The TEDxIIMBG team, an independent body functioning under the aegis of Envision, the Entrepreneurship Cell organized the maiden edition of
TEDxIIM Bodh Gaya on 27th of December 2020 which reflected and drew on the energy of the purposeful institute through the inspiring, thought-provoking, and entertaining speakers. This year’s theme
“AM I AUDIBLE?” was a question in itself.
Am I visible? Am I acknowledged? - these are some pertinent questions in everyone’s life and they were very well addressed in the TEDx session.
The team onboarded various inspiring speakers for the TEDx event. The speakers spoke about an idea from their respective fields as to how that idea, once thought irrelevant eventually gained momentum, became audible, and found its utility in changing people’s lives forever. The talk emphasized the efforts, obstacles, and challenges that the speakers faced which eventually led them here, to the position where they are now acknowledged.
The event commenced with a speech by
Dr. Vinita Sahay, the Director of IIM Bodh Gaya. She warmly welcomed all the speakers of the evening and also praised the efforts of the TEDxIIMBG team who worked relentlessly to make this event a successful one. The first talk of the evening was by
Dr. Gaurav Garg, a Doctor who turned Global Educator, followed by the veteran Army Officer
Lt. Gen Manvender Singh who lifted the spirits high of the audience by emphasizing ‘Naam, Namak, Nishan’. The third speaker to grace the occasion was
Mr. Arjun Deshpande, Founder & CEO of Generic Aadhaar; next in line was
Mr. Neeraj George, an Indian Mountaineer, and a Para-Athlete. Mr. Neeraj focused on the importance of believing in yourself, thus trying to achieve unimaginable goals.
To break the monotony of the event, few small musicals were presented which tuned well with the theme of the evening. The second part of the TEDx event saw an address by
Mr. Prannoy H.S, an acclaimed International Badminton Player. The audience had many sports enthusiasts who were delighted to interact with a Badminton player of this stature. The next speaker to inspire the audience was the well-revered Founder & CEO of the Dare2Compete platform,
Mr. Ankit Aggarwal who spoke about the struggles he faced initially while launching his platform. It was followed by
Anusha Shankar, an Animal Ecologist, and Researcher who spoke about her learnings from Hummingbirds. She elaborated on the results she received from the data she collected about her mood over 1028 days. The last speaker of the event was
Mr. Cottalango Leon, an Academy Award winner for the scientific and technical achievement of Sony Pictures Imageworks who emphasized the ‘Digital Divide’.
The event was concluded with a vote of thanks by the organizing team. The audience listened to their stories, experiences, and ideas – worth spreading. TEDxIIMBG was hosted on a digital platform, with a live audience of more than 200 enthusiastic participants. The goal was to bring together bright minds on a stage to deliver talks that were idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, which fostered learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoked conversations that matter.