Theme: Bread and Butter

Bread and butter symbolise two entities that form a perfect concoction so intrinsic to human life. This humble example is a very basic, yet a very powerful representative of the fact that throughout civilisation, seemingly conflicting ideas or beliefs complement each other to shape society, proving that nothing interesting is ever completely one sided, including human beings. Science and religion, two things that have been at loggerheads for centuries, serve as another example.But both science and religion work on grounds of faith and certain beliefs. Religion is in part the search for the ultimate truth. Ultimate truth? The reality. And science, by definition is the study of reality. Thus, through this event we wish to try to understand the things that seem not to go together, and yet do; and learn how to manage and glean something useful from these conflicts.

BITS Pilani
Vidyavihar Campus
Pilani, Rajasthan, 333031
India

Anand Bansode

Mountaineer, Philanthropist

Anand Bansode an Indian Mountaineer, World Record Holder and Motivational Speaker, strategy advisor. Anand Climbed the Everest on 19th may, 2012. In 2014, Anand launched "World Peace Seven Summit Expedition", to climb seven top mountains in seven continents. Anand, coming from a very poor background, dedicates each of his expedition to some social cause, and believes in the fact that every person has to contribute to make the world a better place.Born in a very poor family, he was an academically and physically weak kid, who dreamt of conquering the highest, so that nobody would ever abuse him about his failures ever again. In his own words, "I used to feel that I should conquer the highest peak of the world so that nobody can come there to insult me."

Anil Sinha

Designer, Professor

Mr. Anil Sinha, a designer of national repute, is the Principal Designer of Faculty of Communication Design at National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. From designing coins for the Government of India Mint to mementoes for the Rajya Sabha, and from trophies for the Defense and Research Development Laboratory, Hyderabad to a traffic island and a toll plaza, he has undertaken several design projects of varying challenges. Claiming to be married to not just his wife, but also his work, he believes that design is about ‘connecting and relating’."Promise less, deliver more" is his motto and this has led to an exemplary career spanning over 30 years in teaching, consultancy and design research. Mr. Sinha has also authored ‘Ideating Identity’, a compilation of selected identities designed by him as a part of institutional consultancy projects over the past few years. He has been a member of the jury for selection of the Indian rupee symbol.

Anuradha Prabhudesai

Social Reformer

Ms. Anuradha prabhudesai, a social reformer, is the founder President of Lakshya Foundation, committed to the cause of creating an awareness of the valor of our soldiers among the civilians. An ex-banker, who left the job for the cause of 'Lakshya Foundation' is attempting to bridge the gap between armed forces and civilians. Since 2004, she has visited Kargil 14 times, and her work has been cherished by the army who wrote about her and Lakshya Foundation in Asia Defence News. In her journey so far, she has visited and interacted with soldiers on forward posts in Kashmir (ladakh,kargil),arunachal Pradesh, asssam,nagaland and with students of army goodwill schools. A down-to-earth lady, ms.anuradha communicated with the civilians, giving them first-hand experience of army life .

Dr Isher Ahluwalia

Economist/Writer

A person who has given her entire life to the development and growth of India, Mrs. Judge is an inspiration to an entire generation. An economist by profession, and a writer at heart, Dr. Ahluwalia is one of India’s leading economists. She is also the Chairperson, Board of Governors, of one of India’s leading think tanks, ICIRER(Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations). In 2009, she was the recipient of Padma Bhushan from the President of India for her services in the field of education and literature. She is a member of National Manufacturing Competitive Council (NMCC) and also actively involved in many research institutes in India.

Kavita Kapoor

Entrepreneur

Kavita Kapoor, her blog not failing to mention the verity that ‘she isn’t a Bollywood star’, is actually no less than one. She is the Product Director and Co-founder of What’sMySize which collaborates with existing websites aiming to help the customers find the appropriate size of the product which they wish to purchase. Along with this, Kapoor is Global Product Director of Fifty a venture that provides various services like product development, app development, ecommerce among many others. Kavita holds a Bsc (hons) in Business Information Technology and MSc in Internet Technology by Research. After completing her masters degree, Kavita trained as a software designer with Fujitsu. She was seconded into a range of media clients including the BBC and Sega. She was given a marvelous opportunity to join The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games delivering a range of award winning products in campaigns as diverse as Travel, Volunteering and Mascots in 2010.

Mani Shankar

Film Director, Holographic Technology Expert

Recall the Gujarat legislative assembly elections of 2012? What makes them so distinctive and famous? The answer: Digitalisation. Involving holographic technology and a virtual approach which enabled Narendra Modi to reach the masses, It was the first of its kind. Not many can argue that the 2012 elections were not the stepping stone for Narendra Modi towards being the Prime Minister of India. The mastermind behind this campaign was Mani Shankar, who worked behind the scenes to make this campaign the success it was. The campaign set a Guinness World Record for most simultaneous shows of 'the Pepper's Ghost Illusion' (a 3D holographic technology) which telecast, live, a 55 minute speech by Modi to 53 locations across Gujarat on December 10, 2012. Mani Shankar, a BITS Pilani alumnus,is a Bollywood director, holographic technology expert and speaker. As a Bollywood director he has made 16 December- a blockbuster and Tango Charlie- which is a permanent part of UN’s anti-war movies

Rita Aggarwal

Psyche Expert, Social worker

A successful practicing psychologist, columnist, trainer and entrepreneur, Rita Aggarwal is known for her groundbreaking research and innovative practices in the field of psychology. She has a deep insight into the psyche of a human being, and her areas of expertise include Child Psychology, Adolescent Counseling, Marriage Counselor, General Psychology and Clinical Psychology. Her dissertation on “Psycho-social Correlates of Domestic Violence” in 1987 was the first of its kind in the Indian Arena of Psychology. She is passionate about equality between the genders and strongly champions the quest for the change in the mindset of men towards women, and has written several articles and columns for the same. She is also a successful human resource trainer and has conducted several workshops for self-growth and development. She handles a wide range of problems related to children, teenagers, youths and adults.

Samay Kohli

Cofounder, Grayorange Robotics

Samay Kohli, a BITS graduadte, from the class of 2010, is an entrepreneur and an inventor. Kohli’s proclivity for product development was evident from his college years. As part of the humanoid programme at the Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems at Bits, he created AcYut in 2007, one of the first indigenously created humanoid robots in India. He represented India in robotics competitions across 13 countries; they won the gold medal at the RoboGames (formerly ROBOlympics) in San Francisco in 2009. He was rightly called “Master of Robotics” by Forbes India, in their “30 under 30” list. Instead of opting for corporate careers and foreign postings, he launched Grey Orange, a company which initially focussed on imparting robotic education, but later shifted to building robots.