Mysore, India
November 4-7, 2009
Mysore, India
November 4-7, 2009
The second day of the INK Conference in Jaipur, India was another eclectic mix of musicians, inventors, designers and visionaries. The conference’s narrative theme, The Power of the Journey, continued as each session attempted to capture the most important moments of every life. Talks are being held from Thursday December 8 to Sunday December 11. Through their partnership with India Times, watch one of the incredible sessions live here at 11 am IST>>
The morning’s first session, “Meeting of the Minds,” began as Roberto Narain and Vasundhara Daa of Drumjam remembered the sheer joy of the previous night’s drum circle and shared stories about how their simple project to create drum circles has helped people to connect and find their bliss. Then Rob Cook of Pixar took the stage to talk about the exquisite creative balance that’s required to guide huge teams of creatives, writers and technologists through the process of making animated films that evoke true emotion. Designer Lisa Staprans talked about how India inspired her to put her heart into every interior she created and forever changed the way she decorated homes. Anupam Mishra showed the wisdom of past civilizations that built ingenious systems for collecting water. Genpact CEO N.V. “Tiger” Tyagarajan theorized that the industrial rise of India’s third largest financial hub, Guragaon, has radically changed the lives of many working-class Indians.
The second session of the day, “Making Connections,” began its exploration with INK Fellow Charles Ma, who practices the female-dominated art of Bharatanayam dance and uses dramatic facial expressions and incredibly elegant movement to capture his audience. John Hardy’s daughter and INK Fellow Elora Hardy left a rising career in fashion in New York to return to rural Bali and work with the traditional craftsmen she grew up with, designing sustainable and breathtaking bamboo homes. Wildlife photographer Kalyan Varma decided to share his photos on the web under a Creative Commons license, and serendipity brought him inventive collaborators and even some unexpected financial rewards. As the first female engineer at Facebook, Ruchi Sangvi began her career connecting others, taking risks, facing fears and even going against her parents’ wishes to create the life she wanted. She revealed her most counterintuitive decision yet — to leave Facebook in its most successful times, and follow her dream to begin her own company. Prakash Amte provides medical services to tribal people in rural Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhatisgarh, He shared his amazing stories of caring for both the people in those communities and the animals their ecosystems depend on. INK Fellow Selene Biffi started Youth Action for Change at 22, and their platform provides learning for young people around the world for free. Shirin Juwaley silenced the room when she shared the story of her unhappy arranged and marriage and her husband’s reaction to her request for a divorce — throwing acid on her face that would permanently alter her appearance. She has founded a network that provides therapy and support for others who have suffered disfiguring accidents, and delivered a passionate call to the audience to consider the needless loneliness “visually different” people suffer.
The incredibly young classical tabla ensemble Talavya opened the day’s third session “Crossroads” with a rousing and technically brilliant performance. Following them was a meditative talk by businesswoman Anu Aga who managed to survive and grow in the face of the trauma of losing her husband and her son, and set her mind on always daring to be the kind of woman she wanted to be. INK Fellow Nikhilesh Das demonstrated how organic materials like sawdust, human hair trimmings and feathers can be used to absorb oil in environmental disasters, using waste to save lives. Palestinian-born Rasha Ali shared her idea to solve ehe growing problem of educated yet unemployed young people in her home country, creating a movement of entrepreneurs. Innovator GBS Bindra issued a call to drive greener, reminding the audience that saving energy creates a lower fuel price. Perfumer Yann Vasnier has an uncommon career, but he always knew that creating scents was his dream and pursued it without distraction. Walking us through the incredible chemistry of smell, he had two requests: Take the time to smell your world and follow your dreams.
To kick off the last session “Leap of Faith,” was Rajika Puri, a Bharata Natyam and Odissi dancer who brings in modern innovations and blends with Flamenco. She told the Mahabharata’s mesmerizing story of Savitri through dance, explaining that the myths hold power because they capture the knowledge and wisdom of a culture. Entrepreneur Wolfgang Lehmacher shared his vision for micro business as a way to empower people at the bottom of the pyramid to make change. INK Fellow Abhishek Bhagat has invented a device that seems right out of The Jetsons — add ingredients and the Robocook is programmed to make chai just like his mom’s, and he’s got programs for several other dishes in development (all of them based on Mom’s recipes). Harpal Singh closed the session with his fight to demonstrate the value of a female child to families across India, creating cultural rewards and incentives to give thanks when girls are born.
Look out for tomorrow’s livestreamed session, with talks from artist Raghava KK, conductor Itay Talgam, the first woman to participate in space tourism and more.
Artists, scientists, entrepreneurs and technologists are gathered in Jaipur, India to attend the second year of the INK Conference — an experience hosted by TEDster Lakshmi Pratury and with its roots in the 2009 TEDIndia conference. The Power of the Journey is the theme of this year’s conference, held from Thursday December 8 to Sunday December 11. Through their partnership with India Times, watch all the incredible talks live here>>
The day began as Lakshmi recited the classic Robert Frost poem, The Road Less Travelled, and set the stage for the “The Call to Adventure,” a session filled with speakers who have chosen the adventures of life over safer, more reliable options. Julie Taymor, Broadway director of The Lion King and Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, explained how her decision to spend three years soaking in the theatrical culture of Indonesia changed her productions forever. Author Amish Tripathi self-published his book after unanimous rejection, only to hit bestseller lists across India a week after releasing his work. Jewelry designer John Hardy showed that his Green School in Bali continues to thrive, recapping a year of incredible success and determination since presenting his dream at TEDGlobal 2010. Biologist Claire Kremen encouraged farmers to make the less popular choice of diversifying their crops and in so doing, save the honeybee. Ayesha Kanna‘s call was to invest in a new kind of city — a generative city that celebrates technology and makes every resident an invested stakeholder. Mohamed Ali Mang shared his dream of becoming a Wall Street tycoon, which he dashed to move back to his native Mali and support a nutrient-enriched rice crop, and called on other young Africans to join him. But, the speaker that brought the audience to its feet was 15-year-old Aisha Chaudhary, who has lived fiercely in the face of her immune deficiency and pulmonary issues. Aisha had several pieces of life advice for her adult audience. Among them were, “Believe in miracles,” and “When all else fails, get a dog.”
The second session was the Frost poem namesake and featured speakers who continue to stand out for walking a path that’s a little different from their peers. INK Fellow Dina Buchbender uses games to teach kids about the UN’s Millenium Development Goals. Parag Khanna encouraged India to embrace globalization’s new future, and seize the opportunity to build a different model of economy — one that works. Vineet Singal and his team have been waging an incredibly public search to find a bone marrow match for his friend Amit Gupta, using optimism, humor and social networks. Composer Elliot Gloldenthal gave a retrospective of his work for film, and the unique choices that create powerful moments. Madhumita Haider demoed her game to teach kids the 11 major Indian languages, while artist Bedri Baykam walked the audience through a dizzying slideshow that illustrated his controversial artistic and political views.
Tomorrow, the first full day of sessions will take a deeper dive into the tools we need and troubles we face through every life journey.
We’re taught to try to live life without regret. But why? Using her own tattoo as an example, Kathryn Schulz makes a powerful and moving case for embracing our regrets. (Recorded at TEDSalon NY 2011, November 2011, in New York, New York. Duration: 16:51)
Watch Kathryn Schulz’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
iPad storyteller Joe Sabia introduces us to Lothar Meggendorfer, who created a bold technology for storytelling: the pop-up book. Sabia shows how new technology has always helped us tell our own stories, from the walls of caves to his own onstage iPad. (Recorded at the TED Full Spectrum Auditions, May 2011, in New York, New York. Duration: 3:51)
Watch Joe Sabia’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
What controls aging? Biochemist Cynthia Kenyon has found a simple genetic mutation that can double the lifespan of a simple worm, C. Elegans. The lessons from that discovery, and others, are pointing to how we might one day significantly extend youthful human life. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2011, July 2011, in Edinburg, Scotland. Duration: 16:24)
PLUS: Tonight, watch an ABC News segment that explores Cynthia Kenyon’s work! On ABC World News tonight >>
Watch Cynthia Kenyon’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
The InK Conference (which stands for Innovation and Knowledge) is run by longtime TEDster Lakshmi Pratury, who co-hosted TEDIndia in 2009. TED’s content partnership agreement with INK allow us to bring great talks to TED.com — like today’s talk from Alexander Tsiaras — and we’re thrilled that the conference is back for a second year.
The 2011 INK Conference is hosted by Lakshmi in beautiful Jaipur, India, on December 8-11, and she’s pulled together an astonishing speaker lineup spanning business, science, technology, nonprofit organizations and the arts.
The theme is “Power of the Journey,” and confirmed speakers include the first woman private space traveler, Anousheh Ansari; oceanographer David Gallo; music conductor Itay Talgam; headmaster Babar Ali; water activist Anupam Mishra; and the chair of UIDAI and co-founder of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani. INK is modeled on TED, and the talks will fit the familiar TED 18-minute format.
Follow speaker news from InK via Twitter >>
Like the InK Conference on Facebook >>
If you want to attend a live TED-like event in India, do consider registering for INK and joining up with thinkers and doers from a wide variety of industries, organizations and countries. There’s more information at www.theinkconference.com. It promises to be a wonderful experience. Stand by for some exciting new talks from a part of the world bursting with innovation, optimism and wisdom.
Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond. (Some graphic images.) (Recorded at the INK Conference, December 2010, in Lavasa, India. Duration: 9:37)
Watch Alexander Tsiaras’ talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
Find out more about the upcoming INK Conference 2011 >>
Last year, Simon Lewis spoke at the INK Conference in India, telling — for the first time onstage — his story of recovery from terrible brain damage, and the surprising new understanding of consciousness that he gained. (Watch the TEDTalk.)
Now, over at the online magazine The Atavist, writer Chris Colin has produced a thoughtful and well-reported story of Lewis’ life, both before and after the crash that destroyed a third of the right hemisphere of his brain. (Before the crash, Lewis was a film producer — he helped make Look Who’s Talking.) Spending days with Lewis, Colin shows a man seeking to reconnect with life — but also possessed of a new way of seeing the world, a new way he wants to try to share.
One early review: “Colin tells Simon Lewis’s story of wreckage and rebirth with economy, vividness, and grace.” — Nicholson Baker, author of House of Holes, Vox and The Mezzanine
Read an excerpt from “Blindsight” on TheAtlantic.com >>
Buy “Blindsight” for Kindle and iPad/iPod >>
All over the planet, giant telescopes and detectors are looking (and listening) for clues to the workings of the universe. At the INK Conference, science writer Anil Ananthaswamy tours us around these amazing installations, taking us to some of the most remote and silent places on Earth. (Recorded at the INK Conference, December 2010, in Lavasa, India. Duration: 14:09)
Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 900+ TEDTalks.
Pioneering surgeon Susan Lim performed the first liver transplant in Asia. But a moral concern with transplants (where do donor livers really come from …) led her to look further, and to ask: Could we be transplanting cells, not whole organs? At the INK Conference, she talks through her new research, discovering healing cells in some surprising places. (Recorded at the INK Conference, December 2010, in Lavasa, India. Duration: 16>26)
Watch Susan Lim’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 900+ TEDTalks.