Dr. S.Y. Quraishi joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1971 and after holding several strategic and key positions, rose to become the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, the world's largest democracy. He figured in The Indian Express list of50 Most Powerful Indians of 2011 and 2012, he also figured in India Today's High and Mighty Power List 2012. As Director General, Doordarshan (National Television Network), Dr. S Y Quraishi brought about a turnaround in the programmes and finances of the organisation through introduction of new methods and approaches. He has made tremendous contributions in the field of Health and Family planning: With Special contribution to the policy and program development in the health sector, women and child development sector. As DG, National AIDS Control Organisation, NACO, his pioneering contribution was the Red Ribbon Express that has been spreading HIV/AIDS awareness across the country. Dr. S.Y Quraishi has received several prestigious awards in recognition of his contribution to civil society and human development issues. Some of these are: • Nehru Fellow- Award from Nehru Children's Museum, Calcutta as a part of 300 years of Calcutta celebrations (the only Civil Servant in a galaxy of international awardees for innovative and outstanding work in the field of child welfare). • Secular India Harmony Award, 1988; given by the Vice-President of India for the United Children's Movement, New Delhi, (for outstanding - contribution for human understanding). • Silver Elephant - the highest National. Award of Indian Scouts and Guides given by the President of India (1995), in recognition of service of most exceptional character to the movement. • Defender of Democracy by Chauthi Duniya Group of Newspapers 2011. Dr. Quraishi is well known in India and abroad as a development thinker, for his inclusive style of leadership and for bringing harmoniously together wide varieties of groups and institutions for achieving the common objectives of development. He has travelled widely to represent India at international conferences and dialogues.
Anant Goenka is Head - New Media, Indian Express. A Dean's Scholar from the Annenberg School of Journalism in Los Angeles, he holds a master's in print journalism. He completed his undergraduate education in business administration and brand management from the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. Before joining the Express in January 2012, Goenka was a media manager at Spenta Multimedia in Mumbai and interned at Bloomberg's commercial team in London. In November 2012, The Indian Express was awarded gold in social media in Asia by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA). Today, through its apps, mobile site, website and ePaper, the Express group reaches over 28 million unique visitors across the world and clocks 85 million page views a month. Outside of the media industry, Goenka's interests range from motorsport, aviation and squash, to music and photography.
Dr.Shayama Chona, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Awardee, is former Principal of Delhi Public School RK Puram, New Delhi - a world class institution. Her efforts to break the barriers of schools to include the poor and the handicapped are unprecedented. She has launched major initiatives to strengthen teaching of Science, Computer and Information Technology in schools. She has been serving as a member of 99 Advisory Boards and Committees and Trustee of the Nehru Bal Samiti and Special Olympics, Patron of 'Concerned Action Now', Vice-Chairman of the Society for Human Development and she is now member of UNESCO India, besides being on the Managing Committee of 46 schools and other educational institutions. She has been named in the Limca Book of Records 2007. She says "We also live in a wider world, a world in which we bear enormous responsibility". Mrs. Chona has given concrete shape and direction to her transcendent principles, by setting up 3 schools for the mentally challenged:'Tamana Special School', 'Nai Disha' and the 'School of Hope'. As their Founder-member, she has been working for the upliftment of the multiple-handicapped children since 1970, and celebrates humanity with the dictum, "Numberless are the world's wonders, but none more wonderful than man". Not only has her contribution been recognized and felicitated time and again, her investment in the field of education and social welfare for 5 decades has given concrete shape directly to the nation's education policies and welfare programmes. She is the proud recipient of 65 awards, the most prestigious being the Padma Shri in 1999, Padma Bhushan in 2008 and two National Awards in 1997 and 1994 and two State Awards in 1993 for her investment in the field of education and social welfare. For over 5 decades, Mrs. Chona has served the community and the society at large, with distinction and timeless dedication. Her mission to educate and empower both the well-to-do and the needy, the abled alongwith the disabled, and the 'haves' with the 'have-nots', has never known any boundaries, and has led to the full realization of the human potential. In the sum analysis, Mrs. Chona's work may be best described as a confluence of deep and abiding compassion for all peoples and humility in the exercise of vast responsibility. She indeed stands among the very best.
Guru Shovana Narayan (Padmashri) is today, a venerated Kathak Maestro of India and an outstanding dancer 'par excellence'. She has also become a living legend, a virtuoso who has blazed a trail in Kathak, re-defining the ethos and vocabulary of Kathak bestowing it with dignity and enriching it with a deeper and wider canvas of expression and dimensions; she combines artistry with keen observation and humanism.In her career spanning several decades that has seen her virtuous dances mesmerizing audiences all over the world in several prestigious national and international festivals, she has been conferred with numerous awards, outstanding among which are the Padmashri Award for excellence and outstanding contribution to dance by the President of India in 1992 and yet again the Sangeet Natak Akademi award by the President of India in 1999-2000. Some of the other awards won by her include Delhi Govt's Parishad Samman, Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, Bihar Gaurav Puraskar, Indira Priyadarshini Samman, Kelvinator's GR8Award, Rotary International Award and Japan's Oisca Award. Shovana Narayan is a classical example of a true Kathak, multi-faceted and dynamic, and presents a challenge to today's spectator. Her life and her works have made her a role model and peer for millions of girls of the younger generation of today.
Pradeep Guha is currently Managing Director of 9X Media Pvt. Ltd., a television broadcasting company (with five satellite channels) aimed at youth audiences. Immediately prior to 9X Media, Pradeep finished a very successful three-and-a-half year stint as the Global CEO of India's largest publicly traded satellite broadcasting network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. In his previous avatar Pradeep was associated with the print medium for 29 years and was President and Executive Director of The Times of India Group. Pradeep is also associated with many bodies in the field of media, marketing and advertising. He is a past President of the Indian Newspaper Society, ex-Chairman of the National Readership Studies Council, past President of the Advertising Club Bombay and the first Chairman of the Broadcast Audience Research Council. Pradeep's contribution in showcasing India's marketing to the World began with his initiative to get India empanelled at the Cannes Advertising. Pradeep helmed the conceptualization, organization and execution of Asia's largest biennial advertising Congress, AdAsia that was held in Jaipur, India in 2003. He is currently the Vice-President and Area Director of IAA for the Asia Pacific Region. Pradeep's many board affiliations include Raymond Ltd. (India's leading textiles and garment manufacturer), Puravankara Projects Ltd. (leading developers of commercial & residential properties) and Whistling Woods International, India's largest training institute for film, television and other creative arts.
Ashok Ogra is a noted management & media professional and educator with over 35 years of work experience across media platforms including Radio, Television and Print. He was senior member of the start-up team that launched Discovery Channel in 1995 and Animal Planet in 1998 in South Asia where he worked as Regional Director, in charge of programming, commissioning, on air promotion and dubbing. During his tenure, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet emerged as most reputed media brand in the entire South Asia region. He has also served as a Jury Member of various film festivals including the prestigious Indian National Film Awards, CEMCA ( Commonwealth of Learning) Community Radio Awards and is regular invitees at both national and international forums. Mr.Ogra started his career with The Tribune, Chandigarh and also worked in Doordarshan. He has also taught at the reputed Film & TV Institute, Pune He has served on the board of Studies of reputed Central / State Govt./Private Universities including MCRC of Jamia Milia Islamia, The Business School of Jammu University, Rajasthan University etc... He is also member of the Indian Advisory group of the UKIERI (UK) funded project to support Research and Innovation in Media Institutions in India and UK. Currently, he is Director of Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi & Honarary Advisor at Apeejay Stya University, India's 1st Liberal Arts and Meta University focused on Research, Technology & Innovation.
Raj Nayak with over 24 years of experience, he is popularly known as one of the most respected and well-known names in the Advertising, Marketing & Media circles in India. He is known to be a thought leader and is recognized for his vision & foresight. He began his career with Tata Economic Consultancy Services and has since worked in various capacities both in the print & electronic media. He joined hands with NDTV in 2003 to set up NDTV Media Limited as its CEO & a minority stakeholder in the company.Prior to joining NDTV Media, he was the Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing for the STAR TV Group (a News Corporation company owned by Rupert Murdoch) where he spent 10 years and was responsible for strategizing, packaging and marketing of all the STAR TV channels and for the groups advertising revenue. He was a part of the startup team of STAR TV in India and went on to become a key member of the STAR TV India management committee. He was also on the Board of Vijay TV & Indya.com.Raj brings with him a proven track record of revenue generation & a great understanding of the media industry. Raj joined Colors-Viacom 18 from AIDEM Ventures Pvt. Ltd of which he was the Founder and Managing Director. He is the immediate past President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) - India Chapter and its board. He is also been on other industry bodies such as the board of Media Research Users Council (MRUC) &The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) etc. Raj has recently been elected to board of The Advertising Club -India.
Rajiv's journey at Puma India started when they came looking at INSEAD for a Managing Director - India. At the young age of 27, he was given the free hand to establish Puma as a brand in India. From registering the company, to signing leases, hiring key personnel and everything else that goes with a start up was Rajiv's learning ground. Nine years later, Puma is well positioned as the No.2 brand in the country with a turnover of over US$ 120 Mio, well ahead of the traditional global giants. Ranked in the top 10 best places to work in India, Rajiv has built a young, loyal and passionate team. With over 310 brand stores and more than double those distribution points, Puma is a household name for both performance as well as lifestyle gear. A good company can boast of numbers, but a great one sustains because of its profits. Puma in India has been profitable since 2009. Rajiv's Master of Science degree from University of Pennsylvania has helped him analyze situations quickly and hence take decisions in moments, one of his key strengths. Rajiv loved his entrepreneurial journey with Puma and in 2014 decided to give it all up and go back to the drawing board. He has just joined Arvind Ltd to spear head a new division focusing on creating brands across categories of footwear and apparel. Rajiv is an active Angel investor, an avid runner, a chef at heart and an adventure junkie by nature. He loves the adrenalin rush that paragliding, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, skydiving give him.
Dr Rakhshanda Jalil is a writer, critic and literary historian. She has edited three collections of short stories: Urdu Stories (Srishti, 2002), a selection by Pakistani women writers called Neither Night Nor Day (Harper Collins, 2007), and New Urdu Writings: From India and Pakistan (Westland, 2013); a collection of essays on the little known monuments of Delhi, called Invisible City (Niyogi, 2008, revised third edition 2011); two co-authored books, Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia (Niyogi, 2006) and Journey to a Holy Land: A Pilgrim's Diary (OUP, 2009). She was co-editor of Third Frame, a journal devoted to literature, culture and society brought out by the Cambridge University Press. She has edited and introduced a volume of essays entitled Qurratulain Hyder and the River of Fire: The Meaning, Scope and Significance of her Legacy (Aakar, 2010; and Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2010). She has published eight works of translations: Premchand's short stories entitled The Temple and the Mosque (Harper Collins, 1992; revised and enlarged 2011); a collection of satirical writing in Hindi by Asghar Wajahat entitled Lies: Half Told (Srishti, 2002); 32 satirical cameos by Saadat Hasan Manto entitled Black Borders (Rupa & Co., 2003); Through the Closed Doorway, nazms by Urdu poet Shahryar (Rupa & Co. 2004); short stories by Intizar Husain entitled Circle and Other Stories (Rupa & Co. 2004; Sang-e-Meel, Lahore, 2012); a collection of Premchand's short stories for children called A Winter's Tale and Other Stories (Puffin, 2007); Naked Voices and other Stories - a collection of stories and sketches by Saadat Hasan Manto translated by her from Urdu (Roli, 2008); and Panchlight and Other Stories by Hindi writer Phanishwarnath Renu (Orient Blackswan, 2010). Her latest book is The Death of Sheherzad, translations of 15 short stories by Intizar Husain (Harper Collins, 2014) She runs an organization called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularization of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture and blogs at www.hindustaniawaaz-rakhshanda.blogspot.com and another at IBN Live. Her Ph. D. on the 'Progressive Writers' Movement as Reflected in Urdu Literature' has been published by Oxford University Press as Liking Progress, Loving Change. Another book, a biography of Urdu feminist writer Dr Rashid Jahan, has been published by Women Unlimited as A Rebel and Her Cause (2014). With over 15 books behind her and over 50 academic papers at seminars and conferences, at present she contributes regularly to national and international newspapers and magazines, writing book reviews, opinion pieces and travelogues. She also contributes regularly to Himal (Kathmandu), The Herald (Karachi) and The Friday Times (Lahore), apart from The Hindu, Biblio, The Literary Review, etc. in India. Her debut collection of fiction, Release & Other Stories, was published by Harper Collins (India, 2011), and received critical acclaim. At present, she is engaged in a study of Indian secularism.
Vinod Dua is one of the known names of the Indian media. He has been the face of Indian television since 1974. He has seen and been associated with Indian television's transition from a government controlled, black and white, single-channel entity to the present-day multi-channel transnational satellite TV industry.. A veteran of thousands of hours of telecasting, Vinod Dua is an anchor, political commentator, election analyst, producer and director. He was awarded the Padma Shri for Journalism in 2008 by Government of India.
After a remarkable journey of 23 years in journalism, Vinod kapri has turned into a filmmaker. Life has been unpredictable for him, always offering new challenges. Vinod started his career with print media in 1992, joined television in 1995. Then there was no looking back. From a trainee reporter to an editor-in-chief and CEO, his journalistic ride has been extremely tortuous. Vinod is also associated with many bodies of news television. He was a member of News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA) under the chairmanship of retired CJI Late J.S.Verma. Currently he is executive member of Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA). During his stint as a political reporter from 1996-1999, he was the man behind many breaking news related to the united front government. It gave him more acclaim. From over a hundred documentaries like 13th December, out-of-the box shows such as Arif aur gudiya to laudable political debates, Vinod has experienced memorable tenure in zee news, star news and India TV. People remember him as a man of innovation, confidence and risk bearing. While being on the zenith of his career, he again thought out-of-the-box, took another risk and went onto accept a challenge of directing a film. His debut film "MISS TANAKPUR HAAZIR HO" is releasing soon next year by fox star studios. Not only this, India's largest television network STAR, has acquired its satellite rights to be shown across all its channels after the release. These achievements are extremely rare for a debutant director. Although he has plenty of stories in hand but he has already zeroed in on one of them and working on his second film project. Recently Vinod has made a rock-moving documentary CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE which will be shown in international film festivals next year. When work doesn't keep him busy, he loves to run and has participated in seven marathons so far. With every project Vinod kapri is moving on a bigger journey that again proves that his risks when summed up with extreme hardwork produce innovations in his work.
Vrinda Grover is a lawyer, researcher and human rights activist based in New Delhi, India. She graduated from St. Stephen’s College, obtained her law degree from Delhi University and her Masters in Law from New York University, School of Law. Vrinda, practices at the Supreme Court of India and has appeared in landmark human rights cases. Vrinda’s research and writing probes impunity of the State for human rights violations. She has contributed to the drafting of laws including, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013, relating to sexual violence against women; The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012; the Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010; a legislation for protection from communal and targeted violence. She has actively engaged with the UN human rights mechanisms, including the Universal Periodic Review and UN Special Rapporteurs. Vrinda is presently a Research Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Delhi. She is a prominent commentator in the media on jurisprudential issues relating to accountability for violence against women and other vulnerable groups.
Shahid Siddiqui grew up in the bylanes of Shahjahanabad, the walled city of Delhi,in an atmosphere of poetry, culture and creativity. He belongs to the family of illustrious journalists and writers. His father Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui was a prominent leader of the national movement and a very prominent Urdu journalist. Shahid Siddiqui literally opened his eyes in a newspaper office, in Ballimaran the famous street of Chandni Chowk known for its literally mehfils and cultural environment. Office of Daily Nai Duniya was the center of Ganga Jamani tehzeeb and culture. Shahid Siddiqui started writing in Urdu at the early age of twelve and translated many English classics into Urdu. He published the path breaking fortnightly Waqiat in 1971 and went on to publish Nai Duniya, a weekly, in 1973, while he was still a student of Delhi University. Shahid did his masters in Political Science from Delhi University and taught there from 1974 to 1986. He has been a political activist since his school days and was in the forefront of opposition to emergency along with his father, who was arrested thrice during those dark days. His activism brought him into politics and was the Chairman of the Congress Minority Cell from 1996 to 1999. General Secretary of Samajwadi Party from 2001 to 2008.He was a Member Rajya Sabha from 2002-8. Shahid Siddiqui has traveled extensively all over Europe, Africa, South America America and Asia. he has been writing extensively in English, Urdu and Hindi for various newspapers and magazines over several decades. He has written a novel in English 'The Golden Pigeon'.
A media professional with three decades of in-depth experience in print, television, internet and mobile. A start up specialist credited with taking ideas from drawing board stage to converting them into successful brands. A strategic planner adept in conceptualising, developing and building media products across India in various languages, markets and regions. Writes columns and reports in national and international media in politics, business and strategic affairs with focus on defence. Follows technology closely from a user perspective. Currently Director in a start up constructing a website and developing mobile application that would give hyper local news and services. Also advising Puthiya Thalaimurai, Chennai based Tamil news channel of which he was the Founder Editor. Earlier served as Managing Editor- Mint TV, President New Media- IANS; Founder Editor- Headlines Today; Executive Editor -Aaj Tak; Editor- Eeenadu TV; and Editor- ABNi (later merged with CNBC). In print, reported for The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line and The Telegraph.
A communications professional with more than 25 years of experience, Sunayna has been with Text 100 for over 9 years now and in her capacity as the Managing Director, she holds responsibility for the overall leadership, strategy and direction of the Text 100 network in India. As a lead consultant, she is directly involved with some of Text 100's key accounts across India including Lenovo, IBM, Uninor, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Maruti Suzuki Ltd., Lupin, the Max group, Yahoo!, and SanDisk among others. Sunayna has extensive Corporate Communications experience and has worked with leading IT companies in India. Prior to joining Text 100, she was the General Manager, Corporate Communications at HCL Technologies where she worked for almost 8 years and was involved with the company's IPO, brand repositioning exercise and investor relations programs, alongwith broader marketing and corporate communication initiatives. She has also worked at Fujitsu and Xerox as the Regional Marketing lead wherein her role encompassed Marketing Communications, ATL & BTL communications activities,, Product Management and Sales training. A versatile communications professional, she has a composite understanding of all communications disciplines including Advertising, Direct Marketing, Film making, PR, Digital marketing, Brand positioning and BTL marketing. A major in English Literature from Delhi University, Sunayna also holds a post graduate diploma in Mass Communications from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications.
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30th January 2015 Hyatt Hotel, Bhikaiji Cama Place, Ring Road, New Delhi