25 Apr 2019  |   04:01am IST

AFTER WALKING THE TALK, TEDX SPEAKERS ARE HERE TO TALK

The idea of TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks has spread to our Goa, putting us on the map of this global ideas initiative. It began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) converged. Today it covers almost any topic in the world. The talks conference or TEdx is organized across the globe by local partners. The Goa initiative TEdx Panaji will see its third edition of its talks this Sunday and it’s getting bigger and better with many of our very own speaking on their subjects of expertise

 

 

A artist who is challenged but amazingly gifted, an

IAS officer who s a role model of development, a game developer, a peace activist a designer and an unique You tuber among others will get talking in Goa this Sunday. They have all walked the talk and have now come back to talk about how they walked the talk. And that is what Ted Talks are all about. Shall we say its about talking the walk?

Frederika Menezes, an artist with cerebral palsy, Ashutosh Pednekar an IAS officer who has created impact through his novel initiatives , Deepak Pathania an industrial designer who has won accolades, Greg Acuna a game developer , writer and peace activist Dr. Sampadanand Mishra, a Sanskrit scholar, Wendell Rodricks, a world-renowned fashion designer and others that include an Infosys Prize-winning scientist, a DIY science channel Youtuber, will be the speaker for the 2019 edition of Tedx Panaji

The event will be held on Sunday, April 28th, at the Kala Academy in Panaji, Goa. The annual event, organized independently by a group of volunteers under license from TED, provides a platform for diverse ideas presented by fascinating speakers and performers. Each speaker gets a maximum of eighteen minutes on stage.

Dattaprasad Shetkar, the Lead Organizer of TEDxPanaji said they had taken a bigger venue this year following the excellent response to last year and were hoping the 1000-seater venue would be packed on Sunday morning. He said “We want people to come and listen to new interesting ideas and expand their horizons”.

The event this year carries the theme #Hacked, focusing on people who have inspired those around them by using smarter, more efficient ways to be successful while demonstrating intelligence, creativity, originality, resourcefulness and most importantly, perseverance to help them rise above the ordinary and achieve great heights in their field of work.

Having hosted two half-day events in 2017 and 2018, the 2019 event promises to be much bigger, with an all-day program featuring fourteen live speakers, two music and dance performances by artistes of international repute, TED Talk videos and much more.

Speaking of the challenges of organising such an event I Goa, Dattaprasad said “The people of Goa are generally not clued into events like this and so it is a challenge getting them interested in either attending it or in part of it as a corporate sponsor. It is a battle to organise such events in Goa last year I had the state government getting involved last year and it was very easy with the event being free for everyone. This year however with the elections, the code of conduct did not allow the state government to be associated”.

Alongside the talks that will happen in the AC auditorium, participants will also be able to step into curated spaces outside the auditorium, such as the Start-up Zone, where unique business start-ups from Goa will be showcased. An Experience Zone, curated by the team of TEDxPanaji along with the Goa State Biodiversity Board, will put the spotlight on unique Goan ideas, some of which are vanishing at a fast pace. There will also be a section on technologically cutting-edge advances in fields like robotics and IOT, with a special focus on agriculture. Every aspect of the event will aim to amaze audiences with never-before seen or heard-about ideas, and a curated Goan food experience along with music and dance performances will be a highlight.