Theme: Hidden in Plain Sight

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Ashoka University
Plot No. 2, Rajiv Gandhi Education City
Sonepat, Haryana, 131029
India

Kavya Ganesh

Bharatanatyam Dancer

Kavya Ganesh is a passionate Bharatanatyam dancer and has been committed to the craft since a very young age. She has performed extensively in India and abroad in multiple prestigious venues. She was selected for the Yale Conservatory for Actors program in the summer of 2023. She was also given the ‘Begin Again’ grant by the World Dance Alliance which she used to create a dance film on acid attack survivors that was screened in the SWEAT Hong Kong festival and Chicago film festivals. She hopes to create a global artistic style that is an amalgamation of dance theatre and literature.

Manish Saksena

Lead Advisor, Aadyam Handwoven

Manish Saksena, Lead of Aadyam Handwoven, is a lifestyle specialist with 28 years of experience in design, product, management, marketing, store design, visual merchandising and backend in Retail industry. From leading the growth, expansion and profitability of the iconic brand Tommy Hilfiger in India as COO for its India operations, he made his foray into the ecommerce environment with LimeRoad & Amazon while pursuing his passion to engage with weavers in different craft clusters to create sarees. Today he enjoys in his role as a consultant, the nuances and excellences of Brick & Mortar retail with Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein at one end and leading the CSR initiative for the Weavers of Pochampally, Benaras & Bhuj under the aegis of Aditya Birla Group. He has worked in different genres and scopes with Madura Garments as Creative Director, with Landmark Group as Head of Buying and successfully launched the first organized ethnic wear brand W.

Nitasha Devasar

Managing Director, Taylor & Francis India & South Asia

Nitasha has over 30 years of corporate experiences. She started with no preconceptions or connections and today she is Managing Director, Taylor & Francis Group, India and South Asia and Commercial Lead, India, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining Taylor & Francis, she was Academic Publishing Director, South Asia at Oxford University Press, India for 12 years. During this period, she built a sustainable academic program, published over 2000 academic books and contributed substantively to global scholarship in South Asia. In a short entrepreneurial stint in between, Nitasha set up ‘PublishInc’, a consultancy servicing the gap between the repositories of research content and publishers. Nitasha believes in paying it forward and has done so in her roles as Adviser Women Leadership Forum of Asia, and as part of the Taylor & Francis Group Women Leadership Program. She continues to mentor aspiring leaders within the organization.

Reshma Karthik

Para Athlete Manager

Reshma Karthik has been a Former International badminton Player and No.1 in India in the Women’s Singles category. She has attained the highest ranking of 82 at the World level and is a recipient of the Karnataka Olympic Association Award. She decided to quit playing professional sports at 23, pursued higher studies, and completed her post-graduation in Sports Management from IIM Rohtak. While she was finishing her education, she co-founded a Blind Football club called Tamoghna, and is currently working as a Para-Athlete Manager at Olympic Gold Quest. Reshma is extremely passionate about empowering persons with disabilities to pursue a successful sporting career.

Soham Kacker

Plant Enthusiast

Soham Kacker is passionate about plants. Currently a fourth year student at Ashoka focusing on plant ecology in the forests of the western Himalayas, he has apprenticed at two botanical gardens in India in the past. He enjoys growing, studying, and photographing plants and all the creatures which interact with them. He believes that the plant world is filled with stories for those who listen, and he strives to share these with the people around him. He takes every chance to travel to new landscapes; loves to read; and is happiest outdoors.