The Silence That Taught Me to Listen | Manya Agarwal | TEDxYouth@CHIREC
Can silence reveal what words often cannot? In this moving talk, Manya Agarwal reflects on how failure—both personal and societal—can become a powerful teacher when met with empathy. She shares her journey of discovering Indian Sign Language, sparked by a moment of social failure that opened her eyes to the importance of connection and accessibility. With grace and honesty, Manya shows how listening deeply can transform silence into understanding, reminding us that to Fail Forward is to grow through compassion and human connection. Manya is a Grade 12 IBDP student at CHIREC, where she studies Psychology, Math, and Economics at the higher level. She’s the kind of person who’s always exploring — whether it’s a new idea, a social issue, or a language she doesn’t fully speak yet.
She started Project SignVerse to spread awareness about Indian Sign Language, creating interactive sessions that gently challenge how we think about communication and accessibility. As part of ISB’s I-Venture program, she pitched the idea for AccessAbility — an AI-based concept designed to make sign language communication more inclusive in everyday spaces.Outside all this, Manya is usually painting, journaling, reading psych papers, or trying to make sense of Chinese characters — just a little hobby of hers while learning Korean and Mandarin (with more languages definitely on the way). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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