The Startle Strokes
THEME
"If you could say it in words,
there would be no reason to paint."
~ Edward Hopper
Waking up early in the morning, sitting on the bed feeling the breezy air touching the skin,
Opening up the eyes, splashing water on my face, having blurry eyesight and an empty mind.
Looking at the white canvas of life, and a wide range of colors,
Splashing them randomly on the canvas with a desire to make some sense of it all,
Choosing amongst the paintbrushes, some to get those thick strokes, some for fine art, and some for the peculiar details.
Giving our own personal touch to our blank canvas,
Hoping that the strokes come through to make it worthy, make it different,
Leaving us startled that the canvas of life which was once blank is now full of colors, full of meaning.
Speakers
SUNNY HINDUJA
Actor
Sunny Hinduja is an Indian actor known for his body of work in Indian as well as Global cinema. He made his acting debut in Cycle Kick (2011) under the banner Mukta Arts. He starred in Ajita Suchitra Veera's, 'Ballad of Rustom' in 2012. The movie was shortlisted in Oscar contention in 2014 for Best Feature Film.
In 2017, Sunny starred in director Nikhil Bhat`s comedy caper, 'Brij Mohan Amar Rahe' alongside Nidhi Singh, Sheetal Thakur and Arjun Mathur in pivotal roles. Sunny became a known face with his portrayal of officer Milind in Manoj Bajpayee starrer ' 'Family Man' season 1 and Rani Mukerjee's 'Mardani 2'. Sunny's exemplary performances were also appreciated in 'Bhaukal' and 'Pinki Memsahab'.
Sunny Hinduja is currently seen as Vicky Maheswari in Amazon Prime's 'Chacha Vidayak Hain Humare Season 2' and in the second season of Manoj Bajpayee starrer Family Man as Milind for which he was widely appreciated. He has become a household name with his portrayal of of Sandeep Bhaiya in TVF's Aspirants Web show which was immensely loved by the audience.
SUSHMITA SINGH
Miss Teen World (2019-20)
Sushmita Singh- First Asian & Indian conqueror of Miss Teen World (Mundial) Title.
Sushmita, a 20 year-old mass media student who is a painter, sportsperson, orator, and more importantly "breaker of boundaries," moved the audience when she explained how she plans to serve the world if she wins the title of Miss Teen World. "I was told I wasn't pretty, but I worked hard and stood up for myself, and now here I am. I want to be an inspiration to all young women to pursue their dreams." Rest is history. She is the first Indian & Asian teenager who has won the world's grandest Teen Pageant with a crown that is inspired by the crown of King Enrique IV of England.
During her reign she has focused on
Encouraging and Uplifting youth to pursue their dreams while balancing their education.
An Actor and a national athlete
She is now the youth ambassador of Road Safety World Series a platform she shares with world renowned cricketer Mr. Sachin Tendulkar; and continues to inspire.
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PRATHAMESH JAJU
Astrophotographer
Prathamesh Jaju is an amateur astronomer and Astrophotographer from Pune, India. He is currently 16 years old. He has been in field of Astronomy for 5 years and Astrophotography for 3 years. He's a member and volunteer at an organisation called Jyotirvidya Parisanstha, which is India's oldest association of amateur astronomers.
He has been taking photos of the night sky and the celestial objects for the past few years and he tries his best to enhance his processing skills and learn new techniques to make the images look better. Besides Astronomy & Astrophotography, he jas been playing Athletics - Long Jump since 2012 from Deccan Gymkhana and has participated for the National Level Competitions in Long Jump in 2019.
He gained recognition for his work in Astrophotography for his Last Quarter Mineral Moon image which was his clearest picture of the Moon. He captured 50,000 images and merged them into one 52mp image of the Moon.
MANUJ JINDAL
IAS
“If I had to describe my life so far, it would be like a journey of a river that meanders through incredible experiences shaping me into the man I am today”.
Manuj Jindal is an investment banker turned IAS Officer. After his rewarding stint as an M& A analyst in New York, he returned to India and secured All India Rank 53 in the civil services exam. In his first assignment as an IAS, he worked in deep Naxal territory of Bhamragad, often referred to as the ‘liberated zone’. His dream in Bhamragad was to enable the most vulnerable tribal communities to develop sustainable means of livelihood and better education for their children.
Driven by this, his team helped break silos between government departments to achieve 100% Community Forest Rights, which had been pending for over 15 years. Two of the most backward and Naxal-hit villages of Maharashtra, Kuwakodi and Binagunda were able to generate an income of over Rs. 50 lacs in just one year after this intervention. Eight large residential tribal schools were also computerized and provided Internet for the first time during his tenure here. His team also undertook a unique vaccination program in these tribal areas and over 70% of the eligible beneficiaries were vaccinated in a short period of one month.
His dedication and spirit towards his nation will always inspire us.
GAURI PATHARE
Classical Singer
Gauri Pathare is a name to reckon with amongst the present generation of Indian Classical Music. Since 2010 Gauri has been receiving Jaipur gharana training under Pt. Arun Dravid. This wonderful opportunity of training under different Gurus has left an indelible mark on Gauri's gayaki. She has skilfully picked the nuances of the 3 gharanas, viz. Jaipur, Gwalior & Kirana. Her various accolades include being awarded the prestigious Smt. Kesarbai Kerkar scholarship conferred by the NCPA in 2000-2001. Gauri received the Surmani Puraskar in 2006 and the Pt. Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze Yuwa Gayak Puraskar in 2007, amongst many others awards. The most coveted "swara-bhaskar" puraskaar instituted in the memory of late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi for the year 2012-13 was awarded to Smt. Gauri Pathare . Gauri was also conferred the equally prestigious Aditya Vikram Birla "Kala Kiran Puraskar" for the year 2013. Universal records, Mystica music co. and many more companies have released Gauri's audio CDs and her album 'Tribute' was nominated for GIMA awards.
HARSHVARDHAN JOSHI
Mountaineer / Athlete
Harshvardhan Joshi is a millennial Mountaineer whose mission is to help people realise the best versions of themselves and clear their mental blocks. He is an Engineer, Endurance Athlete and Founder of Sangharsh Mission Mount Everest. ‘Sangharsh Mission Mt. Everest’ is a campaign that raised $70,000 to climb Everest while creating awareness about sustainability. It inspired hundreds of thousands of people to take action against climate change and make mindful choices in the future. Harsh’s vision is to use renewable energy in bringing a change on the socio-economic front in the remote communities of the Himalayas while helping us save the fragile environment. He was the youngest expedition leader for two international teams at Everest (8849 metres) and the fourth highest mountain on earth Mount Lhotse (8516 meters). Joshi reached the summit of Mt. Everest on 23 May 2021 after battling with Covid and two cyclones. Harshvardhan also completed a Solo Ironman 70.3 distance triathlon on World Mental Health Day 2020 while bringing attention to the growing issue during pandemics and lockdowns. He is also a Youth Ambassador for ‘Project Chirag’ - an initiative to provide solar lighting to villages that have no access to grid electricity. Currently, he is writing a book about his lessons from the journey to Everest while training to climb some of the tallest peaks on earth
Organizing Team
Name | Position |
|---|---|
Rishika Jain | Sponsorship & Marketing |
Shriya Gupta | Sponsorship & Marketing |
Sakshi Sharma | Sponsorship & Marketing |
Ved Masekar | Sponsorship & Marketing |
Shubham Sarvankar | Graphic Designer |
Om Pancholi | Executive Manager |
Gayatri Menon | Co-Curator |
Vinit Agarwal | Sponsorship & Marketing |
Siddhant Gawad | Event Host |
Vivek Pandey | Graphic Designer |
Shambhavi Joshi | Event Host |
Malhar Bakshi | Technical Co-ordinator |
Siddhi Jadhav | Graphic Designer |
Suhani Pandya | Correspondence & Speaker Curation |
Namit Singh | Co-Curator |
Adhish Kaushal | Event Host |
Hemendra Chaturvedi | Video Editor |
Manvi Rankawat | Sponsorship & Marketing Manager |
Mansi Mishra | Licensee & Chief Organizer |
Atharva Kulkarni | Correspondence & Speaker Curation |
Shubhangi Joshi | Digital Marketing Manager |
Nipun Agarwal | Communications Manager |