In the TEDx talk “The Skill We Forgot to Teach,” Ankush Mehrotra highlights a crucial aspect of education that often goes overlooked: emotional intelligence. He argues that while academic skills are essential, the ability to understand and manage emotions—both our own and those of others—is vital for personal and professional success. Mehrotra emphasizes that in today’s fast-paced world, emotional intelligence fosters better communication, resilience, and conflict resolution, yet it remains largely neglected in traditional curricula.
Through engaging anecdotes and thought-provoking insights, he encourages educators and parents to prioritize teaching emotional skills alongside cognitive ones. Mehrotra also suggests practical approaches for integrating emotional intelligence into daily life, urging youth to cultivate self-awareness and empathy. His compelling message inspires a reevaluation of educational priorities, advocating for a more holistic approach that prepares young people not just academically, but emotionally—equipping them for the complexities of life beyond the classroom. This talk is a call to action for redefining success in education.
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Author Video Description
What if ownership is not something we inherit, but something we learn by experiencing it?
In this talk, Ankush Mehrotra traces a deeply personal journey from childhood lessons and his father’s quiet acts of trust, to entrepreneurship, failure, leadership, relationships, mentoring, and the responsibility of caring for others.
From paying a family dinner bill with money secretly handed to him by his father, to building businesses, surviving the uncertainty of the 2020 lockdown, learning leadership through a dream of joining the Air Force, recognising ownership in a student, and eventually passing that same lesson on to his cousin, Ankush explores one simple idea:
Give people something meaningful to own, and they discover what they are capable of.
This is a talk about growing up, taking responsibility, beginning again, and eventually passing that sense of ownership on to someone else.
What will you own?
What will you build?
And when you’re strong enough, what will you pass on?
Think it over. Choice is yours.
Ankush Mehrotra grew up in Shahjahanpur, UP, earned his voter ID and first cheque at 18. He went on to build ‘frantiger’ with a presence across India, Southeast Asia and the UAE. An entrepreneur, educator and helping brands expand through franchising while creating business ownership opportunities for investors. He has helped reduce franchise go-to-market time and costs by up to 98%, with his work featured in major publications. His journey has taught him one thing above all: ownership can turn ordinary experiences into extraordinary growth. 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
About TEDxTalks
TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere — celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and rules.
Video “The skill we forgot to teach | Ankush Mehrotra | TEDxWestberry School Tenali Youth” was uploaded on 09/28/2026 to Youtube Channel TEDx Talks