Built around the theme The Power of One, EDGE this year was a day of thought, reflection and learning. It was a celebration of the first push of the needle, the first seed of an idea. Entrepreneurship, Vision, Audacity, Unrepresented Voices and Emotions driving change; all five segments showcased conversations and deliberations on incredible stories of change.
The day began with a showcase of lessons from two different journeys of entrepreneurs, Rashesh Shah, Chairman and CEO, Edelweiss Group and Venkatchalam Ramaswamy, Executive Director, Edelweiss Financial Services Limited; and Ruma Devi from Gramin Vikas evam Chetna Sansthan (GVCS) as they narrated the highs and lows of the road to institution building. Each of them have built organisations and each of them have had their own different struggles, but learnings from both journeys are key to understand entrepreneurship better.
From a large conglomerate to a growing organisation, ‘vision’ plays a large role in organisational building. We heard from Safeena Husain, Founder, Educate Girls on her vision for her powerful programme in Rajasthan, and her drive to take this story to the world.
Guneeta Singh Bhalla, Founder, The 1947 Partition Archives and Aparna Uppaluri from Ford Foundation, both independently reflect on audacious ideas and beliefs that have created large impact. Guneeta shared her stories of India’s painful partition, to draw lessons and document a large part of Indian history.
We also heard the inspiring stories of two fantastic grassroots leaders, Ashif Shaikh, Founder, Jan Sahas and Mamoon Akhtar, Founder, Samaritan Help Mission, who have built movements and enabled communities to be the owners of their own destiny, in very different ways.
The last segment for the day ended with narratives from people who have responded to a personal emotion and altered their own life’s course to influence many others. From Chief National Coach of the Indian Badminton Team, Pullela Gopichand and his journey towards coaching India’s Olympian badminton champions to Svati Chakravarty Bhatkal’s documentary of forgiveness, Rubaru Roshni; these stories serve as a reminder to listen to the voice inside each of us. Pranil Naik took these discussions a step ahead with his emotional journey of perseverance in setting up his organisation, LeapForWord.
The event ended with a special address by Magsaysay Award winning journalist and Founder of People's Archive of Rural India (PARI), P. Sainath on the 'Deep Relationship between Water and Inequality'. His critical review of wide inequality in the availability of water in India, and his sharp assessment of how this unavailability should be taken seriously, not only by policy makers but also by normal citizens, resonated with each participant.
EDGE concluded on a reflective note as we were left feeling inspired and enriched from the multiple conversations showcasing ‘The Power of One’.
About EDGE 2019:
EdelGive Foundation hosted its annual conference EDGE 2019 on from 13th to 15th November 2019 in Mumbai and Alibag. Built around the theme 'The Power of One', EDGE this year was a day of thought, reflection and learning. It was a celebration of the first push of the needle, the first seed of an idea. Entrepreneurship, Vision, Audacity, Unrepresented Voices and Emotions driving change; all five segments showcased conversations and deliberations on incredible stories of change.
#EDGE 2019 #EDGETalks #ThePowerofOne
For more details on EdelGive Foundation, visit: https://www.edelgive.org/