TEDxDharavi

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Baburao Laad Saheb

  Actor + Teacher

  Baburao Laad Saheb is your everyday behind the scenes hero. A director, painter, actor, producer, mentor, cameraman, photographer, and coach, Baburao has been training actors over 25 years free of charge. He trained thousands of youngsters from Dharavi and provided them a source of livelihood. He talks about his journey of making Bollywood dreams come true.

• Bhau Katdare

  Conservation Activist

  Bhau Katdhare is a reformer. Founder of Sahayadri Nisarg Mitra, Bhau has been instrumental in conserving vultures & turtles in Maharashtra. Bhau comes from a very humble background with no background in conservation but that did not stop him from mobilising villages & the government to conserve endangered species. Bhau talks about changing mindsets to truly protect our nature in his talk.

• Bian Li

  Founder, The Hungry Lab

  Bian Li is a visionary and Founder of The Hungry Lab, whose mission is to challenge the status quo in collaborating for better ideas that have a lasting future impact. Through our Global School for the Future™, The Hungry Lab is future-proofing today’s youth, workforce and communities for the next generation of global challenges. We are provoking new thinking, structures and systems around old problems. By redefining how opportunity is created, how innovation is measured and how progress is shaped, we are creating a world where anyone who is hungry to belong to the future has the ability to do so.

• Debjani Roy

  Design Researcher

  Debjani works in the area of Health care Communication Design. From being a User Researcher to managing public health program in public hospitals, she uses elements of co-design to understand perspective and behavior of people living in Urban Slums. She talks about how co-creation empowers the users to share their insights, which increases the persuasion and motivation to adapt any healthcare program.

• Dr. Srimathy Kesan

  Space Scientist

  Dr Srimathy Kesan is a visionary. Founder and CEO SpaceKidz India. Under her guidance, students designed Kalamsat - the world’s lightest satellite ever to be placed in orbit! Dr. Kesan has inspired over a thousand students to pursue their space dreams regardless of their field of education, social status, and geographic location. She recently launched the first ever 3D printed femto satellite on a NASA’s Terrier Orion rocket into sub-orbit. Dr Kesan will talk about her vision & redefining space dreams for Indian kids.

• Gulafsha Ansari

  Changemaker

  Gulafsha Ansari is a rule breaker. At 22, she is a leading footballer in India encouraging girls from poor background to learn life skills through football. Gulafsha talks about her journey of breaking stereotypes & redefining a girl’s boundaries.

• Jameel Shah

  Founder, Shah Shoes

  Jameel Shah is dream chaser. As a successful celebrity shoemaker, Shah who creates designer shoes with locally procured materials through his venture Shah Shoes. Today, many Bollywood biggies are his loyal clients. Shah walks us through his life & setting up a shoe empire from scratch.

• Kumar Shailabh

  Founder, Uplift Mutuals

  Kumar Shailabh is a visionary & founder of Uplift Mutuals, a pioneer in the mutual micro-insurance space in India which is run on solidarity and collective responsibility. A unique initiative that works to provide insurance to population who are below poverty line and has already covered over 3,00,000 people. Kumar Shailabh walks us through the journey of Uplift Mutuals.

• Megha Gupta

  Founder, DharaviMarket

  Megha Gupta is a game-changer. The founder of DharaviMarket.com, Megha has made sure that this e-commerce initiative provides the local, skilled craftsmen and artisans direct access to local and global markets. She talks about changing the lives of local artisans & preserving age-old art through technology.

• Shirin Merchant

  Expert Dog Trainer

  Shirin Merchant is a canine evangelist. Founder of Canines Can Care, Shirin is dedicated towards canine training & counselling. She advocates the role of dogs in our society and will talk about her experiences with dogs which will change your view of the man’s best friend.

• SlumGods Performance

  SlumGods is a Dharavi home grown hip hop crew of rappers, beatboxers & B boys. They conduct training for children and introduce them to the world of Hip Hop. SlumGods will be putting up a mind blowing performance for us on stage.

• Venkat Iyer

  Author + Farmer

  Venkat Iyer is a believer. Doing what each of us secretly dream of, Venkat Iyer went from being a manager in an IT firm to a successful self-trained farmer. Venkat talks about his adventures of choosing to grow moong over designing microchips.