For a country saddled with corruption and yet aiming to be a superpower it is essential to keep the youth motivated and focussed on national goals. And that is exactly where INK Conference aims to do.
An annual affair, INK Conference invites leaders from different spheres to talk on a variety of subjects, such as arts and culture, technology, leadership, among others. Lakshmi Pratury, curator of INK Conference, was inspired by TED conferences which follows a similar format. Pratury came to India to co-host the TED India conference. But a year in India made her realise that the country has a treasure trove of stories -- stories which should be shared. And that is where the inspiration for INK Conference began. In 2010 INK organised its first conference in Lavasa.
"While working with Intel in 1998, I saw how we can use events to change mind-sets. How you can have links to a larger ecosystem. I have, ever since, been a big believer in how events change perceptions," says Pratury.
INK curates 60 to 70 speakers over three days. The speakers this year ranged from Grammy-award winning graphic designer and photographer, Stefan Sagmeister, founder of SELCO –Solar Energy for Masses, Harish Hande; Jamaican-Canadian dub poet, monodramatist, and educator, as well as a Dora-winning actor and playwright, D'bi Young Anitafrika; co-CEO of Archie Comics Publications, Nancy Silberkleit; composer and lyricist of musicals, Jeff Marx; cartoonist and author, Lynda Barry; award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder of Geomagic, Ping Fu; actress and singer, Shruti Haasan; Senior Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister of UK, Rohan Silva; Managing Director of Britannia Industries, Vinita Bali; award-winning French perfumer Yann Vasnier - representing Pratury's liking for a truly representative demography. The end result? The audience walks away feeling intellectually stimulated, if not emotionally aroused.
Pratury adds,"Ultimately people are not enamoured by features or pricing. They are enamoured by what you can do to make a difference for them. In the conference, we share perspectives - some that we agree with, some we don't agree with, some which we disagree with but will make us think anyway. We give the audience different perspectives and encourage them to choose the one they would like to follow."
INK Conference looks to find a balance between corporate, community and cultural aspects. The Idea is to be intellectually and emotionally stimulating. The key, according to Pratury, is really thinking on how you can influence someone to be introspective, to be happy or sad.
She gives an example. During the recent INK Conference, hosted in Pune during the second week of October, a speaker talked about his wife's death and how medicines are playing a role in not giving a very happy experience when you die. Right after that, a doctor spoke on how medicines have evolved and are helping save a higher number of children. Both these view points have their truths and atendees at INK feel the need to let people be exposed to that. They know people will be careful in one situation, and hopeful in another -- but both sides of the story must be heard.
It is for talks like this that management becomes more crucial. Before deciding on the line-up Pratury must think who the speakers would be, who speaks after whom, what is the story they are trying to portray. The work does not end just there. The people are INK curates and the audience as well - to make sure that even if one doesn't have the money or resources to be donors or supporters, they are leaders in their own right. Academics, past experiences, any achievements are taken into consideration.
For the younger generation who may not have the financial capability to buy a pass for INK Conferences, they have introduced INK Fellowships, under which 20 extraordinary youth are chosen and invited to the conference to interact with the speakers.
"The fellows get to meet all kinds of knowledge leaders, and the speakers get to interact with young energy. That was the initial idea. After the first year, we realised we found people who were bright, who had accomplished something already, who had humility, integrity and the need to be involved in the larger conversation of INK throughout the year," adds Pratury.
The fellows, chosen from among hundreds of applications submitted online, go on road trips with the INK team, give talks and organise seminars in colleges. INK grooms them by giving them appropriate exposure and letting them attend conferences abroad, in the hope that these people would become their future supporters - not in terms of money or donations, but in terms of impact they want to make.
