Source: bangaloremirror.com
They've beaten the odds and struck out on their own to bring about a change they want to see. Hear their stories
They're young turks who've strayed from the beaten path and made a difference - from legalising medical marijuana to being the first quadriplegic engineering graduate in the country; setting up the city's pilot makerspace; providing a new perspective on art and mythology; adding a western touch to Carnatic music. The five "next big thing" speakers will be sharing their struggles and success stores at the All or Nothing, TEDxBangalore on October 4. We chat with them ahead of the event.
'Cannabis can save the world'
What: Hemp for Humanity; Who: VikiVaurora, cannabis activist
The answer to saving the environment, solving our energy needs and curing hundreds of diseases? It's hemp, believes Viki Vaurora. "It is the future. The world is in a crisis. This is the only plant which can save the planet and be the greatest preventive medicine that mankind has ever witnessed," he says. The audio engineer and musician, who claims to have cured a cancer patient from her death bed last year, has ever since been working on propagating the "wonder" drug.
Vaurora (24), is looking to bring about a change and says it can come through a simple, "powerful" plant. Hemp, he says, can cure cancer, AIDS, muscular problems and autism among others. It can also be a replacement for fossil fuel."This is a very important opportunity for me to speak up against the injustice caused around the world when it comes to this plant," says the cannabis activist, who founded the Great Legalisation Movement - India, to educate the masses about the cannabis plant.
'Making is not a crime'
What: The Maker Revolution; Who: Pavan Kumar, Founder/CEO of Workbench Projects
Maker, tinkerer and facilitator, Pavan Kumar runs Workbench Projects, Bengaluru's pilot makerspace which allows you to "get that project out of your head and out into the world. He will be focusing on roadblocks due to a conservative mindset in our Indian upbringing, something he has experienced during his journey. "There are roadblocks in terms of academic framing, where students are not encouraged to think laterally and limited resources in terms of finances and availability of tool," he says.
Focusing on "Making is not a crime", Kumar says his "journey of here and now to break free for a more responsible citizenry" will touch upon the fearless attitude of a maker and the conditions that one could create for such people to come up in our society. "Outliers such as myself who have broken stereotypes and attempted to do altruistic work are seen meritoriously and without reservation. This is highly encouraging for a new breed of youngsters to know that the support systems are slowly and steadily inching towards a promising collective," he says. Change, he believes, is no more a distant dream, but a reality if one tirelessly stays focused on the big picture.
'We've fused technology with imagination & creativity'
What: Forgotten Stories; Who: Shaila Punn and Ambika Behal, co-founders Mytha Technologies
Ambika Behal grew up reading any book on mythology that she could lay her hands on. Shaila Punn, on the other hand, had no access to these stories growing up in England. That was the motivation for the two friends and now business partners to come up with an app, Mytha, which is combining mythology and art. "It's about the re-invention of the lost art of storytelling with an artistic twist, using modern day-technological tools," Behal says.
For the first of its kind app, they've roped in emerging artists to represent the ancient tales. The stories are meant for a wide age group—for the young to understand and enjoy them, and the elderly to re-look at tales, some of which they might have forgotten. "We both wanted to create a product that fused technology with imagination and creativity to disrupt the traditional method of storytelling," Behal says.
'I will share my challenges, despite which I emerged victorious'
What: The Unknown Realm; Who: Ashwin Karthik SN, Business Analyst at ANZ
Ashwin Karthik has a long list of achievements. And not once has the quadriplegic - afflicted with a severe form of cerebral palsy that affects all four limbs - let his medical condition come in the way of his dreams. His earnestness is apparent from the records of his schooldays - in 1999, he scored 84% in his SSLC exams, the highest percentage ever scored by a student with cerebral palsy in 2003, he received the National Scholarship for his engineering studies, given to just one physically challenged student across the entire country. And he is the first quadriplegic cerebral palsy student in India to have become an engineering graduate.
Today, Karthik is a computer science engineer who works with ANZ as a Business Analyst. "This opportunity means that I can share the challenges I have been through in life, in which I have emerged victorious," he says.
'We combine the timbre of the orient with the harmonies of west'
What: The new Carnatic swag; Who: Geetha and Gopal Navale, fusion performers
A three-minute time slot is allotted to each participant, and Geetha and Gopal Navale have chosen to give a two-and-a-half minute performance and a half-minute-talk in theirs. Geetha, a veena player and Gopal, a guitarist, have combined the two instruments to bring out the "rich timbres and melodies of the orient" enriched with the "grandeur of harmonies of the west". "We're adding another colour in the palette of the sensitive aural artist," Gopal says.
At this event they will showcase some nuances of this new modern music. The original compositions - a combination of Indian shlokas overlaid with a funky rhythm on the guitar -has given rise to a new genre of music, Gopal says. For instance, they've added a funky rhythm to the Maha Ganapathim song. The same notes sound different on different instruments. "The Maha Ganapathim which is played in the nata raga on the veena is close to the blues scale on the guitar. It's hard to classify ours into any of the existing genres," he says.
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