DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas from Feb 13 at Panaji
THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The Directorate of Art & Culture, will present its annual DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas to commemorate the legendary Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi, Indian intellectual and multitalented personality. The festival is one of the most celebrated and awaited event by intellectuals, academicians, student community, business sectors, etc. In the past luminaries such as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the Dalai Lama, Narayan Murthy, Girish Karnad, Lord Megnath Desai, Alyque Padamsee, Dr Raghuram Rajan and others have spoken at the festival.
The 10th edition of the festival is scheduled to be held from February 13 to 17, at Dinanath Mangueshkar Kala Mandir, Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji, from 5 pm to 7.30 pm. This year speakers would be Sandesh Kadur, Dr Shubha Tole, Dr Sugata Mitra, Prof Vikram Patel and Jack Sim.
Sandesh Kadur is a National Geographic explorer and wildlife photographer who has created award-winning wildlife documentary films and photography books exposing the need to conserve threatened species and habitats around the world. He is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). His photographs have been published widely in books and magazines while his documentaries have been aired worldwide on networks. Over the years, Sandesh’s work has garnered many top awards. He will speak on 'India’s Mountains of Life' on February 13.
Prof Vikram Patel is Professor of International Mental Health & Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow in Clinical Science, UK. He is a Professor and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; he will join Harvard Medical School as the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in April 2017. Patel will speak on 'People’s health in people’s hands: reimagining health care' on February 16. Jack Sim is Founder BoP HUB, World Toilet Organization and has been a successful businessman since the age of 24. Having achieved financial success in his 40s, Jack felt the need to change his direction in life and give back to humanity “ he wanted to live his life according to the motto 'Live a useful life.' Jack soon left his business and embarked on a journey that saw him being the voice for those who cannot speak out and fighting for the dignity, rights and health for the vulnerable and poor worldwide.He will speak on February 17, on 'Creating a Global Movement for Sanitation.'
Dr Shubha Tole is Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, neuroscientist, Professor and Principal Investigator at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai. Her research involves investigating the development and evolution of the mammalian brain, and she has won many accolades for her work. She is famous for having discovered a gene that is crucial to the proper formation of the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex of the brain. She is a member of various scientific groups and societies.She will speak on 'Wiring up the brain: Jab Yuvraj Singh ne Stuart Broad ke bowling pe che chakke mare, tab unke dimaag mein kya chal raha tha?' on February 14.
Dr Sugata Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology, Newcastle University, UK. He conducted the Hole in the Wall (HIW) experiment, where in 1999 a computer was embedded within a wall in an Indian slum at Kalkaji, Delhi and children were allowed to freely use it. He is the recipient of many awards from India, the UK, USA and many other countries. His interests include Children’s Education, Remote Presence, Self-organising systems, Cognitive Systems, Physics and Consciousness.
Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup read about Mitra's experiment and was inspired to write his debut novel that went on to become the Oscar winning movie of 2009 - Slumdog Millionaire. He will speak on the topic, 'The Future of Learning' on February 15.
