Sonu Sood and Anshu Gupta to discuss humanity and compassion in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Humanitarian and actor Sonu Sood and Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient Anshu Gupta will participate in a humanity dialogue in Hyderabad on Friday, November 13, focusing on compassion, human dignity and social responsibility.
The discussion, titled “The Humanity in Us”, will form the seventh edition of Symposium, a Hyderabad-based knowledge forum. The event will take place at The Debut, HITEX, Hyderabad. In a press note issued on Thursday, organisers said the programme would examine how compassion could inspire meaningful humanitarian action.
The conversation will bring together two individuals known for their contributions to humanitarian assistance and community development. Sonu Sood, an actor and film producer, gained widespread recognition for helping people during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Anshu Gupta, founder of Goonj and a Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient, has focused on linking charitable giving with dignity, empathy and community participation. Independent journalist Uma Sudhir, former Executive Editor (South) at NDTV, will moderate the discussion.
Drawing on her journalistic experience, she will guide the conversation around humanitarian challenges and the experiences of people affected by them. The dialogue will explore what motivates individuals to respond to human suffering. Moreover, it will examine how immediate assistance can develop into sustained social change.
Organisers said the discussion would also address the importance of dignity, independence and collective responsibility in humanitarian efforts. Another focus will be the changing nature of charity and philanthropy as organisations adopt more strategic approaches to social development.
The participants will examine why humanitarian initiatives must place people and their dignity at the centre of assistance programmes.
Symposium plans white paper on humanitarian action
Symposium also announced plans to publish a white paper based on insights emerging from the humanity dialogue in Hyderabad. According to the organisers, the document will aim to inform strategies and policies supporting sustainable humanitarian assistance.
The proposed publication will draw on the discussion about compassion, social responsibility and the transition from immediate relief to long-term action. The forum has previously organised six editions covering subjects including sports, the environment, spirituality, space technology and cybersecurity.
With support from leading academic institutions, Symposium has published white papers based on its earlier sessions. The seventh edition will extend that approach to humanitarian aid, philanthropy and the role of compassion in addressing social challenges.