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Published : Monday, 16 January, 2017 11:45 AM

Inspirational ideas enthrall the audience at TEDxXIMB 2017

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TEDxXIMB 2017 was organized at Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier University Bhubaneswar on January 15, 2017. TED is a non-profit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks by the leading thinkers and doers of the day. Independently run TEDx events help share powerful ideas and thoughts in communities around the world. This fourth edition of TEDxXIMB had speakers from diverse walks of life such as Mr. Anwesh Kumar Sahoo, Mr. Gay World India 2016 and prominent LGBT rights activist, Mr. Anand Ranganathan, researcher at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi and a contributing Editor at Newslaundry, Mr. Raul Villamarin Rodriguez, Criminal Intelligence Officer at Interpol and counter-terrorism specialist, Ms. Jagi Mangat Panda, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Ortel Communications Limited, Mr. Qaushiq Mukherjee AKA Q, film-maker and rapper, Mr. Sarath Davala, sociologist and founder of the India Network for Basic Income and Mr. Suvankar Mishra,CEO of eKutir Global. The theme for this year’s event was ‘Scripting the Change’ and the speakers brought it forth excellently.

Mr. Anwesh Kumar Sahoo was the first speaker. His talk, titled ‘Tapping Into your Alice’ was intensely personal. He shared the trials and tribulations he had to endure, growing up in a society that did not know how to deal with individuals who did not conform to established gender stereotypes. He left the audience with an inspirational message: “One individual willing to make a difference can change the world.”

Mr. Anand Ranganathan was next. His topic was, ‘To Kill a Mocking bug: Darwin to the rescue.’ He threw light on his research on the subject of Directed Evolution and Pathogenesis with a special emphasis on combating Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis and Malaria.

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Raul V. Rodriguez followed with the topic, ‘Deception in Management Education.’ He had an interactive and freewheeling session with the audience, speaking about how deception was an inescapable part of the modern, transaction-driven society that we are live in. He averred, “Business people want to have it both ways: they want to lie to a customer and then act as if they haven’t done it.”

The next speaker was Ms. Jagi Mangat Panda, whose topic was: ‘Breaking the glass ceiling: Women entrepreneurs in India.’ Drawing from her own experience as a media entrepreneur in a male-dominated sphere, she spoke of the deeply ingrained gender stereotypes in society that are extremely difficult to overcome.

The next speaker was the film-maker and rapper, Qaushiq Mukhejee. Better known as ‘Q’, he spoke on ‘Digital Disruption in Underground Cinema.’ He gave the audience a sense of how technological disruptions like the advent of the Worldwide Web, Digital Photography and more recently, Digital Distribution have brought about far-reaching changes in the ways in which films are conceptualized, made and distributed. “The Underground,” Q said, “constantly talks or thinks of what is going to happen next.”

Mr. Sarath Davala followed Q with his speech revolving around the theme, ‘Universal Basic Income.’ He said, “We bring in huge bureaucracies because of the conditionalities: this leads to corruption.” He shared his observations from a pilot study of basic income conducted in a district of Madhya Pradesh as proof that the concept of Basic Income has huge potential and can create far-reaching benefits for these communities.

The final speaker for the evening was Mr. Suvankar Mishra, whose topic was: ‘Human digital platform to aid sustainable development of smallholder communities’. With ninety percent of cultivators worldwide being small land-holders, it is essential that they be empowered by new and innovative technological and organizational solutions. He concluded by saying, “A data revolution can bring about sustainable, equitable development of small landholding farmers who grow most of our food.”

Two TED videos were played in the event. The first one was a TED Talk by Tim Urban on what it is like to be inside the mind of a master procrastinator. The next video was that of a talk by Jennifer Kahn on the advances in gene-editing technology and how it has the potential to alter an entire species.

The event concluded with a breathtaking Paika War Dance performance by the Khorda Paika Akhada. Paika Dance is a performance art with a martial character with rhythmic movements and weapons being hit in tune to beating drums.

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