Speakers - World Parliament - 2023

DAY 1 - 9TH FEB 2023

Shri Avinash Dharmadhikari

President, Chanakya Mandal

A full-time voluntary activist for ten years, before joining IAS. A free-lance journalist during the same period. Undertook extensive study tours of the country. The outcome was the book, “Aswastha Dashakachi Diary”, based on the reflections on experiences of these visits. He has established Chanakya Mandal as a public charitable trust in Pune.
Joined IAS in 1986
Important postings held in the IAS: Sub-divisional officer at Phaltan. An officer on special duty for the state’s Chief Secretary. Director, State Archives, Mumbai. Chief Executive Officer at Ratnagiri and Amaravati Zilla Parishad. Additional Collector, Pune. Director, Women and Child Welfare Department, Maharashtra. District Collector, Raigad (Alibag). Deputy Secretary to the Chief Minister, Maharashtra.
While in service, initiated some experiments in responsive administration
A few of them are many original experiments in office and field level functioning of government machinery to reorient the operations and methodologies in bureaucracy. Long-pending land disputes resolved speedily through reconciliatory measures, adopting the revenue-court system. Active participation in literacy, the universalization of education, women-farmers-consumer movements, land and water conservation, movements against corruption and superstitions. Implemented a special program for neo-literates, so that they do not relapse into illiteracy. The program was appreciated as a model scheme’’, by the National Literacy Mission. Actively supported various developmental schemes by acting as an informal interface between the administration and voluntary agencies.

Dr Maulana Kalbe Rushaid Rizvi

Social, Cultural Revolutionist & Islamic Scholar

Maulana Kalbe Rushaid Rizvi was born on 8th February 1976 in Mandrapalli, the village located in the state of Bihar under district Siwan. He started his Islamic Education at the early age of six. From his childhood he was admitted at ‘Madrasa-e Sultanul Madaris’, Lucknow (India) by his ‘Beloved Parents’. He was the smallest of all in the madrasa during his time. After 10 years of acquiring Islamic Education he went to the ‘Islamic University’ in ‘Jamhuri Islamic'(Iran) for higher education and after completing his course he received the “Amama “by Ayatollah Gulpaigaani. The Head of the ‘Hauza Ilmiya’ in Qum-Iran and received ‘Ijaza’ from Ayatollah Jawad
Tabraizi (R.A) by the grace of God and due to his love for Ahlulbayt(A.S). Maulana Kalbe Rushaid is Multilingual.
By the grace of God he can explain religious sermons, political debates etc to numerous people in languages like Arabic, Persian, English, French, Gujrati, Hindi, and Urdu and last but not the least Bhojpuri. He resides in Delhi (India) currently.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati

President, Spiritual Head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram

Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati (called Pujya Swamiji or Pujya Muniji by disciples), is the president and spiritual head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, a spiritual institution based in Rishikesh, India. He is also the founder and spiritual head of the Hindu Jain Temple in Pittsburgh. Chidanand Saraswati is the founder or co-founder of several humanitarian and environmental organizations which serve a number of causes, including: Ganga Action Parivar, to preserve and protect the Ganga river and its tributaries; India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF), which provides education, health care, youth welfare, and vocational training; Divine Shakti Foundation, which provides education and assistance to widowed and impoverished women and children, as well as the protection of street animals in India such as cows and dogs; the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) to provide access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and proper hygiene; and Project Hope, an umbrella organization that brings together various humanitarian and environmental organizations in times of disaster to provide both emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation.

Dr. Sanjay G. Upadhye,

Eminent Writer, Philosopher and Thinker

1. Motivational speaker, One act performer, Column writer for Marathi newspapers
2. Worked on Geet Bhagvadgeetaa (Marathi), Eetageetamrutam (Hindi), Marathi Tv Serials
3. Writer Samradnyi Marathi Film story And
Lyrics
4. Acted in Kannada, Hindi and Marathi theater
5. He has also given daily lectures on Geeta on ETV and Prabhat channel.

Dr. Deepak Ranade,

Eminent Writer, Philosopher and Thinker

Dr. Deepak M. Ranade has completed his M.Ch (Magister Chirurgiae) Neurosurgery in 1994 from University of Bombay (K.E.M. Hospital).
He topped the University with a gold medal.

Other Qualifications:
M.S. General Surgery from University of Pune (B.J. Medical College) in 1991.M.B.B.S. General Medicine & Surgery from University of Pune (B.J. Medical College) in 1986.
Work Experience:
He is “Professor and Head of Department” of Neurosurgery at D.Y. Patil Medical College, Pimpri. Working as Post Graduate Guide for M.Ch (Neurosurgery) students. He worked as an Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at K.E.M. Hospital Pune (Feb. 1996 to 2000) and performed around 300 major neurosurgeries independently.
He performed brain and spine surgeries since 1996.
Presentation and Fellowships:
He has done a fellowship in Endoscopic Spine Surgery at Phoenix, Arizona and is one of the very few spine surgeons who are proficient with this revolutionary technique.
He also has done a fellowship in minimally invasive spine surgery in Seoul, South Korea.
He has presented papers at National and International Conferences.
He writes regularly in the Speaking Tree column of the Times Of India and has so far contributed more than 25 articles in this prestigious column.
Dr. Ranade is a Consultant Neurosurgeon and spine surgeon attached to Krishna Hospital and can be consulted by prior appointment.
He is also the consultant Neurosurgeon at Shashwat Hospital, Karve Road, and Sanjeevan Hospital, Karve Road.His consulting rooms are at Sanjeevan Hospital, Karve road and is available for consultations between 3-5 pm on all working days, except Tuesday.

Dr. Govind Palkar
Eminent Doctor and Thinker

1) Dr palkar Govind R.
E.N.T. surgeon
2) Passed from B.J. medical college and Sassoon hospital Pune.
3) Having private practice since 1981 at Miraj Maharashtra.
4) Turned towards study of spiritual science with blessings of Param pujya Yogi Swami Gagangiri
5) written 23 books on science and spirituality like
Chaitanyacha Jivala ,Amrut wani , Anatachya pavulwata ,Anand yatri,
truth' of life , I and God, Divya dnyan , Sanjivan Samadhi , Spiritual freedom and so on.
6) working as advisor committee member at World peace centre Alandi Pune Maharastra.and editor at Gagangiri Yogashram Khopoli Maharashtra.

Swamy Ashutoshji

Eminent Philosopher and Thinker, Uttarakhand

Ashutosh Urs Strobel is Born 1954 in Basel Switzerland. He Received Diploma in Analytical Chemistry in 1973 in Basel. But his deep focus was to Yoga and Indian Philosophy. At the age of 10, Yoga practice has become a fixed part of his daily
routine. After several years in 1970 Transcendental Meditation was discovered. He Left everything and went to Maharishi in Dec. 1973. Under Maharishi's guidance he received training in many fields, did research in EEG, worked on different research projects at Maharishi European Research University, became a teacher of Transcendental Meditation, and started teaching many courses to Thousands of people. He came to India for the first time in November 1980 to participate in the Vedic Science course held by Maharishi in the Indian Express building at New Delhi. In October 1981 became founding member of Maharishi’s “Sahasrashirsha Purusha “. Then he did research and training under Rajvaiday Vasudev Mulch and Dwivedi in Rasashastra for several years (partly in India from June 1986 to October 1988). After that he did and practised long meditations and studies in Ved and Upanishads etc. for several years at the Maharishi Vedic University in Holland.
Since 1996 January, he lives in India for full time and since 2011 he became Citizen of India. Currently He is running a Vedic Ashram in Kausani, Uttaranchal with the goal to create again a Vedic Atmosphere in the Home of the Veda, the Himalaya.
Presently 40 Students are studying Ved in the Anamay Ashram

Dr. Lari Azad

President, All India Poetess Conference, NewDelhi

Lari Azad (born 12 March 1959) is an Indian historian of medieval India. He is well known for his contribution to
medieval Indian history and historiography. He has authored a number of books, including Religion and Politics in India during the Seventeenth Century. Mohammad Akram Lari, (popularly known as Lari Azad), born in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, India, is among the best-known authors and poets in Hindi literature. He is also the founder of All India Poetess
Conference. He wrote under the pen name "Lari Azad". [21] His style is considered easy to understand, but has also been compared with high quality Hindi literature. Besides writing, he earns his living by teaching History in the historic NREC PG College, Khurja. He attained a unique position as a writer who wrote with equal facility in both Hindi and Urdu.

DR. KARAN SINGH

Member of Parliament, Rajyasabha

Karan Singh PMSP (born 9 March 1931) is an Indian politician and philosopher He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1952 to 1965 he was the Sadr-iRiyasat (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Republic of India. He is the chairperson trustee of the Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir which maintains temples in north India and works in other areas such as historical preservation. Singh was a member of India's Upper House of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, representing the national capital territory of Delhi. He is a senior member of the Indian National Congress party who served successively as President (Sadri-Riyasat) and Governor of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. He was a life trustee and president of India International Center. He was elected chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for three terms [6] until 2018 when he was succeeded by Giridhar Malaviya. He has been a prospective presidential candidate over the years.

HON'BLE SMT. MRIDULA JAISWAL

Mayor of Kashi Benaras, Uttar Pradesh

Mridula Jaiswal is an Indian politician and the current mayor of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Jaiswal is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician. In 2017, she became the mayor of Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh. In the corporation election, she defeated Indian National Congress candidate Shalini
Yadav by a margin of 78,843 votes.
She lives Near "Ghanti Mill Road", Sigra in Varanasi.

HON'BLE SHRI. INDRESH KUMAR,

President, Muslim Rashtriya Manch, New Delhi

Indresh Kumar is margdashak (guide) of The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) (translation: Muslim National Forum) is a Muslim organisation in India, supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is national executive member of RSS.
Indresh Kumar was born on 18 February 1949 in Samana, Punjab. However his father Chamanlal shifted to Kaithal, Haryana after the birth of Indresh Kumar. Indresh kumar got his early education at Kaithal. He got enrolled at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and got B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
After completing his education Indresh Kumar joined Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) as its full time preacher on 16 July 1970. In order to connect the Muslims to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Indresh Kumar formed the organization of the Muslim National Forum on December 24, 2002. He also played an active role in the underground movement in the 1975 during Emergency in India. Indresh Kumar is Chief Patron of Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch also.

SHRI. AJAY BHATT

President, Minister of State for Defence and Tourism, Govt. of India, New Delhi

Prof. Sudhir Jain is the 28th Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.Dr Jain is an internationally reputed scholar of earthquake engineering and a visionary academic administrator. He wasconferred the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honour, for distinguished service in the fields of science and engineering, by the Government of India in 2020. Before joining BeeHU, he served as the founding director of the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar for over 12 years.Dr Jain has made seminal contributions to earthquake engineering practice and education in India. He was instrumental in the development of several important seismic codes in India, and has trained thousands of professional engineers and college teachers in earthquake engineering. He established the National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering (NICEE) at IIT Kanpur and developed the National Programme on Earthquake Engineering Education (NPEEE), supported by the Government of India. He has served as consultant for several major projects, such as bridges and petrochemical pipeline, and has published more than 150 scholarly
papers. His research interests include the study of damaging earthquakes, reinforced concrete buildings, bridges, and seismic
codes.Dr Jain was elected as an international member of the US National Academy of Engineering in 2021 (one of the only 18 elected from India) and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee for Academic or Research Excellence in 2018. He served as President of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering from 2014-18 (the second Indian to hold this position) and was elected as its honorary member in 2021. He was elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Page 1 of 3 Engineering in 2003, and conferred Life Membership by the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) in 2013. Dr Jain served on the faculty of IIT Kanpur for 35 years from 1984-2019. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Roorkee (1979), and Masters (1980) and Doctoral (1983) degrees from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.

DR VIJAY BHATKAR

Former Chancellor, Nalanda University

1. Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Maharashtra Bhushan is an Indian Computer Scientist, IT leader and educationalist
2. Architect of India’s national initiative in supercomputing
3. Founder executive director of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
4. Chancellor of Nalanda University
5. Chairman of Vijnana Bharati, a non profit organization of Indian scientists

Padmabushan, Honourable Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar
World famous Computer Scientist (CHAIRMAN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE)

Major Achievements and Awards :
• Dr. Vijay Bhatkar is one of the most acclaimed scientist and IT leader of India. He is best known as the architect of India's first supercomputer and as the founder Executive Director of C-DAC, India's national initiative in supercomputing. He is credited with the creation of several national institutions, notably amongst them being C-DAC, ER&DC, IIITM-K, I2IT, ETH Research Lab, MKCL and India International Multiversity.
• He has been a Member of Scientific Advisory Committee to Cabinet of Govt. of India, Governing Council Member of CSIR, India and eGovernance Committee, Chairman of Governments of Maharashtra and Goa.
• A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, CSI,INAE and leading scientific, engineering and professional societies of India, he has been honored with Padmashri, Padma Bhushan and Maharashtra Bhushan awards. Other recognitions include Saint Dnyaneshwar World Peace Prize, Lokmanya Tilak Award, HK Firodia and Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Awards, and many others. He was a nominee for Petersburg Prize and is a Distinguished Alumni of IIT,Delhi.
• Dr. Bhatkar has authored and edited 12 books and 80 research & technical papers. His current research interests include Exascale Supercomputing, AI, Brain-Mind-Consciousness, and Synthesis of Science & Spirituality.
• He is presently appointed as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, Chancellor of India International Multiversity, Chief Mentor of I2IT.
• He has been the Chairman of ETH Research Lab, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Delhi and National President of Vijnan Bharati.