Anuj Poddar

Blogger, Hindu, Investor, Writer/Editor

Anuj Poddar is a high-school senior at La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata, one of the premier institutions in India. As a Martinian, Anuj has been a debate team representative since the 6th grade, elocutor since the 1st grade, MUN delegate to multiple conferences, and writer for the school editorial. Academically, he has been in the top 5% of his class throughout high school, secured 96.6% (4.0 GPA) in the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Exams and a 1530 (99th percentile) in the Scholastic Assessment Test. Personally, he has always been interested in economics and the workings of the stock market. As a result, he currently operates a $25,000 portfolio in the American Stock Market and writes for his portfolio/market update blog, Week to Week. https://medium.com/@anuj-poddar - Week to Week Anuj has been interested in sports journalism, geopolitics, and human behaviour, outside of academics. As a result, he is planning on hosting a TEDx event on the theme, The Fear of Missing Out, and its individual, societal and institutional implications on the youth. Going forward he has aspirations to pursue an undergraduate degree in either Economics or Finance in America.

I am passionate about the future, more specifically my future. I see my actions as a chain effect all of which lead to my older self and hence why I strive to make decisions that support my passions and set me up for the future. I have always been a sports fan and pairing that with my skill of writing and orating, I started a podcast called The Only Sports Podcast Ever, though now defunct, it fueled my passion for oration with my passion for football. As I explored the subject of Economics, especially macroeconomics, and started reading more about the stock market, I participated in multiple online market simulation competitions to get to grips with the day-to-day workings of the market and eventually started managing my fund where I hold long positions of $20,000. I paired this passion for the stock market with my knack for writing and started my portfolio/market update blog, Week to Week, which I host on Medium to >100 concurrent viewers. Recently I have started generating interest in human behavior and am trying to host a TEDx event on the topic of, The Fear of Missing Out, where I invite behavioral scientists, financial and cryptocurrency experts to discuss institutional and individual effects of FOMO.

An idea that can influence an audience, develop confidence, and inspire is an idea worth spreading. My idea is the Fear of Missing Out. Information overload is at an all-time high and the speed at which the world works is unprecedented. As I see my community hampered by the lack of social infrastructure or platforms for intellectually heightened conversations about psychological, societal, and institutional problems, I feel like the fear of missing out is an idea, which can be greatly helpful for them. Teenagers who are currently involved in the college application process suffer from this complex all the time but are hampered by the lack of a real social conversation about it. This idea has the malleability to be tackled from a social and individual aspect by behavioral scientists, from an institutional aspect by industry experts in finance and Web 3.0.

ECONOMICS, FINANCE, REPORT WRITING, STOCK MARKET

My TED story is currently very short but one I want to sustain for the years to come and supplement with a TEDx of my own. My first experience with TED was the ever-inspiring Sam Berns story. Since then I have continued to learn, be inspired, and be entertained by the multitude of TED and TEDx talks available online. The Tim Urban talk inspired me to start accepting my instant gratification monkey and panic monkey but realize the importance of having a healthy relationship with deadlines and focusing on myself. As I learn more about my interests and see the situation the youth of my city are in, I want to host a TEDx talk of my own to offer a credible platform that can have mature discussions about human problems.

People don't know I am good at music curation.