TEDxBistupur

Speakers

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

• Akshay Shrivastav

  CEO and Founder LCB Fertilizers Private Limited

  A researcher and entrepreneur, he is the Founder & CEO of LCB Fertilizers, an IIT Kanpur-incubated agritech startup working at the intersection of soil biology, biotechnology, and decentralized manufacturing. Coming from a farming family in rural Uttar Pradesh, he witnessed firsthand the challenges of declining soil health, rising input costs, and limited access to sustainable solutions. These experiences led him to pursue Chemical Engineering and research in microbial biotechnology, developing nature-inspired solutions for agriculture. His work explores how living microbial ecosystems can regenerate soil health while enabling decentralized fertilizer production using locally available biomass. He has collaborated with research institutions, government agencies, and rural communities to turn scientific research into practical solutions. He believes some of the most powerful innovations emerge when we stop trying to control nature and start learning from it.

• Asmita Dorjee

  Everester

  Asmita Dorjee comes from a family with a strong mountaineering background, where resilience, determination, and teamwork have been part of her journey from an early age. Passionate about learning, personal growth, and helping others unlock their potential, she has always embraced challenges with courage and perseverance. In 2022, Asmita attempted to summit Mount Everest with O2 and came remarkably close, turning back just 100 metres short of the summit. Rather than letting the setback define her, she returned in 2023 and successfully completed the climb, this time with supplemental oxygen. Her journey to Everest is a powerful story of resilience, determination, and the courage to return stronger after falling short.

• Dr Bikrant Tiwary

  Co-founder & Director of IMPCA and Aadivasi.org

  Dr. Bikrant Tiwary is an environmental entrepreneur and Co-founder & Director of IMPCA and Aadivasi.org, working at the intersection of ecological restoration, rural livelihoods, and climate action. For over a decade, he has worked with communities, corporates, and institutions to restore degraded landscapes across India. His work has contributed to the plantation of more than 20 million trees through CSR, community initiatives, and large-scale carbon credit projects that create long-term environmental and economic value for farmers. Bikrant views climate change not just as an environmental challenge, but as a design problem—one that can be addressed by aligning ecology with economics. He believes conservation can improve livelihoods, strengthen biodiversity, recharge water resources, and build resilient communities. His mission is to make nature restoration scalable, measurable, and beneficial for both people and the planet.

• Dr Dinesh Gupta

  Educationist

  Prof. Dr. Dinesh Gupta Aanandshree a Gold Medalist Mechanical Engineer, Amazon bestselling author of 35 books, educationist, mindset coach, management consultant, and a multiple world record holder, with recognitions from the Limca Book of Records and eight Guinness World Records.

• Dr. Satyabrata Ghosh

  Founder & CEO

  Dr. Satyabrata Ghosh is a researcher, entrepreneur, and biotechnology professional with over 17 years of experience in scientific research, innovation, and technology development. He holds a Ph.D. in Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering from Jadavpur University and was awarded the prestigious Erasmus Mundus EU Scholarship for advanced research at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He has served as Visiting Faculty at Jadavpur University and as a Research Associate at IIT Kharagpur, with expertise spanning fermentation technology, antioxidants, chemometrics, phage display, and carbohydrate science. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ghosh led the development of a low-cost surgical mask at the Science and Technology Entrepreneurs' Park, IIT Kharagpur—recognized among IIT Kharagpur’s 75 Notable Innovations in 2021. Today, he continues to drive innovation in biotechnology, functional foods, and sustainable agro-based technologies.

• Manoj Singh Shekhawat

  Chief Divisional Manager

  A Mechanical Engineer by education, he currently leads Public Health Operations at Tata Steel Utilities & Infrastructure Services Ltd., Jamshedpur. Over the past 15 years, his work has taken him beyond engineering into urban sanitation, waste management, vector control, and community participation. His team works every day to keep a city of nearly a million people clean, healthy, and resilient. Through this experience, he has learned that sustainable change is rarely driven by technology alone—it begins with changing everyday human behaviour. He is passionate about connecting practical field experiences with ideas that inspire people to think differently. Whether addressing waste management or dengue prevention, he believes lasting solutions begin when ordinary citizens recognise the power of one small action

• Neelam Sarangi

  Waste Management and Arts

  Neelam Sarangi is an Indian eco-entrepreneur and the founder of Bekar Ko Aakar, a social startup based in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, that focuses on upcycling solid waste into beautiful art pieces and functional products. Fondly nicknamed "Kabaad waali Didi" (The Scrap Sister), she has gained nationwide recognition for her work in transforming garbage into wealth. The literal meaning of her startup's name, Bekar Ko Aakar, is "Giving shape to the useless." She began her journey by collecting discarded materials like old tires, plastic bottles, metal scraps, copper wires, wooden logs, and shoes to creatively upcycle them into home decor, ornaments, and public art installations.

• Swapnil Thakur

  Musician activist

  Swapnil Thakur is a one-man-band musician and environmental activist from Pune, India, whose journey from adversity to purpose is deeply connected with nature. After a devastating road accident left him with multiple fractures and a long recovery, Swapnil found solace beside a river. As he recovered, he discovered that the rivers that had helped heal him were themselves in distress. He chose music as his medium for change, building a one-man-band setup and performing in streets and public spaces to spark conversations about rivers, biodiversity, and our relationship with nature. Since then, he has performed hundreds of awareness shows, turning everyday spaces into platforms for environmental dialogue. His work has been featured by BBC, The Better India, The Indian Express, Mid-Day, Times Now, and Citizen Matters. His message is simple: the things that heal us deserve our protection.