We at Good Shepherd International School, Ooty, are pleased to announce that we have now got the license to host our independent TEDx event. We will be hosting the first TEDx event at our school on 15 th November 2022. The key objective of the event is to open up avenues for brilliant speakers from various fields to deliver their new, thought-provoking, ground-breaking ideas – ideas worth spreading. We consider this an excellent opportunity for us to improve the engagement of our community- students, parents, alumni, etc. sparking conversations and building connections, thereby enhancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and building a culture of innovation.
The theme for our first TEDx event is ‘Identity.’ Every single person has their own unique identity which is shaped by various internal and external factors such as society, family, ethnicity, race, culture, location, opportunities, interests, appearance, self-expression and life experiences. Being a socially constructed concept, a person’s identity is formed through our interactions with others and in relation to social, cultural and political contexts. However, in the 21st century, there are many who seem to be witnessing a challenge to notions of identity. Our identity plays a major role in how we perceive things and make choices as an individual, which is why we believe that this theme would create a powerful impact on every one of us.
TEDx Speaker, Public Speaking Coach, National level debater and MUNner, Lifelong learner
Aman is a multifaceted individual who has many feathers in his cap. He has taken up diverse roles of leadership, management and teaching from his early school days itself. He is currently a member of SkillSphere Education’s core team as a Senior Manager; having evolved from being a freelance trainer to one of its most respected, experienced and competent trainers across India. Apart from conducting teacher training workshops in reputed schools, Aman has extensively trained students in public speaking and life skills across India and the Middle East, impacting the lives of over 25,000 individuals across 110 schools since 2016.
TEDx & JoshTalk Speaker, Human Rights advocate and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional. LGBTQ+ Rights Activist Founder – @QueerHinduAlliance Awarded DEI Global Leader Delegate – United Nations
He is a TEDx & JoshTalk Speaker, Human Rights advocate and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional with 10+ years of experience in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space, recognized for working well with people from different backgrounds with a primary focus on LGBTQIA+ community. His professional focal points include policy analysis and development, team collaboration, motivation and strategic planning. He has been awarded the ‘Global Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award’ by the World HRD Congress & have addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). As a part of his advocacy work, he has worked with stakeholders including, but not limited to, corporate houses, law enforcement agencies, educational institutes, lawyers and influencers on national as well as international forums. He employs advocacy tools such as public speaking, gender and sexuality workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, webinars and collaborations with brands/celebrities.
Astha Sharma
Product Owner | Design Thinking Practitioner | Data and Cloud Solution Architect driving automation and innovation in the space of Data and AI
Astha is a fitness enthusiast, who believes in being mindful of what we feed our mind, body, and soul. She is a trained classical dancer, having practiced for about 16 years.. She loves outdoor and adventure sports; trekked the Himalayas up to 15,750 ft, ran a full marathon, dived in the sea, done road trips, and traveled well. She plays the role of a mentor at work and in her personal life too. She is a design thinking practitioner. She has 17+ years of professional experience diversified in the field of Data and Interaction Science. She is a Data and Cloud Solution Architect and a product owner of a product she has filed a patent for. She has her own entrepreneurial interests, identified a gap in the market, built a product from scratch, and now leads a team that is solely working on this whereas actively pursuing the thought of designing sustainable technology practices. “The role I cherish the most on Earth is being a full-time mom to a lovely son”, Astha says.
Dentist by profession. Author of the book “The Toda Landscape – Explorations in Cultural Ecology”. An expert on Toda culture and spent long years learning about this tribal group.
Ooty-based dentist, 49-year-old Tarun Chhabra, is an expert on Toda culture and is possibly one of the few outsiders who can speak their language fluently. Tarun has also joined in the community task of thatching the revered conical temple. He accompanied the tribesmen to the western slopes of the Nilgiri rainforest to collect rattan cane for the job. Today, the Toda way of life is at a crossroads with just about 1,400 traditional tribespeople left. The Toda Nalavaaazhvu Sangam, set up by Tarun in 1992, primarily works to preserve their culture and provide better healthcare. It has rebuilt abandoned temples and migration hamlets where the pastoral tribesmen stay when they take their cattle grazing. Tarun has also set up an NGO, Edhkwehlynawd Botanical Refuge Centre Trust, to conserve the flora and fauna of the land,re-establish native species and to study the fauna of the area.
Veteran Army Major, Actor, TEDx Speaker, member of the board of the International Film and Entertainment Festival of Australia
He has been highly appreciated as an actor in the recently released film YAARA. He has also played the role of a soldier in the much talked about web series AVRODH, as Naik Irfan Khan, based on the Balakot Surgical Strikes. He is a renowned theater and film personality too, with several international awards in his kitty and he is a visiting faculty at Subhash Ghai’s “Whistling Woods International”. He joined the Short Service Commission in the Army to train as a “Commando” and was posted at the Indo – Pak border at the line of control as a young Lieutenant. He was awarded a commendation card for his exceptional and meritorious service to the nation. Major Mohommed Ali Shah has acted in FTII alumni Shriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod, and in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider which won 5 National awards apart from several other prestigious film awards. He has also acted in acclaimed filmmaker Jahnu Baruah’s Broken window, produced by Priyanka Chopra.
Ceramic Artist of International Repute. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics IAC, NCECA Multi-Cultural Fellow and recipient of Alps Art Academy/Land Art scholarship, Switzerland.
Rashi Jain has trained at The Golden Bridge Pottery, Pondicherry and Valley School, Bangalore. She has exhibited across India and internationally, such as Paper Clay Illuminated, which toured across United States at NEHMA, Daum, Fuller Craft Museums, Porcelain India (Habitat Center, Delhi), Bridges: Indian Contemporary Ceramics (Stainless, Delhi), Earth Matters (Indo Korean Center & Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai) and Jar of Secrets (Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Solo show). She has co-founded India’s first Studio Potters’ Market, and co-curates at The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai. Her work bridges intuitive thoughts arising within, from deep silence, expresses it in symbols, through the experience of the relationship between inner and outer worlds, which flows into figurative, sculptural ceramic forms.
Vikram Dev Dogra
First serving army officer and only General in the world to do Ironman thrice.
He was commissioned in the army in 1981 and is the recipient of the Sword of Honor for being the best all round passing out cadet and Gold Medallist for passing out first in the order of merit. He commanded an armored regiment- The Poona Horse, thereafter an Armored Brigade on the Western front and an infantry division part of a strike corps. He gained combat experience in Jammu & Kashmir and part of United Nations peace keeping forces in Angola, Africa. He believes that obstacles are stepping stones to success and In 2018 I did Ironman Austria at the age of 58 in 14 hours and 21 minutes to become the first Serving Indian Army Officer and the only general in the world to do so. In July 2019 I once again I took on the ironman competition at Germany and once again in Spain. I has been conferred with an honorary doctorate to recognize my contribution to humanity, and was awarded Ati Vashisht Seva Medal in 2019 by the President of India.
Entrepreneur, life Coach, social activist, motivational speaker & story teller.
Vir Philip is a very prominent youth mentor & trainer, who has been part of various organizations like CanSupport, Rotary, MUN etc. He is also a very passionate Rotarian & Rotaractor with an experience of 14 years, where he had served at various positions and is currently serving as a Vice-President of Rotary Club of New Delhi of RID 3011.Being diagnosed with a learning disability at a very young age, Phillip struggled at school but managed to soar through. He never gave up. He studied at a boarding school in the US when his family moved back to India. The experience, he often says, helped him overcome his weaknesses and identify his strengths. He went to Lynn University Florida to study International Relations and became the Co-Founder and Chartered President of Rotaract Club in 2010 and later on Vir joined the Commonwealth Games Accreditation Department in 2015. He started his own company as JMD Turf, which is presently working on creating playgrounds & water friendly workplaces .
Currently, we are in the process of curating good speakers and have identified a few of them. Our team would be delighted to work with anyone interested in delivering a great talk based on the central theme of ‘Our Identity.’ If you have connections/contacts with any good speakers, or know of anyone who is an achiever in their own right, please let us know. Kindly mail us through gsistedx@gsis.ac.in; we would love to get in touch with them. We eagerly await your response.
