Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 4: IIM Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh) hosted its first TEDx event today with the theme Resurgam, Latin for “I shall rise again.”
The exclusive invite-only event featured a group of speakers from wide-ranging fields and diverse backgrounds. The five speakers were Yogesh Kumar, founder and Director of Even Cargo, Kamalika Deka, HR head, Jubilant Foodworks, Vivek Sarkar, Wildlife Biologist, Kartiki Bhatnagar, blogger and vitiligo awareness activist, and Avinash Pratap Singh, Waste Warrior.
TEDx IIM Sirmaur was organized by a student team led by Abhishek Singh and Soumyadeep Das, students of IIM Sirmaur’s second PGDM batch.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
In her address, Professor (Dr) Neelu Rohmetra, Director IIM Sirmaur acknowledged the contributions of students, staff and faculty members in making TEDx IIMSirmaur a catapult for the institute to engage in a global conversation. “IIM Sirmaur strives not only to provide the space to discuss ideas worth spreading, but also to generate them”, Prof. Rohmetra said. Having broken through a 56 year-old glass ceiling earlier this year when she became the first woman Director to lead any IIM in the country, Dr Rohmetra has herself effected a sea change in gender parity. Drawing on her own experiences, Dr Rohmetra said that success is always possible if one consistently challenges the status quo.
This was also echoed by Yogesh Kumar, who pointed out that more women in the workforce means an exponential growth in India’s GDP. All of the talks presented spoke to each other in terms of successfully coming up with solutions where none are forthcoming from established systems. Avinash Pratap Singh shared the strategies he used to manage the herculean task of keeping the mountains clean. He said that Waste Warriors are able to create change because they “make cleaning up look cool,” turning on its head the stigma attached to waste-workers. Young Kartiki Bhatnagar’s talk drove home the importance not conforming to restrictive labels: “Liberate yourself from the labels that society gives you,” she said, Vivek Sarkar found that “hardships give opportunities that not everyone gets”. Kamalika Deka urged future managers from IIM Sirmaur to always remember to start ahead of time and to innovate.
Professor Vikas Kumar and Professor Nivisha Singh coordinated the event with the students.
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