The Doon School held their very first Tedx Youth Conference on the 5th of November, Sunday. The chief guest was Padmashri Dr. Anil Joshi and was organised by students of the Doon School namely Tejveer Kohli, Imaad Parvez and teacher Malvika Kala. TED is a media organization which posts talks online for free distribution, under the slogan of “ideas worth spreading g”.A TEDx event is all about bringing people from all walks of life to discuss ideas that are worth deliberation. The main reason of giving luminaries a stage is to hear their passion to curb certain issues, or elucidate a particular phenomenon or trend to the global community. This is one of the big reasons TED matters. With its pristine environs and historic campus, Chandbagh served as a perfect setting for rumination on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder.

The conference began with recorded interviews of :

Dr.Manmohan Singh

While many might refer to him as the accidental prime minister, many argue that he is the gentleman prime minister. He is extremely well regarded for his diligence and academic approach to work, as well as his accessibility and his unassuming demeanour. Apart from being an ex Prime Minister, he is a keen educationist and academician, having taught at Delhi University and studied at the University of Cambridge..

Mani Shankar Aiyar

A diplomat turned Congress politician, Mani Shankar Aiyer is known for always speaking his mind. He is the author of many books such as ‘Confessions of a secular fundamentalist’ and ‘A Time of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi to The 21st Century’. He elucidated, through his humorous speech, his take on education, politics and more!

LIVE TALKS OF THE FOLLOWING :

SHANTUM SETH:

Shantum Seth is a teacher in a Zen Buddhist tradition and has been leading pilgrimages through Bihar, UP and Nepal since 1988.Shantum is actively involved in teacher training through ‘Cultivating Mindfulness in Education’. He is a Senior Advisor to the World Bank on Pilgrimage Tourism and has worked in the corporate sector and later in social development, including fifteen years of which were with the United Nations, managing programmes on volunteer promotion and artisan support across 16 countries.

He has been featured on BBC film documentaries on the history of Buddhism and has contributed to a number of books in various fields.Shantum Seth studied at The Welham Boys’ School, The Doon School and St Stephen’s College in India and then graduated in Development Studies with his thesis in Gandhian Economics from the University of East Anglia, while also graduating in Footwear Technology and Management in England.He lives with his wife and daughters in Landour.

VINEET PANCCHI:

He is a filmmaker, musician, leadership trainer, Urdu poetry enthusiast, and loves to work with children and young adults, and advices then to never grow old.He believes that everyone should do what they love, and nothing else, and that money is the last thing people should work for. He is a 44 year old and believes to live his life like a happy go lucky teenager.

YASH JOHRI:

Yash Johri is presently a student at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University. He’s an alumnus of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. At University he majored in International Politics with a focus on China, South East Asia and India from the lens of international law, foreign policy as well as politics. He also minored in Mandarin (Chinese), and has attained proficiency. While at Georgetown, Johri was a founding member of the Georgetown University India Initiative and was the founding editor of GU India Ink, a blog dedicated to covering policy and politics issues related to India from Washington DC.

NAVIN GULIA

An Ex-Army Officer and a World Record Holder in Adventure Sports, Navin Gulia is a multiple awardwinning, internationally acclaimed, Author, Adventurer, Thinker, Orator and Social Worker.

He is a World Record Holder in adventure driving, for driving non-stop from New Delhi to the world’s

highest mountain pass Marsimik La at 18,632 feet height, in 55 hours of non-stop driving.His English book ‘In Quest of the Last Victory’ published by Pearson Longman is a best seller in its category and so is his Hindi book ‘Veer Usko Janiye’ published by Prabhat Prakashan.He is a social worker and runs an organisation called ‘Apni Duniya Apna Ashiana’ for the welfare of under privileged children.

The various awards and recognitions that he has received for his work include –President National Role Model Award from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam 2007 and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation 2005.

JO CHOPRA

Jo Chopra McGowan is the Executive Director of the Latika Roy Foundation, a Dehradun based organization providing services to children with disabilities. She is a writer, a photographer and a convicted criminal who has been arrested and jailed in the United States for protest activities half a dozen times.

AKSHIT BATRA

Akshit Batra is an MBA at the Indian School of Business Hyderabad and was awarded the coveted Torch Bearer Award at ISB for excellence while at school. He was also awarded the Make in India Award by the Bharat Nirman Foundation in association with the Central Government’s Make in India Initiative.

He was the youngest Indian Delegate at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. He is also an International level debater, MUNer and Founding Chair of CII Young Indians Dehradun Chapter.

KALIKESH NARAYAN SINGH DEO

Kalikesh Singh Deo is a second-time sitting Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from the Bolangir constituency of Odisha and a leader of the Biju Janata Dal.Mr Deo is currently a member of the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas and theConsultative Committee on Finance and Corporate Affairs. His developmental focus remainsprimarily on livelihood, child rights and climate change issues. He is an active member of the GlobalCoalition against TB and HIV.He has represented India in shooting and basketball.An alumnus of The Doon School, we thank you for being here with us today, understanding that you have just flown in from Washington.

BABAR AFZAL

A true example of a Positive Extremist from Kashmir, Babar is working to bring peace and social positive change into the region through Pashmina.

An Ethical Hacker who quit his corporate career working as a professional for organizations including McKinsey and others all over the globe and chose to become a Shepherd in the Himalayas to save the Pashmina Goats and the Authentic Pashmina Eco System of India. Babar is a Pashmina Artist, Pashmina Activist and a “Pashmina Goat Shepherd”.