We live in a beautiful world

When 18-year-old Heeral Jagwani heard that her favourite band Coldplay was due to perform at an Indian concert which offered a chance at free tickets, she dismissed the news as just another social media hoax. That changed when her sister filled her in about Global Citizen Festival, an annual music festival organized in an attempt to foster social development goals across the globe, harmonized with the United Nation's 'Sustainable Development Goals'—set of seventeen positive aspirations to accomplish by 2030. "Initially, I was excited about the free tickets, but research led me to some very inspiring stories from the Global Citiznen's New York Festival, " says the student at Jaipur's Jayshree Periwal High School. She signed up for the third phase of Global Citizen India's 'Action Journey', a series of online 'tasks' involving posting, tweeting or signing petitions on relevant social issues. Successful completion of each task would add up to the specific number of points that in turn, qualified one for a lottery to win the tickets. Luckily for Heeral, the assigned topic of breaking menstruation taboos was something she was already familiar with, having raised awareness about the same as a part of her school project. Before she knew it, that offhand social media post had actually won her her precious ticket. But that wasn't quite the best part. Calling her time at the concert "a whole new experience," Heeral insists, "Obviously I wouldn't mind being closer to the stage, but the spot at the Yellow Zone that I earned was special because it gave me moments of solidarity with fellow Action Journey winners, all united by our choice to adopt social causes".

For Mumbaikar Ankita Bhatia, Global Citizen's earn-your-ticket approach was not news, for she had been following their activities before they announed their event in India. "My phase of the tasks involved taking quizzes on social taboos and gender inequality, but that wasn't what won me a ticket!" points out the Class XII student of IES Management College, Bandra. Eager to expand her impact beyond the virtual, Ankita joined Global Citizen's 'Green Batti Project' in which she had to visit the Hasanbad Lane Municipal Primary School at Khar to collect data on infrastructure, education and sanitation conditions in an offline Action Journey. "There were times when I was tempted to just go ahead and buy those tickets," admits Ankita, "but I didn't, because that was not the point of the initiative". Was it all worth it? "Well, they sang my favourite songs—Fix You and In My Place—social leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amitabh Bachchan shared motivating thoughts, and I even saw fireworks and balloons go up during the show!" gushes the girl who can't get over the energy of "eighty thousand people celebrating music together". Ankita, who plans to track Global Citizen's initiatives beyond the concert, is positive that "each little contribution to the society counts". "And a couple of hours spent volunteering on a Saturday costs nothing, right?" she asks.

For 19-year-old Akshay Sharan, studying 'Global Citizenship' in his Sociology course at O.P. Jindal Global University, Delhi, had a lot to do with him responding passionately to the initiative that many misconstrued as a Coldplay concert. "Sure, I was excited about watching A.R. Rahman and Coldplay, but in my head, the artists were only the added incentive". For Akshay, the implication of public figures making social pledges in front of eighty thousand countrymen is thrilling. "If at least twenty thousand of that crowd holds them accountable, it can trigger a change," reasons the youngster who picked up a dozen water bottles that were lying around in a royal show of post-concert littering at the MMRDA grounds, that left many questioning the quantitative impact of a humanitarian concert. "With the announcement of the pledge-tracker, and money already flowing in, I feel that the larger possibilities outweigh the problems," says the student overwhelmed by the "positive forces at play through out the concert". That night, I could look at people and tell who were thinking "Coldplay kab aega," (When will Coldplay come on stage?) and who, like me, were happy to see leaders from opposing political ideologies sharing concern about issues like sanitation and education," notes Akshay. His favourite part of the concert arrived when Chris Martin joined A.R. Rahman in his rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam.

At this point, a collective amount of Rs 40,500 crore has been allotted to different social causes, with state and central leaders making twenty-five pledges and announcements. If the young adults are to be heard, Saturday's concert was not about Coldplay, but the underlying love and fellowship their music inspires. It was about action and hope. Hope for a future where we can uncross our fingers as we sing "We live in a beautiful world".