Spotlight India
New in 2021 - a three-hour livestream featuring speakers
from India and other parts of South Asia.
Produced in partnership with
SPEAKERS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Deepak Chopra, MD
Founder, The Chopra Foundation Author, Total Meditation
Deepak Chopra, MD
Founder, The Chopra Foundation Author, Total Meditation
Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities.
Dr. Shantala Hegde
Associate Professor, Clinical Neuropsychology, NIMHANS
Dr. Shantala Hegde
Associate Professor, Clinical Neuropsychology, NIMHANS
Dr. Shantala Hegde, is an Associate Professor and Consultant at the Neuropsychology Unit,
Department of Clinical Psychology and Consultant to the Department of Neurorehabilitation, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. She is the
Intermediate Fellow of the prestigious Wellcome Trust UK-DBT India Alliance and is a mentee to Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, Professor of Neurology and Director, Music, Neuroimaging, and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory Chief, Division of Stroke Recovery and Neuro Rehabilitation Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She is the first clinical psychologist to receive this prestigious fellowship in the country.
She obtained her M.Phil in Clinical Psychology and PhD in the field of Clinical
Neuropsychology, both from NIMHANS. Her research interest is in the area of Clinical
Neuropsychology and neuropsychological rehabilitation. She has worked towards developing home-based and hospital based cognitive remediation programs for patients with Schizophrenia. Her specific focus is in the area of music perception and cognition and the application of music-based intervention in neuropsychological rehabilitation.
Dr. Hegde has established and currently heads the Music Cognition Laboratory at
NIMHANS, the first of its kind in India. She is a trained in Neurologic Music Therapy from
the International Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy. She is one of the first Affiliate
Professional Member- The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy from India. She also actively collaborates with Dr. Michael M Thaut and his team, University of Toronto, Canada.
She has many fellowships and awards to her credit. She was the recipient of the
fellowships awarded by the University of Helsinki, 2016, Science fellow - the Shepherd
School of Music and Rice University, Houston, TX, USA and she was nominated for the
'Young researcher award' by the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research
(SEMPRE) in 2012 and received the ‘International Young Investigator award’ by the International Congress on Schizophrenia research in 2009. She has obtained training in the Laboratory for Music-Neuroscience attached to the Montreal Neurological Institute and University of Montreal; University of Burgundy, Dijon France and collaborated on research projects with Music Cognition Laboratory with researcher at the University of Tufts, USA and University of Burgundy, France. She has carried out research projects funded by the DST, ICMR, ICSSR and now initiated research project funded by the Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance.
She is also a musician (Vocalist) trained in the Hindustani Classical Music tradition
and composed and sung for a music CD named ‘Uma Sahasram’ . She continues to learn under the tutelage of Smt Bharathi Prathap, disciple of the Vidushi Lalith j Rao of the Agra Atrauli Gharana.
Param Tomanec
Artist and Filmmaker
Param Tomanec
Artist and Filmmaker
Watermarked by the spirit of devotion, Param is focusing on producing works of visual art to go beyond the time they were produced. For sixteen years he lived as a monk in the Krishna tradition gaining him deep trust from his audiences. Param served a tenure at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies as Artist in Residence. His work appeared across books and journals, and art debut Rasa Yatra enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim. Param's first retrospective of photography was published in 2015 (Niyogi Books). Currently in works to complete his second art offering Krida Yatra, pairing life to the divine through beauty transcending mere appearances. He lives a nomadic life, seeking to build studio homesite in nature settings, where deeper cinematic visions of his yogic perception could be manifested in the light of the future.
Sadhguru
Founder Isha Foundation, Yogi, Mystic, Visionary
Sadhguru
Founder Isha Foundation, Yogi, Mystic, Visionary
Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary, and author. Absolute clarity of perception not only in matters spiritual but in business, environmental and international affairs places him as a speaker and opinion‐maker of international renown. Sadhguru’s celebratory engagement with life includes a deep involvement in fields as diverse as architecture, visual design, poetry, painting, sports, music, aviation and motorcycling.
Three decades ago, Sadhguru founded Isha Foundation, a non‐profit human‐service organization, with human wellbeing as its core commitment. Isha is supported by over 11 million volunteers in more than 300 centers worldwide. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India’s highest annual civilian award.
Tanvi Jindal Shete
Founder Museum of Solutions
Tanvi Jindal Shete
Founder Museum of Solutions
She began her journey in education a decade back as a Teach for India Fellow in Mumbai, with a two-year fellowship program teaching underprivileged children in a government school. Alongside, she worked at Akanksha Foundation, an NGO, with a mission to provide children from low-income communities with quality education, enabling them to maximize their potential and transform their lives. She is the Managing Trustee of the Jindal Education Trust looking after all the education initiatives including the seven JSW managed schools across the country.
Tanvi has always been driven towards the goal to make learning for all children not only enjoyable but also more meaningful. Turning these thoughts into reality she is establishing a new interactive and immersive children’s museum, an experiential institution in Mumbai, complementing the education system that is both inclusive and accessible to all children in terms of content, structure, and language. Taking inspiration from the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the MUSEUM OF SOLUTIONS is based on pressing issues of sustainability, climate change, urban planning, and empathy. It intends to be a space for children to apply their learning to real life situations, to foster creativity, think critically, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively.
Vikram Patel
The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School and Founder, Sangath.
Vikram Patel
The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School and Founder, Sangath.
Vikram is a psychiatrist, a researcher, and an author. He has spent the better part of his life and career figuring out how to bring better mental health care to low-resource communities -- especially by teaching ordinary people to deliver basic mental health services. His work spans the areas of mental health problems, child development, and adolescent health, in particular, how we can use community resources for assessment, prevention, and recovery (especially focused in low-resource countries). In 2003, he wrote an illustrated book “Where There Is No Psychiatrist” which has become a widely used manual for community mental health in developing countries, the 2nd edition was launched just last year. He co-founded the Movement for Global Mental Health (a virtual network of individuals and organizations that aim to improve services for people living with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities across the world). He was named in the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2015. He is especially interested in and a promoter of the arts - especially as a medium for talking about personal experience and mental health.
Vikram is a professor of global health at the Harvard Medical School and co-founder of Sangath which initiated the It's Ok To Talk campaign in 2017. The youth mental health awareness campaign works through new media and the arts, community-based events, training and leadership building, and social media to highlight young people’s lived experiences of mental health needs and build their capacities to address mental health challenges. In 2019, It’s Ok To Talk was recognized as one of the 10 most prominent international mental health campaigns by Facebook and featured in a World Economic Forum report in 2020. The campaign strives to involve young people, especially those with personal lived experiences of mental health needs, at each level. This includes the levels of consultation for conceptualizing projects, engagement as staff and volunteers, and monitoring and evaluation of impact. The programs’ approachability is best demonstrated through more than 200 personal submissions by young people on the It’s Ok To Talk website and the Mann Mela museum of young people’s mental health stories.
Nupur Goenka
Founder Semicolon
Nupur Goenka
Founder Semicolon
Nupur Goenka is the Founder of Semicolon, a non-profit platform that brings together a global community of experts to unbox the culture, art, science, and evolution of mental health in the hope to inspire conversation. She also works in the product and technology space as the Executive Director of Tally Solutions in India.
About Semicolon:
Mental Health doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable topic. There is so little that is understood about it, and so much more that is misunderstood.
For those of us who have experienced battles with Mental Health, we have often found the silence around us deafening. We understand the sense of isolation that can come with this quiet. We have realized the importance of speaking up, even if we fall short in our attempt to articulate.
You shouldn’t have to experience your own battle to have a conversation.
Semicolon seeks to bring together a community of contributors, researchers, experts, and writers from around the world to unbox the culture, art, science, and evolution in the Mental Health space. We will try to explore creative ways to disseminate knowledge by drawing on topics ranging from psychopathology and neuroscience to social issues and therapeutic innovations with the hope that it will inspire discussion.
Let’s add to the voice, not the silence.
aswekeepsearching
Post Modern Rock Band
aswekeepsearching
Post Modern Rock Band
Intriguing and enamoring all that they touch with their sound, the band has joined ranks amongst the most sought after acts in the post-rock landscape.
Having shared the stage with notable acts such as God is an Astronaut, Steven Wilson, 65daysofstatic, PG.Lost, Tides of Man, sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Plini, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa and many more, only pays testimony to the live experience the band delivers. Their music is an aural painting, cathartic and unbiased - vividly colorful and infinitely kind.
From the first bar of the music till the curtain drops, it is apparent that the three members, fueled by idealism and the drive to build something beautiful, are set out to move mountains.
aswekeepsearching is : Uddipan Sarmah // Sambit Chatterjee // Robert Alex For details contact : Vishal Gore (+91 98230 93579 // email : vishal@iamzia.in)
Devika Sundar
Interdisciplinary Artist, Inlaks Fine Arts Awardee 2020
Devika Sundar
Interdisciplinary Artist, Inlaks Fine Arts Awardee 2020
Devika Sundar is an Inlaks Fine art awardee 2020 Devika’s interdisciplinary practice, shifts across different mediums, threading elements of collage, painting, and printmaking with photography, assemblage and installation. Exploring art as a restorative, meditative medium and outlet, she expresses collective themes of invisibility, illness, memory and impermanence within personal and shared human experience.
Ranveer Allahbadia
India's No.1 Self Improvement Youtube Content Creator and Podcaster, Co-founder - Monk Entertainment
Ranveer Allahbadia
India's No.1 Self Improvement Youtube Content Creator and Podcaster, Co-founder - Monk Entertainment
India's No.1 Self Improvement YouTube content creator with a cumulative audience of 7 million+ across social media and India's No.1 Podcaster- The Ranveer Show and the only digital content creator to run a 360 creative organization- Monk Entertainment.
Ranveer began his Youtube channel BeerBiceps in 2015 which commenced as a fitness channel and later ventured into curating content in the genre of fashion, grooming, lifestyle, motivation, personal finance, etiquette, meditation, mental health, communication skills & even entrepreneurship. He soon started his Hindi channel under the name Ranveer Allahabadia which amassed 1 million subscribers in just a year! Today, his podcast- The Ranveer Show continues to hold the no.1 position on Spotify all India podcast charts.
Today BeerBiceps is the home for The Ranveer Show or TRS - India's smartest podcast. A show where we host the country's greatest success stories and try digging out their secrets to success. Every conversation on The Ranveer Show is intellectual, deep & informational. We cover everyone from entrepreneurs to Bollywood film stars to even athletes. Every conversation is an EXTREME learning experience for the viewer.
Abhay Deol
Actor and Producer
Abhay Deol
Actor and Producer
An actor who has never shied away from speaking his mind; a producer who doesn’t believe in the ‘formula’, a film curator with a keen eye for detail and good stories, a painter who’s not scared to experiment with colours, and a philanthropist who wishes to leverage his position to bring a positive change in society. Well, that’s in short Abhay Deol, if only the versatile actor could fit in boxes.
Despite coming from the most-filmy family of Bollywood- the Deols, Abhay is a man of few words who lets his work and films do the talking bit. You may call him a non-conformist but Abhay’s panache of portraying complex characters is matched by very few in the cinema world as evident from his filmography that includes films like Dev D, Raanjhana, Manorama six feet under, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Shanghai, and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye.
Whether it was acquainting Sunny Deol to Imtiaz Ali for his debut Socha Na Tha, raising funds for Manorama Six Feet Under, or giving Anurag Kashyap the idea to give Devdas a contemporary twist in Dev.D, Abhay always went beyond the traditional responsibilities of an actor even in the early days of his career.
Despite his success with films that have been termed “art-house” and “off beat”, Abhay – right from his first shot has continually balanced and found success both with artistic/indie cinema as well as hugely successful Bollywood blockbusters.
He has consistently taken chances with debutante directors from the start of his career. Be it Imtiaz Ali, Reema Kakdi or Navdeep Singh, just to name a few. He’s also carried the freedom, and his penchant for going against the grain, into his work as a producer — backing newcomers and new storylines.
He has also set up his own production house based in Canada, 'Bliss Point Entertainment' to make global films. His first film under this banner is a horror flick by the name The Son.
With a huge fan-following across the globe, Abhay has always stood for the cause of parallel cinema, which is one of the reasons he became a film curator. He also ventured into the digital medium with Chopsticks and Line of Descent. With a strong social media presence, his #makingwhatbollywouldnt get him thousands of eyeballs on social media where he regularly takes up issues that Bollywood wouldn’t want you to see or talk about. Abhay is known to take a stand divergent to the rest of tinsel town’s herd opinions.
Luke Coutinho
Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine
Luke Coutinho
Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine
Luke Coutinho is a globally renowned Holistic Lifestyle Coach in the field of Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine and the Founder of You Care - All about YOU by Luke Coutinho. Luke’s approach towards prevention and healing revolves around four important pillars: Balanced Nutrition, Adequate Exercise, Quality Sleep, and Emotional Detox.
His programs work towards helping individuals with severe illnesses and lifestyle diseases and reducing their pain and suffering using an integrative approach. This approach has positively impacted the health of children and adults to achieve their health & wellness goals.
He was recently honored as the ‘Fit India Champion for Lifestyle and Wellness’ for the Fit India Movement, a flagship program of the Government of India launched by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2019. He was also a part of the 500 most influential people in Asia 2020 Power List by the New York Press News Agency.
Wellness being the need of the hour, Luke has Co-founded RESET - Holistic Living Concepts, a one-of-a-kind facility for individuals who are voyaging towards holistic well-being. He is also the Adviser and Head of Integrative Lifestyle and Nutrition at Pure Nutrition and is associated with the Lifeness Science Institute (LSI) as the chief program mentor for UG and PG courses in Integrative Nutrition and Dietetics. He is currently working on a project to build a sustainable food chain across the country.
He has also authored a range of books on wellness and has 3 bestsellers to his credit – “The Great Indian Diet” with Shilpa Shetty, “The Dry Fasting Miracle – From Deprive to Thrive” with His Highness Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Ali Bin Rashed Al Nuaimi - Member of the Ruling Family of Ajman, and “The Magic Weight-Loss Pill” with Anuskha Shetty. His most recent digital releases are “The Magic Immunity Pill: Lifestyle” with Shilpa Shetty and ‘’A New Way of Living’’, both as a free gift to India & the world.
Website: www.lukecoutinho.com
Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati
President Divine Shakti Foundation, Secretary General Global, Interfaith Wash Alliance
Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati
President Divine Shakti Foundation, Secretary General Global, Interfaith Wash Alliance
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, PhD is a renowned spiritual leader in India. She is President of Divine Shakti
Foundation, a charitable organization bringing education and empowerment to women and children.
She is Secretary-General of Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, launched by UNICEF, the first alliance of
religious leaders for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Sadhviji is also Director of the world-famous
International Yoga Festival.
Originally from Los Angeles, and a graduate of Stanford University, Sadhviji has lived at Parmarth
Niketan, Rishikesh in the Himalayas for 24 years, where she gives spiritual discourses, satsang and
meditation, and leads myriad humanitarian programs.
www.sadhviji.org
Dr. Shekhar Saxena
Professor of Global Mental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Shekhar Saxena
Professor of Global Mental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Shekhar Saxena is Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Department of Global Health and Population at the Havard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. A psychiatrist by training, he served in World Health Organization (WHO) from 1998 to 2018, being the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse from 2010 to 2018.
In 2017, he received the prestigious Leon Eisenberg Award from Harvard Medical School. Author of more than 350 academic papers, he functioned as an editor of the Lancet Series on Global Mental Health 2007 and 2011, and the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development 2018. His expertise includes providing advice and technical assistance to policymakers on prevention and management of mental, developmental, neurological, and substance use disorders and suicide prevention. He is contributing actively to Global Mental Health at Harvard initiative.
Raj Mariwala
Director, Mariwala Health Initiative
Raj Mariwala
Director, Mariwala Health Initiative
Raj Mariwala is Director, Mariwala Health Initiative. Currently, Raj serves on the Advisory Board of Global Mental Health Advocacy Network, a global coalition on mental health advocacy and communications as well as on the Advisory Board for the Lancet Commission on Stigma and Discrimination.
Mariwala Health Initiative is a grant making and advocacy organisation that focuses on making mental health accessible for historically marginalised communities in India.
Ritu Prakash Chhabria
Managing Trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation and Director, Finolex Industries Limited
Ritu Prakash Chhabria
Managing Trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation and Director, Finolex Industries Limited
Ritu Prakash Chhabria is a renowned philanthropist and a lady with noble virtues who is
based in Pune Maharashtra, India. She strives in mitigating pain and suffering of the
under-privileged by ensuring they get quality education and by providing excellent
healthcare facilities for these often sidelined members of our society. Live to Give – is a
lesson she learnt at a young age. She kept this at the helm and over the last 22 years
through Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF), she has touched more than 8 lakh people
across the sectors of healthcare and education.
Mrs Chhabria has been appointed as a Director at Finolex Industries Limited and is
heading their CSR initiative. In 2014 MMF became the official CSR arm of FIL. This
collaboration has strengthened and increased the spectrum of MMF’s work in the fields
of Water Conservation, Social Welfare and Sanitation. Finolex Industries is working in
13 verticals out of 17 from the CSR mandate.
MMF is an approved charity in India and has recently been granted registration in the
UK by the UK Charity Commissioner Office.
She has completed her Major in Economics and Minor in Marketing, Richmond College,
London. Has completed her Masters in International Relations.
From the beginning Mrs. Chhabria realized that it is a circular pathway to support the
underprivileged who are in vulnerable positions. Liaising with government authorities is
a challenging task yet proved to be fruitful for the Foundation. Barriers have been
broken down and smooth functionalities of projects have been completed in the past
years.
Mrs. Chhabria was on Board of Trustee's of Make A Wish Foundation, India 2014 to
2019 and has completed her tenure. Other than this she is a committee member of The
Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India - Empress Botanical Garden. She sits on the
advisory
board of Pune Biennale, Independent Ethics Committee of Symbiosis University,
Steering Committee of the Hinduja Foundation and is elected as the Director of Hinduja
Healthcare, Trustee at Bal Kalyan Sanstha, Trustee Karachi Education Society, on the
board of Indian Red Cross Society, Pune, an Honorary member with the Inner Wheel
Club, Pune, Managing Committee member in IMC and recently as Honorary Member,
Rotary Club of Parvati and General Body Member, Society of Friends of Sassoon
Hospitals (SOFOSH).
Recently she has been appointed as nominee of Hinduja Foundation on the Board of
Management of the P D Hinduja Sindhi Hospital, Bangalore
and Governing Body Member, FICCI FLO National (2021-2022). Nominated on
Governing Body on GCOE, Karad.
Mrs Chhabria has collaborated with (RCPCH) Royal College of Pediatrics and Child
Health, Concern for Mental Health (CFMH) and Healing Little Hearts, Leicester London
to establish a connect to work with Mukul Madhav Foundation. A collaboration was also
created with the Government Health Centre of Israel and trainings have been conducted
in a hospital in Pune.
Both Indian and International collaboration helps the Foundation to enhance and enrich
the learning of both the markets.
The Foundation under her able guidance has received numerous national and
international accolades.
1. Prestigious Global Award organised by the Global Sindhi Council for her
contribution to the field of healthcare, social welfare and education from C
Vidyasagar Rao, Governor, Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
2. Felicitated with a "Samman Patra" for the work being done in Satara, to help
children with Cerebral Palsy.
3. She was presented with the "Muktai Award" for her outstanding work in the fields
of Healthcare and Education at the esteemed hands of the Ex. President of India
Shrimati Pratibhatai Patil
4. She been felicitated by Corporate Tycoons, Surya Datta Group of Institutes and
Rotary Club ET Now CSR awards for outstanding work to the society.
5. ABLF (Asian Business Leadership Forum) awarded for excellence in
Philanthrophy at Dubai on 6 th November.
6. Indo European Business Forum – Award for Excellence in CSR at the London
parliament on 19th November.
7. B G Deshmukh award for CSR initiatives of the year by MCCIA on 5 th December
2019.
8. The National President (FICCI FLO DELHI) Mrs Harjinder Kaur Talwar 2019-
2020 has awarded her and the Chapter for working towards Sustainable
Development goals for Women along with other Chapter Chairs.
9. Pride of Pune award for the contribution to the society Jan 2020
10. Punyadham Humanitarian Award for excellence in CSR March 2020
11. Presidents Award from British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO)
in London awarded for her philanthropic work to the society. November 2020
12. Mukul Madhav Foundation was awarded CSR Times Award in Silver Category
for Covid Support to the society December 2020
13. Lokmat recognized Mrs. Chhabria as Women Achievers in January 2021
14. Social Entrepreneurship Award from Business World India in April 2021
Dr. Lakshmi Sankaran
Chairperson Applied Psychology, BALM
Dr. Lakshmi Sankaran
Chairperson Applied Psychology, BALM
MH educator teaching papers related to counseling, part of rural outpatient services at the Health Centre in Kovalam. Started journey at NIMHANS (Mphil, PhD); family counselor in TTK Hospital,Chennai for substance use interventions, HIV/AIDS counseling trainer (VHS, Chennai & NIMHANS Public Ed Unit); empaneled in EAP services for workplace counseling/workshops on wellness including life coach; faculty at Christ Univ, Bangalore (counseling psychology); columnist on wellness and life skills in the new indian express; published papers on protective family factors, developed manuals on addictions, risk factors for NCDs (WHO-GOI);trained in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT, UK); Arts- based therapy, Open Dialogue, Applied Buddhist psychology; sivananda style yoga teacher. Books that ramble, films, carnatic & jazz, cooking lankan food, beach walks, swims, watercolour palette, friends and family elders are favourite time fillers.
Dr. K.V. Kishore Kumar
Director, The Banyan and Psychiatrist
Dr. K.V. Kishore Kumar
Director, The Banyan and Psychiatrist
There is a great scope to promote the health of young people, prepare them for tomorrow and the stakeholders like families and larger communities. We have to move away from the notion of individualism to cultivate a sense of community and belonging. This notion of individualism is leading to multitude of problems like substance use, suicide, crime, disharmony etc and all of this happening to people before the age of 20 is likely to create enduring problems. Solution - build competence in people - in volunteers, teachers, peers and parents, collectively pool these resources to guide young people. Often mental health problems can be traced back to early childhood and problems with parenting. Teachers also must play a huge role in building competence in children.
Siddharth Mehta
Mental Health Policy Advocate & Managing Partner, Mehta & Padamsey, Advocates
Siddharth Mehta
Mental Health Policy Advocate & Managing Partner, Mehta & Padamsey, Advocates
Siddharth Mehta is the Managing Partner of Mehta & Padamsey, one of the oldest Mumbai-based full-service law firms which, in addition to other conventional offerings across practice verticals, also focuses on policy and advocacy in India. Mental health legislation has been an area of great interest for him and he has represented various stakeholders in this field. Siddharth has lived and worked in Delhi, New York, San Francisco, London and Singapore before returning to Mumbai. He is also a director on the board of a number of public listed companies.
Aurelio
Founder and Creative Director, Svaram
Aurelio
Founder and Creative Director, Svaram
Aurelio, Founder and Creative Director of Svaram, is a multifaceted sound explorer: musician, educator, ethno-
musicologist, researcher, sound designer, and sound healer.
His love and passion for music initiated an inner and outer unending journey of sound experimentation as well as
developing and creating innovative instruments that led to the birth of Svaram Musical Instruments, Vocational
Training and Research Station in 2003.
Conceived initially as a social development and craft project, Svaram has evolved into a community enterprise and
collaborative research ground for sound pioneers from all over the world.
Now he is leading SVARAM’s expansion into the Center for Crafts, Art, and Science of Sound.
Aurelio offers workshops, training, and seminars worldwide in “integral sound studies and practices”.
Dr. Tara Swart
Neuroscientist, Medical Doctor, Best Selling Author
Dr. Tara Swart
Neuroscientist, Medical Doctor, Best Selling Author
Tara is a neuroscientist, medical doctor, executive advisor, Faculty at MIT Sloan, and author of UK best seller and US award winning book "The Source", with 36 global translations.
Tara is an ambassador for beauty and well-being brands, and Trustee for the Lady garden Foundation, a charity for gynaecological cancers.
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati
President, Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati
President, Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh
Touched by God at the age of eight, H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji left His home to live a life devoted to God and humanity, spending His youth in silence, meditation and austerities in the Himalayas. Today he is one of India’s most revered spiritual leaders. Pujya Swamiji is the President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, one of India’s largest and most renowned spiritual institutions. He is the Founder/Chair of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, as well as founder of numerous charitable organisations.
Paul Abraham
President Hinduja Foundation
Paul Abraham
President Hinduja Foundation
Paul Abraham is President of the Hinduja Foundation which is the Philanthropic arm of the Hinduja Group. The Foundation also acts as a coordinating body for the CSR spends of the 14 companies of the group on the ground in India. They work in key areas like Water Stewardship, Health and Education. Paul also sits on the Boards of the Not for profit Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai and PD Hinduja Hospital Bangalore.
Paul’s career in Banking spanned over 38 years across multiple functions and international geographies. Paul is currently an Advisor at IndusInd Bank.
Paul Abraham is an art patron and collector of historical artefacts, modern and contemporary art and living traditions from the Indian subcontinent. He founded Sarmaya Museum in 2015 to foster a love for art and history among the young and the curious. In addition, he is on the Governing Board of Dakshinachitra Museum (Madras Crafts Foundation) in Chennai and is Chairman of the Board of Sanctuary Nature Foundation an organisation in the Wildlife and Conservation space. He is also an Advisor to the Indian Sanitation Council hosted by FICCI.
Paul is an investor and mentor in the early stage venture capital space and is invested in startups in the Fintech and FMCG spaces.
Paul has a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management from IIM Ahmedabad and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Hons) from St Stephen’s College Delhi.
Yoav Lev (Bharat Mitra)
Conscious Entrepreneur, Founder Organic India
Yoav Lev (Bharat Mitra)
Conscious Entrepreneur, Founder Organic India
Bharat Mitra is a visionary heart-centered entrepreneur, whose work manifests in many forms, including business, philanthropy, community co-creation and loving Seva. He is the Founder of ORGANIC INDIA, Member of the Board of FabIndia Overseas Private Ltd, Core Owner, Director and Chief Mentor of Culture and Wellness at Peninsula Hot Springs (Australia).
ORGANIC INDIA’s vision to be a vehicle of consciousness in the global market by creating a holistic, sustainable business model that inspires, promotes and supports true wellness.
It’s mission is to be an inspiring, trustworthy and innovative global leader in providing genuine organic products and solutions for Healthy Conscious Living.
https://www.organicindia.com/our-story
Dr. Mohan Agashe
Health & Media Consultant, Honorary Director D.A.T.E
Dr. Mohan Agashe
Health & Media Consultant, Honorary Director D.A.T.E
Honorary Director, D.A.T.E. (Developing Awareness Through Entertainment
Fields of operation: Life coaching & Mental Health, Films & Theater
Audio-Visual Literacy and Cinema for Health
Winner of numerous national and international awards and accolades, both as actor and medical doctor he began his career in a government hospital, shunning the lucrative pleasures and perks of private practice to devote equal time to his love for acting. Widely acknowledged as one of the finest stage and screen actors, in a career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Agashe has scaled new heights in cinema under the directorial brilliance of legends like Satyajit Ray, Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal etc. But his greatest contribution to the Indian Theatre has been overseas tours of contemporary Indian Theater from 1980 to 1990 and his pioneering work in introducing concept of Grips Theatre Berlin in India in 1986 which today has become a self-sustained movement.
He was awarded Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1984-86) to study Art & therapy and conferred ‘Padma Shri’ by President of India in 1990 and Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1996.
As an Honorary Director of "Theatre" Academy - Grips Project" he produced in collaboration with Grips Theatre, Berlin and Goethe Institute, Pune excellent entertaining yet meaningful realistic plays which opened a new chapter in the Theatre for Children and Youth in India. His seminal contribution to the Indo-German Cultural Collaboration was recognized by Germany with two Official Decorations of the German Government.
Prestigious ‘Bundesverdienskreuz’ (The Cross of Order of Merit) from the President of Federal Republic of Germany in 2002 & ‘The Goethe Medal’ by the President of Goethe Institute in 2004.
On the medical side, his pioneering work as Professor of Pyschiatry at B.J Medical College and project to strengthen the Mental Health Education and Services translated into a new Mental Health Policy in his native state of Maharashtra and a State Level Maharashtra Mental Health Institute (MIMH) was set up in Pune in 1991 of which he was the Founder Director-Professor.
He also initiated the psychosocial rehabilitation of the 1993 Latur earthquake victims and was the Principal Investigator of a five year Research Project to study the Health Consequences of Natural Disaster with a Focus on Mental Health, at the Advance Centre Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) set up at MIMH, Pune,
He was also the Principal Investigator of an Indo-US joint Research Project on ‘The Cultural Disorders of Fatigue and Weakness’ along with Dr. Mitchell Weiss at MIMH
He was invited on Deputation by the I & B Ministry of the Central Government and was appointed as the Director of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) from 1997 to 2002 because of his experience in the field of Education and his good standing in Films and Theater.
After his retirement in July 2005, he was appointed as an Adviser in Mental Health to the Government of Maharashtra (2006-2009) for his good standing the field of Mental Health
Since 2010 till to date he combines his skills and experience in the field Health, Education, Films and Theater to produce and present Issue based and Quality Entertainment to promote Health Education and Social Awareness.
At present he is
Health & Medial Consultant and
Honorary Director of D.A.T.E. (Developing Awareness Through Entertainment)
In last few years he has received awards like Pune Pride, Nandikar, Cineplay Icon of the Year plus several awards for acting and few Life Time Achievement Awards from Pune University, Natya Parishad, Pune etc.
In the past, he has been
President, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natya Sammelan 2012 at Baramati, Maharashtra
Director, Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (April 1997-April 2002)
Director-Professor, Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health, Pune.
Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, B.J. Medical College and Sassoon General Hospitals, Pune (1991-March 1997 and July 2002- July 2005)
Honorary President, Maharashtra Cultural Center, Pune
Honorary President of Theatre Academy, Pune (1985-1991)
Executive Board Member, Children Film Society, Mumbai
Non-official Director on the Board of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC 1985-1987)
Theatre Consultant to Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1987)
His Holiness Radhanath Swami
Author, Humanitarian, Speaker and Founder Govardhan Ecovillage
His Holiness Radhanath Swami
Author, Humanitarian, Speaker and Founder Govardhan Ecovillage
His Holiness Radhanath Swami is a New York times best selling author, philanthropist and speaker. His work of feeding 300,000 children per day in India and establishing several philanthropic projects has led him to meetings with former US President Barack Obama , Prime minister Narendra Modi as well as former UK prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron.
His Holiness is famously known for guiding influencers, world leaders, CEOs and corporations around the world, and ability to inspire change and magic within large communities all over the world. His speaking portfolio includes the below:
Google HQ, Apple HQ US, Oxford Union, Cambridge Union, Houses of Parliament, HSBC HQ, Intel HQ, Facebook HQ, Princeton, MIT, Nasdaq HQ, Cheddar, Huffington Post to name a few.
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
He is the founder of Govardhan Eco Village which is a 100 acre sustainable community just outside of Mumbai, India. This Eco village is a model which is equipped to combat some of the world’s largest issues including climate change, poverty, access to health care and other UN sustainable development goals as well as being a health and yoga resort. Radhanath Swami has also founded a hospital, an orphanage, a school and many other philanthropic projects.
Kunal Sood
Social Impact Strategist, Investor and Entrepreneur
Kunal Sood
Social Impact Strategist, Investor and Entrepreneur
From serving in the trenches of the slums in Mumbai as a Global Health scientist with Harvard at PUKAR to building global movements at the United Nations General Assembly with world leaders and iconic artists, Kunal Sood is on a mission to make the impossible possible as the Founder of #WeThePlanet, We The Future (WTF) NOVUS, and X Fellows, where he is focused on positively impacting a billion lives in his lifetime. Forbes named him an Impact Icon and Global Movement Builder for his work as an impact entrepreneur and disruptive innovator. He actively partners with both the public and private sector which includes the UN, NASA, SAP, Google, X Prize, and Aspen Institute to find meaningful ways to solve humanity’s global grand challenges. He has convened over 50 high-level summits that include heads of state, fortune 100 CEOs, celebrities, humanitarians, and influencers. Sood has launched highly successful global impact campaigns with the Office of the UN Secretary General and President of the General Assembly such as TEDx, NOVUS, #SDGYouth, #SDGInnovation, #SDGMoonshots, #FirstWomen #WeThePlanet, #WeHaveADream, and #United4India. His work has been featured at TED, Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, and Times of India. He is a TED Resident, Tribeca Disruptor, and Innovation Fellow at Columbia University. He serves as a global ambassador for the Non-Violence Project, Singularity University, and OpenEXO. Sood has a lifelong love for learning having earned five Master’s degrees that include an M.Sc., from USCF, M.B.A., from Kellogg at Northwestern University, and M.A.P.P./M.Phil., from the University of Pennsylvania. He started his career in the fashion and wellness industry in New York City 20 years ago after graduating from Parsons School of Design. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Indian School of Business focused on strategy and leadership and how social media can be leveraged as a force for good in our world.
ALCHEMIC SONIC ENVIRONMENT
TIBETAN CHILDREN’S VILLAGE
India
INTRODUCTION
The Tibetan Children’s Villages (TCV) is a registered, non-profit charitable organization for education and care of orphaned and destitute Tibetan children in India. From its humble beginning in 1960 with 51 refugee children, it has become a thriving educational organization in exile with branches extending from Ladakh in the north to Bylakuppe in the south. Today, TCV is an integrated community with family homes and schooling facilities to provide modern education along with a good understanding of the rich cultural heritage of Tibet in schools across India. Currently, we manage 5 children’s villages, 6 residential schools, 4 day schools, 2 vocational training centers, 3 elder people homes, 3 youth hostels, a higher studies scholarship program, an outreach sponsorship program and the Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education (TCV college) in Bangalore reaching out to nearly 10,000 children, youth, elders and co-workers.
BACKGROUND HISTORY
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama moved to Dharamsala from Mussoorie, in early 1960, it was apparent that one of the most critical needs of the refugees was to care for the many children who were orphaned or separated from their families during the arduous escape from their homeland. His Holiness recognized that the future of Tibet and its people depended on the younger generation. With this in mind and out of concern for the miserable conditions under which so many children were suffering; His Holiness at once assigned His officials to bring the children from the road construction camps to Dharamsala and entrusted the first batch of 51 children to His elder sister, the late Mrs. Tsering Dolma Takla.
The early days were marked by acute shortage of practically everything – food, clothing, medicine, accommodation and staff. Children kept pouring in from the road construction camps and places where the Tibetans had initially settled. Soon news about the work of the Nursery for Tibetan Refugee Children spread among the international aid agencies notably: The Swiss Aid to Tibetans, Save the Children Fund (UK), Norwegian Refugee Council, German Aid to Tibetans, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe and the Catholic Relief Services etc. And, of course, without the assistance of the Government of India and her great people, it would have been impossible for us to look after the thousands of children desperately in need of care and education.
The efforts in the early years were mostly directed at nourishing the sick and malnourished children and then sending them to various residential Tibetan schools set up with the aid of the Indian Government. But the time came when these residential schools could not accept any more children. The only solution for the Nursery was to widen its scope of responsibility and make provisions for school education.
Plans were at once formulated to reshape the Nursery into a fully integrated community where the children under its care would not only receive the warmth and security of a home and a mother to share with brothers and sisters, but also get a good education. To fulfill these aims and objectives, in 1972 the Nursery was formally registered as a charitable organization under the Indian Societies Act of 1960 as the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV).
The mission that emerged for TCV and which continues to inspire us are:
- Look after the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the children
- Impart the best of modern education along with a deep understanding of the rich cultural heritage of Tibet
- Develop a sense of national pride and identity that will enable the children to share the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetan people to return to Tibet
- Help our boys and girls to become self-reliant, contributing members of our society and the larger human community
Road To School
Learning Links Foundation and Ashok Leyland
Road To School
Learning Links Foundation and Ashok Leyland
Ashok Leyland, flagship of the Hinduja group, is the second largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India and the third largest manufacturer of buses in the world. The CSR initiative of Ashok Leyland Road to School is a holistic child development model with focus on Education, Health and Nutrition for underprivileged children. Ashok Leyland is supporting 70,000 plus students under this program and with support from Hinduja Foundation and other group companies, the program is reaching out to 90000 plus students annually.
Shahzad Ismaily
Musician, Composer & Music Engineer
Shahzad Ismaily
Musician, Composer & Music Engineer
Shahzad Ismaily was born in the States to Pakistani parents who emigrated here just before his birth. He grew in a bicultural household, always following a multitude of paths and perusals. He is mostly self-taught as a musician, composer, recording engineer, and producer. He primarily plays electric bass, drums, percussion, guitar, synthesizers, and all manner of sound-makers procured in life’s travels. He has recorded and performed with a diverse crew of artMakers, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Beth Orton, Colin Stetson, Ben Frost, Bonnie Prince Billy, Damien Rice, Jolie Holland, JFDR, Secret Chiefs 3, Sam Amidon, further and further. He has been an integral member of festival/residency/collective experiences such as the People Festival (the brainchild of Bon Iver, The National, and the Michelberger), the Eau Claires festival, the Moers Festival. He has done work for dance and theater pieces, such as the film Frozen River (Oscar-nominated and Sundance award-winning), Inkboat (a butoh crew from California/Switzerland), and visual artist Laleh Khorramian. This year alone, he’ll teach in residence at BANFF, the Oklahoma Center for Contemporary Arts, the Monheim Triennale, and very happily, the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Currently based in Brooklyn and working out of the recording studio collective he founded and created, Figure 8 Recording, he has studied music extensively in Pakistan, India, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Indonesia, Morocco, and Iceland.
Alisha Patel
Poet
Alisha Patel
Poet
Alisha Patel is currently developing projects that use lyrical language as a means for communication and collaboration, in a bid to transform the way in which individuals and communities engage with brands, experiences and each other. In specific, she seeks to inspire inventive thinking by creating community-focused content that fuses insight with hope and imagination.
Chintan Upadhay
Musician
Chintan Upadhay
Musician
Chintan was born in the cultural ambiance of Bhavnagar city, in Gujarat, India. He received his initial musical tutelage from his parents, both scholastic teachers of music & musicology. He received training in Khayal music from Late Shri Laxmipati Shukla ji, a noted disciple of Pt. Omkarnath Thakur, and from Shri Ashwin Andharia, a disciple of Late Pt. Rasiklal Andharia in Bhavnagar.
After standing first in the Sangeet Alankar exam he joined Lalit Kala Kendra, Pune University for the Master’s Degree in Khayal Music, and received National Scholarship from Govt. of India; under the mentorship of Dr. Vikas Kashalkar and Pt. Vijay Koparkar.
Chintan surrendered his heart and soul to the tutelage of Pt. Uday Bhawalkar, in the true tradition of Guru Shishya Parampara in 2004
He became a scholar at ITC Sangeet Research Academy- Kolkata in 2013 and continued his ‘Taleem’ from Pt. Uday Bhawalkarji.
Chintan was awarded the Junior Research Fellowship for Dhrupad studies in 2014 by the Govt of India.
He was allotted a ‘B High Grade’ by Akashvani, All India Radio, as a Dhrupad Vocalis
Chintan has performed concerts in Canada, UK, USA, Germany, and Austria in the last few years and also has taught at various places and conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations.
Chintan also was teaching as a Junior Tutor at the Bengal Sangeet Paramparalaya, Dhaka under the guidance of Pt. Uday Bhawalkarji.
Chintan had been teaching as a visiting faculty at Lalit Kala Kendra, Pune University for Dhrupad Vocal.
Chintan has started a new centre for Dhrupad music at Alembic, Vadodara.
He is also teaching online to students in Canada, USA, UK, Argentina, Indonesia, Qatar, Dhaka, Germany, Austria, Japan etc.
Chintan has performed at many of the major platforms in India and has been sharing the fragrance of Dhrupad by workshops and lecture demonstrations.
Neel Murgai
Sitarist, Overtone Singer, Daf Player, Composer and Teacher
Neel Murgai
Sitarist, Overtone Singer, Daf Player, Composer and Teacher
Neel Murgai is a sitarist, overtone singer, daf player, composer and teacher from Brooklyn, NY. He is a co-founder and co-artistic director of the Indian music collective, Brooklyn Raga Massive. Neel has studied sitar for 25 years, currently with his guru Pundit Krishna Bhatt. Overtone singing Neel learned from Batuvshin of the Buriyat performance group Uragsha and from Timothy Hill of the Harmonic Choir. He is a graduate of Goddard College's MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts program. His 2020 release “Reorientation” features his compositions with Neel Murgai Ensemble as well as recent experiments in overtone singing and looping. Neel has performed around the world with numerous artists from varying disciplines including, Bill T. Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Wyclef Jean, Andre DeShields, Karsh Kale, Vijay Iyer, Adam Rudolph, Daniel Bernard Romain, Dana Leong, Ellen Stewart, Laraaji, Yuerba Buena, Baba Israel, Raz Mesinai, Mission on Mars, Akim Funk Buddha, Loren Conners, Suzanne Langille, Louis Bellogenis and Cosmo Vinyl. He has performed at venues ranging from the Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center to Late Night with David Letterman to jazz clubs such as the Blue Note and at festivals around the U.S including Art Wallah, Arts Plosure, Masala! Mehndi! Masti! and many others. Neel played in the orchestra for Disney’s musical theater adaptation of “The Jungle Book” directed by Mary Zimmerman. Neel has composed music for many film, TV, video, theater and dance projects including the features, “The Yes Men Fix the World", which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and "A Decent Arrangement" starring Shabana Azmi. His music has been featured in the BBC series, “Holidays in the Danger Zone", and TBS programs, “Women of the Ink", and “Spotlights".
HOSTS
Satya Hinduja
Sound Artist, Futurist and Founder of Alchemic Sonic Environment
Satya Hinduja
Sound Artist, Futurist and Founder of Alchemic Sonic Environment
Satya Hinduja is a sound artist helping bridge ancient practices of sound and energy medicine with emerging technologies. Merging her mother culture’s origin of meditative sound and her passion for experimental electronica, Satya creates Alchemic Sonic Environments (ASE): site specific, multi-sensory, deep listening experiences designed to invoke states of reflection, receptivity and exchange.
Gabriella Wright
Co-Founder of Never Alone Movement, Actress, and Activist
Poonacha Machaiah
Co-Founder of Never Alone Movement and Founder of Warrior Monk
Poonacha Machaiah
Co-Founder of Never Alone Movement and Founder of Warrior Monk
Poonacha Machaiah is a global thought leader with a unique knowledge and ability in combining both the wellbeing and technology domain. As a leader he is among a new breed of social entrepreneurs, having chosen to apply his corporate expertise from 25 years as a business executive in multiple Fortune 100 companies and entrepreneurial initiatives to addressing societal and wellbeing challenges.
This has led him to launch the Warrior Monk brand targeted at creating a positive societal shift through the compassionate transformation of humankind. Warrior Monk is a brand dedicated to Resilience - Body, Mind, Society and Environment.
Poonacha is the founder and CEO of Wellbeing Tech, a technology company focused on transformative wellbeing solutions for communities. He is also the co-founder of the Never Alone Movement for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, along with world renowned mind-body medicine pioneer and New York Times best-selling author Deepak Chopra, M.D., actress and humanitarian Gabriella Wright and Michel Pascal - a Chopra Foundation Initiative.
As a serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded startups such as Jiyo, Conscious Leadership Global, Deepak Chopra InnerSpace, Above Solutions and Qyuki. He has also held senior management positions at Nortel, Iridium, Motorola and Sasken.
He holds an MBA from the College of William and Mary, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the B.M.S. College of Engineering.
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John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation and
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