On second day of Goafest 2025, power-packed sessions featuring iconic personalities like renowned Indian singer-composer Raghav Sachar, cricket legend and Team India coach Gautam Gambhir, and actor-entrepreneur Suniel Shetty, drew a full house at Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage and Horizon despite the relentless downpour.
The day’s line-up included inspiring sessions offering fresh perspectives from immersive masterclasses to thought-provoking presentations and discussions around creativity. As per tradition, the day kicked off with another high-energy performance by the exceptionally talented Raghav Sachar, who captivated the audience with his musical brilliance. A true one-man band, Sachar is an artist who plays over 33 instruments, including various saxophones (alto, tenor, soprano), flutes, harmonicas, and an array of wind and keyboard instruments.
Day’s first panel discussion titled ‘From Code to Commerce: Growth in the AI Age’ brought together industry leaders such as Voltas Limited CMO Pragya Bijalwan, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) media and digital marketing head Tejas Apte, MakeMyTrip director Sanket Prakash Tulangekar and Swiggy vice president Arjun Choudhary. The session was moderated by independent journalist and producer, Anuradha SenGupta.
The core discussion was on how generative AI is reshaping business across sectors. The conversation opened by crediting ChatGPT for bringing generative AI into public consciousness and noted how tech giants like Microsoft are restructuring in response to its impact.
Tulangekar highlighted the company’s AI assistant Myra, which uses multi-agent orchestration to streamline travel planning, summarise reviews, and enhance search. He stressed the importance of moderation and red-teaming to address content bias and ensure reliability.
Choudhary noted that AI these days is “as fundamental as math,” now seen as a core life skill and a major productivity driver. He spoke on Swiggy’s internal GenAI driven transformation— from sales co-pilots and dynamic dashboards to AI-powered restaurant support. “AI humanises technology in consumer products,” said Bijalwan advocating for its adoption across all functions.
In another session titled ‘Beyond Pink and Blue – Gender Conscious Creativity in the Dynamic Landscape’, the dynamic leaders called for deeper inclusivity and bold shifts in storytelling. The panel featured Aditya Birla Capital Ltd CMO Darshana Shah, Neil Patel Digital India managing director Rubeena Singh and Talented co-founder and CCO P.G. Aditiya as speaker, strategic advisor and independent director Megha Tata moderated the session.
Megha opened by noting the long-standing role of advertising in shaping gender norms—and the urgent need to unshape them, while Shah highlighted that gender bias starts early and is baked into systems—right from school colors to financial decision-making.
Singh pointed to Gen Z’s fluidity on gender as a cue for change, while noting that senior media decision-makers often resist progressive ideas. She stressed the need to think gender-neutral now to reshape tomorrow. “Don’t just fix the old, build new stories with inclusion at the core,” Aditiya pointed out.
Moving ahead, Amazon MX Player director & head Karan Bedi presented on ‘Free Streaming Revolution: Premium content, Unique audience signals & Measurable’ outcomes. He shared details of the diversified reach of the platform.
Another session post lunch that drew a huge footfall was ‘Why so serious? The Making of Gautam Gambhir’. The talented cricket personality Gambhir engaged in an insightful discussion with CNN News 18 senior anchor & special projects managing editor Anand Narasimhan. He bowled some direct questions like “who calls the shots behind the scenes, is it the captain or the coach” and “if it is okay for players to openly express their emotions” and so one, to which he kept batting the answers with immense grace. Gambhir made it clear that he has been playing for the sanctity of the game and expects the same from all players to deliver for the young aspiring players who watch the game or look up to them with expectations.
Gambhir emphasised that he plays for the sanctity of the game and expects the same commitment from all players, especially for the sake of the young aspiring cricketers who watch and look up to them with great expectations.
One of the concluding sessions of Goafest 2025 featured Bollywood icon Shetty in a fireside chat with Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani, titled ‘From Action and Adrenaline to Social Experiments’. The discussion delved into Shetty’s fitness journey, his film career, and his approach to staying relevant in an ever-evolving industry. They reflected on discipline, storytelling, and the evolution of Indian action content.
Day two also witnessed the next set of Abby Awards 2025, presented by Amazon MX Player, powered by Mediakart & co powered by ZEE.
