The last day of April 2023 proved to be a Super Sunday for Nagpurians. For, the maiden grand event TEDxAmbazariLake held at Vanamati Auditorium saw the perfect gathering of thinkers, intellectuals, social entrepreneurs, and change-makers. The bustling energy of the audience, ever eager to listen to the panel of speakers, filled the air of the auditorium with enthusiasm. The theme of the discussion — ‘Left, Right and Centre’ — represented the inclusivity, openness, and respectful engagement of different ideas emerging from different viewpoints and from various parts of the country. The Ted Talks encouraged a thoughtful and healthy dialogue on innovation, technology, culture, and dissemination of ideas for a healthy social change.
Dr. Bhimraya Metri, Director, IIM Nagpur; Ram Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner; Ketan Mohitkar, State Secretary, ICTRD, inaugurated the program by lighting the traditional lamp.
TEDxAmbazariLake, organized by the bright young minds of Nagpur, saw a panel of heavyweight speakers and performers including Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways; Dr. Y V N Krishnamurthy, Registrar of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram; Dr. Shubha Phadke, the pioneer of Indian Clinical Genetics. India’s youngest entrepreneurs Anay Ramakrishnan and Abeer Ramakrishnan have two startups, a tech company and a non-profit organization at the age of 8 years; Sandeep Pathe, Principal Architect, Sakha Studio; Wasudev Mishra, a renowned young social entrepreneur, and Chief Executive officer of Procohat Technologies, known famously as Ashoka Young Changemaker in business circles, were the other vibrant speakers.
The pioneers and changemakers spoke on a range of topics such as sustainable infrastructure, technology, social development, genetics, and conservation of heritage. The audience responded to their talks with loud applause and cheers. And, the audience also kept one response preserved in their hearts — feeling inspired — and carried it home. The organizers as well as the members of the audience felt satisfied that the event ushered in a new era in the cultural story of the city of Nagpur. Suggestions also came in about enhancing the quality and enriching the texture of the event. For, the people who attended the event established an instant connection with the idea of organizing the mega event in the city.
Shridhar Venkat, Chief Executive Officer, of Akshaya Patra Foundation, addressed the audience virtually as he could not attend the event due to some emergency. Bharatnatyam dancer Agnee Raut, Baithak-Nagpur, and The Clusters presented mesmerizing performances, adding to the splendor of TEDxAmbazariLake. Parimal Bhakre was the organizer of the event and Himanshu Aglawe was the co-organizer. Indian Council for Technical Research and Development was an organizing partner for the event. With the support of the organisation and other partners, the TEDxAmbazariLake-2023 was a successful event.
