly or gathering of the cardinals for the election of Pope, as per dictionary.com. This conclave corresponds to which one of the definitions, is difficult to comprehend. I grew up within days of India Today and treated it as our bible of current developments all around us; incisive, objective and critical, with a very well researched and analytical editorial. I have not seriously given a thought of what transpired in the earlier conclaves, but followed the current one because of the wide coverage, given by the India Today TV Channel.
Is the word conclave meant to be a fancy word in place of conference, or meet, or summit or what not? Or has it been thought through to convey a clear-cut format of the conclave. This format was not forthcoming. The 2023 conclave to be a motley mix of politicians, powerful, influential, rich, celebrity types, and corporate honchos; the ones who could make themselves available and talk on whichever topic they wanted to. The topics were mostly made to look relevant. They could also go on, on a format of their choice. It could be a conversation, dialogue or exceptionally a monologue as well. The platform could be used for any purpose the speaker intended to use.
The conclave was not a platform with the purpose. It could also be used for the same purposes for which the politicians have been using all sorts of platforms. Talking of the politicians appearing there, what different was it, from the daily rigmarole of the news channels. But for the word India Moment, there was very difficult to make out the theme of the conclave, if we treat is as a conference, what it was broadly intended to be. Can we in any way take the conclave, as a high-end brainstorming session of the decision makers and influencers? The siloed arrangement did not provide any scope for that.
For the nature of the audience it attracted or were invited to be a part of, there was absolutely nothing interactional. In was like a copybook classroom audience. The introduction and conversation left lot to be desired. Being a well reputed media company, with the DNA of print and electronic journalism that it has in its stables, did not come out on display. Given the transformational times we live in; end of a pandemic, recession taking centre-stage and technology on the verge of disrupting everything, futurism has be inbuild into whatever theme, any conference carries. Here, the conclave was itself the theme. It was a high energy event for sure, making a landmark; with festive apparels, location and the attendees doing the honors. It was an event to enable its stature. What the speakers, attendees and vast tv audience carried home is very difficult to answer. From a marketing perspective, India Today Conclave certainly will have the memory recall.
ONLY EXPERTSIE, CONTENT AND PURPOSE CAN RULE ANY CONFERNCE, NOTHING ELSE CAN.
Sanjay Sahay