Theme: Aurora: The Atom of Ambition

The atom of ambition is the smallest, indivisible essence of one’s journey towards the greater good. These atoms of aspiration and faith could represent an idea or a thought that has the potential of pushing us towards achieving a blissful future and guiding us to a utopia. It is perhaps a similar feeling that one feels when the night first breaks into the dawn, that shines with the golden rays of light shattering the night’s blindness and illuminating its very being. This is what Aurora stands for: the night’s atom of ambition, that leads it towards a promising dawn.
Aurora promotes the idea of hope, the beginning of a new day, a new chance for happiness and advancement. During the ongoing pandemic, when the entire human race has been put to the test of tolerance and when this perpetual struggle feels like the never-ending night, the whole world is sustaining itself on the sole plank of hope; the hope that aurora will denounce the darkness and give us the strength to start over and come out even stronger.
Aurora is not only a symbol for optimism but also reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, a phenomenon also known as ‘Northern Lights’. Hope is an amalgamation of people's beliefs and faiths and in the same way Aurora Borealis is a wholesome fusion of delicate ripples of green, blue, pink and purple light which float through the night sky highlighting the overlapping of different colors and themes that results in a nature’s wonder that is the beacon of hope and happiness for all humankind.
We at TEDxKIITUniversity, believe that a vast dawn of ideas is the peculiarity of our century, and in that aurora our world will, once again, find magnificent radiance. With the help of the ideas that flow through our speakers TEDxKIITUniversity aims at inspiring our audience to have and believe in their own ideas and introduce their atom of ambition. We believe that for as long as the atom of ambition is alive, no shadow of the night shall be without a dawn of hope.

Campus 6 Auditorium Hall
KIIT University
Patia
Bhubaneswr, Orissa, 751024
India

Anand Swaroop

Mountaineer

Recipient of ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ and an Indian representative to the UIAA, the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (as member of the Access and Expedition Committee), he has a vast experience of adventures in his belt right from scaling five 8,000 meter towering peaks of Everest, Cho Oyu and Annapurna to undertaking a skiing reconnaissance expedition to the South Pole. His unwavering resolution and fervor to go beyond and push the limits is inspiring for the masses. His story aptly reminds us that with grit and determination anyone can conquer mountains.

Cristina Zenato

Shark Behaviorist

As Cristina Zenato takes yet another dive into the oceans, she comes across the 'nature's masterpiece'- the sharks, flourishing around thanks to her more than 23 years of shark diving experience which oversaw removal of more than 300 hooks from the shark’s mouth. Her fascination and action of preservation on the sharks has won applause from all sections of the people and got her featured in the BBC,CNN to Nat Geo. Her organization 'The People of the Water' is making an effort to contribute to the shark protection along with spreading awareness about the oceans.

Dr. Jitender Aggarwal

Educationist

A pragmatist of the elite tier, who did not settle down after a major setback but stood up and continued fighting against the socially accepted standards of normal. Dr. Aggarwal was working as a dentist when partial visual impairment put a stop on his medical career at the age of 32. He then founded the Sarthak Educational Trust that dedicated their work for thousands of Divyangs who went on to find a new life in the corporate world. The foundation brings employers and disabled people looking for jobs at a common place.

Dr. Omesh Kumar Bharti

Epidemiologist

A field epidemiologist by profession and a leader in medical research. With his life-changing work on economical care for rabid dog bite, he has turned the table for thousands of people. Recognized by the WHO and the Govt. of India with the Padma Shri in 2019, he is everything a doctor and medical researcher aims to be.

Kaleida Duo

Electronic Duo

Transatlantic female electronic music duo Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder, became famous as Kaleida. Together they accumulated more than 101 million online streams. They are redefining creative dynamics of music and soundtracks like Picture You, Long Moon, Other Side, and many more. They said "Think of Me, I will never break your heart" in their song Think which got featured in the classic action thriller John Wick. Rightly said, for their audience never turned their faith away from them ever since.

Kallol Ghosh

Social Entrepreneur

With an unwavering will to provide a better living standard to the shunned HIV positive members of the society, Kallol Ghosh relentlessly works towards a fixed goal of empowering them. The founder of the OFFER organization, hand in hand with the UN, he seeks to prevent ostracism of these helpless innocent individuals. Watch him breaking all stereotypes and setting new standards for a better tomorrow.

Madhushree Bhattacharya

Playback Singer

The voice behind popular Bollywood songs such as ‘Mahi Ve’ from ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, 'Tum Bin Bataye' from ‘Rang De Basanti’ and 'Kabhi Neem Neem' from Yuva, she is well known for various multilingual hits as well. Madhushree got her name bestowed to her by none other than the renowned music composer A R Rahman From receiving the Sony Stardust Award as the Best Female Sensation (Playback Singer) to appearing as a judge on Zee Bangla Saregamapa (2017), her journey has been full of challenges, hardships and an un-shattering will to overcome them.

Maj A K Singh

Keerti Chakra Awardee

Being the first physically handicapped person to sail around the world in a yacht, AK Singh is no less than a symbol of strength and resilience. From standing first in merit in NDA to being the Sword of Honour at IMA, Maj AK Singh, KC was always destined for greatness. His real-life adventures are not any less dangerous than those of the fictions.

Pranshu Chatur Lal

Percussionist

With every beat of his Tabla, Pranshu Chatur Lal is charming his way into the hearts of his audience all over the world.Coming from a famed household of legendary tabla wizards,he has carved his own unique path with intricate rhythm patterns. A recipient of ‘Tabla Ratna Award’, his strings of achievements include accompanying noted musicians like flute maestro Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia and sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, to name a few and recently performing for Hon'ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi & President of Sri Lanka His Excellency Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaska.

Praveen Chauhan

Environmental Activist

The founder of the social enterprise MATR, Praveen Chauhan is a savior of both the environment and the unemployed women of Gaya, Bihar. His initiative, the Happy Hands Project, was conceived with the goal of bringing sustainable employment to the local women by re-purposing discarded floral waste from the ancient Mahabodhi temple to make natural dyes for the Khadi products.

Priyanka Srivastava

Systems Engineer, NASA - JPL

Lucknow-raised Priyanka Srivastava is a committed and diligent woman who has travelled miles to fulfill her childhood dream. With her job as a system engineer at NASA-JPL, she has worked on three NASA flight missions from design to operation process. She was a part of the recently landed mission of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover operating and analyzing DMCA system of the flight . Her resolve and belief in reaching for the stars whilst working hard is inspiring the masses. With her resilience, she is poised to go far making India proud all along.

Usha Rani Naik

Sabai Grass Handicraft Designer

Usha Rani Naik is a woman with a strong sense of conviction and unparalleled determination rising from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Her will and zeal to become financially independent is admirable as she spearheads the profitable Sabai handicrafts venture minting profit of Rs.19 lakh in 2019. The journey from employing 20 women to now empowering over 1000 tribal women and being recognized all over India emerges as a success story for rural development. Her vision for traditional arts of Odisha coupled with people participation is creating ripples in the entrepreneurship scene of India.

Varshita Ramesh

Singer - Songwriter

Varshita Ramesh is a singer-songwriter from Bengaluru who with her passion for music and love for jazz is creating waves in the indie genre. Her debut song ‘Is it you?’ under the stage name Huyana has been covered in major platforms like Apple, Spotify, YouTube and SoundCloud. She has extensively toured for music festivals performing with the band of veteran AR Rahman , all at the tender age of 20 years. With her poised demeanor and strings of achievements, she is bound to be an upcoming force to reckon with in the world of independent music.

Walter Volpatto

Senior Colorist, Company 3 Hollywood

A man with vision and at the pinnacle of creativity, Walter Volpatto’s industry credits include 2019 Academy-Award Best Picture Winner Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly; Dunkirk, directed by Christopher Nolan; Star Wars: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson; Independence Day: Resurgence, directed by Roland Emmerich; Bad Moms, directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore; and, most recently, Amazon Studios’ critically-acclaimed series Homecoming. Coming from a family of farmers, he had to fight tooth and nail against the vagaries of life before he could make it big in the industry. The 15-year industry veteran has been appointed to the leadership of The Colorist Society International as a Fellow and is a member of Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.