The Power of Language: Madura Katta at TEDxYouth@Edmonton (Transcript)

Here is the full transcript of Madura Katta’s TEDx Talk: The Power of Language at TEDxYouth@Edmonton conference.

TRANSCRIPT:

Last summer in India, I volunteered at a school for the mentally challenged, where I met a 16 year old girl who was too petrified to utter a single word the entire time I was there. I was 16 as well but on the other hand I was loud, exuberant and I was running an art program that gave the girls there, resources to do this art,

The centre had painted before, but I suggested that they display their art. It not only brightened up the room, it also brightened up the girls’ faces. They kept pointing at it, telling me how much they loved seeing it up there. That was the first time in three weeks that I heard that 16 year old girl talk. That is the power of self expression.

Something she gave through her art and something I gave through language. Raise your hands, if you write in your journal at least twice a week. As you can see, most of the audience has their hands down. This is because quite often we put this expression of thoughts on the back burner. So, by the end of my speech I hope to convince you, not only to write more, but also to start expressing your thoughts more.

I’ve been a poet since Grade 2. I’ve always loved the way language can express such expansive feelings, like love or acceptance, such small phrases. My favorite form of poetry has always been free form. The language itself manages to break barriers, and circumvent the rules of grammar. The marvelous Canadian poet, Margaret Atwood, is characteristic of this form-breaking poetry.

In her poem ‘Two Fires’, she writes, “All those corners and straight lines flaming, the carefully made structure prisoning us in a cage of blazing bars.” This verse creates a dichotomy between structure, familiarity, and the wildness, unknown. Bringing forth the idea that unfamiliarity is not always a bad thing. The same way language can be used to look beyond perpetuated ideas, to explore, to discover what feels right to you. The more I write, the greater is my ability to explore, risk and discover.