Theme: Mind Over Matter

If we think about it, all the things that humankind once thought were impossible to achieve, are now within our reach. Who would have thought that we would be able to peek into what’s happening in the endless cycle of space, the nothingness that just keeps on growing, that easily? Who would have thought that we would be able to stay connected all across the globe through an unseen network? But mankind has turned all of this possible only through the power of the mind.

Our youth is the force, hope, and leaders of tomorrow, and yet, here we are succumbing under the eyes of others, fearing that we may not be enough and failing to push ourselves to unlock our true potential. Hence, with hopes to aspire and inspire our young minds to reach the precipice of greatness, DPS STS is back with its second official TEDxDPSSTSSchool event.

We will have exceptional guest speakers and performers who will share their stories of breaking out of shells, overcoming obstacles, and enhancing their abilities through the power of their minds. After all, our thoughts are our weapons against the world, and choosing to put our minds over matter is what will determine the quality of our lives.

DPS STS School Dhaka (Senior Section)
Plot-ED-01, Road-1, Sector-15, Uttara Model Town
Dhaka, Dhaka, 1230
Bangladesh

Anika Rabbani

Yoga Instructor

She is the founder of the yoga school ‘Yoganika’ and “one of the most well-known yoga teachers in the country” as acknowledged by The Daily Star. She believes in the philosophy that yoga is a lifestyle, it’s not for lazy people. However, the benefits it offers to one’s body and mind are definitely worth the effort. She started yoga at the age of 14 subsequent to a tailbone injury, and ever since, has only gotten more and more into it. To her, it has not only helped her with health and fitness but has also disciplined her mind and life. Today, her institute has an impressive clientele--she takes corporate yoga classes, yoga classes for kids, beginners, and so on. She is a student at KPJAYI, Mysore, India, which is held equivalent to Harvard in the yoga community. She is a certified yoga instructor under the World Yoga Alliance and has learned from maestros in the field, including senior ashtanga teachers such as param guru Sharath Jois, David Garrigues, and Laruga Glasser, etc.

Debra Efroymson

Environmentalist, Author and Executive Director

Debra Efroymson is an avid speaker, environmentalist, writer, and firm believer in creating happier and healthier public. She is a true advocate for this and many generations’ issues starting from sexuality, reproductive health to urban planning, transport policy, economics, and she has extensively been a part of the activism and writing circuit for a long time. The Regional Director of the Canadian NGO HealthBridge, working with partners and communities worldwide to improve health and reduce health inequities through research, policy, and action. She is also an Advisor to the Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB) and the co-founder and Acting Executive Director of the Institute of Wellbeing. In her well-known book “Beyond Apologies, Defining and Achieving an Economics of Wellbeing”, she addresses numerous myths surrounding economic mechanisms and questioned mainstream developmental policies, and the various unsustainable consequences of a multitude of historical economic measures.

Ghulam Sumdany Don

Corporate Trainer

Don Sumdany is a motivational speaker, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer, author, and educator. He is the Chief Inspirational Officer of Don Sumdany Facilitation & Consultancy where they conduct masterclasses, corporate training, online courses, university speaking sessions, etc. to empower people in their respective fields by unleashing their potential. He also helps many people achieve work-life harmony, social skills, etc. through his Youtube channel and well-known radio show “Look Who’s Talking”. Don Sumdany has received training and certifications from reputed institutions like the American Board of NLP, Master Trainer Institute (France), and BHC Consulting (USA). As a recognition of his outstanding work, he has been honored with awards such as TOYP (Top Outstanding Young Professionals) award by JCI, Che Guevara Youth Award 2016, Above and Beyond: Call of Duty Award by PMI, and the Award of Excellence by IMFSA.

Manizey Ibrahim

Author

Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Manizey, who is managing her family business as the Director of Legal Affairs (Monitoring and Compliance) of Ibrahim Securities Limited, is now revolutionising how the Bangladeshi community looks at the urban fantasy genre. The product of years of blood, sweat and tears, her debut novel Aries: The Beginning (2022)’s cover was uniquely revealed with a book-themed scavenger hunt held at Bookworm Bangladesh on February 25, Friday. What also aided in her literary journey was her more-than-decade-old experience of teaching law nationally and internationally [Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in the London College of Legal Studies (North) 2010-2016 and the Bachelor of Laws Programme at Segi College, Kuching, Malaysia 2016- 2019 where she was also heavily involved in the Hornbill City Toastmasters Club and emerged as the Champion Speaker of the Humorous Speech Contest in the Toastmasters Area D1 level].

Md Tajdin Hassan

Chief Business Officer

He is currently the Chief Business Officer at The Daily Star, and the co-founder of Torun, a youth platform, and Think Content, a platform for marketers. His endeavours during the short period he served as the CMO of Daraz Bangladesh caused the company to be almost an epic etched on history as the bold rebranding brought “new hope, enhanced customer experience, and record-breaking [sales]” according to his Linkedin page and many other sources. He also launched a specific women-centric platform- ‘Durbar’- to empower the country’s female SME sellers.

Rakin Absar

Digital Content Creator

Formerly a part of BhaiBrother LTD, Mr Absar decided to change his path in life by also wanting to change the game in the marketplace by becoming a marketer and giving a platform to people with unconventional voices and ideas. A man of many talents, not only is he going to continue his acting career by opting for more out-of-the-box roles, but also is directing short films under production. In his videos, which are mostly about very relatable, day-to-day topics of the young generation of Bangladesh, he creatively addresses a plethora of issues, including mental health. Best Content Creator, nominated for both Channel I and The Daily Star awards, and a pioneer of Bangladeshi online comedy since 2012, his traits don’t end here! As an alumni of IUB, he has diligently focused on his education too, as one of his core beliefs is the importance of education.

Rizvana Hredita

Chief Operating Officer

Rizvana Hredita is the co-founder and COO of Hydroquo+ and Lingwing, and an honoree of Forbes 30 under 30 Asia List of 2021. Hydroquo+ is a hi-tech start-up, the first and only of its kind in Bangladesh, that incorporates Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics to improve water management and safety. They use real-time data, which are analysed using trained computer-modelling systems to predict the quality of water and its demand in a certain area from its usage.

Sadman Sadik

Educator and Author

He has not only been impacting people’s lives by helping them to grow their interpersonal and professional skills through his courses and digital content, but also bringing up important psychological and social issues using his YouTube and other social media platforms. Other than that, he also conducts software skill development workshops at various universities, including Dhaka University and North South University. An IBA graduate, Sadman Sadik also holds a knack for marketing. In his own words, his “strong suit is understanding the digital landscape, content creation and execution.” He has co-authored some of the best-selling self-help books in Ekushey Boi Mela 2019 onwards, including “Student Hacks”, “Communication Hacks” and so on. On www.10minuteschool.com, you’ll find his interactive and effective courses on Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premier Pro and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Shah Rafayat Chowdhury

Environmentalist and Social Entrepreneur

He got involved in the development sector from when he was only 16 and as a youth Ambassador, joined the Bangladesh delegation at various United Nations Summits. It was how he came to actually know about the real-life problems of vulnerable communities. At the age of 17, Rafayat started his organisation, Footsteps Bangladesh with a view to designing programs to make Bangladeshi communities, especially the ones prone to disasters and that lack in essential facilities like safe water access and sanitation, self-reliant and free from dependency. The leadership training he once received from former US Vice President Al Gore played a key role in this initiative of his, especially at the start. At present, Footsteps Bangladesh impacts over 318,926 people across 31 districts in Bangladesh through 4 core programs focusing on Water and Sanitation, Climate Action and Public Health.

Sourodip Paul

Operations Consultant and Debater

Sourodip Paul has conquered the world in university-level debating. Prior to being a world champion, Paul earned himself the glory of becoming the Champion and Best Speaker at the most prestigious regional debate tournament in Asia and Australia, the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championship, better known as Australs, as part of the Australian National University in 2020. Moreover, he won Cambridge Intervarsity, one of the most distinguished and competitive debate tournaments in the world hosted by Cambridge University once in 2020 and again in 2021. Currently, he’s an Operations Consultant at the World Bank on Social Protection, an area that deals with the crises and living standards of the poor and vulnerable. He also trains debaters from different parts of the world and has coached the national school teams of multiple countries for World Schools Debate.