A TedX event is no mean feat. As Thiruvananthapuram wakes up to a surge of initiatives by enterprising youngsters, a TedX conference on the theme ‘Transforming mindsets’ is even timely.
The event at Technopark on November 10 is expected to bring together people looking for a venue to put their ideas to the test.
The conference will have two sessions. The first is scheduled from 2.20 p.m. to 4.35 p.m., where Sabriye Tenberken, co-founder of Braille Without Borders and Kanthari, G. Vijayaraghavan, vice-chairman and founder-director of the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, and Mathew Jose, founder-director of Paperman, are expected to speak.
The second session will host Sashi Kumar, chairman of Asian College of Journalism, Bina Paul, Deputy Director of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, and T.P. Sreenivasan, former ambassador of India, from 5 p.m. to 7.10 p.m.
The sessions will also have performances by music bands. In keeping with the TedX format, Ted videos will also be played at the event.
The TedX team comprises Priya Mohan Ajit, Swathy Nair, Gopikrishnan Nair, Aravind Karthikeyan and Ravishankar R. – all active volunteers of various NGOs in the city.
A TedX license is valid only for one theme.
“Priya sat through the four-hour interview made compulsory by TedX for those applying for a license. The next step was thinking of a theme. It took a very short time to zero in on ‘Transforming mindsets’ when we sat together. While there have been university-based TedX events in Kerala before, a city-based one is a first for the state,” says Aravind who also handles marketing and sponsorship for the event.
Registration fee is Rs. 750 for one session and Rs. 1,500 for both sessions.
The team’s Facebook page TedX Trivandrum has already attracted more than 700 likes.
TedX Trivandrum will be held at Travancore Hall, Park Centre, Technopark.
What is TED
TED (Technology, Education & Design), a non-profit organisation based on ’Ideas Worth Spreading’ started in the United States as a four-day conference in 1984. Men and women who brought about change with their ideas are invited to speak about their most amazing experiences for 18 minutes. All talks are then made available for free at >TED.com . TedX, an offshoot of TED, is meant to spread its spirit among organisations and individuals.
