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The Hindu Huddle Day 1 was packed with thought-provoking sessions, and it concluded following a performance by mentalist Naman Anand, whose session titled “Mind Games” took the audience through a mind-bending experience of illusions and tricks.
Also Read: The Hindu Huddle 2026 Day 1 Highlights
“Do you have any secrets? Then guard them.”
That is how Naman Anand was introduced. Popularly known as Bollywood’s favourite mind reader, the mentalist has performed for personalities ranging from Shah Rukh Khan and the Ambani family to IPL cricket teams.
After serious and critical dialogues the whole day, this playful session came as a welcome change. He opened his interactive session by inviting an audience member on stage and asking her to choose a number between 1 and 100. He then pulled out a list of the “Top 100 Hollywood personalities” on his phone. The woman chose two, and the number corresponded to Brad Pitt on the list. Mr. Anand then impressed the audience by pulling out a photo of the American actor.
That warm-up act set the tone for the rest of the 30-minute performance. Another attendee was invited on stage and put under hypnosis. With his eyes closed, he appeared to sense what other audience members were doing and even raised his arm synchronously with those seated.
His next trick was even more impressive. He invited another woman from the audience and asked her to think of a name of someone in her personal life. After asking her a few questions, he correctly identified both the first and the last name of the person.
For his final act, he invited several audience members on stage and asked them to write a series of numbers. The numbers, that he guessed correctly, spelt out the word “dialogue”— a fitting theme to the day’s events.
With his charismatic show, Mr. Anand brought energy and laughter to the evening. Guests are looking forward to Day 2 of The Hindu’s Huddle.
In pictures: The Hindu Huddle 2026 | Day 1
Day 1 of The Hindu Huddle in Bengaluru, inaugurated by Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar (R). Dr. Narayan Lakshman, The Hindu’s Opinion editor and the curator of The Huddle (L) is seen at the event.
The Hindu Huddle 2026 opens in Bengaluru, June 5, 2026.
The Hindu Huddle brought under a single roof, the most impactful experts in the time of shifting global priorities and polarities on June 5, 2026.
The sixth edition of the ideas conclave of The Hindu Group, was held in Bengaluru on June 5 and 6.
J&K CM Omar Abdullah said at the event, "Come and visit Kashmir. We don’t get enough visitors from the South of the Vindhyas. We are trying to encourage more people from this part of the country to come visit us."
Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to India, in a session with Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu, spoke about how India-China ties is one of the most important relationships in the world.
At the session - ‘The Power of Words: Diplomacy at a time of conflict’, moderated by The Hindu’s Suhasini Haidar spoke to diplomats. Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary and Former Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and Philip Green, Australian High Commissioner to India were among those who spoke at the panel.
Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar in his speech said that Bengaluru has biggest talent pool in Asia.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, and Dr. Krithi Karanth, CEO, Centre for Wildlife Studies spoke at a session moderated by Gargi Rawat, Consulting Editor, NDTV.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, in a session said, "We have a very progressive system, but ease of business mantra overtakes".
At a session on 'The Architecture of Leadership: Designing blueprints for a volatile world', moderated by L.V. Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group, the panel includes, R. Ganesan, Senior Vice President & Head - Corporate Centre, L&T, Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital, Praveen Someshwar, MD and CEO, USL & Member, Global Diageo Executive Committee, Shailendra Katyal, VP & MD, Lenovo India.
At the session 'The Matrix Can Hear You: Chatbots and mental health', Dr. Amit Malik, Psychiatrist and Founder, AMAHA and Dr Prabha S Chandra, Professor of Psychiatry and Director, NIMHANS, talk to author Amrita Tripathi.
Actors Huma Qureshi and Kritika Kamra in conversation with Rohit Khilnani, journalist and talk show host.
A mentalist named Naman Anand performed at the conclave.
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The Hindu Huddle is presented by the Sami-Sabinsa Group as the Presenting Partner. The event is co-powered by the Government of Telangana and held in association with Khaja Bandanawaz University.
The event is further supported by Bank of Baroda, Larsen & Toubro, Apollo Hospitals, IIM Sirmaur, ICFAI Group, TAFE, Wizzmon, Uttarakhand Government, Associate Partners; Casagrand, Realty Partner; Toyota, Luxury Car Partner; Amity University Bengaluru, University Partner; Harrow International School Bengaluru, Education Partner; Meghalaya Tourism, State Partner; and NDTV 24x7, TV Partner.
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