Theme: The Phoenix Effect

We will have six speakers from diverse fields expressing their views on topics related to the theme ‘The Phoenix Effect'. Apart from showing Official video introduction of TED featuring TED Curator Chris Anderson we will also be showing two TED talks. There will also be an instrumental music and song presentation by students of our school. The event will be watched by students of grade 10, 11 and 12 of our school as well as three of the schools run by our trust in the school auditorium.

Choithram School
Choithram School
5 Manik Bagh
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 452 014
India

Atul Gupta

Chartered Accountant

Atul Gupta is Chartered Accountant by profession and an alumnus from Choithram School. He completed his chartered accountancy in 1997. He holds over a two decades of experience in implementing systems, processes for Indian as well as global multinational corporations. He is associated as faculty and author for number of post qualification courses for Chartered Accountants run by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, New Delhi. His has to his credit more than 2,50,000 manhours of training sessions to professionals across India. He has authored modules for these post qualification courses. He is a speaker, with a rich experience of delivering sessions across India on numerous topics including systems, cyber frauds, effective use of technology etc. He is associated with EKAL, New Delhi for more than 13 years whose vision is to empowering rural India’s changemakers.

Khushi Nanwani

Undergraduate Student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati

Khushi Nanwani is an undergraduate student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati, and an alumna of Choithram School. She is pursuing her degree in Social Sciences with a major in Psychology. She was the Head Girl of Choithram School for the session 2022-23. She was also a member of the school’s TEDEd Club from grade 8 and delivered three TedEd talks. She founded two initiatives when she was in class 11; Unboxed, a mental health awareness initiative for teenagers, and Aasha, a charity initiative that works to empower and educate underprivileged children and women. She volunteered with the Government of India’s New India Literacy Program and taught women in a slum. She also worked as a Mental Health Advocate with National Fortis Mental Health. She holds strong intra and inter-personal skills, and observation skills. She has a passion for writing. Khushi wants to pursue psychology in her career and be a professor in the field.

Nishita Raghavendra

High School Student at Choithram School

Nishita Raghavendra is an aspiring astronomer with a deep interest in physics. Nishtia is a student of Choithram School and has appeared for her grade 12 examination this year. She has also published two research papers, one focusing on the lensing of black holes and the other on a comprehensive study of two programming languages. In grade 12, she served as the head of the School Innovation Cell, aiming to inspire younger students to delve deeper into STEM subjects. She has been a member of the school’s TEDEd Club from grade 11 and has delivered two TedEd talks. Additionally, she holds the position of Marketing Head at Youthverse, a student-led non-profit organization working for the welfare of the disadvantaged sections of the society. She is also the founder of Ksma, a startup dedicated to eco-friendly decorations and single-use plates, emphasizing thrifting and upcycling.

Srestha Chatterjee

Managing Director and CEO of Kohsa Analytics Pvt. Ltd.

Srestha Chatterjee is the Managing Director and CEO of Kohsa Analytics Pvt. Ltd. She is an alumna of Choithram School and a graduate of Symbiosis International University. With over 8 years of experience in environmental engineering, her company operates offices in three cities in India. Srestha has played a pivotal role in achieving zero discharge systems and wastewater recycling units treating over 5 lakh kiloliters of wastewater daily. She has tackled groundwater contamination issues in Kolkata, Indore, and Bangalore. Her company has contributed to reducing carbon emissions in 30+ factories in Pithampur, Indore, and Kolkata by installing state-of-the-art air pollution control devices. Srestha's achievements have earned her the Inspiring Women Leaders Award by Economic Times and the MSME Award in Sustainability by Zee Business. She has also initiated a training program to introduce women plumbers, electricians, and technicians into the market striving to promote gender equality.

Vandana Phadke

Physical Therapist and Movement Scientist

Vandana Phadke is a physical therapist and a movement scientist. She is an alumna of Choithram School. She graduated from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore and then completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota, USA. She then did a postdoc at NCBS, Bangaluru working in a barefoot running lab. She has been working in the field of understanding how incorrect movements or movement impairments are related to various musculoskeletal problems using sensor based and imaging technologies. Her research focuses on devising biomechanics based exercises prescriptions. A big part of her work has been at the Spinal Injuries Center in Delhi where she led government and non-government funded projects evaluating the effects of exercise and yoga. Currently she is working on an Indo-Swiss collaborative project developing predictive models for the recovery of spinal cord injury. She enjoys mentoring students, and teaching research design and statistics.