INKTALKS

Breakthrough IDEAS. Inspiring STORIES. Surprising PERSPECTIVES. Captured and shared. This is INK. Welcome...and happy exploring! INKtalks is committed to spreading disruptive ideas and inspiring stories -- from the most unexpected sources. INKtalks' cornerstone event is the annual INK Conference, which follows on from the one-off 2009 TEDIndia Conference (hyperlink) hosted by Lakshmi Pratury (Founder, INK) with Chris Anderson (Curator, TED Conference). Inspired by the TED format, INK is part... of a movement to change how the young and young at heart view their world, goals and ambitions, particularly in emerging economies. To broaden their reach beyond the Conference, they host INK events at organisations, companies and colleges throughout the year (Contact us to learn how you can host an INK event in your community or campus). INK gives away all of the knowledge it collects at the INK Conference to the world at large — for free — through its website, INKtalks.com. But INK is not just about inspiration -- it is a springboard to launch ideas into creative action. Acting as an accelerator for select ideas and people, derived from our events, the INK network works toward turning these ideas into reality. Visit our INK Fellows Program and INK Projects pages to learn more. INK's vision is one of global conversation and action among cultures, economies, and great thinkers. We welcome you to join the INK community today. With a shared passion in both Indian and American culture, Anu Sethuram and Lakshmi Pratury set out to create a bridge of intellectual exchange between India and the US in the form of a media firm, Ixoraa Media, in 2005. From the pair’s first project, Lakshmi’s Lounge, the personal journeys of global doers were showcased through interviews, combined with equal parts audience engagement and personal insight. The firm’s next project was the first of many conferences emphasizing culture and personal experience. In 2007 and 2008, the Aamra Grove Conference brought together 50 of the world’s most influential Indian leaders through conversation that explored the Indo-US corridor and re-imagined India’s international presence. In 2009, Lakshmi, a longtime TEDster, co-hosted TEDIndia, a one-time conference that expanded TED’s reach into Asia. Nearly 1,000 attendees from 46 nations traveled to Mysore, India, to hear from a diverse group of accomplished speakers. This conference brought together accomplished artists, architects, technologists, business people, musicians, dancers, scientists and social entrepreneurs as well as one hundred young TEDIndia Fellows. Riding the momentous energy and demand generated from TEDIndia, the inaugural INK Conference was held in December 2010 in Lavasa Hill City, India, with the theme of Untold Stories. INK is independent of TED, but values a continued warm relationship with the New York based TED organization. The unique stories that inspire and create today’s leading thinkers take centre stage at INK. Just as ink serves as an essential medium to express thoughts, INK strives to be an essential medium through which individuals voice ideas and exchange them with the world.More