The first online edition of TEDxBITSPilani was aimed at celebrating ‘ideas worth spreading’ from a ‘stellar speaker line-up’ comprising people from all walks of life. It was a one-day event hosted on March 28, 2021. For every talk, a pre-recorded video of the speaker was presented on Google Meet, after which the speaker answered questions posed by the audience.

Dr Chandrakant Lahariya

The first speaker for the day was Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, who is an expert on public policy, vaccines, and health systems and co-author of the book Till We Win: India’s Fight Against The COVID-19 pandemic. He described the way India tackled the pandemic and elaborated on the role of public awareness and community action. He emphasised the importance of a three-way partnership between medical experts, policymakers, and citizens. According to him, social awareness is an essential tool for controlling the spread of the infection. When asked about the preparedness of India for another pandemic in the next five years, Dr Lahariya said that India is not ready to face another pandemic. He felt that the people and governments had much to learn from the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak and their actions against it during the past year. 

Rajani Thindiath

The next speaker, Rajani Thindiath, talked about the importance of diversity and inclusion in storytelling. Her writing career spans over seventeen years, ten of which she has spent working as Editor and eventually Editor-in-Chief of Tinkle comics at Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd. Her talk shed light on the repeated portrayal of women as powerless and weak in stories and the need to break these stereotypes. According to her, the subject is all the more relevant for a country like India which has great cultural diversity. She explained the effort that goes into curating Tinkle’s content to represent a wide spectrum of people and going against stereotypes about different groups in society. One of her inspirations was the prejudice that people in the North-Eastern parts of India endure. Ms Thindiath explained how storylines set in remote parts of India and characters with different skin tones are used to make the children’s magazine more inclusive. She described some segments in the magazine that talk about issues that society fails to adequately address. One such example was not letting physical disabilities be a complete barrier to the things one aspires to achieve in life. Ms Thindiath believes that the future of the country makes up the reader-base of Tinkle and that instilling the right practices of inclusion with a proper display of diversity will have a positive impact on society at large.

Jennifer Alphonse 

A director, writer, and producer whose debut film Kachra won three state awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Child Actor, Jennifer Alphonse was the third speaker. She talked about her journey in the film industry, an ‘unconventional area’ for the ‘conservative’ family she came from. Her appreciation for cinema stems from her childhood, as her father took her to watch several films. After his death, she took over his government job and worked as a ticket collector despite her desire to get into cinema. She explained how her family let her join the film industry only after she completed her MBA degree for ‘safety’. While working, she would observe ragpickers and she ‘felt something’ looking at ‘the conditions of those boys’. This inspired an idea which she later developed into a script. After joining a film crew, she discussed the idea with a few senior colleagues and they encouraged her to pursue it. She elaborated on how she then went on to become the first Indian female director to shoot a film in Afghanistan. After the unexpected success of Kachra, her acquaintances thought that her career was on an upward trajectory. However, her professional life came to a standstill despite the success of her debut film. She talked about the lessons she learnt in this period—enjoying every part of the journey and accepting the constant struggles that come with it. She remarked, ‘How we build ourselves back up is far more important than the obstacles we face.’ 

Sachin Darbarwar

The fourth speaker was Sachin Darbarwar, CEO of India’s largest precision farm, Simply Fresh—a company that uses modern technology in the agriculture sector. By incorporating AI technology into hydroponics, they have designed the Farm in A Box platform which understands and creates an optimal environment for plants to thrive in. Mr Darbarwar first addressed the importance of conserving water—though the general public talks about water conservation practices, there is little discourse about it in the agriculture sector. He added that negligence towards water conservation is especially prevalent during monsoons and winters. Simply Fresh uses techniques like drip irrigation to conserve water. The crops are watered in an extremely precise manner, according to their environment and needs. He described how Machine Learning is used to predict the right climatic conditions for optimal growth of crops while numerous Internet of Things (IoT) sensors are used to collect the data for it. He also explained how people from different engineering fields have contributed to agricultural systems. Mr Darbarwar was asked for advice for beginners in the field of hydroponics. His response was that while hydroponics is an interesting field, one must be ‘mentally prepared to do physical work’ and face the challenges involved. 

Minal Kavishwar

The fifth talk revolved around the use of pet animals in the field of psychotherapy. The speaker, Minal Kavishwar, is a certified practitioner in Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) from the Delta Society and the University of North Texas. According to her, the time spent in isolation due to the pandemic has led to an increase in the demand for therapeutic services and the adoption of pets. Mrs Kavishwar spoke about the difference an animal companion can make for people’s general state of mind. She elaborated on how animals tend to ‘divert our attention from stress’ and laid emphasis on the calmness one feels while petting an animal. When asked about how AAT has changed in the online mode, she explained how the pandemic created a challenge for the patients who did not own pets. The effect of AAT was not the same without the physical presence of animals around them. Mrs Kavishwar was also asked about the challenges she faced being the first Indian certified practitioner in AAT. She explained how people were less accepting of the concept initially and how times have changed for the better as more people are now understanding the benefits of AAT. 

Harshit Bansal

The last speaker was Harshit Bansal, founder of and Editor at Humans of Cinema, a podcast revolving around cinema and its impact on our lives. To explain the complexities of cinematic perspectives, he discussed the art of watching a movie. ‘There is no right way to watch a movie,’ he remarked. According to him, cinema evokes strong emotions in individuals. The difference in their experiences gives rise to multiple interpretations of a movie. He emphasised the need to deeply analyse movies since it encourages critical thinking. He added that it is crucial to dwell on the message being conveyed by the filmmaker and highlighted the need to be able to ‘acknowledge’ what is right and wrong in the ideas. For Mr Bansal, cinema is a powerful experience that can be used as an important tool in shaping society. He added how analysing several movies over the years has significantly changed the way he thinks.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Suraj Phanindra, a member of the curation team. He thanked all the speakers and the attendees who made the event possible during such ‘trying times’.