Soch '21 - Article writing competition | IIT Kanpur

Soch’21 – Article Writing Competition

The team at From The Experts’ Mouth (FTEM) in association with the IIT Kanpur MBA team is excited to announce Soch ’21, an article writing competition, open to all. This event is part of the 10th anniversary special edition of Prabandhan ’21, the management fest organized by IIT Kanpur. We, at FTEM, are also delighted to announce our association as the Digital Media Partner of Prabandhan ’21, the three day fest that will witness contests covering the entire gamut of business management, including Finance, HR, Consulting, Supply Chain and more.

Did You Know? We were also the Digital Media Partner at Uttishtha ’21, the entrepreneurship fest of IIM Kashipur. In our first year of operations, we have the proud privilege of being associated with prestigious IITs and IIMs to achieve our purpose.

The Thought Behind Soch ’21

The thought process behind Soch ’21 resonates very well with our approach at FTEM and our resolve to provide a platform for the youth to share their views and perspective. The inspiring thoughts shared by the youth on our platform, across a diverse array of topics, have been extremely well received by our readers. This has prompted us to institutionalize and encourage the mechanisms to encourage the youth to express their thoughts.

As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, mentioned on International Youth Day 2021, we need to engage, include and understand the youth. We are sure that Soch ’21 will provide thousands of youth of our society the opportunity to come forward and share their thoughts on relevant topics, that we have carefully selected for this contest.

Related Read: Top Young Voices on International Youth Day 2021, as shared on From The Experts’ Mouth

Theme for Soch ’21: The One Thought

It will be an understatement to merely mention that the world is changing at a fast pace. In fact, the pace of change is the fastest we have ever seen and some even remark that the pace of change is the slowest we will see in the near future. Such disruptive times need path-breaking ideas that can help us adapt to the Next Normal. And, this forms the bedrock of Soch ’21, where we are looking for The One Thought that can ease this transition to the new era.

The changes that are sweeping the world are omnipresent and impact all aspects of our lives – business, economy, society and almost everything that we can think of. Consequently, we have carefully curated topics where we invite the participants to share The One Thought that can transform the world at large. In their language, the youth of today is woke and all they need is a platform such as FTEM to express themselves and help create a better future for ourselves.

Topics for Submission

After a series of brainstorming sessions and focus group discussions, we have carefully selected five topics on which you can submit your articles to Soch ’21. We are looking for The One Thought across the following five dimensions. The topics are open enough to allow you the flexibility to express your unique thoughts, without being too tightly boxed by the constraints of the rules and regulations of this article writing competition:

#1 – The One Idea

Do you have The One Idea that can help lead business and society in the New Normal or overcome catastrophes. The pandemic has made it amply clear that there is a need for a new world order. Similarly, the geo-political situation in the world is also hinting at the need for a revolution. Or the one idea could be about creating a circular economy for a sustainable planet.

These are only a few examples of the areas in which an idea can change the world. Do not restrict the canvas of your thoughts and submit your article on The One Idea in any sphere that could change our collective future.

#2 – The One Lesson

We are all products of the current education system, that has taught us many lessons. But, do you think that the pedagogy being followed is an anachronism in today’s times? Do you have The One Lesson that you would want to give back to the education system?

Whether it is going back to our roots or racing ahead with technology, we are looking for The One Lesson. Whether you believe that we should focus more on the left brain or the right, or whether we should compulsorily focus on both halves, we are waiting to read your submissions on The One Lesson.

Related Read: Check out the education related articles on FTEM

#3 – The One World

One of the core tenets of our platform is the need to respect, encourage and embrace diversity in all respects. In particular, we need to facilitate an exchange of diverse views and opinions, rather than merely reinforcing our dogmas and beliefs by filtering out people and opinions that do not resemble us.

There have been very significant and powerful movements in the recent past to create The One World that embraces diversity in terms of gender, caste and race. However, there are so many diverse shades to the discussion on diversity, that we need to open our eyes to meta-diversity. Whether you have thoughts on creating The One World by solving the popular but unsolved problems of embracing gender or racial diversity; or whether you want to direct attention to other spheres where we need to create The One World, we are all ears.

#4 – The One Technology

If there is The One thing that has brought about the biggest visible change in our lifetime, it is technology. The virtual world has started intermingling with the real world with the advent of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). Moreover, intelligence is no longer the exclusive preserve of mankind. Our quest for artificial intelligence (AI) has made rapid progress in the last decade and it remains to be seen whether we head into the next winter of AI or continue to make breakthroughs.

Whether you believe in the indomitable spirit of mankind or whether you are a tech evangelist; and whether you are passionate about artificial intelligence or about virtual reality; and whether you believe in a future on Planet Earth or in the lunar and Martian promises made by Musk, Bezos, Branson, et al; we look forward to hearing about The One Technology that we can harness.

Related Read: Articles related to technology on FTEM

#5 – The One Investment

And finally, last but not the least, it is time to invest wisely so that we can generate the optimal return on investment (RoI). In a world that is changing at a frenetic pace, it follows that the age old wisdom of investments is being challenged. History has shown us that economic models are man-made and can change. What will the future of investments look like?

Whether you are a staunch believer in cryptos, or whether you chose to interpret investment using the tenet of time or happiness or health; or whether you want to stick to the conventional definition of financial investments; we encourage you to think about The One Investment that helps you create abundance.

Related Read: Articles about Finance on FTEM

Submission Guidelines for Soch ’21

The submission details and guidelines for this article writing competition are provided below. In a nutshell, all you need to do is register your participation and submit a PDF file of not more than three pages, containing your article and other details, as mentioned in the submission guidelines.

Registration Deadline – 27th September, 2021
Submission Deadline – 30th September, 2021
Winners Announcement – during Prabandhan ’21 i.e. 8th – 10th October, 2021

Please refer to the detailed submission guidelines, terms and conditions and details of the contest, including prizes to be won. No prizes for guessing that apart from the monetary prizes and certificates, some entries will get published on our website.

Coming Up: Tips and Tricks on Writing Articles for Soch ’21

We hope that this theme of The One Thought has triggered an avalanche of ideas and you are excited to make your submission to this article writing competition.

Let us make this The One Journey that is etched in our memories, as we travel together towards our destination of making the world a better place and becoming the best version of ourselves, You Version 2.0.

You can make a start right now by spreading the good word and letting people know about Soch ’21.