Theme: Breaking Conventions

Experience a day filled with people ranging from former UN ambassador, a woman IAS officer who is also a doctor, a man who travelled from Kochi to Landon in a car, great entrepreneurs, a music band and lots of other fresh ideas and people.

Mar Athanasius College of Engineering
Kothamangalam
Kerala, India
Kochi, Kerala, 686671
India

Aieysha Ann Mathew

A truly divergent thinker, Ms. Aieysha Ann Mathew is the proud winner of the TEDxMACE - Youth Speaker Hunt. Pursuing English Literature at St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam; she is a passionate speaker with a profound understanding of today's Zeitgeist. Ms. Aieysha is something of a polymath who enjoys contemplating fairly sweeping theories about a gamut of abstract subjects. It was serendipity that inspired her to rethink about herself and life in general. Her talk shall affably identify the very charlatan nature of 'hypocrisy' that we have so ingeniously hidden behind our self-acclaimed righteous facades. Ms. Aieysha shall also discuss with bold emphasis how we can and should be a less of a hypocrite.

Ajay Ikkurthi

Ajay Ikkurthi, a bumblebee of optimistic tenacity is an Incident/Problem Manager at Broadridge Financial Solutions, Hyderabad. He has a M.Sc. in Bioinformatics in addition to a B.Sc. in Microbiology, Chemistry and Computer Applications. Mr. Ajay voices an idea that essentially secedes out of the status quo and may as well serve as a critical conscience-raiser. He shall discuss the very attributes of God and time on a more generic basis alongside our immediate need for free thinkers. He is an amicable free-thinker; a man of meticulous methods, candid nature and fosters self-expression. His subtle talks admiringly interlace a posteriori arguments with wonderful pinches of history, mythology, fiction and the contemporary world.

Aravind Janardhanan

Mr. Aravind Janardhanan is a man of many hats - an aspiring lawyer, an ardent dreamer, and a born fighter. As of now, he's doing his Master's at LLM National University of Legal Studies, Kochi. Mr. Aravind shall share the triumphant journey of an unbroken spirit out to inspire dreams in those broken souls.

Arya Murali

MS. ARYA MURALI is a startup enthusiast and believes that each person is a growth-hacker. She is one of the 18 girls from India to receive the WeTech Qualcomm Global Scholarship, 2015 supported by the Institute of International Education. Arya leads the Google Women Techmakers Cochin chapter, a community that fosters Women in Tech. She is also the co-founder of Walat, a mobile app that enables card-less ATM transactions with smart phones, which was one of the first campus startups selected for the Startup Box program powered by the Kerala State Government.

Avinash Rai

An avid debater by heart, an aspiring writer by passion, and a final year B.Tech student (Electrical & Electronics Engineering), he holds immense interest in topics related to youth, technology, mythology, business development and start up culture.He is a wanderlust for novelties , keen to discover new concepts, people and places every day. A quiet guy in normal life and just as vibrant on stage,he brings vantage view of engineering ,in terms of actions and outcome,steps and goals, to compare the expectations and experiences out of engineering innovations.He believes that the success mantra for progess is not just innovation,but innovation that matters.He has proved his excellence as a speaker in various regional and national platforms, and had been the mentor and panelist at TedX Pandri Conference.Mr Avinash Rai serves as business development manager for healthcare start-up,Veteroliss presently.

Dr. Divya S Iyer IAS

Assistant District Collector of  Kottayam

Dr. Divya S. Iyer is the Assistant District Collector of Kottayam. Beneath Dr. Divya's winsome smile, is a firm resolve; the same resolve that graciously transformed her from a Medical Practioner to an emulating IAS officer. A cynosure for a cornucopia of talents as diverse as singing, acting, writing and dancing; Dr. Divya has imbibed her excellence in every associated field. Moreover, she is a celebrated author, a prudent curator and a pragmatic mentor. Dr. Divya through her admirable talks and causes has transcended beyond herself to become a true touchstone for inspiration.

Leela Menon

First Woman Journalist of Kerala

The first woman to tread the uncharted turfs of Kerala journalism, Ms. Leela Menon has had a path-breaking journalistic career. At the forefront, she is a poised presence for her persistent efforts to bring women's issues to the media. She has pioneered a number of articles on women's concerns, human rights and has also authored an autobiography 'Nilakkatha Symphony'. Adding to her laurels is the fact that she was the only female telegraphist of her time. Ms. Menon's definitive air to rise above the ordinary has been her scepter for a heartening growth from a simple, rustic woman to a reckoning trailblazer journalist. Her life is a message, she a living legend.

Nikhil Menon

Looking to make a huge impact on the Indian and International music scene, Nikhil J Menon is one of the best singer/songwriter/producer that the south has to offer. Having most recently been nominated for IIFA South in the category of Best Music Director in his debut for the Lal Jose film “Neena” , Nikhil has over the last decade built up quite a cult following. A born performer and crowd pleaser, he has been a part of 3 bands during his teen years and then spent a short stint as vocalist/guitarist for the Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate in 2013 and recently collaborated with artists like Sayanora and Vivek Thomas. Since then Nikhil has been performing solo as a singer/sonwriter /guitarist while also working on his Progressive Metal project “Segments”

Sijo Kuruvilla

Founding CEO of Startup Village

MR. SIJO KURUVILLA GEORGE is the Founding CEO of Startup Village, India’s first Public-Private-Partnership model Technology Business Incubator, directly promoted by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India; Technopark, Trivandrum and MobME Wireless Solutions. Started in April 2012, the organization's agenda is to create an ecosystem that will help start-ups develop breakthrough technologies. Mr. Sijo serves as a mentor and business consultant to several startup firms and also serves on the board of directors of a few of those companies. Mr. Sijo is also a panelist and judge of some of the entrepreneurial events in India namely Times of India Power of Ideas and BITS Pilani event Conquest. Mr. Sijo also interacts with the student community to promote student entrepreneurship initiatives. In 2014, he was invited to U.S. Department of State's prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program.

Suresh Joseph

Traveller

Celebrated for his epic car drive from Cochin to London along with Sri. Lal Jose, Mr. Suresh Joseph is someone who has transformed himself from a railway man to a world-acclaimed traveller. The veteran traveller has eight national solo records to his name in the Limca Book of Records. A seasoned gentleman, his insatiable thirst for travel has motivated him along his numerous odysseys including his celebrated journey from Cochin to London. He is also the author of a number of memoirs and books. A passionate character, an articulate orator, he is a man of treasured experience on the look out for beckoning and amazing journeys.

Thakara Band

Music Band

With their rustic tones, bold gait, laymen lyrics and idiosyncratic flair, the Thakara band is not your average purveyor of amusement. The Ernakulam-based band is a herald of progress in their own way and has attracted plenty of exciting raves on the internet. Along with front man James Thakara the other pillars of the band include Sreekanth Bhasi, John Joel and Aswin Nath. Their songs, so far all originals, underscore everyday social stigmas and stereotypes that plague the general public. 'Puttu Pattu', 'Koran's Anthem', 'Padilla' and 'Ammachi' are some of their sensational hits. The edge of the Thakara however lies in their exceptional ability to blend lines that people can actually relate to with ambient music and a touch of enticing peppiness.

TP Sreenivasan

Former Indian ambassdor to the UN+The Director General, Kerala International Centre

MR. TP SREENIVASAN, the former Indian ambassdor to the UN, currently is the Director General, Kerala International Centre and the Adviser to 'Asianet'. A prolific writer and renowned diplomat, Mr. Sreenivasan has been a patron of the modus vivendi between nations and a steadfast touchstone of inspiration. He has served 37 meritorious years in the Indian Foreign Service and is a former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vienna among myriad other prestigious positions held. 20 years into multilateral diplomacy, he has represented India at a number of International Conferences organised by the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned movement. His amiable nature, illustrious career and plethora of achievements are standing testimonies to the remarkable visionary in him.