Theme: Fluttering Echoes

We are extremely familiar with topics like creative arts, scientific discoveries, and so on. We talk about them every day. But do we ever think of what lies beyond these mundane conversations? Our impression of these topics is deeply impacted by the sound of the masses – the common beliefs. The voices of the ones with distinct perceptions of these recurrent topics remain obscure. They get lost as echoes every time we fail to realize their depth. They flutter all around us, waiting for us to lend an ear. The echoes, once unheard, have the power to change the world as we know it. It’s time we change our perceptions of things we talk about every day.

RV College of Engineering
Mysuru Road, R. V. Vidyanikethan Post RV Vidyaniketan, Mailasandra Bengaluru, Karnataka 560059 India
Bangalore, Karnataka, 560059
India

Christopher Gurusamy

Internationally Acclaimed Bharatanatyam Performer

Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Christopher Gurusamy’s love and passion for dance led him to the world renowned Kalakshetra institute in Chennai, where he is now based out of. As a Bharatanatyam soloist, he has performed extensively within India and across the world and is one of the frontliners of his generation of dancers. He has also received critical acclaim including a feature in the “Best Dance of 2017” in the New York Times. Christopher is an emblem of Bharatanatyam evolving with time and a representative of it in the 21st century. While adhering to the grammar of the style, his aesthetics and open creativity allows him to bring forth fresh perspective and interpretation to what is a true representation of the new traditions of old.

Jonathan Chase

Hypnotist, Comedy Creator and Best Selling Author

"Jonathan Chase is recognised worldwide as an edutainer, Master of Hypnosis, Mesmerism, Mentalism and beneficial Mind Manipulation using the subtle art of Suggestion. Despite his crippling hereditary Muscular Dystrophy, he commenced on a fascinating success journey which took him from Colliery Clubs to the stages of the West End of London and Las Vegas. He has won a national CIU Command Performance Award for Stage Hypnosis. In a career spanning for almost four decades, he has successfully hypnotised thousands of people live on stage, broadcast to millions via radio presenting ‘Past Lives Live’ and his YouTube Channel. He is popular for his how to books on the subconscious state of mind and possesses in-depth and personal knowledge about minds and resilience, presence and influence. In 2005, he was called the Gordon Ramsay of Hypnotists on Ecademy and in 1989, and in ’91, The Stage & Television Today dubbed him the ‘DreamPilot’"

Sandeep J Alur

Director, Microsoft Technology Center, Microsoft India Corporation Pvt Ltd

A director at the Microsoft Technology Centre, a passionate techie, an aspiring Data Scientist, an alumnus of RVCE, and evangelist at heart, Sandeep Alur loves technologies that have a profound impact on human lives. A 'Thought Leader', a 'Trusted Adviser' and a meticulous implementer on the ground, Sandeep has been an invited speaker at several technical conferences hosted by Microsoft and various 3rd Party and meetup/OSS Communities. Apart from his 21 years of experience in the field of IT, spanning across three companies, two of which are the global giants, namely Wipro and Microsoft, Sandeep is also vastly experienced in working with Independent Software Vendors (ISV) and start-ups in India. Skilled in Azure, AWS Cloud, Big Data Stack, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Data Mining and Algorithms, Sandeep has lead large & complex projects for customers in North America, UK and India.

Smitha Hemmigae

Head of Marketing, ThoughtWorks and Co-founder, Your Philanthropy Story

With a tenacious mind and a compassionate heart, Smitha Hemmigae is not only the Head of Marketing at ThoughtWorks India, but also the co-founder of Your Philanthropy Story: a platform to showcase and highlight innovative and inspiring stories of philanthropy, in an engaging storytelling format. This initiative was created to tell the tales of large-hearted humanitarians from all across the country, who have made it their purpose to give back to the community; and who give their best efforts to change the world, one step at a time. With the same altruism, she is also a co-trustee at Belakoo Trust, which conducts free bi-monthly classes in Hangrapura, a village in the Malavalli taluk/Mandya district, through volunteers. Her exemplary marketing career has strongly reinforced her efforts in philanthropy, as her trust has grown to accommodate over 90% of the village’s student population in the 2.5 years since its establishment.