TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
Billabong High International School, Bhopal organized the first such independent event in the city, on campus on April 8, 2018. A congregation comprising intellectuals, students, youth, and professionals attended the event after registering themselves online. Five illustrious speakers from diverse backgrounds inspired the audience with their transformational ideas- Prashant Shukla (National Technology Officer, Microsoft India), Lina Ashar (Founder of Kangaroo Kids Preschool & Billabong High International School), Ulrike Reinhard (Publisher, Author, Digital Nomad, and Futurist), Rafeeq Ellias (Photographer and Cinematographer) and Yuki Ellias (Actor, Director, and Corporate Coach)
In this enlightening talk, Prashant Shukla (National Technology Officer, Microsoft India) elucidates how dramatically the advent of artificial intelligence and digital technology can help transform agriculture, healthcare, and education in rural India. Prashant Shukla’s career over the last 24 years spans successful leadership roles in marketing, sales, product management and software development in the US and India. Currently, Prashant is working as National Technology Officer for Microsoft India.
Away from the comforts of her home in Germany, Ulrike Reinhard has found a new home in Janwaar (a small village in central India) where she has built a skateboard park to trigger social, cultural, and economic change. One of the main rules to use the rink at Janwaar Castle (that’s the name given to the park) is "no school, no skateboarding”, which encourages girls to use the rink. She aims to uplift the life of the entire community and spread this model of rural change across India’s sub-continent.
Lina Ashar, an award-winning entrepreneur sheds light on the shortcomings of our existing education, which according to her, needs a complete revamp due to its redundancy. During her sabbatical from college in Australia, Lina Ashar came to India to reconnect with her roots. When she observed the inadequacies of the education system around her, she was struck with an idea that soon became her passion.
Rafeeq Ellias and Yuki Ellias believe commercialization, to a great extent, detracts from art. So, every year they invest a sizeable chunk of their savings in one project that transcends the intent of making financial gains. In this inspirational talk, the dynamic father-daughter duo comically narrates how their loss-making projects generate intangible profits.
