may 17 friday 3: 30 pm to 9: 30 pm

Coming back to Pollachi for a second edition, this Summer, TEDx Pollachi is committed to spotlighting inspiring ideas from our neighbourhood. Pollachi is unique, its people are proactive, and our Ideas Change Everything! 

Program Itinerary

TimeProgramDetails
3:30 PM - 4:00 PMReception
4:00 PM - 4:20 PMInaugurationLighting of the Lamp
Felicitation of the Commissioner
Introducing TEDxPollachi by Koshia
Setting the Agenda by the Host
4:30 PM - 4:55 PMTalk 1Mr Kali Prakash
4:55 PM - 5:20 PMConversationDr Shankar & Dr Divya
5:20 PM - 5:45 PMTalk 2Dr Ashwin Sangamesh
5:45 PM - 6:15 PMTalk 3Mr M Ranganathan
6:15 PM - 6:45 PMBreak
6:45 PM - 7:15 PMPerformanceNadaswaram performance by Sri Isai Sangamam
7:15 PM - 7:40 PMTalk 4Mr Raju Kandasamy
7:40 PM - 8:10 PMTalk 5Ms Bharathy Baskar
8:10 PM - 8:30 PMConference Closing
8:30 PM onwards Dinner

Societies frequently come to be defined by the strife between the old ways and the new, old ideas and new ideas, past traditions and new trends. But, some people, often extraordinary in their own right, stand as custodians of Timeless values – Excellence, Ingenuity, Passion, Perseverance, Grit and Empathy. Their works are living records of the foundational values of humanity. TEDx Pollachi, in its second edition, like a faithful keeper of those living records, aims to promulgate the works of some extraordinary people and contribute to keep those records alive, for posterity.

About Us

TED is an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter, in any discipline — technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, business, development and so many more. The talks at the conference, called TED Talks, are then made available to watch for free on TED.com.

In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED has created TEDx, a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, live speakers and TED Talks videos combine to spark deep discussion and connections. Our TEDx event is not organised by TED Conferences, but is operated under a licence from TED.

TEDx Pollachi, through the power of ideas worth sharing, strives to be the platform that presents Pollachi to the world while also bringing the world closer to Pollachi. This is a mission that arises from a commitment to the distinct history, culture, people, ecology and aspirations of this town and its surroundings.

Our Speakers

Dr. Bharathy Baskar

Orator
Pattimandram Speaker
Corporate Equity Champion
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Dr. Shankar Raman & Dr. Divya Mudappa

Wildlife Scientists
Rainforest Restoration Experts
Writer
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Kali Prakash

Permaculture Designer
Agri-entrepreneur
Earth-centric Lifestyle Coach
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Ranganathan

Gandhian Activist
Social Worker
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Sri Isai Sangamam

Nadhaswaram Artists
Led by Arul Mani
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Dr Ashwin Sangamesh

Child-centric Medical Practitioner Medu-prenuer, Edu-preneur
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Raju Kandasamy

Tech Enthusiast & Strategist
Generative AI, XR & Industrial Robotics Exper
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Supported by partners

Watch the talks from our First Edition

Lessons from tamil literature

Sirpi Balasubramaniam

Entrepreneurship For Agriculture

Dr Mahendran

when elephants
could fly

Dr Sreedhar Viayakrishnan

Malasar - The Elephant People

Kaleem Mani and Prasath

Martial arts in the age of Metaverse

Aishwarya Manivannan

Building Resilience
frugally

Dr Vishwanath Srikantaiah

you can register on spot at the venue - Avani hall at 3: 30 pm 

Thank You

Dr. Bharathy Baskar

An experienced former banker and corporate diversity/inclusion champion, Bharathy Baskar is known for her appearance in televised debate shows in Tamil called ‘Pattimandram’ which has made her a household name across the Tamil-speaking world. She also regularly addresses corporate professionals, colleges and students as a motivational speaker.

Her active participation in televised Pattimandram, which now extends to about 2000 appearances in various forums around the world, not only gained her fame, but also took the age-old tradition of Pattimandram to the everyday television audience. The art of Pattimandram, which emphasises rhetoric and humour is essential to her style. But her ability to add depth through contemporary ideas, philosophy and science makes her standout. She also draws inspirations from literature, mythology and everyday life.

Proficient in both Tamil & English Oration, she has published over 6 books, including ‘Nee Nadhipola Oodikondiru’, ‘Mudal Kural’ and ‘Sila Pathaigal Sila Payanangal’. She is also a regular writer with the Times of India, in her column ‘Thirukural with the Times’ is avidly read by the young and old.

Dr. Shankar Raman & Dr. Divya Mudappa

Divya Mudappa is interested in the ecology, conservation, and restoration of tropical rainforest ecosystems, and in translating biological understanding to on-ground conservation action. She is presently a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, based at the field research station in Valparai, Anamalai Hills. She is the author of Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats, co-authored with T. R. Shankar Raman. With colleagues and students, she now leads a long-term conservation programme in the Western Ghats to restore degraded rainforests, reduce conflicts between people and wildlife, and foster conservation education and awareness.

T. R. Shankar Raman is a writer and wildlife scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, interested in the ecology and conservation of tropical forests and wildlife, especially in the Western Ghats. He is based at the field research station in Valparai in the Anamalai Hills. He is the author of The Wild Heart of India: Nature and Conservation in the City, the Country, and the Wild and co-author, with Divya Mudappa, of Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats. He co-edited At the Feet of Living Things : Twenty-Five Years of Wildlife Research and Conservation in India with Aparajita Datta and Rohan Arthur.  He blogs at View from Elephant Hills: https://www.shankarraman.in

Kali Prakash

From engineer to educator to farmer, Kali Prakash is on a mission to create a sustainable world! He founded Panmayam Permaculture, where regenerative agriculture practices are embraced. Through his venture The Fruit Crew, nature’s delicious and nutrient-packed fruits from the farm are delivered directly to people’s homes. He is also passionate about Educating minds, designing sustainable spaces, and growing deliciously nutrient-dense fruits.

An advocate for soil biology, he loves exploring the hidden wonders beneath our feet with a microscope and is passionate about planting seeds of sustainability and fostering a love for the Earth in young minds. With a knack for entrepreneurship, he is striving to convert, quite successfully, all his passions into revenue streams through his ventures, becoming a demonstrable model for farmers, himself.

Ranganathan

Founder of the Mahatma Gandhi Ashram in Anamalai, Pollachi, Ranganathan is a steadfast Gandhian. At the age of 17, while still in school, he had the chance to read Gandhi’s Autobiography – My Experiments with Truth. The experience spurred him to action, and he along with a few friends founded the Ilaingnar Gandhi Mandram in 1968. Fifty-six years later, the organisation stands strong as Mahatma Gandhi Ashram. In all these years as its trustee, he has carried out advocacy and field action based on Gandhian principles.

He has a BA in Economics and an MA in Gandhian Thought, as well as a B.L. He continues to offer pro bono legal aid to the underprivileged and the marginalised, through the Ashram. Apart from being a home for children of different kinds of marginalisation including orphanhood, neglect and difficult or broken homes, it is also a centre for model practices of Gandhian teachings.

Ranganathan was instrumental in bringing about positive Social Change in the region through pacifist and non-violent resistance and advocacy. He was awarded the first Sri Ramachandra-Ikeda Award for excellence in Social Work in 1990, from the then Prime MinisterI K Gujral.

Sri Isai Sangamam

Sri Isai Sangamam is a Nadaswaram-Thavizh troupe, led by Arul Mani. Arul is the Vidwan of the Zamin Samathur Temple where he has played the Nadaswaram for about thirty years now. Following in the footsteps of his Grandfather and Father, he carries the legacy and artform of Nadhaswaram for a third generation.

Apart from performing at the temple, he along with his troupe perform in various Utsavs and events around Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Thirty years on and he still continues to practise his art with the same energy and enthusiasm, because he considers it beyond mere duty. As he puts it, ‘It’s my identity. It’s what I hold dear to my heart. It’s what brings me happiness and it’s what I cherish the most – my God-given talent’.

Performance: At TEDxPollachi, the Nadaswaram-Thavizh troupe led by Arul Mani will demonstrate the art form by performing three pieces, known as ‘Keerthanais’.

Dr Ashwin Sangamesh

Dr Ashwin Sangamesh is a child-centric medical practitioner and an innovator in child developmental practices. Babyama Paediatric Centre, an ‘experiential’ Health Care Centre for children and mothers that he founded, practises unique approaches to child care, design of the child care spaces, managing medical data as well as administering the centre. With keen insights into child development, his work is a forerunner and emerging innovation in the domain of child and mother care.

Extending the application of his insights further, Dr Ashwin has also innovated resources for Early Childhood Care and Education, through his venture Braindemics. Conceptualised as a paediatrically formulated curriculum for Early Learners, is a progressive and holistic approach to educational development of early learners.

Raju Kandasamy

Innovative tech enthusiast and strategist with experience in Generative AI, XR and industrial robotics, Raju Kandasamy is skilled in building and upscaling autonomous teams and setting up practices, in real-time high-transaction rate enterprise systems and managing development teams. He also specialises in setting up product teams from scratch and scaling them up. He has successfully helped an IT hardware brand design and develop software for their mixed reality glass product, resulting in 6 filed patents. In the last decade, he built a tech start-up from the ground up and successfully handled assignments in setting up new product development teams.

With a passion for Tamil literature and language preservation, he has contributed greatly to the development of a specialised Tamil LLM, an attempt to make AI accessible in a vernacular language, while also evolving the Tamil language for an age of AI! He currently serves as the Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks.