Theme: Jigsaw - Everything Connects

It's always the small pieces that make the big picture. Our perspectives, and their differences, make for an interesting array of solutions. It might not be realized at first with a number of seemingly unrelated pieces, but they are all interconnected. Sometimes, the big picture means looking small, finding all the pieces, and understanding that there is more to come. We ourselves can be the individual piece that completes someone else's picture. No puzzle is unsolvable, each problem has its own unique solution. The differences will determine the similarities, the similarities the connections. Everything connects.

Amal Jyothi College of Engineering
Kanjirappally, Koovappally P.O.
Kottayam, Kerala, 686518
India

Alphons Kannanthanam

Union minister of state for Electronics, IT, Tourism & Culture, Advocate

Alphons Kannanthanam is an advocate, politician and currently serving as the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Culture, and Tourism. Alphons wanted to choose the biggest opportunity to make a difference and that is when he zeroed in on the IAS and topped the examinations. He launched the literacy movement and made Kottayam as the first 100% literate town in India. He has also served as the Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority where he earned the title, "The Demolition Man". He was on TIME magazine’s list of 100 Young Global Leaders. Later he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Kottayam District where he aspired for a progressive change. His efforts were paid when he won the best MLA award. Presently, he has been appointed as the Minister Of State under the BJP government. He is also a practicing advocate in the High Court and the Supreme Court of India.

Arjun Satheesh

Head of Operations - CARESTACK, Entrepreneur, Tech enthusiast

Arjun marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey in college. With a passion for programming and technology right from school, Arjun was a part of multiple technology ventures both during and after his college. He dropped out of engineering in Kerala to pursue his start-up full time. Arjun is a founding team member and the Head of Operations of CareStack, of one of the fastest growing product start-ups in US healthcare. CareStack, the product of Good Methods Global is a cloud SaaS platform for dentistry in the United States. The product is well on its way to become the largest technology player in the US dental market and grow into a billion dollar company. This venture simply exemplifies how the healthcare and technology industries can go together in order to provide welfare to society.

Joe A Scaria

Journalist, Writer, Trainer

Mr. Scaria began his career with the Indian Express as a Sub Editor in Kochi in 1984. He then went on to work for and with some of India's leading newspaper and magazine brands. His last assignment was as Senior Assistant Editor with the Economic Times in Chennai, part of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. He was also a faculty member of the Institute of Journalism of the Trivandrum Press Club and has ongoing writing assignments with prestigious corporations including the National Thermal Power Corporation, MRF, and the Indian Space Research Organisation. Mr. Scaria has also published a book, 'Fourth Estate to Rubber Estate'. The book captures socio-economic changes in Kerala and the world over the past three decades. After 28 years in the field, he quit his full-time commitments to spend more time with his ailing father and to look to the other side of life. His reasoning: no one ever said on his death bed “Oh, I should have spent more time in the office"!

Nandini Rao

Co Founder & Artistic Director - Yours truly theatre

Belonging to one of the oldest families that had kept theatre alive for generations, it came as no surprise when Nandini Rao became one of the rare women theatre directors in India. Her love for direction gave her many roles to play, from scripting plays to costume designing. Graduating from Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishat in Fine Arts, being trained by directors popular nationally and internationally. Yours Truly is an improvisational and interactive theatre group based in Bangalore. They completely changed the outlook people had about theatre by bringing a new language to contemporary theatre in India using interactive theatre and theatre for change as a medium which includes the style 'Complete the Story' where a story is stopped midway and the audience is asked to suggest an ending. The actors then play it on the spot, totally impromptu. All works of Yours Truly aim to reach into that part of a person that can deeply appreciate art and uses it to create a difference in the world.

Nuthan Manohar

Strategist , Researcher, Behavioural and wellness expert

In her brand consulting career she has managed over 10 countries in Asia Pacific for Global clients like Kraft Mondelez, Bausch and Lombetc. In 2010 she decided to follow her inner calling to help transform lives and to pursue Yoga. After starting her teaching career in Hong Kong she went on to set up "Me Met Me" a school of life skills to improve the quality of life. It was then she started her experiments with essential oils and behaviour. She has also worked for projects funded by Ford Foundation, UNDP and Care in the field of disaster management and urban planning. She was awarded for innovation by NatGeo Channel. Nuthan has also coordinated the Evolution Asia Yoga Conference and is one among the founding members of AnboduKochi. She has recently organised one of the largest gathering of cyclists for GAIL and PCRA. By connecting ancient wisdom and modern day research findings you are capable of being more, doing more joyfully.

Sachin Warrier

Singer, Composer, Engineer

Sachin Warrier marked his debut as a playback singer in 2010 for a Malayalam movie called Malarvadi Arts Club. He went on to sing for several popular movies in Malayalam like Thattathin Marayathu, Neram, Bangalore Days etc, as well as other South Indian languages. He also turned composer with the Malayalam movie Aanandam. He composes music for jingles and makes music independently too, and released his first single called 'Naam' which premiered in Pepsi MTV Indies in 2015. His recent single, called 'Kannamma' is a love ballad, speaking of a love in simpler times in a rustic Tamil village. Sachin's music is primarily influenced by Indian art and culture, and is at its core all about simplicity, happiness, love and openness, which is what, as a person he believes that life is made up of. His new collective, named 'Sachin Warrier and You', abbreviated 'Sway' is an attempt to take these songs out to people and make the listener as much a part of the experience as the performer.