Theme: TEDxVersovaWomen - Intersections

TEDxVersova is a community meet up with live inspirational talks. The theme for this event is "Intersections".

Life is never black and white. We operate at many intersections on many levels. Gender, class, caste, professional expertise and more.

We are guided by our experiences and our history. We often make choices that reflect our philosophy and values. An intersection in life is any time that two or more events come together and we need to make a choice about how to go on.

Many of these intersections are small choices that seem totally inconsequential. And often they are. Yet we realize much later that all those little choices form the fabric and pattern of our lives and do indeed make all the difference in who we become.

Through TEDxVersovaWomen we explore the various ways women have left their mark on the world and understand what drives and motivates them.

Raheja Classique Club
Lokhandwala
Andheri West
Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400053
India

Archana Goenka

Founder, Trustee, C P Goenka Group of Schools

Mrs Archana Goenka is the Founder Trustee of C P Goenka Group of Schools. Being a veteran in this industry, her understanding, creativity and endeavour to bring in a positive wave of transformation in the education system have been quite fruitful. She believes that schools are not just about textbooks and teachers but a world in itself. She today is successfully leading and managing a group of 7 high schools and 9 preschools over a span of 24 years. The schools are run under the umbrella of C P Goenka International Schools, C P Goenka’s Spring Buds International Preschools and Swami Vivekananda International Schools and are located in Juhu, Oshiwara, Kandivali, Borivali, Gorai, Dombivali, Lamington Road, Thane and Pune. She has been the eminent speaker at various platforms like the Eldrok K-12 Summit, Global Triumph Foundation World Summit – Bangkok and Maharashtra School Merit Awards 2019 & Maharashtra Educators Summit 2019 organised by Education Today.

Arfa Khanum Sherwani

Journalist

An award-winning journalist, Arfa Khanum Sherwani has been in the news broadcast sector for the last 19 years. She currently occupies the post of a Senior Editor at the digital news portal TheWire.in. Arfa was a founding member of Rajya Sabha TV. Arfa worked with NDTV and was also associated with Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan for his TV blockbuster ‘SatyamevJayate’. She participated in ‘Global Media Forum’ in Germany’s Bonn city. She has delivered the TEDxlecture on Fake News in India. Arfa won this Year’s Red ink award. A winner of Senior Journalists Seminar Fellowship from East-West Centre, Hawaii for 2018, the news broadcaster along with some of the world’s finest journalists, represented India in the international seminar. Chosen as Robert Bosch Indian Media Ambassador to Germany for the year 2017, Arfa worked on the Rise of Right-Wing politics in Germany. Recently, she was awarded the prestigious SahityaSamman from Hindi Academy, instituted by the Delhi government.

Chaitaly Mehta

Entrepreneur

Chaitaly Mehta is a logistics professional with over 22 years of experience. She is the first woman in the family business - a 3rd generation customs broker and 2nd generation Freight Forwarder who is at the helm of operations in her family-owned business, EKF Logistics (formerly Express Kargo Forwarders Private Limited ). Her ability as a natural problem solver and keen observer, allowed her to quickly learn the tricks of the trade and carve out a niche for herself in this dynamic sector. She is sought out among her peers for her ability to objectively look at situations and provide valuable advice. She states that logistics is a simple word but with a complex connotation - it has so many branches that interconnect, overlay, yet is a strong invisible thread that ties the World Economy together like Spiderman’s Web! Chaitaly firmly believes that the work she and her team do, makes the cogs in the wheels of the World Economy go around and this, she says, is a great thrill.

Dimple Sopher

Fitness and Lifestyle coach

Dimple Sopher is a Fitness and Lifestyle Coach and a Women-centric Workout Expert. Dimple is also a Motivational Guide for Weight loss and body transformation. Dimple has over 21 years of coaching experience in India and various other countries.

Harish Sadani

Co-founder & Chief Functionary, Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA)

Mr Harish Sadani is a co-founder and Chief Functionary of Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), India’s first organization of sensitive and concerned men working since 1993 to stop and prevent gender-based violence on women. Harish has done his Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and has been engaging and mentoring thousands of young men and adolescent boys across India to deconstruct and redefine masculinity.

Latha Sankarnarayan

Eco-entrepreneur

Latha Sankarnarayan is an eco-entrepreneur and an expert in sustainability strategies, environment and climate change. She is a two-time entrepreneur in the field of sustainability consulting in India, having co-founding Green Evangelist, a sustainability consulting firm in 2009 and now with Developmatrix, a women-led changemaking social enterprise in CSR, environment and Sustainability. She has worked on advising and influencing several companies in corporate and sustainable strategies including Microsoft, Unilever India, Infosys, Tata Projects Ltd, Vedanta Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, US Consulate General Mumbai.

Madhuri Sarode Sharma

Transgender LIC Agent

Madhuri is India's first transgender married to a hetero man. She is India's first transgender LIC agent. She is an actor, dancer and believes in the empowerment of all genders.

Manjushree Patil

Social Entrepreneur

Ms Manjushree Patil is the Founder Director of Aatman Academy a customized learning and specialized instruction inclusive school for children with diverse learning needs that has been ranked among the top ten schools in the same category for three consecutive years, by the Education World Magazine. A TEDx Speaker and a recipient of the Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary Fellowship on Inclusive Education, by the US State Department of Education at the University of Minnesota, she is also an Acumen India Fellow, a mentee of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Mentoring Women in Business Programme (UK) and the Legatum Summer School (Tuscany, Italy). Manjushree is the Country Director (India) of Samanta India (the India presence of THINK EQUAL UK) the first global education initiative on Social Emotional Learning, that has been endorsed by the UN Human Rights Office.

Merlin Dsouza

Artist, Musician

India’s leading Lady musician, Merlin, is a consummate Pianist Composer and Music Director. She is one of India’s leading Music-Producers also fondly called the "FEMALE REHMAN" (article on website) whose body of work extensively includes many exciting genres of music. She has composed and produced music for Bollywood, Theater, Sonic (Sound) Branding, Albums.

Rema Rajeshwari

Police Officer

Experienced Police Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry. Skilled in Counterterrorism, Counter-terrorist financing, Counterinsurgency, CVE and Storytelling. Proven professional record led to her selection as a Yale World Fellow (Post-doctoral fellowship). Focused on Global Affairs (global security) at Yale University. Currently works on design thinking and social innovation to fight fake news and misinformation.

Sukriti Gupta

Co-Founder, Academy for Earth Sustainability

Sukriti Gupta has spent the better part of her adult life exploring how to meaningfully nurture and support young people towards intersectional, empathetic environmental action. Trained in experiential education, permaculture, and sustainable design; her journey has been wild and diverse - taking her down many foliage rich forest paths. Some of her most impactful work across the state includes implementing permaculture in schools, nurturing budding eco-activists and building large scale digital curricula for authentic environmental action.

Teesta Setalvad

Writer, Activist, Journalist

Teesta Setalvad is an Indian civil rights activist and journalist. She is the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace