Theme: Be You

Imitation being a core human art-form, it's difficult to be distinct, be unique. But all of us are born with a special skill-set which like our DNA doesn't have a match elsewhere. Yet each individual with his/her own flight of imagination and set of wings, ironically, tries to fit in and searches for "birds of same feather". But this year, at TEDxBITSGoa, it's going to be different, where you will get to be what you haven't been for a while- Be You !

Auditorium, BITS Pilani - Goa Campus
BITS Pilani Goa Campus
Zuarinagar
Vasco, 403726
India

Sidin Vadukut

A columnist, writer and blogger from India, he is the managing editor of Livemint.com-a financial daily. An engineer from NIT Trichy and an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, he has authored three books- "Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese", "God Save the Dork" and "Who let the Dork Out" which comprise the bestselling Dork trilogy. The books follow the consulting antics of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese as he moves his way up the corporate ladder. Vadukut is acclaimed for his humorous style of writing, one that brings absurdity and deadpan expressions alive on paper.

Kamlesh Patel

Referred to as the pride of Baroda, Kamlesh Patel has gone against all odds and conquered his physical disability to become a brilliant dancer. Afflicted with polio in both legs since the tender age of five, his undying determination and willpower is a source of inspiration to many. He is a living epitome of the fact that to dance you don't need hands, legs, costumes; all you need is passion and faith. He has done countless shows in India and abroad and is also the recipient of many notable awards.

Harit Soni

Harit Soni is the founder of Ecolibrium Energy, a company devoted to reducing energy wastage and efficiently using energy generated. He was named as one of the Top 35 innovators of the year 2012 by the prestigious MIT Technology Review. At Ecolibrium, Harit has led the development of indigenous smart grid technologies which enable us to monitor power generation and consumption in real time. Harit has overseen the installation of a smart grid in Gandhinagar, Gujarat and the real-time generation monitor­ing results have shown nearly 90 per­cent increase in the power harnessed

Astha Kapoor

A graduate from St. Stephens College, New Delhi and a postgraduate from the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands, Astha is a social scientist and the youngest member of the Indian Planning commission. She helped write the 12th five year plan of India. Also, her work on the financial crisis and the Surat diamond industry was published in the book Developing Countries and the Financial Crisis by Edward Elger.

Narendra Nayak

Narendra NayakNarendra Nayak is an eminent rationalist, sceptic and writer from Karnataka. He founded Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association and has been working as its Secretary since 1976. He organized a body of more than 65 atheists, rationalists and humanists and formed a society called Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations and is currently serving as the national president of this association. An adversary of astrology and superstitions, he conducted about 2000 demonstrations to expose such beliefs reasoning them pure scientific facts. Featured in a myriad of television programs including the e one on physical feats by the Discovery Channel, the show Is It Real? by National Geographic and The Secret Swami by the BBC, he is a close associate of the late Basava Premanand and carries his legacy forward

Anjali Mangalgiri

Anjali Mangalgiri is building one of the first certified green building in Goa. She is a building industry professional with a Masters in City Planning from MIT and Master in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. She has worked on countless design and planning projects worldwide. She is the co-founder and advisor to Smart Cities Advisors, a social enterprise based in New York aimed at promoting sustainable development in developing countries. After living and working in the US for 8 years, she has returned to India to promote sustainable development.