Theme: BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES

6 countries! 24 speakers!! A by youth, For youth event by a team of 15 school students!

Launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwszw3CmoeI

Day1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08MaR0F4j3k
Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5kAWopWsU0

We all have barriers, something which stops us from defining our limits, but at the same time, it is something which forces us to grow. The definition of boundaries changes with each person and hence is inclusive of all. And maybe that is why the theme ‘BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES’, not only tags this second edition of TedxYouth@SunbeamBhagwanpur but also celebrates 50 years of an institution established to create not only empowerment but excellence. The factor adding onto the glory of this institution is that it is established in a city where education is not just a part of life but also a way of life. Varanasi, an ancient, traditionally believed to be nonchalant city, rose above the prejudice of lacking development, shattering the boundaries surrounding a town where traditions are an integral part of life and went on to be the third largest economy in the world! Proving the world that religious beliefs have nothing to do with economic interests and evolution. Most of our people are indeed devotes, but they are literate and knowledgeable at the same time.
The impediment to action advances action. “What stands in the way becomes the way.”
The voyage we have begun covers destinations that will bring experiences of paragons who have scaled great heights and roared to the world that they are unstoppable.
We are going BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES. We can just hope that we never reach a limit.

Online
Sunbeam Bhagwanpur
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005
India

Akhilesh Mishra

The Ambassador of India to Ireland,

Shri Akhilesh Mishra has three decades of rich experience in the entire gamut of Indian Diplomacy, Diaspora and Development partnership with different countries. He has served as the Director General of the ICCR , as the Ambassador of India to Maldives and Consul General of India in Toronto, Canada. Besides Hindi and English, he is also fluent in Sanskrit, Spanish, Italian and Nepalese.

Akhlesh Lakhtakia

Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics

Evan Pugh University Professor and Charles Godfrey Binder (Endowed) Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University, Mr. Akhlesh Lakhtakia works primarily on electromagnetic fields in complex and nano materials. His current interests include thin-film solar cells and biologically inspired designs.

Ankit Bhuptani

LGBTQA+ Rights Activist

A former TEDx Speaker, Human Rights advocate and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional with 10+ years of experience in the DEI space; recognized for the “Global Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award” (2019 and 2022) by World HRD Congress, Mr. Ankit Bhuptani has addressed UNHRC, UNSC, and UN Women on LGBT and Human Right issues. He is currently working for belonging in different areas of society through LGBTQIA+ lens.

Arnab Bhattacharyya

Computer Scientist

A computer scientist, focusing his research on the design and analysis of algorithms for processing data, Arnab Bhattacharya is a faculty member at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore. He is the author of "Property Testing: Problems and Techniques" (co-written with Yuichi Yoshida) with Amazon Research Award, NRF Fellowship for AI, and CACM Research Highlight recognition being only a mere few awards decorating his profile.

Bae Hyuncheol

Instagram teacher

Teaching Korean to foreign friends since his college years. Apparently, Hyuncheol Bae is an eminent creator training people for practical use of Korean effortlessly through Instagram, amongst the sea of tiring curriculum bound courses.

Gee Hyoun Park (Jay Park)

Freelancer

Mr. Jay Park has traveled more than 60 countries for 8years and half. During the journey, he could meet many people through the world and learn many things. Not only languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese, but also cultures. Above all, he found his own talent and taste. Now he has six jobs: photographer, videographer, English teacher, tour guide, career development lecturer, and party planner. He travels and works at the same time. While traveling, he makes commercial videos for travel agencies, takes photos for tourism organizations, and brings people to his own tour programs. On the other hand, in Korea, he teaches travel English, gives lectures about career development in schools, and holds various types of parties. Literally, he can work wherever he wants in the world. In short, he is a pioneer of digital nomad regardless of the borders.

Go Tae-seob (Holland)

K-pop Idol

A South Korean musician and model, Mr. Holland is the first openly queer Kpop Idol. Having debuted with his digital single "NEVERLAND", he shows his unique colour as a musician by making his story into music. Being proud of his outspoken gender identity as a gay, he is actively showing his passion both in music and fashion

Harnoor Singh

Software Engineer and YouTuber

Despite being a software engineer at Microsoft, Mr. Harnoor Singh’s daily routine includes being a youtuber(Singh in USA with 900K subscribers) lifestyle vlogging regarding technology, education, travel, Indian culture, work-life balance, etc., covering a vast audience of like-minded students who want to challenge themselves with the above and beyond.

Heeta Lakhani

Climate Educator

A climate educator who founded The ClimAct Initiative and co-founded the Youth Negotiators Academy, she is a firm believer in the power of youth participation in grassroots and international processes and strives to create individuals who combat the climate crisis with knowledge-based action. Ms. Lakhani was introduced to the world of the United Nations Climate Change process at COP21 in 2015 and was the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO for 2020-21.

Jayeta Rohilla

Fabric Restoring Artist

Ms. Jayeta Rohilla reimagines sarees into contemporary pieces. Growing up in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sweden ,China and India, she loves designing from abundance. She loves her culture and wants to spread its beauty around the world. Her label, Mae has been featured in Dazed, Grazia Magazine, Vice and many Bollywood movies.

Joydeep Dutta

Professor of Functional Materials

A career spanning over 30 years, Chair of Functional Materials at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, with research focus revolving around the application of nanomaterials for energy and environmental mitigation, Mr. Joydeep Dutta is an award winning author of the book “Fundamentals of Nanotechnology”. He moved to Switzerland in 1993 where he was associated with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland until 2003.

Kartik Sapra

Co-Founder of Amydus

Mr. Kartik Sapra, with his brother, laid the foundation of Amydus, a brand that makes fashion more democratic across size boundaries. The idea behind its establishment- to give power of fashion choices to customers. Amydus has charmed more than hundred thousand customers with their exclusive plus size clothing line.

Kavita Rao

Dancer and Choreographer

One of LA’s leading choreographers and master educators, Ms. Kavita Rao is a multi-genre creator who uses a diverse palette of styles and traditions to create versatile and one of a kind dance experiences. As the founder, owner and Artistic Director of a production company called Karmagraphy, she produces work for live events, artists, commercials, corporate entities, theaters and more.

Keval Kakka

Mountaineer

First Indian male to successfully climb 6 highest mountain peaks of the world, including Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse, in 6 days. Mr. Keval Hiren Kakka is a professional mountaineer, a certified skier, owner of Beyond Altitudes and co-owner of ClimbOn adventure store. His being a recipient of Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award truly justifies the fact that he has climbed more than 16 peaks (above 6000m) and has led 60+ Himalayan hikes in a span of 10 years.

Kristan Toczko

Harpist

One of Canada’s premier harpists, Ms. Kristan Toczko is recognized for her radiant tone and expressive music making. Ms. Toczko has been a part of multiple music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, and the Banff Centre program. In 2020 she became an online sensation taking social media by storm with her music. When not performing, Kristan teaches one-on-one lessons through her online studio.

Lucy LaForge

Singer/Songwriter

Lucy LaForge, the artist behind the name “Lucy & La Mer”, is recognized for her advocacy within the LGBTQ community as well as her upbeat and optimistic songs that can be heard on TV and advertisements with companies like Disney and Dove using her positive tunes. Her performances all over the word including Europe, Australia, North America and Philippines have earned her a name on Billboard, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times and many more.

Ojasvi Rajput

Alternate Fitness Influencer

Mr. Ojasvi Rajput is a Ph.D. scholar from IIT Kanpur. Bursting the myths regarding toxic diet culture and encouraging peple to eat guilt free and remain fit, he is one of the SSIC certified trainers. He also collaborated with some mega brands like ‘Asitis’ and ‘MyFitFuel’.

Ranjana Singh Rathore

Journalist

Ms. Ranjana Singh Rathore, a young journalist, loves investigating, collecting and presenting information in the most interesting way possible. Currently working at India Today Group, she always tries to see the other side of the coin too and this makes her life much more fun.

Rashmi Chaddha

Founder of Wovoyage

An avid wanderlust, founder of Wovoyage striving for women based safe backpacking tours, also being an acclaimed entrepreneur she works towards building a community for creators begetting them under one roof.

Rashmi Misra

NGO founder

A visionary who dreams of an India where every child gets quality education, every youth gets an opportunity to prove himself, and every woman with social and economic independence. Ms. Rashmi Misra laid the foundation of VIDYA, one of India’s oldest standing NGOs with projects across the nation, transforming the lives of many. Her motto, “Educate, Empower and Transform”, truly exhibit her capacity to surmount limitations, achieve goals and become a leader of social change.

Sarvesh Upadhyay

Script and Dialogue Writer

The script and dialogues writer of CID, Red Alert, Crime Patrol, Shapath, Savdhan India, Raktanchal and Dev. From being a trainee producer for ABP News to a Creative Director for CARAVAN, he's come a long way. He is fluent in Hindi and Sanskrit and also skillful with Urdu and English.

Shailendra Jaiswal

Entrepreneur

Over 35 years of experience in the fields like education, project management, research and information technology, Mr. Shailendra Jaiswal is an entrepreneur on top of being the current Director of Srijan Sanchar. Not only has he served as the executive Director of Indian Railways but also as the Executive Director of DRDO. He has been appointed as the project director of SRESHTHA, a new research organization being set up by Indian Railways.

Siddharth Chakraborty

Table Player

A prominent tabla player from our very own Banaras gharana with keen music sense performing crosswide, is inclined towards spreading an enthusiastic approach towards classical music reaching far and wide.

Tharun Naik

YouTuber and Educator

The founder and CEO of The Boring Edit with 18M views and 200K Subs on his YouTube channel (Tharun Speaks), Mr. Tharun Naik has graduated from IIT Kharagpur. He recruited and trained the 19 team members and laid the foundation of The Boring Edit. Not only has he gained 18M views and 200 Subs with just 75 uploaded videos on YouTube, but also ranked 1st among 220 educators of Unacademy all across India.