Theme: Ideas Worth Spreading

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

NSCI Dome
Lala Lajpatrai Marg, Lotus Colony, Worli
Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400018
India

Afreen Khan

Speaking out loud

Aafreen Khan is a storyteller and spoken word poet, who addresses child sexual abuse. She came into the spotlight when a video of her reciting a poetry in an open mic session at Tape A Tale went viral on social media. She uses her own personal experience as a child sexual assault survivor to highlight the alarming statistics surrounding child sexual abuse the stigma that surrounds it. By attaching emotional connotations to her narrative, she provides valuable insights on how to develop a transparent relationship between a parent and a child so that such situations can be dealt with, before it’s too late. Her poem is essential in understanding that sexual abuse happens even within the ‘“safe” walls of our homes.

Ajit Narayan

Ajit Narayanan is the inventor of FreeSpeech, a picture language with a deep grammatical structure. He's also the inventor of Avaz, India's first Augmentative and Alternative Communication device for children with disabilities.

Akash Manoj

Akash Manoj, a 16-year-old changemaker-researcher who's exclusively working on low-cost health-care diagnostics, is an Ashoka Youth Venturer and President's gold medalist! His research on detection of asymptomatic heart attacks is internationally recognized and validated. Akash Manoj has been reading medical literature for fun since he was in the 8th standard. It was his grandfather’s death that prompted him to take up this project. His grandfather due to other ailments had a silent heart attack, collapsed and died. This motivated Akash to take the initiative to move ahead and make a difference. Heart attacks usually show symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath but in the case of silent heart attacks, they can often be mistaken for a normal flu or uneasiness. Akash decided to go through various resources to make a device which would help detect such a threat and help the masses at an early stage to act on it. Akash believes that this device can be used for the greater good by saving many lives, especially of those living in the rural areas who do not have easy access to a hospital. The medical product is likely to surface in 2018 at a cost of Rs 900. Manoj wants the government to promote his invention and not the private industry, who he feels will kill it since it is cost-effective.

Anushka Naiknaware

In 2016, at age 13, Anushka Naiknaware was the youngest winner of the Google Science Fair, with her invention of a clever new bandage that tells caregivers when it needs to be changed. When Anushka Naiknaware was young, she would spend hours at the chemistry lab at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and not leave until she had finished every experiment available. Her early interest was chemistry and mathematics, but she quickly learned that every branch of science is connected, including physics, biology and computer science. In fact, her winning Google Science Fair project loops together materials science, fractal math and biology. Naiknaware has won many awards in notable science and math competitions. She was the youngest winner of the Google Science Fair in 2016, and she won the first-place Mathematics STEM Award at Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising Stars), a premier competition run by the Society for Science and the Public in Washington, DC. Naiknaware is inspired by Marie Curie, whose work contributed to major advances in modern medicine. Anushka admires her spirit and enthusiasm to continue her work in a time when women's contributions in science weren't appreciated.

Bharat Anand

Bharat N. Anand is the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and the Senior Associate Dean and faculty chair of HBX, the school’s digital learning initiative that he helped create. Professor Anand is an expert in digital strategy and corporate strategy, and an influential voice on the future of media and content industries. He has written over fifty articles and case studies, many in the top journals in economics, strategy, and marketing, and advised leading organizations and entrepreneurs worldwide on digital strategies and transformation. His recent book, The Content Trap: A Strategist’s Guide to Digital Change, was named one of Fast Company’s top ten business books of 2016, and Bloomberg’s “Best Books of 2017”. He is a renowned teacher and a two-time winner of the “best teacher award” at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Anne Madden

How can dust microorganisms create technology of the future?

Anne A. Madden, Ph.D. is a microbiologist and inventor. She investigates the microorganisms that live in and around us and determines how they can help us make our world better. Her work has lead to patent pending brewing technology, novel antibiotics, the discovery of a new species, and a better understanding of the microorganisms in our environment. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University and partner in the brewing yeast company Lachancea LLC. Her work has been featured by various news agencies including the BBC, PBS NewsHour, Newsweek, National Geographic, and Scientific American. When not conducting science, she can be found wearing stiletto heels or riding her motorcycle through the streets of Boston. She shares her enthusiasm for the microbial world on twitter and instagram at @AnneAMadden

Dr. Arun Sundarajan

Arun Sundararajan is Professor and the Robert L. and Dale Atkins Rosen Faculty Fellow at New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business, and an affiliated faculty member at NYU’s Center for Data Science and Center for Urban Science and Progress. His best-selling and award-winning book, “The Sharing Economy,” published by the MIT Press, has been translated into 5 languages. He has given hundreds of talks globally at forums that include the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, the WEF Annual Meeting of New Champions in Dalian and Tianjin, the World Government Summit, the Wuzhen Summit and SXSW Interactive. Arun is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Technology, Values and Policy.

Dr. Arun Sundararajan

Arun Sundararajan is Professor and the Robert L. and Dale Atkins Rosen Faculty Fellow at New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business, and an affiliated faculty member at NYU’s Center for Data Science and Center for Urban Science and Progress. His best-selling and award-winning book, “The Sharing Economy,” published by the MIT Press, has been translated into 5 languages. He has given hundreds of talks globally at forums that include the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, the WEF Annual Meeting of New Champions in Dalian and Tianjin, the World Government Summit, the Wuzhen Summit and SXSW Interactive. Arun is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Technology, Values and Policy.

Dr. Bronwyn King

Are you backing Big Tobacco without realizing?

Dr. Bronwyn King is an Australian oncologist and CEO of Tobacco Free Portfolios, a not-for-profit organization that is driving global change towards tobacco-free finance. Since her initiative began, US $12 Billion dollars has been shifted away from tobacco; a new bridge has been built between the global finance and health sectors and global efforts to reduce the projected one billion tobacco-related deaths this century have galvanized.

Dr. Jimmy Lin

The Cure of Cancer is Not More Drugs!

C. Jimmy Lin, MD, PhD, MHS is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Oncology at Natera and a TED Fellow. He comes from a long history as a pioneer in cancer genomics. Most recently, he led the clinical genomics program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Previously, at Johns Hopkins and Washington University in St. Louis, Lin was part of one of the first clinical genomics labs in academia and led the computational analyses of the first ever exome sequencing studies in cancer, including breast, colorectal, pancreatic, glioblastoma, medulloblastoma and melanoma.

Dr. Shubha Tole

“Growing new circuits in our memory machine”

Shubha Tole is a neuroscientist who obtained her BSc from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and her MS and PhD from Caltech, USA. After post-doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, she returned to India because she wanted to contribute to Indian science and education. She heads a laboratory that studies how the brain develops in the embryo, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Dr. Tole has received national and international recognition for her work, and is regarded as a leader in the field of cerebral cortical development. She is passionate about her work, about sharing it with the public, and writes blogs that help students plan their careers. She believes science education should be engaging, interactive and fun. She is an active advocate for women in STEM fields.

Jagdish Mahapatra

“We are single biggest risk to Cyber security. And our homes are the most vulnerable”

Jagdish Mahapatra is a Cybersecurity Expert with experience across the Asia Pacific Region trying to build new Business models to make Govt and Banks more secure. He has worked extensively in India as CEO of large Cybersecurity Company to build secure framework for Govt. of India, Large Banks and Companies and for Consumers at large. Jagdish has in the past spent extensive time building Networks and Connectivity for organisations in India including some of the expansive State Wide Area Network ( SWANs) and State Data centers. He was recognized as one of the Top 40 Executives in India Inc under 40 in 2011 by Business World. He recently delivered a TED talk for “TED Talk NayiSoch” for TED on “How to be keep our kids safe in the Virtual World “.

Joseph Redmon

Joseph is a computer vision researcher and graduate student at the University of Washington. When not hacking on GPU clusters he enjoys hanging out in the Programming Languages lab learning type theory, posting random musings on arXiv, and watching the hit CW teen drama Reign with his housemates.

Linsey Pollak

Linsey Pollak is a musician, instrument maker, composer, musical director and community music facilitator, touring his solo shows extensively in Europe, North America and Asia since 1996. He has designed many new wind instruments with a reputation for making and playing instruments made from found objects such as rubber gloves, carrots, watering cans, chairs, brooms and garden hose. Linsey aims to de-commodify the art of music and dreams of a society that doesn’t have a word for musician, because everyone plays music (just as we don’t use the word “breather” because we all breathe). He believes that music can build a more creative society that enjoys and respects the contributions of many cultures, empowering the marginalised and bringing disparate people together.

Malik Twins

Tashi Malik & Nungshi Malik are the twin sisters living life 'twin-sized'. At birth viewed as a double burden for parents and family but enabled by a courageous father they have shattered many gender stereotypes and by personal example have become the wind beneath the wings of millions of girls to dare and rise above their daily gender visible and 'invisible' mountains.

Manisha Mohan

Manisha's work stems farther than her experience, she is passionate about being the face for the invisible victims that did not speak up and serve as the body for victims who are still in trauma. She hopes to create a world where her children will not have to grow up fearful.

Nathan Brandwein

Nathan Brandwein is known for his work on The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006) and Live at the Met: From Stage to Screen (2015).

Prateek Sharma

Prateek is the CEO of Nasofilters (Nanoclean global). Incubated at IIT Delhi, Nanoclean Global Pvt. Ltd. believes in using technology to provide affordable solutions to solve critical issues. After he witnessed his own mother and many others suffer due to air pollution he came up with Naso-filters with his team at IIT Delhi. The team of innovators were awarded the “National Startups Award”. Prateek is also listed among the Top 10 innovators of IIT-DELHI.

Prateek Sharma

Nano solution for a mega global problem- Air Pollution

Prateek is the CEO of Nasofilters (Nanocleanglobal.) Incubated at IIT Delhi, Nanoclean Global Pvt. Ltd. believes in using technology to provide affordable solutions to solve critical issues .After he witnessed his own mother and many others suffer due to air pollution he came up with Nasofilters with his team at IIT Delhi. The team of innovators was awarded with the “National Startups Award”. Prateek is also listed among the Top 10 innovators of IITDELHI.

Richard Browning

Richard was an Oil Trader with BP for 16 years, within that time he discovered and implemented major new technologies one of which is still at the heart of the global commodity industry to this day. It won the BP Group innovation award and generated in excess of $50m within three months. Richard has also been a key participant and investor in a number of successful start – up ventures externally. Richard has always been inspired by inventions/inventors, now he will be the inspiration to a generation who dare to ask ‘what if...’.

Ricky Kej

Grammy® Award Winner and US Billboard #1 artist Ricky Kej is an internationally renowned Indian Music Composer, Conservationist and Professor. Ricky Kej composed and produced his latest album ‘SHANTI SAMSARA’, which was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande in the presence of World Leaders at the United Nations COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris. For Shanti Samsara, Ricky collaborated with over 500 musicians from over 40 countries, all coming together for Environmental Consciousness. Ricky went on to performing music from this album twice at the United Nations General Assembly, NY among other prestigious venues all over the world. His repertoire of work consists of 15 studio albums released internationally, over 3,500 commercials and 3 feature films. He scored music for the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011, held in Dhaka-Bangladesh. Ricky has been awarded the United Nations "Global Humanitarian Artist" award. Among other awards to his credit, he has also won Producer of the year at the South African Music Awards (S.Africa), Album of the year at the Zone Music Awards (New Orleans), Global Indian Music Award and Mirchi Music Awards (India) and Centre for Conscious Creativity's ‘FutureVision’ Award (Los Angeles). Ricky is also conferred with the title "Pride of Karnataka" and “Youth Icon of India". 'Real Leaders', a Signatory to the United Nations has recently named Ricky Kej as one of the 100 Real Leaders along side greats like Bill Gates, Leonardo Dicaprio, Angelina Jolie and others who 'Inspire the Future'. The House of Commons, Parliament of Canada recently awarded Ricky for his "Outstanding Musical and Humanitarian Achievement". Ricky Kej a Conservationist and Environmentalist, is a professor at the prestigious National Institute of advanced Studies (at the Indian Institute of Science) and an Ambassador to Earth Day Network.

Rothna Begum

Rothna Begum is a human rights activist with over 10 years experience working on human rights issues in the Middle East. As the women's rights researcher on the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, she led the investigation and campaign to end abuses against migrant domestic workers in the Gulf region; documented the sexual violence and slavery of Yezidi women by ISIS in Iraq; investigated the government's response on domestic violence in Morocco, Lebanon, and Iraq; campaigned for the end of the male guardianship system and the ban against women driving in Saudi Arabia; and lobbied for an end to child marriage in Yemen.

Saurabh Rane

Saurabh Rane, a public health specialist, runner, cyclist and mountaineer will transform the way we look at our own health and lives with his indomitable spirit. Before he could kick start his career, he was diagnosed with XDR-TB and had a delayed start. After a tedious 3 yearlong treatment he survived the condition only to make breakthroughs. Not only did he fight the disease, but also managed to pursue his passion and became the President of a medical student organisation. Fast forward to now a medical professional and management consultant, he has started a network for survivors of TB called Survivors against TB . One of its kind that focuses on infusing patients perspective into the health system. They also create patient support material and are involved in high level advocacy. Twitter: @foodrecyclebin

Shelja Sen

Building a world, where no child is left invisible

Dr Shelja Sen is child & adolescent psychologist, family therapist, a parent, co-founder of Children First Institute of Child & Adolescent Mental Health and author of All You Need is Love, The Art of Mindful Parenting and Imagine, No Child Left Invisible. Shelja aligns herself with collaborative practices like narrative therapy and other post modern therapies that honour the dignity of the person and work at generating richer narratives. She believes that we have to work at building ecosystems that nurture emotionally safe spaces for children and youth at home, schools and larger community.

Shriya Srinivasan

Shriya, PhD candidate at the the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program, is currently redesigning amputation surgeries and neural interfaces in Dr. Hugh Herr’s Biomechatronics lab. These designs enable patients to control their prostheses with native neural signals and receive sensory feedback. Shriya is the co-director of MIT Hacking Medicine and seeks to address healthcare challenges through creative design and lowering barriers to innovation. Shriya is also a classical dancer (Bharathanatyam) and co-founded Anubhava Dance Company to propagate the classical arts amongst first generation artists in the US. She benefits from the interplay between her artistic and scientific worlds.

Tashi and Nungshi Malik

Why we climb

Twin sisters living life 'twin-sized'. At birth viewed as double burden for parents and family but enabled by a courageous father they have shattered many gender stereotypes and by personal example have become the wind beneath the wings of millions of girls to dare and rise above their daily gender visible and 'invisible' mountains.

Tharanga Goonetilleke

Journeying with Passion

Tharanga Goonetilleke takes us through a personal journey of following her Passion with Dr. Nathan Brandwein (pianist); the good bad, ups, downs and all in-between. As a south Asian treading an unlikely path in the world of Opera, Tharanga scatters stereotypes by simply walking on stage and giving into her Passion.

UnErase Collective

UnErase Poetry is a spoken word initiative that promotes and produces spoken word poetry in English and Hindi. Simar Singh is the founder of UnErase Poetry and also an English spoken word poet. Priya Malik is a spoken word poet and well known TV Celebrity. Ramneek Singh is a Hindustani spoken word poet hailing from Jammu, who writes protest poetry. Anuj Kumbhat is a corporate employee in the day and an artist by evening, who writes and performs English spoken word. Joshua Thomas alias Tig3r Babu is a guitarist from Mumbai and also a music producer.

Washington Wachira

Why birds need our love

Washington is an ecologist, safari guide and nature photographer based in Kenya. He has been involved with birds since he was a 14 year old boy. Today, he runs Cisticola Tours LTD, a safari company that leads top birding and nature tours across Kenya and East Africa. Washington continues to be a voice for conservation across Africa and the entire World.