Theme: Limitless

Contrary to popular belief, the youth of this country is more than just smartphones and emojis. From the Brittle Bone Rapper Sparsh Shah, to the bullet-braving educationist Malala Yousufzai, the youth continue to inspire the world through their courage of conviction, unyielding spirits and ingenious ideas.

At TED Youth@HFSI, we intend to show that age is no limit to achievement - it is neither a barrier, nor an excuse. Our speakers comprise of students, who will showcase their talents and intellect, as well as professionals, who will empower us with words of motivation.

We will discover new frontiers, we will explore new ideas and we will conquer new heights. We will prove ourselves to be capable successors to carry the blazing torch of humanity. Our energy is boundless, our opportunities are endless. We will strive to be dauntless so our lives can be limitless.

Total number of speakers: 7

Hiranandani Foundation School
Orchard Avenue Road, Hiranandani Gardens, MHADA Colony 20, Powai
Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076
India

Advika Nair

Student

Advika Nair is a talented 9 year old from Hiranandani foundation International school, Mumbai. She dreams to be a professional orator, writer and film director one day. Big dreams for a young girl but she’s confidently turning this dream into a reality. Advika likes experimenting with new art forms and loves public speaking. Advika was one of the very few children to participate in a musical play, based on the beloved Disney animated film-Aristocats in USA. Earning this role was no mean feat, Advika has also ventured into areas of public speaking not for the faint hearted. She was the only 9 year old to speak at the ITch summit where well known celebrities like Piyush Pandey, Devdutt Patnaik, Prahlad Kakar, Falguni Nayyar, Priya Dutt and Dino Morea, amongst others, participated. She will deliver a passionate talk on “how parents cut wings of a child at an early age and ask them to fly away when they grow up”.

Bharat Dabholkar

Advertising, Film Industry

Bharat Dabholkar started out in the advertising world and is the man behind the marketing of big players in the industry like Amul, Videocon, Frooti, Appy, and Bailey among others. He dabbled in theatre, where he wrote and directed over 32 English musical plays including Bottom's Up, the longest running play in the history of English theatre in India. Moving on to films, he brought a lot of roles to life and played supporting roles in popular films like One 2 Ka 4 (2001), Company (2002), Mr Ya Miss (2005), Corporate (2006), Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), and Sarkar 3 (2017) among others. Bharat Dabholkar went on to make advertising history with 14 awards and also created a new genre of ‘Hinglish’ advertising. His huge portfolio of accomplishments was not limited to advertising. Starting with acting and helping around in a couple of plays, he advanced to scripting, and here too, he showcased his prowess in ‘Hinglish’. The result was 29 plays written and directed by him.

Komal Hiranandani

Research, Social Development

She is a Former Senior Associate at the political think tank, IDFC Institute. She recently pursued a MS in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. She also completed an LLB (General) degree from Mumbai University, and graduated Magna cum Laude with Honours in Government from Georgetown University, Washington DC, where she won multiple awards in political science and government. She also worked at Asia Society India Centre, where she worked on Business & Policy Programmes on a range of topics including patenting issues in the international pharmaceutical industry, the role of gender and dynasty in politics, and regional identity and federalism in India. Her other work experience includes working as a Research Associate for CGS, where she focused on environmental lobbying, as a Project Assistant for a CBO initiative to build toilets in Mumbai slums. Today, she is the CEO of Salt Scout - a company which helps make people more conscious about their spending decisions.

Nikita Mehra

Student

Nikita Mehra is an inspiring teenager who wants to bring about changes in society’s prevalent approach and mentality towards mental and emotional health. In hopes of promoting and providing help to individuals who may face issues regarding such illness, the 17 year old believes in healing through Sound Frequencies. As the name suggests this ‘Sound Therapy’ involves production of harmonic vibrations and sound waves through instruments so as to achieve a level of relaxation. In India, the topic of mental illness is almost a taboo. People suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or any such mental illness, would rather ignore their mental health than be labelled ‘mad’ or ‘retarded’. This stigma towards such illnesses can precipitate a series of negative outcomes, such as self-harm and suicide. Thus, to be a part of the solution, Nikita is working towards dwindling the stigma around counselling for mental health.

Radha Kumar

Professor of ancient Indian History and Philosophy

Dr. Radha Kumar is an erudite professor who teaches history and philosophy. She is extremely passionate about her subjects and her interest in them only continues to grow as they continue to shape her every single day. They have made her a stronger person and trained her to not seek ratification externally, but to be in sync with the flow of time and what it has to offer; to savour it and to be aware of it. Apart from being an educator, Dr. Kumar is continually learning more about her areas of interest such as Buddhism and Ancient India. Her extensive research into Buddhism and its philosophies has not only made her more knowledgeable but has also contributed in more distinctive aspects, making her more patient and accepting. At TEDx HFSI, we have the opportunity of learning from her a little bit of the vast knowledge she possesses.

Santosh Kshirsagar

Arts, Calligraphist

B.F.A., M.F.A. (by research) from Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art. Mumbai, India. Experimenting and doing research in Indian Calligraphy from past 30 years. Design OTF for window XP in Gujrathi & Oriya scripts under directorship of Prof R. K. Joshi. Illustrated talks- on Indian Calligraphy in Germany, Belgium, London and Japan. Exhibitions- Two solo shows in Mumbai and in Belgium, Australia, USA. Research paper presentations: ICTVC Cyprus, ATYPAI Dublin, Ireland. Research papers published in peer reviewed International journals - International Graphonomics Society Conference IGS, Japan, ICORD Bangalore. Expert and advisory board of Typography Day the only International Indian conference on Script, Calligraphy and Typography issues, since 2009. Invited by ALBA University, Beirut to discuss Lebanon’s National Identity design- project. Founded Aksharaya the only organisation working for Indian script, calligraphy and Typography issues. Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Vinitha Venkatraman

CEO of Social Development

Armed with the vision of being a catalyst where each of India's 1.3 billion people could prosper, Vinitha established VIVA Development Strategies - a consulting practice in the social development sector providing solutions for both public and private organizations to help deepen their impact in social work and augment their CSR profiles. Backed by her experience in the corporate sector (Times of India) as well as the government sector (Ministry of Health & Welfare), Ms. Vinitha used her extensive knowledge of media, corporate bodies, government, society to develop integrated solutions under Social Responsibility. VIVA has played an instrumental role in numerous social initiatives such as creation of a TB-free Mumbai campaign, organizing behavior change interventions for sex workers, advocating gender equality, eliminating the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV and raising awareness on menstrual health and hygiene.