Speakers

Film scholar, curator and theorist, he was a Consultant Curator to India’s first film museum, the National Museum of Indian Cinema set up in Mumbai, under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. He has presented his theory of Cinema of Prayoga in India and across the world. He has written extensively on cinema (which he calls ‘Filmosophy’) both in English and Gujarati languages. His books have been awarded by the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, Gandhinagar. Over the years, he has held film workshops in many parts of Gujarat and elsewhere. He has also taught film theory as an adjunct faculty at IIIT-Bombay.

In 2016, he and his team planted 32,000 trees belonging to 38 varieties in a chemical dump yard in Maharashtra, which is now a full-fledged forest. His team also created forests in other states like Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal & Rajasthan. Till now, they have planted more than 6,00,000 trees across 7 Indian states. He has been awarded with the Glory of India Award in Kathmandu . As per reports, he is now involved in a project, creating a forest for the martyrs of the Pulwama attack, that would be known as 'Pulwama Shahid Vann'. It will have 40,000 trees belonging to 40 varieties, and would be planted in 40 days.

She is a person deeply ingrained in Gandhian values. She and her husband reside in Vedchi Ashram and runs a Gandhian school for young activists . She has worked extensively on revival of khadi and natural dyes. Also she works towards encouraging people to create khadi at home.

Prof. Sudarshan Iyengar, Ph.D. Economics. Former Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad. Former Director, C.S.S. Surat, G.I.D.R. Ahmedabad, and Chair Professor, Gandhian Philosophy at IIT, Mumbai. Active in rehabilitation of tribal people in the Narmada Dam Project and 2001 earthquake relief for affected people in Kachchh. Written 65 research articles and 8 books including Gandhiji and Sanitation.Currently working with Action Research in Community Health and Development (ARCH) Dharampur.

A well-known Indian nuclear activist and physicist, Gadekar lives in the remote tribal village of Vedchhi near the Kakrapar atomic power plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat. There, with his wife, a physician, he runs a Gandhian school for young activists and monitors the Indian nuclear industry, conducting surveys of power plants, uranium mines, and nuclear-testing facilities to determine the effect on the public’s health. In 1987, he founded Anumukti, a journal devoted to establishing a non-nuclear India.

A dentist by profession, with a niche for creativity and always out with some new idea, she lives the Gandhian way of "being the change we want to see in others". She believes in bringing awareness through her deeds by addressing the social issues and finding their solutions. She is on a journey of living a life that causes the least effect on the environment, as a person and as a professional. Bhairavi, as a responsible citizen, is trying to develop ways and means to contribute through her passion,profession and purpose.

Practitioner of Environment-sensitive and community-centric Architectural processes, Natural farming and ecological architecture. Co - Founder of “Design Jatra”, which helps the communities to build their own sustainable habitats.

The person behind the success story of Saguna Baug, a popular Agro-tourism hub. After completing his Masters in Food Science and Technology from the University of California, he returned to India in 1976 “to find sustainable, worthwhile livelihood through Farming profession”. He has pioneered the Saguna Rice Technique (SRT) a no-till rice cultivation system, which just might be the answer for rice-growing countries like India to tackle problems of Food Shortage and Global Warming.