Theme: Reimagining the Future : Creating a Better Tomorrow

2nd Edition of TEDxKCG, Chennai is an independently organised event by KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

TEDxKCG aims to bring the spirit of TED to the local community and catalyze positive change. With 17 distinguished speakers, each a luminary in their respective fields, this event is a celebration of intellect, creativity and the unyielding human spirit.

Imagine a coming together of minds, a harmony of thoughts, all focussed on reimagining what's to come and making our future brighter. Welcome to a journey where inspiration meets action, where dreams are not just envisioned but forged into reality.

KMC Auditorium,KCG College of Technology
KCG Colllege Road,Karapakkam
1st Floor ,Main Building
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600097
India

Anahita Ravindran

Indian Classical Musician, Digital Content Creator & Educator

Anahita Ravindran is a distinguished Carnatic vocalist and instrumentalist, recognized internationally for her outstanding performances. Having garnered numerous prestigious awards in the music field including recognition from the Central government as well as the State. Renowned for her collaborations with esteemed personalities like Birju Maharaj, Sudha Raghunathan, Vyjayantimala Bali and Leela Samson, Anahita's artistry has been lauded by connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike. Beyond her accolades and achievements, Anahita is revered for her innovative approach to traditional music. She is a trailblazer in making the art form accessible and engaging for younger generations, particularly Gen Z, both as an art educator as well as a digital content creator. Through her thoughtful yet authentic methodology, Anahita is not only preserving the essence of Carnatic music but also ensuring its relevance in today's ever-evolving world.

Bosskey

Cricketer, Standup Comedian & Motivator

Bosskey is a noted actor, radio jockey, cricketer, commentator, stand-up comedian and film critic. He has anchored TV shows such as Hari Giri Assembly and Siri Giri Station and also appeared in 18 Tamil films in comedy and character roles. He has presented around 5000 radio shows on Radio Mirchi, Big FM and Suryan FM. He has also written 17000 jokes for Ananda Vikatan magazine. Bosskey's In-depth and Troll Review of IPL 2020 can be seen on the Behindwoods Air YouTube channel after the end of every single match and the show is received well amongst the Tamil cricket fans.

Carolyn Jawahar

Advocate of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) & Senior Manager, Standard Chartered Bank

Carolyn is a DEI lead and a Senior Manager at Standard Chartered Bank and works in Corporate Communication and the Graduate Program. She is a passionate Ally and is a core member of SC Pride, the Bank’s global LGBTQ+ initiatives team. A zealous advocate of DEIB, she is part of the D&I Council and has led many initiatives at work. One was a “Human Library” experience at work, where members of the Trans community interacted with colleagues in person and shared their life journeys. At Standard Chartered, she has received many awards in recognition of her efforts And has been invited as a guest speaker and judge for many LGBTQ+ events outside of work. Carolyn is also a certified Mental Health First Aider and is a Well-Being Champion at work. Academically, she holds an MBA in International Business and a degree in psychology and digital filmmaking. She strives to help create a world free of bias, where each person can be their true authentic self without fear or judgement.

Dhanush N

Founder & Chief Vision Officer, Interain Intelligence Pvt Ltd

Dhanush N, the founder of an AI-driven Ed-tech Startup, is known for his deep passion for public speaking and entrepreneurship. During his time in the Student Advisory Council at college, he has delivered numerous speeches on various topics inspiring his peers. Transitioning into the world of entrepreneurship, a commitment to public speaking has remained constant for presenting his startup to the world, positioning him as its human face. As a recent graduate turned founder, Dhanush possesses a vision that seamlessly integrates both realms, enabling him to articulate the role of entrepreneurship and its profound impact on student life. The official incubation of his startup, Interain, at AIC - Anna Incubator, along with its acceleration by Pedalstart, serves as a testament to his steadfast dedication in nurturing this venture.

Koventhan S

IFS, Director, Govt of India & Regional Passport Officer, Chennai

Koventhan S, IFS is an Indian diplomat with 15 years of service in diplomacy. After joining the Indian Foreign Service in 2009, he has served in various capacities at Indian Embassies in Portugal, Brazil and Bhutan. While stationed in Brazil, he successfully handled the visits of the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India for the BRICS Summits held in Brazil in 2014 and 2019. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, he successfully led the mission which safely evacuated over 800 Indian nationals from Brazil to India. He currently heads the Regional Passport Office, Chennai, and during his tenure, he has brought down the overall processing time for passports in the Chennai region and has also introduced new initiatives like " Chat with RPO" ( a WhatsApp video call ) , "Meet your RPO" ( Walk-in meeting with RPO), Integrated Public Grievance Centre ( one point of contact for Grievance redressal). Since January 2024, he has been heading the Ministry of External Affairs, Branch Secretariat, Chennai.

Mathisharma G

Co-Founder & CTO, VayuRatha Pvt Ltd

Mathisharma is an aviation aspirant and an UAV enthusiast with over 6 years of experience as an aero modeler and a UAV pilot and 3 years of industrial experience as a co-founder and chief technical officer of an UAV manufacturing company. He co-founded a drone tech startup called VAYURATHA PRIVATE LIMITED in 2021, which is involved in the manufacturing of drones and its services. He has evolved as a powerful speaker, having inspired many students and UAV enthusiasts through his various lectures and workshops on aero modeling and drone piloting. Academically, he holds a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical engineering.

Mazin Mohamed Iqbal

Writer, Published Author, Illustrator, Journalist and AI Scientist in Training

Mazin Mohamed Iqbal is a 21-year-old writer, published author, illustrator, journalist, computer science engineer and data scientist in training. He authored his first book, The Loop of Life in 2021, and is currently working on its successor. He has worked as a journalist in the editorial team at YourStory Media, India's biggest platform for the startup ecosystem. He has worked closely with Nirmal Pillai (#6 on Forbes’ India Top Digital Creators) co-writing the ‘Parotta Act’ web series and heading a team of research writers for the same, on projects for companies such as Netflix. Mazin also has more than 41,000 opens by people using AR filters he made across Meta platforms. Academically, he holds a diploma in Data Science from IIT-Madras and is on track to graduate with a B.E in Computer Science from KCG Tech.

Mekin Maheswari

Founder & CEO, Udhayam Learning Foundation

Mekin is the founder & CEO of Udhyam Learning Foundation - a Non-profit that has enabled entrepreneurial mindsets for over 16 lakh govt school & ITI students across 8 states in India and an annual income uplift of Rs. 20 Cr for 5000 Istri entrepreneurs. He is also a co-founder of the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (G.A.M.E) and Social Change at ACT Grants and an independent board member at TeamLease. As an Angel investor & philanthropist, he is focused on creating impact at scale in the fields of human capital & Ed-techs. An engineer by education, Mekin started his career at Yahoo!. Before Udhyam, he helped Flipkart through its scale journey. An early leader at Flipkart, starting from when the company was in a 2-room house, building & leading the most impactful technology team in the country to eventually playing the role of Chief People Officer for a 35k-strong team. Mekin deeply cares about people realizing their potential and succeeding in life.

Nithish Sairam

CEO, Illumine Group of Industries

Nithish Sairam has diverse work experience in the renewable energy and power industry. Nithish started their career as a Research Engineer at Arizona State University in 2013 and worked there until 2014. In 2014, they joined Tesla as a Renewable Energy Engineer and later became an Engineer in Training before leaving in 2015. In 2015, Nithish joined OneRoof Energy, Inc. as a Sr. Renewable Energy Engineer and then transitioned to become an Advisor for Operations Strategy until 2017. Nithish also worked at NextEra Energy Resources from 2017 to 2019, where they held multiple roles including Head of Construction Automation Research and Project Management. Currently, Nithish is the CEO of ILLUMINE i, a position they have held since April 2019. Nithish previously served as an Advisor for Operations & Finance at the same company from 2015 to 2019.

Preethi Ramadoss

Founder & Director, Manithee Healthcare Pvt Ltd

Dr. Preethi Ramadoss, popularly known as Tamilnadu Padwoman for her invention of the world's fastest degradable sanitary napkin. Her love for nature and animals speaks so much about herself. Her invention was a reflection of her intensive love and care for this planet. She has also invented the world's first biodegradable sweat-based glucose sensing materials that are awaiting to hit the market. Her resilient nature and conviction in her task yet full of compassion and empathy towards nature and its beings are what brought her this far. She is the founder of Manithee Healthcare Pvt. Ltd and skincare and haircare range of products. With more than 13 years of research experience in the field of Biomaterials, with 10 international publications and 2 granted patents, she's here to share her thoughts about the environmental impacts of the modern world.

Ra Ma Palaniappan

Author of the Book "Zero EMI:Unlock Your Financial Freedom, Senior Engineering Program Manager, PayPal India,

Ra Ma. Palaniappan is a keynote speaker with over 15 years of industry experience as a Banker and IT Program Manager. He has evolved as a powerful speaker, having inspired many professionals through his speaking assignments, workshops, and programs. He authored his first book titled 'Zero EMI: Unlock Your Financial Freedom' in the year 2020. Palaniappan was awarded as a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), the pinnacle award in Toastmasters International. Ra Ma. Palaniappan was a founding member of the Professional Speakers Association of India (PSAI) – an association of the Global Speakers Federation. Academically, he holds an MBA in International Business.

Radhika Vairavelavan

Founder Director, Chathur Lakshana Academy of Fine Arts

Radhika Vairavelavan is a performer, teacher and researcher whose dancing is characterised by grace and a natural cadence of thought and movement. Four decades of experience as practitioner of the classical art form of Bharatanatyam and three decades of teaching, along with knowledge of allied art forms like Karnatic music (vocal and playing the Jal Tarang), nattuvangam and yoga, a bachelor’s degree in Physics, Masters and Doctorate in Bharatanatyam have made her who she is today – a nuanced dancer with an enquiring mind and a passionate teacher with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She has created her path through Chathur Lakshana Academy of Fine Arts which she founded in 2005, teaching and mentoring young minds along with performing and choreographing extensively she has also authored a book ‘The Rasa Concept of Kuttanul’, a translation with commentary of the Cuvainul.

Rohini Rau

Asian Sailing Gold Medallist, Internal Medicine / Functional Medicine Doctor & Founder Dr Rohini Rau Essential Wellness

Dr Rohini Rau is India’s former top woman sailor. Her best World ISAF Ranking was 94 and 5th in Asia. She created history by winning India's first international gold medal by a women's youth team at the Asian Sailing Championship in 2004. She has participated in 9 World Championships, winning 6 international medals and 32 National Medals including 8 Consecutive National titles in the Laser Radial. She campaigned for the 2012 Olympic Games. After 7 years, Rohini made a comeback into competitive sailing - forming an All Women’s sailing team to represent India at the J/80 World Championship in Bilbao, Spain July 2019. Team YATRA placed 4th in the Women’s Category.

Sharmila Jain Oswal

Millet Woman of India, Founder & MD Gudmom Basillia Organics.

From all glamorous careers of life, Sharmila Jain Oswal, transformed into full time Organic Farming, devoted her time to Growing Organic Healthy Millets , empowering farmers and women of India creating sustainable livelihoods. The Agroprenur, The Milletpreneur, Millet woman of India and the Proud Daughter of Soil, Sharmila is a British Scholar & LLM from England UK. She is a Board Member APEDA Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, Director- Center of Excellence Smart Agriculture & Millets Pahale India Foundation New Delhi and Founder & MD Gudmom Basillia Organics.

Vish Sahasranaman

Co-Founder & CEO, Forge Innovation & Ventures

Vish Sahasranamam has over 23 years of experience in strategic business planning, product strategy management-marketing, strategic alliances, and business development, including 7+ years of resident international work experience. Vish received his BE degree from CEG Chennai (Anna Univ) in 2000 and his PGDM (MBA) from IIM-Bangalore in 2010. Since 2015, Vish has taken up the challenge of launching new companies with economic impact, capacity building, and technology-driven transformation at the national scale. Vish co-founded Forge in 2015 with the vision to catalyse national-scale industrial digital transformation by enabling Government and industry to collaborate with startups as innovation partners. Vish has also played a pivotal role in building and scaling iDEX, the open innovation program launched by MoD that won the prestigious PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration and has emerged as the largest open innovation platform for India’s national defence and security.

Vishwanathan Sridhar

Architect & Urban Development Practitioner & Founder, Odds Studio

Step into the world of Viswanathan Sridhar, where architecture becomes a canvas for social transformation and urban landscapes are reimagined as catalysts for change. As an Architect and Urban Development Practitioner, he defies convention, blending creativity with a deep-rooted sense of purpose. From designing visionary mobile public toilets to crafting captivating comics for children, he seamlessly weaves innovation into every endeavour. Embark on a journey with Viswanathan, where each project tells a story of resilience, inclusivity, and the boundless potential of human ingenuity. Join him in reshaping our world for a brighter tomorrow—one inspiring idea at a time.

Vivek Benegal

Professor of Psychiatry & Officer In-charge Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS)

Dr. Vivek Benegal, Professor of Psychiatry, is a trained psychiatrist and specialist in the area of Addiction Medicine. He was instrumental in setting up the current treatment services, and the post-doctoral and super-speciality training facilities at the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. He is currently the Head of the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM and the Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management His area of interest is in interventions for adolescents and young adults with addictive disorders including behavioural addictions and common vulnerability to externalizing disorders (Adult ADHD); and the impact of exposure to stress and adversity on the brain.