Huddle – Mind Games: Mentalist leaves audience spellbound

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.

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 24×7, TV Partner.