Theme: Unfiltered

Increased brightness, decreased contrast, yet another layer of concealer on non-existent zits- in today’s fast-paced world, seen through cracked phone screens and smudged glass lenses, the word ‘unfiltered’ doesn’t seem to mean much. Amidst eye-catching ‘feeds’ of pretty colours and pretty smiles, everyone seems to be living a perfect life- perfect moments in perfect places, filled with absolutely perfect people. Yet we all know something’s always missing: a lack of the truth, laid out plain and simple. These countless barriers of filters, forcing something as dynamic as life into a presentable box with presentable bows, demolishes the little quirks in us that makes us who we are- someone interesting, unique, worth listening to. So this event is a chance to truly be unfiltered: a chance to lay yourself out in the open, stripped down to your core- raw and honest and truly yourself.

Pathways School Gurgaon
Faridabad - Gurgaon Rd, Baliawas
MPH-II, Senior School Building
Gurgaon, Haryana, 122003
India

Akshay Bhardwaj

Chef

Akshay Bhardwaj idiosyncratically labels himself ‘a cook, not a chef’, and he has worked at acclaimed restaurants around the world. Having had a taste of the world, he strongly feels that individuals have lost touch with food over time. Although he recently worked for restaurants in Belgium and France, his formative experiences were in the familiar spaces of his father’s restaurant. He contemplated joining the Air Force, but ultimately decided to pursue cooking and went to college at IHM Gurdaspur, Punjab. After completing his courses at IHM, Akshay studied marketing in France. He then stepped into the professional kitchens, starting out in lavish French and Belgium hotels, making his way to a 2-Michelin French restaurant. He also has experience in cruise-ships considered the best in the world of ‘gastronomy travelling’. Having had a taste of the world, he returned to India, where he seeks to show his customers the multi-dimensional world of food that he has discovered.

Argha Kamal Ganguly

Visual Arts Curator

Argha Kamal Ganguly, an alumnus of Rabindra Bharati University, went on to specialize in painting and is currently an Assistant Curator at the National Gallery of Modern Art(NGMA), New Delhi. His artistic passions drive him to spread his learnings with other art enthusiasts who visit the gallery. As an integral member of the curatorial team of NGMA, he has also been involved in the planning, mounting and organizing of multiple exhibitions and educational outreach programs. Moreover, Ganguly truly believes in imparting knowledge about the different fields of creative expression and is temporarily engaged at College of Art, New Delhi and National School of Drama as a Guest Lecturer.

Deep Mohan Singh Bajaj

Chef

Deep Mohan Singh Bajaj is a chef who has been in the realm of cooking for the past 18 years. Having worked with multiple award winning hotels, Deep’s experience in the patisserie kitchen has truly been enriching. His passion towards the field led him to explore the diverse cuisines across different continents. Deep’s decision to pursue his passions against numerous trials and tribulations was solely due to his self-awareness and incredible work ethic. Reflecting on his success, he wants to share his story with today’s youth in the hopes of creating a new generation of passionate, motivated workers.

Gaurav Janardhan

Student Musician

Gaurav Janardhan is a high school student at Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan. Although his studies are focused on commerce, he is passionate about music and plays the guitar, drums and piano; he also sings. In fact, he spends most of his time either listening, composing or playing music. His interests aren’t just restricted to music– he reads, sketches and makes films, and enjoys playing football and cricket. After graduation, Gaurav wishes to mould his love and passion of music into a career, which he also strongly perceives as his destiny. An activity he feels he owes plenty to, music has helped him overcome countless hurdles such as stage fright, and it also makes him feel ‘whole’ – a rich, profound feeling that can often be difficult for one to find. It has also played a crucial role in shaping his personality. Alongside his musical talents, Gaurav also wishes to propel the younger generation toward finding their own passion and embracing it - just like he continues to.

Hetal Sonpal

Business Leader

Hetal Sonpal is a dynamic and well-accomplished business leader, with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. An alumnus of the NMIMS, Mumbai, Mr. Sonpal has worked in various ‘senior management’ roles spanning across Asia-Pacific and Japan for major multinationals. Mr. Sonpal is a prominent angel investor and has mentored various startups. His portfolio includes more than 25 promising startups across different segments of business, enterprise and consumer. Being a charismatic motivational speaker, he has spoken at many prominent Business schools across India. Mr. Hetal is undoubtedly a fitness fanatic, having completed more than 18 marathons, including the “Half Ironman” earlier this year. Moreover, a desire to share his learnings from his reading marathons has lead him to take up the challenge of reading 100 books this year.

Parul Ohri

Chief Editor

Starting as the youngest member of a PR firm, Parul went on to work in different aspects of Corporate Communications at various organisations across India. This wide-ranging experience gave her a comprehensive understanding of communications and built her core strength in content creation. Parul is currently the Editor of Momspresso and heads the video division of the company. She brings her strength in content creation and insights as a mother, to conceptualising, scripting and producing videos across several formats, several of which have received critical acclaim. As the anchor of almost 200 panel discussions, live social media sessions and interviews, she has completed about 4500 minutes airtime in the digital space and met the most interesting personalities along the way. Parul credits her two daughters for unleashing the tremendous creative potential in her and remains passionate about writing and theatre, the two forms of expression that she feels have changed her life.

Salil Sodhi

Student

Known as the shy, anime-loving guitarist of the school band, Salil Sodhi is well known amongst his peers for his intense math 'obsession': no whiteboard of the music room is left unstained after Salil finds a problem interesting enough to puzzle him for days. Outside school, however, the dynamic changes. At home, a completely new force dominates: his love for aviation. Simply put, he loves planes to the extent that these marvels of human engineering take precedence over any other emotion, thought or problem he may be facing in life. Even his Instagram feed, something many teenagers take pride in developing, is dominated by pictures of plane spotters capturing mind-boggling shots of the world's finest planes taking off and landing. This profound love and passion are what motivates Salil to share his experiences and insights with the community. He constantly tries to spread awareness of the allure of aviation.

Samir Parikh

Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr. Samir Parikh is a Consultant Psychiatrist with a leading healthcare of India, Fortis and is the Director of the Fortis National Mental Health Program. As an academic expert in the field of Mental Health, Dr. Parikh imparts academic training programs and courses with various doctors, psychologists, and other allied specialists in mental health. Under the guidance of Dr. Parikh, the “Fortis School Mental Health Program”, focuses on life skills and preventive mental health at Fortis Healthcare. With a strong emphasis on preventive mental health and skill building, Dr. Parikh has authored three books. “Let Him Not Sink: First Steps to Mental Health” is a Psychological First Aid Manual written for adults working with children. Moreover, he has conducted multiple studies that have been published in the media, spreading awareness about mental health issues.

Shilp Burman Roy

Student

Shilp Burman Roy is a sixteen-year-old student and proponent of women’s rights. Being a national-level shooter, passionate artist and eloquent writer, her talents clearly extend to various fields. In the future, Shilp aims to pursue International Affairs and Economics, and she hopes to advocate humanitarian aid and spread awareness on political issues. Having moved to India recently - a drastic change from the placidity of her hometown - the societal changes she encountered provoked a shift in her overall perception towards the complexity of human nature. The vibrant and accepting energy that India radiates has inspired her to endorse her unorthodox perspectives on topics entailing everything from the perplexity of Brexit to the futility of the United Nations, frequently. Above all, Shilp continues to embrace her unfiltered beliefs towards women’s right to public participation and independence, in our multifaceted society.

Vishwakrit Choradia

Student

Vishwakrit Choradia is a seventeen-year old student and a young entrepreneur. Being a musician, a passionate MUN delegate, an eloquent debater, he possesses a diverse range of talents. In the future, Vishwakrit plans to study Finance and Behavioural Economics, with the goal of returning to India and spreading awareness on income inequality. Having attended Md. Yunus's talk at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Vishwakrit felt an urge to work towards promoting financial inclusion, particularly in the state of Rajasthan. His idea was "Project Graafin", a startup entrepreneurial project in Microfinance. He continues to support efforts to tackle societal problems through greater student awareness and Student-Led initiatives. Above all, Vishwakrit believes in the immense potential of the youth to develop creative, ingenious, and innovative solutions to the problems we face today.

Yanush Batra

Student

Rare in today’s time, Yanush Batra is a self-taught Bharatnatyam dancer. Throughout his school life, he has had several opportunities to showcase his skills as a commendable dancer on various platforms. He is a Carnatic vocalist who’s also had several years of training in the traditional Indian instrument of tabla and an ancient lute-like instrument called the Hansa veena. He has a keen interest in theatre and has successfully directed a considerate amount of plays, has been recognised with awards for the same. Since childhood, Yanush has been inclined towards studying mythology and ancient Indian scriptures. He recently started reading their translations and is trying decoding the many metaphors hidden in Hindu philosophy. The beauty and complexity of ancient Indian culture inspires him to share his love for it with his peers and hopefully bring its wisdom and unique grace to the quest for balance in modern civilisation