11 November 2009

TEDIndia post-conference thoughts from attendees

It's been four days since TEDIndia ended, and the attendees have been making their way home to cities across India and around the world. Thanks to all who've spent some of the travel time writing down their thoughts on this extraordinary past week.

TED Fellow Dina Mehta rounded up her TEDIndia in tweets -- a rich in-the-moment experience. A sample from Day 2 (read up from the bottom):

RT @pkgulati: Shaffi at @tedindia – we are insane people, and an insane person does not know what’s an impossible task
New idea. How to fight the demand for a bribe? Call in the Bribe Busters! Dial …… Nice :) :) Shaffi Mather.
Dr Asher Hassan. Main Bhi Pakistani Hoon. (I too am Pakistan). Sharing stories of normal people thru photos.
RT @bcampbelljr: Idea from TEDIndia – write your obituary. If you don’t like the way it reads, change your life – now.
Quite inspirational Q- one key idea to spread ? Shukla Bose A- educate the teachers

The blog Our Woman in Havana covered every day of TEDIndia in detail; in the latest post, the writer takes a step back to evaluate what just happened. It's a tour de force, ending in a lovely image:

If I could do TED India all over again, I would have brought the Gods of all the major religions on stage and asked them how they viewed India. Then I would have asked the Chief Beliefs Officer to create a new politics where they could sing, dance, work and pray together.

Anneke Jong kept a detailed diary of each day of the conference, with great snapshots, on Aniblog. Start with her landing in Bangalore and work upward. From her Session 4 report:

anil gupta, founder of the honey bee network shared some of the locally grown innovations they're seeing in india. ventures included a man who attached a small grain grinder to his bicycle so he can grind small batches of grain for poor people (mills won't grind small quantities); a bicycle-mounted washing machine that travels from village to village; <$1 non-stick hot plate made of clay ... favorite quote: "the minds on the margin are not marginal minds."

TED Fellow Amit Varna offers his own take on TEDIndia -- both what worked for him and what didn't. In the end, Varna writes:

The real draw of TED is the intellectual firepower around you, and the amazing people you get to meet. ... Many of my fellow TED Fellows are engaged in work that actually changes the lives of thousands of people (as opposed to writing a measly novel), and it was humbling to be in their company. I was also delighted to connect with the Pakistanis at the conference, who made it a richer event just by their presence.

Mark Emanuelson shares a concept he learned more about at TEDIndia: jugaad:

So what is the key to success in India? How does a country full of big constraints like poverty and creaking infrastructure still manage to grow so fast? The answer is what some call “Jugaad,” an Indian term meaning an arrangement or workaround ...

In a nice long post, Russell Smith recaps his feelings during and after TEDIndia -- "a life-changing experience" -- and details many of his favorite speakers, including C.K. Prahalad:

C.K. Prahalad identifies the world’s poor (the “bottom of the pyramid”) as a mostly untapped market for companies, worth up to $13 trillion a year in revenues. In his words, “the real source of market promise is not the wealthy few in the developing world, or even the emerging middle-income consumers. It is the billions of aspiring poor who are joining the market economy for the first time.” In his TED talk, Dr. Prahalad warned against “learning disabilities” on the part of companies, leading to mistakes, such as mistaking current profits for leadership, and unwillingness to face up to capability gaps. He seems to be saying that the answer lies in democratizing technology, communication, and learning, such that everybody from the top to the bottom will know what’s going on.

More recaps and roundups on their way. If you've written a roundup, taken notes or photos, email contact@ted.com with the subject line NOTES.

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