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Speakers & Presenters

Speakers
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Kavita Philip

Author, Scientist & Historian

She is the author of Civilizing Natures, and co-editor of five volumes curating work in history, political science, activism, gender, public policy and more. She is also a Professor at University of British Columbia and University of California (Irvine).

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Anthropologist & Ecologist

Founder of Toda Nalavaazhu Sangam and Edhkwehlynawd Botanical Refuge Trust, he is author of The Toda Landscape: Explorations in Cultural Ecology, and has also written several articles and papers. He has discovered several species of flora in the Nilgiris.

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Thiru Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Minister for I.T & Digital Services of Tamil Nadu

He has been the MLA for Madurai Central Constituency over the last two legislative terms, and previously the Finance and Human Resources Management Minister of Tamil Nadu, where, with his experience as a senior international investment banker, he brought major fiscal administrative reforms and discipline during his term. 

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Cultural Anthropologist

She has taught cultural anthropology at Cambridge, Harvard,  University College London and University of Haifa. She is also the author of Us, Relatives: Scaling and Plural Life in a Forager World, along with dozens of articles in leading journals.

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Environmental Sociologist & Historian

A faculty at ATREE, Bengaluru, he has researched on pastoral landscapes, agrarian changes, environmental justice and human-wildlife interactions. He also edited Conservation Landscapes & Human Wellbeing: Sustainable Development in the Eastern Himalayas.

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Ramachandra Guha

Historian & Environmentalist

He has been a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and Indian Institute of Science, and is currently a distinguished professor at KREA University. He has authored various books, including India After Gandhi and Environmentalism: A Global History.

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Anthropologist & Author

He is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, and Editor-in-Chief of Visual Anthropology. His latest books include Encyclopaedia of the Nilgiri Hills, So Long a Saga: Four Centuries of Badaga Social History and A Badaga and English Dictionary: Glossary and Gazetteer.

Presenters
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Ornithologist

A faculty at the IISER-Tirupati, he has revealed two new Genera and seven new species.  He is a recipient of several renowned fellowships and a four-time National Geographic Explorer award winner. He is a member of a Madras High Court committee on invasive species.

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Educational Researcher

His PhD explored alternate teaching and learning modes within the Adivasi community of Gudalur, building on the work of Henri Bergson. In his current role, is grappling with how theoretical knowledge needs to manifest in the practical life of universities and reach out to stakeholders beyond it.

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Archaeologist

A Professor at the NIAS, Bengaluru, she has made pioneering contributions to archaeology and history of art through engineering applications. She has worked on material culture and archaeometallurgical aspects of the Nilgiris, and has received accolades, including the Padmashri in 2019. 

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Nonprofit organisation

Launched in 1993, Keystone has been active for 30 years, working on the ground towards tribal community wellbeing, biodiversity conservation and documentation of history in the Nilgiris landscape. Its impact has extended beyond the biosphere reserve to Coimbatore, Central and Eastern India.

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Ecologist

Growing up near the Periyar Tiger Reserve, she spent her childhood watching wildlife. She has worked to understand species’ distributions and evolutionary relationships, with a particular focus on birds, and hopes to study bird populations and their connections to landscapes.

Panelists
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Sanjay Cherian

Entrepreneur & Agriculturist

He is the Immediate Past President of UPASI and Managing Director of The Cottanad Plantations Ltd.. He served as the Chairman of the Association of Planters of Kerala in 2008-09. He is a passionate advocate of polyculture to improve ecosystem services and mitigating climate change. In 2013, he established Purple Patch Farms.

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Shrawan Acharya

Development Expert

A Professor at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development at JNU, he has been awarded several fellowships and awards, including the Senior Fulbright Fellowship. He has also worked with nonprofits on issues of environment, poverty, marginalisation and sustainable development.

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Pratim Roy

Founder-Director, Keystone

Over Keystone's 30-year history, his leadership has assisted in reaching out to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and marginalised communities in 356 villages in nine states. He is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow of Cornell University and is a member of the State Wildlife Board of Tamil Nadu. 

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