Theme: Bridges. Not Boundaries.

A quote that aptly reflects the purpose of the theme is this one by Ron White that reads, “There are two kinds of comics; there are the ones who build bridges, and then there are the people who walk across the bridges as though they built them. The bridge builders are few and far between. “
This year, we aim to celebrate those very bridge builders that Ron White talks about. To give a platform to ideas that bridge the gap in a world that is becoming increasingly fragmented everyday. These are people who have broken boundaries to create their own version of reality, bridging the gap between their ideas and their innovation. To recognize the ones, not necessarily who have achieved the greatest success, but those who have made the greatest impact.
Find the connection between creativity and science, between personal and political and between effort and success.

O. P. Jindal Global University
Sonipat-Narela road
Near Jagdishpur Village
Sonipat, Haryana, 131001
India

Joy Bhattacharjya

Sports Revolutionary

Joy Bhattacharjya is the Project Director for the FIFA U 17 World Cup 2017, the first ever FIFA tournament in India and the very first FIFA tournament in which an Indian team will participate. He has been the Team Director for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the head of programming for both the History Channel and National Geographic channel for South Asia, and ESPN Star Sports' first Indian Head of Production. He has produced live cricket for the Asia Cup, India’s Tour of Australia, live hockey for the Premier Hockey League and national team games and live football for the IFA Shield. He's made Sunil Gavaskar answer quiz questions, Shekhar Suman do Hindi commentary and shocked Sachin by having Mark Knoffler from the Dire Straits call him live on a show. He writes a column on sport for the Economic Times, and a quiz column for the Business Line weekend edition, notably including quiz on all the people Donald Trump insulted.

Nehha Bhatnagar

Dancer

Nehha Bhatnagar is a force for change in performing arts in India. A renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, Nehha performs in festivals in India and abroad. She is the youngest arts impressario in India and runs her foundation, SARVAM which organizes unique classical arts festivals and collaborations, international exhibitions, international calendars, residencies and many more endeavours. Nehha's Foundation runs free classes for the underpriviledged girl child in Delhi, who perform frequently in India and abroad. She is a mentor for the arts, a speaker on creativity and enterpreneurship and as her passion, enjoys gourmet cooking and reading books.

Sanjukta Basu

Digital Activist

Sanjukta Basu is a Feminist Writer, Documentary Photographer and Communication Consultant. Her literary and photography works have been published by media houses and publications across the globe, reaching audiences in France, Canada, Sweden, Germany and more. Her personal blog is a political tool of self-representation, with a reach of over 570,000 unique page views and 10,000+ followers via social media. In 2009 she was awarded the TED Fellowship for her blogging and digital activism efforts. Presently she contributes to media houses like Firstpost, Huffington Post, Outlook. She is also working on Project SWBT, a travel and photography research on gender and public space.

Vikram Soni

Scientist

Vikram Soni is presently Emeritus Professor at Jamia Millia and JNU. He was born and grew up in Nainital. Starting his education at St Joseph's School, Professor Soni has studied, taught and done research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Sussex University, the University of Madras, the Institut de Recherche Fondamental at Saclay in Paris, amongst others. He has worked in High Energy Physics and Astrophysics. Alongside, seeing the tragic shrinking of India’s rich jungle wilderness, he has always worked quietly for conservation. In Physics, he has made seminal contributions in our understanding of phenomena ranging from topological structures in physics to the nucleon and neutron stars and from the matter-antimatter puzzle to evolutionary networks. Significantly, he has produced a body of work in Science in the Public Interest that deals with non invasive, ‘Preserve and Use’, solutions to contemporary problems, particularly the water problems.

Vimlendu Jha

Social Activist

Vimlendu Jha, who is currently one of India’s foremost environmentalists, founded Swechha in 2000 and has turned it into one of India’s most influential organisations on youth matters. In 2004, India’s leading news magazines, India Today and Outlook, acknowledged Vimlendu as one of the top 25 youth leaders of India. In 2007, Vimlendu was selected as one of 6 worldwide change makers by CNN International to be part of the 'Be the Change' programme. His ability to network with environment and youth organisations across the country, as well as his keen understanding of the issues facing young people and ecology, makes him regularly sought after for advice and sharing expertise. He features quite frequently across all national and international media, putting forth the agenda of equity, justice and human growth. His international experience spans over a decade and includes associations with The British Council, UNEP, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and others.